Here’s the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University.
The Middle Tennessee State University Alumni Memorial Gym area, home to the Blue Raiders volleyball team, again transformed into a buzz of activity recently for the TNFIRST First Tech Challenge Tennessee State Championship event.
Teams come from across Tennessee and nearby states to compete for awards and an opportunity to advance to the World Championships in Houston, Texas, in April. The event is sponsored by MTSU Engineering Technology and Schneider Electric.
Many of the 24 teams and more than 100 teenagers wore colorful T-shirts, sweatshirts and jackets. Some adult mentors get into the spirit of things, wearing hats and other items. Parents and family members fill both sides of the gym’s upper seating area, cheering on the competitors.
FIRST Tech Challenge teams (up to 15 participants in grades 7 to 12) are challenged to design, build, program and operate robots to compete in head-to-head matches in an alliance format. Results and awards are posted on the TNFIRST website.
The Brentwood, Tennessee, sister combination of Jessica and Melissa Wang on their team called TechNova won their earlier matches and captured the final championship round.
Experienced from other robotics competitions and mentored by their father, Terry Wang, Jessica Wang, 17, a Brentwood High School senior, said “it is all a good experience and I enjoy collaborating with my sister.”
Melissa Wang, 14, a Brentwood High freshman, said preparation includes “doing a lot of testing and making sure there are no errors.”
Guided by adult coaches and mentors, students develop STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — skills and practice engineering principles, realizing the value of hard work, innovation and teamwork.
While they qualified for the World Championship, event director Nick Pasquerilla of Murfreesboro said he had received an email from Terry Wang saying they would not be going to the World Championship, allowing another team the opportunity to go.
The Tennessine Titans of Maryville, Tennessee, also earned a berth to the World Championships by winning the Inspire Award.
Ken Currie, chair of the Middle Tennessee State University Engineering Technology Department, and Pasquerilla praised the effort by about 25 MTSU students, plus faculty and staff, and 60 TNFIRST volunteers to make the March 2 event run smoothly.
“Helping out on the first day of spring break is a testament to our students wanting to earn extra credit,” Currie said of the Engineering Technology and Mechatronics Engineering students.
MTSU Illinois Jacquet Jazz Fest features Jazz Ensemble, pianist Tamir Hendelman March 23
Pianist Tamir Hendelman will share some of his keys to making good music along with Middle Tennessee State University faculty members and MTSU’s School of Music Jazz Ensemble I as part of series of concerts and clinics March 23 as a part of the annual MTSU Illinois Jacquet Jazz Festival.
“This year’s festival features innovative performers and educators that will be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for jazz students and audiences to experience,” said Director of Jazz Studies Jamey Simmons.
Hendelman will join MTSU’s Jazz Ensemble I at 5:15 p.m. Saturday, March 23, in Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building, 1439 Faulkinberry Drive.
“The evening concert will showcase Tamir Hendelman’s abilities alongside our student artists,” said Simmons.
Tickets for the concert are $10 for the public and free for MTSU students, faculty and staff. Discounts for area band students and educators are available. For reserved tickets, call 615-898-2724 or email James.Simmons@mtsu.edu.
The concert caps the daylong educational festival for middle school, high school, and university-level jazz students that includes a free 3:30 p.m. jazz clinic Hendelman will give at Hinton Music Hall.
The educational component of the day features adjudicated performances by 13 groups, including local jazz ensembles, bands from Indiana and Michigan, MTSU combos from 9 a.m. to noon, Jazz Ensemble II, directed by Don Aliquo at 1 p.m., and a special 2:15 p.m. performance and Q&A by the jazz faculty called “The Art of Small Group Jazz Performance.”
Groups will receive comments and ratings from faculty members and Nashville area pros to help sharpen skills and train the next generation of jazz artists. All daytime performances are free and open to the public. A searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.
Hendelman has earned a reputation as a brilliant performer, bandleader and teaching artist. He has played with a list of jazz luminaries, including Harry Allen, Teddy Edwards, and John Clayton.
He has appeared with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra since 2001, backing Dianna Krall, Gladys Knight and John Pizzarelli and premiering John Clayton’s arrangement of Oscar Peterson’s “Canadiana Suite.”
Hendelman’s MTSU appearance is made possible by a grant from the MTSU Distinguished Lecture Fund.
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