Job satisfaction, tenure and promotion are strengths that recently helped make MSU the 14th best place to work in academia, according to The Scientist magazine’s annual workplace survey. MSU’s weaknesses were listed as peers and research resources.
More than 250 farmers, growers and chemical company representatives sat with their feet dangling off the sides of wagons Wednesday as tractors pulled them into corn and soybean fields for the 2010 MSU Weed Tour. The annual tour, sponsored by MSU’s departments of Crop and Soil Sciences and Horticulture, took place in fields near the MSU Plant Pathology Field Lab on College Road and allowed growers from across the state to look at research plots and make comparisons for weed treatments.
MSU-owned public TV station WKAR’s TV and radio broadcasting power soon will increase as the station’s 57-year-old tower will be replaced at the Dobie Road, Okemos site this summer. The station’s original tower, built in 1953, now is considered outdated, making WKAR eligible for federal grants to fund a replacement.
This year, MSU Carillonneur Ray McLellan will be performing with a special purpose in mind. McLellan’s performance will feature a dedication to Milton Muelder, an MSU faculty member and carillonneur who died recently, as well as compositions by two of his other musical influences. The summer series kicked off Wednesday evening at the Beaumont Tower with a performance from Steven Ball, a carillonneur from the University of Michigan.
This year will be the second year the CMS Jazz Camp returned to MSU, with day and night programs available to high schoolers throughout Michigan. The camp is being held during the week, with an ending concert Friday from camp attendees. The camp features a number of programs for people who are interested in expanding their skills in playing jazz instruments.
Children circled through numerous stations to examine fossils of fish, bugs and several other organisms and learn about their significance on the first day of a fossil camp hosted by the MSU Museum. The annual Fossil Camp at the MSU Museum began Monday with a class of 12 students.
When MSU alumna Michelle Adams was a senior at MSU, she took a course about sustainability in the production of apparel and textiles. The class showed Adams she could combine her passion for sustainability with design, and it inspired her to start her own textile company, Rubie Green, in 2007.
Max’s Race, a 5K run/walk to raise money for Cure Kids Cancer and the Maxwell C. Matthews Foundation, was held Saturday at MSU to celebrate its sixth year of fundraising to benefit children’s cancer research. Although Max did not have cancer, the family thought raising money for children’s cancer research was the best way to make people aware of the illnesses to which children are subjected.
Barbara Conley, an MSU cancer specialist, was selected to be the new associate director of the Cancer Diagnosis Program at the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, in Maryland. Conley will leave in mid-August after serving about five years as the chief of MSU’s Division of Hematology and Oncology, a position that enabled her to oversee projects at MSU, such as the development of the Clinical Cancer Research Center and the MSU Breslin Cancer Center.
In observance of the Fourth of July holiday, the MSU Museum will be closed July 3 through July 5. The museum will resume operation July 6, with regular hours from 9 a.m.
At a network reception with 65 other teams of finalists and about 250 people in the profession, political theory and constitutional democracy senior Maria Bianchi and political theory and constitutional democracy senior Laura Kovacek were announced as the winners on June 10. The top six teams were invited to go to Washington, D.C. during Media Scholars Week, where they meet individuals who work for advertising and marketing with companies such as Facebook, Google and CNN.
200 classes began at MSU on Wednesday as part of 4-H Exploration Days — a pre-college program designed for career exploration and hands-on learning experiences. About 2,500 students from across the state participated with ages ranging from 11-19. The sessions span a variety of categories, such as aerospace, animal and veterinary science, environmental education and outdoor adventure challenge.
Enviro-weather, an MSU-sponsored website that collects weather-related data for agricultural workers, is attempting to find private donors to counteract a $40,000 budget deficit due to state cuts in the university’s funding. If the deficit is not filled, some of the 64 statewide weather stations might have to close or reduce services.
As the university eliminates landlines in residence halls, the MSU Department of Residence Life and the MSU police are increasing the number of emergency green light phones across campus. The Green Light Telephone System involves telephones strategically placed across campus on walkways, roads, parking areas, and buildings, including the Natural Science Building, Bessey, Berkey and Wells halls. They are soon to be installed on every floor of each residence hall.
MSU veterinarians are taking part in a study to combat several types of cancers found in dogs, which researchers said could help improve treatments for humans. The From Bark to Bedside project is a two-year, $5.3 million study focusing on the genetics that cause cancer in breeds of canines. The project is being led by the Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids, and will focus on five cancers between five to 10 different dog breeds.
A Brys Estate Wine Dinner featuring winemaker Coenraad Stassen will be held 7-9 p.m. Thursday in The State Room at Kellogg Center. The Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery is a Michigan-based 32-acre vineyard with more than 28,000 vines.
Children practiced their vocabulary and learned to introduce themselves in French on Monday, marking the beginning of a series of six language summer camps taking place at MSU’s Community Language School. The campers in the French Summer Camp for Kids will use their newly attained vocabulary to go on ventures across campus, including ordering ice cream at the MSU Dairy Store in French.
Jody Ackerman, the newly appointed senior director of development and external relations for MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, or CANR, is looking forward to connecting with alumni and donors to take CANR and the university to a higher level of fundraising. Ackerman was chosen by Jeff Armstrong, dean of CANR, and Kris Bradley, the senior director of constituency programs for MSU’s University Development, to link the interests and passions of alumni and organizations that want to support CANR through fundraising, Armstrong said.
The American Red Cross will host a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Wednesday in the Physical Plant lunchroom. Although Physical Plant employees are encouraged to give, walk-ins from the public are welcome to donate as well.
The Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden will sponsor “Wizards Day” from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the gardens. The day will uncover the magic of the gardens, discovering flora and creating willow wands and herbal potions.