Assisted by MTSU aerospace associate professor Joe Hawkins, left, junior criminal justice major Adrienne Sloan of Murfreesboro has fun behind the wheel of the laptop flight simulator kit earlier on April 2 during the College of Basic and Applied Sciences Scholars Day at the Keathley University Center Quad. Aerospace professor Dr. Wendy Beckman, right, observes freshman French major Hagia S. Morgado perform her flight maneuvers. Behind Sloan is her sister, Nicole, who also is a criminal justice major. (MTSU photo by News and Media Relations)

For anyone in the vicinity of the MTSU Keathley University Center Knoll area between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, they could have experienced the following:

• clutch the steering wheel and experience the sensation of flying an airplane (actually, it was a laptop flight simulator kit, courtesy of the MTSU aerospace department);

• touch and pet a black-and-white calf, fresh from the MTSU Farm in Lascassas, Tenn.;

• drink chocolate milk from the MTSU Dairy; • watch unmanned aerial vehicles fly and a PackBot robot do its thing under the guidance of aerospace faculty member Brent Taylor; and

• play math games, sample chemistry department-made strawberry ice cream, win prizes, ride in a moon buggy and more.

The 10-department College of Basic and Applied Sciences was holding its annual Scholars Day. Scholars Week continues on campus through Friday, April 5, when the university-wide Scholars Day will be held. The seventh annual event highlights undergraduate and graduate student and faculty research and scholarly pursuits.

“It’s Scholars Week (at MTSU) and it’s a great opportunity for students to showcase their work both inside the classroom and outside the classroom and research and creative labs on campus,” College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Bud Fischer said. The College of Behavioral and Health Science also held its Scholars Day event on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, April 3, talks, panels and performances spotlight the College of Liberal Arts Scholars Day in the Andrew L. Todd Hall. Events will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thursday, April 4, a showcase of faculty works from recording industry, electronic media communication, journalism and The Center for Popular Music will head the College of Mass Communication Scholars Day.

“It’s a weeklong celebration of scholarship and research activities,” said Dr. Mike Allen, vice provost for research and dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

The university-wide Scholars Day, with poster, multimedia and performances, will be held from 12:40 to 2:45 p.m. Friday on the Murphy Center track level. More than 300 exhibits will be on display. Awards will be presented at 3 p.m. to students recognized by a panel of judges.

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

MTSU senior Nicole Sloan, kneeling right, and sister Adrienne look at photographs Nicole just had taken of the baby calf from the MTSU Farm in Lascassas on her iPhone during the annual College of Basic and Applied Sciences Scholars Day activities April 2 at the Keathley University Center Quad. The Sloans are criminal justice majors and are from Murfreesboro.