LEWISBURG, Pa. — These are Bucknell University story ideas that may interest you in December.
CELEBRATING COMPANY COMMUNITY SERVICE — One of the Freeman College of Management’s signature courses is Management 101, which empowers student teams to create and manage their own companies, with all profits invested in an accompanying service project. This semester four companies worked with local community partner organizations — Footprints of Montgomery (food pantry), Herr Memorial Library, Mifflinburg, Transitions of PA (domestic violence awareness and assistance) and Walnut Acres Foundation (organic farming and environmental education) — and in addition to their practical projects, generated more than $19,000 in total financial impact from their businesses and fundraising efforts. This is believed to be a single-semester record. “Management 101 teaches students how to create organizations that make a difference in the world,” says Howard I. Scott Professor of Practice in Social Entrepreneurship Robyn Eversole, who teaches the Management 101 course. “Student-run Management 101 companies partner with local not-for-profits to tackle social issues like domestic violence and food insecurity, and they create and market unique products to finance their mission. Along the way, they learn about themselves, their communities, and how to work with others to create positive change.” CONTACTS: Eversole, 570-577-1673, r.eversole@bucknell.edu; Terry Burke, MGMT 101 coordinator, 570-577-1456, terrence.burke@bucknell.edu
HOW TO LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS — The holidays are a time of gathering and festivities, meaning leftovers are inevitable this time of year, so everyone should learn the best ways to preserve the taste of their food. Professor Margot Vigeant, chemical engineering, the interim provost, specializes in the science of food and she recently unlocked her secrets to loving your leftovers and ensuring meals are just as delicious the second time around. Vigeant agrees with Casey Barber ’00, author of this CNN story, to subscribe to the philosophy of “cook once, eat twice.” Vigeant uses her background in chemical engineering to explain in the story what types of foods are best to heat up in different appliances and the amount of time necessary to avoid soggy and disappointing food. She says it helps to understand that the thermal energy created through microwave radiation generates heat by making the water molecules in food “jiggle.” “You know how you can warm up your hands by rubbing them together? You can do that at the molecular level,” she says. “A whole bunch of molecules jumping up and down next to each other will warm up.” Vigeant encourages us to make small tweaks to the way we reheat food — prioritizing methods that preserve the taste and texture of the dishes we loved in the first place. “The way heat transfers impacts the texture and taste of our food, so a microwave shouldn’t always be the go-to when reheating leftovers,” she says. CONTACT: Vigeant, 570-577-1646, provbox@bucknell.edu
A ‘BEST FEATURE’ FILM — Professor Coralynn Davis, women’s and gender studies and anthropology, is producer of the hybrid documentary film, Sama in the Forest, which is based on her research. The film recently received the top award, “Best Feature,” from the Society for Visual Anthropology (SVA) and was screened at its SVA Film Festival in Toronto. Set in contemporary Mithila — a geographical and cultural region of the Indian subcontinent — the documentary represents a creative collaboration with local community members and highlights the tale of Sama, a young princess who wanders into the forest and befriends a young man, only to be slandered by a muckraking confidante of the king, and subsequently cursed and banished by her father. “The film combines footage of women telling different versions of the tale, the making of elaborate narrative paintings, a dramatization of the story, a yearly festival that celebrates Sama, and in-depth conversations about the morals and meanings of this and other traditional tales,” Davis says. Producers have reached an agreement for the film’s distribution with the Documentary Educational Resources, which is an internationally recognized center for documentary anthropology and ethnographic film. It will be screened at the Campus Theatre, 413 Market St, Lewisburg, on Tuesday, April 16. CONTACT: Davis, 570-577-1380, cvdavis@bucknell.edu
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CONTACTS: Mike Ferlazzo, 570-577-3212, 570-238-6266 (c), mike.ferlazzo@bucknell.edu