Eleven UT faculty members will present their research—ranging from George Washington’s political leadership fail to interactive art projects using a five-foot opossum—in seven minutes or less at this fall’s Mic/Nite.
Mic/Nite is a Pecha-Kucha powered social gathering to enhance the intellectual, interdisciplinary, and cultural life of the faculty and staff at UT.
Mic/Nite will be held Wednesday, November 12, at the Relix Variety Theatre, 1208 North Central Avenue. It begins with a 5:30 p.m. social hour, including pizza and a cash bar. Presentations begin at 6:30 p.m.
Pecha-Kucha, pronounced peh-CHAKH-cha, is a lecture format, originating in Tokyo, where presenters discuss twenty images for twenty seconds each. Since 2003, the lecture format has spread to more than 400 cities around the world, including Knoxville.
Mic/Nite presenters, who consist of faculty and staff, will use Pecha-Kucha to present their research.
Mic/Nite hopes to bring a greater sense of unity among UT’s different colleges and assist in cross-college research.
The free event is open only to UT faculty, staff, and their spouses or partners, and those going are encouraged to RSVP to be eligible for door prizes. RSVP at the Office of the Provost website.
Presentation topics for the fall 2014 Mic/Nite include:
- “Educating Lawyers in an Age of Armchair Activism.” Karla McKanders, associate professor of law, will talk about the clinical legal education model that strives to educate future lawyers and provide legal assistance to those without access to the justice system in an age of “armchair activists.”
- “Understanding ‘Bugs’ to Improve and Save Lives.” Rebecca Trout Fryxell, assistant professor of medical and veterinary entomology, will explain the importance of identifying vector-borne diseases and how they are transmitted in order to prevent infectious disease deaths caused by arthropods.
- “Culturally Congruent End-of-Life Care for Rural Appalachians.” Sandra Mixer, assistant professor of nursing, will talk about the necessity of providing culturally sensitive end-of-life care to rural Appalachian persons and their families.
- “Why I Owe Julia Child a Thank You: The Use of Assessment Centers in Employee Selection.” Kate Atchley, distinguished lecturer of graduate and executive education, will discuss the benefits of using assessment centers for employee selection, which began in the United States during World War II.
- “What Makes a Democratic Leader? George Washington’s Epic Fail.” Christopher P. Magra, associate professor of early American history, will talk about the nature of a democratic leader and if George Washington was a tyrant.
- “Battle for the Brains: Attracting the Best and Brightest Workers.” Micheline van Riemsdijk, associate professor of geography, will look at Norwegian companies’ competition for skilled workers with companies from better-known areas.
- “Getting Fruved and Changing the World.” Sarah Colby, assistant professor of nutrition, will talk about “Getting Fruved,” an effort by student and faculty researchers from thirteen universities to decrease the proportion of older adolescents and young adults who are overweight or obese.
- “Where are the Women? Strategies for Increasing Female Student Participation.” Lynne E. Parker, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, will speak about the challenges of increasing the number of female students in engineering and the strategies the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is using.
- “Water in Urban Philippines: When Every Drop Counts.” Lisa Reyes Mason, assistant professor of social work, will describe the water situation in a Baguio City neighborhood, highlighting water disparities among households and experiences of water insecurity.
- “The Challenge of Advertising Literacy: Politics, Money, and Drugs.” Eric Haley, professor of advertising and public relations, will talk about how to equip consumers with the knowledge necessary to navigate political, financial, and prescription drug advertising.
- “Speaking to a Five-foot Opossum.” Emily Bivens, associate professor of art, will describe her recent project involving a five-foot opossum to demonstrate interactive art practices and the use of proxies.
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CONTACTS:
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)