Today's Stories:
Radford Highlanders Festival is Saturday
CSAT Offers Educational Opportunities this Weekend
Appalachian Folk Arts Festival Part of Family Weekend
Follow RU Through Social Media
RU Has Variety of Events in October
RU Employees Agree to Reinstatement
Biology Professor Gets Two NSF Grants
CHBS Honors Two Faculty Members
Crime Scene Investigation Van Visits RU
Recreation, Parks and Tourism Students Attend Conference
RU Sustainability: "You Have the ABILITY!"
Athletics Update
My Research: by Gary Cote
Alumni News: Alumna Sparks Love of Math in Students
Kudos: Professor Susan Miller
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Today's Top News

Radford Highlanders Festival is Saturday
It's been 14 years since the first Radford Highlanders Festival. A crowd of approximately 3,000 gathered at the Dedmon Center to learn about the Scots-Irish ancestry in the region, many of them hearing the sounds of Celtic rock music for the first time. This Saturday, the festival celebrates its 14th year on Moffett Field. A crowd of more than 9,000 is expected.

In partnership with the City of Radford, the festival features a headline concert by Celtic rockers Teribus at 4:30 p.m. on the main stage at Moffett, a parade celebrating the beginning of RU's centennial year, heavyweight games, a gathering of Scottish clans, music by Beggars' Circus and Jig-or-Not, more than 60 vendors, a children's craft and learning area, a falconry exhibition, the ever-popular visit by "The Hairy Cow" and much more. Held in conjunction with Family Weekend and the inaugural Welcome Back Reunion Weekend, the day begins at 8 a.m.

To learn more, see the RU News Release.

Campus News

CSAT Offers Educational Opportunities this Weekend
Individuals attending Highlanders Festival and Welcome Back Reunion Weekend events on campus Saturday have an opportunity to also check out two facilities that promote educational outreach and faculty student collaborative efforts within the College of Science and Technology. The official fall opening of the Museum of the Earth Sciences in Curie Hall is scheduled from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Museum goers can see the "Corning Glass Earth Under a Microscope Exhibit" along with newly added displays and specimens. In addition, the RU Planetarium in B43 Curie Hall will be offering free shows at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. Seating is limited, and a ticket, available at check-in, is needed for admission.

Appalachian Folk Arts Festival Part of Family Weekend
Quilting, blacksmithing, art, music and more are part of Radford University's 24th annual Appalachian Folk Arts Festival on Saturday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., on RU's Heth Lawn. The festival is part of weekend programming for Family Weekend which includes the inaugural Welcome Back Reunion Weekend and the 14th annual Radford Highlanders Festival. To learn more, see the RU News Release.

Follow RU Through Social Media
Follow RU on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news, photos and videos from the university, as well as up-to-date information about events on campus. Alumni also are connecting through Radford University's Official Alumni Group on Facebook and on Linkedin.

RU Has Variety of Events in October
The Radford University College of Visual and Performing Arts October performances include sounds and sights to please all tastes. The Fall Dance Fest begins the month's events with performances tonight and Friday at 8 p.m. and on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Bondurant Auditorium Preston Hall. In addition, RU faculty member Robert Trent presents a classical guitar concert tonight at 8 p.m. in the Covington Recital Hall. Trent's recent concert tour included performances in Paraguay and Argentina. Ken Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor opens Friday, Oct. 2, in Pridemore Playhouse. Performance dates are October 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10 at 8 p.m.; October 3 and 4, 2 p.m.; and October 7, 10 a.m. (In the photo: A scene from Lend Me a Tenor.)

To learn more about these and other October events, see the RU News Release.

RU Employees Agree to Reinstatement
Two Radford University administrators who had been laid off from their jobs in the Division of Student Affairs on September 14 have notified the university that they will return to their former positions.

Michael Dunn and Marc Jacobsen, director and assistant director, respectively, of the Office of New Student Programs, have accepted the university's offer to have them return to their former jobs. University officials have reassigned the ONSP from the Division of Student Affairs to the Division of Academic Affairs. For more information, see the RU News Release.

Biology Professor Gets Two NSF Grants
Biology professor Jeremy Wojdak is at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Station in Panama this semester to conduct research into how predators at different stages of an animal's life influence the timing of "switchpoints" between stages, like egg hatching or tadpole metamorphosis. Wojdak joined an ongoing collaboration with professors from Virginia Commonwealth University and Boston University and recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation to support the research. The RU professor also has received an NSF grant for his project, "Collaborative Research: Community Composition and Disease Outcomes in a Multihost-Parasite System." To learn more, see the College of Science and Technology Web site.

CHBS Honors Two Faculty Members
The College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences recently recognized two of its professors for outstanding dedication and service to students and the university. Psychology professor Niels Christensen received the 2009 Distinguished Scholarship Award, and sociology Professor Jeanne Mekolichick received the 2009 Distinguished Teaching Award. To learn more, see the RU News Release.

Crime Scene Investigation Van Visits RU
Students in Emil Moldovan's introduction to forensic science class recently learned how to lift latent fingerprints from a soda can by dusting the can with black fingerprint powder. "It truly was an as seen on TV moment," Moldovan said of the demonstration Radford Police Chief and RU graduate Don Goodman '84 and Sgt. Chris Caldwell gave to the professor's class. The officers used the Radford Police crime scene investigation van to demonstrate various crime-solving tools available to police officers, including photography, fingerprinting and footprint casting.

This is the second year that the Radford Police department has offered the classroom demonstrations to the forensic science class. "Observing actual crime solving techniques used by police departments enhances classroom training and brings realism to the learning experience," Moldovan said. "Radford students are fortunate to have one of our own to demonstrate the success potential from a terrific university learning experience."

IN THE PHOTO: Sgt. Chris Caldwell demonstrates the technique for pouring dental stone into a footprint to obtain a cast of the print for further analysis.

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Students Attend Conference
Students and faculty in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism at Radford University recently attended the annual Virginia Recreation Parks Society (VRPS) state conference. Forty-One students received conference scholarships covering registration fees and annual VRPS membership fees. Students networked with approximately 500 professionals from across the Commonwealth at Hotel Roanoke with six RU students co-presenting with their professors during educational sessions.

IN THE PHOTO: From left are Catherine Hancock, Elizabeth Franklin, Mark Guerry and Briana Graziano.

RU Sustainability: "You have the ABILITY!"
This edition of "You have the ABILITY!" focuses on how each of us can help reduce RU's operating costs and contribute to global sustainability by saving electricity, water and supplies:

• Take action! Turn off the lights or faucets yourself if no one is using them.
• If it's not an easy switch during business hours, call Work Control at X7800.
• If it's not an easy switch after business hours, call RU Police Department at X5500.

Last year, RU spent more than $140,000 in electricity, $35,000 in water and $7,000 in paper costs every month. Every kilowatt of electricity, gallon of water or sheet of paper saved is money that can be used for instructional and support services at RU. For more information on RU' s sustainability activities, visit www.radford.edu/rugreen. "You have the ABILITY!" is a weekly reminder from RU Green and RU's Sustainability Steering Committee.

Radford Athletics Update
Just days after Athlon Sports released its college basketball preseason predictions, Lindy's Sports also picked Radford to repeat its 2008-09 Big South title run in its 2009-10 College Basketball Preview. The Highlanders return four starters from their 2008-09 NCAA Tournament club that finished 21-12 and 15-3, while becoming the first team in Big South history to win the regular season title after finishing seventh the year before. See RU Sports for more.

Five different Highlanders tallied a goal and Radford's defense held Robert Morris University to just three shots in a 5-0 victory Sunday afternoon at RU Field Hockey Field.

See RU Athletics for more on these and other RU Sports stories.

My Research

Gary Cote Studies Houseplant Dieffenbachia
My Research is a new periodic feature in RU Today that gives faculty and students a chance to share their research with the university community.

Today, biology professor Gary Cote provides a first-person account of his studies into the variety and locations of crystals found in the houseplant Dieffenbachia, also known as dumbcane. (In the photo is a biforine, a cell containing a package of sharp crystals that can be shot out like darts. This cell was in a leaf of dumbcane, and the processing of the sample for microscopy caused the cell to shoot out crystals at each end.) Cote's research recently was featured in the American Journal of Botany. Read more>>

If you would like to share your research with the campus community, contact RU Today.

Alumni News

Alumna Sparks Love of Math in Students
Math education alumna Heather Lineberry '08 says that the key to piquing students' interest in math is applying it to real-world activities. "I love to show them how math is applicable to daily situations," says the Fries native, who is living her dream of teaching at Grayson County High School. To learn more, see the RU News Release.

Kudos

Professor Susan Miller Receives Prestigious Award
Radford University College of Education and Human Development faculty member Susan Miller has been selected as a Headstart Bodystart physical activity consultant for the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Miller is one of 235 that were recognized on a national level. Headstart Bodystart provides resources, training and information to increase physical activity and outdoor play in Head Start centers.

The Back Page

Campus radio station WRRC 89.9 FM went on the air in October 1978.

RU in the News

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Coming Up at RU

10/1-3, Fall Dance Fest
10/1, Recital, Robert Trent, Guitar
10/2-4, Highlanders Festival,
Family Weekend,
Welcome Back Reunion Weekend
10/2, WSOC vs. UNC Asheville
10/2-3, 8-10, "Lend Me a Tenor"
10/3, FH vs. Longwood
10/4, WSOC vs. Presbyterian
10/5, Guest Artist Recital, Antje Maria Traub, Organ/Piano
10/6, MSOC vs. Va. Tech
10/6, Recital, Christopher White, Saxophone
10/7, FH vs. App. State
10/10, MSOC vs. UNC Asheville
10/16-18, Black Alumni Weekend
(See RU Calendar for more information and listings)

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