Feature Story

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Samyra Harris, 7, did not know what she was getting into when her mother enrolled her in a 4-H Cloverbud robotics camp for three days at Mississippi State University.

“I thought we would just play with robots. I didn’t know we would build them, too,” Harris said.

Actually, the morning camp sessions are more about programming than building the robots, and other activities offered a taste of science, technology and engineering. To the 5- to 8-year-old participants, it is all about the fun.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Parents who want to see that their children get the best education possible know that learning takes place both inside and outside the classroom.

Jana Carolyn Everett, a fourth-grade teacher of talented and gifted students in Starkville, said students make more lasting connections to education when learning happens not only at school, but also at home.

“When learning can be expanded beyond the walls of the classroom, the material learned comes alive,” Everett said.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Packing a balanced school lunch that kids like requires one skill: observation.

Brent Fountain, nutritionist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, recommended that parents recognize what their children like eating the most at home.

JACKSON, Miss. – The Early Years Network celebrated the grand opening of the new Hinds County Resource and Referral Center and was recognized as a community partner on June 25.

The new resource and referral center is located at 350 West Woodrow Wilson Avenue in the Jackson Medical Mall. The center provides special-needs materials, learning toys, teaching resources, books and equipment for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-age children available for check out to families and providers in the state free of charge.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Travel emergencies can happen at any time, but planning ahead with well-stocked first-aid kits can help take the sting out of road disasters.

David Buys, an assistant professor in the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said preparation and prevention are crucial for travelers.

BILOXI, Miss. -- A long-time Mississippi State University floral professor is now teaching the Mississippi public about floral design.

Jim DelPrince, who taught students on the Starkville campus for 23 years, joined the MSU Extension Service as a floral design specialist July 1. He is stationed in the MSU Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Backyard hobbyists and commercial producers of fruit and vegetable crops share a common need: pollinators.

Without them, flowering plants would be unable to produce fruit and seed. Bees are most commonly associated with pollination, but butterflies, hummingbirds and flies also are common pollinators.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Mississippi State University Extension Service nutritionist has been granted a fellowship by the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- John Orlowski joined the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station July 1 as soybean agronomist.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi fishermen and shoppers are wondering where the shrimp are as they wait for the on-again, off-again shrimp season to really get underway.

Dave Burrage, Mississippi State University Extension Service professor of marine resources at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, said shrimp season might have opened too early this year.

HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. -- Homeowners in small communities and rural areas without public water supplies can learn how to better manage, operate and protect their private wells.

The “Water Quality and Private Wells” workshop will be July 28 from 6 to 9 p.m. The program is available as an online webinar or in person at the Marshall County Extension office in Holly Springs.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- Rice growers and consultants will be able to cross two meetings off their lists on one day: July 30.

Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation will sponsor a summer meeting and field day at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville. The Farm Bureau summer rice grower meeting will begin with lunch at noon in the Capps Center, followed by a program at 1 p.m. The Rice Field Day will begin at 3:30 p.m. with a field tour of research plots.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Mississippians interested in working with the state’s natural resources can get in-depth education and certification through an 8-week course.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium will host the Coastal Mississippi Master Naturalist Program from Sept. 3 to Oct. 21.

Participants will meet once a week from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to learn basic principles of natural resource ecology and management through classroom instruction, field activities and team exercises.

By Karen Templeton
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- When Henry Wilson of Columbus noticed the eye of his beloved horse, Tender, was changing color, he knew something was wrong and did not waste any time getting her to a veterinarian.

“Tender has ridden in a lot of shows and parades and, of course, relies a lot on her good vision,” Wilson said. “In addition to the eye discoloration, she was squinting a lot, and there was discharge around one of her eyes.”

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A Seed Technology Short Course with the theme “Storing for Quality” is scheduled for Aug. 4-5 at the Bost Extension Center at Mississippi State University.

The MSU Extension Service designed the short course for seed industry professionals. University experts will address seed storage topics such as moisture, drying, aeration, harvest practices, postharvest management and maintaining quality in storage.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- When university personnel visit another country, the purpose is often to teach, but a visit to the Netherlands allowed some Mississippi State University faculty to learn.

SUMMIT, Miss. -- A team of early childhood specialists with the Early Years Network’s Special Needs program will conduct a free Developmental Screening Day on July 15 in Pike County.

The screenings will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Southwest Mississippi Community College Simmons Building, located at 100 College Drive in Summit.

Children 6 months to 5 years will be checked for age-specific physical and educational milestones at no cost to parents.

INDIANOLA, Miss. -- A team of early childhood specialists with the Early Years Network’s Special Needs program will conduct a free Developmental Screening Day on July 14 in Sunflower County.

The screenings will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Delta Center, located at 411 Catchings St. in Indianola.

Children 6 months to 5 years will be checked for age-specific physical and educational milestones at no cost to parents.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- Row crop producers who irrigate their crops can learn the benefits of soil moisture sensors during two separate field days planned for July and August.

Jason Krutz, an irrigation specialist with Mississippi State University, said farmers can learn about the advantages of using soil moisture sensors to determine when to irrigate.

Participants also can see the devices in action. Product demonstrations by manufacturers and distributors will showcase types of sensors, features and costs.

INDIANOLA, Miss. -- Seed treatments have minimized thrips damage for the last decade, but farmers and entomologists fear some pesticides may be losing their punch in protecting cotton.

Scientists at Mississippi State University and other universities across the Midsouth have been aggressively exploring options for controlling thrips damage in cotton.

Angus Catchot, an entomologist with the MSU Extension Service, said the use of foliar treatments for thrips in cotton has grown steadily in recent years.