MTSU Mondays: Young scholar excels, 'Trailblazers' honored, horse show benefit

Courtesy of MTSU
·3 min read

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

Physics freshman chosen for key research program

Physics major Ariel Nicastro of Franklin was selected from about 200 applicants to participate in the 2023 Training and Research Experiences in Nonlinear Dynamics, a summer research program also known as a research experience for undergraduates or REU.

Training and Research Experiences in Nonlinear Dynamics, or TREND, is a 10-week undergraduate summer research program at the University of Maryland in College Park, funded by the National Science Foundation. This year’s program will take place from May 30 to Aug. 4.

Nonlinear dynamics models can be used to study spatially extended systems such as acoustic waves, electrical transmission problems, plasma waves, and so forth.

Middle Tennessee State University freshman physics major Ariel Nicastro of Franklin, Tennessee, makes an adjustment to the controls the oscilloscope she utilizes while looking at one of the pulses transmitted through the coaxial cable filter in her MTSU research. The lower device is a function generator configured to generate short electrical pulses. Nicastro will spend 10 weeks this summer performing nonlinear dynamics research at the University of Maryland in College Park after the Honors College Buchanan Fellow was chosen to participate in the 2023 Training and Research Experiences in Nonlinear Dynamics, or TREND, summer study.

A Buchanan Fellow and University Honors College student, Nicastro’s achievement is remarkable because she is a freshman.

“She is the first freshman who I know of to be offered an REU in the 15 years I have been here,” said Laura Clippard, international fellowships and Honors College coordinator. “She is very motivated and organized; this is an incredible opportunity for her.”

Nicastro will be among 12 undergraduate researchers from across the country. This REU gives students a taste of graduate school and research to help them choose their career path. Students receive professional development training, including outreach and communication, while participating in summer-long dialogues about social justice in science.

Four awarded 'Trailblazers' for Women’s History Month

Four individuals were honored for their efforts to uplift women as part of this year’s National Women’s History Month celebration, with a theme of “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.”

The 2023 Trailblazer Awards were presented during a special ceremony at the Ingram Building’s MT Center. The awards recognize members of the MTSU community, both on and off campus, who work to serve women. Winners are nominated and voted on by faculty, students, and staff.

Recipients of the 2023 Trailblazer Awards for National Women’s History Month at Middle Tennessee State University hold their awards presented March 1 inside the Ingram Building’s MT Center on Middle Tennessee Boulevard. Pictured, from left, are Christina Cobb, assistant professor, University Studies Department; Lori Huertas, risk management and insurance program coordinator, Jones College of Business; Future Trailblazer, student Hayden “Gracie” Sizemore; and Katie Foss, director, School of Journalism and Strategic Media.

This year’s Trailblazer honorees were Christina Cobb, assistant professor, University Studies Department; Katie Foss, director, School of Journalism and Strategic Media; Lori Huertas, risk management and insurance program coordinator, Jones College of Business; and Future Trailblazer, student Hayden “Gracie” Sizemore.

  • Cobb — Instructor of mathematics modifies her teaching methods to a student’s specific needs and launched a digital platform that “focuses on women's empowerment through workshops and mentoring.”

  • Foss — Professor of media studies and a published author, emerged nationally as a sought-after expert on the media’s handling of health and diseases at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic with her book, “Constructing the Outbreak: Epidemics in Media and Collective Memory.”

  • Huertas — Pursuing doctoral degree, a higher education bilingual expert who mentors others by providing guidance, tips, and solutions to business challenges.

  • Sizemore — A senior majoring in interdisciplinary media, with her work on campus programs, the weekly film screenings, and the annual student film festival, among others.

April 1 horse show benefits recovering veterans

The eighth annual CERV Spring Spectacular Open Show, which benefits the Center of Equine Recovery for Veterans, or CERV, will be held starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 1, in the main arena of the Tennessee Livestock Center, 1720 Greenland Drive. The event is free to spectators.

A member of one of the Middle Tennessee State University equestrian teams carries the U.S. flag into the Tennessee Livestock Center during the opening ceremony for the CERV Spring Spectacular Open Show in April 2022.. This year’s benefit horse show will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 1, the MTSU’s Tennessee Livestock Center. (Submitted photo by Ashley Foster)

The event features open divisions for all ages of riders and different levels of classes from Hunter Seat to Western events, said Andrea Rego, who oversees the CERV program which is a partnership between MTSU Horse Science and the VA Murfreesboro Veterans Recovery Center. The event, which is scheduled to run until 5 p.m. offering a variety of disciplines for exhibitors, will showcase alumni and current veteran participants at noon, Rego said.

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

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU Mondays: Young scholar excels, trailblazers honored, horse show benefit