Maroon MEMO: Employee News (Mississippi State University)

Purple, yellow and red tulips blooming near The Scholar and across campus offer a colorful spring welcome to Mississippi State and its Mitchell Memorial Library. Installed in 2009, the bronze figure embodies a lifelong pursuit of knowledge for students, faculty and staff. MSU students return from Spring Break Monday [March 16]. PHOTO: Emily Grace McCall | Public Affairs

MSU expands teaching, research, outreach with National Wild Turkey Federation investment
Mississippi State’s College of Forest Resources now includes a new Distinguished Endowed Professorship from the National Wild Turkey Federation, following the organization’s announcement of the investment during its 50th annual Convention and Sport Show last month. Wes Burger, CFR dean and Forest and Wildlife Research Center director, underscored the historic transformation of wild turkey conservation and partnerships that made the professorship possible. “Restoration of the wild turkey is one of the great North American conservation success stories,” he said. Andy Kouba, professor and department head, noted that the new professorship further strengthens the university’s tradition of excellence. A national search to fill the position will begin in the coming months.

Byrd takes national weed science post
A weed science specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service will soon fill one of the most significant service roles within the Weed Science Society of America, or WSSA. John Byrd, also a weed scientist with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and professor of weed science in the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, has been appointed to the post of WSSA liaison to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, for a three-year term. “Dr. Byrd has spent his entire career helping Mississippians and the agricultural community make informed, responsible decisions about weed control,” said Angus Catchot, director of MSU Extension. “His appointment to this national role speaks to the depth of his expertise and the respect he has earned across the industry.”

Climavision joins MSU’s newly launched energy initiative
Mississippi State is adding weather enterprise partners to the university’s growing energy-related research portfolio through a collaboration with Climavision. The firm has joined MSU’s newly launched Energy Resilience and Innovation Hub as an inaugural industry partner. It's designed to drive advancement in the energy space by coordinating collaboration between the university and external partners from industry and government. Climavision brings a range of groundbreaking weather observations to the hub, including 29 weather radars filling gaps in the government’s Next-Generation Radar system. “This partnership gives Mississippi State students and faculty direct exposure to next-generation weather technology that can enhance our world-class research and learning opportunities,” said MSU Associate Vice President for Research and Economic Development Narcisa Pricope.

MSU AI Community: Join the conversation!
Mississippi State University is taking steps to advance artificial intelligence adoption across campus. Whether you’re a researcher, educator, or staff member, these resources are designed to help you learn, collaborate, and stay informed about AI initiatives at MSU. The AI Innovation Hub SharePoint Site is your one-stop hub for AI-related learning opportunities, workshops, user guidance, industry news, tips, and updates. It's available at https://mstate.sharepoint.com/sites/AIInnovationHub. You can also connect through the MSU AI Community Teams Site. If you have any questions about AI at MSU, please contact Senior Advisor for AI and Data Governance Julie Jordan at julie.jordan@msstate.edu.

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 available via no-cost learning opportunities to Mississippi State faculty, staff and students through MSU’s 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, Rome’s Pontifical University Antonianum lead conference focused on ethical development of AI
Mississippi State University’s global leadership in innovation was in focus last week in Rome, Italy. Officials from Mississippi’s leading research university joined colleagues at the Pontifical University Antonianum (PUA) March 10 to convene an international conference about the ethical use of artificial intelligence. “Mississippi State is pleased to collaborate with the Pontifical University Antonianum in the realization of this Observatory for Integral Intelligence. Integral is a key word -- AI is not about computational efficiency, but rather the progress of humanity,” MSU Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw said. Presenters included MSU’s Mimmo Parisi, a professor of sociology and senior advisor for European and Data Science Development, and Jonathan Barlow, associate director of the Data Science Program and an assistant teaching professor.

Han named inaugural landscape architecture endowed professor
SaMin Han, an assistant professor in Mississippi State’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design, is the holder of the department’s inaugural endowed professorship. Michael Hatcher, a 1982 landscape contracting graduate, and his wife Mary, recently pledged a $500,000 gift to the university to initiate the Michael L. and Mary B. Hatcher Endowed Professorship. The endowment is designed to support outstanding faculty who prioritize environmental design systems in their research, teaching and contributions to the landscape architecture profession. “I could not be more pleased that our department is receiving its first endowed professorship, and Dr. Han is an excellent fit,” said Anne Spafford, professor and department head.

Shaffer explores hope, hardship in ‘Black Migration’ fiction
In his latest book, Mississippi State’s African American Studies Director Donald M. Shaffer examines how early 20th-century African American novels captured the promise and challenges faced by Blacks migrating from the rural South to Northern cities. Published this month by the University Press of Mississippi’s Margaret Walker Alexander Series in African American Studies, “Though There Be Giants: The Ghetto Pastoral Mode in Black Migration Novels” focuses on literature from the Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Age and how writers portrayed Northern cities as both a symbolic promised land and a place of conflict for Black migrants. In his research, Shaffer examines how these novels reflect the tension between hope and hardship that shaped the Great Migration experience.

MSU hosts Giles Distinguished Lecture by food science professor Wes Schilling this Wednesday
Mississippi State is hosting a lecture by food science professor and 2024 William L. Giles Distinguished Professor Wes Schilling as part of the university’s William L. Giles Distinguished Lecture Series on Wednesday [March 18]. Schilling will present “Food Science: The Best Career You Have Never Heard of: People, Relationships, and Feeding the World,” at 4 p.m., Old Main Academic Center, Room 1030. Sponsored by MSU’s Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, the event is open to faculty, staff, students and the public. The university will continue the lecture series in April with a presentation by 2025 Giles Distinguished Professor Chris Snyder. Details will be announced at a later date.