Name: Associate Professor Douglas Luckie Department: Physiology and the Lyman Briggs School Type of research: Acidity of cystic fibrosis cells Date of research: Luckie began this field of research about 15 years ago. Basics of the project: In his research at the MSU Cystic Fibrosis Lab, Luckie compares model cells that line both healthy and cystic fibrosis-infected lungs.
Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing, became the chamber's youngest member when she was sworn into her new position in Tuesday's Senate session. Whitmer defeated Vince Green in last week's special Senate election to fill the vacant 23rd District senate seat. Whitmer, 34, said she enjoyed the experience and felt welcomed by members from both parties. She went straight from the Senate session into her new committee meetings Tuesday. "There was no honeymoon today," Whitmer said. The committees Whitmer was assigned to were the Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism; Local, Urban and State Affairs; Judiciary Gaming and Casino Oversight; and the Health Policy committee, where she will serve as the Minority Vice Chair. Her major plans for this week are catching up on the bills and issues before her new committees, since she will be attending committee meetings during the week. "There will be a lot of reading bills and analyses," she said. Whitmer said she appreciated the welcome and offers of assistance made on the floor by Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema, R-Wyoming, and Senate Minority Leader Bob Emerson, D-Flint. "We welcome Gretchen to the Senate with open arms," Emerson said in a press release.
With one day down and one day to go for student government elections, Residence Halls Association officials hope students will pass their request for a $3 tax increase. Students who live on campus pay $22 a semester to the Residence Halls Association, or RHA. If students vote in favor of the increase, on-campus residents will pay $25. Only students who live in the residence halls can vote on RHA's tax increase. The election will be held until 8 p.m.
Mark Burnham switched teams mid-season when he accepted the position of MSU's associate vice president of governmental affairs Tuesday. Burnham, who holds a similar position with the University of Michigan, will start work in Washington, D.C., on April 1. "He's awesome," said Steve Webster, MSU's vice president for governmental affairs, of Burnham.
A green refugee tent flapped in a frigid March breeze Monday afternoon outside the Auditorium. The tent was constructed by members of Spartans Taking Action Now: Darfur, or STAND, to illustrate the home of one of the 2.5 million displaced Sudanese refugees. About five members of STAND gathered near the tent to spread awareness of genocide in Darfur, Sudan, through a postcard-writing campaign. The campaign, Million Voices for Darfur, is a national movement organized by The Save Darfur Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based alliance that aims to raise awareness about the Darfur situation. The coalition's goal is to deliver 1 million postcards to President Bush urging him to push for a larger movement to protect the people of Darfur. "A lot of people stop and talk," STAND President Lindsey Hutchison said.
By Jessica Sipperley For The State News The students who work at WDBM (88.9-FM), also known as the Impact, are seeing gold — for the sixth time. For the sixth time in seven years, the station was named the college radio station of the year by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and Broadcast Music Inc. The award was presented March 14 at the Great Lakes Broadcasting Conference at the Lansing Center. General manager Gary Reid said the award, which is presented as a gold record, is a product of collaboration among staff members who submit the radio station's best work for judging. "Because we've won for so many years, it's become something every staff strives for," Reid said.
By Liz Kersjes For The State News Free gourmet coffee is hard to resist. Area Beaner's coffee shops, in association with MSU, are offering a free coffee tasting event known as a "cupping" with coffees from around the world this week. This event is designed to give students and area residents a hands-on learning experience about the new fair trade trend in the coffee industry, said Allison Campbell, an international relations sophomore who initiated the event. "The focus of this event is to raise awareness about the success of fair trade, and why it's successful worldwide," she said.
By the end of the night, downtown East Lansing could be roughly twice the size it was this morning. The downtown district currently stretches from Valley Court Park to Collingwood Drive.
The MSU chapter of the Phi Beta Delta honorary society was recently awarded both outstanding Midwest chapter and outstanding national chapter for its achievements and efforts in programming, chapter growth and community outreach. The honorary society is composed of students, faculty and staff who have academic experience abroad and is dedicated to promoting international education on campus. "When you look in terms of what's happening, you would be alienated in terms of your own existence if you're not aware of what's happening globally," said Charles Gliozzo, an MSU professor and member of the MSU chapter of Phi Beta Delta. Representatives from the chapter will accept the awards at the Phi Beta Delta national conference in San Diego on Thursday. "Since (members) are so dedicated, it's a testimonial to the work they've been doing for many years," Gliozzo said.
Abortion providers must give a woman the option to see ultrasound images of her fetus before an abortion, after Gov.
A 19-year-old MSU student was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct on Friday. Mark Miller faces 15 years in prison if convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, which involves penetration with force or coercion. He is scheduled for a preliminary exam on March 31 at East Lansing's 54-B District Court.
For Crystal Recollet, powwows are a family affair. The 24-year-old said she's danced in powwows for as long as she can remember, but this is her first year at MSU's Pow-Wow of Love. Recollet crafted a yellow-beaded headband for her friend's son as she explained her family's involvement with powwows. "My sister's here, my cousin's here, my nephew's here," she said.
By Toshira Johnson For The State News A hushed "awww" escaped the lips of the crowd as nearly a dozen dancers, ranging in age from 9 to 60, took the stage, the subtle tapping of their handcrafted white-leather metallic boots filling the Auditorium. Claps of approval rang throughout the Auditorium as they performed the quick steps and fancy footwork of a traditional dance of Guerrero, Mexico.
After more than 25 years in prison, including time spent with Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada emerged to become a beloved political figure in post-apartheid South Africa. On Sunday, he came to MSU to talk about his experiences as a political prisoner and to sign copies of his latest book, "Memoirs." His first work, "Letters from Robben Island," was published by MSU Press in 1999. Speaking about the almost total isolation in which the prisoners were kept, Kathrada shared the story of the night he and his fellow prisoners were informed of their imminent release in October 1989. "That Saturday night, they came to our cell and said they had just received a fax from prison headquarters saying we were going to go free," Kathrada said.
Debate has yet to cease about the 12 Danish cartoons that depicted the Muslim prophet Muhammad in a derogatory manner. Students, residents and media took their shoes off in the entrance of the Islamic Center of Greater Lansing on Saturday afternoon and took a seat to hear the perspectives of six scholars. The cartoons, which were published last month, have ignited protests and caused about 50 deaths throughout the world. Farhan Abdul Azeez, president of the Muslim Students' Association, said the tension of the cartoons will end only after people are educated about other faiths, adding that events like having the speakers at the center will help make the public more aware of that. "We need to turn this negative into a positive by educating people," Azeez said.
The spring runways all followed the same trends: pretty sundresses, formal gowns, sporty athletic gear and avant garde one-of-a-kind ensembles. But in Lansing's Old Town on Sunday, the models were a little more concerned with sniffing each other than primping in front of the mirror. Gone 2 the Dogs held its first fashion show in Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St., featuring 15 pups.
Eleven state universities would see a funding increase of less than 2 percent this fall under a Republican proposal approved Wednesday by a Senate panel. The legislation — covering universities in the budget year that starts Oct.
The Big Easy needs your help. I didn't know to what extent that was true until I went down to New Orleans and saw it for myself. MSU's Alternative Spring Break sent 23 people there, including myself, to gut three houses severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. When the storm hit last August, homes were flooded, destroyed and washed away.