Dr. Lynnette Chambers, Associate Professor of Voice, taught voice lessons and participated in several panel discussions during Hardin-Simmons’ first School of Music sponsored All-State Choir camp. Chambers was recently the alto soloist for the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. She also sang the alto solos in the Mozart Requiem with the Hardin Simmons University combined choirs and orchestra. Chambers performed the role of Mercedes in Abilene Opera‘s production of Carmen under the stage direction of Ron Luchsinger. Earlier this year, she traveled to Central Michigan University where she gave a master class and participated in a quartet recital featuring works from various operas and oratorios.
Michael Jones, Professor of Art and Head of the Department of Art, designed three paperback books for Rude Dude Productions. Mike served on the Abilene Branding Committee to help set graphic standards for the Abilene Visual Identity campaign.
HSU Associate Professor of Mathematics, Dr. Patrick Miller, started the International Astronomical Search Collaboration in October 2006 with five U.S. schools. IASC now serves over 200 schools per year from 21 countries. Students in elementary, middle schools, and high schools participate as well as many university students from all over the world. All totaled thus far, students have discovered over 200 Main Belt asteroids. They have noted over 1,500 Near Earth Object observations, 200 NEO confirmations, and 50 virtual impactor observations. The newest of the IASC Asteroid Search Campaigns started on February 1 and will continue, until March 17, 2010. Schools from nine different countries will participate including Brazil, Bulgaria, England, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Poland, Portugal, and United States. The sky-watching students get 45 days to analyze telescope images from several observatories in North America. They compare images from the telescopes over the course of the campaign, and in that time, students are able to locate the objects in space which change positions. Comparing images over several weeks, students are able to animate the data to confirm the presence of the asteroids.
Dr. Mark Puckett, Professor of Piano and his wife, Lauren Puckett, Associate Professor of Piano, will perform the Concerto for Two Pianos by Ralph Vaughan-Williams with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2010.