Mississippi State University

Hosting the Southeast Journalism Conference for the first time in university history, Mississippi State University student journalists earned top honors, securing four institutional awards: first place for Best Radio Station, second place for Best TV Station, third place for Best Public Service Journalism and third place for Video Newscast, in addition to multiple individual awards. MSU competed against 200 students from universities of Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee, as well as approximately 20 other universities from across the Southeast. Students heard from 16 journalism professionals--including MSU alumni now working in journalism, reporters from The New York Times and The Hill, a news anchor from WLBT-TV, the nation's top college football reporter and the senior editor for the Minnesota Vikings--for discussions about the changing media landscape. Founded in 1986, SEJC exists for the advancement of journalism education in the Southeast and is open to any regional university or four-year college with courses in journalism or mass communication.

A team of 12 Mississippi State students received national recognition this fall for their innovative Bully Bot robot design during the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering's Student Division Robotics Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. The students are members of MSU's ATMAE chapter, represent the industrial technology program in the College of Education and joined participating universities from across the country in the competition at the annual conference. The MSU team won the Best Mechanical/Manufacturing Design Award, judged on materials used, documentation, functionality, innovative use of technology and overall design. The People's Choice Award, voted on by all conference attendees, also went to the MSU team. Additionally, senior Tommy Avery of Eupora won first place and a $300 prize in the Haig Vahradian Student IT/IQ Challenge, a "Jeopardy"-style competition based on topics taught nationally in industrial technology programs. The students spent two months designing, building and programming the Bully Bot this fall. The body of the robot was 3D-printed on campus, and Taylor Machine Works, Inc. cut arm, base and top pieces for the lifting mechanism. The team received monetary support from East Mississippi Lumber Company; Renfroe & Perilloux, PLLC; and True Grit, Inc. Faculty members involved include industrial technology instructors Denise Adair, Jody Buchanan, Mickey Giordano and Lara Threet. Buchanan is the faculty advisor for MSU's ATMAE chapter and recently served as the national vice president of the student division, which hosts and organizes the conference's robotics competition and student events. Buchanan is slated to be president for the next two years, and Threet will take over as vice president of the student division.

For the first time, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are national champions of collegiate debate. The MSU Debate Team claimed top honors at the April 2024 International Public Debate Association National Tournament. In another first, MSU also served as the tournament host, with 50 colleges and universities making their way to Starkville to compete for national titles. The International Public Debate Association is the largest intercollegiate debating association in the U.S., with more than 200 colleges and universities from across the country competing in IPDA tournaments in 2023-24. IPDA debating emphasizes a mix of logic, rhetorical skill and adaptability, as students debate a new topic each round and have only 30 minutes to prepare. The MSU team squared off over four days of competition against hundreds of top competitors from programs across the country, including the universities of Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Southern Methodist, Boise State, Cal State, Abilene Christian, Dallas Baptist and Union universities.

Mississippi State University students are transforming a Cadillac LYRIQ as members of MSU's EcoCAR Electric Vehicle Challenge team. The EcoCAR team spent more than a year developing designs to implement an all-electric powertrain as well as connected and autonomous features into the vehicle. The interdisciplinary team of students is now implementing these designs as they compete against some of the top universities in the country in the four-year competition. MSU has a long history of success in EcoCAR competitions, part of the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and MathWorks. The competition gives an interdisciplinary team of students hands-on experience to complement what they learn in the classroom, with many EcoCAR alumni receiving high-paying jobs in their chosen industry because of the technical and soft skills learned in the competition.

Mississippi State University students are winners of top awards for journalism excellence after recently attending 2023 National College Media Convention. The Associated Collegiate Press and the College Media Association collaborated to sponsor the event-the nation's largest gathering of collegiate journalists, media students and their advisors-in Atlanta. With attendance topping 1,000 attendees, the annual NCMC brings together students and professionals as they discuss challenging publishing and broadcasting problems, share successes and learn about new trends in media. The ACP, founded in 1921, serves the student media population by introducing new ideas and reinforcing best practices, rewarding excellence, embracing diversity and providing ample networking and partnership opportunities. As the voice of collegiate media and its advisors, the CMA, serves student media professionals, staff and programs through education, research and resources.