MSU
Bookstore kicks off Spartan Appreciation
The Triple Goddess Bookstore, located on the corner of Hamilton and Okemos roads, will hold its annual Spartan Appreciation Event from 11 a.m.
MSU
Bailey Scholars to sponsor conversation
The Bailey Scholars Program will be sponsoring the MSU Colloquy on Seeking Meaning, Purpose, Authenticity and Integrity Within the Larger MSU Community: Connecting the Inner and Outer Journeys. The first phase of the event will be Sept.
MSU
Program doubles education
Children can learn a lot from one teacher, but for Russ Stolberg's eighth-grade science class at Olivet Middle School in Olivet, students will be treated to two. MSU's Kellogg Biological Station, or KBS, will be holding a program over the course of the next academic year that allow doctoral students an opportunity to work in K-12 level science classrooms across the state, including Stolberg's. "If one teacher does not explain something that well, this gives us the opportunity to turn to someone else and have them explain it better, said Trisha Funk, one of the eighth-graders in Stolberg's class.
MSU
Campus debates culture, religion's roles in evolution
A campuswide debate about whether a person's views on evolution were determined by culture or religion was sparked after an MSU professor concluded Americans are less likely to accept the idea of evolution than people in other countries. Jon Miller, an MSU Hannah Professor of Integrative Studies, published a study in the Aug.
MSU
Innovations: Living language
Name: Deogratias Ngonyani, associate professor Department: Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages Type of research: Language documentation Date of research: Ngonyani said he plans on leaving for Tanzania sometime this month and will be there for nine months. He has done this type of research with two other African languages, but they were more vibrant in the number of speakers and locations in which they were spoken. Basics of the project: Ngonyani is focused on collecting information about Kikisi, an African language facing extinction, and what functions it performs. The language is only spoken among members of the community and is not written, he said. "Kikisi is spoken by less than 10,000 people, and the number of speakers are decreasing over time," Ngonyani said. Ngonyani will be collecting information about the language by writing down oral traditions, songs and folk tales.
MSU
MSU Webmail offers spam-blocking feature
Advertisers selling body-part enhancers and other prescription medications are clogging up some MSU Webmail inboxes, but university officials say there are ways to reduce the number of junk e-mails. MSU Webmail has a spam filter called SpamAssassin that helps cut back on the amount of spam actually making it into students' inboxes, said David Gift, vice provost for libraries computing & technology. In order to enable spam filters, users have to log into their account and click on the "preferences" link, Gift said. Webmail users have four options in blocking spam.
MSU
Llamas invade campus
By Matt Valant For The State News While the Idaho Vandals were storming Spartan Stadium on Saturday, a plethora of llamas and alpacas also made an appearance on campus.
MSU
'Represent the students'
Most students find it hard enough to balance work and school, but social relations sophomore Lauren Spencer hopes to add another responsibility. Spencer will run for one of the two available positions on the MSU Board of Trustees.
MSU
Company to offer advice about crops
A comprehensive nutrient management plans, or CNMP, training program will be available for farm consultants and engineers Nov.
MSU
MSU triathletes complete race
By Andrea Humanic For The State News Three MSU students put their bodies to the test when they competed in the Ludington Lighthouse Triathlon on Sunday in Ludington.
MSU
Prof predicts cashless vending on campus
Need a snack or drink but have no cash on hand? No worries. An MSU professor predicts vending machines that accept credit and debit cards will become more popular in coming years. Michael Kasavana, National Automatic Merchandising Association-endowed professor in hospitality business, does research with self-service technologies, including cashless vending machines. "By 2009, half of the six million vending machines will be capable of having cashless technology," Kasavana said.
MSU
Construction Zone
Construction at MSU didn't end with roads this summer, as dust, dirt, orange barrels and equipment still linger around campus buildings.
MSU
Innovations: Bird viruses
Name: Richard Fulton, associate professor Department: Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health Location: Diagnostic Center, 4125 Beaumont Road in Lansing Type of research: Bird diseases Basics of the research: The "Asian Bird Flu" is a deadly form of avian influenza virus.
MSU
Freshmen 'get lost' on MSU's campus
Dazed and confused with maps in hand, lost freshmen are a common sight on campus at the start of the school year. On a 5,200-acre campus with 660 buildings, MSU can be a difficult place to navigate. "As long as I can see the stadium, I'm good," pre-nursing freshman, Katie Hughes said. Capital Area Transportation Authority, or CATA, bus drivers often are asked for directions around campus, but if students don't name the building or know which buses run during a certain time of day, the driver's guidance can be more confusing than helpful. "I was advised by a bus driver to take the #37 Sparty East to the Pavilion (for Agriculture and Livestock Education), but it never went there.
MSU
Professor awarded with highest honor
MSU Professor David Hawkins received the Fellow Award in Teaching and the Animal Industry Service Award by the American Society of Animal Science — the highest honor in animal science.
MSU
Art is frequent focus in new Evening College courses
The Evening College, a program provided by MSU's Alumni Association, is offering 25 new classes, three of which will teach participants about art. New courses also include an international speaker series, the history of the cello, tai chi, the French Revolution, cooking and more.
MSU
Sparty denied spotlight
MSU's favorite tough guy met a rare defeat this summer. Sparty, the MSU mascot, was denied induction in the Mascot Hall of Fame's inaugural collegiate election this year. The Sparty Mascot Program, a section of the MSU Student Alumni Foundation, or SAF, was responsible for nominating Sparty.
MSU
Alumnus honored by dairy science group
The American Dairy Science Association honored MSU alumnus Kevin Harvatine with the 2006 Alltech, Inc., Graduate Student Paper Publication Award. Harvatine received the award for his article "The Effects of Fatty Acid Supplements on Milk Yield and Energy Balance of Lactating Dairy Cows," which was published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Harvatine is currently studying milk-fat depression in dairy cattle at a molecular level as a doctoral student at Cornell University.
MSU
Web site offers students book store alternative
As students rush around purchasing back-to-school items, a free online market, which allows students to exchange everything from textbooks to cars, is vying for students' shopping attention. Chegg.com, a national college classified online market, opened to MSU students about two weeks ago. "We created the Web site because, at the time, we felt we were being screwed by textbook companies," said Chegg.com co-founder Osman Rashid. Rashid, along with Aayush Phumbhra, created Chegg.com in 2003 at Iowa State University.
MSU
$27K donated to benefit program
When Steven Alexander, president of National City Bank of central Michigan, handed over a check to the College Assistance Migrant Program, or CAMP, he knew he was helping to fulfill the dreams of more than 70 MSU students. CAMP is a program that assists migrant farm worker students during their first year of college.