News from Transy

LEXINGTON, Ky.—Actress, director and playwright Margo Buchanan has been selected to direct Transylvania University’s production of the Broadway musical “Pippin.” Sully White, Transylvania’s theater program director, will produce the show, which will be presented by the university’s theater and music programs May 16-19. “I have a deep affection for ‘Pippin,’” Buchanan said. “I had the vinyl record when I was a kid and I wore the grooves out. But, it has been an eye-opener getting to know this musical again as an adult.” Buchanan has taught professionals, college students and children in Chicago and Kentucky. In Chicago, she learned sign language, taught acting at The Center on Deafness and won grants to teach acting to deaf children in the city schools. These experiences led to her 1994 appearance in the feature film “Miracle on 34th Street,” where she interpreted for and acted with Lord Richard Attenborough. White said she was taught by Buchanan as part of the Lexington Shakespeare Institute’s summer program and knew that Buchanan would be a great fit to direct “Pippin.” “I have seen several things Margo has directed, and I trust her implicitly. She will be good with our students,” White said. Although Buchanan has directed non-traditional musicals and light operas, she says this musical is a whole new experience. “As I delve into ‘Pippin’ it seems less and less traditional,” Buchanan said. “It’s format and structure is that of a Broadway musical, but the story

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Transy Bikes Shop Manager Stevie Morrison ’15. LEXINGTON, KY.—Transylvania is gearing up to meet a growing enthusiasm for cycling in this bike-friendly city. With a focus on sustainability, the university is expanding its bike loan program, has opened a larger repair shop, and plans to sponsor more cycling events and add storage shelters. “Biking is healthy for us,” Transy Bikes Shop Manager Stevie Morrison said. “It’s also better for the environment. I almost never use my car anymore.” The cycling program’s aggressive expansion is a part of a cultural shift that needs to take place as the campus itself grows and space for parking becomes increasingly limited, Sustainability Director Angela Dossett said. Other resources include group rides with We Bike TU and a bike shelter behind Forrer Hall. Additionally, a fix-it-yourself outdoor station may be in the pipeline, and the campus will eventually connect to the Legacy Trail, a 12-mile bicycling and walking path. To learn more about cycling in Lexington, students, faculty and staff are welcome to stop by the Forrer Hall shop, where they also can receive free help with repairs. They should be prepared to get a little grease on their hands. “I won’t fix it for them, but we’ll work together to get it fixed,” Morrison said. Junior Jim Price uses the shop a lot for repairs. “You learn how to do it yourself,” he said. “You don’t have to go and pay someone else to

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LEXINGTON, Ky.—Roszell Mack III has been elected to the Transylvania University Board of Trustees. He is president and managing member of Mack & Co., an independent global advisory firm headquartered in New York City and focused on strategic, financial, and alternative investment solutions for the family office marketplace. A native of Lexington, Mack is a graduate of Bryan Station High School. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He was previously a founding partner of Ascent Venture Group, LLC, and an investment banker for more than 10 years with Goldman Sachs & Co., Peter J. Solomon Company and Salomon Smith Barney.

Psychology professor and neuroscience program director Meg Upchurch. LEXINGTON, Ky.—Transylvania University will offer a neuroscience major beginning this fall. Students will delve into how the brain makes us who we are. “Neuroscience explores the most complex structure in the known universe: the human brain,” said Meg Upchurch, psychology professor and neuroscience program director. The program will offer an emphasis in biology, psychology or computer science. Students also will be able to apply philosophy – and possibly music – classes to the major. They will receive a well-rounded education while studying the intricacies of the nervous system. The new major also dovetails with the university’s strategic plan, Transylvania 2020, which calls for expanded multidisciplinary initiatives. The program will be unlike neuroscience majors at other colleges because it will require that all neuroscience majors take a computer class. The study of brains and computers merge in the development of artificial intelligence and robotics. For instance, computer scientists look at living neural networks to learn how to create more effective machines. And studying how a robot interacts with its environment sheds light on how organisms with a nervous system operate. Neuroscience is a growing discipline – and a hot topic. The field tackles issues such as athletes’ head injuries in contact sports, and it addresses how to interpret brain scans of criminals who say they couldn’t help what they did because their frontal cortex isn’t functioning properly. Looking at the larger picture, because

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