• Technology at MTSU similar to what is seen in Avatar ?brings science to life,? says Dr. Anatoliy Volkov, associate professor of chemistry. Student researchers say the advanced 3D visualization and GPU-based high-performance computing sets MTSU apart from other universities. The MT 3D VizLab, short for the Stereoscopic 3DVisualization Laboratory, can be used to perform high-level research in various scientific disciplines including chemistry, biology, economics, engineering, geoscience, and health care. The lab is equipped with NVIDIA?s 3D technology and includes a stereoscopic 3D projector, a 16-display 3D hyperwall, and 25 pairs of 3D shutter glasses. The wall can visualize a single image across all 16 monitors, or each monitor can have a programmable relationship to other images. Volkov and colleagues have applied for external funding for a much larger 3D tile wall and for another lab with a 3D projector and 50 3D glasses. MTSU chemistry professor Dr. Preston MacDougall, as a NASA Ames Research Center summer fellow, collaborated with the inventors of hyperwall technology to extend its application to molecular visualization and drug design. His grant proposal brought the 3D hyperwall to MTSU.
  • Jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are projected to grow 13 percent by 2022. Chemistry graduates with advanced degrees will particularly find better job opportunities with pharmaceutical and biotech companies. MTSU's state-of-the-art science building offers both large and small lab spaces so faculty can pursue research projects with both graduate and undergraduate students. A memorandum of understanding between the university and Oak Ridge National Laboratory also has been renewed three times.