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School-based health centers promote healthy students, MSU study finds

Ashley Brown

July 29, 2010

School-based health centers prove effective in exposing students to healthier behaviors, according to a recent study conducted by an MSU researcher. After examining health centers in middle and high schools across the state, the study found school-based health centers are a convenient asset because students can seek health care without leaving the building, said Miles McNall, a researcher in MSU’s University Outreach and Engagement.

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Neighborhood Concept pilot leader named

Emily Wilkins

July 28, 2010

Philip Strong, who currently is the assistant dean for Lyman Briggs College, has been named the leader of the Neighborhood Concept pilot project in Hubbard Hall for next year. As leader of the Hubbard pilot program, Strong will coordinate programs involved with the Neighborhood Concept and work with faculty and students. He also will be in charge of assessing the effectiveness of the programs.

MSU

Parking program to assist graduate students

Andrew Krietz

July 28, 2010

MSU’s graduate student government and the city of East Lansing plan to introduce a new parking program in the fall for graduate and professional students, following a deal reached Tuesday.The Council of Graduate Students, or COGS, has discussed the possibility of such a program with city officials since fall 2009. Under the program, which was approved by the East Lansing City Council on Tuesday, the city would sell a bulk number of parking permits at $150 — a 50 percent discount — per semester for Lot 10, or the Division Street ramp.

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MSU activities board finalizes U-Fest events

Andrew Krietz

July 28, 2010

New and returning MSU students might find themselves climbing up a wall or pigging out on free food samples upon their return to the university before the start of the fall semester. Officials at MSU’s University Activities Board, or UAB, have spent much of the summer securing sponsorships and planning activities for its 30th annual U-Fest, which is scheduled to be held from 7-11 p.m. Aug. 30 at the Union.

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MSU's STARTALK aids Arabic teachers

Alanna Thiede

July 28, 2010

Learning Arabic can be difficult for both native speakers and newcomers to the language. But MSU’s Detroit Center hopes to give educators useful strategies for this task during a two-week STARTALK workshop. The national program to improve the teaching of languages, including Chinese, Arabic and Hindi, began Monday and continues through Aug. 6.

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Community Music School hosts musical theatre camp for Mich. students

Ashley Brown

July 27, 2010

The MSU Community Music School is turning students into triple threat performers with its new Musical Theatre Camp this week, teaching young performers the ropes of the stage in a little more than a week’s time. From Monday through Friday, more than 60 students from grades 2-12 will fill their days with singing, choreography, acting, costume design and other activities that will prepare them for the basics of a stage production.

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MSU continuing update of digital archives

Emily Wilkins

July 27, 2010

MSU’s University Archives & Historical Collections is beginning to assemble a new system called Spartan Archive, which will aim to be one of the leaders in digital archives, or an archive in which the documents were originally in digital format. The Spartan Archive will be a database of MSU’s digital records, some dating back as far as the 1970s. Because older digital documents can be in a variety of formats and difficult to open, Spartan Archives will put all documents on a similar, easy to access format.

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Annual Bug Day educates youth about insects

Meagan Choi

July 27, 2010

More than 175 children and parents attended the seventh annual Bug Day on Tuesday at Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden. Various stations were set up around the gardens with hands-on activities, such as making a bug hat out of a paper plate, creating an insect out of pipe cleaners and tasting honey with graham crackers.

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Alumni play softball for charities

Andrew Krietz

July 25, 2010

Area alumni and participants dodged rain showers and fly balls Saturday morning in the hope their team walked away not only a winner, but a bit richer for charity. The MSU Alumni Association hosted the MSU Young Alumni Softball Tournament, a first of its kind for the organization, at East Lansing Softball Complex, 6400 Abbot Road.

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MSU professor researches Parkinson's disease

Meagan Choi

July 25, 2010

Inspired by a documentary he watched as a college student and the patients he now treats as a physician, John Goudreau is researching a protein called Parkin that might help prevent Parkinson’s disease. There is no cure for the disease, which kills brain cells and can cause tremors, loss of movement and psychological impairment.

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MSU dean named co-chair of Michigan Nursing Education Council

Ashley Brown

July 25, 2010

MSU’s Dean of the College of Nursing, Mary Mundt, was appointed co-chair of the new Michigan Nursing Education Council with the goal of upgrading the state’s nursing curriculum to a national level.

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Residents, children learn about model trains

Anthony Odoardi

July 22, 2010

The Lansing Model Railroad Club was joined by the Capital Area Railway Society and the Grand Rapids Model Railroad Historical Society to host the inaugural Train Day at the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden at MSU, and the garden plans to expand the clubs involved for next year.

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Great Dairy Adventure kicks off at MSU Pavilion

Anthony Odoardi

July 21, 2010

the 13th annual Great Dairy Adventure on Wednesday at the MSU Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education offered a way of better understanding Michigan’s largest agricultural industry. The consumer education dairy event is organized by MSU and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, or UDIM, and is part of the Michigan Dairy Expo ­— the largest dairy event in the state — which squeezes in activities throughout four days.

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MSU-assisted website allows tracking of invasive species

Emily Wilkins

July 20, 2010

In 2002, the emerald ash borer killed tens of millions of trees in the state of Michigan. Now, a new website created by an MSU professor identifies areas vulnerable to invasive species, such as the emerald ash borer, in an attempt to prevent outbreaks and damage to the environment. The site, metroinvasive.info, contains maps showing “hot” areas for exotic species, information useful to researchers who are interested in the human mediated dispersion of pests.

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MSU center uses methane gas to study waste, energy

Meagan Choi

July 19, 2010

The MSU Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center — completed in April from a private grant — studies optimal ways to convert waste into energy by harvesting naturally occurring methane gas. Using methane — a greenhouse gas — also will reduce the negative effect it would have on the environment if left untreated.

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MSU medical students to research at Kenyan hospital

Alanna Thiede

July 19, 2010

MSU medical students and faculty will be able to study and complete research at Chogoria Hospital in Kenya as part of a new agreement through the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and Institute of International Health, or IIH. The partnership was announced Monday and sets up a program for fourth-year medical students in the College of Osteopathic Medicine to study in Chogoria, Kenya for six weeks as part of an international elective program.

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2nd annual Livestock Expo hits MSU Pavilion

Aseel Machi

July 18, 2010

With dozens of sheep, goats, hogs and cattle, the second annual Michigan Livestock Expo was in full swing this weekend at the MSU Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education. Featuring exhibitions, sales and contests, the expo will conclude Tuesday with an auction of the award-winning animals from the 8- to 20-year-old exhibitors. The expo is the largest in the state.

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Students living on campus to split cost of Brody water switch

Andrew Krietz

July 18, 2010

MSU students living in residence halls will split the cost of switching the Brody Complex’s water supply to East Lansing’s water system. The switch, which occurred during the spring semester, has doubled the amount MSU typically pays to supply water to campus buildings. MSU’s Hospitality Services and all students who reside on campus will pay for the switch through room and board rates in lieu of students living in Brody’s residence halls picking up the entire cost.

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Agriculture Expo to be held Tues.

Emily Wilkins

July 18, 2010

The 31st annual Michigan Agriculture Expo will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. Held at the corner of Farm Lane and Mount Hope Road, the event is sponsored by MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, or CANR. The expo will include a variety of exhibits, more than 235 vendors and events such as livestock handling and a toy tractor show.

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MSU Extension to hold parasite class

Andrew Krietz

July 18, 2010

MSU Extension is offering a program to help sheep and goat producers manage the internal parasites of their animals. The workshop, Integrated Parasite Management Program for Sheep and Goat Producers, will be held Saturday in Manchester, Mich.; July 31 in Union City, Mich.; and Sept.