Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

The Starkville-MSU Community Band opens its spring concert series with a free, public performance March 1 at 2 p.m. in Mississippi State’s Kent Sills Band Hall, 72 Hardy Road. Band Director Johnny Folsom said the concert opens with “The Thunderer” march by John Philip Sousa, followed by Larry Daehn’s “With Quiet Courage.” Other selections include “Double Agent,” a composition reminiscent of spies working undercover by local writer Carlos J. Kemp; “Perthshire Majesty,” a Scottish work by Samuel Hazo; and concluding with Charles Carter’s “Overture for Winds.”

MSU-Meridian faculty, staff and students donate through Mississippi Blood Services campus drive
Mississippi State University-Meridian faculty, staff and students gave the gift of life as they donated blood recently at the MSU Riley Center. “At MSU-Meridian, ‘Taking Care of What Matters’ is more than a university motto. It’s a responsibility we carry as a health-focused institution,” said Morgan Dudley, executive director of MSU-Meridian operations and director of the MSU Riley Center. “Partnering with our Meridian students for this blood drive reflects our mission and commitment to community impact, where one donation can mean hope for a family in crisis.” MBS Mobile Supervisor Dantellius Boatman said the drive exceeded its 20-pint goal. “Giving blood saves lives,” he said. “It helps cancer patients and burn victims, patients who are hospitalized for various reasons. We’re glad to be here.”

MSU, Partnership Middle School plant trees in Arbor Day celebration
Mississippi State University faculty, staff and students planted trees this month at the Partnership Middle School for the second consecutive year, highlighting the role of hardwood species in landscapes and community spaces. The Arbor Day event on Feb. 13 marked the 13th year of MSU’s designation as a Tree Campus Higher Education partner and provided an opportunity to serve the Starkville community while engaging Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District students through hands-on educational programming. While national Arbor Day is celebrated in April, Mississippi recognizes the holiday in February -- the ideal time to plant trees in Southern climates. “It’s important to take time each year to recognize the value trees provide,” said Joshua Granger, associate professor of forestry and chair of the MSU Tree Campus Higher Education Advisory Committee.

MSU AI Community: Join the conversation!
Mississippi State University is taking steps to advance artificial intelligence adoption across campus. Whether you’re a researcher, educator, or staff member, these resources are designed to help you learn, collaborate, and stay informed about AI initiatives at MSU. The AI Innovation Hub SharePoint Site is your one-stop hub for AI-related learning opportunities, workshops, user guidance, industry news, tips, and updates. It's available at https://mstate.sharepoint.com/sites/AIInnovationHub. You can also connect through the MSU AI Community Teams Site. If you have any questions about AI at MSU, please contact Senior Advisor for AI and Data Governance Julie Jordan at julie.jordan@msstate.edu.

Airport shuttle departure schedule adjusted to meet airline baggage check changes
A 45-minute cutoff for checking baggage with Delta and American airlines has changed the express shuttle times offered by Mississippi State Transportation to Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The GTRA express shuttle now departs The Mill at MSU two hours before flight time and arrives at the airport one and a half hours before flight time. This is 30 minutes earlier than the previous schedule. Shuttle pickups from the Starkville campus and hotels along Highway 12 also can be scheduled with MSU if reservations are made at least 24 hours prior to the requested departure time from these locations. This service is available by emailing GTRShuttle@transportation.msstate.edu or calling 662-325-5204.

Free learning opportunities via LinkedIn Learning available to faculty, staff and students
Sharpen skills. Explore new interests. Increase professional value. These and other results are available via no-cost learning opportunities to Mississippi State faculty, staff and students through MSU’s agreement with LinkedIn Learning. A popular, online education platform, LinkedIn Learning’s 20,000-plus courses are available to campus via a quick login using their MSU NetID email addresses. With self-paced learning, courses are presented in various formats, including bite-sized video, audio only and in-depth content. The platform is directly integrated with Canvas, the university’s learning management system. MSU faculty can use it to supplement course material or even develop and load their own content onto the platform.

Smoke-free policy enhances healthy environment
Mississippi State University is a smoke-free campus. Official policy prohibits the use of any combustible or vapor products anywhere on campus property including university buildings, university grounds, university vehicles, parking areas and sidewalks. The smoke-free campus policy is part of the university's commitment to creating a healthy environment for all members of the campus community. Use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah or other similar devices are prohibited by this policy. The complete policy is available at www.policies.msstate.edu/policy/91301.

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Chambers receives distinguished international recognition for leadership in toxicology
Mississippi State University’s Janice E. Chambers, a long-serving College of Veterinary Medicine faculty member, is this year’s recipient of one of the toxicology profession’s highest honors. The international Society of Toxicology will honor Chambers next month with its Founders Award at the organization’s annual meeting. The honor is given to members for their exceptional leadership in advancing toxicological science and strengthening the role of toxicology in safety decision-making. “We are thrilled to congratulate Dr. Chambers on this well-deserved honor,” said Michail Panagiotidis, MSU Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences head. “Her career and dedication are a testament to the world-class, world-changing science conducted every day in the College of Veterinary Medicine.”

Zuckerman, Bailey publish landmark infectious disease study in ‘Science’
An article by Mississippi State Professor of Anthropology Molly Zuckerman and her graduate student Lydia Bailey has been published in “Science,” one of the foremost scientific journals in the world. Zuckerman and Bailey’s piece examines new evidence from ancient DNA that pushes the origins of diseases closely related to syphilis back more than 5,000 years and strongly supports an American rather than European origin for a close relative of the disease. Drawing on recent paleogenomic discoveries from Colombia and Mexico, the article demonstrates how advances in ancient DNA research are transforming long-standing debates about human disease, evolution and global health. The article is available at www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.aee7963.

Vayda named MSU-Meridian Physician Assistant department head, program director
Mississippi State University has named Pamela Vayda department head and program director for the Meridian-based Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. “I am honored for the opportunity to serve my alma mater is this capacity,” said Vayda, who entered the new position after serving as interim program director. “I am so thankful for the unique vantage point I have from being part of the program’s first cohort.” Vayda became an inaugural graduate of the program she now leads in 2023. The rigorous 29-month curriculum recently seated its sixth cohort. “Learning to be a student again, especially a PA student, was an eye-opening experience, and I hope to develop and encourage a workforce based on my experiences as both a student of the program and a working professional,” Vayda said.

MSU receives national grant supporting coastal resilience
Mississippi State is one of eight universities across the country to receive the inaugural Envision Resilience National Design Studio Grant. The award supports design studios in architecture, planning and landscape architecture education, engaging students in community-based learning focused on climate-relate challenges. MSU’s funded studio is led by Assistant Professor SaMin Han in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design. The project team also includes Chuo Li, professor of landscape architecture and environmental design, and David Perkes, professor in the MSU College of Architecture, Art and Design’s School of Architecture and director of the university’s Gulf Coast Community Design Studio.