Below are a variety of items about upcoming events and other news notes on the campus of Youngstown State University:

• Ohio Speaker visits YSU for legislative breakfast
• Campus celebrates African American History Month
• Free Music at Noon concerts scheduled for this month
• YSU marks Darwin Day on Feb. 8
• Mad About the ARTS set for Feb. 19
• MATHCOUNTS brings students to campus

Calendar
Monday, Feb. 1, noon to 3 p.m. Recruiters from nine hospitals will be on hand at YSU's 2010 Nursing Job Fair in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. Recruiters will have employment information for staff nurses and nursing students that wish to obtain nurse extern positions.

Monday, Feb. 1, 8 p.m. Dana School of Music faculty artist recital by Roman Rudnytsky, piano, in Bliss Recital Hall.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, noon. The YSU women's tennis squad opens the home season against University of California, Pa., at the Boardman Tennis Center. The men's team takes on Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 5, also at the Boardman Tennis Center.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 12:15 p.m. Dana School of Music's string department presents a free Chamber Music Recital in the Butler Institute of American Art. The performance is part of the Music at Noon series.

Wednesday, Feb. 3, 8 p.m. Dana School of Music presents a Percussion Studio Recital in Bliss Hall.

Wednesday, Feb. 3. YSU Board of Trustees meet on the following schedule: 1 p.m., Executive Committee, in the President's Conference Room on the second floor of Tod Hall; 2 p.m., Academic and Student Affairs Committee in the President's Conference Room on the second floor of Tod Hall; and 3 p.m., Special Board Meeting in the Board of Trustees Meeting Room on the first floor of Tod Hall.

Thursday, Feb. 4, 7:05 p.m. Penguins' women's basketball team takes on Loyola in Beeghly Center. The women are also in action 2:05 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, in Beeghly Center.

Ohio Speaker visits YSU for legislative breakfast

Ohio Speaker of the House Armond Budish will be the featured speaker at the annual tri–county legislative breakfast hosted by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber's Government Affairs Council and Youngstown State University.

The event is 7:30 to 9 a.m., Friday, Feb. 5 in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus. The breakfast is open to the public. Cost is $20 for Regional Chamber members and $30 for non–members. Reservations can be made by contacting Jennifer Mascardine by phone at 330–744–2131, Ext. 12, or registering online by selecting the "Event Calendar" link  at www.regionalchamber.com.

Budish, serving a second year as the leader of the Ohio House of Representatives, is expected to review the budget battles and accomplishments of the Ohio General Assembly in 2009 while highlighting his agenda for 2010.

All Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana County state legislators are invited to attend the event, which is sponsored by YSU.

Speaker Budish represents the 8th District of Ohio in eastern Cuyahoga County, including the 3rd and 4th wards of Cleveland. He earned his bachelor''s degree from Swarthmore College and a law degree from New York University Law School. In 1993, he founded the law firm Budish, Solomon, Steiner & Peck in Beachwood, Ohio, where he is currently a partner. Budish also hosts the television show "Golden Opportunities," an informational program for seniors and their families, which can be seen Sundays on WKYC Channel 3 in Northeast Ohio. He has written several books, including his most recent, Why Wills WonÕt Work.

In 2006, after both his sons had left for college, Budish made the decision to run for public office. He was elected that year to the Ohio House from the 8th District. He was elected to be Speaker of the House in January 2009. He lives in Beachwood with his wife Amy. They have two sons, Ryan and Daniel.  

Campus celebrates African American History Month
Youngstown State University's Africana Studies Program has scheduled the following programming throughout February in celebration of African American History Month.

Saturday, Feb. 6, noon to 6 p.m., Chestnut Room, Kilcawley Center
The African Marketplace with scarce goods including objects, jewelry, Afrocentristic writings and literature representing African heritage available for purchase. Dance and musical entertainment provided by Harambee Youth Group. 

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m., Ohio Room, Kilcawley Center
A Diversity Roundtable will include deans, department chairs, other administration in a discussion and evaluation of the diversity initiatives and programs at the University.

Thursday, Feb. 11, 7 p.m., McDonough Museum of Art Auditorium
A panel discussion on African American Contemporary Art: "Truth and Fear," featuring Ronald Clayton, a mixed–media artist and painter from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and Julius M. Lyles III, a curator and artist from Richmond Heights, Ohio. 

Friday, Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m., Presidential Suites, Kilcawley Center
A Lecture by Daryl Davis: "Klandestine Relationships." Davis discusses the activities and inner working of the Ku Klux Klan and how best to disable it. His research has included rare contact with members in an attempt to unmask the myths, assumptions and strategies of the Klan. The lecture is based on Davis' novel on the subject.

Thursday, Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m., Ohio Room, Kilcawley Center
Lecture: "Miracle Inventions by Miracle People." Greg Mills, writer, comedian, poet and former news reporter, presents a multi–media presentation on both known, and not–so–well–known African American inventors throughout the history of the United States. 

Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m., The Gallery, Kilcawley Center
The Black History Student Essay Contest Finals and Community Poetry Competition: African American students from YSU are invited to submit essays related to the African American experience. The five–page essays following appropriate guidelines and documentation are

due by Feb. 19. YSU faculty and staff and the community at large are welcome to submit original poems on subject matter or themes related to African American life including slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, religion, politics and leading African American figures in the shaping of American democracy. Submission deadline is Feb. 19. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in both competitions.

Friday, Feb. 26, 6 to 9 p.m., Chestnut Room, Kilcawley Center
The Black Academic Challenge trivia contest aimed at challenging students' knowledge of Black history. Teams of four are made up of YSU students from various classes, organizations, and clubs. They will compete throughout the month of February culminating in a championship game on Feb. 26.

Saturday, Feb. 27, noon to 3 p.m., Chestnut Room, Kilcawley Center
Community Outreach: Clothing and Food Assistance Guide. Throughout the month of February, beginning at The African Marketplace, citizens in both the African American community and community at large are invited to bring gently worn clothes and canned goods to designated areas on the college campus. The goods will be distributed to community organizations that service the needy.

Saturday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m., Chestnut Room, Kilcawley Center
Movie: Contradictions of the Heart by Walter Allen Bennett, Jr. The highly acclaimed film, starring Clifton Powell, Venessa Williams and Christopher B. Duncan, presents the subtle and least–understood aspects of loving relationships in the African American community.

For additional information on African American History Month events, contact the YSU Africana Studies Program at 330–941–3097.

Free Music at Noon concerts scheduled for this month
Youngstown State University's Dana School of Music, in collaboration with the Butler Institute of American Art, presents free Music at Noon performances throughout the academic year.

Performances are Wednesdays at 12:15 p.m. in the Butler Institute of American Art. The concerts are free and open to the public and parking is free at the Butler. 

Performances for February are:

Feb. 3, String Department, Chamber Music Recital.
Feb. 10,YSU Choral Ensembles.
Feb. 17, YSU Percussion Ensemble.
Feb. 24, New Music.

For more information, call 330–941–3636.

YSU marks Darwin Day on Feb. 8

Chris Vinyard and JGM Hans Thewissen, faculty members at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy, will give lectures at the third annual Darwin Day, 3 to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, in the Jones Room of Kilcawley Center on the campus of Youngstown State University.

Vinyard's presentation is titled "Monkeys, Meals and Microevolution," while Thewissen will presents "Happy Birthday Mr. Darwin: Macroevolution in Whales."

Vinyard is an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at NEOUCOM. His research examines how certain activities, such as chewing or biting, affect the form and evolution of the skull and face. Thewissen is the Ingalls–Brown Endowed Chair and Professor of Anatomy in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at NEOUCOM. Thewissen's research centers on the patterns associated with major shape changes that occur during mammalian evolution. His areas of interest include the development of flight in bats and the physical changes that occurred in the land–based ancestors of whales.

The Darwin Day presentations are hosted by the YSU chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society. Presentations are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Paul Dalbec at pedalbec@ysu.edu, Johanna Krontiris–Litowitz at 330–941–1554 or jkrontirislitowitz@ysu.edu, or Diana Fagan at 330–941–1554 or dlfagan@ysu.edu.

Mad about the ARTS set for Feb. 19
Mad about the ARTS, a leading cultural event in the Youngstown region, will be Friday, Feb. 19 in the McDonough Museum of Art on the Youngstown State University campus.

The 14^th annual event, underwritten by the W.E. Bliss Foundation and featuring fine wine, food, art, and music, begins at 6:30 p.m. with a Friends of the Arts Preview Reception, with the Main Event from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The event benefits the McDonough Museum of Art and SMARTS–Students Motivated by the Arts, a K–16 arts education partnership between YSU's College of Fine and Performing Arts, the Beeghly College of Education, Youngstown City Schools, and other arts organizations in the area.

The Preview Reception will feature premier wines and appetizers and music by Second Avenue Jazz. The main event will feature music by the Second Avenue Project, an eight–piece band that will play provide rhythm and blues, swing, jazz and Top 40.

On display throughout the galleries will be the Biennial Faculty Exhibition, featuring selected works in various media by YSU studio art faculty.

Promotional assistance and support for Mad About the ARTS is provided b WKBN 27 and Fox Youngstown, City Printing, The Metro Monthly, Mix 98.9 and 570 WKBN, Edward's Florist, WYSU 88.5FM and Trinkle Signs. Food and beverage sponsors include Aladdin's Eatery, Cafe Cimmento Italian Food and Wines, Carrabba's Italian Grill, CasseseÕ's MVR, Clarencedale Cake, Giannios Candy, Chalet Premier, LÕuva Bella Winery, The Mocha House, Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, Markko Vineyards, Mastropietro Winery, Struthers Beer, Wine & Spirits and Tropea's Fine Pastry.

Tickets are $75 for the Preview Reception and $40 for the Main Event. For tickets or more information, call 330–941–2787.

MATHCOUNTS brings students to campus
About 250 students from 27 middle and junior high schools will participate in the 2010 MATHCOUNTS competition on Thursday, Feb. 11 on the campus of Youngstown State University.

The competition is sponsored by the Mahoning Valley Society of Professional Engineers and YSU's William Rayen School of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

MATHCOUNTS, in its 27^th consecutive year, is a national program designed to improve math skills among U.S. students by making math achievement as challenging, exciting and prestigious as a school sport. The top three teams, plus the top six individuals, from the local competition, advance to the state MATHCOUNTS competition in Columbus on March 13. The top four finishers in the state competition will represent Ohio in the 2010 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. May 6–9. 

The local contest begins at 9 a.m. in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center. During the morning's written component, teams of four students as well as individual competitors from each school will answer a variety of questions that include topics covering probability, statistics, linear algebra and polynomials. The afternoon Mathbowl competition begins at 2:15 p.m. The final event is the Countdown Round, sponsored and funded locally by YSU Arby's Restaurant.

Awards will be presented at a banquet 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23 at Ala Cart Catering in Canfield. The guest speaker will be David DeChristofaro, Trumbull County engineer. John Ritter, YSU professor emeritus of the Civil Engineering Department, coordinates the regional program. Major funding is provided by Dominion East Ohio and the Davis Foundation.

Participating schools include Austintown Middle School, St. Joseph/Immaculate Heart of Mary in Austintown, Boardman Center Middle School, Boardman Glenwood Middle School, St. Charles School in Boardman, Brookfield Middle School, Canfield Middle School, Crestview Middle School, Heartland Christian School, East Palestine Middle School, St. Rose School in Girard, Reed Middle School in Hubbard, St. Patrick School in Hubbard, Jackson Milton Middle School, W.S. Guy Middle School in Liberty, Lisbon David Anderson Jr/Sr High School, Holy Family School in Poland, Poland Middle School, Willow Creek Learning Center in Poland, Howland Middle School, Jefferson School, John F. Kennedy Jr/Sr High School in Warren, Lincoln School, McGuffey School, Willard K–8 School, Eagle Heights Academy in Youngstown and Montessori School of the Mahoning Valley.

Editor's note: The Mathbowl Contest and the Countdown Round provide the best action photo possibilities. The Mathbowl preliminary rounds take place in Kilcawley Center's Chestnut Room and Ohio Room from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m., with the final round in the Chestnut Room at 1:30 p.m. The Countdown Round begins approximately at 1:45 p.m. and ends around 2:15 p.m.

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