Middle Tennessee State University

Middle Tennessee State University is congratulating the students who received their degrees at its spring 2024 commencement ceremony. MTSU's summer commencement saluted members of the second Class of 2024 during two cermonies in Murphy Center to confer their degrees.

Middle Tennessee State University Honors students Dante Buttrey, Hannah Ferreira, Victoria Grigsby, and R.J. Ware; Experiential Learning student Marcus Rosario; and Graduate Studies student Nancy Prescott presented poster research at the national Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement meeting, the annual conference of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities this year held in Detroit, Michigan.

Nine Middle Tennessee State University undergraduates and one faculty member are participating in prestigious National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates, or REU, grant programs this summer.

Middle Tennessee State University is congratulating 5,475 students who appear on the dean's list for the spring 2024 semester. To qualify for this distinction, an undergraduate student must maintain a current semester grade-point average of 3.5 or above and earn at least 12 semester hours. The complete list of honorees, compiled by the MTSU Registrar's Office and alphabetized by the students' surnames and home counties or country, also is available as a searchable PDF in this story at MTSUNews.com, the university's news site: https://mtsunews.com/deans-list-spring2024/.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is proud to announce the 2024 Study Abroad Grant recipients. The grants, worth $1,000, were awarded to 125 students nationwide.

Eight Middle Tennessee State University students received the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad this summer.

Four Middle Tennessee State University students earned top prizes and recognition for their artistic talents in designing lapel pins for True Blue Core, the newly revamped general education program at the university.

The Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raider equestrian Western team recenlty earned the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Horse and Rider-sponsored Western discipline team national championship for the second consecutive year.

Middle Tennessee State University's Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning, or COE-URP, embarked on a novel journey this past year through its Scholars Program, a pilot initiative to provide undergraduate students with research opportunities related to explosive growth in the Midstate region. The program, which began last August and spanned the entire academic year, concluded earlier this month when participating students presented their research on key urban planning challenges in Middle Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee State University recently celebrated its most prestigious individual student awards for the 2023-24 academic year. Recipients included President's Award winner Ross Sibley of Redlands, California, Provost's Award honoree Sydney Robbins of Cordova, near Memphis, Robert C. LaLance Jr. Achievement Award winner Sevinch Kamaridinova of Gallatin, and MTSU Community Service honoree Brian Maxwell of Smyrna. A common thread: All are part of the MTSU Honors College.

A record 32 Middle Tennessee State University undergraduate students presented their wide variety of research projects at a national level at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Long Beach, California, this spring.

Middle Tennessee State University geosciences faculty recently landed a National Science Foundation grant that allowed a grad research assistant and undergraduate to assist with a climate literacy study.

A recent graduate and an alumni from Middle Tennessee State University used their MTSU education and opportunities for research to land one of the National Science Foundation's most prestigious and long-established research fellowships.

Brooke Busbee, a recent psychology graduate, was one of three guests on April's "Out of the Blue" television magazine program, sharing her experience as part of the university's Student Organization for the Advancement as Research, known as SOAR, and as an ambassador for the organization's high school outreach program.

The Middle Tennessee State University College of Education welcomed 23 middle schoolers and 19 mentors from the university and the local community for a campus tour, fun at the Campus Recreation Center and more.

Two Middle Tennessee State University students Elliot Certain, a social work major, and Brian Maxwell, a video and film production major, and faculty member Jill Austin, management professor, were recently bestowed the 2024 Harold Love Outstanding Community Service Award at the state Capitol.

Middle Tennessee State University Textiles, Merchandising and Design Program students set their sights on an "Unstoppable Future" as this year's annual fashion show recently stepped onto the runway. The record-breaking sellout show saw more than 70 design submissions from students and a whopping 80 auditions of models wanting to participate in the much-anticipated event. In the end, 48 submissions as well as students were selected for the show.

The Middle Tennessee State University College of Behavioral and Health Sciences annual Academic Awards Presentation was held Tuesday, April 23, in the Student Union Ballroom. Nearly 200 seniors were spotlighted as Honors Students, which requires a scholastic average between 3.75 and 4.0. Representatives from the Departments of Psychology, Social Work, Criminal Justice Administration, Human Sciences, and Health and Human Performance presented certificates to students for their academic achievements.

Attending the state of Tennessee's Day on the Hill at the state Capitol may be one of the high points in the collegiate career of Middle Tennessee State University graduate student Rebecca White. In February, White joined the Tennessee Psychological Association leadership team to meet with lawmakers about legislation affecting the profession and those served by it.

The Omicron Delta Kappa Circle of Middle Tennessee State University recently inducted 16 new members.

Middle Tennessee State University Human Development and Family Science students recently went full speed ahead with a landlocked "cruise" party held at St. Clair Street Senior Center. MTSU students and senior citizens alike played games, did the limbo, danced the macarena and concluded the celebration with a conga line as part of coursework for the Aging Health and Development class. The class has been beneficial for Human Development and Family Science majors Sydnee Washington of Johnson Cityand Rylee Scott from Brentwood. Most students in the undergraduate program plan to work with children. But one in six children in Tennessee live with their grandparents, Weir said. "It's a great opportunity to get some experience working with older adults," said Human Development and Family Science lecturer Samantha Weir, who teaches the course each spring and fall. "And the intergenerational experience for the older adults is so valuable and uplifting for them."

Eight players for the Middle Tennessee State University hockey team were recognized as part of College Hockey South's All-Academic Team for the 2023-24 season.

Middle Tennessee State University sophomore Victoria Grigsby earned a spot as a Delta Scholar in the 2024 Delta Scholars Program.

As the emerging field of data science becomes an everyday part of industry and the modern job market, associate professor and researcher Ryan "Seth" Jones from the College of Education is taking a lead in developing best practices and frameworks for getting K-12 students well-versed in the topic.

Middle Tennessee State University sophomore Victoria Grigsby earned a spot as a Delta Scholar in the 2024 Delta Scholars Program.

Middle Tennessee State University sophomore and Honors Buchanan Fellow Ariel Nicastro was recently named as a 2024 Goldwater Scholar. She is one of 10 students from Tennessee institutions to receive the award this year and the only one from MTSU. The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify, encourage, and financially support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this Nation's next generation of research leaders in these fields. A physics major and student in the MTSU University Honors College, Nicastro was among more than 430 college students selected from more than 5,000 applicants to receive the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship this year.

Middle Tennessee State University's College of Education is working to make student research more of a focus and priority. "Research in education is vital to ensuring that we are giving our children and young people the highest quality of education for their future and to make sure our teachers feel confident in providing that for them," said Bonnie Barksdale, assistant education professor and active researcher who helps support research within the college.

In his junior year at Middle Tennessee State University, Carlos Aldana Lira was awarded a Research Experience for Undergraduates, called DUB, to attend the University of Washington in Seattle to conduct computer science education research this summer.

Middle Tennessee State University College of Media and Entertainment audio production major Bryce Tall-LaRue was awarded the Gilman Scholarship to travel to Senegal in Summer 2024.

Middle Tennessee State University senior religious studies and nursing double major Eli Ward swept his arm over the five striking, colorful stained glass images depicting the stories of faith and perseverance of the patients he worked with for his research project. It was one of the almost 200 projects showcased recently inside the Student Union Ballroom at Middle Tennessee State University's 18th annual research exposition that culminates "Scholars Week," a premier research expo each spring giving students like Ward the opportunity to present their wide range of projects and passions to the campus community.