MTSU Mondays: Young students at invention convention, regional science olympiad
Here's the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University.
Excitement was abundant in Middle Tennessee State University's Student Union Ballroom recently as eager elementary schoolers from around the region pitched products to judges that darted from presentation to presentation.
An annual event, the Tennessee Invention Convention hosted by MTSU's College of Education has cultivated the minds of young Tennesseans for over 30 years.
The convention allows elementary and middle school students to show their creativity and problem-solving. Originally a one-day experience for fourth through sixth grade, the program has expanded to a two-day showcase for fourth through fifth grade, and sixth through eighth grade, respectively.
But the first day of this year's convention for middle schoolers was canceled due to weather and has been rescheduled for March 27.
Led by MTSU education professor Tracey Huddleston, the convention brought together more than 400 fourth and fifth grade students. Almost 300 inventions were on show for judges and other participants.
'Nearly all of the students along with their parents and teachers were able to attend. It was a wonderful time for everyone,' said Huddleston.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of tri-fold posters, students advertised their inventions to anyone who roamed around the ballroom. The pitches were effortless, group members finishing each other's lines in a manner that only comes from practice and preparation.
Ashlee Barnes, a fourth-grade teacher with Black Fox Elementary School in Murfreesboro, brought 11 students to the competition. This is Barnes' second time attending the convention, but her first time with Black Fox.
Her students faced trial and error during the invention process, with many products already existing.
'It was really cool to see that everyone was able to come up with something and get excited about it,' said Barnes.
She noted that her students had grown confident throughout the process that led up to the final presentation and showcase.
The convention featured two categories: Game or Make Life Easier. Judges were assigned a category and grade level to judge, using a number system to rank each product. Inventions were required to fit the criteria for one of the categories to be eligible for the awards handed out at the end of the convention.
Scott McDaniel, an MTSU University Studies professor, was a judge for the fifth grade game category. He had never heard of the convention and was excited to take part in judging.
'I can see how much effort they put in, and how excited they are about their game,' said McDaniel.
The Tennessee Invention Convention is a regional event that sends winners to the national invention convention. This year's national competition will be held in Michigan at the beginning of June.
Williamson County's Page Middle School and Ravenwood High School won their respective divisions in the recent 2025 Regional Science Olympiad held recently at MTSU.
Ravenwood's team, from Brentwood, finished ahead of Central Magnet (Murfreesboro), Hume-Fogg Academic (Nashville) and Page (Franklin), with all four advancing to the state tournament Saturday, April 5, at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Page, second-place Rossville (Clarksville), Davidson County Homeschool (Nashville), Siegel (Murfreesboro) and Smyrna advanced to the middle school state tournament April 5 in Knoxville.
The tournaments drew 25 teams and a combined 350 students to the annual event, held in MTSU's Science Building, Davis Science Building, Wiser-Patten Science Hall and McWherter Learning Resources Center. It was organized by the Tennessee STEM Education Center staff for the second year.
Science Olympiad is a team competition where students in both divisions participate in 23 events related to various fields of science.
The budding scientists learned teamwork and principles of STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — during the all-day event that featured middle school activities like 'Mission Possible,' 'Potions and Poisons,' 'Air Trajectory' and 'Wind Power'
and high school challenges that included 'Dynamic Planet,' 'Microbe Mission,' 'Disease Detectives' and 'Bungee Drop.'
'Everything went fantastic,' said Kevin Ragland, a Tennessee STEM Education Center assistant director. 'All the events went off without a problem. The coaches, students and event supervisors were pleased.'
More than 70 volunteers, including MTSU students and faculty, six Nissan engineers and three from Ultium Cells LLC, a battery manufacturer in Spring Hill, assisted with the event.
MTSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from MTSU News and Media Relations.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Young students at invention convention, regional science olympiad
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Yahoo
Will Tennessee see the northern lights in 2025? Solar maximus peak could mean more chances
If you were up in the early morning hours of June 1, you might have been able to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis that crept down into the Tennessee area. If you didn't, don't worry, astronomers predict people in the South may have a chance to see it again in 2025. On May 31, a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a vast plume of solar material — erupted from the sun and began hurtling towards Earth, according to The CME is a geomagnetic storm that comes in Earth's direction that has the ability to hinder communications but also gives us the brilliance of the northern lights. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center stated on May 31 and into June that a G4 "severe" geomagnetic storm was emitted that had the potential to affect communication by hampering radio signals and satellites. On June 2, a G3 geomagnetic storm was also detected. The northern lights across Tennessee: See the photos and why we might see them again The geomagnetic storm is a coronal mass ejection (CME), which are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's atmosphere known as the corona, according to This is one of several coronal mass ejections and storms that Earth has experienced over the last several years. While these geomagnetic storms from coronal mass ejections can affect satellites and our power grids, they also create the aurora borealis effect. And when they are strong enough, they allow for the northern lights to be seen as far south as Alabama. Here's what you need to know about the storm and if Tennesseans will see the aurora borealis once again. Most likely not. The dancing red and green lights of the aurora borealis aren't an unusual sight for people in the northern part of the United States and in Canada, but in the South it is a rare treat. In May 2024, much of the country got to see them. In 2025, though, June 1 was the first time there was a chance that the aurora borealis could be seen further south. Recent predictions from NOAA have the northern lights dancing their way down to the northern states once again on June 2, but the chance Tennesseans would be able to see them is slim to none. Our friends further north have the best seats in the country for June 2's light show. States best positioned within the aurora viewing line include: Alaska Montana North Dakota Minnesota Wisconsin Michigan States as far south as Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska may have a chance to see the lights, according to NOAA. In 2024, NASA scientists predicted that the solar maximum, or the next peak in solar activity, would occur in July 2025. This means the northern lights will start to get stronger and more frequent as the solar maximum approaches, reported USA TODAY. Solar maximum is expected in July 2025, with a peak of 115 sunspots, according to NOAA. 'How quickly solar activity rises is an indicator on how strong the solar cycle will be,' said Doug Biesecker, Ph.D., panel co-chair and a solar physicist at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. 'Although we've seen a steady increase in sunspot activity this year, it is slow.' Even with slow activity, the peak in July could mean even more solar activity, including the geomagnetic storms that cause the Northern Lights. Meaning, seeing the aurora borealis in Tennessee again in 2025 is possible, but there are no guarantees. These slow moving expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields can cause issues on Earth, but are often heralded as a good thing for the light show they also provide. CMEs have been known to affect power grids, telecommunication networks and orbiting satellites and expose astronauts to dangerous doses of radiation, according to The expulsions are also the reason we get to see the aurora borealis in the United States without having to make a very long trek north. In short, the northern lights can be seen thanks to particles being released by solar flares from the sun and hitting the Earth's magnetic field. That colored glow from the aurora that we end up seeing is the particles interacting with atmospheric gas molecules. In this case, green and red light are emitted by oxygen. Blue and purple come from nitrogen, according to NASA. Tennessee may not be the typical place to see the northern lights, but it has been known to happen, according to The Tennessee Conservationist. When the sun goes through a solar discharge cycle, which is when the sun releases a large number of charged particles into space, the northern lights reach further south. Before May 10, the last time Tennesseans could see the northern lights were in 2023. There have been reports of the aurora borealis being spotted in the early 2000s as well. But since the sun is nearing a peak of a solar discharge cycle there is a chance for more light shows in the future. USA TODAY contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Tennessee see the northern lights 2025? Maybe, here's why
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Poplar Grove Middle and Johnson Elementary awarded TVA STEM grants to help fund projects
The Tennessee Valley Authority recently awarded grants to two Franklin Special District schools for new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) resources. Johnson Elementary School and Poplar Grove Middle School each received $3,500 to assist with education projects. Both schools used the funds to launch new programs for students this year, officials said. 'We know STEM teachers across the region are inspiring students to become the workforce of the future and that's why it's so important for TVA to continue to support this grant program,' TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash said in a release announcing the grants. 'Providing additional resources to schools helps provide essential hands-on learning programs that equip students with skills that will help them be successful in whatever they choose to do in life.' The agency's competitive STEM classroom grant program is operated in partnership with the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, managed by the Battelle organization. The program received 647 grant applications this year, and 342 were selected for funding, officials noted. At Johnson Elementary, grant funds were used to purchase composting materials for a new gardening program under the direction of library media specialist Dea Peach. Using hands-on activities, students will learn how organic waste can be transformed into nutrient-rich soil, reinforcing science concepts in an engaging way, Peach said of the program. 'We are excited to teach our students the importance of sustainability and environmental responsibility,' she said. 'This contribution from TVA will go a long way in helping us teach our students that these lifelong habits can contribute to a more sustainable future.' At Poplar Grove Middle, the grant funds were used to purchase educational materials to help guide students as they create and launch their own businesses, officials said. 'Students are learning core business principles and entrepreneurial skills that will help them work as their own boss,' said STEM teacher Deb Shuler. 'Using this grant-funded curriculum, students learn the difference between services and products and the difference between digital and physical goods and services.' Through the program, students in grades 5-8 were given a goal of presenting a product at the Franklin Special District's Performing Arts Center fundraiser. Teams then went on to compete against other schools and student-led business concepts in a statewide competition earlier this spring. One of the teams, from sixth grade, not only placed but won in the manufacturing category at the Tennessee Invention Convention, held on March 26 at Middle Tennessee State University. The team has been invited to participate in the national competition this summer, officials said. TVA's school grants were awarded through a competitive process, and preference was given to grant applications that explored TVA's primary areas of focus: environment, energy, economic development, and community problem-solving. Any school that receives power from a local power company served by TVA is eligible to apply for the annual program. TVA has provided nearly $8 million in STEM grants supporting over 730,000 students since 2018, the agency said. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TVA awards two Middle Tennessee schools $3,500 STEM grants
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
The Milky Way will be visible through May in Tennessee. Here's when to look
If the rainstorms break over Tennessee, people may just get a glimpse of the Milky Way this weekend. But if you can't, you have a chance through the end of May. Every evening we get a glimpse of the vast cosmos that is our galaxy with the different stars that twinkle in the night sky, but in May, the celestial light show is even more brilliant. The view of our home galaxy will be on display over the weekend and into the next week, and should be exceptionally vibrant, especially in the United States, in late May as the band arcs across the night sky. Here's a look at how long it should be visible and if Tennesseans could get a chance to see the cosmic event. Technically, you can always see the Milky Way, but some times of the year are better for viewing than others. The end of May just so happens to be that time. "Milky Way season," when the galaxy's bright center becomes easier to see from Earth, typically runs from February to October, according to Milky Way photography website Capture the Atlas. However, the best time to see the Milky Way in the Northern Hemisphere is from March to September. Peak days to view the Milky Way started on May 20 and go through May 30, according to science news website LiveScience. The best viewing time is between about midnight and 5 a.m., according to Capture the Atlas. The reason we can see so many stars during this time of year is due to the cycle of the moon and how high in the sky the Milky Way appears from our perspective here on Earth. At this time of year, on clear nights, especially with a new moon, Tennessee and the rest of the United States will have a good view of a fraction of the stars that make up our home galaxy. To get the best view of the bands, people should look toward the Summer Triangle. Which is "a shape formed by three bright stars" that span across the Milky Way, according to In the northern hemisphere, the Milky Way rises in the southeast, travels across the southern sky and sets in the southwest, according to To get the best view, stargazers should look on a clear night away from light pollution. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The Milky Way will be visible through May. Here's when to look in TN
