Lyman Briggs College

Latest News

6th Annual Lyman Briggs Research Symposium, April 23-26:

The 6th Annual Lyman Briggs Research Symposium will be taking place April 23-26th. This is a wonderful opportunity to come out and hear about the great work that your fellow Briggsies have been working on.

Click here for the complete schedule.

We certainly hope that you will be able to find some time to learn about major environmental topics from the chemistry classes, applications of physics, find out what impacts biological growth, or how Darwin, Freud, and Marx relate together. On Monday and Tuesday we will also have oral presentations including "the popcorn class" on Monday, the Briggs LB 494 course that has received national media attention! The chemistry lab course will continue with presentations through Thursday, so there will be plenty of opportunity to support your colleagues and learn at the same time.

We hope that you can find time in your schedule to participate in some of these great activities.

Update on Charlie Waller: A year of pain and joy (State News Article, 3/29/12)

Lyman Briggs Student named as Goldwater Scholar.

Craig Pearson, a sophomore LBC molecular biology major, is one of two MSU students recently named as as Goldwater scholars. Pearson, a graduate of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, is an Honors College member also majoring in English. He has conducted research with Melissa Baumann and Simon Petersen-Jones with the goal of developing a bioresorbable drug release vehicle for the controlled release of artificially derived vitamin A, with the goal of restoring sight to those suffering from a rare, congenital eye disease.

Shan Kothari, an Honors College sophomore dual major in LBC zoology and anthropology, received honorable mention for the scholarship.

Started in 1986, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program, named after U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater, seeks scholars committed to a career in science, mathematics or engineering who display intellectual intensity and who have the potential for significant future contribution in their chosen field. The Goldwater Scholarship provides a grant toward the last year or two of undergraduate tuition and living expenses for students who are planning careers in research.

Dr. Robert Pennock elected AAAS HPS Section Officer

Robert Pennock has been elected as an Officer of the History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He had been nominated by the American Philosophical Association (APA) to be one of its two representatives and was elected in the recent national AAAS election. He will serve on the Electorate Nominating Committee through 2015.

Briggs student Gina Sellinger makes local Australian paper on study abroad trip

For many south-west residents, the abundance of seaweed on Warrnambool’s foreshore is little more than an eyesore and a reason to pinch their noses.

But a group of second-year Deakin University marine biology students this week found the slimy mounds to be a habitat rich with life.

In a project designed to improve their ability to sort through marine samples and identify organisms, the students were surprised to find so much activity, according to senior lecturer in marine biology and ecology Alecia Bellgrove.

Read the full article

Dr. Gerd Kortemeyer named APS Outstanding Referee

Dr. Kortemeyer is among the 149 Outstanding Referees of the Physical Review and Physical Review Letters journals, as chosen by the journal editors for 2012. Initiated in 2008, the Outstanding Referee program expresses appreciation for the essential work that anonymous peer reviewers do for American Physical Society journals. Each year a small percentage of the 60,000 active referees are selected and honored with the Outstanding Referee designation. Selections are made based on the number, quality, and timeliness of referee reports as collected in a database over the last 25 years. A full listing and further details on the program are available here: http://publish.aps.org/OutstandingReferees

LBC Budget Officer Kathie Ellis has been selected to receive the Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award

The Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award is one of the most prestigious commendations bestowed upon employees at Michigan State University. Kathie's years of service, excellence in overall job performance, outstanding interpersonal skills, contributions to the college, and contributions to the University contributed to this special honor.

Dr. Georgina Montgomery publishes book "Making Animal Meaning”

Making Animal Meaning was published with Michigan State University Press in December 2011. Co-edited by HPS professor Dr. Georgina M. Montgomery and MSU sociology professor Dr. Linda Kalof, the book features 10 essays concerning human-animal relationships from disciplines such as the history of science, African Studies and Women's Studies. The chapters are based on research originally presented during the Animals conference Dr. Montgomery organized in 2009. The conference featured 53 speakers from 8 countries and was co-sponored by Lyman Briggs College and 15 other departments and centers at MSU.

For more information see: MSU University Press

LBC award winners -- congratulations!!!

Please join us in congratulating the following members of our college for their recent university and national awards:

MSU's John K. Hudzik Emerging Leader Award for Advancing International Studies and Programs
* Naoko Wake

MSU Award for Outstanding Service to Study Abroad
* Richard Bellon

NSF CAREER Award

* Teena Gerhardt

2012-13 MSU Lilly Fellow

* Georgina Montgomery

2012-13 MSU HARP grant

* Rich Bellon

ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Undergraduate Research Award

* Rob LaDuca and his student Greg Farnum

LBC Alumnus to Teach Nanotechnology Course at MSU's Evening College This Semester.

MSU Alum Frank Dolinar (LBC '76, Science Studies), will be teaching a three-part course at MSU's Evening College begining in March, called "Nanotechnology and G.R.I.N.: Technology for the 21st Century." From the MSUAA Evening College catalog:

"Nanotechnology has had a 25-year climb from utter obscurity to overnight success and has been defined as precision engineering at the molecular scale. It has also been described as the industrial revolution of the 21st century. Mimicking biological systems such as DNA, researchers are engineering new systems with specific characteristics and functions. Stronger and lighter materials can make cars nearly scratchproof; other materials are being used in clothes, luggage, sports equipment, the glass surface of your smart phone and in such fields as art, architecture and spacecraft fabrication. New research promises lithium-ion batteries with ten times the current charge capacity and the ability to recharge in 15 minutes. Nano-scale electronics make smart phones and tablets more capable with easy-to-use apps. And inexpensive postage-stamp-sized paper-based sensors can diagnose selected diseases in minutes. This course will also introduce you to G.R.I.N. (Genetics, Robotics, Information Technology and Nanotechnology) and discuss how it may better describe 21st century technology."

To register online, go to http://alumni.msu.edu/eveningCollege/ or call (517) 355-4562 to register by phone. E-mail evening_college@msualum.com for more information or to be added to the Evening College mailing list.

"She’s a scientist by day and an NBA dancer by night..."

LBC alum Andrea McCurry (2009 Human Biology) was recently added to the Detroit Pistons Dancers roster for the 2011-2012 season. Andrea is also a scientist at Emergent BioDefense Operations, where she researches vaccines.

Read her story>>>

LBC Dean Elizabeth Simmons named "February 2012 Woman Physicist of the Month” by the APS.