Classes Without Quizzes
Classes Without Quizzes is an MSU experience unlike any other and isn’t just for science majors. All MSU alumni and friends are welcome!
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: WKAR Studio, 404 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI 48824
Format: In-person and Virtual
Register for Classes Without Quizzes
Schedule of Classes
The Future of Agriculture and Our Food Systems – Presented by Bruno Basso
Hannah Distinguished Professor, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences
MSU Research Foundation Professor
Agriculture has fed the world and will continue to do so. But agriculture and our food systems will likely change in support of an environmentally positive revolution. Caring about environmental sustainability and food production is a priority that will drive the future of agricultural systems. Sustainability is become a necessity for everyone, from farmers to companies. Digital technologies, AI, and sensing systems are making agriculture more efficient and sustainable. The presentation will take you on the magic journey of agriculture, from disasters to success stories, from past to future.
Improving Plants for a Healthy and Sustainable Future on Earth and Beyond – Presented by Federica Brandizzi
Plants are the primary providers of oxygen, food and other materials that are indispensable for mankind. With the human population projected to rise to 9.6 billion by 2050, there is an impelling need to ensure that plants are sufficiently productive to meet its necessities in a sustainable manner and that they are equipped with means to colonize new surfaces. Plants’ life depends on the workings of a highly sophisticated set of organelles that assemble the major constituents of the plant body like a conveyor belt in a factory. In this talk, you will hear how, using advanced microscopy and genetic engineering, the Brandizzi lab works to decipher the mechanisms that establish and maintain the function of these organelles and uses this information to improve their activities to make plants more productive and resilient to terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments.
Telling the “Hidden” Stories of Water: Revealing Connections Between Climate, Land, Water, and Human Systems – Presented by Jay Zarnetske
In this presentation, we will take time to appreciate the world from the perspective of a water. Water is profound in that it connects us all to each other and the environment. By documenting these water connections, we gain a more holistic understanding of the world and can achieve environmental sustainability goals. Yet, society rarely invests resources to understand these connections. So, here we will look at some projects led by MSU that focus on water connections. We will start by going to the vast, beautiful, yet rapidly warming Arctic, to reveal the hidden stories of Arctic change as told by stream water. And then we will finish with examples of how to we can better communicate the incredible, yet often hidden, value of water to society and life on Earth.
Featured Dean's Research Scholars will give presentations on their research throughout the event.
You can watch past presentations that were live-streamed online here.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact Sara Ford via email at fordsar2@msu.edu.