Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

President Mark E. Keenum speaks at Mississippi State University’s Fall 2021 general faculty meeting in Bettersworth Auditorium. His presentation is available at https://vimeo.com/582656584. PHOTO: Beth Wynn | Public Affairs

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Annie 'Burnette' Gillum
Burnette Gillum is quick to point out how much she loves her job. As the office associate in the Extension Service’s Madison County office, Gillum coordinates day-to-day office activities supporting the agents in their daily work. She is responsible for various clerical tasks, including answering phone calls, handling mail, maintaining files, scheduling meetings, proctoring tests, keeping office supplies stocked, and greeting customers who visit the office. Her favorite aspect of the job is interacting with clients and making sure they get what they need. “I have a passion for helping others meet their needs,” she said. “There is no better feeling than when your customers are happy.”

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Steven Tucker
Steven Tucker loves helping others, and as an Extension agent, that’s what he does every day. “Before I became an Extension agent, I worked in the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture in the College of Forest Resources. In that job, I typically answered questions about wildlife that live in Mississippi. Now, I never know what the question will be or what type of information people will need next,” Tucker said. But that’s okay with him. “I consider it a privilege to be able to help the residents in Lafayette County and across the state with whatever their questions or problems are,” Tucker said.

Mississippi Academy of Sciences honors student researchers
Seven Mississippi State students were recognized for their posters and oral presentations at the statewide science meeting. The Mississippi Academy of Sciences honored College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students at their 84th annual meeting held in Biloxi. The academy, which is a forum for communication among scientists, also promotes science education for K-12 students and sponsors a summer student science symposium for undergraduate and graduate students. The students' faculty mentors are Raja Reddy, Rama Nannapaneni, Gurpreet Kaur and Gurbir Singh. "Out of nine winners, seven are Mississippi State students," Kaur said. "With 42 students from all universities within the state participating, this speaks to the quality of our faculty instruction and the success of our students to conduct research that has an impact for producers and Mississippians."

International Institute shares passport reminders
Mississippi State's International Institute is encouraging all students and faculty who are considering travel within the next six months to apply or renew (if needed) their passport now. Current U.S. passport processing times are significantly longer than normal, so it is more important than ever that you plan early. First-time passport applications and renewals are taking up to 18 weeks for routine service and up to 12 weeks for expedited service (additional $60). If you aren't sure if you need to renew your passport, check the expiration date and make sure it is valid for six months after the end of your potential travel dates. Additionally, keep in mind that if your travel requires a visa, you often need to send your passport to the embassy to receive your visa prior to travel.

Smoke-free policy enhances healthy environment
Mississippi State University is a smoke-free campus. Official policy prohibits the use of any combustible or vapor products anywhere on campus property including university buildings, university grounds, university vehicles, parking areas and sidewalks. The smoke-free campus policy is part of the university's commitment to creating a healthy environment for all members of the campus community. Use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah or other similar devices are prohibited by this policy. The complete policy is available at www.policies.msstate.edu/policy/91301.

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Keenum highlights university’s momentum, growth at fall general faculty meeting
Mississippi State is entering the fall 2021 semester with strong momentum in its core missions of learning, service and research, President Mark E. Keenum told the university’s faculty during the fall general faculty meeting on Aug. 31. Keenum noted positive trends for the university in enrollment, research and private giving, all of which are at record levels. He also highlighted that the university’s estimated $1.8 billion economic impact supports 29,000 jobs in Mississippi. As the new semester begins, MSU welcomes more than 100 new faculty members to campus. “We have a lot of momentum on our campus and so much to be proud of,” Keenum said. He also encouraged all members of the MSU community to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if they have not already done so.

Patrick garners prestigious ‘new investigator’ award
Amanda L. Patrick, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, now has funding from the American Chemical Society for her research on ionic liquids, which find use in areas ranging from chemical solvents for manufacturing to pharmaceutical preparations or spacecraft propellants. Patrick’s $110,000 two-year grant from the ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award was awarded for her project -- “Investigating Ionic Liquid Thermal Stability and Degradation Pathways in the Gas and Liquid Phases via Mass Spectrometric Monitoring: Toward Better Predictive Power” -- as part of the ACS’s goal to enable investigators to initiate new research directions.

Staggers appointed to National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association board
Mississippi State University Foundation development officer William “Will” Staggers of Starkville is a recent appointment to the National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association board of directors. Staggers, who currently serves as director of development for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, MSU Extension Service, and Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, began his appointment in June, following NAADA’s 46th annual conference. He will serve a one-year term as director at large and work on special projects throughout the year. A Starkville native, Staggers received his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the MSU College of Education in 2010. He began his MSU Foundation career in 2015 as assistant director of development and was promoted to his current role as director of development in 2020.

MSU Extension welcomes sweet potato specialist
Mississippi State University recently welcomed a new sweet potato specialist. Lorin Harvey joined the MSU Extension Service after completing postdoctoral work with sweet potatoes at the Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station, which is part of the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center. He is also a faculty member in the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. Harvey is based at the Pontotoc branch experiment station and will provide Extension programs to help sweet potato growers statewide. Harvey is involved in several projects that cover all aspects of sweet potato production, including insect and weed control, food safety procedures, virus testing protocols, production strategies to improve yield, and methods to reduce labor requirements for harvest and packing.