Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum, third from left, congratulates MSU University Television Center Senior Producer James Parker, Director David Garraway and Creative Manager Hal Teasler on their award-winning work this year. With Garraway as executive producer, the TV Center's "It's a Journey" documentary earned four 2021 Southeast Emmy Awards, including individual awards for Parker and Teasler. MSU’s UTC also earned 2021 regional and national Edward R. Murrow Awards for its documentary "The Last Supermarket," for which Garraway and Parker served as co-producers and Teasler as graphic artist. PHOTO: Robby Lozano | Public Affairs

Don't miss: MSU Libraries’ unveiling of rare Abraham Lincoln bronze
Mississippi State Libraries is unveiling a rare, limited edition bronze sculpture this before it becomes a permanent addition to the university’s Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana. On Thursday [Oct. 28] at 11 a.m., MSU Libraries is welcoming one of the collection’s donors during homecoming week to reveal “Moody, Tearful Night,” an almost 3-feet-tall depiction of a fatally wounded Abraham Lincoln being carried from the Ford Theatre after being shot by John Wilkes Booth. Sculptor Richard Masloski’s work realistically shows Union soldiers transporting Lincoln, making their way to a rooming house across the street where hours later he died. MSU Libraries Associate Dean Stephen Cunetto said, “We’re very grateful to the Williams for adding this monumental piece to their collection here at Mississippi State. Their gift of this extraordinary bronze elevates even further the significance of their collection, and we’re so fortunate they entrust MSU Libraries to showcase and preserve it.”

66th Edward C. Martin Landscape Symposium: Preserve ecosystems in home landscapes
Participants in a Mississippi State University landscape symposium learned tips for preserving the life in their own backyards and contributing positively to the larger, regional ecosystem. The 66th Edward C. Martin Landscape Symposium was held last week at MSU. The focus of this year’s symposium was “The Life in Your Backyard,” with the goal of protecting and improving each person’s private ecosystem. Susan Haltom, author of “One Writer’s Garden,” a look at Eudora Welty’s garden, said each person’s landscape is essential to the health of the overall environment. Bob Brzuszek, a landscape architect with the MSU Extension Service, has organized this landscape symposium for the last 16 years. He spoke about making a food forest garden to create an edible legacy in the landscape. Richard Brown, MSU emeritus professor, talked about the Blackbelt Prairie located near the MSU campus.

MSU Student Association hosts suspenseful ‘Night of the Living Dawgs’ Homecoming Week
Mississippi State’s Student Association begins the annual Homecoming celebration this week with multiple fun events planned. With Homecoming Week’s proximity to Halloween, the theme is “Night of the Living Dawgs,” inspired by the horror film “Night of the Living Dead.” Homecoming Week 2021 events include “Breakfast with Bully” on the Union patio at the Drill Field with a chance to meet the Homecoming Court and Bully on Monday [Oct. 25]. This year's homecoming game will be Saturday [Oct. 30] vs. Kentucky at 6 p.m.

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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CVM researchers’ rapid COVID-19 antibody test recognized with TechConnect Innovation Award
A Mississippi State University research team’s patent-pending method for rapidly detecting COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies is being recognized this week at a leading global technology conference. A team of researchers led by Keun Seok Seo, associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, was recognized with an Innovation Award at the TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C. Research Professor Joo Youn Park and Postdoctoral Associate Nogi Park also contributed to the invention. Jeremy Clay, director of MSU’s Office of Technology Management, said the innovation has the potential to fill a significant void in the diagnostic testing market. “This is another great example of technology being developed at MSU that can make an immediate societal impact,” Clay said.

Hanna and Seitz accepted into Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research’s Mentoring Academy
Two Mississippi State faculty members now are members of the Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research’s Mentoring Academy, part of the 2021-2022 class of participants who will develop mentoring and grant-writing skills through six sessions facilitated by an expert faculty member. Heather L. Hanna, an MSU assistant research professor and director of the Policy Research and Systems Change Lab at the Social Science Research Center and Holli H. Seitz, an assistant professor of communication and director of the SSRC’s Message Laboratory both are part of MSU’s first year as an MCCTR partner. MCCTR institutes include the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the University of Mississippi, the University of Southern Mississippi, Tougaloo College and MSU.

Annual Williams Lecture on Lincoln and Civil War Studies Thursday afternoon
A highly esteemed historian and author will visit Mississippi State to speak during the university’s fourth annual Frank and Virginia Williams Lecture on Lincoln and Civil War Studies on Thursday [Oct. 28]. Jonathan W. White is an associate professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University in Virginia. The lecture, titled “In A House Built By Slaves: African American Encounters with Abraham Lincoln,” will be based on White’s upcoming book, "To Address You As My Friend: African American Letters to Abraham Lincoln" (The University of North Carolina Press). The event will be held at 1 p.m. in the John Grisham Room of Mitchell Memorial Library and is free and open to the public. White is a doctoral graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park and is the author of 12 books about Lincoln and the Civil War.

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