Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Take a peek behind the curtain and test drive the NEW StateNews.com today!

Campus

MSU

Beneath the soil

Archaeologists excavating the site of Saint's Rest, MSU's first dorm, aren't leaving anything to the imagination. With a little help from geophysicists, archaeologists hope to reveal the location of the residents' most private refuge - the outhouse. Tom Mann, a geophysical specialist from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, paced the area surrounding the dig site Wednesday morning, carrying a GPS unit and an instrument resembling a long plastic pipe.

MSU

Commission will review melee film

Daniel Thai
June 16, 2005

Video footage collected from students and police will be the focus of the next meeting of the independent commission reviewing the April 2-3 disturbances. The commission will meet at 10 a.m.

MSU

Designers focus on health, comfort in work spaces

Lindsey Poisson
June 14, 2005

It's not what employees can do for their work station, it's what their work stations can do for them. Everyone on campus, from students to staff, is in constant contact with work spaces that might be harmful to their health. Ergonomics is the study of people's relationships with their work environment, which can include computers, keyboards, boxes and furniture.

MSU

Fungi study might benefit farms

Bob Darrow
June 13, 2005

An MSU scientist is finding out the plants he studies rely on organisms too small for the naked eye to see. In the June 9 issue of the scientific journal "Nature," an MSU professor and other researchers explain how the interaction between microscopic fungi and many land plants could play a vital role in some of nature's most basic chemical processes. "We need to understand how these fungi function in helping the plants," said Plant Biology Associate Professor Yair Shachar-Hill, who did the study with researchers at New Mexico State University and the Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. That knowledge could help improve overall environmental quality by encouraging the growth of certain fungi, which would reduce the need for harmful fertilizers, he said. The microscopic organisms - called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, or AM fungi - are asexual and rely on a mutual relationship, or symbiosis, with plants to survive.

MSU

McPherson to speak on U.S. panel

Amy Davis
June 7, 2005

Former MSU President M. Peter McPherson will be one of the four national leaders in a roundtable discussion Wednesday morning in Washington to discuss the nation's role in international affairs.

MSU

Banjo 'immersion'

Lindsey Poisson
June 6, 2005

Joe Schelkopf and Linda Garrison sat outside McDonel Hall on Thursday with their banjos in hand. While they played, they took turns providing vocals and discussing technique. Schelkopf is from Nebraska and Garrison is from Missouri; they never met each other until the three-day Midwest Banjo Camp, here at MSU. The camp - which was held Friday through Sunday and attracted people of varying ages and skill levels, who play either old-time or bluegrass - provided "48 hours of banjo immersion." "We got people from all over the country," said Ken Perlman, director and instructor for the banjo camp and professional banjo musician.

MSU

Invention identifies plants, inspires learning

Jason Worthy
June 2, 2005

An invention used by the Michigan 4-H Children's Garden is making learning more exciting with the new Personal Science Assistant, or PSA, a device used to study plants and flowers. Similar to a handheld device, the PSA reads plant labels through a radio frequency and shows pictures and information about each plant. When using the device, kids can easily see what a certain plant looks like now, but also what it will look like in the summer, fall and winter. Also by the click of a button, the PSA can show how each plant will function in nature. Aparna Ramchandran, the MSU graduate student who invented the machine, said she wanted to create something different for her master's thesis. "My adviser came up with an idea about the PSA," she said.

MSU

Quit Tobacco class offered

Nick Pelton
May 31, 2005

Kicking the smoking habit is not easy, but Healthy U and Olin Health Center have teamed up to offer a free, monthly Quit Tobacco Workshop for the MSU community to help smokers take the first step to quitting. "It's a very user-friendly workshop," said Rebecca Allen, a spokeswoman for Olin Health Center. It's not only for people who have their heart set on quitting.

MSU

Former dean of MSU dies

Amy Davis
May 31, 2005

Richard Sullivan, former MSU historian and administration member, who is remembered by friends and co-workers for his sense of humor and dedication to the university, died on Thursday.

MSU

Funding may face changes

Amy Davis
May 26, 2005

Michigan House Republicans laid out a proposed formula for funding higher education on Wednesday that would reward universities for their contributions to the state's economy. The plan aims to invest in the state's future workforce by providing financial incentives for universities based on enrollment, the number and types of degrees and the amount of research at each institution. But local lawmakers worry MSU won't benefit as much as other schools because of the way the funds are divided. Under the new proposal for university operations, the schools combined could receive $1.65 billion - nearly $12 million more than under Gov.

MSU

U.S. House approves $10M RIA funding

Amy Davis
May 24, 2005

Recent lobbying efforts and proposed legislation have revitalized interest in the $1 billion dollar proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator project that, only a month ago, was thought by some MSU officials to be a lost cause. MSU and the Argonne National Laboratory, located near Chicago, have each been vying for the project, or RIA, but a limited federal budget stalled plans for either location to build it. Physics and astronomy Professor Bradley Sherrill said RIA would make its host the most technologically advanced institution in nuclear physics.

MSU

Ad Council fights civil inactivity across campuses nationwide

Nick Pelton
May 24, 2005

According to the Ad Council, an organization that promotes public service campaigns, people who are not civically active run the risk of getting "mannequinism," a fictional disease that renders its victims plastic and immobile. The "disease" is being used as a metaphor in a national advertising campaign to get 18- to 24- year-olds to be more engaged in their communities.

MSU

Ash borer awareness week begins

Alex Abate
May 24, 2005

Since the emerald ash borer is still a serious problem, this week kicked off the "Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week" in the states of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The emerald ash borer is a beetle that attacks ash trees and eventually kills them.

MSU

Construction on campus forces alternate routes

Bob Darrow
May 24, 2005

A few large-scale construction projects being tackled this summer could make walking, driving and parking on campus a little tougher for the next few months. Even MSU's president said the construction can be frustrating at times. President Lou Anna K.

MSU

Computer science enrollment declining

Lindsey Poisson
May 24, 2005

The national trend of decreasing computer science majors is occurring at MSU, especially in the last four years, according to data supplied from the Office of the Registrar. The Computing Research Association conducts a Taulbee Survey each fall showing the number of college students attending computer science and computer engineering programs.

MSU

People with disabilities take part in sports

Alex Abate
May 23, 2005

Like many other kids, 13-year-old Anthony Town enjoys playing table tennis and cycling. This weekend, he had an opportunity to do these events and more as he participated in the Michigan Sports Festival for Athletes with Physical Disabilities. Town was one of many people with cerebral palsy who competed in the festival on campus at IM Sports-West and Demonstration Hall, put on by the Michigan Disability Sports Alliance. The athletes are members of teams that compete in various events such as bocce ball, table tennis, cycling and swimming. "This event gives me a chance to play sports that I would not get to do in school," Town said. Town has a less severe case of the disorder, which disrupts the development of motor skills and can be a result of a brain injury. "I feel very fortunate that I can do most of the things that normal people do," said Town.