Boise State Instructor, Independent Filmmaker Takes Home Top Prize At Sundance Film Fest

When Heather Rae (above, with husband and fellow filmmaker Russell Friedenberg) stands before her class this semester at Boise State, she’ll command a little more respect than your average adjunct instructor. That’s because Rae, who is teaching a 16-week workshop on producing independent films, took home the coveted grand jury prize for drama at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The award was announced Sunday night.

“Frozen River,” produced by Rae and written by Courtney Hunt, had already been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for $1 million by the time the award was announced. The film, set in upstate New York, focuses on two women in desperate financial straits who turn to smuggling illegal immigrants across the Canadian border.

Prior to “Frozen River,” Rae served as producer of “Out of the Blue,” the documentary about the Boise State Broncos’ dramatic January 2007 Fiesta Bowl win against football powerhouse Oklahoma. An Idaho native who attended Boise State as a student in the late 1980s, Rae has spent several years honing her craft, including a stint as a production manager in Los Angeles and several years as the Native American program director for the Sundance Institute.

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National Conference on Environmental History to be Held in Boise

The American Society for Environmental History will hold its annual conference in Boise March 12-15. Boise State is co-hosting the conference with sister research institutions Idaho State University and University of Idaho. All sessions will be held at the Boise Centre on the Grove, with field trips offered to several locations throughout the valley. A complete schedule of conference activities is available online.

Interested participants can register for the conference online. Reduced fees for early registration are in effect until Feb. 15. Early registration fees range from $95 for non-ASEH members to $40 for students or those registering for a single day. Special events such as the keynote banquet, field trips or discussion lunches are extra. Call ext. 6-4309 or e-mail Lisa Brady for more information.

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In This Issue

  1. Winner at Sundance
  2. ASEH National Conference
  3. Focus the Nation
  4. Discover Engineering
  5. MFA Reading Series
  6. Boise State Film Festival
  7. Boise State Jazz Society
  8. Gene Harris Jazz Festival Update
  9. Taco Bell Arena
  10. Safety Professional of the Year
  11. Campus Crime Log
  12. Faculty and Staff in Action
New Horizons in Education

Steve Burns

Zoo Boise Director

Friday, 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. on NPR News 91

Beyond the Blue

The deadline is approaching for new and transfer students who wish to apply for scholarships to Boise State for the fall 2008 semester. In order to be automatically considered for Boise State scholarships, students must submit all admission materials to the Admissions Office no later than Feb. 15.

Reminder: focus the nation

Boise State Joins ‘Focus the Nation’

Boise State will host a series of Focus the Nation events tomorrow and Thursday as part of an unprecedented national educational initiative on global warming solutions for America at more than 1,000 universities and colleges and in all 50 states.

The goal of Focus the Nation is to jump-start a national discussion on the goal of “stabilizing the climate in the 21st century.” The culmination of the event will be when universities around the nation, including Boise State, simultaneously hold a symposium on climate change issues.

At Boise State, Focus the Nation events will include a series of classes and seminars to educate the university community about causes and effects of global change, discussions with government and business leaders about solutions to climate change, and the calculation of Boise State’s carbon footprint. Boise Public Schools will also be participating in Focus the Nation.

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College of Engineering

'Discover Engineering Day' Is Feb. 2

Treasure Valley families can build rockets, operate a lunar rover robot, ride a Segway, experience a wind tunnel, construct an “edible aquifer” out of layers of sweets and participate in a variety of other hands-on engineering and science activities at Discover Engineering Day Feb. 2 at Boise State.

Discover Engineering Day is presented by the College of Engineering with the support of a number of government and business sponsors. This free event has been expanded to three separate locations on campus in order to provide more opportunities for participants.

“This is a great family opportunity for people of all ages to have fun together while also learning about some of the creative and important work that engineers do,” said Cheryl Schrader, dean of the College of Engineering. “We encourage everyone to join us Feb. 2 for this free event.

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MFA Reading Series

Poet Dan Beachy-Quick Comes to Boise State Feb. 8

Poet Dan Beachy-Quick will read at Boise State at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 as part of the MFA Reading Series. The event will be held in the Interactive Learning Center Room 118. The reading is free and open to the public.

Beachy-Quick is the author of three books of poetry: “Mulberry,” a finalist for the 2006 ForeWord Magazine Poetry Book of the Year; “Spell,” published by Boise State’s Ahsahta Press; and “North True South Bright,” named one of the best books by emerging writers in Fence Magazine.

Beachy-Quick has been published in many literary reviews, including “Boston Review,” “Volt,” “Chicago Review,” “1913,” and “The Denver Quarterly.” In addition to poetry he has published numerous reviews and critical essays on the writing craft. His latest book, “A Whaler’s Dictionary,” focuses on Herman Mellville’s “Moby-Dick” and will be released this fall by Milkweed Editions.

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Boise State Film Festival

Family Event Offers Afternoon of Silent Comedies on the Big Screen

The Boise State Dead 8 Film and Video Club presents an afternoon of silent comedies shown on the big screen with live musical accompaniment. The event begins at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 3 at the Special Events Center, located in the Student Union Building. Admission is $11 for adults and 11 cents for children under 12. Parking is free in the Liberal Arts parking lot just west of the Special Events Center.

The comedy program is a fundraiser for Treasure Valley Community Television’s Channel 11 (TVTV). Classic short films by Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy will delight and amuse old and young alike. Films will be shown in 35 mm prints on a big screen, with live piano accompaniment by composer and pianist Johann Vargas.

Films are filled with pratfalls, slapstick and physical stunts by comic geniuses of the silver screen. The program includes “The Tramp” (Chaplin), “The Balloonatic” and “Cops” (Keaton), “Big Business” and “The Music Box” (Laurel and Hardy).

For more information, contact Terry Christenot at 343-1100 or Peter Lutze at ext. 6-3086

 

Film Festival Brings Eclectic Mix of Films to the Community

The Boise State Film Festival, sponsored by the student-run Dead 8 Film and Video Club, will begin at 3 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Special Events Center. Tickets are $2 for students and $3 general. Proceeds go to Treasure Valley Community Television.

Fiction and documentary works created by local junior high, high school and college students were selected for the festival by local media experts on the basis of concept, thematic development, production quality, and overall impact of entries.

Now in its 13th year, the Boise State Film Festival features an eclectic mix of films from members of the community. The sponsoring organization, Dead 8 Film and Video Club, gives students opportunities for hands-on video production.

For more information, call Susan Randall at ext. 6-3468.

Boise Jazz Society

Group Presents Hoenig Pilc Project, Free Workshops and Concerts

The Boise Jazz Society and the Department of Music are hosting a series of events built around a visit by the Hoenig Pilc Project, featuring pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, percussionist Ari Hoenig and bassist Hans Glawischnig.

Events include:

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Gene Harris Jazz Festival

Legendary Drummer Roy Haynes, Bandshell Concerts and More

The reformatted Gene Harris Jazz Festival will continue with events in the spring and summer that will bring legendary jazz performers and educators to Boise:

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Taco Bell Arena

Rodney Carrington Brings Comedy To Boise State

Rodney CarringtonGet ready to laugh with Rodney Carrington at 8 p.m. Jan. 31 at Taco Bell Arena. Tickets are $39.75 and are available at the Taco Bell Arena Box Office, all Select-a-Seat locations, or by calling ext. 6-1766 or visiting www.idahotickets.com.

Carrington (right) has built a cult following with his no-holds barred stand-up that includes comedy and music about the funny side of redneck lifestyles. Carrington gained exposure from his appearances on syndicated morning radio shows such as “Bob and Tom” and “John Boy and Billy.” His songs “Don't Look Now,” “Little Things” and “Fred” have kept his fans, new and old, coming back for more. His latest album, “King of the Mountains,” is Carrington's first album of new material in more than four years. “It's the best material I've done in a long time,” he said recently. “It moves at a fast pace. It’s funny. That‘s not a guess; that‘s based on the feedback I've gotten from audiences.”

This show is intended for mature audiences only.

Environmental Health & Safety

Campbell Named Safety Professional of the Year

wendy campbellWendy Campbell has been named Safety Professional of the Year by the Snake River Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers, where she serves as chapter secretary. ASSE members manage, supervise and consult on safety, health, and environmental issues in industry, insurance, government and education.

Campbell (right) has been with Boise State’s Environmental Health & Safety office since 2006. As the occupational health and safety/chemical hygiene officer she is responsible for laboratory safety and chemical hygiene, industrial hygiene and hazardous waste management for the university.

“Wendy is a dedicated professional who is a valuable asset to Boise State’s Environmental Health & Safety management team,” said EHS manager Cal Gillis.

Campbell received her bachelor of science in biology in 2000 and her master of health science with an environmental health emphasis in 2005, both from Boise State.

CRIME LOG

Crime SceneWeekly Crime Log

Boise City Police and Campus Security present the weekly crime report.


Faculty & Staff In Action

Correction: In last Thursday’s Faculty and Staff in Action, it was incorrectly reported that philosophy professor Andrew Schoedinger had recently retired from Boise State. Dr. Schoedinger has not retired

Graduate student Petya Stoyanova was the subject of the Idaho Statesman’s Courage and Commitment column. Stoyanova, who is studying international business, is the volunteer coordinator for the International Food, Song and Dance Festival and also works at the Women’s Center.

Kelli Dever, culinary arts, will be a judge at the Chocolate and Diamonds annual fundraiser for the Discovery Center of Idaho.

A Reader’s View on the benefits of hiring a personal trainer written by Werner Hoeger, kinesiology, ran in the Idaho Statesman. Hoeger has also been invited to participate in the VII Iberoamerican Congress of Sports Medicine and Applied Sciences that will be held in his hometown of Merida, Venezuela in June.

President Bob Kustra and Provost Sona Andrews were quoted in an Idaho Statesman story on BSU’s role in the new College of Western Idaho.

English professor Matt Hansen and international business professor Nancy Napier were both mentioned in Diane Ronayne’s weekly Idaho Statesman column. Hansen’s students will be doing read-throughs of Shakespeare plays every Sunday through April 27. Napier is coordinating a creativity workshop featuring Caleb Chung, inventor of the Furby and the robotic dinosaur Pleo.

Lynda Ransdell, chair of the Department of Kinesiology, helped to organize a women’s cycling leadership conference at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado this past weekend. Sponsored by USA Cycling, the goal of the conference is to increase the number of women who coach cyclists, increase the number of women interested in racing and provide networking opportunities. At the conference, Ransdell will give a presentation on the female athlete triad.

Chris Blanchard, graduate student in history and a staff member at the Child Welfare Center, was interviewed for an NPR story on the historic murals at the old Ada County Courthouse.

Jonathan Brendefur and Dean Diane Boothe, education, were quoted in an Idaho Statesman story on improving math education in Idaho.

Jim Weatherby, emeritus public policy and administration professor, was quoted in an Associated Press story about Republicans’ attempts to close the party’s primaries.

Pam Springer, chair of the Department of Nursing, has announced several new hires/promotions in her department:

  • Associate chair for students: Marty Downey. Downy will begin orientation this semester and begin her new role full time in the fall.
  • Associate chair for graduate studies: Gail Gerding, from East Tennessee University. Gerding will join the department Aug. 1, but we will become familiar with program issues during spring semester.
  • Faculty: Jayne Josephsen will complete her MS degree in May and will join the department full time in August.
  • Faculty: Sandra Nadelson has accepted a faculty position and began teaching this semester. Her husband is joining the faculty in the College of Education.

Lyn Moore, program and marketing manager for the Center for Professional Development, was quoted in a Jan. 21 Idaho Business Review article regarding the upcoming residential leadership development program, “The Strategic Experience: A Program for Management Development,” set for May 12-17 in Sun Valley.

Local News Sources:

The Idaho Statesman - The Idaho Press Tribune - The Boise Weekly - The Arbiter - Boise State Radio

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