The fifth annual Tables of Content dinner is coming up for students and educators to afford an opportunity of conversations between like-minded individuals on ideas, education, and other topics or projects of interest that represent a wide range of academic disciplines.
Guests will enjoy a light meal on behalf of the Sherrod Library with attendance free of charge.
During the dinner, guests will have the opportunity to listen to and converse with one of twelve ETSU faculty members. Each of those faculty members will be assigned to a respective table. They will discuss their interests and research topics.
“Think of the event as a dinner party,” said Dean of University Libraries Pat Van Zandt. “The dress code is business casual. Everybody sits down and has something to eat while the host leads the discussion about their areas of interest. The dinner is definitely not a lecture. We actually don’t allow PowerPoint presentations or anything of the sort…Our goal is for everyone to have a good time, and we usually do.”
There are seven seats per table. Many of the tables are already fully booked. As of now, seats remain for the tables assigned to the following four faculty members:
Dr. Andrew Herrman from the Department of Communication and Performance will be leading a discussion titled “From the Inside-Out: Personal Storytelling in Organizations.”
Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies Director Daniel Boner will be leading a discussion titled “21st Century Bluegrass: Merging the Past and Present.”
Academic Leaderships Programs Director Deborah Harley-McClaskey will be leading a discussion titled “We’re Following the Leader: The Science of Influence.”
Dr. Joseph Shrestha from Engineering Technology will be leading a discussion titled “Highways: Present Conditions and Future Strategies.”
“Unlike our other events, we advertise the dinner primarily to folks outside the university community,” said Van Zandt. “It’s meant to acquaint local people with current ETSU research and related areas of interest.”
“Over the years, it has been exciting to see how the faculty engage with the community.”
Though the Tables of Content dinner is aimed at people outside the university, ETSU students may sign up should they so wish. Those who want to attend must register for one of the four aforementioned discussions online at libraries.etsu.edu/tablesofcontent. As only a small number of seats remain, it would be wise to register soon.
Though unlikely, it is possible that cancellations may result in openings in one or more of the booked tables. The eight faculty members presenting at the currently booked tables are as follows:
Dr. William Duncan from Research and Sponsored Programs will be leading a discussion titled “Old World vs. New World Wines: Viticulture, Terroir, and Viniculture.”
Department of History Professor Dinah Mayo-Bobee will be leading a discussion titled “The Never-Changing Face of U.S. Politics.”
Dr. Gerardo Arceo-Gomez from Biological Sciences will be leading a discussion titled “The Importance of Plants and their Pollinators.”
Dr. Gregory Orway from Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences will be leading a discussion titled “Don’t Worry, Be Happy…If It Were Only That Easy.”
Engineering Technology Professor Jeremy Ross will be leading a discussion titled “Roman Architecture Through the Eyes of Pagans, Christians and Aliens.”
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology Chair Larry Miller will be leading a discussion titled “Forensics Under Fire.”
History of Medicine Librarian Martha Whaley will be leading a discussion titled “It Was Good For Our Mothers: History of the Use of Medicinal Plants and Folk Medicine in Appalachia.”
Dr. Scott Honeycutt from the Literature & Language department will be leading a discussion titled “Old Trees and Where to Find Them: Rambles Through Ancient Southern Forests.”
The dinner will be held March 23 at 6 p.m. in the Sherrod Library.
