1) Science and Environment Seminars Begin Sept. 17 at ASU
Seminars for teachers and interested individuals focusing on science and the environment will be held at the Mathematics and Science Education Center at Appalachian State University beginning Sept. 17. All seminars are free. Teachers can earn 0.2 continuing education units per seminar. Programs will meet from 6-8 p.m. in Room 124C in the College of Education Building located on College Street. Refreshments will be served from 6-6:30 p.m.
The first program of the evening is “National Trends and Effects of Winter Road Salt Application: Are Southern Appalachian Headwater Streams in Peril?” presented by Associate Professor Shea Tuberty from the Department of Biology.
Other programs are:
Sept. 24, “North Carolina and the Hydrologic Cycle: Influences on Water Quantity
and Quality in the Tar Heel State” presented by Professor Bill Anderson from the Department of Geology
Oct. 1, “Old Field Ecosystems and What They Can Tell Us About Biodiversity” presented by Professor Ray Williams from the Department of Biology
Oct. 8, “Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States, Especially in North Carolina” presented by Assistant Professor Sarah Carmichael in the Department of Geology
Oct. 20, “How Geologists Reconstruct Paleoenvironments and Paleolandscapes” presented by Associate Professor Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce from the Department of Geology
Oct. 29, “Impacts of Lawn Care on Climate Change” presented by Assistant Professor Chuanhui Gu from the Department of Geology
Nov. 19, “Nanotechnology and the Environment” presented by Associate Professor Tonya Coffey from the Department of Physics and Astronomy
April 14, 2016, “Science Education and Environmental Literacy” presented by Assistant Professor Rachel Wilson from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction
For more information, contact Vickey Isaacs at isaacsve@appstate.edu or call 828-262-3185.
2) Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild to Meet Sept. 3
The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday, September 3rd at 1:30 PM. We Meet in the conference room on the second floor of the Senior Center on Poplar Grove Connector in Boone. Our program, “My Quilting Journey”, will be presented by Donna Royson from South Carolina. During the program, she will use her quilts and great sense of humor to show her journey from beginning quilter to her amazing work today. Donna took a four-day class with well known quilter Eleanor Burns and became a certified Quilt-in-a-Day instructor. She will also demonstrate how to make several of the blocks from Eleanor Burns’ patterns. Call Dolores at 295-6148 for more information.
3) “Beauty in All Things” On Display at ASU’s Looking Glass Gallery
The exhibit “Beauty in All Things” is on display in Looking Glass Gallery at Appalachian State University. The exhibit, featuring work from Professor Elaine O’Quinn from the Department of English, will be on display through Sept. 10. A reception will be held Friday, Aug. 28, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The gallery, located in Plemmons Student Union, is open weekdays 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 2 to 7 p.m.
O’Quinn has always dabbled with art while pursuing her career in English. She has attempted everything from acrylic paintings to pottery, but when she discovered alcohol inks, she was hooked. The abstract tendency of her work portrays her intention to synthesize inspiration, materials and techniques to create a mood and composition that in the end is simply about the color and beauty that surrounds us.
4) ASU to Show “Denim Dynasty” Documentary on Sept. 10
Appalachian State University faculty member and documentary filmmaker Beth Davison will present her film “The Denim Dynasty” Thursday, Sept.10, at 6:30 p.m. in Belk Library and Information Commons room 114. The screening is free and open to the public.
The documentary runs approximately 50 minutes. A question and answer session with Davison will follow.
“The Denim Dynasty” is a documentary about the legacy of the Cone family that shaped prominent features of North Carolina’s landscape. A national park, a regional medical center, an amazing art collection, roads and schools all bear the name of the family whose corporation made North Carolina a leading producer of textiles for much of the 20th century.
The documentary explores the early days of North Carolina’s textile history through stories of the Cone family and the textile workers who lived and raised their families in the mill villages. Together, the Cone family and workers helped make Cone textiles a world leader in producing denim. The Cone family’s story encompasses many of the themes that form the American narrative: immigration, reconstruction, industrial revolution, paternalism and philanthropy.
“The Denim Dynasty” includes interviews of former Cone mill villagers and features faculty members from Appalachian. Moses Cone was one of the first financial contributors and board members of Watauga Academy, now Appalachian State University.
For more information about the screening or film, contact Beth Davison at davisonb@appstate.edu or 828-262-6397.
5) Jesse Pope Speaks to Students at Lees-McRae Convocation
Students, faculty and staff who attended the annual Lees-McRae Opening Convocation ceremony on Thursday, August 20 were inspired by the message woven throughout the program – follow your passion and you’ll find success.
Keynote speaker Jesse Pope kicked off his speech with the Lees-McRae motto—in the mountains, of the mountains, for the mountains—which has shaped his life and led him to his current position as executive director of Grandfather Mountain.
Pope’s journey started in rural Virginia, where he spent much of his childhood outdoors. As a three-sport high school athlete, he envisioned a future as a teacher and coach. That all changed with one field biology course his freshman year at Lees-McRae. He transferred the passion he had for teaching and coaching into a passion for wildlife and biology.
Working with Hugh Morton, the founder of Grandfather Mountain, Pope learned several valuable lessons. A few lessons stuck with him, including the advice to find a cause he could fully embrace and to have fun even when this cause presented challenges. Pope reiterated a quote from Jane Goodall to emphasize his point. “If you want something, and you really work hard, and you take advantage of opportunities, and you never give up, you will find a way,” he said.
This quote holds true for Pope. He started as a backcountry ranger at Grandfather Mountain the summer he graduated from Lees-McRae. After noticing a need for a naturalist program, proposing a solution to address that need, and growing student visitors to almost 20,000 annually, Pope has worked his way into the senior leadership position. He credits Morton, saying “he gave me a chance to expand educational opportunities in 2004 at Grandfather Mountain, and the program was a big success out of the gate.
“Opportunities don’t just happen, it’s up to you to create them,” said Pope. “Every moment is a choice. Each decision you make will shape your story and ultimately, your legacy.” This is the message he left with the crowd Thursday afternoon. He concluded by encouraging students to be open minded about where life might lead, to always look for opportunities as they present themselves, and to use their time at Lees-McRae to explore as many opportunities as possible.
For more information, please contact Meghan McCandless, director of communications, at mccandlessm@lmc.edu or 828.898.8729.
6) Annual Sculpture Celebration in Lenoir on Sept. 12
Caldwell Arts Council in Lenoir, N.C., in partnership with Tri State Sculptors Association and Mountain Sculptors, announces the 30th Annual Sculpture Celebration to be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 at the T.H. Broyhill Walking Park, 945 Lakewood Circle in Lenoir NC. This event is free to the public, and shuttles will run throughout the day between the park and area parking. Awards will be announced at about 3:30pm
The Celebration will feature sculptural artwork by artists from across the eastern United States who will compete for cash prizes totaling $11,000.00. Pre-registered sculptors are coming from NC, SC, GA, IN, AL, TN, PA, and OH. Realistic and abstract, traditional and contemporary, movable and stationary, indoor and outdoor – sculptures of all types will be on display. The juror for this year’s event is Lucas Antony Cowan, who leads the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy’s efforts in bringing world-class temporary exhibitions of contemporary public art to the park system in Boston, MA.
Lenoir’s Annual Sculpture Celebration is recognized as the longest-running sculpture competition in the Southeast and a driving force in the area’s sculptor-friendly environment. The event attracts artists and visitors from across the United States.
Food vendors, children’s art activities, and live music from the Lenoir Hot Club and Centerpiece Jazz will be featured throughout the day.
Blue Jeans Preview Party Friday, September 11
Many sculptors arrive early to install larger sculptures and to pick the best spot for their artwork. A buffet dinner will be held to welcome them and to introduce the judge and sponsors of the event on Friday, September 11 beginning at 7pm. This event is free for registered sculptors, $20 in advance for guests. The public is invited as well, so reserve your dinner tickets no later than September 10th. The visionaries of Sculpture Celebration will be in attendance: Dr. Henry Michaux, Sam Sturgis, and Liza Plaster.
Lenoir, North Carolina is located in Caldwell County in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, off Hwy 321 between Hickory and the Blowing Rock / Boone area.
For further information about the Sculpture Celebration contact the Caldwell Arts Council, 828-754-2486, info@caldwellarts.com, or visit www.caldwellarts.com. The Caldwell Arts Council is located at 601 College Ave SW, Lenoir, NC, 28645.