Thursday, April 23, 2015

Mass Communication Students win On-The-Spot Competition

Nineteen Mass Communications students and members of the BU chapter of the National Broadcasting Society (NBS) recently traveled to Atlanta, GA for the annual NBS Convention capturing first place in the Society's prestigious “On-the-Spot” (OTS) competition. The OTS competition provides an opportunity for students to show off writing, performance and production skills. Bloomsburg’s contingent produced an NBS promo on deadline.

You can watch their production on the Bloomsburg NBS Chapter’s YouTube channel. This was the second consecutive year Bloomsburg won this particular competition, which includes submissions from dozens of schools nationwide. This year, NBS leadership was so impressed by the students’ work they may adopt the spot as the organization’s official promotional commercial.

In addition to honing their production skills, the students toured CNN and the set of the television show The Vampire Diaries and networked with students, professors and industry professionals. The mission of NBS is to enhance the development of college students preparing for careers in electronic media industries.

Monday, April 20, 2015

College of Liberal Arts Research and Creative Projects Day

Hundreds of student scholars from the College of Liberal Arts will present their work Friday, April 24 at Research and Creative Projects Day.

Posters will be on display throughout McCormick Center for Human Services from various humanities, social sciences and arts disciplines.  One-hour poster sessions will start at 11 am and 2 pm. Students will conduct oral presentations and performances starting at noon.

The Percussion Ensemble will perform “Traditional Middle Eastern Percussion Ensemble” at 11:50 am in McCormick Room 1303. The Jazz Band will play live music 3:15 pm near the Quad at the University Wall of Distinction.

Art Professor Ron Lambert and the seven students in his Time Sculpture class will start an interactive art sculpture, made of precut 2-inch by 4-inch wooden boards, connecting them together with zip ties. The art will be placed outside McCormick Hall Friday morning and the community is encouraged to participate throughout the day by adding more wooden boards to the original structure.

Digital Video Editing and Advanced Video Editing students will stream videos in the Media Hub, McCormick Room 1229, from 11 am to 4 pm.

Concurrently the Art and Art History Department will hold their annual Art History Symposium starting at 11 am in Centennial Hall Room 239.  Five students will present research about World War I.  The symposium is part of the Institute for Culture and Society Great War Lecture Series.  The Senior Exit Show will also be open 9 am to 4:30 pm in the Haas Gallery of Art.  The show runs through Saturday, May 9.

The day will conclude with a lecture at 4:15pm from George A. Reisch, Series Editor of Popular Culture and Philosophy in McCormick 1303.  His presentation is titled “Teacher, Savior, Philosopher, Spy?  On Philosophy and Popular Culture.”

A full schedule of events will be available.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Students Present Research at Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meeting


BU Students and faculty dine after
presenting their research
Guest blogger: Sociology student Paul Deppen

In March I was fortunate enough to have been able to travel to New York City with a group of professors and peers and attend the Eastern Sociological Meeting.  The experience of presenting my own research and engaging with other scholars was a rewarding and encouraging one.  I also learned a lot by listening to other students and professionals present their research.  Their presentations were thought-provoking and greatly enhanced my interest in a variety of topics.  From education to drug policy to gender issues, the breadth of subjects discussed made for an academically fulfilling weekend.  I look forward to applying the benefits of this trip to my own research here at Bloomsburg University and beyond.

For my research project, I decided to look at attitudes towards marijuana legalization.  I chose this topic because of its relevancy to current events in this country with regard to the number of states that have recently legalized cannabis for recreational (not to mention medical) use.  Also, as president of the Bloomsburg University chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), I was interested in identifying particular segments of society that are more supportive of marijuana policy changes, as well as those who are not.

Using data from the 2012 General Social Survey, I analyzed the demographics of people who responded either yes or no to the question, “Should marijuana be made legal?” My results showed that there does exist a significant difference of opinion towards marijuana across race, gender, and level of education. Overall, whites are more supportive of legalization than minorities, as were men regardless of their racial classification. Level of education also affected these attitudes, as the data shows, in that respondents with a bachelor degree or higher were more supportive, especially among males. One unexpected finding was that the gap in support between males and females increased as the level of education increased. Reasons for these differences are unclear, but they could be related to the experiential variation among racial and gender groups in regard to the war on drugs and with marijuana usage itself.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Anthropology Students Present Research at National Conference

In anticipation of the PASSHE Undergraduate Research Conference that will be hosted by Bloomsburg University on April 25 and 26, check out what some BU Anthropology students have been doing.

Last December, BU Anthropology students presented original research at the American Anthropological Association Annual Meetings in Washington D.C. in the invited poster session “First Rites: Innovative Undergraduate Research in Anthropology” peer-reviewed by the Society for Visual Anthropology.

Students were mentored by Dr. Faith Warner in Methods in Cultural Anthropology and Applied Anthropology, and through an URSCA award in summer 2014. Their travel was supported by the College of Liberal Arts.
Back to the Stacks: New Methods and Questions in the Longitudinal Andruss Library Ethnography Project 
Cassandra McMillen and Ian Matthew Johnson  

Gay and Lesbian Rights in Africa: African Perspectives at U.S.
Bryan Andrew Molk

Total Freedom on the Dark Side of the Internet: A Cyberethnography of 4Chan
Benjamin Gilbert Tice (research conducted through an URSCA award, summer 2014)

Anthropologists and Missionaries: A Controversial Relationship
Meghan Elizabeth Boarts

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Alumnus Applies Art

Michael Kalmbach received his BA at Bloomsburg University in 2003 and his MFA at the University of Delaware in 2008. Shortly after completing his graduate studies he accepted a position at the Delaware College of Art & Design and founded the New Wilmington Art Association, an artist collective that organized exhibitions in vacant space throughout the City of Wilmington from August 2008 to April 2013.



This work led to Michael’s involvement with the Chris White Community Development Corporation, which developed the 23-unit artist live/work space, Shipley Lofts. Kalmbach now serves the CWCDC as Board Chairman. In June 2011 he accepted a contract with the State of Delaware's Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to develop a space for artists on the behavioral health spectrum. The Creative Vision Factory has been open since December of 2011 and fosters the creative potential of individuals with behavioral health disorders in a studio art environment that cultivates integration with the local community through a program of exhibitions, workshops, and communal workspace.

Kalmbach maintains his own painting practice and has exhibited work in venues throughout the Mid-Atlantic, including the Delaware Art Museum, the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, the Biggs Museum of American Art, and UnSmoke Systems.


Michael writes: "My experience at Bloomsburg University gave me the necessary foundation to create a career for myself in the arts. As a Studio Art major I benefited from supportive relationships with the faculty of the Department of Art & Art History. I was encouraged by them to pursue my intellectual interests, so I spent a great deal of time in the English and Philosophy Departments. This liberal arts background has served me well and continues to inform my work in the City of Wilmington. Since graduating I have returned to campus on a number of occasions. As my career unfolds, it’s comforting to know that I can count on the Faculty and Staff of Bloomsburg University to be there as a resource."

Monday, April 13, 2015

BU Grad Dances to Fame

Christina Davis is a talented 2013 graduate of Bloomsburg University who continues to dance her way to success across the country. She recently reflected on the impact that her education at Bloomsburg has had on her career:

“My journey as a BU Dance minor has shaped and prepared me for many events and opportunities that I have experienced as a graduate. Leaving BU with determination and prep for the dance world, I took my talents and knowledge and traveled to the state of California as a professional dancer. I was able to use everything from performance, test, and class videos to land work with amazing artists such as Emmy nominated Shane Sparks from So You Think You Can Dance, hip hop artist Lil Mama, Eric Bellinger, Meagan Good, and many more. I have been featured on a soon to be aired television show The Real Dancers of North Hollywood. I landed a job touring around China with major artists. My journey continues. I have been to auditions and strive for the best. The Bloomsburg Dance Minor taught me to think outside the box and go outside of my comfort zone in order to succeed in this industry. I am excited to continue to make dreams come true and to call myself an alumnus of Bloomsburg University!”

To watch Christina at work, check out the piece created about her after she won BET’s Lens on Talent Dance competition:  http://www.bet.com/shows/lens-on-talent/news/christina-davis-wins-lens-on-talent-dance.html


Saturday, April 4, 2015

Duo Montagnard to be featured on ArtScene

Duo Montagnard, composed of guitarist and Bloomsburg University music professor Matthew Slotkin and Mansfield University professor and saxophonist Joseph Murphy, will be featured on WVIA this Monday (April 6, 2015) at 11:00 a.m. 

Drs. Slotkin and Murphy did an interview for the WVIA ArtScene series as a promotion for an upcoming concert in Scranton on April 19, and they also did a short live in-studio performance that will be part of the feature. The broadcast will be available as a podcast shortly thereafter. Follow @BUCoLADean on Twitter to receive the tweeted link when it's available.