Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Celebrating a ribbon cutting in advance of this past weekend’s Subway and Bento Sushi openings are, from left, MSU Dining Services Director of Operations Valerie Schultz; Food Service Director Dwight Turner; MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt; MSU Student Association President Carson McFatridge; MSU President Mark E. Keenum; Subway Supervisor Angie Robinson; and Aramark Resident District Manager James Jankowski. PHOTO: Jonah Holland | Public Affairs

MSU showcases automated agricultural technology at agronomic field day
The latest precision and automated agricultural technologies were showcased during the Mississippi State agronomic field day last week at the R. R. Foil Plant Science Research Center. Co-hosted by the university’s Agricultural Autonomy Institute, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the MSU Extension Service, the public event featured sessions on crop management, insect control and plant physiology stress. An event highlight -- the highly anticipated sprayer drone demonstration -- in partnership with Leading Edge Aerial Technologies piqued the interest of attendees. Madison Dixon, AAI’s associate director, said that MSU will benefit from LEAT’s knowledge and expertise by putting sprayer drone technology into the hands of researchers and farmers alike.

Shinde's $1.1M NASA grant to develop computational tool aiding hypersonic vehicle design
NASA is awarding a Mississippi State University assistant professor a $1.13 million grant to develop a new simulation tool to aid the design of hypersonic vehicles used in space exploration. Vilas Shinde of MSU’s Department of Aerospace Engineering won the grant to develop a new flow stability and transition analysis tool, which will aid researchers and aircraft designers in understanding and predicting changes associated with the boundary layer—air flow in the vicinity of an aircraft’s surface during flight. “This is a very competitive award, so the happiest moment for me was when my abstract was selected for the full proposal development,” said Shinde. “I’m fortunate to collaborate with some of the finest scientists in the field.”

Arts and Sciences launches innovative TEAMS program to foster teaching excellence
Mississippi State University’s College of Arts and Sciences is launching an interdisciplinary initiative aimed at promoting outstanding teaching practices and collaboration within the largest academic college at the university. Teaching Excellence and Motivating Success, or TEAMS, stems from universitywide directives to increase effective teaching practices, said Kelly Moser, MSU Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures associate professor. TEAMS leaders will engage in various activities, such as classroom observations, discussions on teaching and sharing resources to support faculty development.

Porter delves into health opportunities for military veterans
Named a top 10 Military Friendly School for four consecutive years, Mississippi State University continues its military support through a new online paper by a psychology faculty member, detailing a national program’s potential to enhance understanding of military and veteran health. Assistant Professor Ben Porter’s article in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) highlights veterans as a key subpopulation. He demonstrates how the extensive health data available through the All of Us Research Program can address critical health questions for veterans. “This study is unique because anyone 18 years or older in the U.S. can sign up to be a participant. I am actually a participant,” Porter said.

Reminder: University policy addresses employee political activity
With campaigning for elected offices underway this year, Mississippi State's Office of General Counsel offers the following reminder of the university’s policy on political activities. There are several basic guidelines that university employees should keep in mind when engaging in any form of political activity. MSU employees are encouraged to review OP 01.14: Political Activities in its entirety and to understand their rights and responsibilities.

Free learning opportunities via LinkedIn Learning available to faculty, staff and students
Sharpen skills. Explore new interests. Increase professional value. These and other results are now available via no-cost learning opportunities to Mississippi State faculty, staff and students through MSU’s new agreement with LinkedIn Learning. A popular, online education platform, LinkedIn Learning’s 20,000-plus courses are available to campus via a quick login using their MSU NetID email addresses. With self-paced learning, courses are presented in various formats, including bite-sized video, audio only and in-depth content. The platform is directly integrated with Canvas, the university’s learning management system. MSU faculty can use it to supplement course material or even develop and load their own content onto the platform.

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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MSU’s Subway, Bento Sushi hold ribbon cutting
Mississippi State University is unveiling a fresh update for the campus Subway restaurant, along with opening a new Bento Sushi. The restaurants are in the newly renovated space that formerly housed the University Florist and are part of the broad-scale project which includes a major renovation to Perry Cafeteria. While the Subway and Bento Sushi are opening just in time to welcome students for the 2024-25 school year, Perry is scheduled to reopen in fall 2025. Subway and Bento Sushi opened over the weekend. MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt gave brief remarks at a ribbon cutting ceremony last Friday [Aug. 9]. Keenum said offering excellent campus dining options is a priority, along with ensuring that all aspects of campus life are optimal as students pursue their academic endeavors.

New gateway to campus opens to traffic
A new Mississippi State University gateway from College View Drive has been unveiled, transforming campus entry with the opening of a new street which enhances safety and connectivity. “Every entrance to campus is a front door to Mississippi State and the Bulldog experience,” said Saunders Ramsey, executive director of Campus Services. “With this project, we have designed a street that is as beautiful as it is functional to introduce campus.” The street opened to traffic last Friday [Aug. 9]. “With extra parking, a new shuttle stop, protected bike lanes, raised pedestrian crossings and additional sidewalks, this project continues our effort of focusing on and improving all modes of transportation on our campus,” said Jeremiah Dumas, MSU’s executive director of transportation.

First MSU-Meridian Master of Science in Nursing cohort begins weeklong orientation to new nursing school
Mississippi State University-Meridian’s inaugural Accelerated Master of Science in Nursing cohort launched a weeklong orientation last week, kicking off their enrollment in the rigorous School of Nursing program. Thirty-six students, including six from other states and all with varying academic degree backgrounds, compose the School of Nursing’s first cohort, and begin classes Monday [Aug. 12]. The program is the first direct-entry program to RN licensure in the state. They were welcomed by MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Dean of Nursing Mary Stewart. Keenum said launching the new program has been a team effort, and he thanked The Riley Foundation, as well as the School of Nursing faculty, staff and students who “have made an incredible commitment to make the world a better place by helping people.”

MSU leads national discussion on agriculture as an instrument of diplomacy
Food and water. These basic human necessities were at the forefront of conversation led by Mississippi State University and Arizona State University in Washington, D.C. this month at the conference “The Intersection of Agriculture and Competitive Statecraft.” Home to the Competitive Statecraft Initiative, ASU invited MSU to co-host the conference. “As the U.S. tries to engage with other countries, we find agriculture is almost always a very important issue to that country, whether it’s feeding their people or trying to expand their agricultural footprint,” said Keith Coble, MSU vice president of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine. “At the end of the day, the ability to eat healthy, sanitary food and to be able to afford food are fundamental issues in the United States and the rest of the world.”