MTSU Mondays: ‘Animal body farm’ research, employer tuition partnership

From animal "body farms" to tuition partnerships and special programs, Middle Tennessee State University is offering groundbreaking opportunities.

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

Although many people have heard of the human cadaver “body farm” in East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University boasts one of only a handful of outdoor animal decomposition laboratories in the U.S.

Tucked away in the corner of a nondescript field in the Blackman area of Murfreesboro, the MTSU Outdoor Forensic Facility, or MOFF, is a 12-acre laboratory where biology professor Yangseung Jeong does research and experiential learning opportunities using animals instead of human specimens.

“I train students and provide students with hands-on practice for search and recovery,” said Jeong, who came to MTSU in 2017 to work with the interdisciplinary Forensic Science Program in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences. “I also invite outside people for workshops or seminars. I bring them here and provide them with training.”

If you’ve ever wondered what happens to roadkill, Jeong has found a way to put the discarded carcasses to good use.

“When I moved to MTSU, I wanted to have my own decomposition facility for my taphonomy research,” said Jeong, who established MOFF in 2018. “My current research is focused on what kind of scavengers are active in this area and what kind of evidence they leave on skeletal materials.”

Taphonomy is the study of the processes (such as burial, decay, and preservation) that affect animal and plant remains as they become fossilized, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Over the past five years, Jeong’s received around 70 carcasses — mostly small mammals — from raccoons and opossums to deer, coyotes, and pigs.

Large storage tubs provide decomposition receptacles for carcasses. Each is covered in chicken wire to provide air circulation and access for insects. In the open air, all soft biological material can be removed from bones within approximately three to five days at the earliest.

Jeong also sets up experiments with enclosed carcasses, which slows down the decomposition rate. Outside temperatures also affect the speed at which putrefaction occurs.

Once bones are mostly free of organic material, Jeong sorts and dries the bones, then stores them in his lab on the MTSU campus. He’s already amassed dozens of specimens, which help him teach students about how to differentiate between animal and human bones, as well as how to discern the marks of various types of scavengers. Read the full story at mtsunews.com.

MTSU, Barrett Firearms sign employee tuition partnership

Leaders and representatives from MTSU and Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. met recently to formalize their partnership that provides tuition assistance to eligible Barrett employees.

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and Joel Miller, vice president for sales and marketing for Barrett, revealed details during a signing ceremony at the Barrett facility in Christiana, Tennessee.

“Under the agreement, eligible employees at the company will be able to take any MTSU classes each year in any topic at a substantial tuition discount,” McPhee said. “The company will also utilize the Applied Leadership Certificate Program offered by MTSU’s University College as part of a program they are calling Barrett University. This partnership is designed to empower employees to learn and advance their careers no matter where they are on their journey.”

Known for its distinctive, shoulder-fired .50-caliber rifle, the company earlier this year became part of the NIOA Group — a family-owned global munitions company based in Australia.

“We are proud to announce this partnership with Middle Tennessee State University, a collaboration that underscores our commitment to an environment of continuous development,” said Miller, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former military science professor at MTSU. “At Barrett, we believe in the significance of lifelong learning, and this sponsorship exemplifies our dedication to empowering individuals to reach their full potential through education."

The Applied Leadership program offers a specialized curriculum for adult learners employed in business and industry and provides up to four individual undergraduate certificates covering topics relevant to today’s business environment.

Each certificate consists of two seven-week online courses and an intensive training with some additional online coursework. The on-site portion of the intensives is typically offered as a five-day, Monday through Friday session or two consecutive weekend sessions. These are offered in both remote format and on-site.

David Gravely, director of quality at Barrett, is currently enrolled at MTSU in the Applied Leadership program as part of the integrated studies major through University College. He said the experience has been very worthwhile.

“I've had the unique privilege of being one of the first Barrett employees to enroll in MTSU through our new partnership,” said Gravely, who has worked at the large-caliber firearms maker since 2018. “This experience has been truly inspiring, particularly with General (Keith) Huber's guidance in my recent Leading and Developing Teams class.”

Retired U.S. Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, MTSU’s senior advisor for veterans and leadership initiatives, along with Hilary Miller, director of MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, teach the leadership classes and both were on hand for the signing ceremony.

Gravely, whose daughter Courtney is an MTSU senior exercise science major, added “this collaboration has so far not only expanded my educational horizons but also enriched my personal and professional growth.”

MTSU’s partnership with Barrett marks the 15th such agreement with local companies that choose to provide an educational discount to its employees.

For more information about earning a degree, contact MTSU University College at 615-494-7714 or visit mtsu.edu/finishnow/.

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

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: MTSU Mondays: ‘Animal body farm’ research, employer tuition partnership