Sad Thanksgiving Weekend

In the past, I have mentioned...in passing, sure...that I have been taking piano lessons with my daughter. I have wanted to learn how to play piano for decades now. And, having it be something that I do weekly with my marvelous daughter--watching her pick it up so much quicker than me, of course--made it all the more special. Our teacher was Dr. Sarah Stevens --the music teacher from my daughter's elementary school.

On top of all the gorgeous weather we had here in Bloomington over the Thanksgiving weekend...and a nice dinner at a friend's house...the weekend was smashed by the news that our piano teacher was dead.

My daughter was very sad by the news...as was I.
We found out the news on Friday afternoon.
Our lessons are typically on Saturday morning...which came and went...and we were sad. The electronic keyboard we borrowed from a friend still sits in our study. We haven't played much this week. As a dad, I don't know if or when to suggest we start lessons again.

Tomorrow my daughter will have music class at school for the first time since Dr. Stevens' death. It will be strange and sad for her, I'm sure.

And, on Friday, the school is having what they call a celebration of life in honor of Dr. Stevens. Calling it a celebration will, to me, not make it any less sad that such a wonderful person...who touched so many people with music...left us so unexpectedly.

Great Visit from my parents--and IU Basketball

My Dad and Stepmom Sally visited Bloomington this past weekend and we had a wonderful visit. We were able to catch up---even though *I* saw them a few weeks ago in Vancouver--it had been over a year since Grandma and Grandpa saw their grandkids!!!

One of the best things, though, was when we received a call from our friends Amy and Kevin Mackice (here's their blog) who had extra tickets to the IU Basketball game versus Chicago State. And not only some tickets...they were great seats.

Check out these pictures

Is THIS who we want representing us to the cosmos?

Ladies and gentlemen...advertising clutter in space is now only a matter of time.


Read this Story

College Education--So much more than in the Classroom

As someone who has been on the "teaching side" of a college classroom now for 15 years, I often wish students devoted more time to studying than they often do. There is so much to be learned from reading textbooks (boring as they may seem) and actually working on class assignments in a focused, determined way rather than just whipping something out the day (or hour!) before they are due.

However, I also must say that some students get even MORE from university life than they would be hitting the books...these are the students who find the delicate balance between getting the most from the classroom/textbooks/assignments and the out of class activities that are still learning and academically based.

Most of today's colleges and universities realize that experiential learning is key to really making knowledge stick. Students often ask me if I should have an internship. The answer is, of course, an enthusiastic "YES".

But, it's so much more than internships. Find a club that is related to your intersts. Radio...how about WIUX? Television...how about WTIU or IU Student Television.

Or, there is the Business Careers in Entertainment Club

Or...you could always contact one of your favorite professors and find out what research they are working on OUTSIDE the classroom and whether they are in need of any help. Chances are, if you are willing to be committed and want to learn, they can find a place for you.

And...it's helpful to your learning. Don't believe me, check out a just released report by the National Survey of Student Engagement:

Here's the intro to that report's press release:

Findings from a national survey released today show that while student
engagement helps all learners, those who come to college less well prepared
academically or are from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds
tend to benefit even more. Being involved in educationally purposeful activities such as
interacting with faculty members and working with peers on projects inside and outside
of class has positive effects on grades and increases the odds that students will return
to college for a second year

Can't get any bigger than Clear Channel, right?

Maybe not!

Check out this story suggesting that Google may purchase the radio giant.

More Pictures from the SPR conference

I have now come back to Bloomington and spent the most of today catching up from the post-conference backlog. Still, I had a GREAT time at the SPR conference with lots of interesting research talked about (and heard about) that I hope to be able write about in the next few days...but for now, here are some pictures.

Here is doctoral candidate Narine Yeagian talking to a researcher from Colorado State University about Negativity Bias.


Texas Tech's Sam Bradley takes a picture of ....er....me



University of Missouri's Glenn Leshner and some of his graduate students discuss their research poster




And here's the whole gang...or most of them anyway. Julie Fox, Sam, Mija Shin, Narine, me, James Angelini, and Seungjo Lee: