Welcome to ForUM, the e-newsletter for University of Montana staff, faculty and administrators. ForUM is published weekly during the academic year except during scheduled academic breaks.
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Lecture Explores Books that Changed America
Distinguished novelist, poet, biographer and critic Jay Parini will present the next installment of the President's Lecture Series at UM.
Parini, the D.E. Axinn Professor of English and Creative Writing at Middlebury College in Vermont, will present "The Books that Changed America" at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27, in the University Theatre. The lecture will deal with the foundation texts that Parini thinks represent the soul of the American Republic, from William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" to Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique."
Earlier that day from 3:10 to 4:30 p.m., he will give a seminar titled "The Passages of Herman Melville" in Gallagher Business Building Room 123. Both events are free and open to the public.
Parini is the author of "Why Poetry Matters" and "Promised Land: Thirteen Books that Changed America." He has written several novels that include "The Apprentice Lover," "Benjamin's Crossing" and "The Last Station: A Novel of Tolstoy's Last Year," which inspired last year's highly acclaimed film starring Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer.
President's Lecture Series
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Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series Begins
The first installment of the 2010 Provost's Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series at UM will feature Thomas Martin of the University's Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit.
Martin will present "Live Fast and Die Young or Grow Slow and Die Old: What Do Field Studies of Breeding Birds Across the World Tell Us?" at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29, in James E. Todd Building Rooms 203-204.
Martin is one of only 40 senior scientists with the U.S. Department of the Interior nationwide and serves as assistant unit leader of the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, which partners with the U.S. Geological Survey. He will talk about field studies of breeding birds and the causes and consequences of the strong variation in offspring and parental strategies for growth, behavior and longevity, especially across geographic locations.
Martin was named a 2009 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow in the Biological Sciences section. AAAS Fellows are chosen for their significant contributions in areas such as research, teaching, technology, services to professional societies and the communication of science to the public. He has led projects on nesting biology of birds in a variety of locations around the world, including Argentina, Venezuela, South Africa and Malaysia, as well as in Montana and a long-term project in northern Arizona. He has published more than 125 scientific papers and is ranked as one of the most highly cited authors in the world in environmental sciences.
All lectures in the series are free and open to the public. Receptions will follow each event. Following is a schedule of other lectures in the series this semester:
- 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27: "Human Rights in Words, Images, and Sounds" by Regents Professor of History Paul Lauren. University Center Theater. Presented in conjunction with UM's Day of Dialogue events, which will take place on campus Oct. 28.
- 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10: "Making a Language: A Slide Show Retrospective of the Artwork of Ceramicist Beth Lo" by UM art Professor Elizabeth Lo. University Center Theater.
- 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30: "Journey-Work: A Reading of New and Selected Poems by Greg Pape." Pape is a UM creative writing professor. University Center Theater.
For more information, visit the Provost's Office website or call 243-4689.
Provost's Office
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Still Time to See 'The Frybread Queen'
"The Frybread Queen" opened at UM last week, and the community still has time to see a performance of the haunting drama by Carolyn Dunn, winner of the nationwide Native Voices development competition held each year at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles.
The play is the spirited story of three generations of Indian women bound by marriage and family ties. They come together for the funeral of a beloved son, and in their grief, they confront long-simmering tensions and family secrets that threaten to tear them apart.
The UM production is a collaboration of the Autry National Center, the School of Theatre & Dance and the Montana Repertory Theatre. It stars professional stage actors Jane Lind and Arigon Starr, UM and Montana Rep alum Lily Gladstone and current UM student Tiffany Meiwald. It is directed by UM Associate Professor Jere Hodgin, and the production team includes other UM faculty, as well as current students and graduates of the University's School of Theatre & Dance.
Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 23-25, with 2 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 25-26, at the Masquer Theatre in the Performing Arts and Radio/Television Center.
Tickets cost $16 for the general public, $14 for students and seniors and $10 for children 12 and under. They are available on the School of Theatre & Dance website, at the Theatre & Dance Box Office in the PAR/TV Center or by calling 243-4851. Box office hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour prior to performances.
School of Theatre & Dance
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Tech Fair on Campus Sept. 22
More than two dozen campus technologies will be on display at Tech Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, in the University Center Atrium. During the event, faculty, staff and students can visit with technology support staff at tables, and a series of short presentations will be offered throughout the day.
Faculty members can learn more about classroom presentation technologies, media development and the transition to a new learning management system. They also can sign up for a UM Professional Development Series course, "Designing and Managing Online Discussions," to be held in conjunction with the fair. The course covers creating questions that foster conversation, providing a sense of instructor presence in the facilitation of discussions and employing time-saving strategies to the management of discussions.
Student-focused information will include a new online academic planning tool, UMConnect student e-mail, technology support in residence halls, and technology services provided by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library and other academic and student service departments. The Bookstore at UM will feature vendors Adobe, Apple and Dell.
Tech Fair participants will be entered into a drawing for prizes, including an Apple iPad and iPod Touch, Dell netbook, Kindle, smart pens, software packages, two tickets to the UM President's Box for the Oct. 23 Northern Arizona football game and more. For more information, visit the Tech Fair website.
Tech Fair
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Symposium Examines Montana's Constitution
In November Montanans will vote on whether to convene a constitutional convention to revise or replace the state's constitution. In light of this important upcoming vote, the Montana Law Review will dedicate this year's Honorable James R. Browning Symposium at UM to an examination of the Montana Constitution and the process of a constitutional convention.
The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will take place Thursday and Friday, Oct. 7-8, in the University Center. Registration is not required.
Members of the State Bar of Montana can receive Continuing Legal Education credits for each event attended. Seventeen free CLE credits are available. For more information, call the Montana Law Review at 243-2023.
The symposium should be of particular interest to all Montana residents. It will feature highly regarded national, regional and local speakers and panelists, including several of the delegates to the 1972 Constitutional Convention.
Symposium events begin with opening remarks by UM School of Law Dean Irma Russell and Regents Professor of Law J. Martin Burke at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, in the University Center Theater. The final event of the symposium will honor delegates and staff of the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8. A complete symposium agenda is available on the Montana Law Review website.
Montana Law Review
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Public Radio Launches Weekly Show
Montana Public Radio has launched a weekly show called "Reflections West" that is created and produced by UM English Adjunct Assistant Professor Lisa Simon and co-hosted by English Professor David Moore.
"Reflections West" presents short meditations written by thinkers and scholars on an array of topics about the American West, and then pairs each reflection with a passage or poem.
The show, nestled with other literary programs of KUFM on Tuesday nights, began Sept. 14 with Greg Pape's reflection on poetry and the changing of seasons, pairing his thoughts with a poem by Chris Dombrowski. Upcoming shows feature the following writers:
- Sept. 21: Kim Anderson reflects on her romance with the East, pairing it with a passage from James Welch's "Heart Song of Charging Elk."
- Sept. 28: Robert Stubblefield reflects on his upbringing in the West, pairing it with a poem by Paul Zarzyski.
- Oct. 5: Lisa Teberg reflects on the cause and effect of humans in the West, pairing it with a poem by Melissa Kwasny.
- Oct. 12: David Moore reflects on the feeling of "belonging" to the land, pairing it with a poem by Simon Ortiz.
- Oct. 19: Tami Haaland reflects on women in the West, pairing it with a poem by Grace Stone Coates.
- Oct. 26: Mark Gibbons reflects on Western small towns, pairing it with a poem by Richard Hugo.
Other UM faculty reflections to be broadcast in the near future include those of Judy Blunt, Casey Charles, Nancy Cook, Brian Blanchfield and Brady Harrison. A few student contributions were selected as well.
A new reflection rolls out every Tuesday. After the broadcast date, episodes can be heard on the "Reflections West" website. Click on "Episodes."
If you are interested in having your reflection selected for broadcast, follow the submission guidelines on the show's website.
"Reflections West"
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Team Up for Missoula Heart Walk at UM
Teams are forming now for the 2010 Missoula Heart Walk, which is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, on the UM Oval. The event is a fundraiser for the American Heart Association, and the individual walkers and teams who raise the most money will receive various prizes, such as:
- Sky box tickets to a Grizzlies basketball game.
- Tickets to UM College of Visual and Performing Arts productions.
- Gift certificates to campus vendors, including The Bookstore at UM, the UM Golf Course and several restaurants.
- Lady Griz basketball game tickets.
For a more detailed list or to create a team, call Beckie Christiaens, UM Heart Walk campaign chair, at 243-4611, e-mail beckie.christiaens@umontana.edu or visit the Missoula Heart Walk website.
Missoula Heart Walk
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Publications
 Arens, Hiltrud. 2010. "'Die Toten erzählen grundsätzlich anders': Yoko Tawadas postdramatischer Text Die Kranichmaske, die bei Nacht strahlt." Gegenwartsliteratur. Ein germanistisches Jahrbuch/A German Studies Yearbook (9):59-81.
Bowler, Bruce E. 2010. "Denatured States of Low Complexity Polypeptide Sequences Differ Dramatically from Those of Foldable Sequences." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A., 107:11364-11369.
Sriraman, Bharath. 2010. "Mathematics Education Research in Denmark: A Brief Introduction." In The First Sourcebook on Nordic Research in Mathematics Education. (Eds.) B. Sriraman et al. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Sriraman, Bharath (co-author). 2010. "Mathematics Education in Iceland: Explaining the Non-homogeneity in a Homogenous System." In The First Sourcebook on Nordic Research in Mathematics Education. (Eds.) B. Sriraman et al. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Vanita, Ruth. 2010. "The Homoerotics of Travel: People, Ideas, Genres." In The Cambridge Companion to Gay and Lesbian Writing. (Ed.) Hugh Stevens. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Vanita, Ruth. 2010. "Plato, Wilde and Woolf: The Poetics of Homoerotic 'Intercourse' in A Room of One's Own." Journal of Lesbian Studies, 14(4):415-431.
Vanita, Ruth. 2009. "Full of God: Ashtavakra and Ideas of Justice in Hindu Texts." Research on South Asia, 3(2):167-181.
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Submissions must reach University Relations, 317 Brantly Hall, by noon Tuesday for inclusion in the following week's newsletter. Be sure to note that the submissions are for ForUM. E-mail submissions may be sent to campnews@mso.umt.edu. Items will be included as space permits. For more information, e-mail Brenda Day, ForUM editor.
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