The MTSU College of Mass Communication’s mobile production lab is ready for the Career Exploration Fair in Nashville. (MTSU file photo by J. Intintoli)

MTSU’s 40-foot, $1.7 million HD mobile production lab was a big hit at the 2012 “My Future, My Way” Career Exploration Fair for high school freshmen at the Nashville Convention Center Oct. 24.

The production truck, manned by students from the university’s Department of Electronic Media Communication, was among several dozen local exhibits demonstrating real-world careers to thousands of Metro Nashville Public School students.

MTSU’s aerospace department also participated in the Metro fair, bringing students, faculty and equipment to Nashville to give the high schoolers an inside view of the aerospace industry.

You can see a special album of photos from the day’s activities on MTSU’s Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/8se9t3q.

The Nashville Chamber of Commerce created the Career Fair to provide an avenue for students to explore a breadth of career areas.

“Our university’s strategic master plan calls for us to build partnerships, in Nashville and throughout the state, that benefit our community and provide hands-on experience for our students,” said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee.

“We value our close ties to Nashville and are glad our students and faculty will provide a meaningful and memorable experience for the students in attendance.”

Students train in MTSU’€™s NASA FOCUS Lab in the Business and Aerospace Building. Charity Somma, front, and Colin Kerley, second from front, work in the flight-operations data positions during a three-hour simulation. At right is Marvin Hood, working as flight-operations coordinator, while Kyler Garmen handles maintenance planning and scheduling and Alden Stokes works maintenance control in the back of the lab. (MTSU file photo by Andy Heidt)

MTSU students regularly use the mobile production lab to cover sports, concerts and events for broadcast, cable stations and national cable networks — most recently at the Capitol Street Party, where students were key to production of the Oct. 17 outdoor concert attended by 14,000 people in downtown Nashville.

The Career Exploration Fair featured six industry areas for interested students, including:

• arts, media and communications;
• health and services;
• business, marketing and information technology;
• hospitality and tourism; and
• engineering, manufacturing and industrial technology.

Students were able to visit with least five exhibit volunteers, ask questions and participate in hands-on activities. They also participated in an essay contest and other follow-up activities to demonstrate what they learned.

For more information, visit www.mnps.org/Page86480.aspx.