TSEC hosted annual Posters at the Capitol event on February 15, 2023.
(L to R) Sherry Schafer, Dr. Kevin Ragland, Dr. Greg Rushton, and Casey Penston 

The Tennessee STEAM Festival (TSF) engages the next generation by invoking curiosity and promoting interest in STEAM. TSEC is proud to contribute to TSF's efforts by creating excitement around STEM education and increasing the awareness of STEM careers! 

The Tennessee STEAM Festival kick-off event, STEAM-A-PALOOZA, was held on Saturday, Oct. 15th, at Murfreesboro's Discovery Center. TSEC, MTSU departments, and various local groups and businesses participated in this educational event. With the help of MSE volunteers, TSEC offered a hands-on kaleidoscope-building activity that taught the attendees about the refraction of light. For TSEC Coordinator Casey Penston, "Watching the children work diligently to build their kaleidoscopes, then see their faces light up with surprise, was a pure joy!"

Contributing to the Tennessee STEAM Festival, MTSU's   
Dr. Liz Barnes discussed with fellow educators how scientists and science educators can play a role in mitigating America's growing polarization through inclusive and culturally competent science teaching and communication. 

TSEC Coordinator, Casey Penston, oversees the children's construction of the kaleidoscopes

Dr. Liz Barnes presents How to Teach Culturally Controversial Science Topics

"So often you find that the students you're trying to inspire are the ones that end up inspiring you."  This phrase rang true to Dr. Greg Rushton, TSEC Director, when he addressed a large room of Erma Siegel Elementary students on December 8th.

The school's 5th-grade teacher, Mrs. Katie Harris, approached Dr. Rushton, asking if he would speak to the students about his STEM career and experiences.  Grateful for the outreach opportunity to serve as a community partner, Dr. Rushton prepared his presentation in earnest.  

On the day of the event, a frenzied sense of excitement was in the air as the 5th graders shuffled into the cafeteria.  Teachers hushed the room as Dr. Rushton began his story.  Using the dynamic visual aid of Google Earth, he carried the students to locations where his STEM career had led him.  The children cheered and commented as the view of their Murfreesboro school suddenly dashed around the globe from California, Georgia, and New York, to Ireland, then Australia.  Each location was accompanied with stories of wonder, challenges, triumphs, and growth.  

In the closing Q&A session, eager hands waived with a "pick me, pick me" type of enthusiasm.  Questions ranged from practical to outlandishly creative.  The most memorable came from a boy near the back of the crowded room.  He began, "Please tell me more about, uhhh, sab·bat·i·cal...you know, the part about getting paid without having to work." Dr. Rushton chuckled.

TSEC Coordinator, Casey Penston, left the event determined to schedule more of these types of meetings!

Fifty-seven educators and pre-service teachers from across Middle Tennessee gathered together at the Miller Education Center on the MTSU campus on November 2, 2022, for Innovative Educator Workshops devoted to topics pertaining to elementary education.  MTSU Associate Professor in the College of Education, Dr. Katherine Mangione, was the keynote presenter for the event and discussed the topic of using children’s literature to model problem-based learning.  Other workshops included:

Day 1 to Day Done: Planning a Science Content Storyline 
Stephanie Finley and Vickie Stem, Rutherford County Schools

Deciphering the Code: Fun Easy Computer Science Introduction
Annemarie Lampright, Lawrence County Schools

Robust Engineering in the Elementary Classroom                         
Lea Bartch, Murfreesboro City Schools

Curiosity Didn’t Kill This Cat – Explore with Inquiry               
Tamara Cosby and Mallory Eaton, Murfreesboro City Schools

Pulling It All Together: Integration Throughout the day           
Taylor Brown and Cherry Ross, Murfreesboro City Schools

Into the Deep End: Starting a Coding and Robotics Program in the Elementary School        Christopher Penrose, Murfreesboro City Schools

Dr. Katherine Mangione, Associate Professor in College of Education, discusses problem-based learning with participants

Elementary teachers explore inquiry-based learning activities in a workshop facilitated by Tamara Cosby and Mallory Eaton

The Innovative Educator Workshops are supported by a $35,000 grant Dr. Kevin Ragland and the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub received from Battelle Education through the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network to conduct teacher professional development for K-12 teachers on strategies that expand the teaching and learning of STEM education.  Innovative Educator professional development workshops for middle school and high school STEM educators will be offered during the summer of 2023 by the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub.

Twenty-five middle and high school teachers across the Midstate attended the Data Science Teacher Ambassador Program at Middle Tennessee State University on November 9, 2022.  The teacher professional development program was a joint effort by the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub housed within the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network and the MTSU Data Science Institute.

Dr. Ryan Otter

Dr. Keith Gamble

 Data Science Director and Professor of Biology, Dr. Ryan Otter, Professor of Economics and Finance, Dr. Keith Gamble, and Data Scientist, Alex Murphy, led the teachers through a series of modules that introduced teachers to the basic concepts of data science and how to integrate data science into existing courses.  Participants leveraged apps developed by the MTSU Data Science Institute that are available to educators at playwithdata.org.

Teachers in the Data Science Teacher Ambassador Program will meet again at MTSU on February 28, 2023, to learn more about creating new data science modules in different content areas.  Participants are asked to share program content with colleagues in their respective school districts to help facilitate the expansion of data science across STEM courses.

Alex Murphy

The Data Science Teacher Ambassador program is supported by a $50,000 grant Dr. Kevin Ragland and the Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub received from Battelle Education through the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network to conduct teacher professional development for K-12 teachers on strategies that expand the teaching and learning of computer science. 

Right: Data Scientist, Alex Murphy,
discusses one of the modules at
playwithdata.org with participants

Brooke Busbee

Creative, intelligent, and charming are a few words describing the TSEC student team member Brooke Busbee. Brooke came to TSEC in the spring of 2021 and has proven to be an impressive contributor on many fronts! 
Brooke is a Psychology major and a talented artist.

She currently serves as the READY to SOAR Program's Coordinator within the Student Organization for the Advancement of Research (SOAR). This program offers area high school students the opportunity to visit the MTSU campus for an immersive experience during Scholars Week. The READY to SOAR project will be presented in April at the World Congress on Undergraduate Research (WorldCUR), hosted this year in Coventry, England.

When asked about her professional aspirations, she replied, “I would like to research the psychology of education, particularly regarding classroom participation, student satisfaction, and student retention.  Through this, I wish to create a safer learning environment for students and a more engaging classroom for educators.”

In closing, her advice to future researchers? “If you discover a problem in the world that you wish someone would fix, be the one to fix it.” Well said, Brooke. Thank you for your commitment to research and for bringing a remarkable spirit of joy to our center daily!

Read more about Brooke, and other MTSU student researchers on the SOAR Student Profiles page.

Keynote Speaker,
Dr. Tessa Andrews

The Southeastern STEM Education Research Conference was held at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN on Friday and Saturday, January 13th - 14th, 2023. The Tennessee STEM Education at MTSU and the Millard Oakley STEM Center at TTU co-hosted the event which is in its 17th year of existence.  The conference brought together STEM education researchers throughout the southeastern U.S. to engage in conversations about current research and findings and their applications to practice in K–20 learning environments as well as informal STEM education.  The conference includes a keynote address, a poster session, oral presentations, and an early career panel and included researchers from colleges in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Virginia. 

The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Tessa Andrews, Associate Professor of Genetics at the University of Georgia. She specializes in biology education research and aims for her research to inform and support the effective and widespread implementation of evidence-based teaching strategies in undergraduate STEM classrooms.  Dr. Andrews’ address focused on the specialized teaching knowledge that faculty use to plan and carry out active-learning instruction in large classes.

The conference was sponsored by the MTSU Tennessee STEM Education Center, Millard Oakley STEM Center at TTU, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at TTU, MTSU College of Basic and Applied Sciences, MTSU Mathematics and Science Education program, ETSU Center of Excellence in STEM Education, NSF-NRT Gadugi at the FEW NEXUS, and Southern Educational Systems.

Andrea Reeder, TSEC Research Graduate Assistant, presents her STEM Education Research.

Sarah K. Bleiler-Baxter, Ph.D., TSEC Associate Director, seen here as Early Career Panel moderator. 

Kevin Ragland, Ph.D., TSEC Associate Director, addresses S²ERC banquet attendees.

Gregory Rushton, Ph.D., TSEC Director, supports student mentees & URECA awardees Karolin Abouelyamin (L) and Sylvia Zakher (R).

Sherry Schafer, TSEC Administrative Assistant, and TTU staff oversee S²ERC registration.

Carly Altman, Graduate Student and TSEC Student Worker, presents research in the field of Agriculture.

Photo by Theresa Montgomery/Office of Gov. Bill Lee

Over 50 students from seven public Tennessee universities participated in the annual Posters at the Capitol event on February 15, 2023. The event is hosted annually by the MTSU Tennessee STEM Education Center at the Tennessee State Capitol to expose legislators to undergraduate STEM researchers and expose undergraduates to their legislators.

Ten MTSU undergraduate students presented their research and engaged legislators at the event this year.  MTSU students participating in the 2023 event are pictured below.

Other participating universities include Austin Peay State University, Tennessee State University, the University of Memphis, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and The University of Tennessee at Martin.

Marzea Akter 

Hunter Brady 

Matthew Johnson

Jonathan Duke 

Jesse Scobee 

Lindsey Tran 

Janna Abou-Rahma 

Lacon Parton

Emaa Elrayah 

Isaiah Osborne 

The Middle Tennessee STEM Innovation Hub and Tennessee STEM Education Center at Middle Tennessee State University will be hosting 5th-12th grade students in Middle Tennessee to work individually or in teams of up to 5 students to prepare and present their STEM project at STEM EXPO at MTSU on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.  Students engage in projects involving a process of inquiry in response to a complex question, problem, or challenge and 

present the results of their project at STEM EXPO. These rigorous projects help students learn key academic content and practice skills necessary for success such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.  Students will compete for recognition in one of three age groups (5-6th, 7-8th, and 9-12th) as well as in one of four STEM categories:  STEM research, engineering, agricultural STEM, and technology.  STEM EXPO is an annual event at MTSU and typically brings over 500 students to the MTSU campus.

There are two different categories for support positions, either a Volunteer or an Evaluator.  Both are needed for a successful event!  Please consider helping out at this year's STEM EXPO!

Volunteer positions are non-judging. This role involves activities such as working at the check-in desk, as door/hall helpers and room assistants, and helping with set-up and break-down.

Evaluators are needed to judge and score the projects. For the evaluator's convenience, assignments will be referenced, and scores will be recorded digitally from a smart phone, tablet, or laptop. If you do not have a devise, one will be provided for you.

Here at MTSU, we are excited to have a dynamic and growing body of student researchers, collectively called SOAR, the Student Organization for the Advancement of Research! This student organization provides an opportunity for undergraduates to cultivate an on-campus culture of research by increasing awareness, promoting collaboration, and engaging in skill-building trainings.

On November 29th, TSEC faculty and TSEC Faculty Partners joined the Undergraduate Research Center to host the first-ever, SOAR Social. TSEC met with the developing researchers to offer opportunities for involvement and faculty-mentored support, as well as fun social activities, competitions, and food! The group was also delighted to receive a surprise visit from the MTSU College of Basic and Applied Science’s Dean, Dr. Greg Van Patten. The Dean confirmed the importance of undergraduate research while sending a message of encouragement to our young researchers.

During the event, TSEC Director, Dr. Greg Rushton, spoke with the students about early research opportunities and community outreach events which promote improving K-20 STEM education. TSEC houses research-active faculty who seek student support with various research initiatives. Also, acting as the Middle Tennessee's STEM hub, TSEC continually seeks student involvement with community outreach events, such as the upcoming STEM EXPO and Summer STEM Camp.

If you know students who are interested in gaining research or event experience, TSEC is currently accepting applications for the Early Research Program and event volunteer positions.

Dr. Rushton, Director of the Tennessee STEM Education Center, shares his research experiences with students as well as opportunities for students at TSEC

Dr. Van Patten, Dean of the College of Basic and Applied
Sciences, discusses opportunities for student researchers

(Left)
TSEC Faculty Partners, Ying Jin, Chaney Mosley, Grant Gardner, and Sarah Bleiler-Baxter collaborate with TSEC Director, Greg Rushton and Associate Director, Kevin Ragland. 

TSEC is fortunate to have formal partnerships with faculty across STEM education on campus. One of the ways we achieve these partnerships is through the Associate Director and Faculty Fellow programs.

TSEC welcomes any permanent, full-time faculty member, from any academic unit, with a demonstrated commitment to the mission of the Center (i.e., to improve K-20 STEM education both locally and nationally by identifying and addressing critical issues that promote access, equity, innovation, and leadership).

Email Dr. Sarah Bleiler-Baxter with questions.

 

Grants Submitted

 

Mosley, C. (Co-Principal), Ragland, K. (Co-Principal). Subrecipient for NEXTGENeration Inclusion Consortium: Attracting and Engaging the Underserved in the Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences Workforce. USDA-NIFA-NEXTGEN, Requested $1,000,000.

 

Erskine, M. (Principal), Faezipour, M. (Co-Principal), Otter, R. (Co-Principal), Rushton, G. (Co-Principal). Data Science, Modeling, and Analytics Research for Teachers (DataSMART). NSF-RET, Requested $593,975.

 

Zhang, H. (Principal), Rushton, G. (Co-Principal). Embodied and Student-Centered Robotics in the Professional Formation of Engineers. NSF-ERI, Requested $199,683.

 

Zhang, H. (Principal), Rushton, G. (Co-Principal). Collaborative Research: Informal Immersive Learning in Agriculture for Youth. NSF-AISL, Requested $701,771.

Active Grants

 

NSF INCLUDES Alliance: The Alliance of Students with Disabilities for Inclusion, Networking, and Transition Opportunities in STEM (TAPDINTO-STEM), Bleiler-Baxter, SK. National Science Foundation (NSF) EES- 2119902, $109,000, 2021-2026.

 

Deeper learning professional development for high school agriculture teachers, Jin Y. (Mosley, C., Song, C.). USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), $450,000, 2023-2025.

 

Collaborative Research: Exploring the Impact of Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Programs on Teacher Retention: The Role of Motivation, Leadership, and School-Work Environment, Rushton, GT.  National Science Foundation (NSF) DUE-1949925, $214,350, 2020-2023.

 

Collaborative Research: Investigating Classroom Discourse in Active Learning Environments for Large Enrollment Chemistry Courses, Rushton, GT. National Science Foundation (NSF) DUE-1914813, $609,435, 2019-2023.

 

Data Science Teacher Ambassador Program, Ragland KD. Battelle Education, $50,000, 2022-2023.

 

Innovative Educator Workshops and STEM Hub Operations, Ragland, KD. Battelle Education, $35,000, 2022-2023.

 

 

 

Heath, A. L., Bleiler-Baxter, S. K., Scott, F. C., James, O. T., Ayangbola, O. T., Gardner, G. E., & Rushton, G. T. (In press). Levels of reflection in strength-based and weakness-based STEM faculty peer-observation. Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference on Research on Undergraduate Mathematics Education (RUME).

 

Bleiler-Baxter, S. K., Kirby, J. E., & Reed, S. D. (2023, online first). Understanding authority in small-group co-constructions of mathematical proof. Journal of Mathematical Behavior, 70, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0732312322000839?dgcid=author

 

Mosley, C., & Cui, S. (2022). Agriculture, aerospace & data science: Innovative summer camp explores careers in modern agronomy. Techniques, 97(4), 14-21.

 

Mosley, C. (2022). Interdisciplinary career and technical programs of study in secondary agricultural education. The Agricultural Education Magazine, 95(3), 11-14.

 

Ndembera, R., Ray, H.E., Shah, L., & Rushton, G.T. (2022). Analysis of category level performance on the Praxis® earth and space science: Content knowledge test: Implications for professional learning, Journal of Geoscience Education, DOI: 10.1080/10899995.2022.2138067

 

Reid, J., Polizzi, S., Zhu, Y., Jiang, S., Ofem, B., Salisbury, S., Beeth, M., Mohr-Schroeder, M., Sheppard, K., Roehrig, G., & Rushton, G.  Perceived Network Bridging Influences the Career Commitment Decisions of Early Career Teachers.  International Journal of STEM Education. 2022 Accepted for publication.

Abouelyamin, K., Zakher, S., Reid, J., & Rushton, G.T. (2023, January 13-14). Student discourse networks and group composition in a POGIL-based general chemistry class [Poster presentation]. Southeastern STEM Education Research Conference, Cookeville, TN.

Altman, C., Mosley, C., & Cui, S. (2023, January 13-14). Digital agriculture summer camp: An examination of non-formal learning to promote knowledge and postsecondary STEM interests [Poster presentation]. Southeastern STEM Education Research Conference, Cookeville, TN.

Ayangbola, O. T., Scott, F. C., Bleiler-Baxter, S. K., James, O. T., Heath, A. L., Gardner, G. E., & Rushton, G. T. (2023, January 13-14). Faculty reflections on inclusive pedagogy within STEM classrooms. Session presented at Southeastern STEM Education Research Conference (SSERC), Cookeville, TN. 

Heath, A. L., Bleiler-Baxter, S. K., Scott, F. C., Ayangbola, O. T., James, O. T., Rushton, G. T., & Gardner, G. E. (2023, January 13-14). Strength- and weakness-based reflection among STEM faculty. Session presented at the Annual Southeastern STEM Education Research Conference (SSERC), Cookeville, TN. 

Mosley, C., Stair, K., Layfield, D., Seibel, A., Davis, J., Ramsey, J., Clemons, C., Epps, R., Haynes, C., Jagger, C., McCubbins, O., Rubenstein, E., Santiago, E., & Johnson, D.,  (2022, November 28-30). School-based agricultural educators’ experiences, awareness, and professional development needs associated with suicide in the southern region [Poster presentation]. Association for Career and Technical Education Research Conference, Las Vegas, NV.

Mosley, C., Seibel, A., Layfield, D., Davis, J., Ramsey, J., Clemons, C., Epps, R., Haynes, C., Jagger, C., Johnson, D., McCubbins, O., Rubenstein, E., Santiago, E., & Stair, K. (2022, October 2-4). School-based agricultural educators’ knowledge of farm stressors and suicide warning signs [Poster presentation]. Cultivating Change Summit, Washington, DC.

Reeder, A., & Rushton, G.T. (2023, January 13-14). The trajectory of science teachers after the leadership program. Session presented at the Southeastern STEM Education Research Conference, Cookeville, TN.