Stem Cells to Egyptian Graffiti: Mic/Nite Highlights Faculty Research

Imagine learning about significant research—everything from stem cell research to Egyptian graffiti—in seven minutes or less.

That’s what happens at Mic/Nite, where eleven faculty members take turns making short presentations about their work.

This semester’s Mic/Nite will be held on March 13 at the Relix Variety Theatre, 1208 North Central Avenue.

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour, including a cash bar and pizza. Presentations will begin at 6:30 p.m. and conclude around 9:00 p.m. Door prizes will be awarded throughout the evening.

The free event is open only to UT faculty, staff, and their spouses or partners, and those going are encouraged to RSVP at the Office of the Provost website.

“Mic/Nite has proven itself to be both a collegial and congenial forum for sharing research and promoting dialogue across disciplines,” said Susan Martin, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Mic/Nite is described as a “Pecha Kucha-powered social gathering to enhance the intellectual, interdisciplinary, and cultural life of the faculty and staff at UT.”

Originating in Tokyo, Pecha-Kucha (pronounced peh-CHAKH-cha) is a simple lecture format where presenters show and discuss twenty images for twenty seconds each, for a total of only six minutes and forty seconds.

“Mic/Nite shines a brief, but bright, spotlight on some of important and intriguing research our UT faculty are doing. It allows the audience to appreciate many aspects of our large, comprehensive university,” said Beauvais Lyons, Mic/Nite coordinator and Chancellor’s Professor in the School of Art. All of the speakers are selected by the academic deans, and the presentations reflect the intellectual diversity of the campus.

Presentation topics for the spring 2013 Mic/Nite include:

• “Reflections on Designing Products for Today” by Ryann Aoukar, associate professor of interior design. He will explore the connections discovered in four simple objects he designed—a leather bracelet, a salad bowl with strainer, a vase.

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  “When the Walls of Cairo Speak: Post-Revolutionary Art/Graffiti” by Douja Mamelouk, assistant professor of modern foreign languages and literature. Mamelouk will talk about images slogans and graffiti in Cairo that show the reactions to revolution in Egypt.

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  “Postcards from Cold, Dark Places: Antarctic Subglacial Exploration” by Jill Mikucki, assistant professor of microbiology. Mikucki will talk about drilling sub-glacial lakes for environmental samples that can help scientists understand the role of Antarctic life forms in global processes.

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  “Everybody Wants Her! The Marketing Battle of the Century” by Daniel J. Flint, Regal Entertainment Group professor of business and director of the shopper marketing forum in the department of marketing and supply chain management. Flint will talk about how businesses market themselves to women.

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  “Curses!” Barbara K. Kaye, professor of journalism and electronic media. Live television’s indecency policy is subject to change and many are worried the amount of cursing will increase.

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  “FUTURE: Postsecondary Education for College Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism” by David F. Cihak, associate professor of special education. Cihak will talk about UT’s FUTURE program for students with intellectual disabilities and autism.

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  “Cellular Aspects of Obesity” by Paul Dalhaimer, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. He will explain how studying lipid droplet formation could help scientists design drugs to treat obesity and heart disease.

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  “Visionary Mnemonics: The Master-of-All-Trades” by Mohamed Mahfouz, professor of biomedical engineering. Mahfouz will explain why you must know all aspects of your trade to be successful.

• “Evaluating Information: How Librarians Use an Instructional Scaffolding Activity to Support Teaching and Learning in General Education” by Rachel Radom, assistant professor and instructional services librarian for undergraduate programs.She will explain what “instructional scaffolding” is and how librarians have been using it to help students develop literacy skills.

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  “Stem Cell Research and Therapy at the University of Tennessee” by Madhu Dhar, associate professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. Dhar will explain how stem cells could help treat diseases in horses.

• “Null_Sets: Big Data Visualization and Entropic Cryptography” by Amy Szczepanski, research assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Evan Meaney, assistant professor of art. They will explain a project investigating the gap between data and information.

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C O N T A C T :

Beauvais Lyons (865-974-3202, blyons@utk.edu)