Stories this week at Wake Forest

“CAMPUS SWEEP” PLANNED AS PART OF EARTH DAY

To raise awareness of environmental issues, Wake Forest’s Student Environmental Action Coalition and the campus chapter of Amnesty International will host an Earth Day celebration on April 7 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Magnolia Court, located behind Reynolda Hall. The event is free and open to the public. The celebration will feature music, poetry and speeches focused on environmental themes and informational booths by the local Sierra Club, the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project and various campus groups. Before the event, students will participate in a Campus Sweep. With bright orange trash bags in hand, the students will pick up litter from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

OLD TESTAMENT EXPERT TO LECTURE

Ed Greenstein, professor of Biblical Studies at Tel Aviv University, will present the lecture, “Jew and Christians Reading the Bible: Are We Talking Only to Ourselves?” at 3 p.m. on April 11, in Wingate Hall, Room 202. His lecture will focus on the different interpretations that Jews and Christians develop when reading the Bible and the differences between them. The public event is free. Greenstein, an internationally known expert on Biblical literature, contemporary literary approaches to the Bible, and ancient Near Eastern literature and the Bible, is currently lecturing throughout the United States and Israel.

COMMENTARY ON GAS PRICES

Jonathan Duchac, an associate professor with the Wayne Calloway School of Business and Accountancy, can offer insight into the factors affecting gas prices. Duchac’s research focus includes the oil and gas industry and accounting and financial issues. To interview Duchac, contact the News Service at 336-758-5237.

ALGEBRA IN THE REAL WORLD

Teenagers may groan over learning algebra and complain they will never use it in the real world, but education professor Leah McCoy says algebra is at work in everything from business to sports. McCoy can rattle off dozens of examples of how algebra is used in the real world. For example, algebra is used to calculate an insurance company’s actuarial tables, make economic predictions, determine how to maximize business profits, and predict fish populations. Algebra is even used in determining how music tracks are burned into compact discs, she said. An example from the sports world traces back to Babe Ruth. After some calculations, Yankee Stadium’s left field was shortened so the slugger could hit more homeruns. “That’s algebra,” she said. To talk with McCoy, contact the News Service at 336-758-5237.

ELEVATOR COMPETITION FOR VENTURE CAPITAL

Students participating in the Babcock/Eno River Capital Elevator Competition on April 8 will “pitch” their business plan to a venture capitalist during a two-minute, 28-floor elevator ride in hopes of winning the competition and possible securing funding for their idea. MBA students from Wake Forest, Duke, Harvard, Emory, Penn State and other universities will participate in the competition from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Wachovia Center in downtown Winston-Salem. After the elevator pitches, six teams will advance to the second-round question-and-answer session with a panel of venture capitalists. Finalists will be invited back for conferences with representatives from venture capital firms. In addition to a trophy, the winning team may receive actual funding for their plan. For more information call the Babcock School’s external relations office at 336-758-5030.

Categories: Campus Life, Community, Events, Speakers, University Announcement