Batter Up! Hands-on learning at the MSU-SOSD Partnership School earlier this month had sixth graders learning statistics by finding their batting averages as they swung to hit baseballs. University students in MSU Math Instructor Julie Nation's class helped the young learners with their calculations, and the Diamond Girls for the Bulldog baseball team supported the outside activity. The Partnership School is in its third year of educating all sixth and seventh graders in the SOSD district, while university students train there as future teachers. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs
New events highlight 17th annual Ragtime Jazz Festival at MSU
Just as music changes and evolves through the years, the Charles H. Templeton Sr. Ragtime & Jazz Festival at Mississippi State continues to evolve and grow, bringing new offerings and entertainers to the classic music-lovers event. This year the 17th annual festival beginning Thursday [March 23] includes traditional and new events, featuring the inaugural Business of Music Symposium and the popular Gatsby Gala Fashion Show. “Over the years we have added music styles to the initial Ragtime offerings, including jazz, blues, swing, boogie-woogie and more,” said festival co-chair and MSU Libraries Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Strategic Initiatives Stephen Cunetto. “Always rooted in Ragtime, we want to offer other styles of music as a reminder that Ragtime is the original American music, and all other forms come from this beginning.”
Auction at T.K. Martin Center features artist Kendrell Daniels, several Express Yourself! program participants
The power of self-expression will be on full display this week in an art auction featuring individuals supported by Mississippi State’s assistive technology center. The second annual Express Yourself! Art Auction and Sale takes place Friday [March 24], 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, part of MSU’s College of Education. Well-known artist and MSU student Kendrell Daniels, who paints with his feet and is a recipient of T.K. Martin’s services, will be painting at the event and have pieces in the silent auction, along with several others who are part of the center’s Express Yourself! Art program. Original pieces and merchandise such as prints and cards can be purchased. Kasee Stratton-Gadke, T.K. Martin director, said, “We’re thrilled to showcase our artists’ work and their growth over the last year. This event helps fund the program and benefits the artists, so we hope to see a large showing from the community.”
MSU Brown Loam station reopening at Raymond
The E.G. (Gene) Morrison Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station in Hinds County, which has sat largely vacant for two years, now has a new purpose, updated facilities and a new life after reopening this spring. Angus Catchot, interim director of this center, said reopening the Brown Loam station has been a priority since September 2022. “We’re putting resources back into the branch station with plans for it to be the showcase it was years ago,” Catchot said. “We are absolutely committed to sufficient staffing at Brown Loam and all our centers across the state. These stations take the local research being conducted and transfer it directly to the neighboring communities for immediate use,” he said.
DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Payton Holliman
Payton Holliman is passionate about helping others. After moving from her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, to Biloxi, Mississippi, to care for her grandparents, she started working at the Mississippi State University Extension Head Start Program in Biloxi. Designed to prepare children for preschool and kindergarten, the program combines local partnerships with research-based education methods to give students a “head start.” As an assistant teacher, Holliman works in a classroom of up to 17 young children.
DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Michael Minaldi
During his third year of veterinary school, Michael Minaldi knew that his interests lie outside the general veterinary practice, which led him to specialize in ophthalmology. As a resident at Mississippi State University’s Animal Health Center (AHC), a clinical service unit of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Minaldi treats animals with ocular diseases. “I performed my first cataract removal surgery on a dog named Eli who was blinded from his cataracts,” recalled Minaldi. “The moment he saw his owner for the first time following his surgery was heartwarming and something I'll always remember.”
ORED hosting Symposium on Public Health and Health Sciences Research Tuesday afternoon
The university's Office of Research and Economic Development will host a Symposium on Public Health and Health Sciences Research on Tuesday [March 21] from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Ballroom M of the Colvard Student Union. Mississippi State is poised to be a major contributor to important research and outreach priorities among Public Health and Health Sciences funders. Please join ORED, a panel of distinguished guests, and our MSU faculty research colleagues, for a discussion about research in Public Health and Health Sciences. The goals of the event are 1) to be a catalyst for future conversations around the current issues and challenges around several sub-topics central to "health," and 2) to coalesce interest among MSU stakeholders and identify institutional capacities to pursue funding in these areas.
Mississippi Philosophical Association annual meeting at MSU this week
The Mississippi Philosophical Association -- dormant for the past two years because of COVID-19 -- returns this week with its annual meeting featuring noted philosopher Elizabeth Anderson as keynote speaker. The two-day event at The Mill Conference Center in Starkville is hosted by MSU’s Department of Philosophy and Religion. MSU students, faculty and staff are invited to attend Anderson’s keynote address from 4-6 p.m. on Friday [March 24]. Manuel Rodeiro, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and chair of the event, said he hopes listeners will gain insight into the work of contemporary social/political philosophers in understanding and reimagining ways of life.
Wednesday deadline for 2023 Ottilie Schillig Special Teaching Projects Program
Proposals for the 2023 Ottilie Schillig Special Teaching Projects Program will be accepted through Wednesday [March 22]. This program provides financial support to encourage new ideas for improving undergraduate teaching. The awards are restricted to projects related to undergraduate instruction and learning with a maximum award of $3,000. Guidelines for submitting a proposal may be found on the MSU Center for Teaching and Learning website at www.ctl.msstate.edu/resources/ottilie-schillig-special-teaching-projects-grants. Proposals must be submitted electronically as a PDF to the CTL by email at SchilligAward@msstate.edu.
MSU International Institute to host Fulbright virtual campus visit
The Mississippi State International Institute is excited to share that the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program recently opened its 2024-25 competition with more than 400 awards in 135 countries. Included in the awards are opportunities for teaching, researching and conducting professional projects ranging from a few months to one year. For faculty interested in learning more about this year's cycle, the International Institute is hosting a Fulbright staff member for a virtual campus visit on March 28 from 1-2 p.m.
Nominations for Zacharias Distinguished Staff Awards due April 1
Mississippi State’s Staff Council is seeking nominations of outstanding employees for the annual Zacharias Distinguished Staff Awards through 11:59 p.m. April 1. Twelve selected honorees will be announced at the annual Junction luncheon, scheduled for 11 a.m. May 19. They will receive a plaque of recognition along with a $1,000 check from MSU President Mark E. Keenum. The honors are a memorial to the university’s 15th president Donald W. Zacharias. To be eligible for the award, nominees must be classified as a professional or support staff employee, be in good standing, work at least half-time, have a minimum of three years service and have never been a recipient of the award.
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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