Plant biology professor Sheng Yang He was named one of the nation’s most innovative plant scientists by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, or HHMI, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, or GBMF.
It’s not often that an a cappella group enjoys being booed, but the Accafellas aren’t your typical a cappella group. They’re an all-male, nine-member singing group, made up of MSU students ranging across a variety of majors.
MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB, appears to be the latest program to fall victim to funding cuts at the federal level. Last week, the U.S.
Friday marked the 40th anniversary of the U.S. “war on drugs,” a policy of zero tolerance first declared by then-President Richard Nixon in 1971, but members of the MSU branch of Students for Sensible Drug Policy hope that this anniversary will be the country’s last. MSU Students for Sensible Drug Policy, or MSU SSDP, held a candlelight vigil at 8:30 p.m.
Musicians from all ages and abilities convened in East Lansing this weekend for the ninth annual Eric “RicStar” Winter Music Therapy Camp, an opportunity for people with special needs to explore musical expression.
Two MSU graduate students have been chosen as members of the 2012 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A.
This Saturday, Potter Park Zoo will be celebrating summer by hosting a number of activities for people of all ages. The day starts with the Wild 1-Mile race, where children 12 and under will have the chance to run through the zoo, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., in Lansing, and see exotic animals up close. TV personalities Evan Pinsonnault from WLNS and Tim Nester from WILX will be on hand to host the event. There will be games, a bounce house and face painting, along with other activities put on with the help of the zoo’s community sponsors, including Impression 5 Science Center, Meridian Historical Village, MSU Science Theatre and more. Potter Park also will be hosting the eighth annual Volks Folks at the Zoo, featuring various types of Volkswagen cars, which will be located just outside the zoo. General admission still will be charged for the day’s events, although participants in the Wild 1-Mile will have their fee waived after registering for the race. Dads who attend the zoo on Father’s Day, June 19, will receive free admission. The zoo is open daily year-round, with summer hours from 9 a.m.
State residents have the opportunity to recommend regulation reform that would make Michigan’s rules more conducive to job creation and more user-friendly. Michigan’s Office of Regulatory Reinvention, or ORR, currently is accepting applications for citizens to join their Advisory Rules committees, which will assess regulation concerning natural resources, occupational licensing and liquor control in the state.
Michigan’s first hydraulic excavator using hybrid technology is being operated at a construction site on MSU’s campus. AIS Construction Equipment Corporation, a 50-year-old Michigan-based company, is the supplier for what will be the Bott Building for Nursing Education and Research located on Bogue Street south of Service Road.
After trying several different dating websites without much luck, Columbia University senior Lara Hirner signed up for a new site, datemyschool.com, hoping for the best. When using other dating sites, Hirner said she had difficulty meeting normal people with interests similar to her own.
Making living arrangements for the summer can be a frustrating and complicated process for students. With many apartment complexes offering only 12-month leases, students can be forced to scramble to find someone to take their lease during the summer or risk paying for an unused apartment.
East Lansing residents will have a new place to take their technology-related problems when a computer repair store opens at 228 Abbot Road.Spartan Tech Center will be filling the vacancy left by Swirlberry and is owned by Adna Technologies, a Lansing-based company that offers information technology services.
Unlike many students in her graduating class who still are searching for their first post-graduation job, MSU alumna Chelsey Frank is busy working for a company she loves. Two days after graduating from MSU in May 2011, Frank started her job in the marketing department at Zaarly, a buyer-powered online market. Frank said she got her job because of the connections she made while she was involved with MSU Entrepreneurship Network, or msuENet. “The network definitely provided an avenue to connect with a lot of awesome people,” she said.
Tuesday marked the start of the 9th annual Summer Music Series at the Eastwood Towne Center, 3003 Preyde Blvd., in Lansing. The concerts run every Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. until August 16 and are free to the public.
MSU is the first university to partner up with LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network. LinkedIn’s College Pilot Program will allow students and alumni in the MSU network to test out the website’s professional development applications before they become available to the general public.
The scandal involving sexual photos sent by Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., has made national headlines over the last two weeks, culminating in his decision to take a leave of absence to seek treatment on Sunday. While many have debated whether Weiner should be forced to resign, the scandal has demonstrated the power of social media. The culture of social media fostered by websites such as Twitter and Facebook has resulted in people such as Weiner being unable to separate work from social experiences, MSU professor Bob LaRose, from the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media, said in an email. “Problems arise from becoming overly involved at the expense of real world responsibilities,” LaRose said.
Many MSU students studying this summer have chosen to take advantage of online course offerings to give them an edge when they return to campus in the fall. With the onset of ANGEL and other digital communication methods, instructors are finding ways to provide education without having to convene on campus. Byron Brown, an economics professor and coordinator of instructional technology support for Libraries, Computing and Technology, said MSU has been offering online courses for more than a decade to provide a supplement for learning in a digital age. Any department on campus can develop an online course through MSU’s Virtual University, Brown said, but all departments are required to uphold the course’s objectives in a way that proves successful in an online setting. International relations and psychology sophomore Kanza Khan said she enrolled in an online class to get ahead in school while living at home in Troy, Mich., this summer.
About five months after its implementation at MSU, campus officials said the Zipcar program has been successful. Jennifer Battle, assistant director of campus sustainability, said the car sharing program — originally launched in January through a partnership with Cambridge, Mass., company Zipcar — has been well-received among MSU students and faculty. “I would generally say we’re on a successful track,” she said.
As summer sets in, East Lansing will host a number of musical performances. The 15th annual Summer Solstice Jazz Festival will take place in East Lansing June 17-18 from 4:30-10:30 p.m.
An ejector pump overheated at about 5 p.m. Monday in the mezzanine level of Breslin Center, East Lansing fire Deputy Chief Patrick Nakfoor said. An ejector pump drains water and waste from buildings.