Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Landscape Architecture student Travis Crabtree, center, stacks boxes in the arms of his professor Cory Gallo, left, as Geosciences instructor Amy Moe Hoffman assists. The university's Dunn-Seiler Geology Museum staff, which includes Hoffman, donated the boxes to the landscape architecture department for a student-initiated art series. The museum houses mineral and rock collections, meteorites, and extensive fossil displays. National Fossil Day is Oct. 15, with the museum hosting several events. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs

University names computing center for Portera
To honor Mississippi State University's 16th president and his emphasis on computer research, institution leaders dedicated the Malcolm A. Portera High Performance Computing Center last week. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said Portera's emphasis on research, learning and service -- MSU's trifold mission -- made a variety of positive impacts at MSU, and his influence continues to benefit the institution.

Officials break ground for Baptist Student Union
Mississippi Baptist Convention Board members, alongside Mississippi State University officials, broke ground last week for what will become the largest Baptist Student Union in the Southern Baptist Convention. MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Vice President for Campus Services Amy Tuck emphasized the expansion of the BSU will serve to expand the connections among the students participating.

Deadline for teaching excellence awards extended
Mississippi State University faculty who are interested in submitting applications for the 2015 Grisham Master Teacher Award, the Alumni Association Early Career Teaching Excellence Award or the Alumni Association Graduate Teaching Excellence Award have until Oct. 27 to do so.

Minority & Women Vendor Fair on Tuesday
The Mississippi State University Minority and Women Vendor Fair will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Hunter Henry Center on the Starkville campus. This special event seeks to broaden the base of suppliers doing business with the MSU. Department representatives will have an opportunity to meet and exchange information with a variety of potential vendors and obtain procurement training provided by the Mississippi Development Authority, Mississippi Minority Business Alliance and WhereToGo411.

'Empty Bowls' to help raise funds for food pantries
A Mississippi State student organization is joining with a university academic department to provide a special way of acknowledging and helping alleviate food insecurity and hunger in the Starkville community on World Food Day. "Empty Bowls," a soup luncheon and silent auction on Thursday, will take place at the Bost Extension Center auditorium.

Friday deadline for research funding program
The Office of Research and Economic Development is again soliciting proposals from Mississippi State faculty who desire to create interdisciplinary, cross-college research groups on campus. These grants will be in the amount of $2,000 each and limited to a period of 12 months (renewable one time for a total of 24 months and $4,000). The grants are intended to facilitate interdisciplinary interaction between faculty and students that have a common research theme. The deadline is Friday.

Coming Saturday: CERT half-marathon, 5K and fair
The Community Emergency Response Team at Mississippi State is hosting The Preparathon -- a half-marathon, 5K, half-mile family fun run and Emergency Preparedness Fair -- on Saturday. Proceeds from the races will benefit the Oktibbeha County Volunteer Fire Departments, OSERVS and the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services.

Benefits open enrollment underway this month
Benefits open enrollment is now available for eligible Mississippi State University employees. Open enrollment is required only if you are adding new coverage, changing existing coverage or canceling coverage. If you aren’t adding new coverage, changing existing coverage or canceling coverage, you do not need to participate in open enrollment, and your current benefits will continue into 2015.

Make a difference this weekend
The Maroon Volunteer Center at Mississippi State details a number of volunteer opportunities for the campus community in its newsletter this week. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to make a difference by volunteering this fall.

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, 10/13/14
Men's Tennis starts play Thursday in the ITA Southern Region Indoor Championships at Auburn... Cross Country competes at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa on Friday... Soccer hosts Vanderbilt on Friday at 7 p.m. and Texas A&M at 1 p.m. on Sunday... Volleyball hosts Tennessee at 7 p.m. on Friday and Missouri on Sunday at 1 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.

Faculty, administrators named SEC academic fellows
Four Mississippi State administrators and faculty members are among 48 selected as 2014-15 Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows. Since its inception in 2008, the professional development program has worked to identify, prepare and professionally advance academic leaders for key roles at each of the 14 SEC-member universities. The MSU contingent includes David Dampier, Mark Lawrence, Rebecca Long and David Morse.

CVM's Shores helps develop head trauma app
Dr. Andy Shores hopes to help veterinarians make better patient recommendations with a smartphone application. Shores, chief of neurosurgery and neurology at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, developed the Small Animal Coma Scale app to give veterinarians an easier way to assess the severity of a traumatic brain injury in dogs and cats while capturing statistical data.

Broderick joins Extension/MAFES in Crystal Springs
A new horticulture research scientist joined the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Oct. 1. Shaun Broderick, a native of Orem, Utah, is an assistant horticulture professor and researcher specializing in herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees. He is stationed at the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs. Leisure gardeners and commercial producers can benefit from his research and outreach efforts.

Rodriguez driven to beat ALS with determination
To prepare for big games, the Mississippi State Bulldogs rely on determination, drive, focus and fight to grind through practices and win football games. Likewise, Jose Rodriguez is relying on a similar kind of mental and physical willpower as he fights his own personal battle versus amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The petroleum products director at the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease in 2011, but he has continued his work at the lab, housed at MSU.