Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

MSU Dining Services has introduced Launch Box Grab & Go, a locally-created program found at all campus P.O.D. locations. All items are made fresh daily in the catering department and distributed to the P.O.D.s. Items include sandwiches, salads, snack boxes, parfaits, wraps and fruit cups. The recipes for Launch Box were created by MSU Executive Chef Greg Huerkamp, and include items like Edam pimento cheese sliders, grilled chicken Waldorf salad, parfaits, fruit cups and more. All of the labels and logos were created by Brianna Bradley, an MSU Dining Services graphic designer and Mississippi State University alumna.

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Mary Beth Dail
A career in science is a natural fit for Mary Beth Dail. “I was always curious about how things worked, and science offered a way to find out,” she said. Dail is a senior research associate in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences-Center for Environmental Health Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine. In her role there, she is working with a team of people who are testing a possible antidote to nerve gas and pesticide poisoning. While curiosity is the first step to a career like Dail’s, training is the next step. “If a student wants to go into a laboratory science career like mine, I’d advise them to take as many different science classes as possible, especially those that teach them new techniques.”

DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Thomas Nyatta
Thomas Nyatta knew he would love Extension work after completing his doctorate at Southern University A&M College. “While I was a post doc in Baton Rouge, I would share my research with farmers at field days,” he said. “I loved to explain my research to them and see how happy it made them. I knew I wanted that kind of job where I could help people understand these kinds of things and apply it in their lives.” Shortly after that, he took a job with Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service where he spent three years. In 2016, he began working in his current position in Oktibbeha County where he is an ag and natural resources agent. Nyatta interacts with a variety of clients -- from farmers to homeowners to elementary school students.

ORED launches seed funding and internship programs to grow research success
The Office Research and Economic Development is pleased to announce the launch of two new pilot programs designed to grow research success at Mississippi State University: the Advancing Collaborative Research Program (ACR) and the Faculty Leadership Internship Program (FLIP). Consistent with ORED goals to spur interdisciplinary research and establish new partnerships within and beyond the institution, ACR is meant to encourage both internal and external collaborations; enable new teams and/or new lines of research; and advance high-potential, high-impact activities to the next level. As part of developing talent and leadership within the MSU research enterprise, ORED is piloting the FLIP -- a six-month program designed to provide faculty with an in-depth, first-hand experience that broadens and deepens understanding of how research administration operates.

Inaugural Research Week coming up in April
Mississippi State will showcase the innovative research taking place across campus with the inaugural annual Research Week April 11-14. Sponsored by the Office of Research and Economic Development, Research Week will celebrate the MSU faculty, staff, and students advancing their fields and making an impact in Mississippi and across the globe. Research Week will foster knowledge of the wide variety of scholarly and creative activities happening on our campus and promote awareness of the many resources that support research at MSU. Units and organizations across campus are encouraged to host events in conjunction with Research Week. To submit an event or lean more information about Research Week, visit www.research.msstate.edu/initiatives/research-week.

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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Bullard joins CFR/FWRC as associate dean and director
Steve Bullard is Mississippi State’s new associate dean of the College of Forest Resources and associate director of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center. Beginning March 1, Bullard -- a two-time CFR alumnus and longtime professor -- stepped out of retirement for this role. “Dr. Bullard is well respected among our stakeholders, and we are fortunate to have him rejoin our faculty and fill this vital position in our college administration,” said Wes Burger, CFR/FWRC dean and director. Bullard has authored over 90 refereed publications, including popular textbooks used today. He has also authored software packages, including FORVAL, a timberland investment calculator, which is one of MSU’s most downloaded FWRC software programs.

Sutton receives national scholarly award for criminology work
A Mississippi State sociology faculty member is a selection for the New Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology’s Division on Women and Crime. Tara E. Sutton is being recognized for her comprehensive career in the field of criminology and her research into trauma as a predictor of crime. An assistant professor of sociology, she also is an affiliated faculty member in the Gender Studies program. Sutton’s award honors the achievements of scholars who show outstanding merit early in their careers. An MSU faculty member since 2018, Sutton’s research centers on predictors and outcomes of family and sexual violence or other forms of trauma.

Parker receives award for children’s research
A Mississippi State School of Human Sciences faculty member was recognized by a national organization of child life professionals for research aimed to help children who have experienced assault. Associate Professor Julie Parker was honored with the 2022 Professional Research Recognition Award by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). The award recognizes her work as a co-author on Supporting Children Experiencing a Pediatric-Sexual Assault Forensic Examination: Preparation for and Perceptions of the Role of the Child Life Specialist. This award acknowledges research initiatives aimed to examine child life specialists’ perspectives on their preparation for and role in helping children cope with a medical examination after a traumatic sexual assault.

Ridner named Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher of the Year
A Mississippi State professor of history is the university’s 2022 Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher of the Year for bringing insights of the humanities to public audiences. Judith A. “Judy” Ridner will receive her award from the Mississippi Humanities Council at their annual ceremony in Jackson on March 25, when approximately 30 awards will be given to individuals throughout the state. Alan I. Marcus, professor and head of MSU’s history department, praised Ridner’s selection, pointing to her varied methods for highlighting humanities. Ridner, a historian of early America with interests in the American Frontier, ethnicity and immigration, and oral and public history, said she is “honored and humbled” to receive the award.