005 - NatSci News Rewind November 2019 Transcript

You're listening to NatSci News 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 November, 2019.

Annual awards ceremony honors NatSci faculty and staff members
Twenty-four outstanding MSU College of Natural Science (NatSci) faculty and staff members were recognized for their achievements and contributions at the NatSci Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony held Nov. 22 at MSU’s Molecular Plant Sciences Building. More than 120 faculty, staff, students, family and friends attended the event. Awards were based on nominations from across the college and evaluated by the NatSci Faculty Advisory Committee and the Center for Integrative Studies in General Science staff. 

Mohammed Maghrebi (Mah-Grah-Bee) receives prestigious Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award
Mohammed Maghrebi, assistant professor in the MSU College of Natural Science’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been awarded a prestigious Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Research Program. Maghrebi is one of 40 outstanding early career scientists and engineers from 30 research institutions selected for this award nationally in 2019, and the only faculty member receiving the award at MSU. He will receive up to $150,000 a year for three years to support research that investigates new routes to quantum phases and technologies. The goal of the work is to  determine phases and phase transitions that are unique to these nonequilibrium platforms and to identify the challenges and opportunities of these systems in applications to quantum information science and technologies.

Attacking cystic fibrosis at its roots
Michigan State University scientist Robert Quinn is trying to understand how the complex infections associated with cystic fibrosis cause such a terrible disease. With the support of a $2.7 million National Institutes of Health grant, MSU and Spectrum Health are examining the ubiquitous anaerobic bacteria found in all CF patients, which are often dismissed as a non-factor by scientists.

MSU study finds that phytoplankton may not be as resilient to changes in ocean temperature
In a study recently published in Ecology Letters, a team of MSU scientists led by aquatic ecologist Elena Litchman questioned the widely held belief that evolution will rescue phytoplankton species from changes in climate. What they found is that it cannot just be assumed that phytoplankton species are not in danger. They may not be able to adapt because of nutrient limitation. Scientists are now realizing that we need to look at stressor interactions and how they determine both ecological and evolutionary responses of species to a changing climate.

Eighth annual "PhUn" Day provides engaging physiology activities and experiments
Area school children have the opportunity each year to have “PhUn” while learning about the science of the human body with the help of the MSU Department of Physiology. The event—the annual Physiology Understanding (PhUn) Day—held Nov. 2 at the Impression 5 Science Center in Lansing, Mich., attracted an estimated 826 visitors.

Unlikely gathering of scientists generates extraordinary research team, idea - the fat free cell
In late February 2019 a group of scientists from five research groups from universities across the nation gathered with the aim of accelerating development in two key areas of science and engineering research: building a synthetic cell and epigenetics. MSU's Cheryl Kerfeld will lead this team in a $3.4 million NSF Understanding the Rules of Life grant to engineer a synthetic cell.

And that will wrap up the rewind for the month of November, 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.