TWO ANIMATED FILMS WIN STUDENT ACADEMY AWARDS

Three months after earning student Emmys, two films produced in the BYU Center for Animation won student Academy Awards. Pajama Gladiator took first place and Kites third in the animation category awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Emmys, by contrast, are given by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

A photo of the victors and clips of both films are available at the Oscars.org site here.

Admissions

Imagine Cup Finalists Headed to Egypt

Tara Fullmer, a technology and engineering education major, and Rachel Asplund, a graphic design major, were recently selected as finalists for the 2009 Imagine Cup’s international photography contest. The contest received more than 2,000 entries; only six were selected for the final round of competition, to be held in Cairo, Egypt, July 3–8. Fullmer and Asplund are the only Americans represented in the final group of contestants.

While in Egypt Fullmer and Asplund will be assigned a final topic to photograph. They will present their shots to a panel of international photographers, who will judge the photos against the other contestants’ photos. The first-place winner will receive $8,000; second place, $4,000; and third place, $3,000.

General BYU Athletics News

BYU Coach Rose Discusses Cancer and Treatment with Positive Outlook

With a gracious and optimistic outlook, BYU men’s basketball coach Dave Rose addressed the media about the recent diagnosis of a cancerous neuroendocrine tumor in his pancreas and his treatment outlook.

BYU Television

A More Perfect Union

Relive the summer of 1787, when the founding fathers suffered through hot weather and even hotter debates as they worked to draft the U.S. Constitution. Compromises agreed to during the Constitutional Convention produced a contract that both political parties could agree on and sign in 1788. The creation of this rebel document is shown from the perspective of chief author James Madison.

BYU Television

Pioneer Day Commemorative Concert

Join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for the annual First Presidency Pioneer Day Commemorative Concert, which will be filmed live at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. This concert celebrates the first company of pioneers, led by Brigham Young, who entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Director Mack Wilberg conducts works from the choir and orchestra’s most recent tour through the Midwest. Songs from their 2009 spring release CD, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, will also be performed. The concert also commemorates the 80th anniversary of Music and the Spoken Word broadcasts. A special video tribute, including archival footage of the choir, will mark this event.

Classical 89

Eccles Organ Festival

Each year Utah’s Cathedral of the Madeleine is home to the internationally recognized Eccles Organ Festival. The event features recitals that are free to the public. The goal of the festival is to provide organ performances of the highest quality to the residents of Salt Lake City. Join Classical 89 as we bring you all five recitals recorded in fall 2008.

Classical 89

Utah Festival Opera

Join Classical 89 for two marvelous performances from the 2008 season, including Verdi’s Aida with Marie-Adele McArthur in the title role (pictured). In addition, we bring you two other top-notch performances from past seasons.

KBYU-TV (Utah’s Channel 11)

A Capitol Fourth 2009

Celebrate Independence Day with KBYU-TV and join the thousands who will be gathering at the capitol for the best fireworks display in Salt Lake City. Also enjoy music for the whole family, with performances by Natasha Bedingfield, Jersey Boys, Elmo and Friends, and the National Symphony Orchestra. And after the show, stay tuned for 3, 2, 1 Fireworks, a behind-the-scenes look at how the fireworks were made.

BYU Studies

BYU Studies Sponsors Writing Contest

BYU Studies sponsors an annual poetry and personal essay contest with cash prizes for the winning essays and poems. We encourage submissions from all interested (and interesting) writers. For information about contest guidelines, click the Submissions link on our homepage.

BYU Studies

BYU Studies Releases Book by Coauthor of Massacre at Mountain Meadows

BYU Studies and the University of Utah Press are pleased to announce the release of Wayward Saints: The Social and Religious Protests of the Godbeites against Brigham Young, by Ronald W. Walker, coauthor of Massacre at Mountain Meadows. This is the first of several joint publishing projects between BYU Studies and the University of Utah Press.

A story that includes spiritualist séances, conspiracy, and an important church trial, Wayward Saints chronicles the 1870s challenge of a group of British Mormon intellectuals to Brigham Young’s leadership and authority. William S. Godbe and his associates protested against Young because they disliked his demanding community and resented what they perceived to be Young’s intrusion into matters of personal choice.

Excommunicated from the church, they established the “New Movement,” which eventually faltered. Both a study in intellectual history and an investigation of religious dissent, Wayward Saints explores 19th-century American spiritualism as well as the ideas and intellectual structure of first- and second-generation Mormonism.

General College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences News

Self-Taught Fathers: Absent a Role Model, These Dads Just Try Not to Fail

This past Father’s Day a BYU sociologist focused on dads that don’t fit the traditional script—dads in the mold of the character played by Will Smith in the film The Pursuit of Happyness (before he earned millions as a stockbroker).

These dads are poor. They’re unmarried. Their own fathers commonly were a lesson in what not to do.

Defining fatherhood as they go, these dads shared the meaning they find as self-taught fathers in a study Professor Renata Forste published in a recent issue of the journal Fathering.

General College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences News

FHSS Spring Newsletter

The College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences is proud to present the spring edition of its semi-annual newsletter. Click on the link below to read about some of the exciting new research projects and student activities taking place in the college.

General College of Humanities News

BYU Now a National Writing Project Site

National Writing Project (NWP) officials recently announced that BYU’s English Department will be home to a new local writing-project site and will oversee the Central Utah Writing Project (CUWP).

The NWP is a professional development network that serves teachers of writing at all grade levels, primary through university, and in all subjects. The project’s mission is to improve student achievement by improving the teaching of writing in the nation’s schools. The BYU site is one of nearly 200 sites in the National Writing Project network, which includes all 50 states.

BYU hosted the CUWP’s first four-week, writing-intensive summer institute in June. The site will continue to serve teachers from colleges and school districts in central Utah. Deborah Dean, associate professor of English and author of the grant application to house the CUWP site, will serve as the CUWP director. She will be assisted by Karen Brown, literacy specialist for Provo School District, and by Chris Crowe, professor of English.

General College of Humanities News

French 202 Course Receives Recognition

The online French 202 course, developed by Marc Olivier, associate professor of French studies, won the Crystal Award from the Association for Educational Communications and Technology for being an outstanding achievement in distance learning.

General College of Humanities News

Donald Parry Appointed Editor of Biblia Hebraica Quinta

Don Parry, professor Asian and Near Eastern languages, has been appointed an editor of the Biblia Hebraica Quinta. A member of the International Team of Translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls since 1994, Parry has had access to the original leather scrolls that are housed in the vault of the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem. Over the past decade and a half, Parry has traveled to Jerusalem a number of times to study the scrolls. His next assignment is to create a new edition of the books of First and Second Kings for Biblia Hebraica Quinta, which is the fifth edition of Biblia Hebraica. Biblia Hebraica has been the standard academic edition of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) since its publication in 1906. One of the Biblia Hebraica Quinta’s most significant improvements will be the full incorporation of Dead Sea Scroll variants in the critical apparatus.

College of Nursing

Nursing Students Serve At-Risk Populations

One section of Nursing 400 spent time in prison learning nursing skills. The Utah State Correctional Facility is just one of several sites where students can complete clinical hours for N400, a course that allows them to serve underprivileged and at-risk populations. Student Mariya Blas spent four days in the prison providing care to inmates, distributing medication, and changing dressings.

College of Nursing

Students Receive National Nursing Scholarships

Two BYU nursing students recently received generous scholarships from the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA). The NSNA awarded 90 scholarships to nursing students across the nation. Brittany Bayles and Jane Leavy were chosen out of hundreds of applicants as scholarship recipients for the 2009–10 school year.

College of Nursing

Graduate Students Present Research

Graduate nursing students presented their research findings from master’s theses, scholarly papers, and other research projects in a meeting with faculty and fellow students. The topics covered are listed at the link below.

College of Nursing

Focusing on the 'Whole' Needs of Patients

In the words of Associate Teaching Professor, Glenda Christiaens, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, holistic nursing is “treating the whole person.” During Spring Term her students enrolled in the Global Health and Human Diversity course were exposed to numerous healing modalities and methods that do just that.
A highlight of the course was their attendance at the annual American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) Conference in Madison, Wisconsin. For four days they were immersed in learning holistic and integrative/complementary healing practices by hearing experts speak and by participating in breakout sessions. Several group activities provided opportunities to “connect” with fellow attendees. Networking with nurses from across the U. S. was especially educational.

Mathematics

Professor Jeff Humpherys Receives NSF CAREER Award

Assistant mathematics professor Jeffrey Humpherys was recently selected to receive the Faculty Early Career Development award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

According to the NSF Web site, the award is the NSF’s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who maintain dual roles as teachers and scholars and integrate research into education.

The award comes with $400,000 in research funding, which will allow Humpherys to continue his research in nonlinear partial differential equations and stochastic dynamical systems. But more importantly, he will use the funds to mentor graduate students in BYU’s Interdisciplinary Mentoring Program in Analysis, Computation, and Theory, a program that Humpherys codirects with BYU statistics professor C. Shane Reese.

With continued support from the NSF, which funds BYU’s Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics program, there is potential that the programs in the BYU Department of Mathematics will be looked to as other colleges and universities attempt to establish their own mentored-research programs.

Mathematics

IMPACT Kicks Off Its Third Year

The Interdisciplinary Mentoring Program in Analysis, Computation, and Theory (IMPACT) began its third annual summer “boot camp” program in June with the largest group the program has had yet—14 new students matriculated this summer.

The intensive boot camp focuses on mathematics, statistics, and scientific computation, giving students the skills they will need to conduct research throughout the year. They choose their research projects in the fall, working on those projects with a mentoring professor for the remainder of the school year. Students complete the IMPACT program by presenting their work at BYU’s annual Spring Research Conference and by preparing their research for publication in the spring term.

The IMPACT program began three years ago when mathematics, statistics, and computer science faculty received a $700,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to expand an existing program, Computational Science Training for Undergraduates in the Mathematical Sciences (CSUMS). The goal of CSUMS is to introduce undergraduates in mathematics and statistics to interdisciplinary research in the pure and applied sciences.

Each year faculty select a new cohort of students to join the IMPACT program. The students go through a rigorous application and interview process. For more information, please contact the IMPACT program manager at byuimpact@gmail.com or 801-422-3020.

Statistics

BYU Alumni and Friends Breakfast Social

The Department of Statistics will host its traditional alumni and friends breakfast and open house on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009 at the American Statistical Association Joint Statistical Meeting. See the link below for further details.

Creative Works

Songs of Spain

Selections of some of Spain’s best-loved art songs—De Falla’s “Siete Canciones Populares Españolas” and Monsalvatge’s “Cinco Canciones Negras”—mingle with lesser-known gems such as Rodrigo’s “Tres Villancicos” for voice and guitar and Granados’ “Tonadillas,” “El Majo Olvidado,” and “Canción del Postillon.” In addition, vihuela songs by Milan, Valderrabano, Pisador, and others stand beside arias (orchestral pieces with voice) from F. Moreno Torroba’s “Luisa Fernanda.” Also recorded for the first time are selections from the musically rich period of the early 1800s, popular songs by Manuel Garcia, and pieces from other unknown composers that reflect the vibrant period of Spain’s Majos and Majas.

David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies

Essential Bollywood: Kennedy Center Summer Film Series

Join the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, July 1 at noon in 238 HRCB as it kicks off the summer film series with a lecture from English assistant professor Gideon Burton, who will discuss the importance of Hindi cinema as a window into Mumbai, India, followed by a screening of Mother India.

Bollywood produces around 900 films annually, making it the world’s top producer of cinematic entertainment. The films are enjoyed by a worldwide audience, from Africa to the former Soviet Union. Ten Bollywood films will be presented through the summer semester, with screenings on Wednesdays and Fridays. See the full schedule on our Web site at the link below.

David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies

What Is Happening in Iran, and Why Does It Matter?

Iranians have taken to the streets in protest over the June 12 presidential election results. Police have responded with force, taking protestors into custody and leaving at least 17 dead. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current president of Iran, has now issued a warning for the United States to stay out of the fray. In a July 24 lecture, Donna Lee Bowen, professor of political science and Middle East Studies coordinator, shed light on the current events. Watch or listen to her lecture, “What Is Happening in Iran—Why Does It Matter?” online.

Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Professor Publishes Work on Autism, Joins Editorial Board

When they are first told that their child may have autism, many parents seek information and help. A number of them call those who are knowledgeable about their child’s affliction: BYU faculty in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education. Tina Dyches, a professor of special education with a passion for studying autism and helping children and families affected by it, receives many such calls from parents.

Department of Communication Disorders

Professor Presents Abroad on the Benefits of Cochlear Implants

Despite the challenge of learning to hear in a new electronic way, children with hearing loss who receive a cochlear implant hear better than those who use traditional hearing-assistance devices. According to communication disorders professor David McPherson, the earlier the cochlear device is implanted, the better the outcome on hearing. He and several colleagues presented their research in Warsaw in May.

Department of Communication Disorders

Recognized Communication Disorder Scholar Presents at BYU

Geralyn R. Timler, director of the Child Language Laboratory at the University at Buffalo, says there are new and better ways to diagnose and treat children who suffer the social consequences of these disorders. Timler recently addressed an audience of more than 250 speech language pathologists (SLPs) and teachers at BYU, instructing on how to better support the peer interaction skills of children with communication disorders.

Educational Leadership and Foundations

Research in Uganda Gives Undergraduates a Unique Experience

Few undergraduate students get the opportunity to conduct field research. Far fewer have their work published. However, Steve and Julie Hite, both faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations, are offering undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to participate in both academic experiences.

General David O. McKay School of Education News

Reconnected for Good

A room filled with blue and silver balloons, BYU banners, and BYU pendants greeted McKay School alumni from Arizona in April. The occasion celebrated the first chapter of the David O. McKay School of Education Society for Alumni and Friends. These alumni and friends had gathered to reconnect with BYU, the McKay School of Education, and each other.

General David O. McKay School of Education News

McKay Student Receives Teacher of the Month at Internship

Completing an internship during her senior year at BYU, Stephanie Peterson was named Teacher of the Month at her school. Shortly afterward, Stephanie graduated from BYU in April 2009, receiving a bachelor’s degree in special education with an emphasis in severe disabilities and a minor in psychology. In the days following graduation, the Jordan Education Foundation honored Stephanie with its Outstanding Special Educator recognition for first-year teachers.

General David O. McKay School of Education News

Education Research Director Speaks at BYU

The annual Quality Counts report published by Education Week tracks state education policies and outcomes. This year the publication focuses on a very important issue in Utah schools: English-language learners. Christopher B. Swanson, director of the editorial projects in the Education Research Center, spoke to BYU faculty and students in May, sharing some of the highlights of Quality Counts 2009. Swanson was a guest of the BYU Wheatley Institution.

Instructional Psychology and Technology

David Wiley Named one of 100 Most Creative People in Business

Fast Company magazine has named David Wiley, a BYU associate professor of instructional psychology and technology, one of the 100 most creative people in business for 2009. Wiley was selected for his efforts in helping education adapt to the digital age. Thanks to Wiley’s persistent efforts to develop freeware and open-source content, higher education is making important and effective advances. He was featured in the June edition of Fast Company.

Instructional Psychology and Technology

“Change the World or Your Money Back”

Online entrepreneur SaraJoy Pond wants to send a message to users: “Change the world or your money back.”

Pond, an instructional psychology and technology PhD student, and her business partners, Shawn Moore and Josh McLane, won first place and $10,000 in the BYU Social Venture Competition for their organization, Tipping Bucket.

Tipping Bucket utilizes social networks to raise money for entrepreneurs who want to change the world but lack funding. Through Facebook and iPhone applications, the Tipping Bucket will present a different project each week for the online community to consider.

Instructional Psychology and Technology

IPT PhD Student Receives “Most Interactive Display” Award at BYU Internship Fair

Many individuals have attended a three-hour lecture only to scarcely recall the topic a week later. Statistics, history, and calculus are just a few subject areas in which individuals complete coursework, yet one or two years later, struggle to explain even basic definitions from the class. How can you make sure you are learning for optimal recall and life integration? According to top learning theories, the key to mastering memory is to make strong connections on various levels. Anne Makin, a doctoral instructional psychology and technology student, states that this method is crucial to effective and prolonged learning.

Instructional Psychology and Technology

IPT 664 Class Designs Web Site for the Church

When many Utahns think of pioneers, they picture teams of oxen, covered wagons, and handcarts. Yet a class taught by instructional psychology and technology professor Andy Gibbons recently completed a project for the Church History Department that emphasizes who the pioneers were: people with extraordinary characteristics and incredible faith.

Instructional Psychology and Technology

MSE Study Shares Insights to Improve Teaching

Teaching improvement doesn’t have to come at the expense of family, hobbies, or health, says Whitney McGowan, a doctoral student in the McKay School’s Department of Instructional Psychology and Technology (IPT). Although many university faculty members feel that it is difficult to improve teaching without great sacrifice, McGowan’s recent research, conducted with IPT faculty members Charles Graham and Russ Osguthorpe, shows that it is possible, even simple, to improve teaching.

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Professor Long Wins Best Paper Award

BYU electrical and computer engineering professor David Long coauthored a paper that will receive the Best Paper of the Year award at the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium in July. The paper, “Windsat Passive Microwave Polarimetric Signatures of the Greenland Ice Sheet,” by Li Li, Peter Gaiser, Mary R. Albert, David G. Long, and Elizabeth M. Twarog, was published in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing in September 2008. The paper describes polarimetric observations of the Greenland ice sheet made from the Windsat satellite.

Mechanical Engineering

BYU Students Gain International Experience in Singapore

Six BYU students recently returned from Singapore, where they participated in an international product design study abroad course. The course was an intense two-week learning experience that taught students the fundamentals of product design and helped them gain global experience by working in teams with students from across the world. This was the first time the course was offered to BYU students.

Mechanical Engineering

Mars Rover Team Places Second in National Competition

The BYU Mars Rover team finished second place at the third annual University Rover Challenge held by the Mars Society. The challenge took place May 28–30 near Hanksville, Utah, at the Mars Desert Research Station. The competition included four events.

Mechanical Engineering

BYU Hybrid Race Car Wins National Design Awards

BYU student engineers won two first-place awards at an international hybrid car design competition in New Hampshire. The team’s hybrid impressed both judges and contestants with its unique hydraulic system.

Monte L. Bean Museum

He’s Back!

Our African Elephant is back! You can see the elephant in our new center-atrium exhibit, Species Conservation. Mark your calendar for these other featured Bean Museum events too:


Wildlife Adventures Are Back
Kids ages 6–12 can spend their Tuesdays and Thursdays on a wildlife adventure! Tuesday sessions will be held in the museum from 10 a.m.–noon, while Thursday will involve a field trip from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. The cost is $35 per child.

o July 7 and 9: Cold-Blooded Creatures
o July 14 and 16: Rock and Roll
o July 21 and 23: A Bug’s Life
o July 28 and 30: Wetland Adventures
o Aug. 4 and 6: Timpanogos Cave


Nature Experienceship: Reptiles and Amphibians with Megan Fuller
Megan Fuller, museum education specialist, will host our July Nature Experienceship, which will focus on reptiles and amphibians. This program, for ages 12 and up, will be held on Saturday, July 6. Space is limited, and the fee is $10 per person.


Saturday Safari
Saturday Safaris are for kids ages 5–12 and are held on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The cost is $12 per person.

o July 11: Ocean Deep
o July 18: Who Needs Legs?
o July 25: What Flies and Eats Meat?
o Aug. 1: Big and Tall
o Aug. 8: Don’t Forget the Little Ones


Discovery Reading
Wednesdays at 11 a.m., free.


Check out our Web site, mlbean.byu.edu, or call 801-422-5051 for additional information.

Museum of Art

Introducing InSite: The Museum of Art’s New Online Magazine

The Museum of Art’s new online magazine, InSite, is bigger and better than the museum’s printed magazine. Moving to a digital-magazine format has allowed more room for content, the freedom to update design, a streamlined delivery, and other Web advantages, including audio and video files, Flash animation, links to Web sites, and social media integration. Plus, the magazine still looks and functions like a paper magazine online: just click to turn the pages.

Read InSite online at moamagazine.byu.edu. In this first issue you’ll read about the following topics and much more:
* New acquisitions
* Upcoming exhibitions
* The contributions of student interns
* The success of the Dismantling Geneva Steel exhibition
* Strategies for a more meaningful museum visit

Museum of Peoples and Cultures

Passports: A Cultural Discovery Day

Suitcases won’t be necessary, but passports will be provided at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC) family event on Monday, July 13.

“Passports: A Cultural Discovery Day” is an activity designed for the entire family to explore various cultures from around the world without leaving the neighborhood. Booths focused on a variety of cultural regions will give a brief educational background about a specific culture and a hands-on activity.

“This is a great summer event for families, especially those with younger children,” said Erika Riggs, promotions manager for the Museum. “They can learn about other people, see and feel artifacts, get fun stamps in their passports, and best of all, they get to do it together as a family.”

The event is free and runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Families can come and go depending on their personal schedules. Refreshments will be provided. For more information visit mpc.byu.edu or call 801-422-0020.

Performing Arts Management

2009 Tours: Another Successful Year

Summer signals the completion of another successful year of touring. Performing groups spread the BYU name through 123 cities in 12 countries in the last year:

Ballroom Dance Company: United States
BYU Singers: Ireland, United Kingdom
Chamber Orchestra: United States
Dancers’ Company: United States
Folk Dance Ensemble: China, Hong Kong
Living Legends: Argentina, Paraguay
Theatre Ballet: United States
Vocal Point: United States
Wind Symphony: Japan, Korea
Young Ambassadors: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

The tours included a variety of theater performances, school shows, outreach events, workshops, TV tapings, radio interviews, and VIP exchanges, reaching in total millions of people throughout the world.