For the Spring 2014 semester, the UTM Honors Program will host several academic speakers.
First, Peter Mahaffey will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 23 in the Humanities Auditorium on chemistry in his talk, “Climate Science, Powering Our Planet, and Rare Materials: A Role for Visualization.” Mahaffey is a professor of chemistry at the King’s University College and co-directs the King’s Centre for Visualization in Science. He conducts research in chemistry education, visualization in science and organic chemistry. His visit will be co-sponsored by the Student Members of the American Chemical Society.
Then, at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 5 in Watkins Auditorium, Carol Eckert will speak on art in her talk, “Applied Research: Pursuing the Art of Teaching Art.” Eckert is a professor of art at UTM, teaching art history and art education. Eckert has received several awards in her years as an art professor, such as the Higher Education Division Educator of the Year Award in 2005 and 2013 from the Tennessee Art Education Association and Outstanding Junior Faculty Member of the Year in 2005 from the UTM College of Humanities and Fine Arts.
At 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 in the Paul Meek Library, Jeff Daniel Marion will speak on poetry in his talk, “The Journey a Poem Makes.” Marion is a native of Rogersville, Tenn., and taught English and creative writing at Carson-Newman College for over 35 years and retired in 2002. He has received several awards such as the first literary fellowship awarded by the Tennessee Arts Commission and the 2003 Independent Publisher Award in Poetry for his seventh book, Ebbing and Flowing Springs: New and Selected Poems and Prose. He will be co-sponsored by the Friends of the Paul Meek Library.
At the end of February, at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 in Watkins Auditorium, Dave Dennis will speak on civil rights in his talk, “Freedom Summer–Crawl Space to the Pathway to Freedom.” Dennis worked with Bob Moses in Mississippi and was active in several Civil Rights organizations in the ‘60s. He was a Freedom Rider and Co-Director of the Council of Federated Organizations in Mississippi. He currently helps minority children get better education in mathematics by working for the Algebra Project. He will be co-sponsored by the UTM Civil Rights Conference.
Co-sponsored by the UTM Department of Visual and Theater Arts, Peggy and Murray Schwartz will speak at 7:30 p.m. on March 18 in Watkins Auditorium on their book, The Dance Claimed Me: A Biography of Pearl Primus, in their talk, “Pearl Primus: Life, Work and Legacy.” Peggy has a career of art that has been active for over 40 years, with accomplishments that earned her the Lifetime Achievement Award in Dance by the National Dance Education Organization in October 2013. Murray is an expert in literature, having taught Shakespeare, psychoanalysis and Holocaust literature. He also has written, with essays on Shakespeare, Erik Erikson, applied psychoanalysis, modern poetry and trauma studies.
Co-sponsored by the UTM Department of Agriculture, Geosciences, and Natural Resource Management Ed Jones Lectureship, research scientist at the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Anthony Leiserowitz will speak on climate change in his lecture, “Climate Change in the American Mind,” at 7:30 p.m. on March 26 in Watkins Auditorium. He is the Director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and conducts research on many different types of environmental studies.
At the beginning of April, at 7:30 p.m. on April 9 in Watkins Auditorium, Sonja DuBois will speak on the Holocaust in her talk, “Preserving the Legacy.” When her family was deported to a concentration camp in the 1940s, she was less than 2 years old and became an orphan, losing her identity. DuBois understands the importance of speaking on the Holocaust and speaks to students in middle and high schools. She will be co-sponsored by the UTM Department of History and Philosophy.
To end the semester, sponsored by the UTM Chapter of Sigma Xi, Sara Gale, an archaeologist and Ground-Penetrating RADAR (GPR) technical trainer will speak on her discoveries in Antarctica in her talk, “Non-Destructive Crevasse Detection in Antarctica Using Ground-Penetrating RADAR,” at 7:30 p.m. on April 21 in Watkins Auditorium. She graduated from Martin Westview High School and moved on to earn her BA at the University of Arkansas. Since, she has been involved in several archeological projects.
For more information on the academic speakers for the semester, contact Director of the Honors Program Dr. Lionel Crews at 731-881-7436 or lcrews@utm.edu.
