Movie: Taking Chance
7 p.m. in Wrench Auditorium, Memorial Union
Kevin Bacon stars as Lt. Col. Michael Strobl in this HBO Films drama that looks at the military rituals for honoring its war dead. The film pays tribute to the men and women who have given their lives in military service as well as their families. Admission is free.


NOV. 11
Mizzou Joint ROT C Annual Veterans Day Vigil, Parade and Ceremony

Veterans Day Complimentary Shuttle Service
Departs from in front of the Missouri Student Union 10-10:30 a.m.
Vans take passengers to the Veterans Day vigil, parade and ceremony in downtown Columbia and return to the Missouri Student Union immediately after the ceremony.

Parade
10:40 a.m. on 8th Street
Starts at the Mizzou Columns traveling along 8th Street to the Boone County Courthouse. Highlights include the Railsplitters, World War II vehicles and the Boone County Fire District Pipe and Drum Band.

Ceremony
11 a.m. at Boone County Courthouse
A short ceremony honoring veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States features Lt. Col. Ronald L. Tucker, the Mizzou Men’s Choir and a 21-gun salute provided by the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars Post 280. Taps will be played at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year, symbolic of the Armistice ending World War I.

Veterans Day Celebration
Noon at Memorial Tower, Memorial Union
MU’s traditional wreath-laying ceremony takes place under the Memorial Tower, which was erected in 1922 to honor Missouri veterans who lost their lives in World War I.

Free Crafternoon: Thank You Cards for Veterans
12-4 p.m. at N12 Memorial Student Union, Craft Studio
The craft studio provides supplies. Make a card to be delivered to the VA hospital near campus.

Tigers 4 Troops
Through Nov. 20 in Memorial Union
Help support the 1140th Military Police Company of Fulton, Mo., currently serving in Afghanistan by donating supplies. Check the wish list, and drop off donations at the Memorial Student Union Guest Services desk. They’ll be delivered to the troops before the holidays.


NOV. 12
Guest Lecture by Admiral William J. Fallon, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Commander, U.S. Central Command
7:30 p.m. in Conservation Auditorium
In 2008, William J. Fallon retired as an Admiral after a 40-year career of military and strategic leadership. He led U.S. and allied forces in eight separate commands and played a leadership role in military and diplomatic matters at the highest levels of the U.S. government. As head of the U.S. Central Command, Admiral Fallon directed all U.S. military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia and Horn of Africa, focusing on combat efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.


NOV. 13
Third Annual Mizzou Student Veterans Association Banquet
7 p.m. in Eckles Hall
To attend, e-mail nmkc73@mail.mizzou.edu. Space is limited.

Visit the MU Veterans Center.

After winning the 2008 Big 12 tournament title, the Mizzou women’s soccer team didn’t expect to sneak up on anybody this year. They didn’t have to. The Tigers have earned the regular-season championship — the university’s first in any sport since softball in 1997 — and the top seed in this week’s tournament.

Mizzou (12-5-3, 7-1-2) takes the field at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday against Kansas. The tournament, held in San Antonio, features the top eight finishers in the conference. All games can be seen on Big12sports.com, and the final will air on Fox Sports Net.

The Tigers use a high-risk, high-reward style of play, constantly attacking with three forwards. Not coincidentally, Mizzou leads the Big 12 in goals, assists and points. And with seven seniors who play important roles on the team, they don’t want the ride to end just yet.

“(These seniors) have a little more experience than some of the other senior classes with playing and consistently winning, but due to all my former classes, we’re here,” coach Bryan Blitz told the Missourian. “I think that’s what sets us apart, that they were so persistent and they never give up.”

Tibetan monks Tezin Tashi and Lobsang Paljor work on a mandala sand painting, an art form dating back to sixth century, as Cody Mangogna and Sierra Gastler take pictures in Ellis Library.

The monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery have been working on the mandala all week. The millions of grains of sand used to create it are made from rock and marble and dyed with water color at a monastery in India. A chakpur is used to hold the sand, and a thurma is used to release it. Eight monks will have contributed to the mandala by the time it’s finished at noon Thursday.

The mandala represents the universe in divine form.

Thursday evening the Tibetan monks perform “Sacred Music and Sacred Dance” at 7 p.m. in Jesse Auditorium.

Image of 1978 Halloween Homecoming program cover, featuring a ferocious costumed tiger, courtesy of MU Archives.

We know what scares you this time of year. Midterms. Flu. Longhorns.

Fortunately, Mizzou takes the fear factor down a notch this week for Columbians, providing a monstrously large number of strictly fun frights for trick-or-treaters and their cohorts.

HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS

Trick or Treat through Missouri History
6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27
State Historical Society of Missouri

Learn about bats, bones, ghosts and the spookier side of history at the State Historical Society, located in the Ellis Library building. Bonuses: Face painting, crafts, treats and education. 573-882-7083


Tiger Night of Fun
5-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31
Hearnes Center Field House

Trick-or-treat at the Hearnes Center. Come in for a big bash complete with ghouls, ghosts and games. Bonuses: Lots of treats without weather worries. 573-874-7460


Haunted Museum Tour
6-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31
MU Museum of Art and Archaeology

The museum’s eeriest attractions come to life on Halloween night. Meet in the lobby of Pickard Hall for a guided tour of the building’s dark nooks and creepy crannies. Bonuses: movies and treats. 573-882-3591


Spirits of Mizzou
Columbia Cemetery

We can neither confirm nor deny that various buildings on the MU campus are haunted. But we do know where the bodies are buried.

The MU Archives “Spirits of Mizzou” feature provides a map to the grave sites of prominent Tigers whose names should ring a few bells: Jesse, Lathrop, Defoe, Lowry, Rollins, etc. Learn a bit about the lives and accomplishments of the great scholars and university leaders, and/or visit their graves in nearby Columbia Cemetery.

USA Today has launched an online edition of its publication that college and university students can read for free. If you’re a Mizzou student, you can access the e-edition from the campus server or sign up with your MU e-mail address to have it delivered to your inbox. Read it online, or download it.

Along with the full text from the print newspaper, the online edition offers digital multimedia features such as embedded videos, interactive games, an audio function (to have the newspaper read to you) and feedback options.

Check it out.

Tuffy the miniature horse is cute, right? A pet, a mascot, a conversation piece?

Don’t let his stature deceive you. Tuffy is a workhorse. He’s a vital team member in the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) at Mizzou.

Tuffy (right), his colleague Cookie (below) and scores of other animals help researchers investigate the benefits of humans’ relationships with pets. Their participation in HAI studies expands health-care professionals’ knowledge of how animals can help their human companions stay fit, lose weight, recover from illnesses, learn to read, adapt to the aging process, reduce depression and anxiety, and improve their overall well-being. Animals help perform day-to-day tasks for people with disabilities and, in some cases, may even be able to detect cancer in its early stages.

This week ReCHAI hosts the International Society for Anthrozoology Human-Animal Interaction Conference at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo. From Oct. 20 through Oct. 25, scientists discuss the roles of human-animal bonds in fields such as in nursing, veterinary medicine, psychology and weight management.

Students in Professor Rebecca A. Johnson’s human-companion animal interaction course circle Cookie the therapy horse. Johnson is the director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction and this week leads a conference about the health benefits human-animal bonds. Photos by Shane Epping.

Marty Becker, a veterinary contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America, gives a special presentation at the conference called “The Power of Love: The science and the soul behind that affection-connection we call The Bond.” Conference-goers also can expect appearances by four-legged experts.

Learn more.

Chancellor Brady Deaton receives his honorary degree from Prince of Songkla University.

If you haven’t seen MU’s chancellor on campus this week, there’s a good reason. Brady Deaton is in Hat Yai, Thailand, where Prince of Songkla University has given him an honorary degree.

Deaton has close ties to the Land of Smiles. He taught vocational agriculture there as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960s and has visited the country repeatedly since. He also speaks the language fluently, wowing Thai students last spring when he addressed the crowd at the annual Songkran Festival.

Deaton has made international engagement a priority for Mizzou. He hosts the Chancellor’s Global Issues Forum and last year established, by chancellorial proclamation, the first MU International Day. Currently more than 1,800 international students are enrolled at Mizzou, and the university offers more than 400 study-abroad programs in 60 countries.

Read more about Deaton’s honorary degree.

A representative from the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation visited Mizzou this week to honor the university for its promotion of public service. Mizzou is one of two universities to be designated a 2009 Truman Foundation Honor Institution.

During the visit, Executive Secretary Fred Slabach talked with students about what it takes to be a Truman Scholar. Each year the foundation awards 60-65 of the $30,000 graduate-school scholarships to exceptional college juniors nationwide on the basis of four criteria:

1. service on campus and in the community;
2. commitment to a career in public service ;
3. communication skills and aptitude for being an agent of change; and
4. academic talent that ensures acceptance into a first-rate graduate school.

Tigers have been well represented among Truman Scholars. So far 14 Mizzou students have been awarded the scholarships; political science major Rick Puig is the most recent. In 2008, an unprecedented two Mizzou students, Laura Merritt and Jennifer Kimball, earned the honor, and Merritt was later named one of Glamour magazine’s Top 10 College Women.

For more information about applying for a Truman Scholarship, visit www.truman.gov.

If M. Frederick Hawthorne was attempting to deflect attention during the small ceremony held largely in his honor on the first day of school, he was less than successful.

The National Academy of Sciences member, former Inorganic Chemistry editor and current director of Mizzou’s International Institute of Nano and Molecular Medicine was being recognized for yet another achievement. He is the 2009 recipient of the Priestley Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the world’s largest scientific society, the American Chemical Society.

It’s a big deal.

But instead of talking about himself or his work when Chancellor Brady Deaton called him to the podium, Hawthorne briefly educated the crowd about the scientist for whom the award was named, Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), discoverer of oxygen and inventor of soda water.

When state Sen. Kurt Schaefer presented him with a framed senate resolution, Hawthorne responded quietly: “I’ve never seen one of these before. It’s very, very attractive. I will take time to read it.”

Before Hawthorne could get started on that task, though, Deaton detained him for another announcement; it was the world-renowned chemist’s 81st birthday. University Club staff produced a cake, and the roomful of university administrators, accomplished scientists and government leaders burst into song. After blowing out the candle, Hawthorne noted, “Longevity is a great thing.”

Presidential awards

The occasion also was used to recognize recipients of the UM System Presidential Awards. President Gary Forsee acknowledged four faculty members and one student with the system-wide honor. Like Hawthorne, the winners had received their accolades at official functions outside Columbia during the summer; Monday afternoon’s event gave the Mizzou community the chance to kick off the fall semester on a celebratory note.

Tom Quirk, a professor of English and leading Mark Twain scholar who joined MU in 1979, earned the Curators’ Award for Scholarly Excellence.

John Adams, a professor of chemistry beloved by students, earned the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching.

Curator’s Professor of Psychology David Geary received the Thomas Jefferson Award for embodying Jefferson’s principles and ideals.

Ron Turner, formerly vice president for University Outreach and Director of Cooperative Extension at Mizzou and executive vice president of the University of Missouri System, is the recipient of the C. Brice Ratchford Memorial Fellowship Award for advancing the university’s land-grant mission.

Corey Rimmel, Student Entrepreneur of the Year

Corey Rimmel, a graduate student in the Trulaske College of Business and co-founder of Hot Box Cookies, received the Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

For anyone who prefers enjoying desserts with minimal fanfare, it should be noted that Rimmel’s business provides late-night delivery of freshly baked cookies to Columbia homes.

The program getting recognition: MU’s Interdisciplinary Innovations Fund. Fueled by a combination of corporate sponsorships, student fees and department budgets, the fund provides startup money for collaborative, student-driven information-technology projects.

Journalism student Tony Brown and computer-science student Peng Zhuang present NearBuy, their iPhone application that won MU’s iPhone Developer Competition. The contest was supported by the Interdisciplinary Innovations Fund. Photo by Karen Stockman.

Since its creation in 2008 by the Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Mike McKean and the MU Information Technology Committee, the fund has supported half a dozen interdisciplinary undertakings in software development, sustainability and filmmaking. Projects unite diverse academic disciplines (engineering, journalism, film, plant sciences, architecture, computer science, business) as well as non-academic units (residential life, student life, campus facilities, student organizations).

Creative participants break down boundaries of traditional educational models, with students both taking the lead and venturing outside the classroom. During MU’s iPhone Developer Competition, for example, students created iPhone applications that have been downloaded by countless users worldwide; the winning team attended the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco.

Multiple projects use technology for environmentally friendly innovations. On the Show Me Solar team, Mizzou architecture students and Missouri S&T engineering students have designed and built an energy-efficient house as part of the international Solar Decathlon competition to be held in Washington, D.C., in October.

Here on campus, Sustain Mizzou students helped create the Mizzou Dashboard to monitor energy use in MU residence halls. Several MU groups came together to boost Columbia community-garden production using dining hall compost and high-tech data logging.

Want in on the action? Grants are awarded annually following a process of project proposals, presentations and review by the IT Committee. Start working on your proposal for spring 2010.

MU student Ben Datema presents the Mizzou Dashboard project during the Missouri Energy Summit. Attention-grabbing flyers announced a student competition. Photo by Shane Epping.

Read more about the award.

Thursday afternoon, the Bond Life Sciences Center was alive with activity. Undergraduate students, most from MU but some from as far away as South Korea, were displaying the results of their work at the Undergraduate Research Poster Forum. Large displays showed research questions, methods and results; all the work was based at Mizzou.

“I looked at the posters and was like, ‘Wow! What undergrads are doing is simply phenomenal,’” says Joel Maruniak, undergraduate research coordinator at MU. “The undergrads are showing the fruits of their labor, and to think that they accomplished all this in just eight weeks is really impressive.”

The 98 posters filled the building’s lobby and lined the walls of the second and third floors of the atrium. They represented every summer research program at the university and covered nearly every type of science.

“It’s really neat because everybody here has discovered something in their field of interest,” says MU junior Ashley Reinsch, a geological-sciences/photojournalism double major. “I was looking around at all the posters and realized that; I just think that’s really cool.”

Ashley Reinsch, a geology and photojournalism major at MU, answers questions from Steven Steffen (left) and Jacob Jennings about the viscosity of magma fluid. Photo by Shane Epping.

The students presenting have done more that just work in the labs for the past eight weeks, though. In the LSUROP (Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program), for example, seminars were held Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and occasional brown-bag lunchtime lectures and other activities enhanced the educational aspect of the research.

“We’re trying to get them to the research experience, to think like scientists and figure out whether they want to do research in their careers,” says Maruniak. “We also want to expose them to many different sciences so they can pick the part they like.”

The effects of the forum are long-reaching. Former students tell those running it how much their experiences have aided them with current presentations, regardless of profession.

“This is what makes MU unique among state universities,” Maruniak says. “We’ve had a 20-year involvement in engaging undergrads in cutting-edge research and labs at MU. It’s what we do best.”

Taylor Phillips, a high school student from the Barstow School in Kansas City, wipes a tear from her eye after saying goodbye to friends made at the end of the 25th Missouri Scholars Academy on Friday night. About 400 students stood on the Quad with lit candles to remember, celebrate and honor their time together. Photo by Shane Epping.

Visit the MSA online photo gallery.

GUEST BLOG

June 25, 2009
Derek Byrne, Kansas City, Mo.

Thursday began like any other day at the academy. I shuffled half-asleep down the stairs to breakfast and then made my way to my major once again. Inevitably, though, the thought I had been trying to avoid crossed my mind: Tomorrow’s our last day. I was reminded of this fact in big group as we heard about the alumni association, as well as at our evening activity, a class sampler showcasing what scholars have learned in their classes over the last three weeks. Amid the human illustration of mathematical combinations and permutations, the video of a teacher searching for his “kidnapped” class and many other amusing and informative displays, a bittersweet sentiment could be felt. We all knew our lighthearted laughter would soon be replaced by tearful goodbyes.

As I sat among a group of people who were transformed in three short weeks from an assortment of unaffiliated students to a closely knit community, I thought about everything I’d had the opportunity to experience at MSA. I performed Shakespeare in the pool, discussed the concept of infinity at length and formed some incredible relationships. Later, as I began to gather the clothes lying on the floor of my dorm room, I thought about my experience at the academy and leaving it behind. Then I realized that, despite the upsetting prospect of leaving, the MSA experience isn’t over at the end of three weeks. My newfound knowledge in a multitude of subjects will serve me as I continue high school, enter college and make career choices. In addition, the friendships I have made here with intelligent, driven people will continue beyond the academy.

I’ll always look back on my three weeks here as one of the best opportunities I’ve ever been given, and anytime someone says, “Boomba!” I’ll always proudly respond, “Hey!”

GUEST BLOG

June 20, 2009
Brendan Pick, Florissant, Mo.

Alumni Day had come to Missouri Scholars Academy, and along with it came even more memorable moments. Starting the day with about an extra half-hour of sleep and maybe even a bite to eat, scholars attended their minors for three hours. This allowed scholars a chance to discuss and experience these subjects in more depth.

Following classes and, of course, lunch, scholars were able to take part in various activities, including a very colorful mock Hindu Holi Festival in which participants had a blast tossing around paint and water in celebration. Other activity options included viewing the 1997 award-winning film Contact, taking a dive playing sand volleyball or adventuring through the classic role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons.

The day’s excitement carried on through the night as scholars and alumni from academies in years past hung out, played Frisbee, cooled off in a local McDonald’s and, of course, danced at another street dance at Lowry Mall.

Tired and all “boogied out,” scholars returned to Mark Twain Residence Hall for a quick snack and then headed off to bed for a well-deserved rest.

June 21, 2009
Elizabeth Rodman, Boonville, Mo.

Today was the long-awaited Family Day. For the first time in two weeks, parents, siblings and other family members could visit scholars. My mom and my sister visited me. It was wonderful to see them, but I really wished my dad could have come, too. Happy Father’s Day to him and all the other great dads out there; you are loved!

We went to church and had lunch at Applebee’s before heading back to MSA. An organized program for scholars and their parents began at 1:15 p.m. in Jesse Auditorium. Parents got to see selected acts from Friday night’s talent show, and Ted Tarkow explained certain MSA concepts, such as the meaning of “Boomba Hey.” Also, in keeping with Big Group custom, we sang our birthday wishes to four scholars: Alex Eichstadt, Samantha Rosser, Ben Toby and Gentry Fowler.

Next, family members met their scholars’ teachers and resident advisers and momentarily escaped the heat to enjoy lemonade in the Mark Twain lobby. When 5 p.m. rolled around, however, families had to say goodbye and leave their scholars at MSA for a final busy week.

To finish off the evening, scholars learned about African tales and legends with Kunama Mtendaji, went to a presentation by Bob Burns about Scottish culture, or played Scrabble against World Scrabble Champion Nigel Richards. Congrats to the two teams who won against him!

GUEST BLOG

June 19, 2009

For many scholars, Friday began with hitting the snooze button three (or four or five) times. However, MSA has taught scholars that their exhaustion will soon fade as they dive into the day’s diverse range of classes, discussions and activities.

In Personal and Social Dynamics, our RAs and teachers lead us through a special exercise that allowed us to tell our classmates how much they mean to us. One by one, we sat in the middle of a circle of our peers and silently listened as our fellow scholars fed us a steady stream of compliments.

After an uplifting PSD, some scholars played low-key games of Frisbee and soccer on the quad before heading over to an afternoon activity called “Archie Bunker’s Neighborhood.” This frustrating and eye-opening simulation taught me about how racism and stereotypes affect community building.

Later, the academy was entertained by the Mid-Missouri High Steppers before filing into the geology auditorium for the MSA Talent Show. The show featured a variety of acts, including a cellist, a yo-yoer, the “Backstreet Boys” and the “Human Kangaroo,” who jumped over a 6-foot, six-inch scholar!

Finally, exhausted scholars gathered in the Mark Twain Lobby for snacks and a quick game of Apples to Apples or ERS before heading off to bed. As the second week of the program winds down, scholars like me are amazed by the numerous experiences that MSA has provided us so far.

Former Tigers standout DeMarre Carroll, coming off one of the best seasons in Mizzou basketball history, was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft Thursday night by the Memphis Grizzlies.

“It’s a whirlwind right now,” Carroll, also known as the Junkyard Dog, said. “I’ve done about a million interviews so far, but this has been an amazing night. I’m so excited to be headed to Memphis. It’s a young, improving organization, and it’s one I’m honored to be a part of.”

Carroll, a 6-foot-8-inch, 225-pound forward, was Mizzou’s 13th first-round draft pick (40th overall) and the first since Linas Kleiza was drafted — also with the 27th pick — in 2005. Carroll led Mizzou to a school-record 31 wins and a NCAA Elite Eight appearance.

A first-team All-Big 12 pick on the court, Carroll averaged 16.6 points and 7.2 rebounds, while ranking second on the team with 1.55 steals per game. He was also named the MVP of the 2009 Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City, where he led Mizzou to its first-ever Big 12 Championship. In addition to his on-court success, Carroll was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection and began work on his master’s degree in 2008.

“I would like to congratulate the Memphis Grizzlies and the city of Memphis,” coach Mike Anderson said. “They are getting an outstanding individual into their community and someone who plays to win. That’s probably the biggest thing I can say: Memphis got a winner. I’m happy for the organization, the city of Memphis and, of course, DeMarre.”

As a university, Mizzou also made some history with the first-round selection of Carroll. Mizzou became the third team in the history of the Big 12 to have players selected in the first round of the NBA, NFL and MLB drafts in the same year. Standouts Jeremy Maclin (receiver) and Ziggy Hood (defensive line) went in April’s NFL Draft this year, while Tiger pitchers Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson went in June’s MLB Draft.