Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Mississippi State University officials broke ground in late May on a new 35,000-square-foot High Performance Computing Data Center. Marking the occasion, from left, is Dale Partners Architects Managing Partner Leigh Jaunsen; MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan; MSU High Performance Computing Collaboratory Director Mike Navicky; MSU President Mark E. Keenum; MSU Interim Chief Technology Transformation Officer Trey Breckenridge; MSU Vice President for Finance and Administration Don Zant; MSU Associate Vice President for Administration Les Potts; Dale Partners Architects Partner Jason Agostinelli; West Brothers Construction Project Manager Mike Lum; Dale Partners Architects Project Architect Will Commarato; and West Brothers Construction Onsite Superintendent Jim Shackelford. PHOTO: Grace Cockrell | Public Affairs

Oakley chosen for Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research mentoring program
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research recently selected a Mississippi State University graduate student for its three-year mentoring program. Graham Oakley, an agronomy doctoral student in the MSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and project manager with the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, joins approximately 25 students from across the U.S. in the sixth cohort of the FFAR Fellows Program. Oakley, an Oktibbeha County native who grew up on a dairy and beef cattle farm, focuses on advancing crop production practices and precision agriculture technologies. His current research addresses reducing water usage for rice production while integrating new, autonomous technologies to aid in water management.

NASA, Forestry’s Yang study natural resources satellite data to address water insecurity
The federal agency in charge of the nation’s space program is receiving assistance from a Mississippi State assistant forestry professor in addressing water security by monitoring, understanding and managing natural resources through satellite data. Yun Yang, also an MSU Forest and Wildlife Research Center scientist, is part of a national consortium of more than 30 members and partners contributing to the NASA Acres project. The five-year, $15 million program led by the University of Maryland continues the spirit of similar work initiated under NASA’s Landsat series of satellite launches begun 50 years ago.

E-Center expanding McCool Hall headquarters
A transformational project will double the size of Mississippi State’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, also known as the E-Center, in McCool Hall, providing an even greater boost to the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The expansion project, which includes a new entrance prominently accessible from the Leo Seal Atrium on McCool Hall’s first floor, will add startup team rooms, expand meeting and conference spaces, and create a museum-like experience showcasing MSU startups. “Too often, people discount the idea of starting a business, doubting their own capacity to become an entrepreneur. I love that this project really focuses on showing diverse stories of successful Bulldog founders, hopefully inspiring others to say, ‘They did it; so can I,’” said E-Center Director Eric Hill.

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.

The Office of Public Affairs provides Maroon MEMO as a general information
resource for Mississippi State University employees.

Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.

University breaks ground on new High Performance Computing Data Center
Mississippi State University is breaking ground on a new building that soon will be home to groundbreaking discoveries. University officials celebrated the beginning of construction last month for the new High Performance Computing Data Center in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park. The 35,000-square-foot, $45 million building will further expand MSU’s nationally recognized capabilities in high performance computing. “Today marks an important step for the future of our university and our state as we build the kind of facility that can keep us at the forefront of high performance computing for years to come,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum.

Leadership development program preps staff for future roles
Sixteen Mississippi State staff members -- Kevin Anderson, Christina Childers, Paula Estes, Delaney Foster, Alvin Franklin, Kenneth Graves, Lilli Harris, Tockie Hemphill, Leah Hunter, Joseph Iupe, Kimberly Mason, Kayla Pineda, Blair Reed, David Saucier, Kathi Smith and Erica Way -- are new graduates of a professional development program that prepares participants for potential leadership roles within the university. President Mark E. Keenum along with direct supervisors and administrators from areas represented by cohort members recently celebrated the graduation of the Leadership Development Program Class of 2023.

Visiting scholars program sending Sociology's Allison to Poland
Her ground-breaking research on gender inequality in sports has Mississippi State sociology Associate Professor Rachel Allison spending this summer in Poland as a 2023 Visiting Scholar at the University of Gdańsk. An MSU faculty member since 2014, the Walcott, Iowa, native is sharing with academics her findings on the atmosphere and community of women’s soccer fans. She was invited to join 12 other scholars from nine universities across the world. During the two-week program, Allison will present research lectures and collaborate with UG sociologist Radosław Kossakowski, who visited MSU in the fall semester as part of the UG faculty exchange program.