017 - NatSci News Rewind November 2020 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 2020.

Annual awards ceremony honors NatSci faculty and staff members
Twenty-four outstanding MSU College of Natural Science (NatSci) faculty, staff and students were recognized for their achievements and contributions at the NatSci Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony, held virtually on November 22. A total of 149 faculty, staff, students, family and friends attended the event.

MSU NatSci scientists named AAAS Fellows
Two MSU College of Natural Science faculty members, Alexandra Gade and Beronda Montgomery, were among four MSU scientists awarded the distinction of Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, this year. Gade, was recognized for distinguished contributions to the field of nuclear physics, particularly for gamma-ray spectroscopy of rare isotopes and elucidating the structural properties of nuclei. Montgomery, was recognized for distinguished contributions to plant biology and microbiology, particularly using photobiological analyses to investigate physiological and morphogenic adaptation of photosynthetic organisms.

MSU researchers discover 'missing' piece of Hawaii's formation
An oceanic plateau has been observed for the first time in the Earth’s lower mantle, 800 kilometers deep underneath Eastern Siberia, pushing Hawaii’s birthplace back to 100 million years, said MSU geophysicist Songqiao "Shawn" Wei. His groundbreaking findings will be published in the Nov. 20 issue of the journal Science.

Awakening immune forces to fight virus-driven cancer
As scientists continue technological advances into the largely unexplored genomic terrain of bacteria and viruses, our understanding of how they operate inside cells increases dramatically, delivering better answers to the question: how do we target and treat them when they become toxic? Dohun Pyeon, associate professor in the MSU Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, has landed a 5-year, $3 million National Institutes of Health R01 grant to investigate cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma driven by the human papillomavirus, or HPV. The research aims to develop novel immunotherapies for cancer patients.

Decades-old discovery of shape-shifting bacteria revealed and revamped
Researchers in the lab of MSU microbiologist Chris Waters stumbled across a straight form of V. cholerae (the bacteria that causes cholera) and the realization that Arthur Henrici, a pioneering microbiologist from the University of Minnesota, observed the same morphological phenomenon almost 100 years ago. Their collaborative efforts, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, upended the long-held belief that V. cholerae prefers a curved shape and resulted in novel insights about the mechanisms and objectives behind shape-shifting bacteria.

Fishing for answers to life's mysteries
MSU integrative biologist Ingo Braasch has  received a four-year, $1.6 million National Science Foundation Enabling Discovery through Genomics, or EDGE, grant to establish the spotted gar fish as a research organism to spur research in evolution, development and animal biology. The goal is to uncover the genetic history of vertebrates, including humans, to understand where certain genes came from and what they do.

And that will wrap up the rewind for the month of November 2020. 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.