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MSU

Having a ball

Amy Oprean
July 27, 2006

Clarkston High School sophomore Allie Brown dashed up the right side of Old College Field on Wednesday, yelling for her teammates' attention as she passed the ball to her fellow players on team Spain. Challenging team England for the MSU Spartan Soccer Camp's world cup playoffs, Brown and her team were wrapping up a three-day stay on campus — usually filled with drills, scrimmages and living like a college student in Wonders and Wilson halls. MSU women's soccer head coach Tom Saxton said the campus, which has welcomed about 980 girls and boys during four weeks of camp, is one of the things the camp-goers enjoy most. "We have really beautiful fields, and being on a college campus makes them feel like an adult," he said. Associate director of athletics Karen Langeland said Wednesday was the last day for any sports camp at MSU, which has held camps for 17 different sports — including soccer, cross country and diving — during a six-week period of time. This summer 8,654 kids, mostly between the ages 10 and 16, visited campus for various camps, a figure that is down a couple hundred from last year, she said.

MSU

University to dedicate collection to couple

Andrea Byl
July 27, 2006

The vibrant orange, yellow and red daylilies outside of the MSU Main Library represent more than just an addition to the Beal Botanical Garden. The Jean and Alfred Goldner Hybrid Daylily Collection is a small token of thanks for the $1 million-1.5 million endowment for the gardens. The final amount of the endowment depends on the sale of a plot of land from the Goldner family, said Frank Telewski, professor of plant biology and curator of the garden. Alfred Goldner, a 1941 MSU graduate, passed away in the fall of 2003, leaving one of his farms for the university to sell so that an endowment for the garden could be set up as he and his wife, Jean Goldner, had planned to do. Alfred Goldner's personal work has left a mark on horticulture, with the creation of more than 50 hybrid plants and the introduction of exotic plants to the landscape architecture field, Telewski said. Alfred Goldner took a special pleasure with the daylilies.

MSU

Efforts to oust MSU law dean continue

Kathleen Polesnak
July 26, 2006

Debate as to whether MSU administrators can override strides by tenured faculty of the MSU College of Law to remove Dean Terence Blackburn continue, while some say the problem reveals a broader struggle about conflicting policies between the law college and the university. A majority of the tenured faculty members at the law college submitted a statement of objection in April to Provost Kim Wilcox saying Blackburn should be removed from his position as dean.

MSU

Outside the box

Andrea Byl
July 26, 2006

Hickory Corners — The large manor overlooking Gull Lake appeared even more extravagant with the extensive gardens surrounding it in full bloom.

MSU

Karate group turns 30

Andrea Byl
July 24, 2006

A karate instructor called out and a group of children quickly formed a circle around the smallest boy, towering over him at twice his size.

MSU

MSU researches plant bacterial disease

Justin Kroll
July 20, 2006

Crop damage due to plant diseases could be minimized after MSU researchers discovered how one disease attacks crops. MSU researchers have been studying a bacterial disease that has been affecting tomato crops across the country and has caused serious crop loss in recent years. The researchers discovered how the disease destroys the plants and compared it to the way a disease attacks a human. "Through our research, we have discovered that the pathogen is actually attacking the plant's defense mechanism," said Sheng Yang He, an MSU professor of plant biology, plant pathology and microbiology and molecular genetics and head researcher in the study.

MSU

Dairy event educates children

Andrea Byl
July 20, 2006

Sam Moreno slowly scooted away from the large dairy cow he had just finished milking. The 8-year-old Lansing resident is not used to being around livestock but said he enjoyed the experience of milking a cow Wednesday at the Great Dairy Adventure during the 10th annual Michigan Dairy Expo. "It was fun," Sam said.

MSU

MSU aims to acquire research building

Kathleen Polesnak
July 19, 2006

MSU may purchase property located about a mile and a half away from campus near Grand River Avenue because of a growing need for research space. The building could provide several colleges with additional space to conduct laboratory and classroom research for both faculty and students, said George Benson, executive director of the MSU Foundation. The two-story building, owned by the Huntsman Corp., is located at 4917 Dawn Ave., near Paul Revere's Tavern, 2703 E.

MSU

MSU doctors create treatment plan for patient relationships

Justin Kroll
July 19, 2006

A new treatment developed by MSU doctors is designed to help physicians create better relationships and communication with their patients. The treatment plan uses several methods, such as pharmaceutical treatment and behavioral changes, to help doctors treat patients with symptoms that are difficult to diagnose.

MSU

MSU hosts 27th annual agricultural exposition

Andrea Byl
July 18, 2006

Tractor competitions, ice cream sampling and a petting zoo are just a few things the MSU Agricultural Equipment Exposition, or Ag Expo, will offer this week. This summer will mark the 27th year MSU has hosted the event, said Laura Probyn, spokeswoman for the Ag Expo. The expo begins today and continues until Thursday, and is sponsored by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, opens at 9 a.m.

MSU

Main Library upgrades technology, furniture, study spaces for fall

Kathleen Polesnak
July 17, 2006

Roads and sidewalks aren't the only places on campus experiencing construction this summer — every floor and both wings of the Main Library are experiencing a makeover. But despite the caution tape and movement of reference materials, the library has continued to stay open. Construction started the day after spring finals and is scheduled to be finished for the fall, facilities manager Jim Hensley said.

MSU

Student wins journalism awards

"Sam Howell clutched the arms of his wheelchair, lips pursed, eyes wide with determination. "He was going to stand." These two sentences lead into a story that catapulted journalism senior Melissa Domsic into more than $17,000 worth of scholarships for her reporting.

MSU

Command post cabana

Lindsey Poisson
July 13, 2006

A four-wheel, hitch trailer with four expandable rooms, a fuse box for a power generator, collapsible railings on the roof for observation, removable insulation, air conditioning and heating. It has about 480 square feet of room, weighs about 90,000 pounds and costs about $100,000. What might make a swanky fold-out camper is actually the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety's new mobile emergency center called a "cabana," which officers used Wednesday in a training exercise. Purchased using a $300,000 homeland security grant issued from the state, the cabana can be used as a command post, first aid facility or area for emergency workers to rest in an ongoing incident. MSU police Inspector Bill Wardwell said the department made a case that MSU is a potential terrorist target because of the amount of research the university does, the amount of people who come to public events —including football and basketball games — and the number of influential people who visit the campus. "We identified several things that would help us respond to a terrorist attack, this being one of them," he said.

MSU

MSU joins partnership to increase Mich. tourism

Justin Kroll
July 13, 2006

Unlike other states across the nation, Michigan's tourism industry has not seen the type of growth it would like to see. But Travel Michigan, a group that helps plan statewide travel, and the MSU Tourism Center have formed a council to make a strategic plan to help the tourism industry in the future. Michigan ranks about 13th nationally in the tourism industry, said Don Holecek, the tourism center's director and the team leader of the plan.

MSU

MSU day camp educates kids about paleontology

Andrea Byl
July 12, 2006

Several children surrounded Danita Brandt as she pointed to the details of a freshly found fossil at the MSU Museum's Fossil Camp on Tuesday. "A lot of people confuse paleontology and archeology, but the kids have it straight," said Brandt, a professor of geology at MSU who teaches the camp.