Mehdi Aminrazavi, professor of philosophy and religion presented a paper entitled “Mysticism in Islamic Philosophical Tradition: Hindrance to Rationalism or Perfection of Reason” at the Symposium on the Middle Ages (Mystik im Mittelalter Gegensatz oder Vollendung der Vernunft?) at Leibniz University in Hannover, Germany. Feb. 26, 2014.
EdTech Brings Regional Educators to UMW
Educators from across the region came together March 14 for the Fourth Annual EdTech Conference at the University of Mary Washington to talk about ways to change learning in the digital age.
Sponsored by the College of Education, the day began with a keynote presentation by Director of Teaching and Learning at UMW Jim Groom who spoke about publishing and archiving student work, UMW blogs, digital storytelling and why K-12 educators should incorporate those tools in the classroom.
“What we do as educators – what we do in higher ed and K-12 – is share a hope. It’s a hope that what we’re doing is framing a whole world of possibility and connections. And the Web is the single greatest tool ever invented to help us build on what we do,” said Groom. “It’s a remarkable world that we live in.”
The conference also included a variety of sessions from “Animoto Movies in Your Class!” to “Expanding Your Web 2.0 Toolkit.” One session, “Frames and Share, You Can Do It!,” featured presentations from J.W. Alvey Elementary School students who created short movies and presentations.
In the afternoon, Margaret Stout, a teacher at Antietam Elementary, introduced participants to Google Glass and demonstrated how she’s using the new technology in her classroom to teach students with autism. The conference ended with a panel discussion about current issues and challenges.
Teresa Coffman, associate professor in the College of Education, and Tami Pratt-Fartro, assistant professor in the College of Education, helped to create the annual conference four years ago with the goal of forming a regional network of educators who come together to share great teaching practices. That goal has remained intact.
“I want people to build connections and community. I want them to think about their pedagogy in new and different ways and to use technology to foster learning in the classroom to engage their students to think critically and creatively,” said Coffman. “I want people to explore professional development in new and exciting ways.”
UMW Spirit Day — Friday, March 14! Wear Your Blue and Gray!
Staff Advisory Council Meeting
The Staff Advisory Council will meet Thursday, March 20 in Lee Hall, Room 412. Provost Jonathan Levin will give a presentation on academic programming and Golda Eldridge, director of leadership for Student Affairs, will present on “Leadership UMW.” All meetings are open to the greater UMW community.
Bowen and Students Visit Guatemala during Spring Break
Jack Humiston ’15 and David Chambers ’14 measure clearings in the cloud forest using a GPS unit and a laser range finder. This allows them to calculate areas of deforestation. The students worked on this project with 2011 graduate Ian Pope.
Dawn Bowen, professor of geography, supervised an undergraduate research trip to Guatemala over spring break with University of Mary Washington students.
Jack Humiston ’15 and David Chambers ’14 researched a project titled “Mapping Deforestation in the Sierra Yalijux Mountains of the Alta Verapaz, Guatemala” over a nine-day period.
“This experience is incredibly important because students actually apply the concepts/techniques that they learn in the classroom to a real world setting. In this case, the students are also helping to produce maps for Community Cloud Forest Conservation, the local NGO that I work with, to show landowners the threats to their property, the consequences of not protecting land, and promoting a preservation plan with the local community,” said Bowen. “These young men can now state that they have done field work and used the data that they collected to produce maps.”
Blood Drive, April 9
The American Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at the Stafford Campus in University Hall on Wednesday, April 9 from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Anyone who donates blood will automatically have a chance to win a Movie Treat Basket, which will include a Regal Cinema Gift Card as well as goodies & treats associated with watching a movie at home.
If you are interested in donating, please email Kevin Caffrey (kcaffrey@umw.edu) to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome as well.
Professors and Student Publish Collaborative Column
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and international affairs and director for the Center for Leadership and Media Studies, and Steve Hanna, professor and chair of the department of geography, published a collaborative column with UMW senior political science major Benjamin Harris in the Richmond Times Dispatch. The article is about the Medicaid expansion debate in Virginia.
Spring 2014 Career Day, March 20
The spring 2014 Career Day is almost here. Including 35 registered employers, the event is on Thursday, March 20 in the Anderson Center from 3 to 6 p.m. The event includes corporations, federal and state government and non-profit organizations looking to fill full-time and internship positions. Please remind students to arrive with resumes and dressed in business professional attire. For more information, visit http://academics.umw.edu/academicservices/spring-2014-career-day/ or call (540) 654-1010
(540) 654-1010.
The Mystery of Liberation, March 9
Mehdi Aminrazavi, professor of philosophy and religion and co-director of the Leidecker Center for Asian Studies, will serve as a panelist for “The Mystery of Liberation: Finding the Intersection of Faith and Politics,” a community panel discussion on Sunday, March 9. The discussion will take place at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 905 Princess Anne St., in Fredericksburg. The event is free, though donations are accepted and attendees should register here.
This event is part of the Lenten discussions taking place on Saturday, March 8 through Sunday, March 9. For more information, check out this article in the Free Lance-Star.
Farnsworth Gives U.S. Department of State Lecture
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently gave a lecture entitled, “Journalism and U.S. Foreign Policy: Global Media and Politics in Transition,” to visiting journalists from Yemen who were part of a recent Institute for International Education Visitor Leadership Program. The Washington-based program was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.