MSU is known for many things. Football, basketball, agriculture, the Red Cedar River and, of course, the generalized social behavior of its students. But possibly the most important aspect of the university hardly ever comes up in casual conversation - research.

Now we're not talking about any old research that could be deemed by some as a waste of time. Quite the contrary. Although it might come as a surprise to some, MSU is at the forefront of services that actually garner real world good. Yes, much of MSU's research truly helps some people and society in general.

Birds from all over the country have been sent to MSU for research on the West Nile virus. Researchers are currently looking for ways to curb the invasion of the emerald ash borer, which has ravished ash trees in our state, as well as others. At MSU, we have the leading researcher of the ever-present identity theft in the nation. We're working toward understanding and preventing the spread of mad cow disease, and continuing stem cell research which could prove to benefit countless people across the globe. MSU has often been a leader in forensic pathology and identification of human remains. Norman Sauer, professor of anthropology and social science, was recruited to travel to New York City following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, in an effort to identify the victims.

And those are just the ones we can name off the top of our heads. It's likely that at any given time, MSU is at the forefront of innumerable and important research that affects the future of our species.

It's incredibly impressive that our public university houses so many great minds with so much potential. As students, we should be proud to attend an educational institution with such high-caliber researchers. And as students, we also should try to find out as much as possible about the research of our professors. Too often we find ourselves moaning and groaning over the PowerPoint presentations in class. Although those might seem boring, it's important to remember that teaching is often just a small part of our faculty members' responsibilities.

We have and continue to strive to reveal these important research strides to our readership. But we know there's a slew of things going on that we are unaware of. If you know of any research we have not yet given any coverage, please let us know by contacting Editor-in-Chief Amy Bartner at editorinchief@statenews.com or by calling our editorial office at (517) 355-8252.