002 - NatSci News Rewind August 2019 Transcript

Speaker: Jesse Earley:       
You're listening to NatSci New Rewind a podcast that looks back at the monthly news headlines in the world of NatSci. Let's take a look back at the news for the month of August, 2019.

Underrated and underground, tuber evolution study nets $2.6 million NSF grant
Michigan State University plant scientists Robin Buell and Patrick Edger have received a 4-year, $2.6 million National Science Foundation grant to study tuber evolution. The Buell and Edgar labs will use cutting-edge genomics tools to unearth the mechanisms of tuber development that could help make better tubers.

Dr. Huebner promoted to director of CSTAT
The MSU Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation has announced the appointment of Marianne Huebner, associate professor in the MSU Department of Statistics and Probability, as the new director of the Center for Statistical Training and Consulting (CSTAT).

A new way to 'hoard' resources in nano-sized factories targeted for biotech
The laboratory of MSU Hannah Distinguished Professor Cheryl Kerfeld has created a synthetic nano-sized factory, based on natural ones found in bacteria. This research could someday lead to new medical, industrial or bioenergy applications. The new study was recently published in Metabolic Engineering.

MSU's Charles Drew Science Scholars program receives Inspiring Program in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine
Michigan State University’s Charles Drew Science Scholars program is the recipient of the 2019 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education.

$4 million National Institutes of Health RO1 grant supports "knockout" research on fungal diseases
Michigan State University plant biologist Frances Trail, is a key member of an exceptional team of three scientists to recently receive a 5-year, $4 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Project Grant Program (R01) to study fungal evolution.

Corkscrew photons may leave behind a spontaneous twist
In a paper published earlier this month in the journal Physical Review Letters, scientists at the Joint Quantum Institute and MSU suggest that certain materials may experience a spontaneous twisting force if they are hotter than their surroundings.

And that will wrap up the rewind for the month of August, 2019. To read more about these stories, head on over to our website at natsci.msu.edu/news. You can also stay up to date by following us on social. You can find us on Twitter @msu_natsci, on Facebook @MSUCNS, and on Instagram @msunatsci. Thanks for tuning in and be sure to check us out next month.