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MSU

MSU law professors believe race might factor into death penalty

Ashley Brown
August 11, 2010

Finding a possible correlation between race and justice, two MSU law professors statistically found race might play a role in North Carolina convicts being sentenced to the death penalty. MSU law professors Catherine Grosso and Barbara O’Brien began to research capital punishment cases in North Carolina about a year ago after the passing of the Racial Justice Act, which allows death row inmates in the state to appeal their sentences based on racial discrimination.

MSU

MSU officials merge landscaping material to save money

Andrew Krietz
August 11, 2010

MSU officials look to pile on the savings once the merging of landscaping materials is complete. About three piles of materials are in the process of being moved into one centralized location at the Beaumont Nursery in an attempt to increase efficiency and reduce costs by officials at the Physical Plant.

MSU

MSU professor discovers rare reptile fossil

Pat Evans
August 11, 2010

Animals in prehistoric Africa might have taken a drastically different evolutionary route than scientists previously thought, according to the results of a recent fossil discovered by an MSU professor in Tanzania. MSU professor and paleontologist Michael Gottfried was part of a research group, led by Ohio University professor Patrick O’Connor, that uncovered a mammal-like crocodile in the country located in southeastern Africa.

MSU

MSU Garden Plant Showcase educates horticulture experts

Alanna Thiede
August 10, 2010

Horticulturists, landscapers and other industry professionals wandered throughout MSU’s Trial Gardens inspecting blossoms for their color and durability among the varieties of this year’s plant breeds at the MSU Garden Plant Showcase. About 70 professional landscapers, horticulturists and plant breeders attended the annual showcase event held in the Plant and Soil Sciences Building and Trial Gardens. The day-long event featured presenters from MSU faculty and staff, as well as industry experts.

MSU

MSU vets use new technology to preserve salamander population

Ashley Brown
August 10, 2010

After learning North America’s largest salamander was in danger of extinction, MSU veterinarians have teamed up with two zoos to start researching the sticky situation. Due to the declining populations of the hellbender salamander, MSU researchers — with help from the Nashville Zoo and Antwerp Zoo in Belgium — have been tracking and collecting sperm samples from the remaining salamanders.

MSU

Garden Tour to be held Tuesday

Alanna Thiede
August 9, 2010

The annual MSU Garden Plant Showcase will take place all day Tuesday at the Plant and Soil Science Building and Trial Gardens. The showcase will feature MSU faculty and staff discussing top-performing plants.

MSU

MSU Quilt Index to receive grant

Meagan Choi
August 9, 2010

This fall, the MSU Museum’s Quilt Index — an online database of more than 50,000 quilt images — will prepare to expand its resources internationally, using an almost $100,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, or IMLS. The IMLS is the primary source of federal support for U.S. libraries and museums. The Quilt Index was one of 13 national recipients to receive one-year project planning grants.

MSU

17 program graduates to compete in election

Karen Confer
August 8, 2010

Seventeen graduates from an MSU political training program will compete in the Michigan November general elections to become legislators in the state House of Representatives. Since the Michigan Political Leadership Program, or MPLP, began at MSU in 1992, 10 graduates have served in the House and six currently serve.

MSU

MSU shows green thumbs on Garden Day

Aseel Machi
August 8, 2010

Friday was the annual Garden Day at MSU, led and organized by the MSU Horticulture Gardens, and with a dozen workshops and two keynote speakers, including the director of the MSU Horticulture Gardens, Art Cameron. The day is an opportunity for the public to learn how to be successful gardeners.

MSU

MSU, Habitat, Whirlpool join together to honor Sept. 11

Emily Wilkins
August 8, 2010

A decade after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the day has come to symbolize supporting America through service. To commemorate the anniversary, MSU will collaborate with Habitat for Humanity and Whirlpool Corp. for its 2010 Whirlpool Building Blocks program. The nation-wide program has targeted seven different communities in which to build a house, and MSU is the first college campus to be involved in the project.

MSU

MSU College of Human Medicine receives $1M donation

Emily Wilkins
August 8, 2010

MSU received $1 million from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation last week to help students at MSU’s College of Human Medicine get life-like experience as pediatric doctors. The grant will fund a pediatric simulation center containing high-tech mannequins used to simulate actual humans for pediatric students to practice on.

MSU

MSU professor creates pest-resistant soybean plants

Emily Wilkins
August 5, 2010

A new trait in soybean crops developed by MSU could help farmers be more efficient while reducing the amount of chemicals sprayed on the plants. Dechun Wang, an associate professor of crop and soil sciences, has developed two genes in soybean plants that render the plants resistant to soybean aphids, which are insects that feed off the plant.

MSU

GM allows students to test drive cars

Andrew Krietz
August 4, 2010

With a variety of makes, models and pricing points, owning a new vehicle might be one of the first expensive and confusing purchases a college student can make. Jason Fisher, the regional director of the investment company StraightLine, said that as a college student, it is necessary to think about the most important aspects of buying a vehicle — especially cost.

MSU

African languages class ends at MSU

Aseel Machi
August 4, 2010

There was a representation of 15 different African languages Wednesday evening at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, marking the end of the 18th annual Summer Cooperative African Language Institute, or SCALI, at MSU. SCALI is an eight-week educational course in African languages, combining four hours of class time with additional extracurricular activities and homework for students.

MSU

Free physics camp stimulates minds

Meagan Choi
August 2, 2010

Fifteen teachers are attending the Physics of Atomic Nuclei Program, or PAN, from Monday through Friday at the Cyclotron at MSU to learn about nuclear physics, research and classroom applications. PAN — the Cyclotron’s biggest outreach program — also offers nearly the same camp for high school students next week, Aug. 9-13.

MSU

MSU professor to earn national research honor

Ashley Brown
August 2, 2010

Steve Lacy, the associate dean for graduate studies in the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences, is expected to receive one of the most prestigious awards in the field of journalism Friday. The 2010 Paul J. Deutschmann Award for Excellence in Research, which is awarded by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, or AEJMC, is as an award that recognizes significant contributions to scholarly research throughout the course of an individual’s career.

MSU

Mentor program supports women's health researchers

Alanna Thiede
August 2, 2010

MSU researchers in women’s health will use a five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, to create a mentoring program that will connect junior faculty with experienced researchers. The Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health, or BIRCWH, program will be housed in the College of Human Medicine, said Mary Nettleman, a grant recipient and chairperson of the MSU Department of Medicine. MSU also has contributed funds for the program.

MSU

MSU researchers push for larger panda reserves

Aseel Machi
August 1, 2010

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.

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MSU protein research could pave way for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease treatment

Meagan Choi
July 29, 2010

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.