Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Erin Kiess, laboratory and environmental safety coordinator for the Office of Regulatory Compliance and Safety, leads a recent Introduction to Lab Safety training course. Another course will be taught this Friday, and Mississippi State faculty and staff are invited to participate. PHOTO: Megan Bean | University Relations

Manufacturers association endows scholarship
Mississippi's largest university is receiving much-appreciated scholarship support from the state's longtime "voice" of the manufacturing industry. At a Feb. 7 campus program, officials of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association presented Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum with $60,000 in honor of the organization's 60th anniversary.

Coahoma Extension gets conservation nod
Ongoing conservation efforts earned the Coahoma County office of the Mississippi State University Extension Service the title of Earth Team state winner. Don Respess, Coahoma County Extension director, said the award recognizes long-standing cooperation with the agency and an extensive history of conservation efforts.

Spirit of State nominations, applications wanted
With the seventh annual Spirit of State Awards, Mississippi State will recognize outstanding contributions made by our students toward improving student life. Applications and nominations are now being accepted.

Nominations open for outstanding women awards
An annual awards program sponsored by the President's Commission on the Status of Women at Mississippi State will recognize exceptional women across all employment categories. Nominations are being accepted until Feb. 21 for the 2012 Outstanding Women Awards.

Intro to Lab Safety course this Friday
The Office of Regulatory Compliance and Safety at Mississippi State is offering an interactive, hands-on training course on general laboratory safety Friday. "Introduction to Laboratory Safety" is a three-hour seminar for laboratory users of all experience levels.

'Investing In Innovation' at MSU Feb. 21
Innovation and its economic impact will be in play for Mississippi State University's Investing In Innovation conference Feb. 21. The land-grant institution's Office of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer will host I3 Day at the Hunter Henry Center beginning at 11 a.m.

Retirewise workshop series starts next week
Mississippi State University Human Resources Management and MetLife are offering Retirewise on campus in late February. The free four-part program is designed to help people feel more confident about retirement.

Register now for Feb. 29 PERS workshop
Human Resources Management at Mississippi State is sponsoring a Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) workshop on Feb. 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Bost Extension Center on the Starkville campus. The workshop is free for university employees, but pre-registration is required.

Diversity conference set for March
"Enhancing Diversity in Higher Education: Undergraduate Retention and Recruitment of Graduate Students, Faculty and Staff" will be the theme March 1 and 2 for Mississippi State's second Diversity Conference.

Recycling change: No more glass in bins, please
Mississippi State's single-stream recycling program has now been in place for more than a year. The program has fundamentally changed the way the university collects recyclables and trash on campus. However, due to a contractor change, MSU can no longer collect glass as part of the recycling stream.

This Week in Mississippi State Sports, 02/13/12
Men's Basketball is on the road to Baton Rouge Tuesday for an 8 p.m. matchup against LSU (ESPNU), and then travels to Auburn on Saturday for a 7 p.m. game against the Tigers (FSN-TV)... Softball plays Samford in Birmingham on Tuesday at 6 p.m., and then hosts the Bulldog Round Robin on campus Friday through Sunday... Women's Tennis hosts the University of Louisiana at Monroe Thursday at 3 p.m. and Stephen F. Austin University at 1 p.m. on Sunday... Women's Basketball hosts Tennessee at 8 p.m. Thursday (CSS-TV), and then travels to Arkansas for a 2 p.m. game on Sunday... Baseball opens a home weekend series against Washington State on Friday at 6 p.m. Games are also set for Saturday at 2:30 p.m., and then Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

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Faculty invited to Fulbright session Tuesday
Fulbright Ambassador Charles A. Johnson, senior vice president for research at Texas A&M University, will visit Mississippi State Tuesday to support the university's growing Fulbright faculty program. After meeting with senior administration in the morning, Johnson will open an afternoon session for faculty interested in learning more about Fulbright opportunities.

Quarles receives national public admin honor
A senior policy analyst at Mississippi State's John C. Stennis Institute of Government is receiving a national award for advancing the role of women. The American Society for Public Administration recently selected Lydia Quarles for the 2012 Joan Fill Bishop Award, a major recognition for women who have helped increase women's participation in the field, contributed to the public sector and shown innovative leadership.

Researchers given top weed science honors
Mississippi State University researchers and graduates received top awards this year from the Southern Weed Science Society. Mike Phillips, head of MSU's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, said these honors reflect the quality of work and the level of expertise at MSU.

Reese named distinguished alumna by alma mater
A Bagley College of Engineering department head is being honored for her professional achievements and status as a prominent alumna for a Louisiana-based university. Donna S. Reese, professor and head of the computer science and engineering department, has been named a 2012 Distinguished Alumni by Louisiana Tech's college of engineering and science.