Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District students take part in a lesson on drums from Robert Damm, a professor in the MSU Department of Music, during the district's first intersession enrichment camps. As part of the district’s new modified calendar, two-week intersessions -- or short periods between terms -- now take place in the fall and spring, giving students a chance to catch up on key skills or enjoy a deeper dive into topics of interest through enrichment camps. The MSU support for SOSD’s intersession camps are an extension of the longstanding partnerships between the university and school district. PHOTO: Grace Cockrell | Public Affairs

MSU Extension receives $10 million grant for climate-smart project
Mississippi State University is the lead partner on a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct climate-smart projects. Beth Baker, an Extension specialist in natural resource conservation in agroecosystems, is the lead investigator on the grant project. It is one of 70 nationwide that received funding from a $2.8 billion federal investment in climate-smart commodities and rural projects. “This project seeks to demonstrate the viability of growing climate-smart grains that are sold to local poultry feed operations,” Baker said. “We will develop a pilot program for grain producers to utilize multiple climate-smart practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Delta State joins the Mississippi Library Partnership
Delta State University recently became the 12th library system member of the Mississippi Library Partnership, which now includes 66 branch locations. Originally established in 1993, the partnership offers member institutions cost efficiencies and shared resources. MLP provides a library automation system, administered by Mississippi State University Libraries, which also lends technical expertise, support and training to members. “We are very excited and honored that Delta State University made the decision to become a member of the MLP. The addition not only increases the resources available to the existing members of the partnership, but also greatly expands the resources available to the DSU community,” said Anita Winger, MSU Libraries’ automations system manager.

Zuckerman part of research team featured in Communications Biology
Research by Molly Zuckerman, a professor in Mississippi State’s Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, is featured in Communications Biology -- a division of Nature -- as part of a multi-institution, interdisciplinary project challenging the perspective of using human remains as objects for scientific study and, instead, using them as a pathway for reconstructing unique experiences, circumstances and places within history. The article “Remembering St. Louis individual -- structural violence and acute bacterial infections in a historical anatomical collection” was published Oct. 3. Funded by the National Science Foundation, University of Oklahoma and Smithsonian Institution, the interdisciplinary investigation explores the cause of death and social, political and economic circumstances surrounding the death of “St. Louis Individual.”

Pittman among country’s youngest livestock judging coaches
After attending a local animal show, 5-year-old Alexandra Pittman asked her mother and stepfather to buy her a piglet. Twenty years and numerous 4-H-related events later, she is now one of the youngest college livestock judging team leaders in the country. At 25, the Petal native now leads the Mississippi State Livestock Judging Team after graduating with an undergraduate degree in Animal and Dairy Science in 2019 and a Master of Agriculture degree with a concentration in Animal and Dairy Science two years later. Along with her coaching role, Pittman is also a classroom instructor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences.

Campus Climate Survey: Let your voice be heard
Mississippi State students, faculty and staff are invited and encouraged to complete the 2022 Campus Climate Survey that will help us build a more inclusive campus environment. The survey opened on Sept. 20 and will close on Oct. 21. Please visit www.msstate.edu/campusclimate for more information or to complete the survey. Those in need of access to technology to complete the survey can visit the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, located on the second floor of the Colvard Student Union, or the Computer Commons, located on the second floor of the Mitchell Memorial Library. Please contact the MSU Division of Access, Diversity and Inclusion at 662-325-2859 if you prefer a paper copy.

MSU announces new search committee training and resources
Mississippi State University is announcing a new online training module and handbook for university personnel serving on hiring committees. As part of the hiring process, all search committee members will be required to complete the online training offered through Human Resources Management. It is required for all faculty positions and professional positions that have a search committee. The goal of the training and focus on job search process is to ensure the university is attracting the broadest and most diverse applicant pools possible as the university seeks personnel to fulfill its learning, research and service missions. The training also helps to ensure candidates have a positive experience at all stages of the hiring process.

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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University and school district partner to enhance student learning experiences during first intersession
Over the course of just a few hours at Partnership Middle School at Mississippi State University, students were building paper rockets, watching a fire truck ladder climb high in the sky, petting a lamb, learning new drum styles, playing math games and more. The activities were all part of the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District’s first intersession enrichment camps this month. Mississippi State personnel from a wide range of academic backgrounds supported the camps. “I am very proud of the way the university and community partners have come together to enhance the learning opportunities that are available to students during the intersession period. This kind of partnership can serve as an example for communities across the state as they consider new approaches to the school calendar,” said MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan.

MSU, Tougaloo College boosting partnership to expand academic and research opportunities
Mississippi State University and Tougaloo College are once again partnering to expand educational opportunities in the Magnolia State. MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Tougaloo President Carmen J. Walters signed a memorandum of understanding last week [Oct. 11] to enhance educational and research opportunities for students and faculty, particularly in STEM fields. “The signing of this agreement builds upon the solid foundation and the wonderful relationship between Tougaloo College and Mississippi State University,” Keenum said. “This new MOU expands degree opportunities on our campus for Tougaloo students and enhances collaborative research between our two institutions. We are thrilled to continue working with our fellow Bulldogs.”

Smart technologies and sustainable agriculture focus of new agreement with University of Salento
Mississippi State University and Italy’s University of Salento leaders are celebrating new collaborations aimed at utilizing smart technologies to advance sustainable agriculture. MSU Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw and University of Salento Rector Fabio Pollice signed a memorandum of understanding this week in Italy promoting opportunities for educational and research exchanges between the two universities. “I am excited about the wide range of possibilities for our universities to collaborate on some of the most pressing issues facing our world today,” Shaw said. “Advanced technologies and sustainable agriculture methods are critical to feeding our growing global population. This mutually beneficial partnership can expand the horizons of students and researchers at both universities as we consider the global contexts of the challenges we face.”

Brown named to Dr. Donald L. Hall Professorship of Biology
Matthew W. Brown is the newest appointee to the prestigious Dr. Donald L. Hall Professorship of Biology at Mississippi State University, a position made possible with an endowment created by its namesake. In addition to his three-year appointment, Brown is receiving a medallion of recognition and a stipend for research purposes. The professorship established by Donald L. Hall, a 1962 pre-medicine graduate, honors the former MSU professors who impacted him. Angus Dawe, professor and head of the Department of Biological Sciences and inaugural selection for the professorship in 2016, passed the torch to Brown in a surprise ceremony at the end of September. Brown has been an MSU faculty member since 2013. His research focus uses protistological techniques to understand the evolution and diversity of eukaryotes. Last year he received a National Science Foundation grant worth more than $1 million to expand scientists’ knowledge of the environmental distribution of Amoebozoa.