Green Businessman Ray Anderson to Visit Randolph

Radical industrialist Ray Anderson will speak at Randolph College on Monday, February 1, 2010 in Smith Hall Auditorium. A book signing follows in the Ribble Lounge of Smith Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

During his visit, he will also meet privately with environmental studies majors, student leaders and faculty to discuss environmental issues and his quest to create a sustainable manufacturing company.

Anderson is the founder and chairman of Interface, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of modular carpet for commercial and residential applications and a leading producer of commercial broadloom and commercial fabrics. He is “known in environmental circles for his advanced and progressive stance on industrial ecology and sustainability. Since 1995, he has reduced Interface’s waste by a third, and he plans to make the company sustainable by 2020.”

Anderson is also one of Time Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment. Anderson is a sought-after speaker for most large environmental forums and conferences. He has also helped put together a "100-Day Action Plan for the Environment" for President Obama.

Anderson is featured in the documentaries The Corporation and Leonardo DiCaprio’s The 11th Hour. He is also the author of Mid-Course Correction: Toward a Sustainable Enterprise: The Interface Model.

Sustainable Living at Randolph College

Anderson's visit is part of a year-long celebration of environmental sustainability and a college-wide effort to reduce the carbon footprint of the entire Randolph community.

Learn more at Sustainable Living @ Randolph College > > >

RISE Grant Helps Senior Attend National Design Competion

Senior theatre major Melissa Gilbert was nominated for a national design award for her costumes (see note below) from a campus production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” but to present her designs in competition this February, she must finance travel costs to Tennessee.

Instead of footing the bill herself, Gilbert tapped into a new grant program at Randolph College called RISE — Randolph’s Innovative Student Experience — which awards up to $2,000 to fund scholarship, research and creative pursuits to students during their junior or senior years. After submitting a proposal, she was awarded $300 to cover travel expenses to the conference.

“It made it a lot more accessible for me, because otherwise it would have been a real big stretch,” she said.

“I think that the school getting behind the students and helping them apply what they learn is fantastic. Often times it is difficult to do that extra research or travel to that conference because of finances.”

Read the rest of this story in the Lynchburg News & Advance > > >

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Melissa Gilbert was nominated for a Barbizon Costume Design Award for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival: Region IV in recognition of her costumes for the fall 2009 Randolph College production of The Rocky Horror Show. Gilbert is pursuing a bachelor of fine arts degree in theatre and British literature and will graduate in spring 2010. You can view her design portfolio at her website.

The Blizzard of 2009

In the waning days of fall semester 2009, as the last exams were being taken, central Virginia was hit with 13 inches of snow. The following photos were contributed by Katherine Turner '13, Lee Nutter '13, and Terry Bodine, director of residence life.

Physics Club Wins National Award

The Randolph College chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) has been named an Outstanding Chapter by the National Society of Physics Students for 2008-2009.

This is the fourth national Outstanding Chapter award for the club, having earned the honor in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2007-08.

"We have an outstanding group of students who are passionate about physics," said faculty advisor Peter Sheldon, professor of physics. "We won this award because of their dedication to bringing science to the public."

The award is the culmination of a very eventful 2008-09 academic year for the group.

• The chapter won the 2008 Blake Lilly Prize for their work with Randolph's annual Science Day for local elementary school children. That event also won them the Randolph College award for Best Philanthropic Event.


• SPS hosted activities for all students including field trips to an amusement park to enjoy the physics of rollercoasters and the Smithsonian Institution, a photo contest, a project to design and build a t-shirt gun, and a Wii tournament.


• In addition, four physics majors received travel grants from SPS National to attend and present research at the American Physical Society National Meeting.


• SPS President Wai Sze Cheung, with the help of SPS, coached a group of children in the FIRST Robotics tournament.


• SPS ran the Lynchburg area’s first Science Festival, and their signature event, Science Day, attracted about 300 children, teachers, and their families.


• Randolph hosted the Society of Physics Students’ Zone 4 Meeting, a regional student physics conference.

Sheldon praised the 2008-09 officers of the SPS for their leadership and all the clubs members for their enthusiasm They were ...

• President: Wai Sze (Winncy) Cheung
• Vice President: Tiffany Paonessa
• Secretary: Catherine Khoo
• Treasurer: Yanpaing Oo
• Historian: Nema Marjana

Links

• Learn more about Randolph College Physics Department
• Dr. Peter Sheldon discusses what it's like to study physics at Randolph
• Society of Physics Student web site
• Randolph Physics Videos on YouTube
• Physics Department in the News
• SPS presents The Human Hamster Wheel

New Videos, Web Site Show Fun Side of Randolph College

Randolph College this week launched ExploreRandolph.com - a new interactive web site to help prospective students with their college search.

The site features a fast-paced Flash interface which gives visitors a whimsical look at a very serious college. Students navigate over an aerial view of the beautiful campus on a tour highlighting Randolph's noteworthy points of interests and cool new videos featuring stick figures on a whiteboard.



Check out the videos and site at ExploreRandolph.com and share it with your friends > > >

Final Exams and the Randolph Honor Code

It's finals week here at Randolph College, the culmination of a semester's worth of work and learning. Students are busy putting finishing touches on papers and cramming for final exams.

Exam Week is different for us than at other colleges. We don't crowd into a big room at the appointed time and hunch over our tests while some grad student watches us like a hawk. Our century-old Honor Code allows students to take their exams unproctored and unscheduled.

Students pick up their examinations and take them one of several predetermined areas, complete their exam, and then return it to a collection point. Nobody watches over them. Students sign their exams with the Honor Pledge to verify the integrity of their work.

The system allows students the freedom to schedule their exams as they see fit. You may choose to take all your exams in the first couple days so that you can leave earlier for winter break. At the same, your roommate might string her exams out over the week to allow enough study time for each. You can take your toughest exam first and get it out of the way or save it for last. It's all up to you.

Learn more about the Randolph College Honor Code > > >

Tree Lighting Kicks Off Holidays

As the semester winds down, papers are due and exams are looming. Students are preparing to complete the term and head home for winter break.

It's also a time of holiday spirit. The annual Tree Lighting Ceremony features songs, both traditional and parody, performed by student groups as well as faculty and staff.

This season's event featured non-English versions of holiday favorites by the Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin and Greek language departments, traditional songs from Jewish students and faculty, and performances by senior staff, student life, student spirit groups and Songshine, student a capella group.

Enjoy this rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside" from A Touch of Harmony, Randolph College's vocal jazz ensemble.