Issue 49, Volume 122
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Students experience life-size camera obscura Emily DeLanzo Managing Editor With the windows covered in black tarp, 30 students sat in silence in Professor Rob Heller’s classroom. Every four seconds, the sound of a closing shutter captured the students inside the room. The only light revealed within the dark classroom streamed through a nickelsized hole in the tarp. After waiting fifteen minutes for their eyes to adjust, the students began to “ooh” and “ah” at the sight of Neyland appearing upside down on the wall. These Journalism and Electronic Media 390 students were experiencing a life-sized simulation of the inside of a camera. “At the beginning of every semester, I teach students how a camera works,” Professor Heller said. “But there’s something about being inside and truly experiencing the inner workings that really helps them understand.” The view from the main window in Communications Building Room 317 reveals Neyland Stadium and a glimpse of the Tennessee River. Through the small hole of the tarp — the “aperture” of the classroom — this outside view was inversely reflected onto the opposing wall in the classroom. Anna Lewis, a senior in journalism and electronic media, felt as though the learning exercise aided in her understanding of cameras. “I am a very visual person and I need to see things to understand every aspect of a lesson,” Lewis said. “Professor Heller went above and beyond to help us understand the roots of photography, not just a few facts from a textbook.” Professor Heller explained the purpose of the activity was to show students how quickly a camera captures an image. It takes the human eye more than 10 minutes to adjust to the lack of light. After their eyes adjusted, students could view the projected image on the wall. “I learned, oddly, a lot about our eyes and what we think we see and what we actually see and how much adjustment and lighting have to do with an honest perspective of photography,” Lewis said. “It was neat to realize a camera can capture instantly what the eye would take hours to see in that much darkness.” The upside-down image of Neyland, to the students’ eyes, was black-and-white. Professor Heller said it would take hours, if ever, for a human eye to recognize colors in the simulation.
Undergraduates present research R.J. Vogt News Editor More than 60 undergraduate students presented a wide variety of research Saturday at the “4th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium” hosted by the Undergraduate Students Research Association. During his keynote address over lunch, Vice Chancellor of Research Taylor Eighmy said it was these research-minded students who could take the world “back to the future.” “The future can be changed because of the things that you’re going to do,” Eighmy said. “I need you to tinker now to change to future to make good things happen; the world needs you to do that. That’s why you’re here in college, that’s why you’re generating new knowledge and
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other. In 15-minute presentations, the undergraduate researchers explained everything from the efficiency of photovoltaic cells to the design of a dark-matter detection chamber. The research on photovoltaic cells – more commonly referred to as solar cells – was presented by Chris Barnes, a freshman in chemical engineering. He said he began the research as a senior in high school, putting together the symposium specific presentation in a couple of months. “I think it’s cool … seeing things that I learn in research and then being taught like the theory and from the book and all the basic stuff behind it,” Barnes said. His enthusiasm for experiential learning was reflected in the symposium’s eclectic mix
of topics. Although Eighmy’s keynote speech primarily focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics research, the humanities and professional trades were represented as well. Allison Stark and Dabney Wilson, juniors in the College of Nursing, offered a different perspective on the importance of undergraduate research. They said that after first dismissing their research as “this huge project that wasn’t going to mean anything,” they now realize it’s something that can make a difference, even if it’s not the typical research of a lab. “It’s really changed my perspective in understanding the importance of research contributing to care in hospital and health care settings,” Stark said. “It’s really enhanced the
importance to me.” Stark’s research in pediatric oncology specifically focuses on the siblings of patients, looking at their quality of life. Qualitative research is a theme in nursing, as her classmate Wilson is researching the therapeutic effects of storytelling in children with cancer. Wilson hopes to work with the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital next semester. “I think we’re both interested in … middle-range theory, connecting theory and practice,” she said. “We both want to learn more to better care … Dr. Hudson, the head of the (Nursing) Honors Program, kind of took us under her wing and taught us everything we know about research.” For more information on undergraduate research, visit research.utk.edu/undergrad.
• Photo courtesy of Rob Heller
Photojournalism professor Rob Heller created a classroom pinhole camera by blocking all light in the room except for a nickel-sized hole in the window to show how a camera reflects light upside down.
McClung Museum houses hidden treasures Lady Vols Emilee Lamb lock up No. 2 seed Staff Writer
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Frank H. McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, and the littleknown campus resource is focusing its efforts on showing the campus community all that it has to offer. Most students who trudge to a class in the auditorium of the museum never look up to appreciate the exhibits around them, let alone think about the thousands of historical artifacts just below their feet. The basement rooms of the McClung Museum are home to an eclectic collection of more than 25,000 historic pieces and several million archaeological items, such as arrowheads and weapon fragments. Each piece on the rows of fully lined shelves tells its own unique story, such as the Norden bombsight from World War II. During the war, the army used human hair to fashion the crosshairs for the bombsight. When a woman was told that her hair was the perfect size for the project, she cut it all off and donated it to the army. “There’s this human story that underlies so many of the
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discovery.” He shared the tale of his own beginnings in research as a 19-year-old kid in Boston in the late 1970s, relating to the students and faculty gathered in the Howard H. Baker Center’s Toyota Auditorium. “I would elect to not go do normal things that students do; I would go hide in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard,” Eighmy said. “I did an honors thesis in the biology department at Tufts, and that was a profound experience for me, to own the idea of generating new knowledge, new discovery ... it got me to where I am today.” For the students who, like Eighmy once did, labor in windowless labs or over detailed papers, the symposium offered a chance to present their findings and network with each
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big world events that makes it relevant and interesting,” said Catherine Shteynberg, assistant curator and new web and media coordinator for the museum. The hodgepodge assortment of the items hiding behind closed doors is perfectly illustrated in a single filing cabinet of the museum. The top drawers are full of volumes of hand-drawn bird prints dating from the 1830s while the bottom drawer contains authentic samurai swords. The swords, though they appear to be kept in a random location, are well-documented and researched, as are almost all of the pieces the museum keeps in its startling inventory. “We think we have one now that goes back to the 14th or 15th century,” Robert Pennington, program coordinator of McClung Museum, said. “It was a family sword that was passed down, and during World War II the descendants actually had the sword mounted on a naval hilt.” Another interesting group of pieces is the wardrobe of Ellen McClung Green, whose money was used to established the museum. The gowns date from the turn of the 20th century and hang hidden away in
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a back corner of the basement. “We really don’t have the money to curate them properly,” Pennington lamented. “I’m actually trying to find new homes for them.” Not only does the museum store commonplace historical items, but it also hosts some very rare artifacts. Shteynberg said their collection displays the only dinosaur bones ever found in Tennessee. In addition to the fascinating general collection, the museum’s impressive archaeological collection and malacology lab – for the study of freshwater mussels – draw researchers from around the globe. The McClung Museum also provides an opportunity for students to get some hands-on experience in the field of natural history. The archaeological collection is often catalogued and documented by student volunteers. “I found out about volunteering at the museum and decided to give it a try,” said Tracy Hicks, an undecided freshman who is interested in anthropology. “It’s a good way to build some relationships with professors and people that are in the anthropology department.” Being a part of the behindthe-scenes work at the muse-
um has affected the way student volunteers like Hicks view the museum. “I’ve learned that the McClung Museum is very unique,” Hicks said. “Seeing that definitely made me realize that McClung is such a great asset to (UT). People should relish the fact that we have such a wonderful collection.” Shteynberg, a fairly new addition to the McClung staff, said he hopes the museum is used for teaching, research, inspiration and even just “hanging out.” As the social media guru at McClung, she said a heightened web presence is something the museum looks forward to experimenting with in the future, one that might draw more students through the doors. “I think many students aren’t aware that there’s a museum here,” Shteynberg said. “Come explore before your class in McClung. Some students like to simply come and relax or have some quiet or study time here.” The McClung Museum welcomes student input on how the museum can be made more useful to the campus community. To leave comments and suggestions, e-mail Catherine Shteynberg at cshteynb@utk. edu or tweet the institution at @mcclungmuseum.
Lauren Kittrell Sports Editor It’s one game at a time for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Selection Monday came and went leaving the Lady Vols (24-7) as an unexpected No. 2 seed and in one of the most challenging regions the Women’s NCAA Tournament has to offer. First-year head coach Holly Warlick’s name came up more than once during the televised event, honoring her role on the team as she stepped into head coach emeritus Pat Summitt’s role with great success. Warlick said hearing her name on ESPN was both strange and exciting but was more proud of the way the team was able to come together through the season. “(I am) proud of the No. 2 seed. I didn’t know we would get a No. 2 seed, so glad for that and just kind of nice to know who you’re playing and ready to get going,” Warlick said. See SELECTION on Page 6
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