College Feature Stories

M S U F O U N D AT I O N B E YO N D T H E B A S I C S

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Post Office Box 6149 Mississippi State, MS 39762 662.325.7000 www.msufoundation.com

College of Architecture, Art & Design A PL AN FO R TO MO R ROW

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Architecture design center reaches out to Mississippi residents.

Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, will forever be a day etched into the memory of Mississippians. Hurricane Katrina hit the state with a force this country had never seen, leaving behind scars that will last for decades.

In response to dire need, the Mississippi State University College of Architecture, Art and Design leaped to assistance and opened a base for rebuilding and reconstructing the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

“We worked under a lot of urgency in the beginning to help rebuilding efforts in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties,” stated David Perkes, director of the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS), and faculty member for the School of Architecture. “We wanted to help create resilient and sustainable communities and be an effective part of the reconstruction process.”

Perkes, who has been with MSU for nearly 20 years, was living in Jackson when the hurricane hit. At the time, he was managing the Jackson Community Design Center as part of the fifth-year program for architecture students that worked with inner city neighborhoods in the state’s capital. After Katrina, Perkes felt it was the duty of the state’s only architecture program to assist with restoration of the storm-ravaged coast.

Mississippi State quickly formed a design studio that had a primary goal of rebuilding, but also constructing good, livable and desirable neighborhoods. Aligned with the MSU’s mission of learning, research and service, the GCCSD operates as a branch of the university that provides community outreach and design.

“We wanted to provide architectural solutions that were structurally sound, energy efficient, and made the best use of the surrounding environment,” added Perkes. “Our hope was to make good decisions in planning the reconstruction that will have long-term benefits for the region.”

A team of architects, city planners and landscape architects make up the staff of the GCCDS. With numerous government and non-profit partners, the group is slowly helping families and communities restore their lives. Since its establishment in 2005, the GCCDS has worked on over 200 new homes and over 100 home renovations that are either completed or in progress.

“Our work represents more than just a building,” stated Perkes. “Each home or structure carries a story and represents change in an area that has hurt for so long.”

One of Perkes’ favorite projects is the Bayou Auguste Greenway Restoration in East Biloxi. The GCCDS partnered with the city, Biloxi Housing Authority, Biloxi Public Schools and others to begin a planning and implementation process that addresses habitat health, public access and science education.

The GCCDS has leveraged funds from city and federal partnerships along with volunteer service to clean up pollution, restore natural tidal zones, and provide a nature park with educational and research opportunities.

“This project is helping change the way the community thinks about their habitat,” Perkes commented. “It is amazing to see how everyone from city officials to residents to elementary school children have come together to restore this piece of land. We are providing the vision and continuity, but it is their

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efforts that is making this plan a reality.”

Another aspect of the work done by Mississippi State on the coast is research on the construction and sustainability of commercial and residential structures. The GCCSD is currently working on several projects with federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Department of Energy.

For three years, the GCCDS has teamed up with DHS on flood proof construction. They designed and built a full-scale facility and flood tank to look at technical issues with construction, and also analyze the effect of flooding on insurance, cost, building inspections and building codes.

The group has also worked closely with FEMA on researching temporary disaster housing, an issue that has national impact.

“Our research will help reshape the temporary housing requirements, and help develop cost effective alternatives to FEMA trailers. This will not only affect how the government responds to a crisis in our area, but how they respond across the nation in the future,” explained Perkes.

In addition to research and outreach, MSU is providing a unique learning opportunity for architecture graduates. The GCCDS offers a one-year internship with the College of Architecture, Art and Design that culminates in a certificate in public design.

Young professionals with a specific interest in public design work alongside GCCDS staff to learn how to address design needs in the community. MSU is creating a model program that will take the notion of community service in public design to a new level. The internship is gaining a national reputation, and the group recently received over 150 applicants for one position.

Support for the GCCDS comes from numerous public and private partners. The majority of the operational costs of the GCCDS are provided through government grants, which provide the structure and direction for specific projects undertaken by the group.

Additional funding comes from MSU and private sources.

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A gift from the Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation to the College of Architecture, Art and Design covers tuition and a salary stipend for participants in the internship program.

“Gifts from private sources provide flexibility and allow us to go after projects that wouldn’t otherwise happen. They also help us maintain an ongoing effort so we don’t have to start and stop a project when the grant funding begins or ends,” said Perkes.

However, additional funding is needed to sustain the progress made by the GCCDS over the last seven years.

Support to this group not only propels Mississippi State as a leader in architectural education, but also affects the state of Mississippi as a whole.

The benefits of the work of the GCCDS will be seen for generations to come on the Gulf Coast. The studio is providing a model and leadership for rebuilding and long-term planning, while restoring hope for the community.

“Our goal is to take the programs and procedures that have been established, build them up, and provide a better quality of life for the coast communities,” Perkes stated. “We have a commitment to serving the local community and are involving them in our work. This will have long-term buy-in and lasting affects for the entire region.”

The university’s commitment to developing and improving our state and region remains strong. Through the work of programs such as GCCDS, MSU’s reach is extended far beyond the boundaries of Starkville and Oktibbeha County. As the School of Architecture and GCCDS continue to provide innovative services to citizens of Mississippi and beyond, the reputation of the university will garner national recognition and respect.

For more on the MSU Gulf Coast Community Design Studio or to read stories on their projects, please visit www.gccds.org.

College of Business

BY T HE NUMBER S

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College of Business stock soars with financial lab.

In the heart of Mississippi State University, the Leo Seal Family Business Complex bustles with activity as students from across campus attend classes. Many of them walk past the facility’s prominently displayed ticker each day and note the highs and lows of the stock market. Further heightening the facility’s financial atmosphere this academic year is a new classroom that presents an energized environment similar to the trading floor of a Wall Street brokerage house.

The College of Business’ latest offering of a strategic laboratory allows students and faculty to access the most up-to-date financial information throughout the day and engage in simulated security and commodity trading. The laboratory is giving business students a financial edge in their studies, and the experience will better position them to follow the footsteps of MSU alumni who are well-known in the financial industry.

“The Strategic Finance Laboratory allows MSU students to experience the challenges of Wall Street in Starkville.

Students gain real-word experience to accompany the financial concepts they are being taught—successfully bridging the gap between the learning experience and day-to-day activities of financial markets,” said Michael Highfield, head of the Finance and Economics Department and holder of the Robert W. Warren Chair in Real Estate.

The McCool Hall laboratory is an advanced learning environment designed to integrate investment education, financial research and professional practice. Replicating a realworld trading experience, the state-of-the-art facility functions

both as classroom and laboratory. The room is equipped with stock tickers and television broadcasts of current news, and MSU administrators believe students will benefit greatly from the cutting-edge finance laboratory. All business students will have access to regular lab hours each academic year.

Laboratories of this kind are part of a growing trend for finance programs nationwide. About half of all SEC universities have a similar room, but Mississippi State offers a more handson investment oriented experience. MSU boasts the largest strategic financial laboratory in the state. It accommodates up to 21 students for classes or simulations at any given period.

The benefits of the financial laboratory will be numerous for the College of Business. The classroom will assist in recruitment of top performing students and esteemed faculty, provide opportunities for industry and outreach, and serve as a lab for financial market simulation experiments. Three academic disciplines will benefit from the lab—finance and real estate, accounting and agricultural economics. However, the impact of this unique room will extend to many areas around Mississippi State University.

“With the Strategic Finance Lab, we are opening a new chapter in our already strong relationship with other university departments who will hold classes here exposing their students to sophisticated software for commodity and other derivative asset trading,” said Sharon Oswald, business college dean.

For financially savvy students, the lab and accompanying stock tickers in the Leo Seal Family Business Complex will take their education to the next level. These tools will add yet

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another dimension to the College of Business curriculum and better prepare them for professional certification exams. It will also serve as a priceless resource for the MSU Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Investment Team, a group of business students who compete with 24 other universities by managing a $400,000 trust account for TVA.

“The Strategic Financial Laboratory allows professors to teach hands-on applications for investments, engage students in finding relevant information, and assist these students as they evaluate and act on the information observed,” Highfield explained. “Specialized software in the lab will allow students to make faux trades and see the outcome of those trades before the end of a class period.”

The financial laboratory was designed with the assistance of Morgan Keegan & Co., a premier regional investment firm.

The company was among many loyal contributors for the project, which included Jan L. Gwin and the Brumfield family.

The largest gift for the financial laboratory was from Trading Technologies International Inc., which donated the state-of-the-art software. The software trading desks and information sources in the lab are almost identical to those in a brokerage house.

“It has been a very rewarding experience to have this financial lab come to fruition, and it will truly give our students a competitive edge to have this practical experience as they graduate from MSU and enter the investment industry,” said Highfield, who initiated the effort as a faculty member five years ago. “This sends a message that MSU places great value on the financial and quantitative side of business education.”

Oswald agrees, saying, “This lab is the latest edition to the growing strength of our finance and economics department— a department that has produced five straight Mississippi Young Bankers Orrin Swayze Scholars and two Mississippi Young Bankers Leadership Scholars.”

Oswald said the lab is an example of engaged alumni contributing to the university to help current and future students attain the best possible educational experience.

“We value our alumni for all they continue to add back to our university in the way they represent Mississippi State and

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for the way they directly impact our students. They provide for resources that improve the educational experience and assist us in preparing our students for the professional challenges that await them after graduation,” Oswald said.

On behalf of students and faculty across the university, Highfield expresses gratitude to contributors for the financial investments they make in Mississippi State.

“These donors saw the value in the Strategic Financial Laboratory for the faculty and the students, and also from an employer’s perspective,” Highfield said. “The next step is to build an endowment with gifts to fund future upgrades and software enhancements to allow Mississippi State to keep pace with the demands of the global financial industry.”

The Strategic Financial Laboratory further enhances the reputation of the College of Business, one of the oldest business schools in the Southeast. The college is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the world’s leading credentialing organization for business schools. Its graduates are found at the top levels of Fortune 500 businesses, as well as throughout state and regional commercial and industrial firms.

The college is also known for the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy. The school prepares students for successful careers in accounting and business in a technologyoriented environment that promotes active learning, scholarly exploration and service. The Adkerson School of Accountancy is also accredited by the AACSB.

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering A N ALT ER NAT I VE SO LUT I O N

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Faculty research utilizes alternative fuel production methods.

No person is immune to the need for transportation. By foot, horseback, ship, train, automobile or aircraft, since the beginning of time the world has relied on a method to travel from “Point A” to “Point B.”

As society developed, the world became dependent on the use of petroleum to fuel transportation. As a result, prices have fluctuated for oil in recent years as demand continues to increase worldwide.

Two professors in the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering at Mississippi State University have tackled the issue of a lack of natural resources and are researching alternative methods of fuel production. Drs. Rafael Hernandez and Todd French are utilizing technology to derive renewable oils from wastewater treatment facilities that can be converted to clean diesel or jet fuel. In turn, their methods can help the United States become less dependent on foreign oil, while creating new ways to generate income.

The relationship between these two professors dates back to 1998 when they met while working for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in Vicksburg. Hernandez, in the environmental lab, and French, in the fate and effects lab, joined forces to develop methods of treating contaminated water and soil. Years later, they both migrated to Starkville to obtain a doctoral degree.

French’s academic focus is traditionally in the field of microbiology, while Hernandez is a chemical engineer. As the issue of creating alternative fuels and energy conservation became a hot topic nationwide, the men discovered that by combining their areas of expertise they could provide a

possible solution to the worldwide fuel crisis.

“While working at a wastewater treatment facility as part of a research project for MSU, I observed millions of pounds of microorganisms and sludge being discarded every day,” stated Hernandez. “At the same time, Todd began analyzing the profile of biodiesel, and discovered it had a similar chemical makeup of the discarded microorganisms. This is when we realized we had a unique research opportunity.”

Biodisel is a fuel that blends well with petroleum, and is produced by combining vegetable oil or animal fats with alcohol and a base. By creating a blended fuel, producers are displacing some of the need for petroleum diesel on the market.

The solution discovered by Hernandez and French converts municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities into biorefineries. The team developed methods of extraction and production to derive biocrude from sludge, which is then converted to biodiesel. The biocrude developed through this process can account for over 7 billion gallons of fuel a year, which is 10 percent of the U.S. diesel consumption.

French and Hernandez created a cross-disciplinary team of researchers at Mississippi State to study the extraction, production and implementation of biodiesel created from the discarded wastewater. Faculty and students specializing in plant and soil sciences, mechanical and industrial engineering, agricultural economics, and environmental policy have all joined the efforts to move this project from idea to implementation.

“Our work could not have been accomplished without the support of MSU’s administration,” commented French. “It took

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a lot of forethought and planning to take this ‘out of the box’ concept and move it to where it is today. University leadership has been supportive of breaking traditional wisdom, and allowing scientists from different fields to be creative.”

He added, “The benefit to the students is that they see the integration of the different pieces, and how each piece is providing a solution to a specific problem. Our students can truly visualize how their education is contributing to solutions that improve the quality of life for our state, nation and world.”

The biofuels research team has recently built a pilot facility to demonstrate their work at the Thad Cochran Research Park on MSU’s campus. This facility offers a hands-on lab experience that is implementing the extraction, fermentation and production methods developed by Mississippi State. They also have the means to analyze and measure the quality of the biodiesel produced.

“Our goal is to produce enough biodiesel in the pilot facility to run one of the shuttle buses at MSU, allowing us to put our methods into use and demonstrate what this technology is capable of producing,” stated Hernandez.

Accomplishing this would bring the recognition and acknowledgement needed to move the work of Hernandez and French from the research to implementation level.

None of the work being done by the biofuels team would be possible without help from external resources. Support from government agencies and elected officials have garnered grants to fund research. In addition, private gifts to the university allow flexibility and means to purchase equipment, employ students, and provide state-of-the-art facilities.

Hernandez, who holds an endowed professorship from Texas Olefins, directly benefits from private gifts to the Bagley College of Engineering. Both he and French were also recipients of StatePride awards, which reward outstanding faculty members with monetary stipends.

“Individuals such as Jim Bagley and Dave Swalm have changed the way we operate and educate at Mississippi State University. Their commitment to academics has taken a great engineering college and transformed it into a national leader,” said Hernandez.

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Organizations such as the Jackson-based Robert M. Hearin Support Foundation have allowed Hernandez and French to hire high school, undergraduate and graduate students for their research endeavors.

“We are providing real world learning opportunities to our students,” continued French. “Our team heavily relies on the work of student researchers, and, in turn, they are receiving educational benefits that will give them a greater advantage when seeking a job after graduation.”

Private gifts make a tremendous impact on not only the teaching efforts at MSU, but the research endeavors as well.

For Hernandez and French, the result from contributions extends far beyond the university level, and effects work that will impact the entire world.

The impact of biofuels research at Mississippi State will have long-term affects on not only the education offered here, but also worldwide fuel production, industry, and overall health and stability.

“Globally, this research and technology can help clean up water and promote health in communities that don’t currently treat water,” said French. “We can offer them an easier method of financing these projects because they can receive a self-generating return on their investment.”

The work conducted by Hernandez, French and their team is one of many projects propelling the Bagley College onto the national forefront of engineering education and research. As the university moves into the future, professors and students will continually work to make advancements in technology, research and education. By doing so, MSU’s reach will leave a lasting imprint around the world.