Maroon Research, Summer 2012

SPRING 2012

Research and Economic Development News from Mississippi State University

MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

2 RESEARCHMAROON RESEARCH

Summer months filled with research,

economic development activity

The excitement is palpable on our campus and in

our community as we move into a new fall semester

at Mississippi State University. I always enjoy this

time of year, and the new opportunities that come

along with it.

In the Office of Research and Economic

Development, we are continuing to actively seek

additional research opportunities and grow our

research portfolio during these difficult economic

times. As you might have noticed, it seems to

be getting harder and harder to win competitive

proposals. We track proposal submissions and

awards monthly, and I know that our faculty are

working harder than ever to bring in extramural

funding. We are very proud of your efforts and

remain supportive in any way that we can be of your

research endeavors.

Before the summer slips away from us

completely, I want to take a few minutes and give

you an update.

Kudos and congratulations

I have several success stories that I would like to

share with you. First, we have a new Mathematics and

Statistics faculty member arriving from Penn State.

Suzanne Shontz comes to us with an existing NSF

CAREER award, and was recently notified that she is a

recipient of an NSF PCASE (Presidential Early Career

Awards for Scientists and Engineers) — one of only 26

awarded in the Nation. Her PCASE award was titled

“Parallel Dynamic Meshing Algorithms for Simulation-

Assisted Medical Interventions.” I want to welcome

Dr. Shontz, and also offer my congratulations on her

outstanding achievement.

Deborah Lee, Coordinator, Library Instructional

Services and Associate Director, Center for Teaching

and Learning, received some good news recently. She

has been invited to be a member of the advisory

board for a special New Media Consortium (NMC)

project, the Technology Outlook: STEM+Education

2012-2017. NMC has produced the Horizon Report

since the early 1990s, which tracks emerging

technology trends in higher education. Being invited

to participate on the board is an honor for Dr. Lee

and brings recognition to Mississippi State University.

Becky Schewe, a first-year faculty member

in Sociology and member of the Social Science

Research Center, was recently notified of a $3-million

award on a grant she is a collaborator on. Dr. Schewe

will serve as chief social scientist with colleagues

from Michigan State and Penn State who will lead a

project titled “Extension-Driven Disease Prevention

and Control in Animals.” This is a very good example

of the kind of success one can experience when

willing to work on interdisciplinary research projects.

Congratulations Becky!

This past spring, Patricia Cox, the biological

safety officer, and Ben Sharpe, the hazardous

waste coordinator, in the Office of Regulatory

Compliance and Safety, attended a weeklong

course in biorecovery and subsequently became

ABRA Certified Biorecovery Technicians. ABRA

(the American Bio Recovery Association) is an

international professional association supporting

the biohazard remediation industry. Mississippi

State University is now the only member of the IHL

system with staff trained to perform these duties

and to train others.

Congratulations go out to Toby Bates, an assistant

professor of history at MSU-Meridian, who recently

David Shaw is vice president for research and economic development at Mississippi State University. Contact him at [email protected].

ON THECOVER

clockwise

Computing into leaders - High school and

community college students are at MSU this summer

participating in a National Science Foundation-funded

program titled “Broadening Participation in Computing.”

The program aims to significantly increase the number

of U.S. citizens and permanent residents receiving post

secondary degrees in the computing disciplines. While

taking the MSU course “Leadership in Computing,” one

project involved driving radio-controlled cars under

computer control, based on feedback from a webcam.

Class members included, from left, Josh Dowdy of

Pontotoc and an Itawamba Community College student;

Khalil Lofton of Isola and a Humphreys County High

School student; and Ann Wims of Lake Cormorant and

a Northwest Mississippi Community College student.

Light-bulb moment - Students from the James

Worth Bagley College of Engineering are spending time

this summer mentoring kids at Starkville’s Golden Triangle

Boys and Girls Club. Engineering students guided Kenneth

Johnson, above, and other children recently as they

built “squishy circuits” using dough, batteries and LED

lights. The lesson teaches children about insulating and

conductive materials as well as the flow of electricity.

Summer engineers - Campers taking part in the

Summer Engineering Experience this week wrapped up

their learning activities by building bridges and testing

each bridge to see how much weight their structures

could support. Pictured from left, Rafael Hernandez,

Samuel Matthews, Aaron Verdell, and George Bryan

make final tweaks to their bridge by adding pieces of

tissue. Other projects throughout the week included

working with solar ovens, conducting an egg drop test,

and touring the MSU Dairy Farm, High Performance

Computing Collaboratory, and the Center for Advanced

Vehicular Systems.

Design Discovery - High school seniors Ebony

Batchelor, left, of Denmark, Tenn., and Abigail Wilson,

right, of Madison, Ala., assemble furniture from

cardboard with help from freshman architecture

student Kapish Cheema of Clinton during Design

Discovery 2012. The eight-day summer camp was

created to answer many of the questions aspiring

architects may have about architecture and design as

fields of study and as professions.

3RESEARCH SUMMER 2012

spent some time in Hollywood consulting and

starring in a forthcoming 1980s documentary, “Back

To Our Future.” The documentary is due out this

fall, and examines how the 1980s affected so much

of American culture and memory. He was asked to

participate because of his recent book, “The Reagan

Rhetoric: History and Memory in 1980s America.” To

learn more about the film, visit http://www.b2of.com/

The Fulbright Ambassador program identifies,

trains and engages a select group of Fulbright scholar

alumni to serve as representatives for the Fulbright

program at campus workshops and academic

conferences across the United States. Congratulations

to MSU’s Stephen Cottrell for being named as one of

only 22 Fulbright Ambassadors.

New financial conflict of

interest requirements

Collaboration between academia and industry

is a fundamental and beneficial part of research

that contributes to the core values of our

university. Maintaining the public trust and assuring

the integrity of that research is equally important.

To maintain the public trust, investigators must:

1) conduct their research activities objectively, 2)

operate with transparency and 3) be accountable

to all stakeholders (e.g., the public, the sponsoring

agency, MSU, the research team, and any human

subjects). As the number and complexity of

academic-industry relationships has increased,

there is been a corresponding increase in concern

about financial conflicts of interest (FCOI) that

have the potential to introduce bias into research.

In 2011, the Public Health Service, which includes

the National Institutes of Health, revised their FCOI

regulations and gave institutions until Aug. 24, 2012,

to become compliant. Mississippi State University

has revised OP 70.09, Financial Conflict of Interest

in Sponsored Activities, to include MSU’s FCOI

procedures.

If you have any questions concerning the

implementation of this policy or if you need a copy

of the new policy, please contact Kacey Strickland,

our director of the Office of Regulatory Compliance

and Safety (ORCS). I believe that all PHS-funded

investigators on campus have been contacted

regarding the new requirements, but if not, please

let Kacey know as soon as possible. Her contact

information is [email protected] or

662-325-7474.

Anyone interested in learning more about this

topic is welcome to attend an information session that

is being offered by ORCS. You may register at http://

www.orc.msstate.edu/quicklinks/training.php

Revised IACUC forms available online

For those of you who are involved with animal

research, you will be interested to know that the

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

(IACUC) has approved a newly revised Protocol

Review Form and Annual Update/Amendment

Form. The new forms have been uploaded to

the Office of Regulatory Compliance and Safety

website at http://www.orc.msstate.edu/quicklinks/

forms.php?formlist=quicklinks under IACUC Forms.

These forms allow for digital signatures for IACUC

Member Pre-review, ULAV Vet. review, principal

investigator signature, and approval by the IACUC

Chair and ULAV. We hope that these new forms

will make the IACUC approval process more efficient

and faster. If you have any questions regarding

these forms please feel free to contact the IACUC

Compliance Administrator at 662-325-0994.

NSF program manager to visit

Gisele Muller-Parker from the National Science

Foundation (NSF) will be on campus, Friday, Sept.

28, 2012, to speak at the Experimental Program to

Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Fall Forum.

Dr. Muller-Parker is the program director for the

Graduate Research Fellowship Program at NSF.

There will be an open session for MSU students

9:30-11:00 a.m., and a session for MSU faculty from

1:30-2:30 p.m. Both sessions will be in Fowlkes

Auditorium at Colvard Student Union. She will be

speaking on the opportunities available and how to

submit a successful application. This will be a very

informative session, and I hope you will plan to attend.

Please share this information with your

students, and encourage them to attend.

Rapid response center established

During the time I have been in my current

position, I have seen numerous requests from

government customers related to a quick look at

a problem. Sometimes they come from the U.S.

Department of Defense and other times, they may

come from federal government agencies or industry

contractors.

We have not always been able to response

quickly to such requests for a variety of reasons and

on occasion, this resulted in losing an opportunity.

We have now established an organization within

the High Performance Computing Collaboratory

(HPC2) that will seek such work and respond to such

requests. The Center for Battlefield Innovation (CBI),

and its director, Henry Jones, will report to my

office. Henry’s email address is hjones@research.

msstate.edu.

Hearing from you

Please remember that we want to share your

success stories and can only do so when we know

about them. You can help by letting us know about

your accomplishments. Please feel free to contact

me at any time with your suggestions, comments,

or concerns at [email protected] — I

enjoy hearing from you.

As always, I appreciate the work you do on

behalf of the Mississippi State research enterprise.


MSU EXHIBITS PROVE POPULAR IN D.C.

SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL

M onths of preparation proved to be worth every ounce of effort

when Mississippi State enjoyed a presence on the National

Mall during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C.

The venue gave the university valuable exposure in the nation’s capital

over a nearly two-week period that included Independence Day. It was an

opportunity for students, faculty and staff representing the university to

interact with people from around the country and all over the world.

“This was a dance we couldn’t afford to miss,” said Peter Ryan,

associate provost.

Held annually since 1967, the festival this year celebrated the 150th

anniversary of the Morrill Act, the congressional legislation passed during

the Civil War that created land-grant institutions such as MSU. This

year’s theme, “Campus and Community,” also commemorated the 150th

anniversary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with which MSU has a

long working relationship.

A total of 18 institutions of higher learning participated this year, each

with exhibits to demonstrate their respective contributions to the modern

land-grant system.

The national award-winning EcoCAR was among MSU’s featured

displays, including the original vehicle—a plug-in hybrid adapted by

students to achieve 118 miles per gallon and took top honors in national

competition. The display also explained key technologies for EcoCAR2,

which students are currently developing. The MSU team was recognized

this year as winners of the initial design phase of the EcoCAR2

competition.

Located in the festival’s “Sustainable Solutions” area, EcoCAR2 team

members answered questions about fuel efficiency and performance,

while also providing simple lessons about energy for children. Kimberly

Torries of Gulfport, a business administration graduate student and

EcoCAR2 outreach coordinator, used balloons to demonstrate kinetic and

potential energy to youngsters while their parents learned how university

research is on the cutting edge of automotive advancement.

“We saw many really well-informed members of the public, and had

a lot of very good questions about our exhibit,” said Matthew Doude

of Starkville, a mechanical engineering graduate student who leads the

EcoCAR2 team.

In the nearby “Reinventing Agriculture” area, MSU’s thermography

exhibit also appealed to scores of passersby. Summertime temperatures

were illustrated as visitors saw their own reflections in bright colors

that revealed their personal thermal gradients. With temperatures near

100 degrees, jewelry and the tops of heads reflected heat, while lips and

teeth—particularly those that enjoyed a recent sip of water—showed

“cold.”

One sweaty youth slid a cool water bottle across her head, creating

the illusion of a “mohawk” in the thermal image projected on a television

monitor. People played with hot and cold packs to see how temperatures

at

Peter McPherson (center) president of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, was among visitors stopping by Mississippi

State’s displays at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. President Mark Keenum (right) and Provost and Executive Vice

President Jerry Gilbert explained details of MSU’s exhibits celebrating 150 years of land-grant universities.


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

affected the images as they learned how thermography allows for

noninvasive diagnostic methods of disease and injury in animals, among

other applications.

Designed to be interactive, each MSU exhibit engaged the public

with hands-on activities. “Maggie,” a mechanical milking cow, proved to

be among the most popular draws for festival visitors and appealed to

children and adults alike.

One mother noted that her daughter had insisted on returning to milk

“Maggie” at least three times a day. For many, the experience represented

one of the first times they had considered the track of food commodities

from agricultural settings to the marketplace.

David Gillen of Clifton, N.J., and Chris Magee of Brandon were among

College of Veterinary Medicine students who demonstrated workings of the

Mobile Veterinary Clinic that spays and neuters an average of 30 shelter

animals a day in a 16-county area.

They explained numerous benefits of the program, including valuable

surgery experience for students and life-saving surgeries to animals that

otherwise face a much higher probability of euthanasia than adoption.

FACULTY ANNOUNCED FOR NEXT MSU LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Eighteen Mississippi State faculty members are new selections for the competitive 2012-2013 Buz M. Walker Faculty Leadership Program.

Sponsored by the university’s Office of Research and Economic Development, the program works to develop the next generation of campus

academic leaders, among other goals. It honors the memory of the land-grant institution’s seventh president (1925-30), an MSU alumnus.

“Mississippi State has a tradition of strong and effective leadership on our campus and in the communities we serve,” said David Shaw, vice president

for research and economic development. “The Faculty Leadership Program builds on that foundation and helps outstanding faculty members further

develop the skills needed to lead the university forward in its mission of teaching, research and service in the future.”

During the 10-month program set to begin in September, participants will be part of various presentations and roundtable discussions with top administrators.

Session topics include leadership styles, organizational change, diversity, building winning research teams, and organizational evaluation and assessment.

This year’s participants include:

— Sherif Abdelwahed, associate professor of

electrical and computer engineering;

— Matthew Boggan, associate professor of

educational leadership, MSU-Meridian;

— Angi Bourgeois, associate professor of art;

— Cody Coyne, professor, College of

Veterinary Medicine’s basic

sciences department;

— Dana Franz, associate professor of

curriculum, instruction and special

education;

— Todd French, associate professor of

chemical engineering;

— James Giesen, associate professor of history;

— Mark Horstemeyer, Giles Distinguished

Professor of Mechanical Engineering;

— Isaac Howard, associate professor of civil

and environmental engineering;

— Kimberly Kelly, assistant professor of sociology;

— Lelia Scott Kelly, extension professor at the

North Mississippi Research and Extension

Center in Verona;

— Tom Lacy, professor of aerospace

engineering;

— Andy Londo, extension and research

professor at the Forest and

Wildlife Research Center;

— Karen McNeal, associate professor of

geosciences;

— Oliver Myers, assistant professor of

mechanical engineering;

— Trisha Phillips, associate professor of

philosophy and religion;

— Colleen Sinclair, associate professor of

psychology; and

— Henry Wan, professor, basic sciences

department, College of Veterinary Medicine.

For more on the program, visit www.research.msstate.edu/rresources/flp.php or contact Ray Vaughn, associate vice president for research, at

[email protected] or 662-325-3570.


T he director of Mississippi State

University’s Office of Research

Security is now serving as a chapter officer

for the nation’s leading “collaboration for

infrastructure protection.”

At a recent meeting in Jackson,

InfraGard named Neil Lewis president of its

Mississippi chapter.

InfraGard is a partnership between

the Federal Bureau of Investigation and

businesses, academic institutions, state

and local law enforcement, and other

agencies dedicated to sharing information

and intelligence to prevent hostile acts

against the United States. Chapters are

geographically linked to a local FBI field office.

In his role as research security officer

at MSU, Lewis directs programs that

support the university’s status as a cleared

defense contractor, including meeting

security requirements associated with

contracts and projects.

Additionally, MSU is required to meet all

regulations and rules for export control and

International Traffic in Arms Regulations

(ITAR) established by the U.S. departments

of State, Commerce and Treasury.

“We are here to help faculty, staff and

students with the security requirements

related to their research. We also provide

secure laptops and security information

about international travel, among other

services,” Lewis said.

In May, ORS purchased electronic

fingerprint scanning equipment, and is

now providing that service to the campus

community.

“We installed the scanner to meet

a requirement for submitting clearance

requests to the U.S. government from

MSU students, faculty and staff. Starting in

2013, the Office of Personnel Management

will no longer accept the ‘ink and roll’

method of fingerprinting because there are

too many instances of fingerprints being

rejected with that method,” he said.

The new equipment has the capability

of taking fingerprints to meet the FBI FD-

258 form requirements only.

For additional information about ORS

programs and services, please contact

Lewis at 662-325-8682 or nelewis@fso.

msstate.edu.

LEWIS NAMED INFRAGARD CHAPTER PRESIDENT


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SUMMER 2012

A An aerospace engineer with extensive experience in aircraft design

is the new director of the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at

Mississippi State University.

Ratneshwar “Ratan” Jha officially joined the university July 1, at which time

he assumed the director’s role and a faculty position within the department of

aerospace engineering. He takes over for Lori Bruce who had served as interim

leader since 2010 when David Lawrence retired.

“Raspet Flight Lab is a unique and valuable resource to the university

and the state, and we are confident that Dr. Jha will develop new research

partnerships and projects at Raspet and continue its tradition of attracting new

industry to our regional and state aerospace hub,” said Sarah Rajala, dean of the

Bagley College of Engineering.

Jha comes to Mississippi State from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y.,

where he served as an associate professor of mechanical and aeronautical

engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from IIT,

Kharagpur, India; a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia

Institute of Technology; and a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from

Arizona State University.

He has conducted research in structural health monitoring, modeling of

composite and smart structures, adaptive control of structural vibrations,

intelligent flight controls, and multidisciplinary design optimization. He has

published more than 95 peer reviewed articles and has been co-investigator on

research grants awarded more than $4 million.

Part of the university’s Bagley College of Engineering, Raspet Flight

Research Laboratory was established in 1948. Since that time it has grown and

expanded to include two state-of-the-art facilities and research endeavors with

government and private industry including the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Lockheed

Aircraft Corp., Honda Research and Development, and NASA.

Recently, Raspet has served as a start-up facility for various aerospace

companies in Mississippi providing workspace, technical training, and assistance

with product development and research. These efforts have help companies

such as American Eurocopter, Aurora Flight Science, GE Aerospace and Stark

Aerospace establish bases in Mississippi, bringing more than 700 high-tech jobs

to the state.

JHA NAMED RASPET FLIGHT RESEARCH LAB DIRECTOR

Ratan Jha


A senior Mississippi State

researcher is the new co-chair of

a group overseeing development of next

generation technology to protect ground

vehicles for the world’s leading military

alliance.

Roger King, director of the university’s

Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems,

recently was appointed to lead an

exploratory team developing new armored

vehicles for North Atlantic Treaty

Organization forces.

Formally titled “Design and Protection

Technologies for Land and Amphibious

NATO Vehicles,” the project is focused on

protection against landmine explosions

and improvised explosive device attacks

while maintaining a high level of

maneuverability.

King said there is “a growing demand

for vehicles capable not only of land

operations, but also of moving through

a larger theater, including river crossings

and tactical swimming in the sea and

near-shore areas. “However, vehicle weight

has increased to such an extent that

modern amphibious vehicles have lost their

capability to maneuver in the water.”

A member of the MSU engineering

faculty since 1988, King said he and

fellow NATO team members will

tackle the problem by using advanced

technologies and materials, as well as

advanced design and optimization tools.

The group also will create

computationally efficient simulation

models capable of analyzing end-to-end

performance of military ground vehicles

subjected to blast loading and the effect

on soldier injuries to maximize new

designs, he explained.

According to King, NATO will benefit

in the future from advanced vehicle

designs to meet requirements for tactical

and operational mobility with a sufficient

level of warfighter protection and

increased payload.

In addition to MSU’s highest academic

rank as a Giles Distinguished Professor,

King holds the CAVS Endowed Chair in

the Bagley College of Engineering.

As CAVS director, the University of

Wales doctoral graduate is responsible

for an interdisciplinary research center

comprised of engineering, research,

development, and technology transfer

teams focused on enhancing human and

payload mobility.

KING NAMED CO-CHAIR OF NATO TEAM

Roger King


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

KING NAMED CO-CHAIR OF NATO TEAM

The Bagley College of Engineering’s

associate dean for research and

graduate studies has earned the university’s

highest honorary distinction for faculty.

During an April ceremony, Lori Mann Bruce

was named a W.L. Giles Distinguished Professor.

Of the university’s 1,096 active faculty, only 13

hold this honorary title.

“We are extremely proud of Dr. Bruce

for earning this distinction,” said Dean Sarah

Rajala. “It’s a well deserved honor for her

noteworthy scholarly contributions, the unrivaled

opportunities she provides our engineering

students at Mississippi State University, and her

dedication to economic development and service

to the state.”

Bruce came to MSU in 2000 as an assistant

professor. She earned full professorship in

electrical and computer engineering in 2006,

and assumed her current role in the dean’s

office in 2008. During her time at State, she

has completed the Faculty Leadership Program

and served as the university’s representative

to the Southeastern Conference Academic

Consortium’s Leadership Development Program.

As a faculty member she has taught

approximately 45 sections of 17 different courses

while earning high evaluations from her students.

As an administrator, Bruce has worked to build

the BCoE’s distance education program. She

holds membership in the American Society for

Engineering Education, as well as serving as

chair-elect for its Engineering Research Council’s

board of directors, and IEEE, the Society of

Women Engineers, the Order of the Engineer,

Eta Kappa Nu, Phi Kappa Phi and Tau Beta Pi, the

engineering honor society.

Her research focuses on hyperspectral

imaging and remote sensing. In addition to

bringing in research funding, supporting students’

research, and coordinating the college’s research

activities, she has served the university’s research

function as associate director of the Geosystems

Research Institute and interim director of the

Raspet Flight Research Laboratory.

Bruce earned a bachelor’s and doctoral

degrees in electrical and computer engineering

from the University of Alabama, Huntsville,

a master’s in electrical engineering from the

Georgia Institute of Technology. She also has a

biomedical engineering certificate from a joint

program of the Georgia Institute of Technology

and Emory Medical School.

The W.L. Giles Distinguished Professors

program is named for the university’s 13th

president. It is earned based on distinguished

scholarship as evidenced by a record of

outstanding research, teaching, and service and is

conferred only on a faculty member at Mississippi

State University who has attained national or

international status.

Recipients are nominated by their

departments or colleges, which must provide

evidence of the nominee’s excellence in research,

teaching and service. Bruce was the only faculty

member to earn the honor this year. Six of the

13 active Giles Professors are from the BCoE, the

most from any one college at the university.

Lori Bruce and Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Gilbert

BRUCE BECOMES NEWEST DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR

MECHANICS, MATERIALS MEETING AT MSU

Many of the nation’s leading researchers

in computer modeling and simulation were at

Mississippi State in late June

The university’s James Worth Bagley

College of Engineering and Center for

Advanced Vehicular Systems hosted the

third-biennial Symposium of Predictive

Science and Technology in Mechanics and

Materials.

The three-day event, which started June

26, brought together representatives of

academia and industry with counterparts in

the U.S. departments of Defense and Energy.

Emerging research, new techniques and

high-performance computing in engineering

can lead to better-designed manufacturing

facilities and procedures, said event co-

organizer Mark Horstemeyer, an MSU CAVS

Endowed Chair of Mechanical Engineering

and chief technical officer at CAVS.

While not a public event, sessions were

open to interested members of the media.

Located adjacent to campus in the

Thad Cochran Research, Technology and

Economic Development Park, CAVS is

an interdisciplinary center composed of

engineering, research, development, and

technology transfer teams focused on

enhancing human and payload mobility. Over

time, the center’s research activities have

focused on material science, manufacturing

process modeling, computational mechanics,

computational fluid dynamics, multi-scale

modeling, and vehicular systems engineering,

among other areas.


Daniel Peterson has been appointed director of the Institute for

Genomics, Biocomputing, and Biotechnology (IGBB) at Mississippi State

University.

IGBB was formed in 2011 through the merger of the Life Sciences and

Biotechnology Institute and the Institute for Digital Biology. Peterson has

led the newly merged institute as interim director since last fall.

A professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Peterson

earned his bachelor, master and doctoral degrees from Colorado State

University. He has been a faculty member at MSU since 2002.

Peterson’s research is focused on exploring the structure and

evolution of eukaryotic genomes using genomic, cytogenetic, molecular

biology and computational biology techniques.

PETERSON NAMED DIRECTOR OF IGBB

When researchers and faculty members at Mississippi’s research

universities and institutions switched on their computers the first

week of July, they had a new direct connection to the ultrafast

Internet2 network via the new Jackson Internet2 connector site.

With more than 8 terabytes per second of potential capacity now

flowing through Jackson, the Internet2 connection gives Mississippi’s

researchers the ability to share large sets of data with collaborators

across the country and around the globe. University officials

expect the enhanced connection to boost research and economic

development efforts statewide.

The switchover moves the high-speed connections used to

support research at Jackson State University, Mississippi State

University, University of Mississippi, UM Medical Center and

University of Southern Mississippi from Baton Rouge, La., to Jackson.

The start-up and transfer is a joint project between the Mississippi

Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and

Internet2.

David Shaw, vice president for research and economic

development at MSU, said the direct connectivity to the new

Internet2 point of presence in Jackson will allow for enhanced

collaboration with other research universities and federal labs around

the nation and the world.

“By enabling the development of new software applications,

providing real-time control of remote instruments and allowing

for massive data transfers more quickly and reliably than before,

this enhanced capability will allow MSU to engage in new research

endeavors, advance scientific discovery and promote economic

development activities for the region and the state,” Shaw said.

The project was made possible through expansion funding

from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology

Opportunities Program. The switchover was months in planning with

representatives from each institution making a case for the move.

Last fall, IHL signed an agreement with Internet2.

“Connecting to the Internet2 network represents a tremendous

step for Mississippi public universities, the state and its citizens,” said

Hank M. Bounds, IHL commissioner. “Our institutions collaborate very

closely on academics and research, and improving our connectivity

through Internet2 will strengthen this process. The end result is

research and innovation that encourage and support economic

growth and opportunities to benefit all Mississippians.”

The Jackson connector site is possible because of the new

Mississippi Optical Network, referred to as MissiON.

Former Gov. Haley Barbour worked with AT&T to create the

network for the Mississippi Research Consortium, which includes UM,

MSU, USM and JSU. The network also serves the UM Medical Center,

the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, the

NEW INTERNET2 CONNECTION BOOSTING RESEARCH


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development

Center in Vicksburg and NASA’s Stennis Space Center.

“We are delighted that MissiON is now directly connected to the

Internet2 Network and that these expanded capabilities of the new

Internet2 network are available in Jackson,” said Rob Vietzke, Internet2

vice president of network services. “The new network node dramatically

improves Mississippi’s ability to collaborate with hundreds of similarly

connected advanced research organizations across the globe.

“MissiON, which is the 21st regional network to become a

connector to the Internet2 Network, now makes it possible for

Mississippi Research Consortium members to use our newly

upgraded 100G network — the nation’s fastest, coast-to-coast

network — to implement new technologies that support scientific

‘big data’ and cloud applications to drive innovation involving

clean energy, cancer cures, astronomy and other important global

collaborative research.”


A laboratory at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary

Medicine recently became the first-ever recipient of an MSU award

recognizing laboratories for outstanding attention to safety.

MSU’s Office of Regulatory Compliance and Safety presented the

inaugural Excellence in Laboratory Safety Award to the Center for

Environmental Health Sciences.

The award was established to recognize an MSU laboratory group that

makes safety a top priority every day.

“We take safety extremely seriously,” said Jan Chambers, director of

the center. “Of all of the laboratories on campus, I’m proud and honored

that they chose ours.”

The Center for Environmental Health Sciences conducts research

requiring compliance in multiple regulatory areas, Chambers said. These

areas include biosafety, which involves infectious materials; hazardous

waste, which involves potentially dangerous chemicals; radioactive

chemicals; human subjects protection, which involves both subjects’

confidentiality and their physical, emotional and psychological safety; and

lab animal welfare.

“We are cautious about all of the hazardous materials we deal with

and work extraordinarily hard to make sure students, lab technicians

and research associates all are protected,” Chambers said.

In addition to these regulatory compliances, Chambers and her

staff focus on basic lab safety.

“We don’t want to have any physical hazards in the lab, such as cords to

trip over,” she said.

The Office of Regulatory Compliance and Safety inspects most MSU

laboratories annually, but the diverse nature of the research conducted at the

Center for Environmental Health Sciences requires multiple regulatory agency

visits throughout the year.

“We have certain protocols for our work, and the scientific question

involved in our research determines what protocols we need to follow, such

as surveys that protect anonymity or measures to ensure animals are cared

for appropriately,” Chambers said.

Chambers’ group has several biomedical research projects under way.

“We have projects going on to try to identify causes for Type

2 diabetes,” she said. “We’re also studying antidotes for insecticide

exposure, such as the accidental poisoning of farm personnel.”

Because of their commitment to safety, the group is deserving of

this award, said Patricia Cox, biosafety officer and assistant director of

the Office of Regulatory Compliance and Safety.

“Dr. Chambers’ group is dedicated to creating a culture that

allows research to flow but at the same time recognizes hazards and

mitigates or eliminates them through strict adherence to the highest

safety standards,” Cox said. “The labs are clean, well-organized, well-run

and the lab staff and management are prompt in implementing any

safety recommendations. This group goes above and beyond the basic

standards of lab safety.”

MSU GIVES INAUGURAL AWARD FOR LAB SAFETY

Students and staff at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine are the first-ever recipients of an MSU award recognizing laboratories for outstanding attention to safety. From left, Lauren Mangum, Ronald Pringle, Shane Bennett, Lee Mangum and Erle Chenney, make safety a priority while working in the Center for Environmental Health Sciences.

Research Associate Sandra Ortega-Achury was presented with the Outstanding Research Associate Award for her dedication to providing a safe working environment in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering during the Lab Safety Luncheon sponsored by the Office of Regulatory Compliance and Safety. Pictured are Assistant Vice President for Research Teresa Gammill, Laboratory and Environmental Safety Coordinator Erin Kiess, Ortega-Achury and Civil and Engineering Department Chair and Professor Dennis Truax.


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

The inaugural Southeast Biofuels and Renewable Energy Conference in

Jackson in early August offered education and networking opportunities for

suppliers, producers, consumers, researchers and students.

Taking place Aug. 8 and 9 at the downtown Marriott Hotel, the public

event was co-sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Research Center at

Mississippi State University, along with the Ridgeland-based Mississippi

Biomass and Renewable Energy Council.

A pre-conference workshop was held Aug. 7 at the Mississippi

Technology Alliance offices in Ridgeland. This program, called the Renewable

Energy Venture Development Academy, provideed comprehensive training on

methodologies for screening, developing and/ or coaching innovation-based

renewable energy ventures. The course provided an overview of energy

market drivers, as well as the rigorous process of developing a technology-

based venture.

“ Rafael Hernandez, holder of the Texas Olefins Professorship in MSU’s

Swalm School of Chemical Engineering and SERC’s associate director, said

that Mississippi has an abundance of biomass resources.

“Research and development efforts at state universities and the strong

commitment of state officials to support the renewable energy industry are

expected to blossom into new business, career opportunities, and economic

growth,” he explained.

“The Southeast Biofuels and Renewable Energy Conference is an

opportunity for legislators, state officials, academics, farmers, fuel producers,

industrial managers, forest managers, and many other stakeholders to

visualize their role in this new economy,” Hernandez added.

Presentations were organized into five clusters, with each focus

area hearing speakers from academia, industry and government. Current

technology, commercialization progress, and government policies and

priorities for funding were highlighted.

The meeting also helped demonstrate the importance of integrating

agricultural practices, chemical processing, fuel standards, energy policy, and

environmental regulations on the production of biofuels and bioproducts.

As examples, Hernandez said MSU “has established that domestic and

industrial wastewaters and their treatment infrastructure could be key to

the production of large quantities of biodiesel. This MSU model of biofuel

production requires a working network of wastewater treatment managers,

chemical and environmental engineers, biodiesel industry operators,

equipment manufacturers, students, and academics.”

He said the conference served as an incubator of ideas for these

groups to apply and commercialize technologies for biofuel production using

creative multidisciplinary approaches.

One conference cluster was devoted to solar energy, featuring

perspectives on solar industry development, integration with biofuels, and

the place of solar in the world of energy generation.

Joseph Linton, economic analyst with the Mississippi Technology

Alliance, said solar power has become increasingly widespread in Mississippi

over the past few years, with solar panels being utilized at small businesses,

in agricultural operations, and on homes across the state. Additionally, new

and cutting-edge solar panel manufacturing is taking place in the state,

providing jobs and economic opportunities.

“Solar power has exhibited a wide range of applications for

Mississippians from a variety of geographical and industry sectors,”

Linton said.

Other focus areas included biofuels created from wastewater produced

by pulp and paper operations; biodiesel from algae at a power facility, non-

fuel bioproducts from biomass, and biofuels from Mississippi resources.

Randy Rousseau, associate extension and research professor with

MSU’s Forestry and Wildlife Research Center and vice president of

the Mississippi Biomass and Renewable Energy Council, said forests

are among the Magnolia State’s most abundant renewable natural

resources, with systems already in place for traditional forest products

to easily transfer to the renewable energy field.

Forest material is useful as a feedstock, and research in fast growth

dedicated energy plantations is examining year-round sources of wood for

production of biofuels or co-generation of biofuels, the associate extension

and research professor said.

ENERGY CONFERENCE EXPLORES PATHS TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY


Mississippi State’s Center for Advanced

Vehicular Systems Extension is a major

honoree of the Southern Growth Policies

Board.

Based in Canton, the university’s CAVS

Extension office recently accepted a 2012

Innovator Award for its work with Nissan

at the nearby vehicle assembly plant. The

recognition specifically cited the “Enhancing

On-the-Job Problem Solving” training

program.

The award “honors initiatives that are

improving the economy and quality of life in

the South,” according to SGPB.

The training program is an example of

MSU’s commitment to service, said Clay

Walden, CAVS Extension director and

a research professor at the land-grant

institution.

“CAVS Extension and the university as

a whole are actively engaged in the lives of

Mississippians,” he said. “This recent work

with Nissan is a perfect example of the

assistance we can provide, as well as the

partnerships we develop with employers in

our state.”

Walden accepted the award at the

SGPB annual conference in Chattanooga,

Tenn. He was joined by Robert Sheely,

CAVS Extension business systems and

information technology manager.

The Mississippi Development Authority

and Mississippi Department of Employment

Security shared oversight responsibilities

for the 15-month project that was

competitively funded by a $660,000 federal

stimulus grant administered by MDES.

To date, more than 60 percent of those

who completed training have received

a wage increase. In a three-year period,

nearly 60 projects have been accomplished,

resulting in annual savings of $2,019,000

and representing an 8:1 return on the initial

investment.

“This project was the best use of

stimulus funds of any project I am aware of

in the nation,” said MDES deputy director

for communications Les Range.

CAVS Extension is a major unit of

the Engagement and Outreach Service

at MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering,

which developed and delivered the training

program with CAVS Extension and Holmes

Community College, whose primary service

area includes central Mississippi.

In addition to more than 400

employees at Nissan’s Canton facility,

it provided skills training for the vehicle

manufacturers’ in-state suppliers and

related high-growth companies.

As the training program began, an

initial analysis revealed that only 5.8

percent of Mississippi’s automotive workers

possessed higher-order skills—a rate well

short of the 10.5 percent national average.

To help overcome the gap, the coalition

provided instruction through a three-

phase curriculum: instrumentation and

diagnostics, problem-solving methodologies

and teaming topics.

Bagley faculty and researchers trained

students to use specialized data-gathering

equipment and analysis software. CAVS

Extension provided specialized problem-

solving training and spawned projects,

with ongoing coaching, to solve chronic

“live, on-the-job” problems from students’

companies.

At the same time, Holmes was helping

enhance the students’ communication,

leadership and collaboration skills.

Clay Walden (l), director of the MSU CAVS Extension Office, accepts the 2012 Innovator Award from Ted Abernathy, executive director of the Southern Growth Policies Board.

CAVS EXTENSION WINS REGIONAL AWARD FOR WORK WITH NISSAN


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

DRONES ON CAMPUS: MSU HOSTS UAS SYMPOSIUM

As drones capture headlines and pique

the imagination of the American public,

some of the nation’s leading experts

in unmanned aerial systems were at

Mississippi State in May for the 2012 UAS

Symposium.

The multi-day professional gathering

focused on the impact of remotely-piloted

aircraft technology on research, defense,

homeland security, law, and public policy.

The university and the Association of

Unmanned Aerial Systems International-

Mississippi co-hosted the special event.

The program featuresd lineup of

speakers, panel discussions, flight

demonstrations, and tours, all designed

to explore the broader theme: “Breaking

Through Barriers and Fielding the

Technology.”

“Our state is well positioned to

continue to play a significant role in

unmanned aerial systems research and

development, as well as manufacturing,”

said David Shaw, vice president for research

and economic development.

“This is one of the priority areas for

research that we have established at MSU,”

Shaw emphasized.

Lead organizer Lori Bruce said

participants “explored the multi-faceted

issues that are shaping how we build,

deploy and use unmanned aerial vehicles.

“These technologies have revolutionized

military operations and reconnaissance, and

are playing ever greater roles in agriculture,

disaster response and environmental

monitoring to name a few examples,”

added the Bagley College of Engineering’s

associate dean for research.

Symposium sponsors included Aurora

Flight Science, Northrop Grumman,

Stark Aerospace, Selex Galileo Inc., The

Aerospace Alliance, Mississippi Development

Authority, Tenax Aerospace, Altavian, Area

Development Partnership, Appalachian

Regional Commission, and Golden Triangle

Regional Airport.

Others included the Greater Starkville

Development Partnership, Hancock

County Development Commission, John

Bell Williams Airport-Hinds Community

College, Jackson County Economic

Development Foundation Inc., Link, Mav6,

Mississippi Power, Trent Lott International

Airport, Tennessee Valley Authority, and

North Mississippi Industrial Development

Association.

Recent College of Engineering graduates Amos Christiansen of Arab, Ala., left, and Jason Coleman of Hattiesburg, give a drone demonstration during the opening reception of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Symposium, which was held May 14-16 at Mississippi State.


M ississippi State University will administer more than $1 million in

federal grant monies as part of a national effort to bolster job

creation in rural areas.

The White House announced this week that Mississippi State will receive

the maximum award of $1,065,000 as part of the multi-agency Rural Jobs

and Innovation Accelerator Challenge.

Economic development partnerships and initiatives in 12 states are

receiving awards from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic

Development Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Delta

Regional Authority, and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

“The focus is to create jobs in rural areas of the country, so there is

a strong focus on support for entrepreneurs and growing existing small

businesses,” said Clayton Walden, director of MSU’s Center for Advanced

Vehicular Systems Extension Office based in Canton and the university’s

principal leader for the grant. He noted that the project especially will focus

on increasing entrepreneurship with minority and underrepresented groups.

Walden explained that MSU’s project will focus on 61 counties that

define the combined Delta and Appalachian regions of the Magnolia

State. Along with the CAVS Extension Office, the university-based

Southern Rural Development Center, the National Strategic Planning and

Analysis Research Center, the Franklin Furniture Institute, the Office of

Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer, as well as the Department

of Agricultural Economics will support the initiative. Mississippi

Development Authority is an additional partner.

“This involves building communities, which is a very strong suit of the

SRDC and nSPARC, and of course increasing entrepreneurial activities is

a strength of several of our university entities,” Walden added.

The program targets the creation and retention of more than 500

jobs, with an accompanying economic development impact of more than

$30 million including private investment, and cost savings.

“We have taken purposeful steps to make innovation,

entrepreneurship and community engagement priorities on our campus.

We have been building that culture with students, faculty and staff for a

number of years,” said David Shaw, Mississippi State’s vice president for

research and economic development. “We have an innovation ecosystem

in place that is growing capacity and the economy by creating jobs,

enhancing quality of life and providing new opportunities in communities

around our state.”

To accomplish the goals, the program will focus on four thrusts:

—Strengthening Communities: Activities will focus on strengthening

communities’ strategic planning processes, enhancing leadership skills,

and promoting a robust entrepreneurial environment. The program also

will leverage an initiative to increase broadband penetration in rural areas.

—Expanding Clusters: Strategies to target the growth of major clusters,

such as automotive, furniture and agri-business industries, will propagate

opportunities for smaller companies within their respective regional

clusters. Workshops and networking events conducted in accordance with

community development activities will enable existing businesses and

start-up companies to have a forum to explore business opportunities.

Successful owners of minority and underrepresented, underserved

businesses will coach participants regarding critical success factors.

—Growing Companies: Technical assistance and professional development

programs will be developed and conducted to fully exploit growth

opportunities among the region’s critical cluster companies. Priority will

be given to companies where growth and expansion have a high likelihood

of expanding the local supply chain, to leverage broader business

opportunities with the inclusion of small businesses and start-up

companies. Assistance with planning for and acquiring new technologies

and innovations also will be a priority for this thrust.

—Developing Entrepreneurs: Working directly with prospective

entrepreneurs, as identified in the community development thrust, the

program will accelerate the formation of new and innovative businesses,

utilizing the internationally acclaimed Kaufmann Institute FastTrac

program.

A review team comprised of successful business people and key

stakeholders from each sub-region will be a resource for entrepreneurs

who have completed training. Additional university resources will be

among benefits, including marketing studies, funding to work with the

university’s “start-up black belts,” and opportunities to make significant

pitches to seed fund boards and Angel Investors.

“We believe that this work is the perfect example of how major research

universities can positively impact rural economic development in their

states,” said Melvin Ray, associate vice president for economic development

at Mississippi State. “We are working every day to enhance opportunities in

the local community, our state and region-wide.”

MORE THAN $1 MILLION AWARDED TO MSU IN RURAL JOB CREATION GRANT


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR RESEARCH AT MSU SYMPOSIUM

Receiving certificates of recognition and Barnes & Noble gift cards, this year’s winners included:

PHYSICAL SCIENCE AND

ENGINEERING,

VISUAL PRESENTATIONS

FIRST—Senior Janice L. Cunningham

of Starkville, a biological engineering

major and the daughter of

Alexander and Monica Cunningham.

SECOND—Senior Ankit S. Arya of

Bhopal, India, a computer science

major and the son of Bhupendra

and Anjali Arya.

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE AND

ENGINEERING

FIRST—Visiting student

Raghunandan Avula, a biochemistry

and molecular biology major.

[Hometown not available.]

SECOND—Senior Jessica L. Martin

of Ft. Worth, Texas, a biological

sciences major and daughter of

Thomas and Charlotte Martin.

SOCIAL SCIENCE

FIRST—Senior Anne E. Robinson

of Brandon, a senior psychology

major and the daughter of Bob

and Jan Robinson.

SECOND—Senior Jamie L. Floyd of

McCarley, a psychology major and

the daughter of

David Floyd.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

FIRST—Senior Georgene Elizabeth

Grant of Stockbridge, Ga., a civil

engineering major and the daughter

of Spencer and Susan Grant.

SECOND—Junior Brittany M. Govan

of Holly Springs, an aerospace

engineering major and the daughter

of Kelvin and Monica Govan.

Eight Mississippi State juniors and seniors are winners of the university’s

2012 Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Organized by the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College in collaboration

with National Science Foundation-funded undergraduate research programs, the

competition earlier this week provided an opportunity to exhibit faculty-guided

efforts by participants from diverse academic and research units across campus.

“The students are phenomenal; I am very impressed with the level of work

they are doing,” said Seth Oppenheimer, the college’s undergraduate research

director. “Doing research like this gives them the tools they need to be creative in

their fields.”

Oppenheimer said many undergraduates participated throughout the

year, with projects covering a wide variety of topics, including biodiesel, genetic

engineering, facial recognition, and robotics.

“We would love to see even more students represented, especially those

from the humanities and fine arts,” the professor of mathematics added.

Also during the awards ceremony, Domenico “Mimmo” Parisi announced

that the campus-based National Strategic Planning & Analysis Research

Center will be contributing $10,000 to support the work of the honors college,

particularly in the area of humanities research.

Parisi, a sociology professor who directs the center, said nSPARC “is

committed to giving back to our students and helping them engage in research.”

The MSU chapter of Phi Kappa Phi national honor society provided

the B&N gift cards for the winners.

In addition to NSF and nSPARC, additional support for student

projects was provided by the MSU Office of Research and National

Institutes of Health.

Senior MSU computer science major Ankit S. Arya (c) demonstrated a robotic system during the undergraduate research symposium. He took second-place honors in physical science and engineering, visual presentations.


MSU CENTER LEADS DEVELOPMENT OF NEW OKTIBBEHA COUNTY WEBSITE

A new Oktibbeha County website

designed by MSU’s National

Strategic Planning and Analysis

Research Center will better

connect citizens with their county

government, and also serve as a

“business card” for local economic

development efforts. Pictured (l-r)

Domenico “Mimmo” Parisi, nSPARC

director, discusses the new site with

Oktibbeha County Administrator

Don Posey and Oktibbeha County’s

Board of Supervisors President

Marvell Howard.

A new Oktibbeha County website developed by a Mississippi

State research center will better connect citizens with their

county government, and also serve as a “business card” for local

economic development efforts.

The university center’s director said the project “is the beginning

of a new way for Oktibbeha County to work.

“It connects citizens with their county government, and gives

them easy access to important information,” added Domenico

“Mimmo” Parisi, director of the National Strategic Planning and

Analysis Research Center. “We believe the site will promote

participatory democracy for our community.”

The website—www.oktibbehacountyms.org—was unveiled this week

by members of Parisi’s team and county officials. Features include:

— Information about county services, specifically what’s available,

where to receive them and who to contact with questions;

— Accurate maps of county districts and facilities;

— Access to up-to-the-minute communication, enabling county

officials to publish real-time announcements, news and

weather alerts; and

— A comprehensive list of elected and appointed officials.

Parisi said the website is designed to serve as an external and

internal communication tool, with each county department

having access to manage its own content. It also will be critical

for economic development purposes, he emphasized.

“The site serves as a ‘business card’; prospective businesses and

economic developers can quickly see what the county has to offer,”

he explained. “It will be a great marketing tool for our community.”

Parisi said a top priority at nSPARC “is improving economic

competitiveness in our state through community engagement. This

project is a clear testament of Mississippi State’s commitment to the

communities we serve.”

Creation of the website doesn’t mean nSPARC’s work is done. He

and his colleagues continually will be working with county officials to

make improvements, Parisi said.

Topics covered included everything from “The Career Pathway

Experience: Closing the Work-Based Learning Opportunity Gap in

a Jobless Economy” to “Preparing Teachers for the 21st-Century

Classroom Through Performance-Based Instructional Strategies.”


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

A new regional study by a senior learning researcher and

Mississippi State faculty member is the first to link homework

distraction to a wide range of variables.

The multi-level analysis by Jianzhong Xu, a professor in the

university’s College of Education, examined a range of variables

affecting homework distraction, at both the student level and

the class level. He hypothesized that homework distraction is

affected by such variables as gender, academic achievement and

student attitudes toward the work.

A member of the college’s leadership and foundations

department, Xu also included numerous types of distractions in

his analysis.

“The distractions I considered ranged from the conventional,

such as watching television or daydreaming, to the high-tech,

such as text messaging and playing video games,” he said.

Xu surveyed 1,800 eighth- and 11th-grade students from

nearly 100 classes across the Southeastern United States.

Students were asked about the frequency of family help with

homework, extracurricular activities and parents’ education

levels, among other variables.

Xu, a Columbia University doctoral graduate, said the study

found those less likely to be distracted while doing homework scored

higher in affective attitude, academic achievement, learning-oriented

reasons, homework interest, and adult-oriented reasons.

Most of the variance in homework distraction occurred at

the student level, not at the class level, he added.

While it may be a common assumption that many students

tend to think of homework as boring, Xu’s investigation indicated

affective attitude toward homework, like the favorability of

homework as compared with other after-school activities, affect

homework distraction the most.

The study also yielded two surprising results:

—Girls were more likely to be distracted than boys; and

—11th graders were more likely to be distracted than younger

students while doing homework.

Xu said the study’s results have both research and practical

implications.

“This line of research needs to be continued,” Xu said. “Other

school levels, how different genders handle distractions and how

certain attitudes toward homework play a role in coping with

distraction need to be examined.”

Even though the findings show family homework help is

not directly related to homework distraction, parents may still

play an important role in helping children cope with distraction

through influencing their attitudes toward homework. And

students can take responsibility toward decreasing distraction

while doing their homework by arranging a conducive homework

environment and prioritizing and structuring other activities.

XU TAKES IN-DEPTH LOOK AT HOMEWORK DISTRACTIONS


MSU STUDENT WINNERS OF BIZ PLAN COMPETITION ANNOUNCED

Thirty students at Mississippi State are winners in the 2012

MSU Business Plan Competition hosted by the university’s Office of

Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer.

The daylong campus event in McCool Hall, home of the College of

Business, saw individuals and teams in five divisions vying for almost

$40,000 in awards.

Event sponsors included C Spire Wireless, Mark Dumas, Talos

Energy LLC, Tellus Operating Group LLC, along with MSU’s Thad

Cochran Endowment for Entrepreneurship.

“Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, these student

startups now have additional seed capital to jumpstart their

innovative business ventures,” said OETT director Gerald Nelson.

The winners (listed by contest division, hometowns, business names, and award amounts) include:

C SPIRE ANDROID APP COMPETITION

1st place—John Gazzini, Birmingham, Ala.; Read Sprabery, Olive

Branch; Nimbus Mobile, LLC, $4,000.

2nd place—Kellon Lawrence, Flowood, Wildgame Adventures, $3,000.

3rd place—Darrius Taylor, Ridgeland, College Shift, $2,000.

4th place—David Bupp, Sarasota, Fla., LRC Unlimited, $1,000.

Judges for the Android app competition included Latasha Bibb,

Mississippi Technology Alliance; David B. Latham of Butler Snow

Advisory Services; Donna Reese of MSU’s Department of Computer

Science and Engineering; and Ben Walton of the Mississippi Angel

Fund LP.

TCEE E-COMMERCE BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

1st place—Kevin Foster, Tupelo; Melanie Greer, Clinton; Kaley James,

Caledonia; Nan Wagner, Vicksburg; LodgingMatch.com, $5,000.

2nd place—Robert Sankovich, Meridian; Jonathan Ogden, Cypress,

Texas; Albert Reeves, Flora; MediaSwap.com, $750.

3rd place (tie) —Chelsea Cure, Jackson; Erin Guelker, Hattiesburg; Kacha

Jennings, Moss Point; Amanda Anderson, Clinton; EveryStyle, $250.

3rd place (tie) —Hiten Patel, India, Truant.us, $250.

Judges for the e-commerce competition included John Bean of

Columbus Deli Inc., University Management Inc. and Sweet Peppers

Franchise Systems LLC; Robert Clark of Clark Beverage Group Inc.;

Jerry Toney of Cadence Bank; and Turner Wingo, MSU Foundation

board of directors.

MARK DUMAS ENGINEERING BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

1st place—Marlon Taylor, Greenville; Nick Poborka, Starkville; Lokaliti,

$5,000.

2nd place—Seth Freeman, Beaumont, Method & System for

Increasing Safety in Chemical Application from an Aircraft, $750.

3rd place—Chris Brown, Biloxi, E-Direct, $250.

Judges for the engineering competition included Todd Bacastow of

GeoEye Inc.; Joe Bird of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings; Martin Jue of

MFJ Enterprises; and Bryan E. “Ben” Nearn III of Mulberry Ventures.

TALOS ENERGY, LLC NEW VENTURE CHALLENGE

1st place—Chandler Carr, Collierville, Tenn., Carr’s Cords, $5,000.

2nd place—Parker Stewart, Starkville, Night & Day Vending, $750.

3rd place—Eric Boykin, Starkville, SHAWKE Therapy Products, $250.

Judges for the New Venture Challenge were Bibb, Nearn and Walton.

TELLUS OPERATING GROUP, LLC ENERGY BUSINESS PLAN

COMPETITION

1st place—Andy Lemmon, Starkville, Sanctuary Power Plus, $9,000.

2nd place—Bobby Graham, Starkville, EV Bike, $750.

3rd place—Adebola Coker, Nigeria; Sara Shields-Menard, Greeley,

Colo.; Luis Gutierrez, Monterrey, Mexico; Hien Nguyen, Byram;

Greenbac Biofuels, $250.

Judges for the energy competition were Bird, Jue, Latham, and Darron

Case of Entergy Mississippi.


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

INTERMODAL CRITICAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL, EKSIOGLU SAYS

A Mississippi State researcher is praising a Magnolia State city at

the literal crossroads of modern interstate, rail and air connections for

the economic development aspects of its intermodal and multimodal

transportation systems.

While recently in Meridian, Burak Eksioglu, an associate professor

in the university’s industrial and systems engineering department, gave

special attention to the downtown area around Union Station.

His guide was Gil Carmichael, a local businessman and leading

national intermodal transportation authority. Their exploration took

place during the 40th anniversary of Amtrak, whose Crescent passenger

line traverses the east Mississippi municipality between its New Orleans

and New York City terminals.

“During my visit, I was able to see how investment in intermodal

infrastructure projects can leverage public and private investments to

enhance both passenger and freight transportation, encourage local

redevelopment, and set the stage for job creation,” said Eksioglu,

director of MSU’s new National Center for Intermodal Transportation for

Economic Competitiveness.

Mississippi State is the lead institution for the NCITEC, which is

funded by a $3.5-million competitive University Transportation Center

grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

NCITEC’s mission is to promote development of an economically

competitive, efficient, sustainable, and safe national intermodal

transportation network by integrating all transportation modes for

freight and passenger mobility. Among other tasks, it will study how

intermodal transportation investments promote jobs and economic

development.

Carmichael, a Federal Railroad Administrator member under

President George H.W. Bush, is the founding chairman of the Intermodal

Transportation Institute at the University of Denver, which is one of

MSU’s NCITEC partners.

“Having the new national center located in Mississippi, a state that

always has provided strong bipartisan leadership in transportation issues,

will allow us to study what works and why,” Carmichael said.

“We’ll need this research so we can better link our state, region

and nation, and provide the mobility that keeps us economically

competitive for the future,” Carmichael added.

The Meridian Union Station redevelopment project began 15 years

ago with construction of a new multimodal transportation center.

Over the years, it has been recognized nationally as an infrastructure

investment model that has spurred millions of dollars in public and

private partnerships for rural city redevelopment.

“The initial investment in the multi-modal transportation center in

Meridian has been a catalyst for additional private investment in the city,

including office and retail space, apartments and restaurants,” Eksioglu said.

“Union Station is the hub that ties all of it together,” he observed.

While in the Lauderdale County seat of some 40,000 residents,

Eksioglu and Carmichael met with Meridian Mayor Cheri Barry and other

leaders.

“We have an outstanding rail network in our country, and our

intermodal freight system is the best in the world,” Carmichael said.

“However, in the 21st century, we’ll need to learn to use this system

differently to better move freight but also passengers around our

country as part of the global economy.”

Carmichael emphasized that “connecting our airports, railroads, and

roadways in a seamless way with our city centers will be a big project,

but one that we must do.”


External Funding Awards: April, May & June 2012Principal Investigator Department/Center/Institute Funding Source Amount

Akers, Christopher Ryan Human Sciences U.S. Department of Homeland Security $7,515



Allen, Thomas Ward Delta Research and Extension Center Bayer CropScience $2,000

Allen, Thomas Ward Delta Research and Extension Center United Soybean Board $49,000

Alvey, Jeffrey Scott Cobb Institute Mississippi Development Authority $700

Alvey, Jeffrey Scott Cobb Institute Tennessee Valley Authority $3,380.34

Anderson, Derek T. Electrical and Computer Engineering DARPA Electronics Technology Office $93,461

Anderson, Derek T. Electrical and Computer Engineering U.S. Army Research Office $84,735.31

Avery, Jimmy L. Aquaculture USDA - NIFA $733,072

Baca, Keith Allen Cobb Institute Tennessee Valley Authority $469.19

Baca, Keith Allen Cobb Institute Tennessee Valley Authority $990.11

Bales, Gordon D. Forestry Department USDA Forest Service $19,965








Barefield, Danny Alan Agricultural Economics U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $20,000

Barnes, H. Michael FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Kop-Coat, Inc. $2,400

Barnes, H. Michael FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Cox Industries $2,900

Barnes, H. Michael FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory CMI Company $2,120

Barnes, H. Michael FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Lonza, Inc. $4,500

Barnes, H. Michael FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Lonza, Inc. $5,600

Barnes, H. Michael FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Cox Industries $31,000

Barnes, H. Michael FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Jeld-Wen $1,850

Barnes, H. Michael FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Bayer Material Science LLC $3,700

Beatty, Preston Grantham Division of Business Research U.S. Small Business Administration $83,682

Belant, Jerrold L. Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Michigan Department of Natural Resources $112,600

Belant, Jerrold L. Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service $41,500

Berg, Matthew James Physics and Astronomy U.S. Army Research Office $24,999

Berman, Mitchell E. Psychology National Institutes of Health $51,006

Bi, Guihong Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station Syngenta $3,000

Bi, Guihong Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station Syngenta Flowers, Inc. $8,015


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

Bi, Guihong Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station Sakata Seeds $385

Blythe, Eugene K. South MS Branch Experiment Station Horticulture Research Institute $16,000

Bond, Jason A. Delta Research and Extension Center MS Rice Promotion Board $111,522

Bond, Jason A. Delta Research and Extension Center Monsanto Company $6,075

Bond, Jason A. Delta Research and Extension Center Cotton Incorporated $9,200

Bond, Jason A. Delta Research and Extension Center Valent $11,250

Bond, Jason A. Delta Research and Extension Center BASF Corporation $9,800

Bond, Jason A. Delta Research and Extension Center Monsanto Company $4,000

Bond, Jason A. Delta Research and Extension Center Dow AgroSciences, LLC $8,250

Bond, Jason A. Delta Research and Extension Center DuPont De Nemours and Company (E. I. DuPont) $5,500

Bond, Jason A. Delta Research and Extension Center BASF Corporation $4,200

Boyd, Christopher A. Coastal Research and Extension Center The Nature Conservancy $9,847

Brooks, Christopher P. Biological Sciences Army Engineer Research and Development Center $9,426

Brown Johnson, Ashli Elizabeth Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Texas Corn Producers Board $95,000

Brown Johnson, Ashli Elizabeth Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Memphis Zoological Society $30,000

Brown, Richard L. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology National Science Foundation $23,780

Brown, Richard L. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology USDA - NIFA $11,070

Brown, Ronald A. Assoc. of Southern Regional Ext. Executive Directors Southern Regional States $337,000

Bruce, Lori M. Raspet Flight Lab U.S. Department of Defense $19,022.48

Bruce, Lori M. Raspet Flight Lab U.S. Department of Defense $28,796.96

Buehring, Nathan Wade Delta Research and Extension Center Mississippi Rice Promotion Board $25,000

Burger, Loren W. Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation $12,000

Byrd, John D. Plant and Soil Sciences AgResearch (USA) $6,000

Capella, Julie Lawrence Student Support Services U.S. Department of Education $15,000

Carter, Rachael Dawn Stennis Institute of Government and Community Dev Natural Capital Development, Inc. $4,954

Catchot, Angus L. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Pioneer Hi-Bred International $15,950

Catchot, Angus L. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Bayer CropScience $17,500

Catchot, Angus L. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Bayer CropScience $10,000

Catchot, Angus L. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Monsanto Company $28,000

Catchot, Angus L. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Valent $5,000

Catchot, Angus L. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Monsanto Company $5,000




Chambers, Janice E. Center for Environmental Health Science Office of Naval Research $400,000

Cirlot-New, Laura J. T.K. Martin Center Prentke Romich Company $9,908.08

External Funding Awards: April, May & June 2012 Principal Investigator Department/Center/Institute Funding Source Amount


Cirlot-New, Laura J. T.K. Martin Center Mississippi Department of Education $6,194


Cirlot-New, Laura J. T.K. Martin Center U.S. Department of Education $110,977

Cirlot-New, Laura J. T.K. Martin Center U.S. Department of Education $75,000


Clevinger, Donna L. Communication National Endowment for the Arts $3,353

Cook, Donald R. Delta Research and Extension Center Pioneer Hi-Bred International $15,950

Cook, Donald R. Delta Research and Extension Center Mississippi Corn Promotion Board $50,000

Cook, Donald R. Delta Research and Extension Center Monsanto Company $28,000

Cook, Donald R. Delta Research and Extension Center Pioneer Hi-Bred International $36,250

Cook, Donald R. Delta Research and Extension Center Chemtura USA Corporation $4,000

Coyne, Cody P. CVM Mammalian Task Force American Humane Association $4,000

Dampier, David A. Computer Science and Engineering U.S. Department of Defense $28,245.71

Dampier, David A. Computer Science and Engineering National Institute of Standards and Technology (DOC) $99,663

Darling, Lynn D. Early Childhood Institute Mississippi Department of Education $30,000

Davis, Jeremiah D. Ag and Bio Engineering Repreve Renewables, Inc. $3,500

Davis, John Brian Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service $35,000

Davis, Louise E. Human Sciences U.S. Department of Health and Human Services $1,622,000

Demarais, Stephen Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Foundation for Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks $11,900

Detwiler, Linda A. CVM Office of Research and Graduate Studies Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service $75,000

Dobson, Edward T. Mathematics and Statistics National Security Agency $50,120

Dodds, Darrin Matthew Plant and Soil Sciences Cotton Incorporated $51,443

Dodds, Darrin Matthew Plant and Soil Sciences Cotton Incorporated $10,500

Dodds, Darrin Matthew Plant and Soil Sciences Bio Huma Netics, Inc $1,000

Dodds, Darrin Matthew Plant and Soil Sciences Advanced Microbial Solutions, LLC $2,800

Dodds, Darrin Matthew Plant and Soil Sciences Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. $8,000

Dodds, Darrin Matthew Plant and Soil Sciences Monsanto Company $3,645



Ebelhar, M. Wayne Delta Research and Extension Center Mississippi Corn Promotion Board $24,752

Ebelhar, M. Wayne Delta Research and Extension Center Pioneer Hi-Bred International $3,000

Ebelhar, M. Wayne Delta Research and Extension Center Weyerhaeuser NR Company $15,000

Epperson, William B. CVM Diagnostic Lab Services Clarus Transphase Scientific, Inc. $4,335

Eubank, Thomas William Delta Research and Extension Center Bayer $10,000

Eubank, Thomas William Delta Research and Extension Center Syngenta Seed Inc. $10,115

Eubank, Thomas William Delta Research and Extension Center Valent $8,400



MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

Eubank, Thomas William Delta Research and Extension Center Pioneer Hi-Bred International $5,000

Eubank, Thomas William Delta Research and Extension Center BASF Corporation $8,400

Eubank, Thomas William Delta Research and Extension Center Pioneer Hi-Bred International $2,500

Eubank, Thomas William Delta Research and Extension Center DuPont De Nemours and Company $3,500

Eubank, Thomas William Delta Research and Extension Center DuPont De Nemours and Company $4,000

Ezell, Andrew W. Forestry Department USDA Farm Service Agency $600,000

Ezell, Andrew W. Forestry Department U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service $40,000

Fan, Zhaofei Forestry Department USDA Forest Service $61,000

Felicelli, Sergio D. Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Engineering Research and Development Center $130,800

Fox, Matthew J. Raspet Flight Lab Lumimove, Inc. dba Crosslink $5,841

Fox, Matthew J. Raspet Flight Lab Lumimove, Inc. dba Crosslink $14,419.55

Freyne, Seamus Francis Transportation Research Center DOT Federal Highway Administration $79,907.61

Freyne, Seamus Francis Civil Engineering Jenkins Engineering, Inc. $386.35

Gaunt, Patricia S. CVM Aquatic Medicine Enhancement Schering Plough Animal Health Corporation $12,755

Gaunt, Patricia S. CVM Aquatic Medicine Enhancement USDA - NIFA $17,400

Gibbs, Anjohnette W. Early Childhood Institute W.K. Kellogg Foundation $115,513

Golden, Bobby Richard Delta Research and Extension Center Cotton Incorporated $22,340

Golden, Bobby Richard Delta Research and Extension Center Becker-Underwood, Inc. $1,400

Golden, Bobby Richard Delta Research and Extension Center Pioneer Hi-Bred International $5,000

Gore, Jeffrey Delta Research and Extension Center Mississippi Rice Promotion Board $86,446

Gore, Jeffrey Delta Research and Extension Center Monsanto Company $44,000

Gore, Jeffrey Delta Research and Extension Center Bayer CropScience $10,000

Gore, Jeffrey Delta Research and Extension Center Bayer CropScience $6,700

Gore, Jeffrey Delta Research and Extension Center Cotton Incorporated $11,000

Gore, Jeffrey Delta Research and Extension Center Monsanto Company $5,000

Gore, Jeffrey Delta Research and Extension Center USDA Agricultural Research Service $35,000

Gore, Jeffrey Delta Research and Extension Center Pioneer Hi-Bred International $17,340

Gore, Jeffrey Delta Research and Extension Center Valent $15,000

Grimes, Craig B. Geosciences National Science Foundation $60,169

Hatten, Jeffery Allen Forestry Department U.S. Environmental Protection Agency $363,258

Hay, William Anthony Institute for the Humanities Apgar Foundation, Inc. $17,000

Hay, William Anthony Institute for the Humanities The Jack Miller Center $2,000

Hernandez, Rafael Andres Chemical Engineering National Science Foundation $10,000

Hoffman, David M. Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures National Science Foundation $244,686

Hopper, George Martin MAFES Administration USDA - NIFA $1,086,120

Hopper, George Martin Dean/Director, Forest and Wildlife Research Center USDA - NIFA $816,902



Hopper, George Martin MAFES Administration USDA - NIFA $3,777,239

Hopper, George Martin MAFES Administration USDA - NIFA $71,251

Horstemeyer, Mark Fredrick Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Engineering Research and Development Center $8,000

Hunt, Kevin M. Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks $33,800

Huston, Carla L. CVM Diagnostic Lab Services U.S. Department of Homeland Security $34,490

Ingels, Frank Electrical and Computer Engineering U.S. Department of Army $63,006.72

Ingram, Leonard L. FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Southern Ionics $2,250

Irby, Jon Trenton Plant and Soil Sciences Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. $5,500

Jackson, Gary B. MSU - ES Administration USDA - NIFA $85,536

Jayroe, Teresa A. Dean of Education U.S. Department of Education $166,750

Jayroe, Teresa A. Dean of Education Louisville School District $43,283.50

Keeley, Jared Wayne Psychology Society for the Teaching of Psychology $2,000

Kim, Seong-Gon Center for Computational Science U.S. Department of Energy $30,000

King, Roger L. Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems U.S. Department of Energy $140,104

Knight, Patricia R. Coastal Research and Extension Center USDA - NIFA $79,000

Knight, Patricia R. Coastal Research and Extension Center Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service $27,500

Lacy, Thomas Edwin Aerospace Engineering NASA Glenn Research Center $60,000

Latimer, Elizabeth T. Center for Educational Training Technology Mississippi Department of Education $45,000

Lawrence, Gary W. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Pasteuria Bioscience, Inc. $2,000

Lawrence, Gary W. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology The Cotton Foundation $4,700

Lawrence, Gary W. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Monsanto Company $45,927

Lawrence, Gary W. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology BioSoil Enhancers, Inc. $1,500

Lemus, Rocky W. Plant and Soil Sciences Gypsoil, LLC $5,705.25

Lemus, Rocky W. Plant and Soil Sciences Alpha Bio Systems, Inc $2,171.75

Lemus, Rocky W. Plant and Soil Sciences BioSoil Enhancers, Inc. $2,171.75

Lemus, Rocky W. Plant and Soil Sciences CXI $2,171.75

Lemus, Rocky W. Plant and Soil Sciences Jimmy Sanders, INC $1,000

Lindner, Jeffrey S. Institute for Clean Energy Technology U.S. Department of Energy $76,254.36

Lindner, Jeffrey S. Institute for Clean Energy Technology U.S. Department of Energy $273,745.64

Londo, Andrew J. Forestry Department Mississippi Forestry Association $41,638.12

Londo, Andrew J. Forestry Department Mississippi Forestry Association $10,260

Loper, James R. Computer Applications Mississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation $332,130

Lu, Shien Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology USDA - NIFA $3,350

Luke, Edward Allen Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems U.S. Air Force $37,500

Luke, Edward Allen Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems NASA Stennis $261,976

Madsen, John D. Geosystems Research Institute Pearl River Valley Water Supply District $47,000

Madsen, John D. Geosystems Research Institute Commission for Environmental Cooperation $15,000



MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

Madsen, John D. Geosystems Research Institute Pelican River Watershed District $30,000

Madsen, John D. Geosystems Research Institute Central Arizona Project $52,000

Madsen, John D. Geosystems Research Institute Sepro Corporation $7,000

Madsen, John D. Geosystems Research Institute Big Horn County Weed and Pest Control $10,000

Martin, James A. Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service $29,241

Martin, Steven W. Delta Research and Extension Center USDA Agricultural Research Service $201,532.85


Martin, Steven W. Delta Research and Extension Center USDA Agricultural Research Service $108,943


Martin, Steven W. Delta Research and Extension Center USDA Agricultural Research Service $6,600

Martin, Steven W. Delta Research and Extension Center Mississippi Rice Promotion Board $5,000

Massey, Joseph H. Plant and Soil Sciences Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education $34,250

Massey, Joseph H. Plant and Soil Sciences Mississippi Rice Promotion Board $21,486

Mathews, Rahel Social Science Research Center U.S. Department of Health and Human Services $65,586

Mathews, Rahel Social Science Research Center U.S. Department of Health and Human Services $2,250

May, Monica Fontana Early Childhood Institute The Barksdale Reading Institute $140,649

Mazzola, Michael S. Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems DRS Test and Energy Management, LLC $10

Mazzola, Michael S. Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems DRS Test and Energy Management, LLC $43,878

Mazzola, Michael S. Electrical and Computer Engineering U.S. Department of Energy $412,934

McCarthy, Fiona Maree Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology National Science Foundation $218,690

McKee, Colleen Marie Social Science Research Center Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi $243,802

McKinney, Clifford B. Psychology Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology $1,500

McMillen, Robert C. Social Science Research My Brother’s Keeper, Inc. $10,000

McNeal, Karen Sue Geosciences National Science Foundation $576,784

McRae, Kenneth David Center for American Veterans Wal-Mart Foundation $80,000

Memili, Erdogan Animal and Dairy Science American Angus Association $15,000

Mikel, William Benjamin International Institute USDA Foreign Agricultural Service $3,262

Miranda, Leandro E. Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service $62,200

Miranda, Leandro E. Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit U.S. Geological Survey $10,283.02

Mitchell, Linda C. 4-H Youth Development National 4-H Council $41,000

Moorhead, Robert J. NOAA Gulf States Cooperative Institute National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $275,875

Moorhead, Robert J. NOAA Gulf States Cooperative Institute National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $374,712

Morris, Thomas Heath Electrical and Computer Engineering Entergy Services, Inc. $59,843

Morris, Thomas Heath Electrical and Computer Engineering U.S. Department of Energy $835,945

Motoyama, Keiichi Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems F. Tech R and D North America Inc. $40,000

Musser, Fred Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Cotton Incorporated $22,000

Musser, Fred Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Valent $5,000



Newman, James C. Aerospace Engineering NAVAIR SYSCOM $49,867

Nicholas, Darrel D. FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Osmose, Inc. $25,200

Nicholas, Darrel D. FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Eastman Chemical Company $12,500

Nicholas, Darrel D. FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Eastman Chemical Company $13,700

Nicholas, Darrel D. FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Baldwin Pole and Piling Company, Inc. $4,000

Niu, Nan Computer Science and Engineering National Science Foundation $80,000

Parisi, Domenico nSPARC U.S. Department of Labor $50,000

Patterson, Kimberly J. Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute U.S. Department of Education $23,800




Patterson, Kimberly J. Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute Rankin County School District $13,200



Patterson, Kimberly J. Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute Hazlehurst School District $12,600



Patterson, Kimberly J. World Class Teaching Program Mississippi Department of Education $2,120

Patterson, Kimberly J. Mississippi Writing/Thinking Institute Mississippi Department of Education $43,096

Perkins, Andy D. Computer Science and Engineering National Institutes of Health $50,000

Peterson, Daniel G. Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology USDA Agricultural Research Service $153,850

Peterson, Daniel G. Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology USDA Agricultural Research Service $153,850

Petrolia, Daniel R. Agricultural Economics National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $74,998

Posadas, Benedict C. Coastal Research and Extension Center Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (USFWS) (DOI) $56,000

Pote, Jonathan W. Geosystems Research Institute USDA Agricultural Research Service $315,000

Pringle, Horace C. Delta Research and Extension Center Pioneer Hi-Bred International $3,000

Quarles, Lydia M. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Dev Monroe County School District $3,500

Quarles, Lydia M. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Dev City of Kosciusko $3,200

Quarles, Lydia M. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Dev Pike County Board of Supervisors $35,000

Ratliff, Bobby R. Agricultural Communications Mississippi Corn Promotion Board $36,210

Ray, Melvin C. Vice President for Research NAVAIR SYSCOM $124,307.73

Ray, Melvin C. Vice President for Research NAVAIR SYSCOM $156,341.87

Reynolds, Daniel B. Plant and Soil Sciences Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board $65,806

Riggins, John Joseph Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology USDA Forest Service $46,496

Rivera, J. Daniel South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station Elanco Animal Health (Animal Health Clinical Research) $4,129

Roberts, Nikole Kaiser T.K. Martin Center Wal-Mart Foundation $500



MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012 External Funding Awards: April, May & June 2012 Principal Investigator Department/Center/Institute Funding Source Amount

Robertson, Angela A. Social Science Research U.S. Department of Justice $79,999.16

Sabanadzovic, Sead Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology United Soybean Board $15,500

Schmidt, Amy Michelle Ag and Bio Engineering Mississippi Corn Promotion Board $33,000

Schneider, Judith A. Mechanical Engineering Mississippi Space Grant Consortium $25,000

Schneider, Judith A. Mechanical Engineering NASA HQ $37,500

Schramm , Harold L Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit U.S. Geological Survey $55,000

Schramm Jr., Harold L. Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit U.S. Geological Survey $94,339.63

Sciumbato, Gabriel L. Delta Research and Extension Center The Cotton Foundation $4,700

Seale, Roy D. FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory DID-TRAN Wood Products, LLC $3,950

Seale, Roy D. FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Jones Companies $1,024

Seale, Roy D. FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory USDA Forest Service $50,000

Shankle, Mark W. Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station Monsanto Company $6,075

Shankle, Mark W. Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Branch Experiment Station Monsanto Company $6,075

Singh, Jagdish P. Institute for Clean Energy Technology National Science Foundation $28,885.05

Smith, Marshall C. Student Affairs/Student Leadership U.S. Department of Army $146,433.60

Smith, Trent Animal and Dairy Science American Angus Association $10,000

Srinivasan, Kalyan Kumar Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems Propane Education and Research Council $725,448

Stafne, Eric Thomas Coastal Research and Extension Center USDA - NIFA $4,935




Stewart, Barry R. Plant and Soil Sciences National Turfgrass Evaluation Program $1,500

Stewart, Barry R. Plant and Soil Sciences National Turfgrass Evaluation Program $1,500

Sullivan, Rani W. Aerospace Engineering Mississippi Space Grant Consortium $25,000

Tabereaux, Charlotte Burcham MSU Riley Center Riley Foundation $4,500

Tagert, Mary L. Ag and Bio Engineering Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District $69,108

Tanner, Angelle Physics and Astronomy NASA HQ $53,324

Thaxton, Peggy Susan Delta Research and Extension Center Cotton Incorporated $23,500

Thompson, David S. Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems National Science Foundation $88,830

Threadgill, Paula I. Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion USDA - NIFA $1,727,138

Truax, Dennis D. Transportation Research Center DOT Federal Highway Administration $149,948



Tschopp, Mark A. Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research $119,064

Tucker, Kelly M. Center for Safety and Health Occupational Safety and Health Administration $21,000

Varela-Stokes, Andrea CVM Office of Research and Graduate Studies Merial Limited $10,000



Vaughn, Rayford B. Computer Science and Engineering U.S. Department of Homeland Security $15,000

Walker, Timothy W. Delta Research and Extension Center Mississippi Rice Promotion Board $285,272

Walker, Timothy W. Delta Research and Extension Center Mississippi Rice Promotion Board $108,715

Walker, Timothy W. Delta Research and Extension Center Plant BioTech $3,000

Walker, Timothy W. Delta Research and Extension Center Plant BioTech $2,500

Walker, Timothy W. Delta Research and Extension Center Weyerhaeuser NR Company $15,000

Wallace, Lisa Ellen Geosystems Research Institute National Science Foundation $128,671

Wallace, Teddy P. Plant and Soil Sciences USDA Agricultural Research Service $46,950

Wallace, Teddy P. Plant and Soil Sciences Americot, Inc. $10,000

Wan, Xiufeng CVM Environmental Toxicology U.S. Department of Justice $117,552

Wang, Guiming Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service $6,506

White, Julie Broussard Oktibbeha County Extension Service Mississippi State Department of Health $86,500

Willard, Scott T. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Institute of Museum and Library Services $261,469.55

Willard, Scott T. Biochem, Molecular Bio, Entomology & Plant Pathology Institute of Museum and Library Services $261,469.55

Wise, David J. Delta Research and Extension Center SARE (USDA) $14,997

Woodrey, Mark S Coastal Research and Extension Center National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $45,289.60

Yao, Haibo Geosystems Research Institute Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation $100,000

Yates, Joyce Meek Student Affairs/Student Leadership Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi $562,485

Ye, Jinwu Physics and Astronomy National Science Foundation $80,000

Zhang, Dongmao Chemistry National Science Foundation $263,999

Zhang, Jilei FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Consolidated Fibers, Inc. $1,000

Zhang, Jilei FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Mississippi Nonwovens, Inc. $500

Zhang, Jilei FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Flexsteel Commercial Seating Division $2,895

Zhang, Jilei FWRC - Forest Products Laboratory Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company $700

Total $27,526,827.39


MAROON RESEARCH

SUMMER 2012

SUMMER 2012

The Office of Research and Economic Development at Mississippi State

University publishes Maroon Research with editorial and design support from

University Relations.

Contributors to the Summer 2012 issue include Eric Abbott, Megan Bean, Nic

Dampier, Russ Houston, Margaret Kovar, Susan Lassetter, Keri Collins Lewis,

Allison Matthews, Tom Thompson and Beth Newman Wynn.

Please send your questions or comments to research editor Jim Laird at

[email protected].

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or veteran’s status is a violation of federal and state law and university policy

and will not be tolerated. Discrimination based upon sexual orientation or group

affiliation is a violation of university policy and will not be tolerated.

ContactOffice of Research and Economic Development

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Fax: 662.325.8028

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MAROON RESEARCHSummer 2012

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Maroon Research, Summer 2012

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