Endangered giant pandas in China could see significant change in their habitats due to research partially supported and conducted by MSU’s Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. There are large areas of natural habitat for giant pandas outside current captivities, which leaves much of the panda population vulnerable, according to research conducted by international and MSU scientists.
It is rare that a single paper changes the horizon of science. Instead, Wolfgang Bauer said scientists — including MSU researchers — publish countless papers and results that slowly push science toward a different direction. One such paper, examining protein folding, was published last week in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS, which showed proteins fold into their structures more slowly than previously thought.
Friday is the last day to be counted in the 2010 U.S. Census. Any Michigan resident who failed to mail back a form or talk to a census worker should call 1-866-872-6868 to be counted.
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.
Rain showers sent children and their parents fleeing for cover under the colorful canopies Wednesday afternoon at the East Lansing Family Aquatic Center, but after the sun came out less than five minutes later, the celebrations continued. The 2010 Summer Splash took place Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of the aquatic center, 6400 Abbot Road.
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.
Four area lawyers will vie to become 30th District Circuit Court Judge in Tuesday’s primary. The six-year position opened after the retirement of Judge James Giddings, leaving no incumbent in the race to become Ingham County’s newest judge. Competing for the position are: Clinton Canady, Gregory Crockett, Jim Jamo and Billie Jo O’Berry.
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.
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.
Textbooks might become a lot cheaper for students at MSU and across the nation if a bill in the U.S. Senate becomes law. The Open College Textbook Act, introduced in Sept. 2009, would provide one-year grants to universities and professors to produce quality textbooks that would be available for free online.
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.
Based on past voter turnouts and filings for absentee ballots, about 1.7 million voters are expected to vote in Tuesday’s primary, according to the Michigan Secretary of State.
The Capital Area Transportation Authority, or CATA, will offer free rides to all customers with a Michigan voter registration card during regular service hours Tuesday, the date of the primary elections. Valid cards must be presented to the driver upon boarding to receive a free ride.
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.
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.
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.
With magic tricks, blues music, free food and speeches from a variety of Michigan’s advocates for disability rights, the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, was celebrated Monday on the Capitol steps in Lansing. The ADA provides disabled citizens with civil protections that provide equal opportunities in education, communications, transportation and employment.
Although most still are in operation, some local hookah bars have watched their profits go up in smoke as a result of Michigan’s workplace smoking ban. The law prohibits smoking in public areas, but because more than 75 percent of sales are derived from tobacco products, hookah lounges such as Blue Midnight Hookah Lounge, 330 Albert Ave., are not required to cut smoke from the premises.
Burger lovers in East Lansing and at MSU have something to look forward to this fall. A franchise location of Five Guys Burgers and Fries will open in September at 623 E. Grand River Ave., replacing Take 2 Authentics, with construction beginning Monday, said owner Michael Abrams.
The Ingham County TRIAD Senior Prom provided dinner, dancing and live music for about 300 people who attended, and was sponsored by the nonprofit Ingham County TRIAD and Elder Law of Michigan, said Lansing police Sgt. Traci Ruiz, who organized the event and is the chair of TRIAD.