Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Mississippi State biological sciences assistant professor Ryan Range, center, works in his lab in Harned Hall earlier this summer with biological sciences doctoral student Marina Martinez, right, and Professor Pengfei Xu from Virginia State University. As part of his research, Range uses sea urchin embryos as a model system to understand the evolution and development of the fundamental molecular mechanisms that create adult organisms. PHOTO: Sarah Dutton | Public Affairs

Researchers at MSU study Russian wildfires, impact
The forests of Siberia may be half a world away, but carbon released by wildfires raging there have the potential to alter Earth’s atmosphere and lead to additional global climate change. Exactly how much carbon is being released is the focus of a National Science Foundation-funded investigation by Mississippi State University assistant forestry professor Heather Alexander and graduate student Homero Pena. They are part of a scientific team in the land-grant institution’s forestry department and Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

Wear maroon and Run with Your Colors 5K
Mississippi State students, faculty and staff, along with alumni, family and friends, are encouraged to wear maroon and run or walk in Gov. Phil Bryant's Run with Your Colors 5K this summer. The Run with Your Colors race takes place June 30 at 5:30 p.m. with a start on the south steps of the New Capitol in downtown Jackson. Proceeds from the race will benefit Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital.

SEC visiting faculty travel grant applications sought
The Southeastern Conference Visiting Faculty Travel Grant Program is intended to enhance faculty collaboration that stimulates scholarly initiatives between SEC universities. Mississippi State University can select a maximum of eight faculty members to receive 2016-2017 travel grants of $1,250 each for transportation, room, board, etc., to use for travel to another SEC campus. Assistant, associate and full professors are eligible.

Institutional Repository now accepting submissions
The new MSU Institutional Repository is now online and accepting submissions. The repository -- available at http://ir.library.msstate.edu -- is a central digital archive for collecting, organizing, preserving, and sharing Mississippi State's history, intellectual and scholarly creations, and research data.

SMART modifying shuttle routes for summer
Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit (SMART) is modifying several routes through Aug. 11. However, the Boardtown North, Boardtown South, Highway 12 Express, Old Main Express, and the Golden Triangle Regional Airport Express will continue to operate as usual during the summer.

Summertime is the right time to volunteer
The Maroon Volunteer Center at Mississippi State details a number of volunteer opportunities for the campus community on its website and in its newsletter this week, including enrichment camps at the J.L. King Center, Starkville Community Market, community garden project volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club, Maroon Edition Habitat for Humanity, Service DAWGS Day site leaders, MVNU2MSU, and more.

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, privacy and more.

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.

Weiskopf to lead state governmental affairs
A Columbia native and Bulldog alumnus with extensive experience in state government policy development has been chosen to direct Mississippi State University’s state government affairs efforts. Lee Weiskopf has been named to succeed John Tomlinson, MSU’s longtime director of university governmental support effective July 1. Tomlinson is retiring at the end of June after a distinguished 29-year career representing MSU. Weiskopf currently serves as director of policy for Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves.

Laird takes expanded communication role
A Starkville native and longtime writer and editor is taking on additional communication-related responsibilities at Mississippi State. Jim Laird has been promoted to research and executive support editor for the land-grant institution. He is assuming duties previously performed by Joe Farris, who is retiring at the end of June. Laird will continue to promote the university’s research and economic development initiatives for the Office of Public Affairs and coordinate communication for the Office of Research and Economic Development.

Eleven graduate from writing excellence program
Eleven Mississippi State faculty members are new graduates of the Maroon Institute for Writing Excellence program. Now in its fourth year, the three-week intensive institute recently trained teachers from nearly a dozen university departments to modify course syllabi to incorporate more writing-to-learn strategies into class assignments. The professional development program is part of “Maroon and Write” -- the university’s quality enhancement plan to improve undergraduate writing and learning skills across all colleges, curricula and class levels.

DAWG program grads hone sponsored-project skills
Eleven Mississippi State staff members are graduates of the fourth-annual professional development program offered by the university’s Office of Sponsored Projects. This year’s edition of the Departmental Administrator Working Group -- also known as DAWG -- involved a nine-month curriculum designed to develop participants’ sponsored-project administration skills and foster networking opportunities with campus peers, according to OSP Director Jennifer Easley.