Wednesday, January 14. 2009
Greetings as we start a new semester.
I kind of did the “welcome back” column in LAST week’s edition of RM, but for those who THIS week are just getting back into their routines, we’re glad you are here for the Spring 09 semester—especially our Racer students! MSU students make the City of Murray what it is—and having everyone back on campus (and increased levels of activity at the Extended Campuses too) gets life back to normal for me. Even if Walmart is more crowded now…
Continue reading "President's Perspective"
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
The World We Create Traveling Exhibit, coming soon from the Louisville Science Center to Murray State University allows visitors of all ages to explore applied science, technology and engineering in hands-on activities that are as fun as they are educational. The World We Create Traveling Exhibit will be in the Carmen Pavilion, located at Murray State’s West Farm (adjacent to the Cherry Agricultural Exposition Center on College Farm Road). The exhibit will be open to the public from Jan. 19 through Feb. 6 from 3-8 p.m. Student groups can visit the exhibit, by appointment, from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission is free for everyone.
Continue reading "Traveling exhibit makes science fun"
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
In December 2008, the Murray State University Libraries became the first public academic library in the state of Kentucky to offer a new service we call ThoroSearch. When you first open up Library on Blackboard this semester, you should notice a new search box at the top labeled ThoroSearch. This search capability essentially acts as a Google-for-the-library. ThoroSearch combines in one search most of the libraries’ resources, and only those that represent the academic discipline chosen! If you are doing research in a particular subject, and you are using that subject’s Library on Blackboard page, then the results retrieved will come from appropriate resources, ranked like a search engine. One search, one list – books and articles – for your discipline. You can try it out by visiting http://lib.murraystate.edu/bb and selecting your discipline. Faculty: want a demonstration in your class? Contact your subject librarian or email reference@murraystate.edu.
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
Murray State student Katie DeCillo will be one of the approximately four million people to travel to Washington, D.C., for President-elect Barack Obama's Inauguration on Jan. 20. DeCillo, a sophomore electronic media major from Murray, along with Shasta O'Neal from MSU's Broadcast Media Services office will take in the sights and sounds of the nation's capitol during this special time. DeCillo and O'Neal will blend the inauguration of the United States' first African American president with the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial and and the birthday of President George Washington. The duo will work together to post daily video blogs from DeCillo focusing on the experience of being in Washington while history is being made. The two are set to attend the Kentucky on the Potomac party and the Bluegrass Ball where they will mingle with politicians and other Kentucky notables. Key stops may include the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Watch the MSU homepage for "Murray State University Goes to the Inauguration" postings. WPSD-TV in Paducah, Ky., and KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau, Mo., also plan to use DeCillo's blog in part of their inauguration coverage.
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
Current Murray State University students and incoming freshmen and transfer students are reminded that the deadline to submit a scholarship application is for the Fall 2009 semester at MSU is 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009. New students must be fully admitted to the university by that date to be considered for any scholarship. Returning MSU students who have received a scholarship in the past need only submit an online application in order to be considered for scholarships for which they meet the minimum requirements. They will not need to submit an updated résumé or letter of recommendation.
Continue reading "Scholarship application deadline Jan. 15, 2009"
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
Murray State University will host The Murray Bridal Show on Saturday, February 7, 2009 from 10am to 4pm at the Regional Special Events Center. The show will feature local and regional exhibits from top wedding professionals offering the newest ideas in wedding planning and more. "Brides can find their dream wedding gowns, dresses for their wedding party, tuxes for the groom and ideas for bridal party gifts," says event coordinator Amy Maness. "Additionally, they can decide on invitations and favors, see photographers' work, sample wedding cake, book a limousine and reception site as well as plan the honeymoon all in one day." The Murray Bridal Show is an event that makes it so easy for brides to plan their entire wedding. Plus, guests who register can win one of many prizes given away hourly at the show. Admission to the Murray Bridal Show is free. For more information about the event, visit their website at murraybridalshow.com.
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
An exhibit titled, “Discovering Kentucky’s Abraham Lincoln,” will be on display, starting Monday, Jan. 12, at Murray State University’s Wrather West Kentucky Museum. Developed by the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) as a part of the Museums-to-Go program, the exhibit celebrates Lincoln’s birthday bicentennial by strengthening the understanding of connections between the 16th president and his native state. The exhibit is divided into five different themes — “A Frontier Childhood,” “Becoming President,” “Ending Slavery,” “Lincoln and Kentucky at War” and “Remembering Lincoln Differently.”
Continue reading "Lincoln exhibit comes to Murray State University"
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
MSU will host four candidates for the position of Director of Student Life. All Faculty, staff, and university affiliated groups and organizations are invited to attend an open forum in the Barkley Lecture Room of the Curris Center on Tuesday, January 20; Thursday, January 22; Tuesday, January 27; and Friday, January 30. All forums will begin at 10:45 a.m. In addition, MSU students are encouraged to attend a session strictly devoted to students for their opportunity to meet each of the candidates. That session is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in the Stables of the Curris Center during the dates listed above. Please contact Ross Meloan for additional information pertaining to these meetings.
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
The mileage rate as set forth by the Commonwealth of Kentucky for employee mileage reimbursement will change from 49 cents per mile to 37 cents per mile, effective January, 2009. University travel regulations will adopt this change on the same effective date. Please contact Accounting & Finance at 3012 or 4128 if you have any questions regarding this revision.
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) have named Dr. Ricky Cox, chemistry professor at Murray State University the 2008 Kentucky Professor of the Year. Cox was selected from nearly 300 top professors in the United States. Students who work in Cox's lab are exposed to a broad range of research experiences and techniques, including protein purification, enzyme kinetics and computational biochemistry.
Continue reading "MSU chemistry professor, Dr. Ricky Cox, named 2008 Kentucky Professor of the Year by Carnegie Foundation and CASE"
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
The first meeting of Women's Educational Empowerment Project (W.E.E.P.) for Southern Sudan's student organization is Monday, January 19 at 8 pm. The meeting will be on the third floor of the Curris Center, in the lounge to the left of the stairs. Meeting will include planning for spring fundraising projects, as well as planning the upcoming graduation party for Elizabeth Awak, the first W.E.E.P.-sponsored girl to graduate high school in Sudan. Most Sudanese girls barely make it to 8th grade, but we are determined to fill Sudan with high school graduates! If you educate a girl, you educate her family. If you are interested in finding out more about W.E.E.P. for Southern Sudan, go to the
website or find our student group on
Facebook. Email
jonah.waggoner@gmail.com for more information.
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
Robert Tokosh, graduate student in Agronomy/Soil Science at Murray State University was recently selected to present his research. The presentation was entitled “Ailanthus altissima Invasiveness in Camp Crooked Creek Clermont, Ky.” at the Annual Invasive Species Conference, held on December 12 and 13, 2008, in Lexington, Kentucky. While as an undergraduate observations were made during the spring and summer that was the basis of this research. The observation period was from 2004 to 2008. Growth habits as well as the ability to adapt and the control of these trees were discussed. The audience was very interested, helpful and willing to share information and suggestions. Dr. Iin Handayani, Assistant Professor in the School of Agriculture serves as his faculty advisor.
Wednesday, January 14. 2009
Drs. Terry Derting and Diane Ebert-May (Michigan State University) received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to improve student learning through improved teaching by new biology professors. The project focuses on creating a national network of 200 postdoctoral scholars who are prepared and mentored in scientific teaching before they assume faculty roles in academic institutions. Regional teams of trained faculty at six Biology Field Stations around the nation will implement professional development workshops, provide mentoring in teaching and long-term support for the postdoctoral scholars, and advance their own teaching and scholarship in education. The postdoctoral scholars will learn teaching strategies and constructing an entire biology course based on scientific teaching. They are adapting pre-existing materials and tools that are learner-centered, and tested and validated by other faculty. It is anticipated that the postdoctoral scholars will begin their new faculty positions formally prepared to teach with a course in hand. The project will also evaluate the effect of professional development on postdoctoral understanding and implementation of the scientific approach to teaching and active student-centered learning.
