The first lecture will feature UT professors Erin Darby and Robert Darby, who will talk about their recent archaeological excavations at ‘Ayn Gharandal, Jordan.

The 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. event will be in the McClung Museum’s auditorium.

Robert Darby, a lecturer in art history in the UT School of Art, and Erin Darby, an assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies, direct the ‘Ayn Gharandal archaeological project that has uncovered rare new details about an ancient Roman fort in southern Jordan.

The lecture series invites scholars from around the world to present the latest archaeological discoveries. It is free and open to the public.

Upcoming lectures this fall include the following:

• November 7: “Cultural Interaction and Reaction in the Courtly Art of the Hellenistic World” by Kristen Seaman, Kennesaw State University, Georgia
• November 19: “The Neolithic Alepotrypa Cave: Past Findings and Present Research” by Anastasia Papathanasiou, Greek Archaeological Service.

The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Free parking is available on Circle Park Drive in front of the museum.

The Archaeological Institute of America is North America’s oldest and largest archaeological organization. The East Tennessee Society was founded in 1973 as the local chapter of the organization and aims to promote the knowledge, study of, and interest in archaeology and related subjects.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACT:

Erin Darby (865-974-6977, edarby1@utk.edu)

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Rainier’s talk is titled “Cultures on the Edge: The Race Against Time to Help Empower Traditional Cultures.”

The presentation, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., is part of the museum’s fiftieth anniversary lecture series. It is free and open to the public.

Rainier’s life mission is to capture on film the remaining natural wilderness and indigenous cultures around the globe and to use images to create social change.

He will talk about his own photography, as well as his work helping indigenous communities document, revitalize, and maintain their quickly disappearing ancient cultures with the help of computers, cameras, and video.

Traveling the planet for more than thirty years, Rainier has documented communities struggling to save their ancient ways of living. He is a National Geographic Society Fellow and directs the All Roads Photography Program. He also co-directs the Enduring Voices Project under the auspices of the National Geographic Missions Program. His photography has been featured in Time, Life, Smithsonian Magazine, the New York Times, Outside, and publications of the National Geographic Society.

The McClung’s fiftieth anniversary lecture series brings in worldwide experts to speak on topics related to the museum’s collections and exhibitions.

Upcoming lectures feature:

•  Salima Ikram, Egyptologist and mummy expert, October 15
•  Marc Spencer, vertebrate paleontologist and dinosaur specialist, October 27

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive on the UT campus. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive on the weekdays. Parking passes are not needed on the weekends.

The museum’s exhibits include archaeology, ancient Egypt, decorative arts, the Battle of Fort Sanders, geology, and fossils. Admission is free.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACTS:

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Christina Selk (865-974-2143, cselk@utk.edu)

William A. Thomas, Hudnall Professor Emeritus of Geology at the University of Kentucky and visiting scientist at the Geological Survey of Alabama, will present “Eastern North American through Two Supercontinent Cycles.” The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the McClung Museum. The event is free and open to the public.

Thomas will go through 750 million years of geologic processes that resulted in the landscape of today, such as the breakup of supercontinents, the creation of mountains, the erosion and deposition of sediment-producing limestone and shale, and the shaping of the ridges, valleys, and mountains.

McClung Museum’s fiftieth anniversary lecture series brings worldwide experts to speak on topics related to the museum’s collections and exhibitions, which include archaeology, ancient Egypt, decorative arts, the Battle of Fort Sanders, geology, and fossils.

Upcoming lectures feature:

• Chris Rainier, National Geographic photographer, on September 22
• Salima Ikram, Egyptologist and mummy expert, October15
• Marc Spencer, vertebrate paleontologist and dinosaur specialist, on October 27.

The McClung Museum, 1327 Circle Park Drive, is open Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and admission is free. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive. Parking passes are not needed on the weekends.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACTS:

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Christina Selk (865-974-2143, cselk@utk.edu)

Nampeyo, 1930–1940, Photo by Harold Kellogg: Nampeyo is considered one of the finest Hopi potters. This photograph and one of Nampeyo’s pots will be on exhibit.

Pueblo pottery from the Southwest is the focus of a new exhibit that opens Saturday, September 7, at UT’s McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture.

Pueblo to Pueblo: The Legacy of Southwest Indian Pottery runs through January 5, 2014, and features more than sixty Pueblo Indian pottery vessels from the mid-nineteenth to twentieth centuries as well as photographs of Pueblo villages and peoples. They illustrate the artists and scenery and the remarkable variety of pottery created during a period of great cultural change.

Pueblo pottery of the Southwest is one of the most beautiful and enduring artistic traditions in Native North America and continues to be an important part of cultural expression among Pueblo peoples.

First emerging about 2,000 years ago, pottery making in the Southwest was a skill passed from generation to generation by people living in villages known as pueblos. The pottery of each pueblo was unique in shape and style, with designs reflecting aspects of daily life and spiritual beliefs. By the late nineteenth century, as the pottery became a highly sought-after art form, traditional designs were often transformed to appeal to a retail market.

The McClung Museum has planned several free exhibit programs. They include a Pueblo Pottery Family Day featuring pottery-related activities and exhibit tours from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on November 2, and a Pueblo Pottery Stroller Tour for parents, caregivers and their children at 10:00 a.m. on November 11. Adult group and school tours are available by reservation. Contact the museum for more information.

An example of San Ildefonso Pueblo “black on black” pottery made by the famous Martinez family.

Pueblo to Pueblo: The Legacy of Southwest Indian Pottery is presented by the Raoul and Marie L. Verhagen Museum Fund and UT’s Ready for the World initiative. Additional support is provided by Robert E. Withers in memory of Kent and Martha Anne Withers, BarberMcMurry Architects, UT Federal Credit Union, Knox County, the City of Knoxville, and the Arts and Heritage Fund.

The exhibit is from the collections of the Kansas City Museum and Union Station Kansas City Inc., and is curated by Bill Mercer. The tour development is by Smith Kramer Traveling Exhibits in Kansas City, Mo.

The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free, and the museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive on weekdays. Parking passes are not needed on the weekends.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website. http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu.

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CONTACTS:

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Christina Selk (865-974-2143, cselk@utk.edu)

The 2:00 p.m. event will be in the museum’s auditorium.

Knoxville in the Civil War, part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America Series, includes more than 200 photographs, maps, and ephemera, which explore the people and sites of Knoxville during this troubled time. Armies, battles, famous generals, partisans and thousands of troops from every state North and South made their mark on the Knoxville landscape, leaving a rich visual history depicted in Markel’s book.

Markel’s lecture, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, will explore the research that went into the publication and will be followed by a book signing. Copies of the book will be available for sale in the museum shop.

The event is free and open to the public and no reservations are necessary.

The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free, and the museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive on weekdays. Parking passes are not needed on the weekends.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACTS:

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Christina Selk (865-974-2143, cselk@utk.edu)

Paradise Riflebird, Ptiloris paradises, John Gould, from Birds of Australia, 1840–1869, hand-colored lithograph.

Hand-colored prints of birds from Australia by John Gould, one of the most important naturalists and illustrators of the nineteenth century, are the focus of a new display that opens July 10 at the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture.

The mini-exhibit, Selections from The Birds of Australia, commemorates the 175th anniversary of Gould’s arrival in Australia, which resulted in the famous book, The Birds of Australia. More than fifty lithographs of colorful birds will be on display through January 5, 2014.

The mini-exhibit complements the large Birds in Art exhibit currently on display at the museum.

Based on almost two years of travel in Australia and surrounding islands, Gould’s The Birds of Australia was published in the 1840s and is considered to be his masterpiece. The work is the most exhaustive book ever produced focusing on the birds of that continent. Gould collected and documented so many new species in his travels—more than 300—that very few additions have been made since.

“In addition to serving as important scientific works, the exhibited prints are stunningly colored and flawlessly drafted, highlighting the exquisite plumage and elegance of these birds from Australia,” said McClung Museum Director Jeff Chapman.

The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free, and the museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. The museum is closed on July 4. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive on weekdays. Parking passes are not needed on the weekends.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACTS:

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Christina Selk (865-974-2143, cselk@utk.edu)

The 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. event is free and open to the public. The exhibit, on display until August 18, features paintings, sculptures, and graphics of birds from artists around the world.

The family activity day will include brief tours of the gallery, a bird feeder craft, a gallery scavenger hunt, and a discussion of common birds children can identify in their backyards and around East Tennessee. Families also will receive a small booklet they can take home to identify birds in the area. All supplies for the craft and the booklet will be provided.

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. It is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is free. Free parking is available in front of the museum on Circle Park Drive.

For more information, visit the McClung Museum website.

Follow the McClung Museum on Facebook and on Twitter.

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CONTACTS:

Abby Naunheimer (865-974-2144, anaunhei@utk.edu)

Debbie Woodiel (865-974-2144, woodield@utk.edu)

The event, which is free and open to the public, is from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and will be held at the museum, 1327 Circle Park Drive.

The birthday celebration marks the fiftieth anniversary of the museum’s official dedication on June 1, 1963.

The celebration’s activities incorporate the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibits. They include the opportunity to use prehistoric tools, create an Egyptian Pharaoh’s headdress, play “pin the tooth on the dinosaur,” and identify birds. Prizes will be given to McClung Museum explorers who complete activities during the event.

A photo booth will allow visitors to take memorable photos with friends and family members. Free museum memberships and door prizes will be given away throughout the afternoon and refreshments will be provided courtesy of Aramark.

The McClung Museum is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sundays. Admission is free, and free parking is available in front of the museum on Circle Park Drive.

For more information, visit the McClung Museum’s website.

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CONTACT:

Christina Selk (865-974-2143, cselk@utk.edu)

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

An acrylic painting of a snowy egret by artist Sandra Blair.

Paintings, sculptures, and graphics celebrating the timeless appeal of birds are the focus of a new exhibit that opens Saturday, May 25, at the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture.

The touring exhibit, Birds in Art, runs through August 18. It features sixty works created in the past two years by artists from around the world.

Since 1976, the annual Birds in Art exhibition has presented some of the best contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter. From the plumed whistling duck to the colorful Amazonian parrot, these works represent numerous species and explore environmental issues—such as climate change—affecting birds today.

Several free exhibit programs are planned. They include a Birds in Art Stroller Tour for parents, caregivers, and their children at 10:00 a.m. on June 17.

A Birds in Art Family Activity Day will be held at 1:30 p.m. on June 22. It will feature bird-related activities and tours.

From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on June 1, the museum will commemorate its fiftieth anniversary with a community birthday celebration. The event will feature family activities, including one themed around the Birds in Art exhibition, as well as refreshments.

The Birds in Art exhibit is presented by the First Tennessee Foundation, the Henley W. and Peggy H. Tate Museum Fund, and the Ardath and Joel E. Rynning Museum Fund. Additional support is provided by the Arts and Heritage Fund, Knox County, and the City of Knoxville.

The exhibition is organized by the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin.

The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Museum admission is free, and the museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. The museum is closed on Memorial Day and on July 4. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACTS:

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Christina Selk (865-974-2143, cselk@utk.edu)

The tour, which will focus on the Battle of Fort Sanders, will begin at 10:00 a.m. in the foyer at the museum on the Knoxville campus. It is part of a monthly series of free tours that allow parents and caregivers to interact with one another and museum staff without the worry of disrupting other visitors.

All tours will be led by museum educators and will take place in a different gallery each month, exposing guests to a variety of the McClung’s exhibitions and collections. The tours will last about thirty minutes with fifteen minutes of time for questions.

Next month’s tour is June 17 and will focus on the upcoming special exhibit Birds in Art.

The tours are free and open to the public but are first come, first served and require registration. For more information, contact Abby Naunheimer at 865-974-2144 or anaunhei@utk.edu.

In the future, registration will open one month before each tour.

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive. The grassy area in Circle Park in front of the museum offers a great place for rest and play before or after tours.

Photography is welcome in most museum galleries. Restrooms are equipped with a changing station. A service elevator is available for those with strollers to go downstairs. Food and drinks are not allowed in the galleries.

The museum’s exhibits include archaeology, ancient Egypt, decorative arts, the battle of Fort Sanders, geology, and fossils. Admission is free.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACTS:

Abby Naunheimer (865-974-2144, anaunhei@utk.edu)

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

A student visits with a HABIT dog in Hodges Library during winter finals.

As final exams draw near, many areas of campus are offering ways to help students focus, unwind, or both.

Classes end this Friday. Monday, April 29, is a study day. Finals begin Tuesday, April 30.

The first step of being ready for finals is staying healthy.

Dr. Spencer Gregg, a physician in the Student Health Center, said getting enough sleep is key to surviving this time of year. Lack of sleep and heightened stress go hand and hand.

“Stress and anxiety levels go through the roof during exams,” said Gregg. “People can get short-tempered. It’s important to cut each other some slack and remember that everyone’s under tremendous stress.”

Gregg also said that cramming can do more harm than good because all-night study sessions interrupt sleep habits. To try to keep students on track, Gregg offers these tips:

• Stick to your regular sleep patterns. Day time naps won’t compensate for missed night time sleep, and a lack of sleep can result in physical symptoms such as body aches and drowsiness.
• Keep caffeine intake within healthy levels. The Mayo Clinic recommends that healthy adults limit their caffeine to between 200 and 300 milligrams per day. An eight-ounce cup of coffee averages 133 milligrams of caffeine, while a twelve-ounce Coca-Cola has thirty-four milligrams.
• Wash hands regularly to avoid illness.
• Students should never take prescription drugs that are not prescribed to them. In Tennessee, it is illegal to knowingly give prescription medication to someone if it not theirs.

Ashley Blamey, director of the Safety, Environment, and Education (SEE) Center, echoes Gregg’s tips.

“Success and sanity during exam time is not only about studying, but also about taking care of yourself,” she said. “Although it is tempting to binge on junk food and coffee, your mind can only handle so much sugar, caffeine, and grease.”

Blamey recommends students start with a balanced breakfast, limit fast food, and drink at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day. She also encourages students to carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel and avoid close contact with sick roommates or classmates.

The UT Counseling Center has resources available for students feeling overwhelmed while they prepare for final exams. Students may walk into the center, located in the Student Health Building at 1800 Volunteer Boulevard, or call the center at 865-974-2196 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

From ice cream socials to playing with puppies, many areas of campus have organized activities to help students keep some of their stress at bay.

Animal Therapy

Trained comfort animals from Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee (HABIT) will be on campus to visit with students and help calm their nerves.

Students can celebrate the end of classes with the HABIT animals from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, in Presidential Courtyard.

The HABIT animals will be on the fourth floor of the Communications Building in Room 440:

• Monday, April 29—from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 30—from noon to 2:00 p.m.
• Wednesday through Friday, May 1 through 3—from 10:00 a.m. to noon

The HABIT animals will be in the College of Law Library:

• Monday, April 29—from 12:45 to 2:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 1—from 11:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The HABIT animals will be in the College of Veterinary Medicine Pendergrass Library:

• Monday, April 29—From 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The HABIT animals will be in the Hodges Library Room 258:

• Monday, April 29, through Thursday, May 2—from noon to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
• Friday, May 3—from noon to 2:00 p.m.

De-Stress for Success with UT Libraries

All of the UT Libraries events are free and open to all students:

• Ice cream social, 2:00 p.m. Monday, April 29, in the Library Commons
• Chair massages from Knoxville Massage Therapy Center therapists, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, April 29 through May 3, and Monday, May 6, in the Library Commons
• Games, cartoons and coloring books available throughout each day in Hodges Library Room 251
• Mental health and well-being tips from the Student Health Center, 10:00 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, April 29 through May 3, and Monday and Tuesday, May 6 and 7

Coffee Break at the McClung Museum

The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture will offer free coffee and a quiet place for last-minute studying between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Monday, May 6, to students taking finals in the museum’s auditorium.

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C O N T A C T :

Rebekah Winkler (865-974-8304, rwinkler@utk.edu)

Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the museum, will discuss the exploration and their findings Friday at the final UT Science Forum of the semester.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown-bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to discuss their research with the general public in a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

The museum received a Civil War Heritage Area grant from the East Tennessee Civil War Alliance and the Knoxville Civil War Roundtable that allowed Markel and others to dig at the site of Fort Higley in South Knoxville.

She said the area had been “picked over” before the archaeologists arrived, so they didn’t find many Civil War artifacts. However, they were able to survey the area and determine that an 1864 map of the fort was accurate.

They also explored the site of a cabin near the fort.

She will discuss the museum’s archaeological finds at Morgan Hill, site of the new Sorority Village, as well. That site yielded many more Civil War artifacts, she said. She has curated a museum exhibit about their findings there.

The Science Forum is sponsored by the Office of Research. For more information about the Science Forum, visit the Office of research website.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)

Holly Gary (865-974-2225, hgary@utk.edu)

The event, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., will include a tour given by museum educators of the current temporary exhibit, ”Splendid Treasures of the Turkomen Tribes from Central Asia.” Educators will also provide instruction for a jewelry-making activity for children ages 10 through 14 and local jewelry maker Nancy Fischer will be on hand to demonstrate jewelry-making techniques.

The exhibit showcases elaborate silver and gilt jewelry, carpets, and clothing from the Turkomen peoples of Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. All supplies for making the craft will be provided, and children will be able to take their project home. No reservations are needed.

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Free parking will be available in front of the museum and in adjacent lots. The museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu.

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CONTACTS:

Abby Naunheimer (865-974-2144, anaunhei@utk.edu)

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Fred H. Smith, a noted human paleontologist and professor of anthropology and biological sciences at Illinois State University, will speak at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, April 14. The lecture will take place in the McClung auditorium.

He also is a UT alumnus and former professor.

Smith’s lecture, “Neanderthals and the Beginnings of People Like Us,” will explore the early humans who evolved in Europe but spread into Asia and likely North Africa. He will discuss their similarities to modern-day humans and their distinctive differences. Smith also will examine cultural, anatomical, and genetic evidence that has provided surprising perspectives on Neanderthals and humans over the last few years.

The lecture series is part of the celebration of the museum’s fiftieth anniversary. Smith’s talk is the second in the series.

The series brings in worldwide experts to speak on topics related to the museum’s collections and exhibitions on archaeology, Egyptology, decorative arts, the American Civil War, geology, and natural history.

All lectures are free and open to the public.

Other upcoming lecture speakers and dates will be announced soon.

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. It is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is free.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the museum’s website.

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CONTACTS:

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

The series will bring in worldwide experts to speak on topics related to the museum’s collections and exhibitions on archaeology, Egyptology, decorative arts, the American Civil War, geology, and natural history.

All lectures are free and open to the public.

The first lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. The guest speaker will be Vernon Knight, professor of anthropology at the University of Alabama. His lecture, “Excavating and Interpreting the Mounds at Moundville,” will explore the Moundville archaeological site in west-central Alabama. The site originally had as many as forty Mississippian culture mounds, many of them large rectangular platform mounds arranged around a central plaza. During the last twenty-five years, there have been excavations into ten of these Native American mounds.

Knight will summarize the results of these excavations, followed by a discussion of differing opinions about the purpose and significance of Mississippian mound building.

Other upcoming lecture speakers and dates will be announced soon.

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. It is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Admission is free.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit its website.

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CONTACT:

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

The event, from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m., will include a tour given by museum educators of the current temporary exhibit, Splendid Treasures of the Turkomen Tribes from Central Asia. Educators will also provide instruction for a jewelry-making activity.

The exhibit showcases elaborate silver and gilt jewelry, carpets, and clothing from the Turkomen peoples of Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. All supplies for making the craft will be provided, and children will be able to take their project home. No reservations are needed.

A second free family day is planned for Saturday, April 13, with details to follow.

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Free parking will be available in front of the museum and in adjacent lots. The museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the McClung’s website.

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CONTACTS:

Abby Naunheimer (865-974-2144, anaunhei@utk.edu)

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

The third annual Civil War Lecture Series will explore topics from Civil War maps of East Tennessee to the first heavy artillery US Colored Troops.

The monthly event will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sundays in the museum’s auditorium. Joan Markel, McClung’s Civil War curator, will lead the talks.

All lectures are free and open to the public.

Topics include:

• Could it be a National Treasure? Seeking the Story of a Sword (January 27)
• Armchair Walking Tours of Civil War Knoxville (March 3)
• Civil War Maps of East Tennessee: An Update (March 24)
• The First Heavy Artillery U.S. Colored Troops (April 21)

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. On weekends, parking is available on Circle Park and in adjacent lots.

The museum’s exhibits include archaeology, ancient Egypt, decorative arts, the Battle of Fort Sanders, geology, and fossils. Admission is free.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CONTACTS:

Joan Markel (865-974-2144, jmarkel@utk.edu)

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Alabama lampmussels were considered to be all but extinct when Gerry Dinkins and two other scientists discovered some in the Emory River in Morgan County, Tennessee.

Dinkins is curator of malacology, or the study of mollusks, at the Frank H. McClung Museum. He’ll be talking about this discovery at the Science Forum on January 25.

The Science Forum is a weekly brown bag lunch series that allows professors and area scientists to share their research with the general public through a conversational presentation.

The weekly presentations begin at noon on Fridays in Room C-D of Thompson-Boling Arena. Attendees can bring lunch or purchase it at the arena. Each presentation is forty minutes long and is followed by a question-and-answer session. The Science Forum presentations are free and open to the public.

The Alabama lampmussel is “considered to be the rarest mussel in North America,” Dinkins said. In Alabama, they can be found in only one area, and their population is declining.

None were known to remain in Tennessee until their discovery in the Emory River two years ago.

Dinkins will also talk about the McClung Museum’s mollusk collection, which features 240 species of freshwater mussels.

Future Science Forums will feature:

• February 1: Samuel C. Weaver, president and CEO of Proton Power, Inc., Back to the Future: Biomass to Cheap Hydrogen
• February 8: Thomas C. Namey, former professor of medicine and nutrition and associate director of the UT Nutrition Institute, Low Testosterone (‘Low T‘): Implications for Men’s Health Far Beyond Sex
• February 15: Linda C. Kah, Ken Walker Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curiouser and Curiouser: NASA‘s Curiosity Rover‘s Mission in Gale Crater
• February 22: Robby Nix, critical care paramedic for the Rural Metro Fire Department, Firefighter Paramedics and the Hot Potato Baby—It‘s Not What You Think
• March 1: Juan Carlos Idrobo, research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Exploring the Universe One Atom at a Time
• March 8: Dr. Paul Campbell Erwin, professor and head of the Department of Public Health, John Snow and Cholera: The Foundation for Modern Disease Investigation
• March 15: Kevin Hoyt, director of UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, The Proposed UT AgResearch Gas and Oil Well Research Project
• March 22, 29: no meetings, Spring Break
• April 5: William T. Bogart, president of Maryville College and professor of economics, Cargo Cult Economic Policy: Urban Development and Green Energy
• April 12: Stephanie K. Drumheller-Horton, instructor of earth and planetary sciences, Crocodylian Bite Marks in the Fossil Record
• April 19: Devon M. Burr, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences, The Moon That Would Be A Planet: Saturn‘s Giant Titan
• April 26: Joan Markel, curator of Civil War exhibits at the McClung Museum, Digging Into Our Civil War Past

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)

Holly Gary (865-974-2225, hgary@utk.edu)

First worn by a woman at her wedding, amulet breastplate jewelry is common across all Turkomen tribes. The tube portion of the piece is hollow to hold written prayers or other sacred objects.

The exhibit, Splendid Treasures of the Turkomen Tribes from Central Asia, runs through May 12. It features more than fifty objects hand-crafted by the semi-nomadic Turkomen peoples, jewelry made of precious metals and semi-precious stones, and woven rugs and colorful textiles created in the late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries.

A free program for families will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, February 23.

Originally from Mongolia, the Turkomen are one of the major ethnic groups of Central Asia. Traditionally, they were semi-nomadic, migrating with the seasons to find pasture and fertile land. This lifestyle meant wealth had to be easily portable. Jewelry and textiles represented a form of wealth and were used for special festivities as well as daily adornment.

The designs are drawn from Turkomen mythological interpretations of the natural world, as well as Islamic art, and are an important window into the world of tribal identity.

Jewelry served as a marker of social position. Headdresses, ornaments, and other pieces were given at significant occasions such as weddings or births and were often worn to indicate marital status. Jewelry also served as a talisman—some ornaments were purported to have special properties to keep the wearer safe.

Turkomen dress was frequently noted for its rich, decorative qualities—clothing was often decorated with exquisite embroidery and made of hand-woven silk. When combined with the lavish use of jewelry, it created a striking effect.

Textiles played a diverse role in Turkomen culture, serving not only decorative and utilitarian functions in the form of pillows, floor coverings, and doors, but also ceremonial and religious purposes. Weavings were not only light and transportable, but were made of readily available wool from their own flocks of sheep. Later, these rugs and weavings became an important source of income as they became popular in Europe and Russia.

These bracelets are made of silver and gold and inset with carnelians, which are thought to protect the wearer from disease and bring happiness.

Today, Turkomen jewelry and textiles continue to be celebrated for their quality, distinctive colors, and decorative patterns.

UT’s exhibition was organized by the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, the State Art Museum of Florida, and Florida State University. The exhibit’s jewelry was collected by Stephen Van C. Wilberding when he was a senior advisor to the Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency and donated to the Ringling Museum of Art.

The McClung Museum has complemented the jewelry selection with textiles and rugs from Knoxville collector Judy Stewart and the Persian Galleries.

Splendid Treasures is sponsored by UT’s Ready for the World initiative, BarberMcMurry Architects, and the Aletha and Clayton Brodine Museum Fund.

The museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking information building at the entrance to Circle Park Drive. The museum’s hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information about the McClung Museum and its collections and exhibits, visit the website.

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CUTLINES:

Amulet Breastplate: First worn by a woman at her wedding, the jewelry is common across all Turkomen tribes. The tube portion of the piece is hollow to hold written prayers or other sacred objects.

Pair of Bracelets: They are made of silver and gold and inset with carnelians, which are thought to protect the wearer from disease and bring happiness.

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CONTACTS:

Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)

Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)

Luckily, students (and faculty and staff) won’t have to look far to find some fun respite to the chaos:

Ice Cream, Massages and More

UT Libraries’ “De-Stress for Success” events begin tomorrow, December 5, and continue every weekday through Wednesday, December 12.

Some events students can enjoy are:

• December 5—Student Assessment of Instruction System (SAIS) “Chill Out” ice cream social, noon to 2:00 p.m. Have a cool treat while completing your online instructor evaluation forms in the Commons.
• December 6 and 7, 10, 11, and 12—Student Health Center’s promotion of healthy eating and study habits, noon to 2:00 p.m. December 6 and 7; 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on December 10, 11, and 12.
• Daily—Chair massages from the Knoxville Massage Therapy Center 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Ongoing events include cartoons, games, and coloring books in one of the library’s viewing rooms.

Steve Smith, dean of libraries, encourages students to take a break from the long hours of studying.

“We want to boost our students’ success and keep them healthy at the end of what, for many, is a long and taxing semester,” he said.

All the events are free and will be held in Hodges Library.

Visit www.lib.utk.edu for more information.

Animal Therapy

“Research shows that petting an animal lowers blood pressure and stress hormones,” said Karen Armsey, program administrator of Human-Animal Bond in Tennessee, or HABIT.

HABIT is a group that brings medically and behaviorally screened animals to places where people need comfort.

HABIT will bring its furry companions to soothe frazzled students in Hodges Library (part of its De-Stress for Success events) and Scripps Convergence Lab on the fourth floor of the College of Communication and Information.

See the animals in Hodges Library:

• December 5 and 6—From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• December 7 and 10—From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• December 11—From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• December 12—From noon to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

See the animals in the Scripps Lab:

• December 6, 7, 10 and 11—From 10:00 a.m. to noon

For more information, visit the HABIT website.

Hot Chocolate and Popcorn

The McClung Museum in Circle Park will hand out free hot chocolate and popcorn from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12, for students taking finals in its lecture hall and any other students who want a breather and a snack.

“As a campus museum we get students in our doors every day for class, and we really want to make a point to better interact with them,” said Abby Naunheimer, the museum’s weekend program coordinator. “We want to celebrate with and congratulate the students for a job well done as they leave for the holidays.”

The snacks will be handed out at the entrance of the museum.

Visit mcclungmuseum.utk.edu for more information about the museum.

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C O N T A C T :

Christine Copelan (ccopela7@utk.edu)

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)