Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Mississippi State is home to more than 15 public museums and galleries. The university's Museums and Galleries Committee has developed a new website to help familiarize visitors with the museum-related opportunities and events on campus. Visit www.museums.msstate.edu to view the new site and learn more about events, exhibits and museum news. For more information, contact Amy Moe-Hoffman at apm105@msstate.edu.

Strout tapped for Hollywood television fellowship
An associate professor in Mississippi State’s Department of Communication will be a fellow at the 2018 Television Academy Foundation faculty seminar in Los Angeles next month. Lawrence “Larry” Strout is among 25 professors from colleges and universities nationwide selected by Television Academy members for an intensive week-long seminar with the entertainment industry’s top professionals. He will fly to California Nov. 4 to learn from producers, directors and writers about the industry.

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Kimberley Brooks
Kimberley Brooks plays an important role in the College of Veterinary Medicine. One of her many responsibilities is preparing the instrument packets for the college’s surgical teams. She is also in charge of making sure all the laundry is taken care of for the surgeons. She says she and her colleagues serve all the departments in the vet school, and the key to making all the departments happy is to work effectively as a team. “I have a wonderful supervisor,” she said. “I also have a great group of team workers which makes the job more enjoyable. I had always wanted to work on campus, and when my supervisor offered it to me, I couldn’t stop smiling.”

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Angie Abrams
For 26 years, Angie Abrams has worked tirelessly with 4-H’ers in Chickasaw County. She spends her time in meetings, doing community service projects, getting ready for contests, preparing paper work, and helping out the other agents in the office. Angie is totally committed to her community and its young people. “Working with the young people of this county everyday gives me hope that I am making a good impact on their lives. That is what I look forward to every day,” she said. “There is nothing more rewarding that seeing a young person achieve, knowing that I helped them get there.”

University boosts connection speed to 100 Gbps
Mississippi State has made a new investment in advanced technology infrastructure in support of its faculty, staff and students engaged in cutting-edge research. In late September, MSU became the first university in the state to connect to the Internet at a rate of 100 gigabits per second. “Over the course of the last three decades, Mississippi State has made significant investments in technology and related resources that have fostered research and learning,” Chief Information Officer Steve Parrott said. “Achieving this latest milestone in connection speed required a dedicated effort and countless hours of careful planning and execution, and I’m very proud of the outstanding work by the MSU ITS team members who worked so hard to make it happen.”

Sandmann to lead engaged learning workshop Tuesday afternoon
The Center for Community-Engaged Learning at Mississippi State is partnering with the Center for Teaching and Learning to offer several workshops in October and November on engaged learning. A keynote lecture and workshop on Tuesday is being led by Lorilee Sandmann, professor emerita in Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy in the College of Education at the University of Georgia. She serves as a core reviewer and on the National Advisory Panel for the Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement. You can register for any or all of these workshops at www.ctl.msstate.edu/events.

Association of Retired Faculty fall meeting this week
The Mississippi State University Association of Retired Faculty will hold its fall meeting on Tuesday at 2 p.m. in Parker Ballroom of the Hunter Henry Center. Campus Master Planner Roger Baker will give an update on the university master plan. Learn more about ARF at http://lib.msstate.edu/arf or contact Joe Farris at joe.farris@pres.msstate.edu.

Naval Academy cyber science department chair to visit Oct. 16
The chair of the Department of Cyber Science at the United States Naval Academy will be visiting Mississippi State for a public lecture on Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. in Fowlkes Auditorium. During her visit, Commander Tracy Emmersen will discuss the Naval Academy’s vision of cyber operations as an academic major, including the contributions of many different disciplines -- computer science, electrical and computer engineering, systems engineering, psychology and political science -- as well as the Navy’s role in offensive and defensive cyber operations.

Lyceum Series continues with Trey McLaughlin and The Sounds of Zamar
Trey McLaughlin and The Sounds of Zamar are bringing fresh adaptations of contemporary gospel, pop and musical theatre hits to the Bettersworth Auditorium stage next week as part of Mississippi State’s Lyceum Series. After being featured on the song “Chasing After You” from Vashawn Mitchell’s Grammy-nominated album “Triumphant,” Trey McLaughlin and The Sounds of Zamar have become sought after all over the world for their expressive vocals and intricate arrangements of classic gospel hymns.

Reminder: University policy addresses employee political activity
With political campaigning for Congress and other races currently underway, Mississippi State's Office of General Counsel offers the following reminder of the university’s policy on political activities. There are several guidelines that employees of the university should keep in mind when engaging in any form of political activity. The Office of General Counsel encourages each employee to review this policy in its entirety to make certain you are fully aware of your rights and responsibilities.

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.

Congressional papers of Rep. Gregg Harper find their home at MSU
The congressional papers of U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper have found their home at Mississippi State University. Harper formally donated his papers to MSU during a ceremony on campus last week. The congressman’s papers, which help tell the story of American government during Harper’s tenure, will be housed in MSU Libraries’ Congressional and Political Research Center. During Friday’s ceremony, Harper reflected on his 10 years representing Mississippi’s Third Congressional District and what MSU has meant to his family.

UAS veteran Luxion named ASSURE director
After a national search, Stephen “Lux” Luxion is the new director of the Mississippi State-led Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE). A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Luxion retired from the service as a colonel in 2014. Most recently, he served as ASSURE’s associate director for operations and was based at Stennis Space Center on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In that role, he was responsible for ASSURE’s administrative, financial and technical functions.

Linhoss takes research leadership role with GRI, NGI
A Mississippi State researcher with interests in hydrology, ecology, watershed management, climate change, and computational modeling and simulation is being named assistant director of the university’s Northern Gulf Institute and Geosystems Research Institute. Anna Linhoss’ new role will include collaboration with a multitude of research teams. Linhoss’ work has been recognized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine; National Fish and Wildlife Federation; and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, among others. She has received 18 competitive research grants totaling $4 million.

Allen receives $2.8 million in grants for research
A faculty member at Mississippi State University is receiving approximately $2.8 million to create a tool for writing analytics and feedback, as well as to investigate how students process complex information in today’s technology-driven society. Laura Allen, an assistant professor of psychology who joined MSU’s faculty last year, is garnering two four-year grants from the Institute of Education Sciences of approximately $1.4 million each. The grants are in partnership with researchers at Arizona State University and Georgia State University.