Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

A Mississippi State University Extension Service team gets a crash-course in how sprayers work from Dan Reynolds. From left, Jamie Varner, Kelli McCarter and Randy Loper are writing an app that will help farmers properly calibrate sprayers. The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board gave a $10,000 grant to the Center for Technology Outreach and the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences to develop the app. PHOTO: Kat Lawrence | MSU Ag Communications

Partnerships focus of world food security conference
Partnerships between leading international authorities, university researchers, and government policymakers were the focus of a daylong food safety and security conference at Mississippi State University Sept. 10. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said the United States and the nation's land-grant universities have the resources to help make feeding the world an entirely achievable goal, although not an easy one.

Health and Benefits Fair on campus Tuesday
MSU Human Resources Management announces the 2012 Health and Benefits Fair that will take place Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Colvard Student Union, as well as on Tuesday, Sept. 25 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the auditorium at MSU-Meridian. The theme for the fair is "Take Positive Steps Toward Health and Benefits."

Williams delivering Evers lecture Thursday
The African American Studies program at Mississippi State will host MSU assistant professor Michael V. Williams for a lecture this Thursday titled "Sit Me Up and Turn Me Loose: Medgar Wiley Evers as Civil Rights Activist, Leader and Martyr in the Fight for Justice." The lecture will be held in McCool Hall's Taylor Auditorium (Room 124) at 4:30 p.m. A book signing will immediately follow.

NSF program director to discuss grad fellowship
Undergraduate and beginning graduate students pursuing research-based master's or doctorates in science, technology, engineering or math can come to Mississippi State University to learn about applying for a $126,000 fellowship. The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship provides three years of support for graduate school, and Gisele Muller-Parker, program director for the fellowship, will come to MSU on Sept. 28 to discuss how to apply for it.

Volunteer on campus for the Clothesline Project
The Maroon Volunteer Center at Mississippi State details a number of volunteer opportunities for the campus community in its current newsletter, including sweet potato gleaning with the Society of St. Andrews, AmeriCorps VISTA positions, the Clothesline Project, Maroon Edition Habitat for Humanity, hurricane disaster relief, and much more.

Policy addresses employee political activity
With political campaigns for the White House and other federal offices well underway for the Nov. 6 general election, Mississippi State's Office of General Counsel reminds employees to be aware of the university's policy on political activities. There are several basic guidelines that university employees should keep in mind when engaging in any form of political activity.

Funding facilitates Fulbright Visiting Scholar travel
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars provides travel awards through the Occasional Lecturer Fund to enable Fulbright Visiting Scholars who are currently in the country to accept guest lecturing invitations at U.S. colleges and universities. Academic departments interested in learning more about this funding opportunity should contact Stephen Cottrell, a Fulbright Ambassador with the MSU International Institute, or School of Architecture Associate Professor Jane Britt Greenwood, AIA, Fulbright Representative.

University hosting October PERS seminar
Human Resources Management at Mississippi State is hosting a PERS pre-retirement, full-day seminar on Oct. 3, 2012, at Bost Extension Center. The seminar offers general information on a range of topics, including estate planning, Mississippi Deferred Compensation Plan and Trust, Social Security benefits, and PERS benefits and options. The seminar is available to any covered PERS member at no cost, but pre-registration is required.

Policy reminders from University Health Services
University Health Services at Mississippi State reminds the campus community of several important policies for its patients to keep in mind when seeking treatment, parking, refilling a prescription online, and privacy.

This Week in Mississippi State Sports, 09/17/12
Soccer hosts Vanderbilt on Friday at 7 p.m. and Tennessee at 1 p.m. on Sunday... Volleyball travels to Oxford for a match against Ole Miss on Friday at 7 p.m.... Men's Golf opens play in the Mason Rudolph Championship at the Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn., on Friday...Football hosts South Alabama at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m.

The Office of Public Affairs provides Maroon MEMO as a general information
resource for Mississippi State University employees.

Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.

Book launch for MSU author Kardos on Tuesday
Already named by Publishers Weekly as one of the fall's best books, "The Three-Day Affair" will be publicly released Tuesday, Sept. 18 at Mississippi State University. Author Michael Kardos, assistant professor in English and co-director of the creative writing program, is celebrating the publication of his first novel, published by Grove Atlantic/Mysterious Press, with a reading. The book launch, free and open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. in McCool Hall's Rogers Auditorium.

McCarter joins Extension Service as app writer
When someone asks the Mississippi State University Extension Service for information, the answer soon might be, “There’s an app for that.” Kelli McCarter joined the Extension Center for Technology Outreach in March as an applications developer. McCarter said the Extension Service plans to develop a variety of apps. Among those under consideration are apps dealing with plant or disease identification and cogongrass mapping and control. She has completed one app for cattle production and is developing a second app for sprayer calibration.

Open house for Research Park building Monday
Mississippi State officials will join with U.S. Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker and U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper this Monday to celebrate the grand opening of the newest building in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park. Funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Mississippi Development Authority, the 20,000-square-foot building is home to a new business incubator, as well as operations for II-VI Inc., according to Mississippi State University Research and Technology Corporation Director Marc McGee.

Welcome Center celebrates birthday this Saturday
The Mississippi State Welcome Center is your front door to everything the university has to offer, and faculty, staff, students, fans, alumni and friends are invited to come out and help celebrate the Welcome Center and Cullis and Gladys Wade Clock Museum's sixth birthday this Saturday. What better way to kick off a football game than with birthday cake and MSU ice cream before our Bulldogs take the field against South Alabama in Davis Wade Stadium at 6 p.m.