Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Senior industrial engineering student Kelson J. Bohna of Starkville, left, presents his project “Geometric Accuracy of 3D Printed Scaffolds based on Automatic Image Segmentation” to Jean Magloire Nguekam Feugang, associate research professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, during Mississippi State’s Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium. Hosted by the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, the annual competition featured more than 200 submissions from students conducting faculty-guided research. PHOTO: Logan Kirkland | Public Affairs

MSU Staff Council hosts 'A Healthier U' presentations for Staff Appreciation Week
In celebration of Staff Appreciation Week, Mississippi State's Staff Council is sponsoring free 'A Healthier U' presentations on Tuesday. Topics and presenters include: "Improving Community Health through Local Business Growth and Leisure Opportunities," led by Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill; "Power Snacks and Busy Schedules" with a snack demo provided by Aramark, led by Taylor VanDyk, MSU Longest Student Health Center dietitian; "Desk Warrior: Techniques for Staying Active in the Office Setting," led by Julie Kelly, MSU University Recreation fitness coordinator; and "Minimize Daily Stress through Mindful Relaxation and Meditation," led by Corey Fitzgerald, Student Counseling Services staff counselor.

Day One Leadership Community seeks faculty and staff mentors
The Day One Leadership Community at Mississippi State is currently searching for dedicated faculty and staff members to be team mentors for freshmen during the upcoming fall semester. Day One is a service-learning community for entering freshmen in which students take a two-credit course on leadership and apply what they learn towards 20 hours of community service in the fall semester. Volunteering to be a Day One mentor is a great way to help entering freshmen transition into college life and to satisfy one’s own desire to serve the community.

Applications sought for SEC Visiting Faculty Travel Grant Program
The Southeastern Conference Visiting Faculty Travel Grant Program is intended to enhance faculty collaboration that stimulates scholarly initiatives between SEC universities. Mississippi State University will select 10 faculty members to receive 2019-2020 travel grants of $1,000 each. Travel dates for these visits are between Aug. 2, 2019, and June 16, 2020. Completed applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on June 28.

CDC survey seeks info on poliovirus containment
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. National Authority for Containment of Poliovirus are asking research centers and institutes to complete a survey in support of a national inventory of materials that potentially contain poliovirus. Historical domestic and international specimens are more likely to fall into these categories. The specimens should be identified on the basis of where and when they were collected, not on the basis of test results. Principal investigators with questions about completing this survey should contact Trent Peacock, Mississippi State University's biosafety officer, at tp1230@msstate.edu or (662) 325-0620.

Sanderson Center offers Summer Fun membership at special rate
Join in the summer fun at the Joe Frank Sanderson Center! Ask for the special Summer Fun membership now available for all faculty/staff, affiliates, and retirees. Rates for adults are just $100 per person and only $30 for each child. Come by the Member Services Office in the Sanderson Center, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, to purchase a Summer Fun membership today. An MSU photo ID card is required.

Butler Hall parking lot construction to cause temporary closure
Construction to improve the parking lot adjacent to Butler Hall will cause temporary closures of the lot beginning April 8 and lasting through Aug. 6. The MSU Office of Planning, Design and Construction Administration is administering a project to replace a retaining wall, curbs and sidewalks in the area. The parking lot also will be milled, overlaid and striped.

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Brooks appears before U.S. Senate committee, testifies on future of UAS research
Challenges surrounding the integration of emerging unmanned technologies into the National Airspace System led one Mississippi State University administrator to Capitol Hill last week. Dallas Brooks, director of the university’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory, joined an elite group of national experts and officials who testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation at a hearing titled “New Entrants in the National Airspace: Policy, Technology and Security Issues for Congress.”

Neal inducted into Morehouse College’s MLK Jr. Collegium of Scholars
An assistant professor in Mississippi State’s Department of Philosophy and Religion is a recent inductee of Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King Jr. Collegium of Scholars. Anthony Sean Neal, who also is a Faculty Fellow in the university’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, was selected through recommendation by current collegium members, as well as demonstrated commitment to the principles and practices embraced by King.

Sobaskie co-edits book on music of Franz Schubert
A Mississippi State Department of Music faculty member is co-editor of a new book about the music of Franz Schubert, considered one of the last classical and first romantic composers from the early 19th century. MSU Associate Professor James Sobaskie, with University of Oxford music faculty member and co-editor Joe Davies, secured the participation of 11 Schubert experts from seven countries to establish a new, collective and diverse perspective on the composer’s music in “Drama in the Music of Franz Schubert.”

Applications sought for 2019-2020 Academic Leadership Program
The Office of Research and Economic and Development and the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President at Mississippi State will be leading a newly restructured Academic Leadership Program in the upcoming 2019-2020 academic year for faculty who aspire to be administrators. The format of the leadership program consists of two-hour seminar sessions once per month from August to April. A wide variety of topics will be covered by senior leaders at MSU. Applications are due by May 24.