Environmental Communication Week 2011 @ Tarleton State University - Day Three

Readers,


Thanks for Prof. Cristi Horton and the other people in the Communication Studies Department (and our wonderful students), this has been one of the most amazing days of my life! Today, during the Air, Wind, and Solar session, the president of our university, Dr. Dottavio and the vice presidents of our university presented me with the Barry B. Thompson Service Award. My department head, dean, and wonderful colleagues were successful in keeping the award a surprise!


Here is a picture from the presentation (more to follow)...

Here is a list of today's events...

View the pictures of today's events here - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.213922415304101.66236.140559722640371&l=bffbe6f661

ALL DAY

Fiction/Non-Fiction Book Swap (Bring a Book, Take a Book)

Where: Library Foyer (By the Circulation Desk)

Description: Do you need new books to read over the summer? Do you have some books to give away? Participate in the Fiction/Non-Fiction Book Swap! Thanks to you, many used books (new to you) will be available daily!

9AM - 1PM

Where Do I Recycle? What Can I Recycle? - Recycling Info. Booth

Presented By: The Tarleton Environmental Advisory Council

Where: Dick Smith Library

Description: Ask questions about recycling at Tarleton and enter for a chance to win a free t-shirt (and other prizes).

10AM - 11AM

Wind and Solar 101

Presented By: Mr. Eric Graff, Owner of the Air, Wind, and Solar Energy Store

Where: Dick Smith Library Multipurpose Room

Description: Discover the basics of wind and solar energy! Door prizes will be available!

11AM - 1PM

Where Do I Recycle? What Can I Recycle? - Recycling Info. Booth

Presented By: The Tarleton Environmental Advisory Council

Where: Thompson Student Center Foyer

Description: Ask questions about recycling at Tarleton and enter for a chance to win a free t-shirt (and other prizes).

12pm - 1pm

Green Works – New To You House Party (Door Prizes). Please RSVP by clicking this link - Tarleton New to You Recycling Party

Where: MATH 135

Description: Bring your own appliance (BYOA) or other household item to this green exchange! Through this interactive session, you will have an opportunity to switch your old coffee maker/blender, etc. with another participant (recycling and reducing)! Then, the Green Works company provided free cleaning products for you to clean your "new to you" appliance during the house party! Fifteen door prizes will be provided to participants!

1PM - 2PM

Panel Discussion – Ordinary People Who Are Doing Extraordinary Things to Go Green

Panelists:

Mr. Paul Risse, Owner of Bearfoot Market

Mr. Eric Graff, Owner of Air, Wind, and Solar Energy Store

Mrs. Pam Huckabee, Assistant Director of the Tarleton School Leadership Alliance (Solar Energy: From a Consumer's Perspective & the Advantages of Purchasing Food from a Natural Food Co-op)

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards, Communication Studies (Frugal Gardening - Using Recycled Materials in Your Garden)

Dr. Robert Anderson, Communication Studies (Invited) (Driving a Hybrid Vehicle)

Where: Dick Smith Library Multipurpose Room

Description: Meet everyday Tarleton Texans who are doing extraordinary things to do green! Ask questions and hear great responses at this interactive panel. Door prizes will be provided to participants.

2PM - 3PM

The Southwest Regional Dairy Center and Environmental Sustainability of Animal Agriculture - Presented By: Dr. Barry Lambert, Dr. Donald McGahan, Dr. Don Cawthon, and Dr. Patti Locke

Where: Dick Smith Library Multipurpose Room

Description: Discover how the new Southwest Regional Dairy Center is contributing to environmental sustainability!

3PM - 4PM

Water Gardening 101

Presented By: Dr. Forrest Mitchell

Where: Dick Smith Library Multipurpose Room

Description: Discover how water gardening can be an enjoyable activity for everyone!

4PM - 5PM

How to Conserve Water and Harvest Your Own Rainwater

Presented By: The Stephenville Water Conservation Board (Featuring Dr. Hennen Cummings and Dr. Carol Thompson)

Where: Dick Smith Library Multipurpose Room

Description: Discover how you can take an active role in water conversation by adopting a few simple habits! In addition, find out how to harvest your OWN rainwater through a simple rainwater collection system!

This has been a successful week-long event and we have one additional event tomorrow! However, I have to travel to San Antonio for the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference AND the Texas Distance Learning Association Conference. I am attending TWO conferences in TWO days! :) Saving on those travel funds! :)


Sincerely,


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Environmental Communication Week 2011 @ Tarleton State University - Day Two

Readers,


The second day of Environmental Communication Week was amazing! Here is a list of today's events...

Click here to view photos from Tuesday's events - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.212256455470697.60629.140559722640371&l=4501f766de 

ALL DAY

Fiction/Non-Fiction Book Swap (Bring a Book, Take a Book)

Where: Library Foyer (By the Circulation Desk)

Description: Do you need new books to read over the summer? Do you have some books to give away? Participate in the Fiction/Non-Fiction Book Swap! Thanks to you, many used books (new to you) will be available daily!

11AM - 12PM

Human Health and Ecological Consequences of Occurrence of Pharmaceuticals in the Environment -

Presented By: Dr.Sudarshan Kurwadkar

Where: Library Instruction Classroom (LIC 139)

Description: How DO you properly dispose of your pharmaceutical medicines to minimize your affect on the environment? Attend this interactive lecture to find out!

12PM - 1PM

Webinar – Earth Day: The Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill One Year Later

Where: Library Instruction Classroom (LIC 139)

Description: How DID last year's oil spill affect the environment? Come to this session to find out!

1PM - 2PM

WATER TRIVIA! (Door Prizes) & What IS a Watershed and Why Is It Important?

Presented By: The Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research (TIAER)

Where: Dick Smith Library Multipurpose Room

Description: Win awesome door prizes through water trivia! Find out about the Clean Water Act and discover the TRUE definition of a WATERSHED!

2:30PM - 4PM

Movie – No Impact Man

Where: Dick Smith Library Multipurpose Room

Description: Discover how one REGULAR family lives in the city and reduces their carbon footprint to MINIMAL levels in their year-long journey to go green! No electricity, no Starbucks, no new clothes, etc.

4PM - 5PM

Horticulture Club – Gardening 101 Workshop

Where: Tarleton Horticulture Center

Description: A fun and interactive workshop for beginning gardeners AND seasoned gardeners! Discover how to grow your own produce (and save money in the process).

This has been one amazing day! I love engaging students in fun, educational activities and working with my planning partner, Prof. Cristi Horton to promote the Communication Studies Department by working with other departments on campus! :)


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Environmental Communication Week 2011 @ Tarleton State University - Day One

Readers,

The first day of Environmental Communication Week 2011 was a success! Here is a list of the events we had today...

View the pictures of today's events here - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.211955785500764.60528.140559722640371&l=e54dff022b

12PM - 1PM

Minute to Win It - Green Edition (Environmental Communication Week Kickoff!) 

Where: MATH 109

Description: Just like the popular TV show, this event will enable participants to progress through increasingly difficult levels to win the ULTIMATE GRAND PRIZE for Environmental Communication Week!!!

To discover more information about Minute to Win It, CLICK HERE.

1PM - 2PM

Texas: The STATE of Water (How Water Affected Our Past, Affects Our Present, and Will Affect Our Future

Presented By: Dr. Carol Thompson

Where: Dick Smith Library Multipurpose Room

Description: An interactive lecture on the global water crisis and how it affects YOU!

2PM - 3PM

Green Printing @ Tarleton: Can You Accept the Challenge?

Presented By: The Dick Smith Library and the Center for Instructional Technology and Distributed Education

Where: Dick Smith Library Multipurpose Room

Description: Participate in an interactive session focused on how to GO GREEN while accomplishing your research tasks and/or working in your office! Find out about HOW to adopt a green printing lifestyle at Tarleton for individuals AND offices! Door prizes will be available.

3PM - 4PM

Political Perceptions of Environmental Problems in Europe

Presented By: Dr. Jeff Justice

Where: Dick Smith Library Instruction Classroom

Description: How do individuals from various political parties view the environmental problems? Discover the role of politics in addressing environment problems in America. This is an interactive lecture.

We had a great time today! I cannot wait to see what tomorrow has in store for our students! :)

Sincerely,

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Freebie Friday! - "Go Green" Products! (Trees AND Reusable Bags)

Readers,


Today's Freebie Friday post is focused on environmental products! Order these products and use them for examples in your classroom and/or as classroom giveaways!


I plan to feature these products on next week's Twitter feed for Environmental Communication Week! Follow us TarletonSpeech OR use the hashtag #ECW2011! :)

FREE TREE @ Lowes!
On Saturday, April 23rd, Lowes will give away one million trees! The grading crunch is starting! Visit the store on this day to start your backyard (stress free) zone! For more information - LINK

FREE REUSABLE BAG @ Target!
Visit Target on Sunday, April 17th and receive a free reusable bag! Use this bag to take homework (or goodies) to your students in class OR give the bag away next week as part of a classroom learning opportunity! For more information - LINK.


Have a great weekend!


Sincerely,


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Undergraduate Research Week 2011 - Campus and Local Events

Readers,


I am very happy to recognize several universities for their programming initiatives during Undergraduate Research Week! While our university did not have a designated event, but we received an awesome e-mail from the Student Research and Creative Activities Director who highlighted the national initiative! :) 


I am also very pleased to see several Texas higher education institutions on the list! 


University of North Texas
University of Texas El Paso
University of Texas Permian Basin


Here is a link to the list: http://www.cur.org/urwevents.html

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Undergraduate Research Week 2011 - Incorporating Undergraduate Research in My Courses (A Reflection)

Readers,

This semester has been filled of great ideas, wonderful opportunities, and enjoyable experiences. One of these wonderful opportunities include my presentations at various academic conferences and traveling with students and listening to their presentation at the Southern States Communication Association Annual Conference. Through these experiences, I have had time to gain new points of view of my research and research strategies through the eyes of my undergraduate students.

Each semester, I integrate undergraduate research in each of my upper-level undergraduate courses (Fall - Interpersonal Communication and Intercultural Communication; Spring - Interpersonal Communication and Organizational Communication).  Through this integration process, I adopt a scaffolding approach to teach my undergraduate students about the research process and we progress through the steps of the process every week.

During the first week of class, I introduce the undergraduate research experience in my syllabus. Most of the students have never had an undergraduate research experience and an overwhelming majority of the students feel undergraduate research is something that happens in the science department. After explaining the social science research approach and helping the students realize that they CAN do it, the process becomes easier and the students start to select their groups and their research topics. Through their selection of their own topic and creating the problem statement, purpose statement, and research questions, the students start the process of creating a literature review.

They start to take ownership of their projects and become "experts" in their chosen section of their research topic. As a professor (especially near the end of the research project), I discover that the students truly embrace their research and they are able to apply the results of their research as they form conclusions, implications, and suggestions for further research. Usually, the research projects conclude around five to six weeks before the end of the semester we are able to apply the results from their research to the final chapters of their textbook. I think that research is one of the best ways of helping students understand the course material and it enables undergraduate students to "own" their research and to hone (or merely start) the critical thinking process (which is important for higher education and the workplace).

Sincerely,

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Life on the Tenure-Track - A Millennial's Perspective

Readers,

The past two days have been some of the most interesting days of my career. This week, I attended the AERA Division J - Early Career Scholars Session. Over the few days of the session, I formed a higher education research network several new people (with whom I plan to collaborate on a few research projects), learned new tricks of the tenure track, discovered the items for which you can negotiate in the academic job search process, and then I listened to how several other early career academics carve their research time each day. 


After my posts for undergraduate research week (next week) and environmental education week (the week after), I will post my notes from this very important workshop on the blog. Look forward to reading notes from this very important session!


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.