[019] MTSU graduate wins first place in Pick Tennessee Products competition

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — An MTSU alumna can claim that her company’s product is the “Pick of Tennessee.”

Java Hemmat’s Nashville-based Hummus Chick, a firm that makes hummus for retailers, won first place at the 2016 Pick Tennessee Products Trade Show. The event took place during the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association’s Food Expo June 8 and 9 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“Our customers drive our passion, and we’ve listened to so many great stories about the meals enjoyed in the Mediterranean,” said Hemmat. “Through these stories, we found that there’s a gap in the Mediterranean cuisine enjoyed in the (United) States.”

All the products judged at the trade show are produced in Tennessee and are part of the Pick Tennessee Products program, which is sponsored by the state Department of Agriculture. They were judged for originality, taste and packaging.

Hemmat, a naturalized American citizen from United Arab Emirates, moved to the United States in 1998 and relocated to Nashville in 2003 after earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration from MTSU.

Her hummus also has been honored as a past nominee for the Martha Stewart American Made Awards. Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip made from chickpeas, olive oil and other ingredients.

Hemmat sells regular hummus, hummus with roasted garlic and cilantro and spicy hummus with pesto at 24 locations around the state. In August, Hemmat intends to launch a line of three new spice blends named after Mediterranean cities — Marrakech, Provence and Shiraz.

“The best part of our vision is that we’ve partnered with Heifer International to donate proceeds to 120 countries around the world to help families thrive in their communities,” said Hemmat.

To learn more about Hummus Chick, go to www.ilovehummuschick.com or www.facebook.com/Hummuschick/.

[018] Arts turn STEM into STEAM Week at MTSU

MURFREESBORO — Take STEM … science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Add the arts and it turns STEM into STEAM.

More than 30 Murfreesboro and Rutherford Country youngsters in grades K-7 are experiencing STEAM Week at MTSU this week.

Sponsored by the Tennessee STEM Education Center, STEAM Week is an art- and dance-focused camp combined with STEM, with the added discipline of visual arts. Students are being exposed to different art forms including mural design, ceramics, clay, oil paints and more.

For Annie Frierson, 10, a rising sixth-grader at Mitchell-Neilson Elementary School, it not only “was really fun,” but “I learned a lot about art and learned about coding. We played with robots in the technology lab.”

Frierson has attended Camp STEM at MTSU, but this was her first time to be a part of STEAM Week.

Activities included:

• Building “doodling robots” (robots drawing for the children).

• A visit from artist Jonathan Garner, who brought the science of explosion.

• Exploring the science of music with Hobgood Elementary teacher Corynn Moore and Matthew Pyles from Harpeth Hall School in Nashville.

• The science of dance led by instructor Heather Brown, an educational assistant at Mitchell-Neilson.

• A visit by Murfreesboro City Police Department’s SWAT team robot.

The group will visit the MTSU Engineering Technology laboratories and learn about solar boats, lunar rovers and more.

Part of July 19’s activities were filmed by Nashville’s WNPT for airing at a later date.

To learn about future Camp STEM and STEAM Weeks at MTSU, visit http://www.campstem.us/about-us/, email David Lockett at David.Lockett@mtsu.edu or info@campSTEM.us or call 615-569-5904.

[017] Register now for July 28 annual Business Tax Seminar at MTSU

Participants can earn continuing education credits

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Registration is open for the eighth annual 2016 Tennessee Business Tax Seminar Series to be held Thursday, July 28, at MTSU.

The Tennessee Department of Revenue and the Department of Accounting at MTSU’s Jones College of Business are hosting the event, which will be held on the second floor of the newly renovated Andrew Woodfin Miller Sr. Education Center at 503 E. Bell St.

The registration fee is $190 for all participants. Registration and other information can be found at http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting/seminars.php. Free parking will be available.

The seminar is designed to provide current, in-depth information on Tennessee tax issues to business owners, CPAs, and other interested parties. State tax specialists will present recent developments in legislation, including updates from the current 2016 legislative session and discuss various tax types and exemptions including business, sales and use, gift and inheritance, individual income and tangible personal property.

Individuals who attend the seminar will be provided with comprehensive materials covering these topics and will have the opportunity to ask questions. Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits may be obtained for these sessions.

Representatives from the Tennessee Department of Revenue, Tennessee Comptroller for the Treasury and Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development will be providing the main speakers. New MTSU accounting department chair, Jeannie Harrington, will provide opening remarks.

For more information, contact Tonya Davenport at tonya.davenport@mtsu.edu or 615-898-5306.