035 - NatSci News Rewind May 2022 Transcript

You're listening to NatSci News Rewind a podcast that counts down the monthly news headlines in the world of NatSci. Let's take a look back at the news for May 2022.

Number 5:
MSU scientists develop novel simulations to help get PFAS out of soil 
MSU chemists are discovering new information to help remediate “forever chemicals” by showing for the first time how they interact with soil at the molecular level. The researchers, Narasimhan Loganathan and Angela K. Wilson in the MSU College of Natural Science, published their findings May 11 online in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Number 4: 
Working to stop the spread of breast cancer 
MSU researchers are unveiling and studying chemical clues that could lead to better diagnoses and treatments for a metastatic form of breast cancer. Sophia Lunt, associate professor in the MSU Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and her team—whose research focuses on understanding the role of metabolism in metastasis—are now reporting results from their work on triple negative breast cancer and how it spreads to other parts of the body. Lunt’s latest research, funded in part by a new $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, was recently published in the journal Nature on May 18.

Number 3:
MSU's Gregg Howe selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar 
Gregg Howe, an MSU College of Natural Science researcher internationally known for his work on plant resilience and how plants respond to insect attacks, will be heading to the University of Tsukuba in Japan as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for the 2022-2023 academic year. Howe and his collaborators will apply cutting-edge genetic technologies to the development of crop plants that will contribute to sustainable agriculture and food security.

Number 2: 
NatSci scientists recognized with American Society of Plant Biologists awards 
Five MSU College of Natural Science faculty members are among nine MSU scientists receiving 2022 awards from the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB). Erich Grotewold and Jiming Jiang were named ASPB Fellows; Emily Josephs received the Early Career Award; Beronda Montgomery received the Adolph E. Gude, Jr. Award; and Berkley Walker is the recipient of the Robert Rabson Award. This year’s recipients will be presented with their awards at the Plant Biology 2022 Worldwide Conference in July in Portland, Oregon.

Number 1: 
MSU researcher receives $1.9 million NIH grant to study brain behavior 
Shane Crandall always welcomes new challenges. It’s exploring the unknown that motivates the assistant professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Physiology and Neuroscience Program to make new discoveries about the brain. Just last month, the National Institutes of Health awarded Crandall a five-year, $1.9 million grant to study how neocortical feedback projections influence sensory processing in the brain. 

And that will wrap up the rewind for the month of May 2022. 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, Facebook and Instagram @msunatsci. Thanks for tuning in and be sure to check us out next month.