MSU

Great Dairy Adventure kicks off at MSU Pavilion

Anthony Odoardi

July 21, 2010

the 13th annual Great Dairy Adventure on Wednesday at the MSU Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education offered a way of better understanding Michigan’s largest agricultural industry. The consumer education dairy event is organized by MSU and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, or UDIM, and is part of the Michigan Dairy Expo ­— the largest dairy event in the state — which squeezes in activities throughout four days.

MICHIGAN

New study finds hope for Mich. economy

Emily Wilkins  and  Karen Confer

July 21, 2010

High-tech manufacturing holds the hope for Michigan’s economic future, according to a report released Wednesday by MSU, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. As of 2007, advanced manufacturing employed more than 380,000 citizens, about 10.3 percent of the state’s workers. On average, they earned more than $60,000 annually, which still is increasing. By comparison, employees in traditional manufacturing jobs earned about $50,000 annually.

MSU

MSU-assisted website allows tracking of invasive species

Emily Wilkins

July 20, 2010

In 2002, the emerald ash borer killed tens of millions of trees in the state of Michigan. Now, a new website created by an MSU professor identifies areas vulnerable to invasive species, such as the emerald ash borer, in an attempt to prevent outbreaks and damage to the environment. The site, metroinvasive.info, contains maps showing “hot” areas for exotic species, information useful to researchers who are interested in the human mediated dispersion of pests.

MICHIGAN

E.L. Kiwanis member elected club international trustee

Alanna Thiede

July 20, 2010

After speaking to a crowd of 7,000 Kiwanis at the 95th annual Kiwanis International Convention in Las Vegas last month, attendees voted Sue Petrisin into the international trustee position. She will serve a three-year term as a trustee and member of the governance and leadership education committees beginning Oct. 1. Kiwanis International is a service-oriented organization focusing on assisting children on a local and global scale.

MICHIGAN

Poll reveals narrow race for GOP primaries

Karen Confer

July 19, 2010

As Attorney General Mike Cox and U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, are locked in a statistical tie for the lead going into the Republican gubernatorial primary Aug. 3, Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder has been gaining ground, according to a poll released Friday by Glengariff Group Inc., of Chicago. After surveying 500 voters across Michigan, the poll shows Cox with 26.4 percent of the vote, Hoekstra with 25.6 percent and Snyder with 20.2 percent.

MSU

MSU center uses methane gas to study waste, energy

Meagan Choi

July 19, 2010

The MSU Anaerobic Digestion Research and Education Center — completed in April from a private grant — studies optimal ways to convert waste into energy by harvesting naturally occurring methane gas. Using methane — a greenhouse gas — also will reduce the negative effect it would have on the environment if left untreated.

MICHIGAN

Mich. unveils ballot tracker

Karen Confer

July 19, 2010

Voting by absentee ballot in elections might now be easier for students living away from home. The Michigan Secretary of State announced Monday voters now can track their absentee ballots online.

MSU

MSU medical students to research at Kenyan hospital

Alanna Thiede

July 19, 2010

MSU medical students and faculty will be able to study and complete research at Chogoria Hospital in Kenya as part of a new agreement through the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and Institute of International Health, or IIH. The partnership was announced Monday and sets up a program for fourth-year medical students in the College of Osteopathic Medicine to study in Chogoria, Kenya for six weeks as part of an international elective program.

MICHIGAN

Two-week river expedition continues

Ashley Brown

July 18, 2010

For 14 days, more than 80 paddlers will travel 225 miles from Jackson, Mich., to Lake Michigan on the longest river in the state. They will pass through 18 counties, 158 townships and try to raise $20,000 for the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, or NKFM, on the Grand River Expedition, or GRE, of 2010.

MSU

2nd annual Livestock Expo hits MSU Pavilion

Aseel Machi

July 18, 2010

With dozens of sheep, goats, hogs and cattle, the second annual Michigan Livestock Expo was in full swing this weekend at the MSU Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education. Featuring exhibitions, sales and contests, the expo will conclude Tuesday with an auction of the award-winning animals from the 8- to 20-year-old exhibitors. The expo is the largest in the state.

MSU

Students living on campus to split cost of Brody water switch

Andrew Krietz

July 18, 2010

MSU students living in residence halls will split the cost of switching the Brody Complex’s water supply to East Lansing’s water system. The switch, which occurred during the spring semester, has doubled the amount MSU typically pays to supply water to campus buildings. MSU’s Hospitality Services and all students who reside on campus will pay for the switch through room and board rates in lieu of students living in Brody’s residence halls picking up the entire cost.

MSU

Agriculture Expo to be held Tues.

Emily Wilkins

July 18, 2010

The 31st annual Michigan Agriculture Expo will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. Held at the corner of Farm Lane and Mount Hope Road, the event is sponsored by MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, or CANR. The expo will include a variety of exhibits, more than 235 vendors and events such as livestock handling and a toy tractor show.

MSU

MSU Extension to hold parasite class

Andrew Krietz

July 18, 2010

MSU Extension is offering a program to help sheep and goat producers manage the internal parasites of their animals. The workshop, Integrated Parasite Management Program for Sheep and Goat Producers, will be held Saturday in Manchester, Mich.; July 31 in Union City, Mich.; and Sept.

MSU

Girls to Women Conference aims to empower teens

Ashley Brown

July 18, 2010

Although the confidence for women to pursue careers has improved in recent years, they still face the issues of the everyday world. The Girls to Women Conference was started by the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing three years ago, after a junior high student confessed that she was tired of seeing her friends succumb to the pressures of school, the media and bad influences from their peers without a way to work through their issues successfully.

MSU

$1.7M grant awarded to MSU microRNA researcher

Alanna Thiede

July 18, 2010

An MSU researcher will study links between arsenic exposure and lung cancer to determine new treatments using a recently secured $1.7 million grant. The National Institutes of Health awarded Chengfeng Yang, a physiology assistant professor with the College of Veterinary Medicine and MSU’s Center for Integrative Toxicology, a five-year general grant to study the roles of small ribonucleic acids called microRNAs in cell transformation caused by direct exposure to arsenic.

MICHIGAN

Poll predicts one of two Republicans likely to be governor

Andrew Krietz

July 15, 2010

Lansing political insiders expect one of two Republican candidates to be chosen as Michigan governor in November, according to a survey released Tuesday by The Capitol Caucus. Republican gubernatorial candidate and state Attorney General Mike Cox and U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, received 38 and 30 percent of the vote, respectively, according to the caucus’ report.

MICHIGAN

E.L. businesses take sales to the sidewalk

Anthony Odoardi

July 15, 2010

The sidewalks of Grand River Avenue were congested with merchandise from local businesses participating in the annual East Lansing Sidewalk Sale. Stores cleared out items from inside, placed them outdoors and put them on sale for area residents passing through downtown East Lansing to purchase Thursday. The sales provide a good boost to the local economy and highlights many of the downtown’s unique shops.

MSU

Local children catch butterflies at Strolling with the Storyteller event

Alanna Thiede

July 14, 2010

Paul Roose lead the group participants through the gardens and shared facts about the surrounding nature mixed with stories as part of the Strolling with the Storyteller event. Each month during the summer, there is a event featuring a different garden where a guide tells educational stories as they walk through the gardens.

MICHIGAN

Conference concerning biker safety held

Anthony Odoardi

July 14, 2010

Michael Ronkin was chosen by the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, Federal Highway Administration and the Michigan Department of Transportation to hold a conference Tuesday through Friday at the East Lansing Marriott at University Place, 300 M.A.C. Ave., to discuss issues facing cyclists. The group embarked on an 11-mile journey Wednesday through the campus and city.

MSU

MSU selling cows to reduce costs

Meagan Choi

July 14, 2010

Driven by the absence of future research projects and budgetary pressure, MSU will sell one of its three dairy cow herds from the Upper Peninsula Experiment Station, or UPES, this fall. The UPES — located in Chatham, Mich. — is one of 15 field stations in the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, or MAES, which is restructuring after $400,000 was cut by MSU’s Board of Trustees last month and state appropriations still are uncertain.