MTSU Mondays: Dubai police visit, Gary Mule Deer screening, Q&A Oct. 4

Courtesy MTSU
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Here's the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University.

Professional exchange program welcomes Dubai Police Force delegation

The Office of International hopes a professional exchange program it hosted over the summer with a delegation from Dubai leads to similar future opportunities in partnership with the United Arab Emirates.

The inaugural Business Analytics and Forensic Science Global Study program was sponsored by the Dubai Police in partnership with multiple departments and offices across the university during a three-week professional exchange program.

Dubai Police Force students work with Forensic Science program chair Frank Bailey, professor of biology, to examine a sample in a forensic lab as part of the Business Analytics and Forensic Science Global Study program in August at Middle Tennessee State University.
Dubai Police Force students work with Forensic Science program chair Frank Bailey, professor of biology, to examine a sample in a forensic lab as part of the Business Analytics and Forensic Science Global Study program in August at Middle Tennessee State University.

“It was a huge undertaking, but these scholarly exchanges strengthen the cooperation between the Dubai Police and MTSU to create more partnerships with the United Arab Emirates in general,” said Rehab Ghazal, associate vice provost in the Office of International Affairs, who facilitated the summer program.

MTSU welcomed 14 graduate students from Dubai who participated, including a prince and two royal family members. There were seven Ph.D. candidates in fields of law, legislation, innovative entrepreneurship, forensics and computer science, as well as a physician and a dentist.

Cameron Barnes, a recent MTSU Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations graduate, shows members of the Dubai Police Force students participating in the Business Analytics and Forensic Science Global Study program at Middle Tennessee State University in August how the controls work on one of the university’s drones.
Cameron Barnes, a recent MTSU Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations graduate, shows members of the Dubai Police Force students participating in the Business Analytics and Forensic Science Global Study program at Middle Tennessee State University in August how the controls work on one of the university’s drones.

A major portion of the coursework included classroom instruction within multiple educational disciplines.

Associate Professor Sam Zaza and Assistant Professor Stephanie Totty, both from the Department of Information Systems and Analytics, taught them business analytics. In addition to classroom instruction, the professors welcomed industry professionals from Keller Schroder in Nashville, who talked about how to use the data visualization to keep track of crime.

“In addition, we took the group to Nashville for a visit to (IT and software consulting firm) CGI, which hires many of our students from the Information Systems major,” Zaza said. “CGI talked about the importance of analytics and data visualization in their work as IT and business consultants.”

The curriculum included:

  • Toxicology experiments from biology professor Frank Bailey, head of the Forensic Science program;

  • Introduction students to the MTSU Outdoor Forensic Facility by biology professor Yangseung Jeong;

  • Tour of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation;

  • Workshops on policing and forensic archaeology from Elizabeth Q. Wright, associate professor of Criminal Justice Administration, and Tom Holland, director of the Forensic Institute for Research and Education, or FIRE;

  • Tour the professional pilot facilities at the Murfreesboro Municipal Airport lead by Chaminda Prelis, chair of the Aerospace Department.

Comedian Gary Mule Deer visits Oct. 4 for screening, Q&A

The College of Media and Entertainment will host a free public screening on Oct. 4 of “Show Business Is My Life, But I Can't Prove It,” a documentary on the life of comedian Gary Mule Deer.

The screening begins at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, in S102 State Farm Room in the Business and Aerospace Building on campus, 1827 MTSU Blvd.

Gary Mule Deer, comedian, musician
Gary Mule Deer, comedian, musician

The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Gary Mule Deer and wife Nita Mule Deer as well as alumnus Ryan Blazer, who is Mule Deer’s manager. The panel will be moderated by Beverly Keel, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment.

Mule Deer’s documentary, “Show Business Is My Life, But I Can’t Prove It,” premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in late 2022 and is now streaming on all major platforms. The film features appearances by David Letterman, Vince Gill and Amy Grant, Jay Leno, Alice Cooper, Steve Martin, Conan O’Brien, and more.

Mule Deer’s combination of comedy and classic country music has set him apart as a one-of-a-kind entertainer who cuts across all ages and demographics. In a six-decade career, he has shared the stage with well over 100 country and pop music legends, performing everywhere from the Hollywood Bowl to Carnegie Hall.

Mule Deer is one of six comedians, along with Jay Leno, to star in the very first HBO comedy special. He was comedy host of “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” for four years on NBC, was a series regular on “Make Me Laugh,” and is featured on the DVDs “Jeff Foxworthy’s Comedy Classics” and “The World’s Greatest Stand-up Comedy Collection.”

MTSU Mondays content is provided by submissions from MTSU News and Media Relations.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: MTSU Mondays: Dubai police visit, Gary Mule Deer screening, Q&A Oct. 4