Feature Story

STONEVILLE -- Football great D.D. Lewis will be the keynote speaker at the July 15 Agronomic Crops Field Day at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center.

A former Dallas Cowboy linebacker, Lewis was an All-American and Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in 1967 at Mississippi State and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Researchers at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine investigate diseases and wellness strategies to improve pets’ lives, but many of their discoveries may ultimately advance human health care, too.

By Karen Templeton
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- The Mississippi Entomological Museum is poised to identify destructive invaders -- taking the form of seemingly harmless bugs -- sneaking into the country and threatening significant damage to U.S. agriculture.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – An army of scientists and experts are closely monitoring the Gulf of Mexico oil leak and local conditions to ensure that seafood being sold in Mississippi is safe for consumers.

Dave Burrage, a marine resources specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service in Biloxi, said the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the Mississippi Health Department are guarding the safety of seafood being caught and sold.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

COLUMBUS – The Culinary Arts Institute at Mississippi University for Women kicked its cuisine up another notch after partnering with Mississippi State University to restore the program’s overcrowded herb garden.

The garden still features many common herbs, such as sage, oregano and thyme, but it now includes several varieties of each one. In the works are plans to add fruit trees and other plants that will broaden students’ knowledge of the preparation and presentation of food.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Although she looks for symptoms and clues when examining her animal patients, Mississippi State University veterinary alumna Paula Ann Schuerer never suspected the real reason when a former instructor called with questions.

The MSU College of Veterinary Medicine was considering Schuerer as its 2010 Alumnus of the Year. The college’s feline specialist, Dr. Sharon Grace, needed to complete the nomination about Schuerer and her veterinary practice in Franklin, Tenn., a town on the outskirts of Nashville.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

CORINTH – As a child, Alma Hopper was too shy even to say “please pass the peas” at the family dinner table, but a lifelong journey in 4-H helped her find her voice as an advocate for youth.

Hopper is an adult volunteer leader in Alcorn County’s 4-H program. She serves as a resource person for all of the county’s 4-H clubs. Many club members and leaders speak of her enthusiasm and dedication to the 4-H creed of “making the best better.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE — A forest management specialist at Mississippi State University has been named Extension Forester of the Year by the Forest Landowners Association.

Stephen Dicke, Extension professor in MSU’s College of Forest Resources, will receive the honor at the organization’s annual meeting in Stevenson, Wash.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A high-performance bermudagrass developed at Mississippi State University may soon appear on golf courses and sports fields in the Far East because of a licensing agreement between the university and a prominent company in Japan.

The agreement allows Zoysian, Inc. Japan Branch to sell and market Choice, a bermudagrass developed by MSU researchers Wayne Philley and Jeff Krans of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – A fish longer than 7 feet, heavier than 200 pounds and able to survive outside the water for up to two hours sounds like a fictional animal. This fish is the alligator gar, however, and researchers at Mississippi State University are working to protect it.

The population of the alligator gar is in decline, primarily due to loss of spawning habitat and over-fishing by anglers. Scientists and graduate students in MSU’s College of Forest Resources are hoping to reverse this trend.

MISSISSIPPI STATE - Today’s K-12 students are surrounded by communications technology both in and out of the classroom; and technology literacy is essential as students learn to assess information, collaborate, innovate and solve problems.

In meeting this need, educators face the challenges of both teaching technology skills and measuring students’ technology literacy levels.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University will hold two camps this summer to teach teens about the science behind the foods they eat.

MSU’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion is sponsoring two Culinology for Teens camps for incoming ninth- through 12th-grade students. Both camps will blend culinary arts and food science.

STONEVILLE -- Owners of retired catfish ponds and current catfish pond owners looking to reduce their pond acreage can benefit from a June 16 workshop that explores ways to develop former aquaculture ponds into natural resource enterprises.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Natural and manmade fires are important forest management tools, and problems can develop when fire is eliminated.

BILOXI – Oil spewing from BP’s destroyed Deepwater Horizon rig had not reached the Mississippi coastline by mid-May, but Mississippi State University experts were already working to help with the problem.

An estimated 5,000 barrels of crude oil have been spewing daily from the BP well that exploded April 20. Crude oil is a volatile mixture of compounds that are flammable, sticky, foul-smelling, persistent in the environment, poisonous and cancer-causing.

By Patti Drapala
MSU Ag Communications

MISSISSIPPI STATE – Mississippi State University’s apparel, textiles and merchandising majors found a fitting way to end the spring semester by staging their first-ever fashion exhibit on campus.

Fashion Focus, a student organization, held the event to demonstrate the ability of MSU fashion majors to master design, business and technical skills needed for successful careers in the industry.

MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Veterinarians at Mississippi State University now have access to a magnetic resonance imaging unit that can help pinpoint the source of lameness in horses.

MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine has entered into an agreement with MREquine, an Idaho company that has developed the first-of-its-kind mobile veterinary imaging coach for horses. The 1.5 tesla MRI unit can image body parts up to 18 centimeters in diameter, which includes a horse’s feet, fetlock, cannon bone, carpus (knee) and hock. The majority of horse lameness issues are in these areas.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – People interested in learning about the basics of tree planting and care have the opportunity to do so at workshops being held across the state in May and June.

The Urban Forest Workshops are sponsored by the Mississippi Urban Forestry Council and are free to the public. MUFC and Mississippi State University Extension Service personnel will lead the sessions and educate attendees about planting, pruning, selecting trees, preparing for a storm and replacing trees. The workshops will be held in various locations:

BILOXI – Mississippi will host a national meeting in June aimed at increasing the economic value and consumer appeal of agricultural commodities.

The 12th annual National Value-Added Conference will take place June 27-29 at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi. Hosts for the event include Mississippi State University’s Extension Service; the Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion; and the Department of Agricultural Economics.

MISSISSIPPI STATE – The fashion world is beginning to take notice of Mississippi State University’s apparel, textiles and merchandising students.

Many MSU students have interned with cutting-edge design houses and popular fashion magazines or performed well against peers from all over the United States in prestigious design competitions. Others have someone closer to thank for spurring their interest in fashion.