The Graduate School Newsletter - September 2022

UPCOMING EVENTS

LAST DAY FOR THESIS/DISSERTATION DEFENSE FOR DECEMBER GRADUATION

Oct. 21

LAST DAY TO APPLY ONLINE VIA MYSTATE FOR DECEMBER GRADUATION; $50 FEE

Oct. 21

LATE ONLINE APPLICATION FOR DECEMBER GRADUATION VIA MYSTATE; $50 FEE PLUS $100 LATE FEE

Oct. 22 - Nov. 28

FALL GRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

(Old Main Academic Center)

Oct. 22

LAST DAY FOR INITIAL SUBMISSION OF THESIS/DISSERTATION TO THE LIBRARY FOR DECEMBER GRADUATION

Nov. 4

3MT COMPETITION (Fowlkes Auditorium, Union) Nov. 15-16

LAST DAY TO SUBMIT LIBRARY-APPROVED THESIS/DISSERTATION TO THE LIBRARY FOR DECEMBER GRADUATION

Dec. 2

LAST DAY FOR NON-THESIS COMPREHENSIVE EXAM FOR DECEMBER GRADUATION.

Dec. 8

HELLO!

SPOTLIGHT

A NOTE FROM THE DEAN

Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Graduate School,

Last month the campus came alive with over 20,000 students descending on Starkville for the start of a new academic year. And now as we are getting the first glimpse of fall weather, MSU is buzzing with the excitement that comes with fall actives. Life is looking brighter in Bulldog country!

On behalf of the Graduate School, I would like to extend a sincere and warm welcome to all our new and returning students. I wish all our graduate students every success with their studies, research, and extracurricular activities this academic year.

Our Graduate Student Development Coordinator, Lilli Harris, has been working diligently with the Graduate Student Association President, KarLee McNeel, and the Executive Leadership team in planning an exciting plate of programming for the graduate students this semester. Please check out the Graduate Student Association website for the dates of general body meetings and other activities offered during the academic year. You will also want to visit the Graduate School website for information about the services the university provides and information on fellowships and other career opportunities.

Lastly, our Communications Officers are always busy posting information to our social media platforms, so stay engaged and make the most of your time here at Mississippi State University.

We want you to have a holistic and memorable experience as you pursue your graduate studies. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any staff member in the Graduate School if we can be of assistance in addressing your needs, whether they are academic or your well-being. If we do not have an answer, we will do our best to direct you to those who can assist you.

Best Regards, Dr. Peter Ryan

Executive Vice Provost and Dean The Graduate School

SAY HELLO!

Staff Spotlight

ROBBIE SALTERS

Director of Graduate Admissions

for Mississippi State University’s Graduate School. In this role, she leads a team of four admissions and enrollment assistants and helps shape the overall graduate application process by identifying opportunities for improvement and innovation in streamlining ways to solve problems for applicants and departments.

Robbie is an alumna of Mississippi State University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Master of Science in Counselor Education with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health, Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Teacher Alt Route, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Human Development and Family Science.

“Originally, I joined TGS as a GA to pay for graduate school. As a GA, TGS treated me with so much respect and cared about who I was beyond just being a student. After I completed my internship, I knew that I wanted to come back to a work environment that was welcoming, supportive, fun, and where everyone was working towards a common goal. TGS was that place. I love that we are a small and family-oriented group that balances having fun and getting work done.”

ENTOMOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENTS

SUMMER FIELD PROJECT:

Beating the intense heatwave of the summer, five @PcbBee lab crew members from #BCHEPP @msstate worked tirelessly on a field project across the state!

Dr. Priyadarshini Chakrabarti Basu

“The students are extremely hardworking and very passionate about bee research. They are curious and fast learners. We work great together as a team where each student helps the other no matter how strenuous the experiment is. Most importantly, our lab is like a family. I am very lucky to have such amazing students in the lab.”

- Dr. Priyadarshini Chakrabarti Basu, Assistant Professor, Pollinator Health and Apiculture

Angus Catchot III: Angus is currently pursuing his Ph.D. and is exploring the interactions between pesticides and poor nutrition on honey bee colonies along an agricultural intensification gradient in Mississippi. He enjoys hunting and fishing in the great outdoors.

Lauren Jennings: Lauren is currently pursuing her MS and is hoping to transition to a Ph.D. program studying bee nutrition. Lauren is currently working on a USDA-NIFA funded project to build the first pollen nutrition database for all bees in North America. Lauren enjoys reading, hiking, browsing thrift shops, and drinking a lot of tea.

Urita Agana: Urita is pursuing her MS and is currently studying the impacts of multiple stressors on honeybee gut microbiome. Urita is very bubbly and enjoys talking to people. Fun fact: Urita used to model!

Audrey Sheridan: Audrey is wrapping up her Ph.D. and she is also the Research/Extension Associate in the Bee Lab. Her specialization is in the biology and reproductive behavior of the small hive beetle, a serious pest of honeybee colonies. Outside of her work, Audrey spends her time immersed in nature, outdoor sports, and horses.

#MyStateExperience is a student social media influencer program through The Graduate School at Mississippi State University where current graduate students have the opportunity to share their Graduate Bulldog experience on Instagram.

ATIKAH DWI PUTRI College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Master of Science in Plant and Soil Sciences with a concentration in Weed Science

Why do you love graduate study at MSU?

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Mississippi State University is one of the leading colleges of agriculture, life sciences, and human ecology in the southeast. They also had a turfgrass weed science program that can support my career goals.

What do you love most about the Plant and Soil Sciences program?

I love how I am surrounded by the leading thinkers in my field and the programs match my career goals.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter your field?

If you want to be in this field, go for it! Be it! If you are serious about the commitment to your education, you will do great in the future.

What is one thing — industry-related or not — you have learned at MSU?

I learned how to network like a pro by honing my people skills. I learned how to connect with like-minded people within a professional context to collaborate in a professional circle.

Future after graduation?

I want to continue to invest in my future through education

What is something about you that few people know?

I always bring my chili paste in my bag (like siracha sauce).

Last book you read? How to win friends and Influence People

Favorite hobby? I love baking lately. I spend my weekends learning new recipes.

First concert you ever attended? Beyonce!

Next place on your travel bucket list? My next destination is Switzerland

Are you currently binge-watching any shows?

I am binge-watching The Crown. This is my second time watching it.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? I love chick-fil-a, I can eat it every day!

One item you cannot live without? Lip balm. Follow @atikahdp and @msstategrads to keep up with Atikah’s #MyStateExperience graduate student journey this semester!

Geo the Distance

12 Mississippi State University Online Master of Science in Geosciences with a concentration in Environmental Geosciences students traveled from around the country to finish their course work in San Salvador Island, Bahamas, and Western Washington State.

MSU professors Dr. John Rodgers and Dr. Sarah Lalk, led hands-on activities related to earth science aspects of each location.

The Bahamas field method course takes place in San Salvador Island. The field station there allows for cave exploration, scuba diving, and research on the local environment. This course has a balanced mixture of geology, climate, hydrogeology/karst, and coastal processes. The island of San Salvador affords an excellent natural laboratory to explore the linkages between lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and the cryosphere.

Distance

Western Washington State offers opportunities to apply a wide variety of concepts from the Environmental in Geosciences (ENGS) program. The course begins with three days in the area around Mt. Rainier, and Mt. St. Helens, with stops at Johnston Ridge, Coldwater Ridge, Windy Ridge devastation area, Ape Cave, Hummocks Trail, Paradise, and the Nisqually Glacier. The course continues the Olympic Peninsula with stops at Kalaloch, Ruby, and Rialto Beaches (including a study of tide pools), the Hoh Rain Forest, and Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. The course concludes with a study of metamorphism and glacial valleys in North Cascades National Park, volcanic arcs and accreted terrains in Snoqualmie Pass, and the Missoula Flood in the Channeled Scablands.

Dr. John C. Rodgers Department Head, Professor, Geography & GIS

Dr. Sarah Lalk

Assistant Clinical Professor, Geography & Geology

EVENTS

The Graduate School hosted a Summer Ice Cream Social for all graduate students on campus.

GEM GRAD LAB

The Graduate School in conjunction with the Bagley College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, Office of Research and Economic Development, and Division of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion at Mississippi State University hosted the GEM GRAD (Getting Ready for Advanced Degrees) Lab, on September 16 & 17. This event was a free and engaging symposium for underrepresented

students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in applied science and engineering.

More than 50 top students representing Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi, Mississippi Valley State University, Delta State University, Hinds Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and Tougaloo participated in

the two-day event. Students had the opportunity to hear from Keynote Speaker, Dr. Howard Adams, Executive Director of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering, and Science, as well as network with current MSU faculty and graduate students all while gaining insight into opportunities at the university.

Lilli Harris organizes and coordinates the A2i program.

“We are excited to introduce new Graduate Programming: Accelerate to Industry (A2i). This program prepares students for a career in Industry. With colleagues from the Career Center and library, we cover best practices for resume’s, CV’s, interviews, and LinkedIn profiles. We also have a diverse group of Industry representatives from WBA Architecture (MSU alumnus Wade Thompson pictured to the left), FedEx, and American Cast Iron Pipe Company who have come to campus to both recruit and mentor our students. They offer feedback on how they ended up in Industry, how to network, how to succeed within Industry, and how to communicate/interview effectively.”

Cohort members who take advantage of these workshops can expect to:

• build and improve their skillsets to find employment and succeed in industry

• develop a support network of fellow graduate students and graduate alumni in industry through a cohort model

• be invited to other Industry Job Search Strategies workshops and opportunities, including industry connection, at other A2i schools.

“Our Fall 2022 A2i programming offers a selection of Industry Job Search Strategy workshops and luncheons for the first cohort. Topics include networking, resume and CV writing, interviewing and communication skills, offer negotiation, and more.”

- Dr. Brien Henry Associate Dean of The Graduate School

- Lilli Harris Graduate Student Development Coordinator

KENNETH GRAHAM, AN MSU GEOSCIENCES

MASTER’S DEGREE ALUM, IS THE NEW DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

ARTICLE SOURCE: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce

Kenneth Graham is the next NOAA assistant administrator for weather services and the 17th director of the National Weather Service, effective today, June 7, 2022.

“Ken has the scientific integrity, trusted leadership, and communication prowess that will take the National Weather Service to even greater heights,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “I have full confidence that he will help create a more weather- and climate-ready nation amid more extreme weather fueled by our changing climate.”

“What an incredible honor it is to serve alongside the heroes of the National Weather Service whose excellence

shines through day after day,” said Graham. “I thank Dr. Spinrad for entrusting me with the awesome responsibility and privilege of leading this dedicated team at such an exciting and important time in our history. We’ll accomplish great things together by building on recent progress and prioritizing support of our forecasters. I can’t wait to get started.”

Kenneth Graham is NOAA’s next assistant administrator of weather services and the 17th director of NOAA’s National Weather Service.

Kenneth Graham is NOAA’s next assistant administrator of weather services and the 17th director of NOAA’s National Weather Service.

Since April 2018, Graham has served as the director of the National Hurricane Center, leading the nation through numerous hurricanes, including 30 named storms during the record-breaking 2020 hurricane season. His tireless energy to build effective partnerships at all levels of government and his close work with emergency managers underpin the nation’s preparedness ahead of hazardous weather.

Graham has a vast amount of operational field experience. He worked his way up through the ranks at NWS, mostly in field offices, starting out as an intern meteorologist in 1994 at the New Orleans/Baton Rouge weather forecast office.

Before joining the National Hurricane Center, Graham served as the meteorologist-in-charge of the NWS’ New Orleans/Baton Rouge office for 10 years. He notably established two command centers in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 that provided forecasts to help authorities make critical decisions in the five months following the spill. Graham also led the effort to support decision makers in Louisiana and Mississippi with services focused on expected impacts for hurricanes Gustav, Ike, Isaac, and during the historic 2017 season.

Prior to leading the New Orleans/Baton Rouge forecast office, Graham served as the systems operations division chief at NWS’ Southern Region headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, where he led Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. He also served as the meteorological service chief at NWS headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, and was the meteorologist-in-charge at the local forecast offices in Birmingham, Alabama, and Corpus Christi, Texas.

Graham earned a bachelor’s degree in atmospheric science from the University of Arizona and a master’s degree in geoscience from Mississippi State University. He was recently named the 2022 Weatherperson of the Yearoffsite

link by the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes and was a 2021 finalistoffsite link for the Partnership for Public Service’s Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. Graham is a member of the American Meteorological Society, the National Weather Association and the International Association of Emergency Managers.

A native of Phoenix, Graham and his wife, Laura, have three daughters.

Mary C. Erickson, who has served as acting director of the National Weather Service since January, will resume her position as the agency’s deputy director. “Ken is highly respected across the agency as an inspirational leader, tireless builder of trusted partnerships, and consummate champion of the workforce. We look forward to welcoming him back to National Weather Service headquarters, where he will undoubtedly excel in leading the agency into a bright future,” said Erickson.

Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, will assume the role of acting director until a permanent director is named. Rhome has served in a variety of roles at the Hurricane Center since 1999, from forecaster to hurricane and storm surge specialist. Michael Brennan, Ph.D., branch chief of the hurricane specialist unit, will serve as the acting deputy director of the Center for the coming hurricane season.

NOAA’s National Weather Service provides weather, water and climate data, forecasts, warnings, and impactbased decision support services for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy. In partnership with national and local government, the weather enterprise, Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors, and academia, the National Weather Service is working to build a more Weather-Ready Nation to support community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather amid a changing climate.

MSU Graduate Student

AWARDED $50K

TO ADVANCE

SKELETAL RESEARCH

ARTICLE SOURCE: Sam Kealhofer, Mississippi State University

Mississippi State’s Eric Anderson is receiving a $50,000 grant from the SMART Business Accelerator Initiative to continue developing a mobile application for his Portable Osteometric Device, a new tool created to ensure the efficiency of human skeletal remains analysis and measurement.

The SMART Business Accelerate Initiative is an extension of the Strengthening Mississippi Academic Research Through (SMART) Business Act, which was adopted by the Mississippi Legislature in 2013 to encourage Mississippi companies to engage with public universities to conduct research.

Anderson and Sierra Malis, both graduate students in the MSU Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, were featured in the June issue of the National Association for the Practice of Anthropology’s newsletter, the NAPA Notes, for Anderson’s POD. Featuring a compact design and laser sensors to measure bone length, the device is faster, more reliable and more precise than current technology. Anderson collaborated with Malis to form a new company, Advanced Research Collection Technologies LLC, or ARC Tech, to continue improving the POD and disseminate it to the anthropological community.

“My aim is to offer the POD as a new tool that will make research goals faster to obtain and more reliable than ever before,” Anderson said.

The ARC Tech app is user-friendly and customizable, allowing users to meet their specific research parameters in both online and offline settings. It uses Bluetooth technology to automatically transfer measurements to the app, which greatly decreases data entry time and transcription errors. Users can download data into an Excel spreadsheet to allow for the quick transfer of data into their database.

ARC Tech is expected to roll out the POD and its associated app by the end of this year.

“Our goal with ARC Technologies is to produce affordable and reliable equipment for researchers,” Malis said. “We are excited for what is to come.”

Hsain Ilahiane, professor and head of the MSU Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, said the students “embody the spirit of innovation, openness, application and transformation of knowledge that the department cultivates in its student body.”

Part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the MSU Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures is online at www.amec. msstate.edu.

Eric Anderson

Sierra Malis

MSU forestry students accepted into national diversity scholarship program

ARTICLE SOURCE: Grace Jones, Mississippi State University

Two Mississippi State graduate students have been accepted into the Society of American Foresters Diversity Scholar Program.

Damilola Taiwo and Segun Adeyemo, both forestry graduate students in MSU’s College of Forest Resources, have been accepted into the competitive

program operated by the national organization that advances sustainable forest management, oversees accreditation of forestry programs and certifies professional foresters. Annually, 15-20 forestry students are selected for the national SAF Diversity Scholar Program, which brings forestry and natural resources students from underrepresented groups together to develop leadership and networking skills while assisting each of them through professional mentorships.

Students also receive a full scholarship to the SAF national convention and one complimentary year of SAF membership.

Taiwo, a forestry master’s student from Nigeria who loved nature and plants as a child, earned bachelor’s

and master’s degrees in environmental biology from Nigeria’s Ladoke Akintola University and the University of Ibadan, respectively. She then worked for the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, before coming to Starkville to earn her Master of Science in Forestry.

“I am appreciative of this opportunity because the mentorship program and expenses covered to participate in the Society of American Foresters convention will contribute immensely to my career,” Taiwo said. “There is a saying, ‘In the multitude of counsel, there is safety,’ and I feel more secure to have more counsel that can help me navigate my career path in forestry as an international student in the United States.”

Taiwo also thanked her advisor, Ashley Schulz, assistant professor in MSU’s College of Forest Resources and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center.

“Dr. Schulz has been such amazing help. She shared the information for the Diversity Scholar Program with me, encouraged me to apply and wrote a letter of recommendation for me,” she said.

Adeyemo, a forestry doctoral student also from Nigeria, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Ibadan in forest management. He also earned a master’s in forest science from the University of Padova in Italy. Adeyemo grew up spending time with his grandparents as they farmed, and he admired the agricultural lifestyle and landscape, which changed over the course of his youth.

He said he’s most excited about the mentorship opportunity.

“There is a saying in my tribe that if you want to be a good leader, you must first be a good follower. A lot of students in Nigeria see me as a mentor in forestry because of my academic background. When students reach out to me, it is a challenge because I have never been mentored, so I am happy to be mentored in this program,” Adeyemo said. “As international students, we have lots of unanswered questions. This program’s mentor can expand our knowledge and insight about our futures in the industry. My mentor is a perfect fit for me, and I am excited to take what I learn and use it for the future to be a better mentor myself.”

Adeyemo’s advisor is Joshua Granger, forestry assistant professor in MSU’s College of Forest Resources and the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, who wrote Adeyemo’s recommendation letter and works alongside him daily.

“I owe a lot of gratitude to Dr. Granger. Aside from my research and academics, he is interested in my personal roots, and I draw confidence from him,” Adeyemo said.

For more on the Society of American Foresters, visit https://www.eforester.org/Main/.

For more on the forestry department in MSU’s College of Forest Resources, visit www.cfr.msstate.edu/forestry. More on the Forest and Wildlife Research Center can be found at www.fwrc.msstate.edu.

“Trees started to disappear, and the way people lived changed, so I learned about climate change and how trees can help solve it. I developed an interest in trees and decided I wanted to be in forestry,” Adeyemo said.

MEET

ERIN PARKER

ARTICLE SOURCE: James Carskadon, Mississippi State University

While many students on the Mississippi State campus wear a smart watch such as a FitBit or an Apple Watch to track health data, Erin Parker has spent a significant amount of her time at the university developing the next generation of wearable technologies.

The industrial and systems engineering graduate student from metro Atlanta initially came to MSU as an undergraduate because the university was one of only a few to offer programs in computer engineering as well as fashion design and merchandising. She combined her knowledge as a double major to help

MSU’s Athlete Engineering research team develop a prototype sock outfitted with sensors to capture advanced data on how people move and where they put pressure on their feet and ankles. The sock has the potential to improve performance and prevent injury in sports, military, industrial and rehabilitation settings by helping users identify patterns that can lead to injury over time.

Parker got involved with MSU’s Athlete Engineering research group after hearing about the sock prototype development project from a friend. In addition to supporting prototype development in the lab during her undergraduate years, she now is helping the team refine potential manufacturing processes for the end product and learning about the process of commercializing it through technology transfer and a startup company. Parker was part of an MSU team recognized with a TechConnect Innovation Award earlier this year at the global technology conference.

“Being able to work with not only the people in Athlete Engineering, but also with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach to start up these efforts and raise money to actually make this a product that everyday people can use is really, really cool,” Parker said.

Parker said she has appreciated the opportunity to take on a large role in a research project and have her unique perspective recognized, both as an undergraduate student and while she completes her master’s degree.

“I’m lucky to be working with people who know when they don’t know something,” Parker said. “My industrial engineering professors did not take fashion design classes, so they don’t know as much as me or my professors in that area about textiles or how fabrics are made. When we run into a problem in that area, I’m able to explain what I think we need to do and they tell me to go do it. I also have been able to experience working on journal publications and grant proposals.”

Parker plans to finish her master’s degree in 2023, but her career path is still undecided. She likes the idea of pursuing a doctorate and getting more involved in teaching and research. There also could be options to expand the start-up endeavors related to the technology she has helped develop.

After several years on campus, Parker said one of her favorite parts about being at MSU is the wide range of people she has been able to meet and work with, whether through student organizations, her classes or her research.

“It’s good to have different perspectives and be able to interact with different people,” Parker said. “There’s been so many opportunities through Athlete Engineering and my professors, and everyone on that team works so well together. It really has shown what a good working environment can look like.”

AWARDS Join us in honoring and celebrating these four members of The Graduate School team for their years of dedication and service to Mississippi State University.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Amanda Baine

Brad Moreland

Tabata Oliveira

A Master of Science Plant and Soil Science Weed Science student at MSU, joined the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Annual Conference (American Society for Horticultural Science) in Chicago and won third place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition.

Graduate Coordinator Workshop

Dr. Kevin Hunt, Graduate Coordinator in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, and Mrs. Cindy Williams, Administrative Assistant I in the College of Plant and Soil Sciences, were both presented Excellence in Service awards for their comprehensive dedication to graduate student success at the Fall 2022 Graduate Coordinators Workshop hosted by the Graduate School. This year’s workshop was attended by over 100 graduate coordinators, deans, associate deans, department heads, and many other MSU staff who work tirelessly on behalf of our graduate students.