Janice Harte is hoping her voice stays in mint condition today.
The assistant professor of food science, who is recovering from a case of laryngitis, is one of four MSU experts to be prominently featured on a National Public Radio broadcast originating from MSU.
“Talk of the Nation: Science Friday,” hosted by veteran science correspondent Ira Flatow, will go live from the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building at 2 p.m.
Harte said she’s excited to be on the program.
“It’s quite an honor,” she said. “I don’t really know what to expect.”
Flatow is on his second visit to MSU as part of the McPherson Professorship, a program to promote the understanding of science.
An anonymous donor gave $2 million to the university and asked MSU President M. Peter McPherson and his wife Joanne to set up the program.
“I think he’ll bring a broad set of excellent knowledge and viewpoints,” M. Peter McPherson said. “Science is not just something for science students. Some basic understanding of science and how it integrates into knowledge is, in fact, a part of being a well-educated person.”
The first hour of the broadcast will be devoted to new automotive technologies, including fuel cells, and will feature Harold Schock, director of the Engine Research Laboratory at MSU.
Chemical engineering Professor Bruce Dale said fuel cells convert chemical energy into electrical energy. Although many think the technology could lead to a cleaner future, Dale said they’re not yet a refined technology. Dale said the technology could be integrated into vehicles within 20 years.
“Unless you produce the fuel that drives the fuel cell cleanly, overall, in its life cycle it isn’t necessarily cleaner,” he said.
The show’s second hour will discuss new products in the food science industry.
John Partridge, an associate professor of food science and human nutrition, said he’s “a little nervous” about what the show will cover, but feels prepared to discuss MSU’s work to a national audience.
Partridge said the department has ongoing research in dairy, beef, fruits, vegetables and cereals.
“I think we have one of the better food science programs in the country,” he said. “We certainly have outstanding facilities.”
Mark Uebersax, chairman of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, said having faculty on Flatow’s program is a terrific opportunity for MSU.
“It’s very gratifying, very thrilling to have this kind of involvement in a nationally respected program,” he said.
MSU Trustee Donald Nugent said the department deserves all the attention it can get.
Nugent, CEO of Graceland Fruit Cooperative Inc. in Frankfort, located about 40 miles west of Traverse City, said MSU is very good at preparing students to work in the food science and human nutrition industries.
“You run into graduates of Michigan State’s food science department all over the world,” he said. “You just find MSU everywhere you go.”
Local listeners can tune in on WKAR (870-AM).
