MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — In the November episode of “Out of the Blue,” the television magazine program from Middle Tennessee State University, viewers will learn about a National Science Foundation grant to help improve the teaching of STEM fields and get to know the new director of the Fermentation Science program as well as the new dean of the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences.

Watch the full episode below:

Guests who sat down with program host Andrew Oppmann, vice president for marketing and communications, include: 

• Dr. Sarah Bleiler-Baxter, mathematical sciences professor, and Dr. Greg Rushton, Tennessee STEM Education Center director and chemistry professor, discuss the $1.2 million NSF grant that will be used to advance research in improving the teaching of the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

• Dr. Keely O’Brien, the new director of MTSU’s Fermentation Science program and assistant professor, shares her vision for this unique major — the first degree program of its kind in Tennessee — and breaks down what fermentation science is, hands-on training available to students through a new sensory lab and the wide variety of professional opportunities for those who successfully complete the program.

• Dr. Peter Grandjean, new dean of the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, talks about the diversity of majors and programs within the college, his higher education background and his vision for leading an academic unit focused on training students in a variety of health and human services fields.

“Out of the Blue” is available anytime on the university’s YouTube channel, the True Blue TV channel, Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. It also airs on Murfreesboro cable Channel 9 daily at 6 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; NewsChannel5+ at 6:30 p.m. Sundays; and streamed on the MTSU Jazz Network through WMOT.org at 7 a.m. on the first Sunday of each month; and on other cable outlets in Middle Tennessee, so check local listings. 

It is also available as a podcast on iTunes and Google Play and as individual interview segments on Spotify at https://spoti.fi/453hxg3. 

Watch previous episodes of “Out of the Blue” at https://mtsunews.com/out-of-the-blue.

— Jimmy Hart (Jimmy.Hart@mtsu.edu)