Tag: Johnson

NVU Professor Tarleton Researches Role of Nutrition on Falls Risk in Older Adults

January 27, 2021

NVU Professor Emily Tarleton co-authored the just-released study Malnutrition Risk, Rurality, and Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults, which was published in the January 20, 2021 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging.

The authors reviewed data collected by SASH: Support and Services at Home (Burlington, VT), which serves older adults who receive Medicare support throughout Vermont. Data collected between 2017 and 2019 indicated, that: “Independently, high malnutrition risk and rurality were associated with fall risk (p<0.001) and high malnutrition risk was associated with rurality (p<0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, and physical function, individuals with high nutrition risk had a 66% increase in the odds of falling over the next year, but rurality was not significantly associated with a new fall. Falls are associated with malnutrition risk, but the relationship between falls and rurality is less evident. Further research is needed to identify services that may best alleviate malnutrition risk in older adults and aspects of nutrition that are most protective against fall risk.”

As “any fall increases the risk of morbidity and mortality in older adults,” Tarleton said, “it’s important to study the relationship between falls risk and nutrition status. This study is supportive of the need to do more of this work.” Which is what Tarleton is focused on right now.

Tarleton, assistant professor and co-chair of the Environmental and Health Sciences program at NVU-Johnson, and a registered dietitian, studies the impact of nutrition on health. Her paper on the Relationship between Magnesium Intake and Chronic Pain in U.S. Adults was published in July 2020, and her current research is titled “Exploring the Relationship Between Falls Risk and Nutrition Status in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.” This study began in fall 2020, and the six-month follow-up survey with the over 700 study participants is scheduled for early March 2021.

The follow-up survey may also provide a window into the impact of the pandemic on participants’ food security — which is linked to falls and nutrition risk, Tarleton said. The pandemic has increased isolation, and impacted the physical activity level, access to food, and readiness to eat among older adults, she said. “This work can help to identify where our systems are breaking down and what how to plan for future needs in this vulnerable population,” Tarleton said.

NVU Professor Powell’s New Poetry Collection Reviewed in The Boston Globe

January 19, 2021

NVU Professor Elizabeth Powell’s new book of poems was reviewed recently in a New England Literary News column in The Boston Globe: “Vermont poet Elizabeth A. I. Powell elevates, complicates, and relocates our experience of scent in her wise and bodily new collection of poems, Atomizer (Louisiana State University). … Powell’s are confident poems, ones that disrupt and magnify our relationship with one way in which we sense the world.”

This is Powell’s fourth book. She teaches on the NVU-Johnson campus in the BFA in Creative Writing program. Her last book, Willy Loman’s Reckless Daughter, was a 2016 “Books We Love” in The New Yorker.
 

NVU Professor of Anthropology Publishes First Application of Social Network Theory on Polyamory

December 23, 2020

Northern Vermont University Professor of Anthropology Janet Bennion will present a guided discussion on the efficacy and ethics of polyamory versus monogamy on The Stoa, a digital discussion space. The conversation follows the publication of her article Polyamory in Paris: A social network theory application in the December 2, 2020 edition of the journal Sexualities. The article is “the firstJanet Bennion application of social network theory on polyamory in the world,” Bennion said.

During The Stoa digital conversation, Bennion will explore “the way Western culture often labels monogamy as superior, though cross-cultural and historical ethnographic data state otherwise.”

Professor Bennion was also one of 40 international scholars invited to take part in a virtual conversation with renown American theoretical linguist Noam Chomsky through The Stoa in November. Chomsky, whose work from the 1950s revolutionized the field of linguistics, is also a philosopher who has been thinking about how to create forums for improving democracy around the world for years. For Bennion, the key takeaways from the conversation included the ideas that: “In a true and open and free society, we have to not only tolerate other voices, but engage in discourses with people we disagree with. And that to tackle the ecological and societal challenges we face we need to develop broad and unorthodox coalitions.” On which, Bennion shared, “Chomsky was surprisingly hopeful.”

Haley Frechette: A first-generation student’s story

November 18, 2020

In all the chaos of the election, it would be easy to lose track of the fact that November 8th was National First-Generation Student Day. This day was meant to highlight and celebrate those who are the first in their family to attend college. I am proud to be one of those Vermonters. And I feel compelled to express my deep appreciation of my fellow first-generation students as Haley Frechettewell as gratitude to the institution that made my dreams of higher education possible. If any Vermont students reading this are trying to decide if and where they will go to college, I hope they might feel inspired by my experience. I also hope that those with the power to fund the Vermont State Colleges System will take note of the importance of our Vermont State Colleges to first-generation families.

Since I was a young child, my family’s world revolved around my education. Every night before bed, my dad and I would sit together in his recliner and he would read books to me. Eventually, that turned into me reading books to him. As I grew up, these moments became fewer, but the effects of those countless nights practicing reading cemented my commitment to academics. Even though, and perhaps because, neither of my parents earned a college degree, they know how important my academic studies are, both for me personally and for my future. My dad attended trade school and became a master electrician. My mom started to attend college for accounting but was forced to drop out after her first semester due to finances and not being able to pay for college. Through the financial struggles that my mom experienced, she was determined that finances would not keep me from attending school and building a bright future for myself.

There was, however, one looming issue: how in the world was I going to pay for school if tuition alone was over $50,000 per year? Then, I learned that if you attend a public university in the state in which you live, tuition is typically less expensive. While searching through colleges in Vermont during my sophomore year of high school, I found Johnson State College (now Northern Vermont University). This small community-oriented campus with beautiful views piqued my interest. Coming from a small school, the idea of making the jump to a huge university made me anxious. Knowing that the class  ratios at NVU were around 15:1 calmed down some of this nervousness.

I chose NVU for a number of reasons: Because I loved that it’s a small, tight-knit community perched on top of a beautiful mountain. Because it would be an affordable way for my family to see me through my degree. And because it would offer me a high-quality education and the skills that are critical for success in life as a young adult post-college.

From the moment I set foot on campus, I knew that this place was where I wanted to be. I had found my community. A substantial number of NVU’s students are the first in their family to attend college! I was surrounded by students who were as motivated as I was. We all felt lucky to be there because we had grown up seeing the limitations that exist for people without college degrees. We were inspired to do what our families had not had the opportunity to do. No one was there to waste time. And we were helped along the way by countless teachers and faculty who cheered us on along the way.

I graduated in the spring of 2020 with my Bachelor of Science degree in biology with a concentration in pre-medical biology. I graduated in three years and was honored as Magna Cum Laude. Currently, I am a Doctor of Pharmacy candidate (in the Doctor of Pharmacy program, Class of 2024) at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Albany, N.Y. None of this happened by accident, and I take full credit for my motivation and drive. But I also couldn’t have done it without NVU. And I know I am not alone in feeling this deep gratitude.

So as we celebrate first-generation students at NVU and on a national level during November, I want to acknowledge all of my fellow first-gen students. I see you, and I’m proud of you. I know it can be a tough road when you are the first one in your family to walk it. Things that may seem obvious to students whose families are well-versed with the college experience are all new and require learning curves for first gens. And I want to thank NVU for providing me and people like me with access to such an outstanding higher education that had in the past seemed illusive. Thank you. You are helping to nurture generations of Vermonters who will in turn work to make this state and this world a better place.

This Op-Ed piece appeared in the Brattleboro Reformer (Nov. 18, 2020 edition) and the Bennington Banner (Nov. 17, 2020 edition).

Northern Vermont University Presents The Monument

October 27, 2020

Northern Vermont University’s Performance, Arts, and Technology program, based on NVU’s Johnson campus, will present The Monument, an original immersive production performed live online. The 50-minute performance will run The Monument posterThursday, October 29 at 7 p.m. and Friday, October 30 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10, purchased through CatamountArts.org. The Zoom App is required for the show.

The play is set in a fictional Vermont town and is based in real suffrage history with a staged Zoom select board meeting that takes place in the real problems of today. 

In The Monument, the select board of Waldenburgh, VT hosts a harvest festival on their town green each year next to their monument of Governor Percival W. Clement. The theme of the festival this year is the 100-year anniversary of the suffrage movement, which is particularly ironic since Governor Clement was responsible for denying women the right to vote in 1920. Due to Covid-19, the festival as a whole is cancelled. Instead, select suffrage-inspired pieces will be performed at the town’s October Zoom meeting along with the much-anticipated vote on a new town monument that may or may not replace the Clement statue.

In this immersive online performance, the audience is invited into this fictitious world as voting members of the town. Thanks to Zoom polling and the select board’s open floor for discussion, the audience will decide the fate of the Clement monument as well as the ending of the piece itself. 

“Think of The Monument as Our Town set in 2020: less swooning about memories of mom’s breakfast and a lot more arguing,” says NVU Assistant Professor of Performing Arts Isaac Eddy.

The Monument is an original production written by an ensemble of students. Professor Eddy advises the students and directed the show. The piece is inspired by primary source artifacts of suffrage history and Vermont’s current political climate. 

It is also the inaugural production of NVU Johnson’s new Performance, Arts, and Technology (PAT) program, which focuses on multidisciplinary collaboration and student-led creation of new and experimental performance works. PAT program concentrations include Theatre/Musical Theatre, Music, Immersive Design, Dance, and Social Justice and Activism in Performance. 

Eddy, the program founder, drew from his years of experience performing as a Blue Man in the show Blue Man Group to create this unique approach to the arts in higher education. 

“The collaboration and communication skills that are engaged in a multidisciplinary program like this one offer a fantastic opportunity for the performing artists and designers of the future,” Eddy said.

NVU Julian Scott Gallery Director Curating 125th Anniversary Exhibitions for Vermont’s First Art Museum

October 6, 2020

Phillip Robertson, director of the Julian Scott Gallery and part-time faculty in the Studio Arts program at NVU-Johnson, is curating the T.W. Wood Gallery’s 125th Anniversary Celebration exhibitions.

The T.W. Wood Gallery: A Museum of American Art became the first art museum in the state when Montpelier native Thomas Waterman Wood, one of 19th century America’s most celebrated artists, bequeathed his collection to the city of Montpelier in 1895. This fall, the T.W. Wood Gallery is celebrating its anniversary with six concurrent exhibitions of Wood’s work along and a collection of great paintings from his contemporaries that were part of Wood’s gift to Montpelier. Robertson, a trustee of the organization and volunteer curator, is also a former director of the museum.

The exhibition of Wood’s collection planned for the Statehouse will be rescheduled for 2021, but the exhibits at the T.W. Wood Gallery, Vermont History Museum, the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, and City Hall Showcases will go on as planned.

The Wood Gallery is open by appointment and Robertson is offering free guided tours of the museum one Saturday each month through December. The tours offer a special look at nearly 25 landscapes from the 19th and early 20th century that are typically on loan to the Statehouse, but are now at home in the Nuquist Gallery at the Wood.

NVU Professor Researches the Role of Magnesium and Nutrition on Health

September 17, 2020

NVU Professor Emily Tarleton’s latest research, “Relationship between Magnesium Intake and Chronic Pain in U.S. Adults,” was published in the July 2020 issue of Nutrients, a peer-reviewed open access journal of human nutrition published monthly online by MDPI.

Tarleton, assistant professor and co-chair of the Environmental and Health Sciences program at NVU-Johnson, is interested in the connections between magnesium status and chronic health conditions. She has been involved in this research for more than five years, first looking at its role in depression. After her clinical trial found magnesium supplementation led to significant improvement in symptoms of depression, Tarleton is currently seeking grant funding for an additional study to compare the impact of magnesium supplementation on symptoms of depression when compared to traditional treatment options.

Her current research takes a different look at the role of nutrition on health, this time with older adults. She is currently “Exploring the Relationship Between Falls Risk and Nutrition Status in Community-Dwelling Older Adults” and is actively seeking participants for this study. See /falls-risk-and-nutrition-research-northern-vermont-university for more information.

NVU Professor Powell Publishes New Book of Poetry

September 14, 2020

Congratulations to NVU Associate Professor Elizabeth Powell on the publication of Atomizer, her third book of poetry, released September 9 with LSU Press. Powell is department chair and associate professor of Writing and Literature, and editor of Green Mountains Review.

NVU Assistant Professor Studies Impact of Climate on Bird Nesting Habits

September 11, 2020

Lisa Zinn, visiting assistant professor at NVU-Johnson, is researching how climate change influences bird nesting using her bird banding skills to track bird populations on campus.Blue-headed vireo - Zinn

Zinn is a licensed Master Bird Bander with 17 years of experience, first in Indiana and now in Vermont. In that time, she has banded well over 5,000 birds, including 79 on the NVU-Johnson campus so far.

Researchers use animal marking data to estimate the populations of different species and track their life cycles. With bird banding, birds are caught with large nets and then banded by attaching an individually numbered aluminum tag to the bird’s leg. The data collected, including the tag number attached, is sent to a National Bird Banding Lab that researchers can access. Since birds nest in the same location over and over, researchers may catch birds that have been banded before, allowing them to track the bird’s movements and its life history.

Zinn didn’t band birds this summer due to Covid-19. But her Intro to Biology: Ecology and Evolution class caught two juvenile Common Yellowthroats  during their bird banding lab on September 1st and two American Goldfinches on September 9th. 

One of the Common Yellowthroats was quite young, having just fledged, Zinn said. “Which is curious,” she added. While these birds commonly nest twice each season, it is late for the second brood to be fledging. Zinn has found birds are beginning to nest earlier in the spring. “But does this young bird, in September, mean birds are nesting later in the season as well,” she wonders. “Or was this bird the product of a third nesting? Or was it an anomaly?”

Zinn collects data as part of a nationwide bird banding research project conducted by the Institute for Bird Populations in California. But she is also using the data for her own research on climate change and nesting habits. “I hope to publish articles along with some of my NVU student research assistants about what we’re learning,” she said.

NVU Professor Breaks Down Barriers to Calculus

July 30, 2020

NVU Professor Dr. Greg Petrics has been working to understand why calculus is a really hard subject for so many and how to break down the barriers to it. The result is Calculus for the People, an open-source and 100% free resource that’s been accessed more than 26,700 times.

As Dr. Petrics writes in the preface: “The goal of this book is to quickly get you using the core ideas of calculus to answer real world questions, and to leverage the power of the computer to help you learn. It was written for people who think they can’t understand calculus because of traditional algebraic hurdles.” 

Dr. Petrics, who has just been named the Vermont State Colleges’s Faculty Fellow for spring 2021, set out to write his calculus book “in the spirit of Edward Abbey,” he said. “It’s not a traditional calculus course at all,” he says, and covers the “core concepts of calculus and how you would use it as a person, not just a student.” 

His fellowship will afford him some time to tackle two additions to this work: the development of instructor resources “so it’s easier to transition to for other teachers,” he says, and getting started on the companion volume which will cover calculus for several variables. (The first volume covers calculus for one variable.) 

Dr. Petrics will also be teaching in NVU’s new Data Science degree program which begins August 2020.  

 

Extending Remote Instruction Through the End of the Semester

March 25, 2020

A Message from President Elaine C. Collins:

Dear NVU Students, Faculty, and Staff,

As you know from Chancellor Spaulding’s recent email, we have had to make some difficult decisions about the remainder of the spring semester at Northern Vermont University and the other Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) residential institutions. NVU is extending remote instruction through the end of the semester and students will not be returning to the residence halls on April 6 as we had initially hoped.

Given how the COVID-19 global pandemic is rapidly and exponentially unfolding across our nation, this outcome likely seemed inevitable to many of you. Knowing this does not lessen how it feels for each of you and for our community as a whole. As I mentioned to you in an earlier email, this disruption to the cadence and traditions of your spring semester is heartbreaking to me, and I know it is to you as well.

That said, our main goal at this time is to keep you and the NVU community healthy and safe. At the forefront of our decisions to continue remote instruction through the end of the semester and to move quickly out of the residence halls, is our commitment to ensuring the health and safety of each of you and our neighboring community members.

Students, I know the remainder of the semester, full of traditions and anticipation for the completion of another year, means your college experience, like that of so many students across our country, is disrupted. This disruption is unparalleled in recent generations. Though you will not be on campus—enjoying time with friends, playing sports, acting in spring drama productions, singing and performing—each of us will be working diligently to bring you the education you deserve. In addition, staff will be creatively working to bring you as many NVU experiences as we possibly can, albeit in a virtual way.

Faculty, I recognize each of you is being called to lift yet again to make the remote learning experience the best it can be. It heartens me to see the creativity already taking place—virtual Facebook gathering spaces for departments, virtual storytelling sessions being planned, Zoom sessions with students, and so much more. Thank you for ensuring our students receive the best education they can during these times.

Staff, I cannot thank you enough for being on the frontlines to support our students as they transition to remote learning. Thank you also for your dedication and out-of-the-box thinking to bring the NVU experience to our students through virtual means. It is incredible to see.

Seniors, know that we will honor your graduation. Degrees will be conferred. You will graduate. We will honor the hard work and commitment you have made to earn your degree with a commencement ceremony for May 2020 graduates in May 2021. The ceremonies will be held on your campuses on the same day, but in a separate ceremony from the May 2021 commencement. Additionally, this spring we will create senior slideshows for each campus to be featured alongside other virtual celebratory experiences.

Let me pause here to reiterate the three decisions so they are clear to all of you.

Remote instruction will continue through the end of the spring semester for Northern Vermont University, Castleton­­ University, and Vermont Technical College. Look for a follow-up email from Provost Nolan Atkins tomorrow. Be aware that a policy related to pass/fail options will be forthcoming.

Residence halls will not reopen this semester, and the VSCS is requesting a rapid move-out to be completed by March 30. Because we cannot bring our students back for face-to-face instruction, Vermont Emergency Management has made a request that we prepare for the possibility of a public health crisis. If we are not using our residential facilities, these spaces can be of use to our neighboring communities during this crisis. For your health and safety and for our role as partners in the State of Vermont, we must ask our students to act with speed to remove their belongings from the residence halls. Vermont Emergency Management needs your help so we can assist our neighboring communities through this pandemic.

  • IMPORTANT NOTE: Details on the process, appeals, and dates and times for move out and retrieving your belongings will follow from Residential Life on each campus. We ask that you not return to campus until you have received instructions about the process.
  • We understand that some students may not have viable housing alternatives and we will provide an application process for emergency housing requests in these situations.
  • If students cannot make it back to the campuses for reasons beyond their control, we may arrange movers to pack up belongings and store them on site. Such moving will be at the student’s risk.
  • All off-campus students living in areas near our campuses should seriously consider returning home as soon as possible if that is an option.
  • The timeframe for the removal of belongings from the residence halls may change if state or federal orders are made to shelter in place.

Refunds for room and board. We recognize decisions around billing and refunds are critically important to our students. We will be doing the following:

  • Billing adjustments will be issued for room and board at a pro rata rate, dating back to March 16. For those still in residence, the adjustment will date to your last day on campus.
  • Students will receive their adjustment within 90 days of removing their belongings from the residence halls. Should we receive new directives from the Governor, we may need to adjust the timing and criteria for refunds.
  • Any questions about these adjustments should be directed to Student Administrative Services at StudentServices@NorthernVermont.edu after the adjustment has been made.

We know this is a disruption to your spring semester. We are here to support you in this move to remote instruction. Academic Support is here for you. Wellness and counseling services continue through remote means. We are here for you.

All, as we move to remote learning, it pains me that our students will not see our campuses turn over to spring, with trees coming into bloom and beginning to flower. I will miss the laughter on our pathways and in the hallways, frisbee on the quad and in Veterans Park, and seeing students lounging in hammocks beneath the pines.

I recognize that we are asking a great deal of each of you. COVID-19 is unparalleled. It will change the world. What it will not change is the grit, perseverance, heart, and action of NVU. North makes a difference that lasts.

Let’s do this.

Best,

Elaine

Vermont Drag Queens Discuss Activism, Perform Feb. 6 at Northern Vermont University

January 30, 2020

Vermont drag queens Nikki Champagne and Emoji Nightmare will discuss their activism to increase LGBTQ visibility and equity at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 6 at Stearns Performance Space on Northern Vermont University’s Johnson campus.
 
The pair will present a drag show with dancing and burlesque at 8 p.m. Feb. 6 at Stearns Performance Space. The talk and show are free for the public. 
 
The drag queens are known around Vermont for their children’s story hours at public libraries, schools and bookstores, and other educational initiatives. They have been popular performers at drag shows in Burlington.   
 

Talk on Equity Issues in Middle Schools Jan. 30 at Northern Vermont University

January 15, 2020

Kathleen Brinegar, associate professor of education at Northern Vermont University’s Johnson campus, will talk on equity issues in middle school grades at 11:45 a.m. Jan. 30 at Stearns Cinema on campus.

The talk is free for the public.

Brinegar will discuss research from around the country in her co-edited handbook “Equity and Cultural Responsiveness in the Middle Grades.” Her presentation will cover diversity issues including African American girls and discipline practices, staff-sanctioned bullying of LGBTQ students, discriminatory school policies against students and families who experience homelessness, English-centric classrooms, and white-focused curriculums.

For more information, email Julie.Theoret@NorthernVermont.edu.

The talk is part of Northern Vermont University’s Lecture and Arts Series, made possible in part by the Harriett M. Sherman Lecture Fund, the Lecture and Arts Endowment, Maret ’92 and Tad ’89 Asaro, Bourne’s Energy and Donald P. Blake Jr. Inc.

Northern Vermont University Launches Master’s Degree Program Featuring Discovery Education’s Professional Development Content

January 11, 2020

Northern Vermont University (NVU) today announced the launch of their new online Master of Arts in Education with a Concentration in Digital Media Instruction program. Featuring Discovery Education’s high-quality professional development content, NVU’s innovative program is designed for classroom teachers, educational technology specialists, and other instructional professionals seeking an affordable, flexible way to enhance their professional credentials and improve their classroom practice.  Discovery Education is the leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.

NVU is the latest institution of higher education to launch an online master’s degree program powered by Discovery Education professional development content. This program is the second online master’s degree NVU has launched this academic year. Last fall, NVU launched an online Master of Arts in leadership studies.

NVU’s Master of Arts in Education with a Concentration in Digital Media Instruction is a 35-credit-hour program. Combining the study of educational principles with an exploration of digital media instruction methods, this unique degree program prepares educators for the classrooms and students of tomorrow. Among the required courses are Teaching with Digital Content, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, STEM, Mobile Device Integration, Critical and Cultural Perspectives in Education, Education Research, and the Global Context of Technology and Education. For more information about NVU’s Master of Arts in Education with a Concentration in Digital Media Instruction or to register for the spring semester, visit this website.

“Northern Vermont University is proud to work with Discovery Education to design and launch this new Master of Arts in Education program,” said Nolan Atkins, NVU’s Provost of Academic Affairs. “The combination of Northern Vermont University’s nearly two centuries of educating teaching professionals and expertise in online graduate programs for working adults with Discovery Education’s skill and talents in creating high-impact professional learning programs creates a powerful learning opportunity for anyone interested in driving K-12 education into the future.”

To help K-12 educators implement high-yield instructional strategies, improve student achievement, and propel their careers forward, Discovery Education has collaborated with graduate-level educators for over a decade. These collaborations have designed immersive online, graduate-level coursework delivered through advanced degree programs that help K-12 educators develop their instructional practice and further their careers.

“Discovery Education is excited to welcome Northern Vermont University to its robust network of institutions of higher education,” said Kelli Campbell, Discovery Education’s President, International & University. “The students participating in Northern Vermont University’s Master of Arts in Education with a Concentration in Digital Media Instruction join a powerful cadre of educators creating the future of K-12 education across the country and around the world.”

For more information about Northern Vermont University’s master’s programs in education, mental health counseling, counseling, leadership studies, liberal studies, and studio arts, visit NorthernVermont.edu/Graduate.