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MTSU-China Aviation Training Partnership in the Works (video)

January 24, 2013 By

With MTSU’s nationally recognized aerospace program as a focal point, five groups announced a plan Jan. 23 to work together to help train Chinese pilots on a new Beechcraft King Air 350 Extended Range airplane currently housed in Smyrna, Tenn. State Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro joined officials from MTSU, the Civil Aviation Authority of China, China-based Flying Dragon General Aviation Co. Ltd., Franklin, Tenn.-based PacUS LLC and Smyrna-based Corporate Flight Management to announce the agreement during a morning meeting in the new Student Union Building. Get more details at mtsunews.com/mtsu-china-pilot-training-agreement.

 

 

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MTSU, China aviation groups craft pilot training pact (w/video)

January 23, 2013 By

With MTSU’s nationally recognized aerospace program as a focal point, five groups announced a plan Jan. 23 to work together to help train Chinese pilots on a new Beechcraft King Air 350 Extended Range airplane currently housed in Smyrna, Tenn.

State Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro joined officials from MTSU, the Civil Aviation Authority of China, China-based Flying Dragon General Aviation Co. Ltd., Franklin, Tenn.-based PacUS LLC and Smyrna-based Corporate Flight Management to announce the agreement during a morning meeting in the new Student Union Building.

Civil Aviation Authority of China officials discussed their interest in helping MTSU and Corporate Flight Management gain approval for training pilots on the new plane.

“We’re now in a position to provide training expertise and the support they will need,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, referring to the Chinese civil aviation authority.

“We are ready to go with this initiative. One of our goals is partnerships with business and industry. The aviation industry in China is about to explode. FedEx and UPS are just waiting for this.”

Mike Vaughn, president of PacUS LLC, orchestrated the parties’ agreement.

“Today, the success is realized,” Vaughn said, noting that the pact began two years ago when MTSU held a general aviation conference with Beihang University, one of China’s leading aeronautics institions, at MTSU’s Flight Education Center at Murfreesboro Municipal Airport.

“Since then, our business has grown,” Vaughn continued. “We are comfortable doing business with China as Tennesseans. Trade is part of our heritage, and we are proud to represent our state through commerce. Today is a milestone for us, and we look forward to more sales and visits from China in the future.”

The King Air 350 Extended Range aircraft will be used by China for geophysical and geochemical exploration in the Tibetan plateau. The 350ER has an extended flight range because of its larger fuel caapcity. (photo courtesy of Mike Vaughn)

The Beechcraft King Air 350ER will be based in Qinghai, located in the foothills of the Tibetan Plateau. The airplane will fly with a rear-tail, boom-mounted magnetometer used for geophysical and geochemical exploration in the plateau. Valued at more than $10 million, the U.S. export deal was arranged by PacUS LLC and its Hong Kong affiliate, CFM China Ltd.

Vaughn added that wheels will be turning in all the application processes “in the next 30 days or so.”

Chinese team leader Renhao Zhang, who spoke through interpreter and MTSU aerospace graduate student Jenny Wei, said he “is excited to be here for the acceptance of the aircraft” and “glad to see the cooperation” between all parties.

Wei, who interns for both Corporate Flight Management and PacUS, plans to graduate in May.

Zhang represented the Northeast Division of the CAAC, which is  the equivalent of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. He was joined by two CAAC Northeast Division associates, Bo Liang and Bin Yang, and Guowei Wang of China Flying Dragon during the agreement announcement and their weeklong visit to Middle Tennessee.

Ketron, who represented Gov. Bill Haslam, said the alliance means “the opening of doors and creation of jobs — helping the economy.”

Dr. Ron Ferrara, interim chair of MTSU’s Department of Aerospace, said the agreement will help students benefit from “more exposure to international students, and it might open opportunities for them overseas.”

The airplane is housed at Corporate Flight Management’s hangar at the Smyrna Airport. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China also is interested in purchasing maintenance services in Tennessee, officials said.

Negotiations for selling the planes began in 2011 when Chinese Aero Geophysical Survey Remote officials visited Tennessee.

The plane, which is the first of its type to be used in China, will be delivered to the city of Harbin for the Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Land and Resources, a division of China’s Ministry of Natural Resources. Company officials are in Rutherford County for the final on-site inspection before the plane is shipped to China.

— Randy Weiler (randy.weiler@mtsu.edu)

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Mass comm students ‘shoot’ for stars with CMT.com videos

December 5, 2012 By

The work of MTSU mass communication students can be seen now on Country Music Television’s website in a series of music videos for a rising artist.

New country artist Kelleigh Bannon performs at the 2012 Capitol Street Party in downtown Nashville in this video shot by MTSU electronic media communication students and currently airing on CMT.com.

Electronic Media Communication students, in collaboration with Capitol Records Nashville, filmed and produced footage of upcoming country music artist Kelleigh Bannen at her live performances at this fall’s Capitol Street Party in downtown Nashville.

An estimated 25,000 fans on Nashville’s Lower Broadway enjoyed music from the EMI Records Nashville performer and Capitol Records Nashville artists Luke Bryan and Jon Pardi on Oct. 17. Fifty-three MTSU students modulated audio, staffed HD cameras, conducted interviews and recorded the concerts for the label.

Bannen, a Nashville native, was the November featured artist for “Listen Up,” an online feature CMT launched in 2011 to showcase country acts “on the verge of breaking out.”

Fans can log on to www.listenup.cmt.com to watch exclusive performances by Bannen from the Capitol Street Party, including “Sorry on the Rocks,” “Rose Colored Glasses,” “I Wore Green,” “Oh My My” and “Be A Man.”

What they’ll see is top-quality footage provided by Blue Raider scholars.

MTSU’s Bob Gordon, an assistant professor in electronic media communication who oversaw the student effort at the Capitol event, said his students’ footage was given to CMT. The network then had Tackle Box Films edit it into the series of videos for Bannen’s “Listen Up” feature.

As part of the Capitol Street Party collaboration, MTSU students also will post-produce music videos for specific songs by Bryan, Pardi and Bannen.

“Our students will edit one song from each artist,” Gordon said.

They also will produce a promotional video for the department and a “sizzle reel,” which Capitol will use in social media and other marketing efforts. Students worked alongside Capitol executives and technicians to stage the show.

“It’s great, because now they have something they can show,” Gordon said of his students’ professional quality work. “It’s a wonderful opportunity that really helps their resumes and portfolios. That’s what we’re trying to do for these students.”

Gordon served as assistant director for the event alongside director Zack Eagles, a senior radio/television major from Alvaton, Ky. Colby Graham, a senior radio/television major, produced MTSU’s Capitol Street Party efforts. (You can watch a video about their work below.)

Students worked inside MTSU’s 40-foot, $1.7 million HD mobile production laboratory, also known simply as “The Truck.” Students use the lab to cover sports, concerts and other events for local broadcast, cable stations and national cable networks.

MTSU’s College of Mass Communication, the fifth largest in the nation, includes three signature departments — electronic media communication, journalism and recording industry — and specialty centers devoted to popular music and student media. The 2012 Capitol Street Party marks the second year that the university has partnered with the record label to provide real-world experience for students.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

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News leaders tour Center for Innovation in Media during fall visit

November 2, 2012 By

Victor Parkins from the Tennessee Press Association, left, chats with MTSU senior Kevin Mumphrey during a tour of the Center for Innovation in Media as part of the Tennessee Press Association’s Nov. 2 board meeting on the MTSU campus. (MTSU photos by Andy Heidt)

Gathering today on the MTSU campus for their fall meeting, the Tennessee Press Association’s Board of Directors enjoyed a luncheon in the new Student Union Building and tour of the new Center for Innovation in Media inside the John Bragg Mass Communication Building.

Mass Communication Dean Roy Moore noted that the group was getting a rare opportunity to see the new student-focused center, which brings all student media and MTSU’s National Public Radio station, WMOT 89.5 FM, under one roof.

“It is a great opportunity for the TPA board members to see firsthand why our college is one of the best and largest mass communication programs in the country,” Moore said.

The board convened at 2 p.m. for its formal meeting.

The Tennessee Press Association is the trade association of Tennessee’s daily and non-daily newspapers and is the parent organization of Tennessee Press Service and Tennessee Press Association Foundation.

It provides assistance to its 125 member newspapers by monitoring legislative activities, providing training programs, issuing press credentials, maintaining a Web site and employment database and providing regular meetings and forums to exchange information and ideas.

Stephan Foust, center, director of MTSU’s Center for Innovation in Media, explains the green hue in the robotic studio inside the center for Tennessee Press Association members Hugh Jones, left, and Sadie Fowler during a Nov. 2 tour.

 

 

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MTSU students shine at 2012 Capitol Street Party

October 18, 2012 By

Students from MTSU’s College of Mass Communication continue to benefit from experience that few media professionals ever realize. As an estimated 20,000 fans filled Lower Broadway in downtown Nashville to enjoy the music of Capitol Records artists Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi and Kelleigh Bannen, 53 MTSU students modulated audio, staffing HD cameras, conducted interviews and recorded the concerts for the label. You can read more about the event at mtsunews.com/capitol-street-party-2012.

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Students to cover news leaders’ news at national conference

September 17, 2012 By

MTSU students will be covering the news for the people who cover the news this week as they provide exclusive stories, photos, audio and video for the Associated Press Media Editors national conference in Nashville Sept. 19-21.

Student journalists from the College of Mass Communication will generate all news content for the APME blog at http://apmeblog.blogspot.com as well as a daily video report and a special 24-page tabloid summing up the conference.

Senior Becca Andrews of Bells, Tenn., editor-in-chief of MTSU’s independent student newspaper Sidelines, is coordinating all news coverage for APME. Senior Michelle Potts of Franklin, Tenn., news director of the student-run TV station, MT10-HD, will lead video coverage.

All content will flow through MTSU’s new Center for Innovation in Media, which houses operations for all student media outlets as well as WMOT 89.5FM, the university’s 100,000-watt public radio station.

Becca Andrews

“I don’t see much difference at all in this and what we do every day,” Andrews said after discussing coverage plans with colleagues last week. “It will be a bit more fast-paced, but we’ll be doing as much as we can in advance to be ready for breaking news, too.”

Sidelines covers breaking campus news around the clock at its website, www.mtsusidelines.com, and also publishes a weekly print tabloid. MT10-HD presents daily news and original programming that’s broadcast locally on Rutherford Country Comcast Channel 10 and online at www.mt10tv.com.

“We do this regularly, but at a little slower pace because we’re teaching students, too,” said Potts. “On Thursday alone, we’ll have 11 different shoots and a four- to five-minute ‘day in review’ broadcast, as well as podcasts. Can we do it all? Sure. Just like the real world.”

Both Potts and Andrews are veteran young journalists with work experience in industry newsrooms as well as high-school and university ones. They’ve worked together before on news projects; in fact, the APME recognized the Center for Innovation in Media earlier this year for its efforts to converge MTSU student media and foster collaboration across media platforms.

That national recognition for MTSU, in the form of an honorable mention in the “Innovator of the Year for College Students” category in APME’s 2012 Journalism Excellence Awards, will be part of a presentation during this week’s conference.

Michelle Potts

“This news project is an outstanding opportunity for our students to cover the conference and write profiles on its participants and get more experience working across media platforms,” said Dr. Roy Moore, dean of MTSU’s College of Mass Communication, which houses the Center for Innovation in Media.

“They’re doing this on top of their regular (news) assignments and classes. We’re very fortunate, too, that most of the staffers have prior experience, not only with student media but with professional media as well. It’s a great opportunity to showcase their skills and talents. They won’t just be networking at a conference; they’ll actually be showing what they can do.”

APME is an association of editors at newspapers, broadcast outlets and journalism educators and student leaders in the United States and Canada. It works closely with The Associated Press to foster journalism excellence.

“APME always reaches out to student journalists to cover our conferences, and we’re thrilled that MTSU students intend to raise the bar on how it’s done,” said APME President Bob Heisse, executive editor of The State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill.

The Nashville conference, which is expected to draw 150 of the top media editors from across the country, is not only getting coverage of APME news. It’s also giving students from MTSU’s College of Mass Communication a chance to show off their skills for an audience that hires interns and entry-level reporters, photographer, videographers, copy editors and designers.

“We really want to create a killer multimedia product and tabloid,” Andrews said, “particularly since this is also showing the members what we can do. I want my staff to get as much experience out of this as possible; most of them are seniors, so it’s very important to take advantage of an opportunity like this to showcase our work.”

“Basically, I told my crew, ‘I know what you’re capable of. Prove to everybody else what you prove to me every day,’” Potts added. “Then we’ll just be trying to figure out when we can get some sleep.”

— Gina E. Fann (Gina.Fann@mtsu.edu)

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Nissan Donates Zero-Emission LEAF Vehicles

August 28, 2012 By

Nissan North America Inc. announced Aug. 28 that it has donated two Nissan LEAF cars and three charging stations to Middle Tennessee State University to promote the use of electric-vehicle technology. MTSU officials said the Nissan LEAF cars will be added to the university’s motor pool. The charging stations will be available for use by students, faculty, staff and visitors on the Murfreesboro campus. For more details on the donation, visit mtsunews.com/nissan-leaf-donation.

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Nissan donates LEAF vehicles, charging stations to MTSU

August 28, 2012 By

Nissan North America Inc. has donated two Nissan LEAF cars and three charging stations to Middle Tennessee State University to promote the use of electric-vehicle technology.

MTSU officials said the Nissan LEAF cars will be added to the university’s motor pool. The charging stations will be available for use by students, faculty, staff and visitors on the Murfreesboro campus.

“As Nissan and MTSU are two of the largest employers in Rutherford County, our future and success are, in many ways, intertwined,” MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee said at the Aug. 28 announcement event. “This is a significant expansion in the relationship we have enjoyed with Nissan.

“It is another step in building a stronger partnership between our two organizations. We look forward to learning more about Nissan’s innovations in electric-vehicle technology by putting these vehicles to work for our university.”

Watch a brief video from the announcement ceremony here.

Nissan’s Rutherford County plant in Smyrna, one of its three U.S. production plants, opened in June 1983. The vehicle assembly plant has an annual production capacity of 550,000 vehicles and represents a capital investment of $2.5 billion. Nissan plans to open a new plant in Smyrna this fall to produce lithium-ion batteries for the Nissan LEAF — the first facility of its kind in the United States.

Kevin Martin, director of Nissan Parts Quality Engineering, said the MTSU donation “builds on the long-standing relationship between Nissan and MTSU, and it points to our mutual passion for quality — both in engineering and in education.”

“We hope that the innovation behind the Nissan LEAF inspires MTSU students interested in advanced technology,” Martin added.

Nissan North America’s Kevin Martin speaks on the Keathley University Center Knoll about the LEAF electric vehicles as media and passers-by observe. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Martin said the Nissan LEAF is 100 percent electric and available in all states. Its features include:

  • many interior fabrics developed by Nissan from recycled materials, such as plastic water bottles;
  • LED headlights, which use about half the energy of traditional headlights;
  • an available solar-panel spoiler that converts sunlight to energy, charging the 12-volt accessory battery and powering accessories like the interior lights and entertainment system;
  • an equivalent city mileage of 106 mpg, a top speed of about 90 mph and an estimated range of up to 100 miles on a full charge.

The automaker also donated a Titan pickup truck to the university, Martin said.

Headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., Nissan North America coordinates all operations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, including automotive styling, consumer and corporate financing, and engineering. About 370 of Nissan’s employees are MTSU graduates, company officials said.

Nissan first came to the United States to sell vehicles in 1958 and began importing and making Datsun vehicles in the United States under the Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation name in 1960.

In 1990, Nissan North America Inc. was created to coordinate all of Nissan’s various activities in North America to enhance the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of Nissan vehicles. In 1998, the two organizations merged operations under the Nissan North America Inc. name.

— Andrew Oppmann (Andrew.Oppmann@mtsu.edu)

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Inaugural Engineering Technology Golf Classic set for Aug. 17

August 1, 2012 By

To help fund future MTSU student projects, the first Engineering Technology Golf Classic will be held Friday, Aug. 17, at Champions Run Golf Course, located at 14262 Mt. Pleasant Rd., in Rockvale, Tenn.

The event has a 1 p.m. shotgun start. A light lunch will be served starting at noon.

MTSU’s Department of Engineering Technology, which is organizing the event, is seeking teams, individual players and hole sponsors. The registration and entry fee deadline was Aug. 1.

“The funds will establish a student project foundation account which will help fund student projects,” said department chair Dr. Walter Boles, who also is an avid golfer. “Student project efforts are always short of funds. We hope this effort will supplement funding solicited from other sources.”

Boles said a department committee will accept requests for funds from student project teams and decide how to distribute them.

“The first priority is for team projects,” Boles said. “We will consider senior projects as well, if funding is available. Projects such as the mini Baja, solar boat, construction-management competition and NASA robotics contest, among others, are eligible for proposals.”

Most of the student projects are national competitions against the best engineering and engineering-technology programs in the nation, Boles said.

“Potential employers like to see resumes of students who have participated in these projects,” he said. “They not only have the theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom, they have practical experience working in teams, which may involve leadership, open-ended design problems, schedule and budget constraints and solving a multitude of technical problems.”

The projects typically are expensive, Boles added, citing costs for travel, hardware, software, supplies and more.

Because of a shortage in skilled labor, there’s now a great demand for MTSU engineering-technology graduates to meet industry needs.

“Across the United States and globally, there’s an issue of not having enough skilled people at all levels in industrial and manufacturing jobs,” said Jimmy Davis, owner of The Davis Groupe in Murfreesboro. “Companies like Nissan and Bridgestone recognize that, and they’re partnering with technology centers, MTSU’s engineering-technology program and others.”

Sponsorships include $2,000 platinum, $1,000 gold and $500 silver. Each category has its own perks. The individual golfer’s entry fee is $125.

Boles added that anyone willing to donate door prizes, goody-bag items or sponsor lunch or hors d’oeuvres during the awards would be welcomed.

Davis, who serves as chair of the Engineering Technology Industrial Advisory Committee, is helping coordinate the event along with Tabitha Foote, marketing/event director at Champions Run Golf Course.

For more information about the department, visit www.mtsu.edu/et, or call 615-898-2776 to learn more about the tournament.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)

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Capitol Street Party features MTSU on- and offstage

September 22, 2011 By

MTSU co-sponsored the fourth annual Capitol Street Party in Nashville Sept. 21, and students from the College of Mass Communication had a huge presence in the festivities.

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