Fitchburg State University continued its Community Read with a talk by the author, and alumnus, Keith Gentili about his book White Mountains State: A Four-Year Journey Hiking and Summiting New Hampshire’s 48 Highest Peaks in the Falcon Hub. Gentili regaled the audience with tales of his many adventures hiking the mountains of New Hampshire.

The Office of International Education sponsored an International Night last evening, where we celebrated our cultural heritage through food, presentations of dances, music and traditional garb. Food tasting stations included cuisines from Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and India. Attendees were treated to performances by Anne O'Connell's Irish American Step Dancers, members of the Dance Club performing a K-Pop inspired dance, a musical performance by Harana,  and a presentation of traditional apparel.

Students, their families, faculty and staff gathered in Hammond Gallery.  yesterday afternoon for the opening reception of ARTeries. ARTeries is Fitchburg State University Fine Art Department’s  annual juried exhibition that showcases the strongest original student work in drawing, painting, sculpture, and mixed-media art. ARTeries provides an opportunity for the university community to celebrate the artistic talents of Fitchburg State students. Student works will be on display until April 18, 2024. Learn more about Arts & Culture at Fitchburg State University here.

The Nancy Kelly Lecture Series presented Fostering Our Feminist Future: A Conversation with Rachel O'Leary Carmona this afternoon in the Antonucci Science Complex - Randall Lecture Hall as part of our Women's History Month celebration. After English Studies Professor Katharine Covino honored  Dr. Nancy R. Kelly ’80, fellow English Studies Professor DeMisty Bellinger-Delfeld welcomed those gathered. Carmona, Executive Director of The Women’s March, discussed her activism work and talked about the future of feminism in the United States and the rest of the world. There was also an opportunity for questions and answers. 

Students in Andrea Olmstead's Ceramics II class put some final touches on their busts  during ceramics class in Conlon Fine Arts. This course is an intermediate-level investigation into the historical and contemporary sculptural practices using clay as the medium. Students will create a variety of sculptures, such as a portrait bust, an animal sculpture, an abstracted organic piece, and an architectural structure. An orientation to the processes of hand building will include pinching, coil building, slab building, modeling, and carving. Learn more about our Fine Art Program here.

The university's first ever "Writer in Residence" with  The New York Times bestselling author, and Fitchburg State University Alum, R.A. Salvatore '81, '91 continued today with Salvatore visiting classes. First, he stopped into Communications Media Professor Kyle Moody's History of Interactive Media and Games, and then visited English Studies Professor Kisha Tracy's World Lit I: Myths & Traditions course. In both, Salvatore discussed his journey as a writer, starting at Fitchburg State University, and all of the many places, opportunities, and experiences that  brought to him to where he is today. He also held Q & A sessions with the students.

Hand-to-hand combat Students in Kelly Morgan's Stage Movement: Combat course learned how to safely act out various forms of hand-to-hand combat. Stage movement: Combat is a workshop-oriented course that utilizes the basic techniques of movement that emphasize developing the  student's potential for effective physicalization of a character on stage. Learn more about our Theater Concentration here.

Students in Biology and Chemistry Professor Dennis Awasabisah's Organic Chemistry II Lab perform an experiment extracting lycopene from two brands of tomato paste. Lycopene is a type of organic pigment called a carotenoid that's is related to beta-carotene and gives some vegetables and fruits (e.g., tomatoes) a red color. It is a powerful antioxidant that might help protect cells from damage. 

Students in Biology and Chemistry Professor Dr. Michael Nosek's Cell Culture  Techniques are back at it after spring break in the Antonucci Science Complex. Cells they froze before the break needed to be thawed out before performing today's experiment. This course consists of a survey of the techniques and experimental approaches used in cell culture experimentation. Topics covered will include sterile technique, media preparation, types and sources of cells, cell propagation and quantification, and viability assays. Students will develop their own research project based on their interests. They will use the scientific method to formulate hypotheses and carry out appropriate experiments to address the hypotheses.