Call it a hoedown of scientific proportions, complete with hot dogs, ice cream and a bluegrass band.

Advisers in the MTSU College of Basic and Applied Sciences — with fall break approaching Oct. 10-13 and midterm exams on the horizon — decided students and faculty needed to have a little fun in the Science Building Courtyard.

So they held the first “Halfway Hoedown” as a way to celebrate students making it halfway through the semester and to get them to think about research and to plan for spring registration.

“The purpose was to engage students with opportunities for research, to get them to open their eyes,” said Susanna Wassom, one of 18 college advisers and the one who assumed the leadership reins for the event.

“We also wanted to make sure students know priority registration is coming up and make sure they schedule their advising appointments,” she added.

Xyan Aguilar keeps a “Halfway Hoedown” crowd content as he uses liquid nitrogen to make strawberry ice cream Oct. 7 in the Science Building Courtyard. Aguilar is a sophomore chemistry major from Brentwood, Tennessee. (MTSU photos by Randy Weiler)

About 500 students were expected to attend.

“This is fun,” College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Bud Fischer said while walking around the courtyard greeting students and faculty.

“This has been a lot of fun,” said Jessica Earls, an MTSU senior biology major who is a nontraditional student from Evansville, Indiana.

“It’s always great to see your professors and meet your adviser outside the building.”

Local musician Sammy Baker joined biology faculty members Frank Bailey and Matt Elrod-Erickson, who have been a part of a campus bluegrass group for about 15 years.

As temperatures climbed into the upper 80s, sophomore chemistry major Xyan Aguilar of Brentwood, Tennessee, kept a long line of students content as he made strawberry ice cream using liquid nitrogen.

Other College of Basic and Applied Sciences departments include aerospace, the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience, computer science, Concrete Industry Management, engineering technology, geosciences, mathematical science, military science and physics and astronomy.

For more information about the college, visit www.mtsu.edu/cbas or call 615-898-2613.

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

Xyan Aguilar adds a cup of strawberry ice cream to a cup during the first Halfway Hoedown Oct. 7 in the Science Building Courtyard.