ALUMNUS Fall 2015 - Mississippi State University by MSSTATE

Future of Aerospace

New FAA National Center of Excellence for UAS the latest chapter in university’s rich history of flight

p. 18

I N S I D E FALL 2015

Hoops coach puts down roots p.4 | ‘Makers’ find campus home p.8 | Hurricane research to prevent devastation p.27

Table of CONTENTS

08 FEATURES

18 Future of Aerospace Takes Off at State — Again

New FAA National Center of Excellence for UAS the latest chapter in university’s rich history of flight

23 ‘Rowdy’ tradition forms gameday experience Food, football and family surround tailgating at Mississippi State

27 Storm Season

A decade after Katrina, continued research seeks to prevent repeat devastation

ABOVE: Mississippi State University students Nico Ramirez (left) and Michael Lane (right) use a miter saw for a project at The Factory. Located in the Patterson Engineering Laboratories, The Factory provides tools, training and “maker space” for students, faculty and staff. Projects range from general tinkering to the development of entrepreneurial prototypes.

FALL 2015 | VOL. 92 | NO. 3

PRESIDENT

Mark E. Keenum, ’83, ’84, ’88

VICE PRESIDENT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI John P. Rush, ’94, ’02

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Davis

11 34

CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Sid Salter, ’88

EDITORS

Harriet Laird Susan Lassetter, ’07

WRITERS

Amy Cagle Jim Laird Susan Lassetter, ’07 Addie Mayfield Zach Plair Sasha Steinberg, ’14

DESIGNERS

Eric Abbott, ’07 Hayley Gilmore Heather Rowe

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Megan Bean Russ Houston, ’85 Jeremy Murdock, ’04, ’07 Mitch Phillips, ’17 Hunter Hart, ’07 Tom Thompson, ’13 Beth Wynn

EDITORIAL OFFICE

P.O. Box 5325 Mississippi State, MS 39762-5325 662.325.3442 slassetter@opa.msstate.edu

ADVERTISING

Libba Andrews, ’83 662.325.3479 landrews@alumni.msstate.edu

IN EVERY ISSUE

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Campus News

State Snapshot

Our People

A six-year competitive effort to land a national center of excellence was realized last May when the FAA announced the Mississippi State-led Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) will operate the new national center.

Mississippi State University’s ALUMNUS magazine is published three times a year by the Office of Public Affairs and the Mississippi State University Alumni Association. Send address changes to Alumni Director, P.O. Box AA, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5526. Call 662.325.7000, or email fcarr@advservices.msstate.edu.

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Discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran’s status is violation of federal and state law and MSU policy and will not be tolerated. Discrimination based upon sexual orientation or group affiliation is violation of MSU policy and will not be tolerated.

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Campus NEWS

NEW TOOLS LET MISSISSIPPI STATE STORY ‘RING TRUE’

o longer content as the “best kept secret in the South,” Mississippi State University plans to make its presence known with a resounding clang—or rather a clanga. That’s the sound of 50,000 cowbells ringing wildly in Davis Wade Stadium during football season. And university officials hope it echoes through social media as fans and alumni “ring true” with tools launched as part of a new university initiative. “Our supporters tell us they want to know more about the cutting-edge research and lifechanging programs at Mississippi State,” said Sid Salter, the university’s chief communications officer. “Our goal is to provide them with the information and tools to not only keep them informed, but also help them share stories of our success with the world.” It started with the concept of “ringing true,” a play on words meant to bring to mind

FALL 2015

Mississippi State’s most unique spirit symbol, the cowbell, and reinforce the idea that the 137-yearold land-grant institution still exemplifies its founding principles of learning, research and service. This idea formed the foundation of a series of television commercials launched last fall and also spawned #WeRingTrue, a social media hashtag that allows people to easily find, follow and contribute to conversations about the university. Now, the phrase is the basis of a new university branding initiative. Launched this fall, the We Ring True campaign has led to the development of new and re-imagined ways to share information. This includes campus-focused programs meant to celebrate everyday successes and cross-platform communication tools to help the Mississippi State community at large stay informed and share the stories surrounding its university.

NEW LOOK, SAME ADDRESS The university website, www.msstate.edu, was among the first platforms re-launched under the branding initiative. Following its first major overhaul in more than seven years, the website now features a more modern look that automatically adjusts to the user’s screen, whether it’s a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone. It also has a new structure that highlights original content including Our People, a weekly spotlight of a campus personality; the State Spotlight photograph; short videos about university research and activities; and campus news, announcements and events. The individual Web pages for each of these elements has links so visitors can easily share the content on their social media feeds. “The first step to spreading the Mississippi State story is creating and sharing content that tells it,” Salter explained.

Learn more about MSU athletics at hailstate.com.

GET SOCIAL The website redesign also includes a new social-media hub that collects all of the university’s news in one easy-tonavigate location. Found at www.social.msstate. edu, the hub quickly gives visitors the latest news and information about the university, while providing access to all of the official social networks associated with Mississippi State. “This new hub gives visitors a 360-degree view of our people, places, activities and accomplishments,” Salter said. In addition to posts about campus news and university research and activities, the social media hub also includes The MSU Experience, a feed that features photos and videos through which members of the campus community share their personal experiences. “These stories prove that no matter who you are or where you come from, Mississippi State is a place where you can find more opportunities to lead, participate and excel,” Salter said. #WERINGTRUE Building on the success of #WeRingTrue, Mississippi State has established a Twitter tool with the same name to allow the university community to automatically share messages about MSU. By signing up for the free #WeRingTrue program at WeRingTrue.com, Twitter users agree to have select tweets about university pride points, campus life, news and events shared through their handles. The messages can then be easily adapted for other social media platforms. “This feature taps into the voices of students, faculty, alumni and the

entire Mississippi State community,” Salter said. “They are our ambassadors to the world, and now they have a convenient tool to promote the many great things happening here every day, especially in the realm of academics and research.” The #WeRingTrue program capitalizes on the same technology as Virtual Cowbell, which the athletic department successfully launched last year to promote Bulldog sports and student athletes. With these complementary tools, Mississippi State becomes the first university in the nation to tell both its athletic and academic stories to Twitter users through this innovative technology. Salter said the Bulldog community can expect additional communication tools and programs to be announced as the We Ring True campaign grows in response to how university partners wish to send and receive information. Those wishing to participate in the We Ring True campaign can find information and access to the tools through the university’s website and social media feeds, which are also the best source for up-to-date information about what’s going on at Mississippi State. “We’re growing in so many positive ways, not just in our enrollment but also in the quality of research, programs and activities that the university provides,” Salter said. “We’re also seeing increased engagement from faculty, staff and alumni who are playing active roles in carrying that momentum forward. “With these tools, the Bulldog family can more easily and effectively let the world know that Mississippi State excels at developing the community and economic leaders of tomorrow and conducting world class research that will shape our future.” n

VISIT WWW.ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU FOR A SELECTION OF VIDEOS FROM THE WE RING TRUE SERIES AND EASY ACCESS TO MISSISSIPPI STATE’S NEW COMMUNICATION TOOLS.

CLICK. GET. CLANGA.

Bulldog fans can now add Maroon to their messages thanks to the Hail State Emoji Keyboard developed by Mississippi State Athletics. Available for iOS and Android mobile devices, the free Hail State keyboard provides more than 40 Mississippi State-focused emojis, stickers and gifs, including an emoji of the iconic, red wax-encased Edam cheese ball. It is the first keyboard of its kind developed for a collegiate athletics program. “This is something for Mississippi State fans to share with one another that no other college team has right now, which is always kind of fun,” explained MSU Athletic Director Scott Stricklin. The keyboard works within any app that supports image pasting, including iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. It can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store by searching Hail State Emoji Keyboard.

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Campus NEWS

HOOPS COACH PUTS DOWN ROOTS ON THE COURT AND OFF

PHOTO BY RUSS HOUSTON

BY SUSAN LASSETTER

FALL 2015

ith the Pacific Ocean just steps outside his backdoor, Ben Howland spent the two years since his last coaching stop fielding offers from around the country. While each provided a chance to get back to the game he loved, nothing tempted him away from his Santa Barbara home—until last March. That’s when he met Mississippi State University Athletic Director Scott Stricklin. “When we met, I told him all of the ways that Starkville and Santa Barbara are similar. For instance, they both start with S,” Stricklin joked. “But I had studied enough about Ben to know he was eager to get back into coaching.” While it didn’t look like a natural fit from the outside, Howland said Mississippi State offered the opportunity to compete at the highest level, at a place with a strong basketball tradition. “I didn’t want to take a job I wasn’t excited about or go somewhere and not be successful because coaching and not winning is not fun,” Howland said. “But I think we have a chance to win here. “I’m looking more long term than short term,” he continued. “I wasn’t just thinking about this season when I took this job. It was more about building a program that could be successful and have stability year after year.” With that in mind, Howland and his wife Kim Zanhow are wasting no time leaving their mark on the Magnolia State. As he works to build a sustainable, winning basketball program in Humphrey Coliseum, the couple is also in the process of building a home in one of Starkville’s growing neighborhoods. “Building instead of renting, that’s the kind of stuff that I love to hear,” Stricklin said. “This can be a transient profession, that’s just the nature of it, but I want stability. We all want people putting down roots.” Howland comes to Mississippi State with an overall coaching record of 401-206, including appearances in the NCAA championship game, and Stricklin has little doubt he is up to the task of leading the Bulldogs to the Big Dance. The bigger question was how Howland and Utah-native Zanhow would adjust to life in a small Southern town, when his previous posts at UCLA, Pittsburgh and Northern Arizona had them living in larger cities or, at least, closer to their families. “When we discussed the job, Ben was concerned about Kim,” Stricklin recalled. “He said she was really involved with their church in Santa Barbara and that the most important things to her are God and family. And I said, ‘Ben, Kim is going to fit right in, in Starkville, Mississippi. It’s going to be seamless because that’s very much our value system.’” Still, Zanhow had reservations about moving more than 2,000 miles from their home and children—daughter

Meredith, a pediatric oncology nurse at UCLA, and son Adam, an assistant district attorney living in Santa Barbara with his wife Brittney and son Benjamin Clark Howland II. “When Ben took the job, I just remember praying ‘Lord, I will go where you want me, but I would like to stay close to my kids,’ and I remember asking for Godly girlfriends,” Zanhow said. “Then about a month after Ben took the job, it was like God said I answered your prayer; you’re going to be in a place where you’re surrounded by Godly women. And I was like I’m ready.” Zanhow spent the summer packing up the couple’s house and spending as much time as possible with grandson “Little Ben,” but she’s wasted no time settling into their temporary rental since her September move to Starkville. She said they have started attending CrossPoint Southern Baptist Church, and she’s been touched by the way they’ve been received around town.

“I wasn’t just thinking about this season when I took this job. It was more about building a program that could be successful and have stability year after year.” ~Ben Howland “The people here are so sincere and generous. I’ve just felt so welcomed. There is always someone who will come up to talk and say ‘Hi,’” Zanhow said. “Everyone loves sports. I could tell Ben was so uplifted and ready to get going when he got hired and that has proven to be true.” Howland signed his first recruit—five-star guard Malik Newman—just a month after arriving in Starkville, and he spent his summer overseeing the off-season workouts of his current team and scouting future talent on the recruiting trail. He said that during his tenure, Bulldog fans can expect to see a unified team taking the court. “We’re recruiting good kids who fit this community and this institution,” Howland said. “This is a special place, and I want guys who are really focused on getting their degrees and being the best basketball players they can be. They’re going to try very hard, be very well disciplined, be unselfish and play together as a team.” Stricklin said Howland’s complete focus on his players will ensure great experiences for the student athletes, which by extension will create great experiences for the student body, alumni and fans as they support the basketball team. “Ben told me during his interview, ‘I want to go coach one more place and where I go, it’s going to be the best coaching job of my career and I’m going to do the best coaching that I’ve ever done,’” Stricklin recalled. “So, I want our fans to know they’re about to get a great effort from the guy who is leading our basketball program.” n

ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

PHOTO BY MEGAN BEAN

Campus NEWS

FALL 2015

THE MANY HATS OF HYATT A busy fall semester welcomes new VP for student affairs By Susan Lassetter

deceptive calm welcomed Regina Young Hyatt to Mississippi State University when she arrived July 1. For three weeks, the new vice president of student affairs lived in a residence hall while campus experienced that unique state of tranquility found at universities during the heat of summer. It gave Hyatt time to settle into life in Starkville and her new role on campus—a grace period to prepare for her first semester as a Bulldog, which started with record-breaking enrollment numbers and hasn’t slowed down since. “We are attracting a more diverse student body from lots of varied backgrounds, so we need to be prepared to support them in this environment,” Hyatt said. “It means having more: more programs, more housing, more varied opportunities. “It means bumping up our technology and making available some activities through an online platform so we are reaching our distance students and those who want them digitally.” Formerly dean of students at the University of Alabama–Huntsville, Hyatt is part of a new generation of student affairs administrators that seeks to incorporate emerging communication-based technology into university programs and activities. “I am constantly thinking of how we shape our services from a perspective that is technologically enabled,” Hyatt said. “It won’t replace people in our systems and processes, but it’s a tool to help us serve our students more effectively.”

For Hyatt, serving students effectively means helping them successfully move from enrollment to graduation by providing support through the Division of Student Affairs’ three main sections of responsibility: student life, housing and auxiliary services, and health, safety and wellness. This includes everything from student organizations, the university cheerleaders and residence life to food service, campus police and the Longest Student Health Center.

“We are attracting a more diverse student body from lots of varied backgrounds, so we need to be prepared to support them in this environment.” ~Regina Hyatt “If you think about the whole student experience, we touch on all of those areas in one way or another,” Hyatt said. “Mississippi State has many very creative programs, so there are a lot of innovative things we can do here.” Hyatt holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Illinois University in political science and college student personnel, respectively, and a doctoral degree in higher education administration from the University of South Florida. With

this educational experience, she has a deep understanding of what it means to shape the futures of more than 20,000 students and knows its not something her division can do in isolation. “I think our work is relational and I can’t be effective in my role as vice president for student affairs if I don’t have those relationships,” Hyatt explained. With that in mind, she spent her first weeks as a Bulldog meeting with faculty and staff, and as campus sprang back to life with the fall semester, she has continued to meet with groups including students, community leaders and alumni. She said she hopes these meetings will help not only give insight into the needs and goals of the Mississippi State family, but ultimately lead to programs and results that let students know the Maroon and White family is rooting for them. “I want students to know we are here to support their success,” Hyatt said. “Whether it’s a matter of motivation, persistence or effort, we will do everything that we can to prop them up so they can carry on toward that degree. “I want each student’s experience to be one where they know Mississippi State cares about them. That this is a place they can consider home and when they look back they can say, ‘Wow MSU really prepared me not just for a career but for my life as a scholar, as a citizen of the world and as a contributing member of whatever community I live in.’” n

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PHOTOS BY RUSS HOUSTON

Campus NEWS

FALL 2015

Get social and connect with The Factory on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MSUFactory

CAMPUS ‘MAKERS’ FIND HOME IN THE FACTORY

n a Patterson Hall mechanical engineering laboratory at Mississippi State University, two seniors stood gazing at 3-D printers and imagined their possibilities. Chemical engineering majors, Erik Antonio of Tanner, Alabama, and Nick Breland of Pace, Florida, hadn’t formed any real plans for what precisely they wanted to make using a 3-D printer. However, at the August interest meeting for The Factory–a budding and aptly-equipped “maker” space for industrious students, faculty and staff– they learned they would at least have access to the printers, and that was good enough for the moment. “This is a great place where students can go and express their imaginations,” Breland said. “It’s a place where we can get more

hands-on experience to apply what we learn in the classroom.” Antonio, who said the interest meeting left his wheels turning with ideas, agreed. “There’s so much you can do here,” he said. “It just depends on the time and effort you want to put into it.” Following President Barack Obama’s 2014 initiative calling for the United States to once again become a nation of makers, Mississippi State’s James Worth Bagley College of Engineering and Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the College of Business collaborated to provide space and tools for makers. The Factory’s hub in the Patterson building is open from 5-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

By Zack Plair

To join, participants simply pay $40 per semester, which helps cover maintenance costs, and complete basic training programs for any tools and machines they wish to use. Guiding the more than 40 students who attended The Factory’s fall interest meeting, student organizer Bryan Patton showed off the 3-D printing lab, welding facilities, lathes, and basic metal and woodworking tools makers can use. A graduate student working with the entrepreneurship center, Patton helped conceive the idea for The Factory to fill a need he discovered as a senior mechanical engineering major in 2013. Working to build a friction-stir welder, a machine that welds metal without melting it, Patton spent six months trying to gain access ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Campus NEWS to all of the campus facilities he needed to finish the machine. Without a maker network on campus, he said he had to fight for time and access to equipment, often having to first gain permission from department heads. “It was sort of a personal frustration that you had to know somebody who knew somebody in order to do something like this,” Patton said of making the welder. “I think that’s the whole purpose of The Factory–to keep others from having to go through that. And it’s remarkable to see how an experience like that pays off.” Patton’s welder, once meant to be a smaller, more efficient model than its contemporaries on the commercial market, now serves something of a higher purpose. Today, it sits in The Factory, where other makers can use it for either welding or cutting materials–a kind of mascot for what the maker space represents. Patton said he hopes to broaden The Factory’s reach across campus and has already recruited other departments that will offer space and services. The apparel, textiles and merchandising department will offer access to its industrial sewing lab, where makers can

FALL 2015

perfect the fabric aesthetics of their creations. MSU Libraries also will soon offer space in Mitchell Memorial Library where makers can access more 3-D printers and even check out certain tools. The Factory started as a trial program in 2014 with about 45 participants. Whether the tools are donated, purchased or simply “made available,” Patton said The Factory has seen substantial growth in its capabilities since that time. And with membership expected to swell into the hundreds this year, he said the program would need all the tools and space it could get. “Our ultimate goal is to give people access,” Patton said. “It wouldn’t take much more for us to get the making capability of our peers with strong ‘maker’ reputations. That’s what we’re shooting for.” Long term, Entrepreneurship Center Director Eric Hill sees The Factory as providing substantial prototyping capabilities for entrepreneurial projects. Hill explained that with the combination of The Factory’s resources and the Entrepreneurship Center’s feedback and business-building support, Mississippi State students stand an even better chance

of creating their own jobs while in college, rather than just preparing to go find a job after they graduate. “This program is really at the top of that philosophy,” Hill said. “They’ll be experiencing the process of taking a product from an idea to completion. This cross-disciplinary skill set will make them more competitive.” During operating hours, a Factory leader is always on duty to solve problems and help keep makers and the equipment safe. Of course, many of these leaders are makers themselves. Last year, Michael Lane, a Factory leader and junior mechanical engineering major, made custom cedar shelving, complete with backlighting. This fall, he built and installed workstations for The Factory’s makers. Lane said he felt like better equipment and more members gave a clearer picture for The Factory this year. “We’re excited about it,” the Amory native said. “We’re going to keep trying to build it.” n WANT TO SEE THE FACTORY IN ACTION? VISIT WWW.ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU.

PHOTO BY BETH WYNN

“Whether it’s physical, emotional or mental safety, kids have to feel cared for when they walk through our doors.” ~Jeffery Johnson

L-R: Mississippi State senior Josh Taylor and alumnus Jeffery Johnson on the playground of the Boys and Girls Club in Starkville.

Student mentors help alumnus create ‘safe place’ for teens

osh Taylor has a quick smile and relaxed demeanor, which make him very approachable. But more importantly, the senior’s easy-going personality enables him to stay calm when facing a room full of teenagers armed with free time and curiosity. “They ask some crazy questions,” the Ludlow native said. “Sometimes they’re being silly, but mostly they really are wanting to learn.” Taylor works at the Boys and Girls Club of Starkville leading a class of seventh through 12th graders in the organization’s after-school program. While he plans short lessons and shows educational videos, he said it’s the open discussion times—when questions arise about topics including sex, drugs and college life— that are the most illuminating for everyone. “I really try to connect with the students because you never know what’s going on at home,” Taylor said. “And their questions really make me think.” Although some questions are awkward, Taylor said he does his best to answer honestly

and set a good example, which is all Jeffery Johnson, unit director for the club, asks of his student workers. “Our student workers have to be role models for the kids,” Johnson explained. “The more the kids see how much you care for them, the more they will trust you. And the more they trust you, the more they are willing to accept your guidance and leadership.” He explained that the goal of the Boys and Girls Club is to create a safe environment where area kids can grow. “Whether it’s physical, emotional or mental safety, kids have to feel cared for when they walk through our doors,” Johnson said. “Kids are very perceptive and they can tell if someone doesn’t care for them.” Johnson joined the Boys and Girls Club as a volunteer in 2013 working his way up to a part-time staff role before earning a spot on the Bulldog basketball team. He returned at the conclusion of hoops season and earned his current position following his graduation in May. Since then, he has worked with the

By Susan Lassetter

university’s work-study program and used his campus connections to recruit student workers like Taylor. Johnson said that being closer in age gives the college students more credibility with the teenagers, but it can be an eye-opening experience. “A lot of people have younger siblings, but it’s different when you are faced with a class of middle or high school students who all have their individual personalities and difficulties,” Johnson explained. “You have to put everything you have that is wrong aside to focus on the child.” Taylor said he sees his work at the Boys and Girls Club as training for the future. An interdisciplinary studies major, like Johnson, he plans to use his unique mixture of kinesiology, education and psychology classes to teach and coach at the high school level. “I just really love kids and really feel that’s what I’m meant to do,” Taylor said. “I don’t want a job where I’ll make money and be miserable. I want to have fun and be happy.” n ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Campus NEWS

Lights, Camera, Action! TV Center now in HD

PHOTO BY MITCH PHILLIPS

PHOTO BY MEGAN BEAN

MSState at a Glance

Singer-songwriter ZZ Ward kicked off the 2015-16 MSU Lyceum Series in the historic Lee Hall Bettersworth Auditorium. Ward was featured at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Colorado and Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Music Festival, as well on a brief tour with rock guitar legend Eric Clapton.

By Sasha Steinberg

FALL 2015

While recovering from cataract surgery at MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Lela Doss, a dog with blindness in one eye, received comfort from certified veterinary technologist Stephanie Dray. A native of Grenada, Dray is a 2013 graduate of CVM’s veterinary medical technology program.

PHOTO BY HUNTER HART

iewers can now enjoy Mississippi State Television Center productions in full high-definition thanks to a new set that takes advantage of the higher resolution video format. Twenty percent larger than its predecessor, the new set features state-of-the-art, energy-efficient lighting and three high-definition monitors that allow for high-end motion graphics to be presented, explained David Garraway, director of the center, which ranks as the state’s largest higher education video production facility. “Our clients have many, many different needs, audiences and styles, and we feel that the look of the new set really pushes the TV Center into the 21st century, but also gives our clients a more flexible environment in which they can create productions that suit their needs,” Garraway said. Mississippi State’s Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said the new set gives MSU one of the finest on-campus facilities of this nature in the Southeastern Conference. “As MSU enters a new era of marketing and branding, this facility will enable us to produce high quality videos, live satellite feeds and in-depth university programming,” Salter said. “I’m proud of what this upgrade represents for the future of the University Television Center.” Among those set to use the facility are the Mississippi State University Extension Service, which films “Farmweek” at the location, and the communication department, which uses it for broadcasting classes. Garraway said the TV Center also offers its broadcastquality, traditional and new media services for groups both inside and outside the university. For more information, visit www.utc.msstate.edu or call 662.325.1332.

PHOTO BY TOM THOMPSON

MSU’s Astronomy Club celebrated National Astronomy Night in October by hosting a public viewing at Howell Observatory.

PHOTO BY JEREMY MURDOCK

Mississippi State fans set a Guinness World Record in September by ringing cowbells at the Cowbell Yell in Davis Wade Stadium. More than 15,000 fans attended the event and set the record with 5,748 cowbells ringing simultaneously.

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State SNAPSHOT

DAWG DAZE BATTLESHIP: Armed with makeshift

buckets, teams of students work to sink their opponents during “Pizza, Pool and Battleship,” the first event of Dawg Daze 2015. The annual program features activities and events to welcome freshmen and transfer students to Mississippi State. Photography by Russ Houston

FALL 2015

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FUTURE OF AEROSPACE TAKES OFF AT MISSISSIPPI STATE — AGAIN

NEW FAA NATIONAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR UAS THE LATEST CHAPTER IN UNIVERSITY’S RICH HISTORY OF FLIGHT BY JIM LAIRD | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ERIC ABBOTT Take a few minutes to talk to Mississippi State’s chief research officer and you can see the future—hovering on the notso-distant horizon. “What seems like science fiction is often not that far away to world-class researchers,” said David Shaw, the university’s vice president for research and economic development. “Over the next five to 10 years, we will be part of an aerospace revolution that has the potential to push R&D investment and innovative manufacturing to unprecedented levels—if we get it right,” he explained.

FALL 2015

Shaw’s enthusiasm is grounded in the reality that the state of Mississippi is already a leader in the burgeoning multibillion dollar commercial unmanned flight industry, and Mississippi State University is now at the controls of the Federal Aviation Administration’s new National Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. His cautionary note? It won’t be easy. But Mississippi’s flagship research university has a long and successful record of meeting seemingly insurmountable challenges.

R&D THAT LEADS THE WORLD A six-year competitive effort to land the center of excellence was realized last May when the FAA announced the Mississippi State-led Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) will operate the new national center. It’s central charge? Take advanced research and turn it into FAA rules that work for the agency and industry. During a summer news conference on campus, state officials lauded MSU’s leadership and research capabilities and their significant impact on economic development in the Magnolia State with the new center of excellence being the latest example. “Research and development here has led the world in aerospace, automobile manufacturing… and agribusiness,” said Gov. Phil Bryant at the June event, which was held in the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park and included a live flight demonstration in the airspace above the university’s R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center. “This is a day we should savor and be proud of,” Bryant said.

INTERSECTION OF AEROSPACE HISTORY AND ITS FUTURE While ASSURE research will take place at the 21 member universities throughout the U.S. and globally, the center’s work will be concentrated at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County to take advantage of airspace over the Gulf of Mexico, in the Mississippi Delta to conduct unmanned precision agriculture research, and around Mississippi State’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory in Starkville. Mississippi State’s collaborative approach to research and real-world impact are keys to its growing research enterprise, Shaw says. For example, Raspet has served as a start-up facility for various aerospace companies in the state providing workspace, technical training, and assistance with product development and research over the past decade. These efforts and Mississippi State researchers’ expertise have helped companies such as American Eurocopter, Aurora Flight Science, GE Aerospace and Stark Aerospace establish bases in Mississippi, bringing more than 700 high-tech jobs to the state.

“RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT HERE HAS LED THE WORLD IN AEROSPACE, AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURING…AND AGRIBUSINESS.” ~ GOV. PHIL BRYANT Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum thanked the governor and his team, as well as the state’s Congressional delegation, for their efforts to bring the center to the state. “We are very grateful to Sen. (Thad) Cochran, Sen. (Roger) Wicker, and other members of our Congressional delegation, and to Gov. Bryant and other state leaders, for their help in making the new center a reality,” he said. Keenum explained that the commercialization of UAS technology will bring many thousands of hightech jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact across the country, and that Mississippi will be one of the primary beneficiaries. However, achieving that successfully will “depend on our ability to safely and efficiently introduce large numbers of commercial unmanned vehicles into the nation’s busy airspace. Helping to do just that is a primary goal of this new Center of Excellence. “It is a sizable challenge, but Mississippi State and our team of 20 research universities and more than 100 government and industry partners selected to operate this program are well equipped to handle it, and we are eager to get to work,” Keenum said.

It is one of many success stories in a rich history. Since its inception in 1948, Raspet has served as a unique university-based laboratory engaged in aeronautics research and development. Raspet has a global reputation for composites research and has served as an incubation space for multiple composite manufacturers that now have permanent Mississippi homes. Of note, Raspet was home to a team of engineers from Honda working on a revolutionary composite body aircraft with Mississippi State researchers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. More recently, news broke that one of the world’s leading aerospace companies had selected the university as the new home for a major research center. Extensive media coverage provided the details: The Boeing Company is relocating its stitched resin infused technology efforts to Mississippi State and the university’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory—a significant R&D win for the land-grant institution. “We are very pleased to see our collaboration with Boeing moving forward,” Shaw said at the time. “It is a fine example of the many profitable relationships we have fostered that provide opportunities

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An unmanned aerial vehicle is prepared for launch in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Researchers with Mississippi State and NOAA are mapping sections of the Pearl River with the UAV to better understand where and how much water flows through the area and the impact it can have on local communities when hurricanes and other tropical weather systems develop.

for faculty, staff and students to work with industry to solve problems, create new knowledge and advance manufacturing excellence in the U.S.,” he said. A multidisciplinary team of MSU faculty members from several departments—including chemistry and engineering’s aerospace, chemical, mechanical, electrical and industrial—will bring world-class expertise in areas related to the new Boeing composites center. Their work and that collaborative approach are expected to be significant complements to future UAS and other research across a range of disciplines moving forward, Shaw said. “I am very excited about where we are going with our research enterprise over the next decade, and so much of that is because of the commitment to excellence from our faculty, staff and students,” he said.

FIRST ROUND OF RESEARCH UNDERWAY ASSURE’s robust research agenda began moving forward in September after approval from the FAA for the initial projects. Mississippi State researchers and their ASSURE partners are working with regulators, scientists and industry representatives to solve the problems limiting unmanned aircraft usage in the nation’s skies.

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The opening round research funding of $5 million appropriated by Congress is tackling the following scope of work: • Air to air impact of UAS and manned aircraft will model what happens when UAS and manned aircraft collide. Includes computer studies to find out what happens when a UAS gets ingested into a jet engine or impacts the aircraft itself. Wichita State University is the lead institution with support from Ohio State University and Mississippi State. MSU aerospace engineering professors Ratan Jha and Tom Lacy and associate professor Mark Janus are working on this component. • Air to ground UAS impact uses computer modeling to research what happens when a variety of UAS impact objects on the ground. The University of Alabama-Huntsville is the lead with MSU, the University of Kansas and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University support. Mississippi State faculty include Jha, Lacy, senior flight engineer Calvin Walker, and agricultural and biological engineering assistant research professor Raj Prabhu and associate professors Lakiesha Williams and Jun Liao. • Airworthiness standards validation will test industry-developed UAS airworthiness standards to determine if they make UAS safer. Kansas State University is the lead with support from the University of North Dakota and Wichita State. • UAS maintenance standards development will develop training and certification standards for UAS maintenance and UAS maintenance personnel. Kansas State is the lead with EmbryRiddle and Montana State University support. . . .Story continues on page 22

WHAT IS ASSURE? In addition to 21 of the world’s top universities, more than 100 of the world’s leading UAS, aerospace and related companies and manufacturers are members of the

A lliance for S ystem S afety of U AS through R esearch E xcellence, which operates the FAA’s new National Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The FAA expects the center to explore evolving technological developments related to unmanned aircraft and their uses. Research will also involve the deployment of UAS for emergency response, biofuel and clean fuel technologies, law enforcement activities, and agricultural and environmental monitoring. The center will coordinate research and development activities with NASA and the departments of defense, homeland security and agriculture, as well as other agencies. Its work will also lead to recommendations on aircraft certification, flight standards and air traffic requirements, and facilitate UAS technology transfer to other civilian and defense agencies. Led by Mississippi State, ASSURE’s core university partners

include

Drexel

University,

Embry-Riddle

Aeronautical University, Kansas State University, Montana

“I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE WE ARE GOING WITH OUR RESEARCH

State University, New Mexico State University, North Carolina State University, Ohio State University, Oregon State

University,

University

Alabama-Huntsville,

University of Alaska-Fairbanks, University of California-

ENTERPRISE OVER THE

Davis, University of Kansas, University of North Dakota

NEXT DECADE, AND SO

and Wichita State University.

MUCH OF THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE FROM OUR

ASSURE affiliate universities include Auburn University, Concordia

University,

Louisiana

Tech

University,

Tuskegee University, Indiana State University and

FACULTY, STAFF AND

University of Southampton.

STUDENTS.” ~ DAVID SHAW

ASSURE is online at ASSUREuas.org. ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

According to ASSURE’s executive director at MSU James Poss, this research will maximize the potential of commercial unmanned systems with minimal changes to the current system regulating manned aircraft. “These projects will help us provide the research the FAA needs to write the rules to get UAS flying in the National Airspace System,” the retired U.S. Air Force major general explained.

“THESE PROJECTS WILL HELP US PROVIDE THE RESEARCH THE FAA NEEDS TO WRITE THE RULES TO GET UAS FLYING IN THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM.” ~ RET. GENERAL JAMES POSS

An eastern kingbird glides alongside a Precision Hawk Lancaster 3 UAV during a press conference announcing Mississippi State University as an FAA National Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

“The ASSURE team will do well on this research because we know UAS and, more importantly, we know the FAA. With over 100 corporate partners in ASSURE, we also know the industry very well,” Poss said. The use of unmanned air systems in non-conflict situations is growing with applications well suited for natural disaster response, humanitarian relief efforts, environmental impact assessment and precision agriculture. “The UAS market is going to be huge—in many ways it will change the way we live. However, we need research like this to make sure we enable this market safely,” Poss said.

BOTTOM LINE •

•

Beyond visual line of sight procedures will research methods to allow safe flight beyond visual line of sight conditions using proven safety methods, such as NASA Ames’s unmanned traffic management system. North Dakota and New Mexico State University are working on this facet. Surveillance criticality will research if detect-and-avoid technology used for manned aircraft can be used in unmanned aircraft. Given that unmanned vehicles do not have a crew on board to repair or reset navigation aids, this research will investigate what happens if the UAS loses its detect-and-avoid systems. North Carolina State is the lead with Mississippi State, Embry-Riddle, North Dakota and Oregon State support. Jha, Walker and electrical and computer engineering associate professor J.W. Bruce are working on this problem. Human factors will research the unique differences in human factors—ground station layout, information displays and emergency actions—between manned and unmanned aircraft. This research will also address training impacts for pilots and visual observers of improved human machine interfaces. Drexel University is the lead with Embry-Riddle, Ohio State and New Mexico State support.

A recent report from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International asserts that the domestic UAS market is projected to create more than 100,000 jobs and $82 billion in economic impact in the first decade after FAA integration is complete. What about the impact in Mississippi? According to AUVSI, the UAS industry could create more than 1,200 jobs and approximately $973 million in economic impact in the state during the same period. “As you can see,” Shaw said during the June news conference on campus, “this is a very big deal. “While we are proud of our role in this project, none of it would be possible without the incredible team that comprises ASSURE, as well as the support of our state and federal leaders. This was truly a collaborative effort throughout the entire process, and we expect that solid foundation to lead to greater success moving forward,” he told the standing room only crowd. Looking to the future, Shaw is confident that the sky’s the limit to what Mississippi State’s researchers can achieve as this new industry takes flight. Just don’t call ‘em drones. n VISIT

WWW.ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

LEARN

MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT WAYS UAS CAN BE USED TO HELP SOLVE REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS.

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By Sasha Steinberg Photography by Megan Bean & Submitted by Germany Family

They represent three different generations, but Elizabeth T. Germany, Anita Germany Webster and Rosalyn “Rosie” Germany Mayes agree—Mississippi State tailgating means food, football and, most importantly, family. “All of my grandkids started tailgating as babies,” said Rosie, the matriarch and namesake of Rosie’s Rowdies—a football-season staple for nearly three decades.

Rosie’s sister Janice Tingle was married to the late Hardy Tingle. Affectionately known as “Mr. Bully Bell,” Hardy made and sold cowbells for more than 20 years. Other snapshots include past tailgating experiences from the Germany family. Future bulldogs in the family started tailgating early, cementing the tradition by the time they could wave a bell.

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Mississippi State Sin Dip

INGREDIENTS: Sour Cream - 16 oz Cream Cheese, at Room Temperature - 8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded - 2 cups Ham, Chopped - 1/2 cup Green Onion, Sliced - 1/4 cup Hot Sauce - to taste Worcestershire Sauce - 1 teaspoon Black Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon Loaf French Bread, Unsliced DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut a thin, about 1 inch thick, oval slice off the top of the loaf of French bread leaving a couple inch perimeter. Set top aside. Â Remove most of the soft part of the bread, leaving a sturdy portion on sides and bottom. Save the soft bread to use later with the dip if desired. 3. Mix the first 8 ingredients together in a medium bowl until well combined. Pour mixture into hollowed bread bowl. Place top back on loaf. 4. Wrap entire loaf in a double thickness of heavy duty aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Serve with reserved bread or crackers.

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“I don’t know if it was my mom or me that came up with the name,” Rosie’s daughter Anita explained. “Kind of joking, I said we needed a sign. My sister-in-law Andrea actually went and had one made for us, so after that, we were official.” Although she’s not a graduate, Rosie has always been a Bulldog fan. And the feeling only grew when the Decatur native met her late husband Rudolph Mayes, a 1954 MSU graduate. “I had already been coming to tailgate for football and after we got married, that just intensified it,” Rosie said with a smile. She said that in the early days, the family set up at the railroad tracks behind Davis Wade Stadium, a spot that is now the Junction, a grassy area that serves as Mississippi State’s tailgating hub. “That’s where the parking was, and we actually pulled up underneath an oak tree that was there and tailgated out of the back of the truck,” Rosie recalled. “True tailgating,” joked her granddaughter Elizabeth. A Brandon native, Elizabeth completed a bachelor’s degree in economics at Mississippi State in May. “One of the coolest things is being able to say that I grew up here,” Elizabeth said. “Tailgating wasn’t just part of the college experience for me; it’s been a lifetime thing. I remember playing football, playing around in the dirt and making all kinds of friends.” Anita said the family’s tailgate was low key in the beginning. “We could literally pull up on the south side of what is now the Lloyd-Ricks-Watson Building, park an hour or two before game time and tailgate,” explained the 1985 Mississippi State computer science graduate. “We went from just the tailgate of the truck to a pole tent, where you had to put the poles together, put the canopy on top and stake it down.” She added, “When they came out with the pop-up tents, we got one. Then we progressed into two, then three and then four.” Having room to welcome guests is an important part of the Rowdies’ parties. Rosie explained that the inviting atmosphere makes it easy to get to know families from other tents and chat with MSU players who often have visited.

FAR TOP LEFT: Rosalyn “Rosie” Germany Mayes is the matriarch and namesake of Rosie’s Rowdies. A Decatur native and longtime Bulldog fan, Rosie was married to the late Rudolph Mayes, a 1954 MSU graduate. TOP LEFT: Elizabeth Germany, Rosie’s granddaughter, enjoying an MSU-filled pregame experience that she calls “true tailgating.” TOP RIGHT: “I try to make every tailgate special because that may be the one game somebody gets to attend,” said “Lead Rowdie” and MSU alumna Anita Germany Webster. MIDDLE: Frequent attendees include Rosie’s granddaughters, MSU sophomore Laura and her sister Jessica Webster. FAR BOTTOM LEFT: Daughter-in-law Andrea Germany and MSU alumnus Ab Germany are also regulars at these gatherings.

ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Anita’s Black Bean Corn Salsa INGREDIENTS:

1 Can Each – Black Beans, Chick Peas, Mexican Corn – rinsed and drained 2 Cans Rotel Tomatoes – drained Chopped avocado, green onions, cilantro, and jalapeño Tony C’s/Red Pepper or just salt/pepper, fresh lime juice Zesty Italian Dressing

“It was really neat,” Rosie said. “We really got to know a lot of the players, like (Anthony) Boobie Dixon and Derek Sherrod. They would always come by to see us.” These days, Rosie’s Rowdies can be found just outside of the Junction, near the J. Charles Lee Agricultural and Biological Engineering Building, which gives them more room for their everexpanding group now that the Junction has become more popular. “Tailgating really just exploded when Dan (Mullen) came, which was good,” Rosie said. “It used to be mostly older family groups, so we’re glad that more and more students want to tailgate in the Junction.” Since the move, self-proclaimed “lead rowdie” Anita, who lives in Madison, Alabama, has taken on the responsibility of organizing the family tailgate. “My mom used to do the cooking and set-up. Then, it got to the point where we all would do it,” Anita explained. “Now, family and friends still bring plenty of food and drinks to share, but I’ve kind of taken on the planning part.” For Anita, planning often means creating the menu for each home game weeks in advance. From tailgate-wide favorites like Coca-Cola ham and baked beans to her youngest daughter Laura’s iced dogbone cookies, these plans ensure there are lots of tasty options for all to enjoy. “I complicated our tailgate because I always have to do better and do more each week,” she joked. “I do most of the cooking Thursday night or before I leave on Friday morning. We always have too much food, but I’ve set expectations in that there’s always going to be plenty to share.” Anita said she likes to go out early in the morning to set up tents and tables, put up the family’s tailgate banner, hang Mississippi State flags and string lights. “I’ll get the TV and generator going, and I like to hang a couple of box fans to keep people cool,” she said. Coordinating the family’s tailgate takes a lot of work, but it’s something Anita truly enjoys. She affectionately refers to Mississippi State as her “happy place” and hopes to move to Starkville after retirement. “I try to make every tailgate special because that may be the one game somebody gets to attend,” she said. “It’s fun that we get to come tailgate every week. Not everybody can, so it’s definitely a luxury.” Anita says that all are welcome at the Rosie’s Rowdies tailgate— whether they’re cheering for the Bulldogs or the visiting team. “We want our tailgate to be an enjoyable, welcoming place for everybody,” she said. “Whether they show up before, during or after game, we want people to be happy, have fun and enjoy each others’ company.” n FOR THE GLIMPSE INTO THE MISSISSIPPI STATE TAILGATING EXPERIENCE, VISIT WWW.ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU.

DIRECTIONS: 1. Mix it all together in a bowl, best made a day or so ahead

2. Serve with chips or veggies or eat as a side

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TOP: Grandson Brooks Germany tosses a ball around near the tent with friends. MIDDLE: A variety of tasty food options and Mississippi State-themed decorations have made Rosie’s Rowdies tailgate a memorable game day spot for family, friends and visitors for nearly three decades.

A decade after Katrina, continued research seeks to prevent repeat devastation BY ZACK PLAIR

ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Preparing to walk into her bridal shower in September 2005, Laura Buchtel McWhorter struggled to wipe the tears from her eyes and regain her composure. A Metairie, Louisiana, native and 2003 graduate of Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast meteorology, she had evacuated her south Louisiana residence just days before Hurricane Katrina’s catastrophic landfall on the Gulf Coast. As she arrived to her shower in Tupelo, she received on her cell phone the first images of her parents’ home sitting in more than a foot of water. Her grandparents’ home, she later learned, was in the same shape. Her family members, thankfully, were fine. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for everyone. More than 1,800 people on the Gulf coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi died after Hurricane Katrina, the costliest hurricane in U.S. history, made landfall as a Category 3 storm on Aug. 29, 2005. The storm laid waste to entire communities on the Mississippi coast, while the storm surge caused levees to fail and flood New Orleans, displacing hundreds of thousands of residents. McWhorter and her husband, Kelley, married on Oct. 8 that year at the Chapel of Memories on Mississippi State’s Starkville campus. Immediately after their honeymoon, she said they went to Metairie to help her family sift through the waterlogged rubble and start the process of getting them back on their feet. “It was a happy time because of the wedding, but it was a trying time, too, because of the storm,” McWhorter said, recalling the upheaval. “It was definitely a crazy time.” That December, McWhorter had the opportunity to fill in for the beleaguered chief meteorologist—who had worked months straight without a day off since Katrina—at WWLTV in New Orleans, a CBS affiliate where she had interned during her senior year at MSU. Her interim work led to a full-time meteorologist job at the station, where she’s worked ever since. But when she and her husband moved to New Orleans in the spring of 2006, they faced a city still wounded from Katrina’s wrath and man’s failures. “It didn’t even look like a city,” McWhorter said. “At night, it was so dark and the silence was deafening. Even in the day, everything was just so brown and gray. Nobody knew if New Orleans would come back. There was a period when we thought, ‘This is never going to be right again.’”

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A refuge from the last resort More than 500 miles away, Michael McDaniel was appalled. He said it was the only word that came to mind when he saw the mess before him in early autumn 2005 and 10 years later, he still can’t think of a better one. A graphic designer working in Austin, Texas, at the time, he saw firsthand what life was like for those living in Houston’s Astrodome after being moved from the Superdome in New Orleans—the original “refuge of last resort.” He said he vividly remembers instances where desperate people, who had presumably lost most of their worldly possessions, wandered around the stadium holding up makeshift signs with names of family members they couldn’t locate scrawled across the front. The chaos there was “mindboggling,” he said. “I was appalled that in the most developed nation in the world, this was the best we could do to respond to this emergency,” McDaniel said. “And I thought, if this is the best-case scenario, what happens to people in emerging countries who experience these types of disasters? It made me absolutely sick to my stomach, and I thought there had to be something someone could do.” And so, that’s what he’s trying to do—using a disposable coffee cup as a template. A Centreville native and 1999 Mississippi State graduate with a bachelor’s degree in art, McDaniel developed the idea for Exo, a portable emergency shelter. Reaction Housing, his Austin-based company, will soon begin fullscale production of the shelter, along with other emergency shelter products. Built similar to a teepee using a lightweight, durable, proprietary material, McDaniel said the latest version of the Exo weighs about 375 pounds. The units can sleep two to four people, but there is also a model with desks and shelves that can be used as a mobile command center at a disaster-relief staging area. All furniture and elements of an Exo fold flat meaning four people can quickly set up, take down and carry the shelter without machinery. It doesn’t contain its own power source, but with 110-volt outlets, each unit can connect to an outside power source, such as a generator or a car battery with an inverter. Exos use keycards, similar to those at hotels, but can also be accessed with a regular key. McDaniel

explained Reaction uses a software system to control access to the units and track registered Exo users, which would allow people to more easily locate their loved ones if the product was employed during a disaster. McDaniel started developing the Exo in 2007. He said he basically worked on the concept and design in his backyard at nights and on weekends for the first six years. He started Reaction in 2013, after his product acquired its first angel investor. McDaniel said, Reaction now has more than two months of orders to fill. Most of those are from commercial or individual customers who are willing to spend the roughly $12,000 per unit on recreation or other personal use. While that might get the Exo noticed, McDaniel said he is still striving for his product to serve a greater purpose and create sales volume that will drive down the price. He said he hopes, in time, government agencies and private aid organizations will purchase Exos in advance of an emergency. That way, if a hurricane is headed for the Gulf Coast, for instance, the agency or organization could quickly stage a mass shelter area. “We see this as becoming a tool for planning, rather than just a knee-jerk reaction,” McDaniel said. “A hurricane is the only disaster that you can see coming and plan for. And with these, people won’t be sleeping on Army cots in sports arenas. It’s a way to better keep the people and their belongings safe.”

More accurate predictions Mississippi State University faculty and staff are also doing their part to improve disaster forecasting, response and recovery. The university’s Geosystems Research Institute teamed up in 2014 with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and California-based Liquid Robotics to test the effectiveness of an unmanned oceansurface vehicle in more accurately predicting the paths and intensities of hurricanes. Associate research professor and meteorologist Pat Fitzpatrick, who is stationed among three GRI teams at the John

C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, said institute researchers field-tested three Liquid Robotics-manufactured Wave Gliders last summer in the Gulf of Mexico. The Wave Glider looks like it’s on a surfboard. Its main structure floats on the ocean’s surface tethered by a cable to underwater flaps that use waves for propulsion. The glider’s floating structure carries batteryand solar-powered instruments to measure wind, pressure, waves, currents, water temperature and more. The data from the gliders is collected via satellite. “We wanted to get one into a hurricane, but that didn’t happen because we didn’t have any hurricanes in the Gulf last year,” Fitzpatrick said. “We did get them close to some weather buoys, though, and compared the measurements. Everything compared very well except for temperature.” Weather buoys are the standard for reading environmental measurements of storms, but if a storm doesn’t cross over a buoy, storm path and intensity predictions can be inaccurate. With more study, Fitzpatrick said he hopes NOAA can one day deploy a fleet of gliders to fill in gaps where there are no buoys. “All it takes is a little more information to completely change the predicted path of the storm,” he said. “NOAA was very pleased with our work last year, but I think this needs more study. We need to get one of these into an actual hurricane and see how it does.”

Faster response Mississippi State’s Social Science Research Center is developing technology using “human sensors” that could make future emergency response quicker and more effective. Sponsored by a $150,000 grant from NOAA, SSRC researchers have accessed Twitter’s archives and sifted through almost 5 million tweets posted from the New York and New Jersey areas during Hurricane Sandy in 2008. The majority of the tweets deal with the storm, including hundreds of thousands of photos of flooding and other storm damage, and each is geocoded to within 5-10 feet of where it was posted. ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

“The storm toughened us up, and it taught us just to live our lives day to day. If another Katrina hits, there’s definitely going to be damage. When the inevitable happens and a bad storm comes, we’ll survive and rebuild. If we made it through Katrina, we can make it through anything.” ~Laura McWhorter

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The team, which includes Fitzpatrick, John Edwards and Somye Mohanty, also surveyed 20,000 residents of the Sandyaffected area, to find out how they received information about the storm and how they responded. “This data is as useful, if not more useful, than traditional survey data,” said SSRC director Arthur Cosby. “People were using social media during Sandy to ask for help and offer help, while others were organizing aid efforts.” Using what they’ve learned about how people use social media to request and offer assistance, the team is now developing software that emergency management services can use during disasters to see tweets from the affected area. This will help first responders use Twitter to directly contact those who need help and respond more quickly to issues. Mohanty said it would also allow emergency managers to more easily convey accurate information to the public during weather events or other disasters. “The more information you have, the better decisions you can make,” Mohanty said. “The better decisions you make, the more lives you can save.”

Sustainable recovery The Biloxi-based Gulf Coast Community Design Studio, a Mississippi State research center, has taken charge of making the post-Katrina Mississippi Gulf Coast better than it was before the storm. Using a federal grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as several regional partnerships and community volunteer hours, the studio’s professional staff has helped design and build more than 230 new homes and rehabilitate another 100 in Katrina-affected communities in Mississippi. David Perkes, the design studio’s director, said the focus on resiliency rather than speed helped plot a better long-term vision for the coast. In other words, the studio doesn’t just want to build basic housing that would become rental property in five to 10 years, he said. Instead, the plan is to work with property owners to build homes that will stand the test of time and be passed down from generation to generation. “An important lesson we learned through this rebuilding work was the value of involving community members in the design process,” Perkes said. “In doing that, we hope we will instill in them a stronger sense of ownership.” Perkes’ team of designers and landscape architects have earned American Institute of Architecture recognition for their home designs. Most recently, the studio won an Environmental Protection Agency Gulf Guardian Award for restoring Bayou Auguste in east Biloxi, which Katrina devastated. Through that project, the team removed debris and repaired the bayou’s wetland habitat by building a neighborhood wetland park. Mississippi State students and community volunteers also engaged in educational programs about improving the bayou’s functions of restoring and improving the nursery habitat for

fish and shrimp, reducing pollution and debris entering the ocean through the integrated bayou and storm water system, and creating a marshland to contain floodwater from extreme storm events. “Resiliency is not just about becoming better prepared for a disaster,” Perkes said. “It’s about improving the day-to-day quality of life in these communities. We’re wanting to take the awareness that comes from Katrina, and use it to build a sustainable, resilient community mindset.”

Moving forward after the storm Back in New Orleans, despite McWhorter’s fears and those of many who trudged through the early post-Katrina days, the city has bounced back. Neighborhoods organized after the waters receded, she said, and people, all bound together by crisis, started helping one another. The storm and its aftermath, it seems, became part of the New Orleans DNA. “There was such a sense of community because we were all going through the same thing,” McWhorter said. “We all have our Katrina story, and we’re all connected by that bond.” That bond the storm created in New Orleans, however, also brought with it a sort of hangover for residents, especially in dealing with the threat of severe weather, she said. And it’s changed the expectations for meteorologists in the area. During the run-up to Hurricane Gustav’s landfall in 2008, which fortunately fell short of its “Katrina-like” force projections, McWhorter said a sort of weather-related post-traumatic stress became evident. She explained that Gulf Coast residents have learned the storm terminology and want to see all the hurricane models, but most of all, they want meteorologists’ advice on how to stay safe. “I don’t think I was prepared to be part meteorologist, part psychologist when I got into this business,” she said. “Here, you don’t just tell people what the weather is like; you actually have to coach them through it. “People here are gun-shy about any storm. They want all the information you can give them, even what you would consider to be the more scientific stuff. They expect it.” In the decade since the storm, she said, the city built back little by little—rebuilding houses, businesses and infrastructure destroyed by Katrina’s wrath. With better levees, better evacuation plans and more accurate weather forecasting, McWhorter said New Orleans is much better prepared if another Katrina hit. What guarantees the city’s survival more than anything else though, she added, is the same force that pulled it through the pain Katrina wrought – its people. “The storm toughened us up, and it taught us just to live our lives day to day,” she said. “If another Katrina hits, there’s definitely going to be damage. When the inevitable happens and a bad storm comes, we’ll survive and rebuild. If we made it through Katrina, we can make it through anything.” n ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Our PEOPLE

DIGITAL DREAM: @BrittanyForks lands job at Twitter BY SASHA STEINBERG

any students dream of working for one of the world’s top social networking companies in one of the country’s most culturally-rich cities. Brittany Forks felt the same way when she applied to work at Twitter in San Francisco, California. But first, she had to pay her dues. “I really wanted to move to San Francisco, but I was too scared at first,” the graphic design graduate said, explaining her transitional move from her native Starkville to Austin, Texas.

“I got a call from Twitter about my portfolio. They liked that I had lots of ad and e-commerce experience, and they asked me if I would like to come for an interview. I said, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’” ~ Brittany Forks In Texas, she worked for a small start-up company while she adjusted to life in a bigger city and mustered the courage to relocate to the even larger San Francisco. Once there, she spent nearly two years at various companies honing her design, marketing and branding skills until she received a life-changing call. “I got a call from Twitter about my portfolio,” Forks said. “They liked that I had lots of ad and e-commerce experience, and they asked me if I would like to come for an interview. I said, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’” For nearly four years, she has been happily employed at the popular social media company. As a product designer for the company’s revenue team, her primary responsibility involves designing advertisements. “Since Twitter has more than 4,000 employees, all of the designers are split up into different teams. You work on one team for a while, and then you switch around and work on a different team,”

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Learn more about Germany Ken’s book and tips on how to handle your social media personality at www.germanykent.com

Forks said. “We want Twitter to be accessible for everyone, and we want the service to be easy to use on every platform. There’s a lot of work that goes into making that happen.” The process begins when product managers advise Forks and the other product designers on what they want users to be able to do. Three of this year’s projects, for example, have included the ability to buy products on Twitter, create collections on Twitter and see more information about a product being advertised. “After the product managers, designers and engineers discuss and decide on a plan, the other designers and I go into Photoshop and make the mocks, which are files that show exactly what the website or app will look like,” Forks explained. Forks said the teams must meet frequently to consider many factors in the design process to ensure accessibility and consistency. “We need to make sure everything we do looks like and fits in with the rest of Twitter, so we design for Web, iOS and Android platforms all at the same time,” Forks explained. After creating mock-ups, designers are tasked with making interactive prototypes. “The prototypes we design are not always fullfeatured, but you can do things like scroll through a timeline or tap a button,” Forks said. “We make a really elementary version of what we’re trying to build, so we can explain to the product managers and engineers what we’re trying to achieve with the design.” Once they’ve received feedback on the prototypes, Forks and her colleagues continue creating different versions until they come across one that everyone likes. The engineers then take the selected prototype and build it. It then goes through multiple forms of testing before being released to the public. “We typically have to launch one tiny part and then another and another, until over time, the grand vision appears,” Forks explained. For those who aspire to work for companies like Twitter, Forks said the ability to network with others and effectively discuss one’s work are crucial skills to possess. “Now, more than ever, there are so many animations and little effects that go into apps. I have to know how to use all of my tools and explain my work to others who aren’t designers,” she said. “You have to really care about your work and put your all into it, so you need to make sure you’re ready for that commitment.” n

You are what you tweet What does your Twitter profile say about you? A lot, according to Mississippi State alumna Germany Kent. Regarded as “The Hope Guru,” the marketing graduate has gained international recognition as a social media enthusiast and author on the topic. She offers the following tips for optimizing your Twitter feed and thriving online: DON’T FAKE IT.

Invest time in pinpointing your goals. The more defined your image and clear your voice, the wider an audience your tweets will reach. TWEET WITH INTENTION.

Keep your focus. If a topic is trending that’s related to your field, tweet about it. Pose questions. Quote insights. Don’t forget to use relevant hashtags. TWEET OFTEN, BUT NOT TOO OFTEN.

Give your posts time to sink in. Tweet only once every few hours for the best results. WORK IN YOUR OWN PERSONALITY.

Include your own positive insights and add inspired messages. Don’t be afraid to voice your take on a topic, but be careful. Twitter is like a mirror, where what you say reflects right back onto you. Craft every post with intention and self-awareness. BE CONSISTENT.

Tweet regularly. If you’re stymied, get creative. Break out of your professional mold for a tweet or two. Find some great visuals. Don’t overdo the baby or throwback Thursday photos, though. Over sharing can lose followers. Overall, she advises to keep it professional and fun, and before you tweet anything, ask yourself these three things: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? If not, let it remain untweeted. More of Kent’s social media insights can be found in her latest book “You Are What You Tweet: Harnessing the Power of Twitter to Create a Happier, Healthier Life” available online from Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as well as her website www.germanykent.com. n

ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Our PEOPLE

Follow Your Heart:

BY SASHA STEINBERG

Alumna’s Oscar-winning passion shapes outlook on life

FALL 2015

Want to see Cripps’ visual effects demo reel? Check it out at www.alumnus.msstate.edu.

any young women wouldn’t dream of turning down a job at the Dolce and Gabbana Showroom in downtown SoHo—New York’s premier contemporary-art locale. Val Cripps, however, had her heart set on a different dream when she made that decision nearly 20 years ago. Looking back, she said it was one of the greatest decisions she’s ever made. “All of these fashion people were coming in all week with their portfolios, desperate to work there, but they only hired temps. You had to be able to speak Italian fluently,” Cripps recalled. A graduate of Indiana University with a double major in art history and Italian, Cripps had been working in the showroom for just a week when she was offered a full-time job as an office assistant. But she had silver-screen dreams and a degree from Mississippi State University in mind. “I told my supervisor, ‘Thank you for the offer, but I’m going to have to decline. I’m going to Los Angeles to work in film,’” Cripps remembered saying with confidence. After completing a master’s degree in electronic visualization from Mississippi State in 1997, that’s exactly what she did. From falling leaves, clouds, rain and snow to breaking glass, puffs of crayon dust, champagne bubbles and spider webs, Cripps’ visual effects work has appeared in a variety of feature films over the years. She has 15 movie credits to her name, including “Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Spider-Man 3.” Most recently, Cripps worked as a visual effects technical director for Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California. There, she was one of more than 50 effects artists who lent their talents to “Big Hero 6.” In addition to winning the Oscar for Best Animated Film, the movie was also named the highest-grossing animated film in 2014. Prior to working at Disney, Cripps was an effects animator for Los Angeles-based Rhythm and Hues Studios. One of the films on which she worked was “Life of Pi,” which received, among others, the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2013. “I loved it, and my kids were really excited about it, too,” she said of her film work. “It’s fun when I show them movies like these, and they’re like ‘Hey, Mommy did that!’” When asked what advice she would offer those who aspire to work in the film industry, Cripps

stressed the importance of having exceptional social, interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the attitude of a team player. Being receptive to new ideas and concepts also is important in film production, she adds. “Trying to rock out in production can be tricky due to rapid changes in technology,” Cripps admitted. “I’ve learned a lot, but I’m no computer genius by any means. The people with whom I worked were absolutely brilliant and steeped in amazing, deep skill. I learned to ask a lot of questions and in doing so, made a lot of friends.” Since completing her visual effects work on “Big Hero 6,” Cripps has taken a break from production to spend more time with her family and develop her own business, Valtopia. She is designing a coloring book for adults and hopes to use a portion of its proceeds to benefit the California-based Unstoppable Foundation. Cripps was inspired to become involved in the charity after hearing the organization’s founder speak about the need for education for each child around the world.

“I loved it, and my kids were really excited about it, too,” she said of her film work. “It’s fun when I show them movies like these, and they’re like ‘Hey, Mommy did that!’” ~ Val Cripps “As a mother, I can’t fathom the inability to have or provide my children with the basic necessities in life—food, water, shelter and education—which allow an opportunity for a better life,” she said. Through this charity, she was able to fund a selfsustaining African village for a year. She said she has always intended to use her talents to help make the world a better place. Through creativity and inspiration, she is creating a positive ripple effect by sharing images, music, and messages through social media and soon through her coloring book and Valtopia. “It doesn’t matter where you are. Anybody can find a cause that they believe in and contribute to it,” Cripps said. “When you help, the energy you generate comes back to you and makes everything go a little better.” n

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Our PEOPLE

HURRICANES PROMPT ALUMNI TO TAKE FLIGHT

BY ZACK PLAIR ill Simmons has trained for almost two years to fly his first mission. Now, he just has to wait for favorable liftoff conditions—strong winds, heavy rain and an approaching storm.

A broadcast meteorologist turned Air Force Reserve first lieutenant, he hasn’t entirely departed from his first career choice. In fact, one could argue that he’s now taking it to its extreme. A 2011 Mississippi State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in geosciences, Simmons is one of 120 members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. When he finally flies a live mission, it will take him into the eye of a hurricane.

FALL 2015

Called “hurricane hunters,” members of the 53rd deploy into hurricanes, tropical storms and typhoons in the Atlantic, Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico to collect information that the National Hurricane Center uses to track a storm’s path, intensity and projected rainfall. Since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts in 2005, Simmons said hurricane hunters have helped provide more accurate information about hurricanes, thus saving lives. “That’s a big reason why I wanted to join,” said Simmons, who came to the 53rd in 2013 after a twoyear stint as the morning meteorologist for WCBI in Columbus. “I loved my job, but this allows me to be a part of a more hands-on application.” Fellow Bulldogs, Majs. Christopher Card and Phillip Dobson, both navigators with the squadron, have already collectively logged more than 30 storm missions. Dobson, who has served with the 53rd since 2008, has navigated more than 90 flights through hurricanes in the last seven years. He explained that at minimum a team of five—including two pilots, a navigator, a loadmaster and a weather officer—take a C-130 aircraft into storms. Upon arrival, the plane, typically flying at about 10,000 feet, crosses the eye of the storm several times while the loadmaster releases instruments, called drop sondes, into the hurricane. Equipped with radio transmitters, those instruments measure dew point, temperature, wind pressure and other key indicators as they fall, usually taking about four minutes to reach the ocean’s surface. Dobson said the team stays in contact with the National Hurricane Center to get feedback on how many drop sondes are needed to collect the most accurate data. That data helps the center predict where a storm will make landfall and quickly get information to areas that need to evacuate. “We give a really dynamic platform for the hurricane center to get out the best information,” Dobson said. In only his second year with the 53rd, Card said he has flown missions in the Pacific to track storms that threatened the Hawaiian islands. He also navigated for a team that flew into Tropical Storm Bill in May, as it threatened more rainfall for the already saturated Houston area. Most notably, Card said he endured an arduous, 11 and a half hour mission through Hurricane Erika in August, when the C-130 “used every bit” of its 59,000-pound fuel load.

“People ask all the time what these missions are like, and it depends,” Card said. “Every experience is different.” When all goes according to plan, as Dobson said it typically does, the long flights bring with them the requisite turbulence of hurricane-force winds, but that’s just another day at the office for hurricane hunters. However, it only takes once to remind them how unpredictable a force of nature can be. In summer 2014, Dobson said his team flew into Tropical Storm Arthur as it was strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane. At the edge of the storm, the plane encountered a spin-off tornado and briefly stopped responding to input commands. “That was a pretty stressful situation,” Dobson said. “We continued to operate according to our training, and it all worked out. Fortunately, the issue only lasted a few seconds.” Dobson, who earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry in 2000 and an MBA in 2009, served eight and a half years on active duty, including tours in Afghanistan, before joining the 53rd. He said he first became interested in hurricane hunting when he was stationed in Pensacola, Florida, as a flight instructor in 2004, just weeks after Hurricane Ivan had battered the Florida coast. “There were parts of Pensacola that looked a lot like parts of Afghanistan I had just left,” he said. “So I’ve seen how severely an area can be impacted by these kinds of storms.” For Card, a 2005 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in history, stories about the “crazy guys who flew into hurricanes” piqued his interest. After he left active duty, which also included multiple tours in Afghanistan, he decided hurricane hunting wouldn’t be a bad gig. “When we tell people what we do, some people just look at us with blank stares,” Card said. “Most often, I guess I get the question, ‘Aren’t you scared?’ I guess it can be scary, but it’s not nearly as scary as being shot at in Afghanistan.” Simmons said he first heard about hurricane hunting when members of the 53rd visited one of his meteorology classes. Though the process joining the squad took longer than he expected, he said he’s excited about embarking on his first flight and feels it will be well worth the wait. Rather than haze Simmons, their greener Bulldog compatriot, with horror stories to shake his nerves, the more experienced Card and Dobson joked that they’d rather let nature do the talking. “The storm will take care of that for us,” Dobson said. n

Above: C-130 aircraft preparing to fly and taxing down the runway and an inside look at a cockpit of a C-130.

“People ask all the time

what these missions are like, and it depends. Every experience is different.”

~ Maj. Christopher Card

ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Our PEOPLE

ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES

SELECTIONS

he MSU Alumni Association recently named its 2015 class of Alumni Fellows, a distinction these honorees will carry for life. These individuals, representing each academic college, returned to campus in October to meet with students, faculty and staff members as part of the program that began more than 25 years ago. The Alumni Fellows program seeks to recognize Mississippi State University’s most distinguished alumni by showcasing their talents and accomplishments in their respective careers. The program annually brings outstanding graduates from the university’s academic colleges to campus to share extensive and real-world professional experiences and provide career guidance to students. Their interactions enrich the MSU experience through formal classroom programs and smaller groups. “We are proud to continue this tradition of bringing high-caliber alumni back to campus as role models for our students and for our faculty,” said Jeff Davis, executive director of the MSU Alumni Association. “Each individual Alumni Fellow brings a wealth of experience in his or her field to share with students and faculty across the university.” The 2015 class of Alumni Fellows includes (by college): COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES

M. Todd Jarvis of Atlanta, Georgia, received a Bachelor of Science in agricultural engineering technology and business from Mississippi State in 1989. He is chief operating officer of Chateau Energy Solutions and a certified

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PHOTO BY RUSS HOUSTON

ALUMNI FELLOWS

From L-R: (Top row) Joel A. Carroll, Dr. Jefferson D. Grady, M. Todd Jarvis (Middle) Laurie R. Williams, MSU President Mark E. Keenum, Ruth J. Cook (Bottom) Dr. Thomas R. Byrd, Celia Thomason Knighton, Kenneth B. Robinson, Dr. Karen G. Collins energy manager. His extensive management experience includes responsibility within both publicly traded firms and privately funded businesses.

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, ART AND DESIGN

Joel A. “Tony” Carroll of Tupelo received a Bachelor of Science in industrial arts education in 1975. Carroll is vice president and construction manager of Sanderson Construction Company Inc. in Amory. He has been honored as Mississippi’s Construction Man of the Year and is a past president of Mississippi Associated Builders and Contractors.

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Laurie R. Williams of Madison earned a Bachelor of Science in communication/mass media in 1979 from Mississippi State, where she served as the first female Student Association president. She then furthered her education at the University of Mississippi where she received her law degree in 1985. Williams has been a defense litigation attorney for 30 years. She is a shareholder and senior litigator for Copeland, Cook, Taylor, and Bush, P.A. and has been honored as one of Mississippi’s 50 Leading Business Women.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Kenneth “Ken” B. Robinson of Mason, Ohio, earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from Mississippi State in 1977 and an MBA in finance from the University of Memphis in 1981. He serves as vice president of global diversity and inclusion for Proctor & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, and leads the company’s global audit, enterprise risk and compliance efforts.

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Celia Thomason Knighton of Rosedale received a Bachelor of Science in special education from MSU in 1972. She received a master’s degree in administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in public affairs from Baruch College. She was principal of Career Technical High School,

the largest such high school in New York state and was the first female appointed as superintendent of that state’s Germantown School District. At the time of her retirement, Knighton was the superintendent of schools for the state of New York.

JAMES WORTH BAGLEY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Dr. Thomas R. “Tommy” Byrd of Florence received a Bachelor of Science in biological engineering from MSU in 1981 and a Doctor of Dental Medicine in 1988 from the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry. Two years later, he opened Florence Dental Practice. At MSU, his honors include Distinguished Engineering Fellow for the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering, and he remains active with the Alumni Association’s national board of directors.

COLLEGE OF FOREST RESOURCES

Ruth J. Cook of Seminary graduated with a Bachelor of Science in forestry in 1982. She is a registered forester in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. She currently serves as the director of government affairs and forest certification for the Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC. She has been honored as one of Mississippi’s 50 leading Business Women for her accomplishments.

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Drs. Jefferson D. “Jeff” Grady and Karen G. Collins of Cincinnati, Ohio, received their Doctors of Veterinary Medicine from MSU in 1990. The classmates are now married with their own veterinary practices. Grady assumed ownership of his family’s practice, Grady Veterinary Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Collins owns Companion Care Animal Hospital in Fairfield, Ohio.

For detailed biographies on the 2015 selections and other information about Alumni Association programs, visit www. alumni.msstate.edu. n

EmBARK on an adventure with the Alumni Association The MSU Alumni Association annually sponsors several trips across the globe through the Traveling Bulldogs program. The schedule below outlines trips for 2016 available for booking. 2016 TRAVELING BULLDOGS Relax on the Sands and Shores of the Caribbean: Feb. 12-22 Explore Tasman Treasures in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand: Feb. 21-March 9 Sail to Sultans and Palaces from Istanbul to Athens: March 4-12 Enjoy a week in Ireland–St. Patty’s Day: March 13-23 Discover Cuba: April 16-24 Travel the Passages of Lewis and Clark–Clarkston, Washington to Portland, Oregon: May 7-15 Ride the Danube River: May-June Tour Barcelona and San Sebastian, ACA: June 5-14 Ride the Regal Routes of Northern Europe: June 13-24 Roam Coastal Maine and New Brunswick: June 22-29 Hike the Canadian Rockies: Summer Bask in the Glory of Alaska: Summer View the Magnificent Great Lakes: July 8-17 See the Art of Living in Tuscany: Aug. 5-27 Celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany: Sept. 13-26 Immerse yourself in London: Sept. 26-Oct. 7 Navigate the Mediterranean Pathways and Piazzas–Rome to Monte Carlo: Oct. 14-24

Explore the Alumni Association website for more information at alumni.msstate.edu/travel.

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Alumni should visit alumnicareerservices.org/msstate and select the webinar series specific to their needs.

Our PEOPLE

NEW CAREER WEBINAR SERIES DEBUTS FOR ALUMNI An opportunity exists for alumni of Mississippi State University to use webinar courses for career planning and advancement. The university’s Alumni Association and Career Center encourage alumni worldwide to access this service to aid in their career planning and professional development. The complimentary webinar series is for recent MSU graduates and graduate students who are just beginning their paths or for those seeking career advancement. In place within a career management community is a platform that allows individuals to manage a career path, utilize career tools, join in discussions, and map out a personalized plan for success. Additionally, the program can assist alumni in finding “encore careers” as they near their retirement years. Alumni should visit alumnicareerservices.org/msstate and select the webinar series specific to their needs. The webinars feature the nation’s top career authors giving listeners the knowledge necessary to transition into any career at any stage of life. n

McGee joins Alumni Association staff

he Mississippi State University Alumni Association welcomes Casey McGee this fall as the new assistant coordinator for chapter and recruitment programs. The 130-year-old association strives to foster lifelong relationships through programs, activities and events for its alumni and dedicated staff like McGee will help fulfill this mission. Starkville native McGee comes to MSU from A2H Inc. in Memphis, she served as a Tennessee, where marketing coordinator. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication with an emphasis in public relations from Mississippi State in 2015. While a student, she was communications manager for the university’s EcoCAR 3 team and served as vice president of public relations and scholarship committee chair for the association’s Alumni Delegates. McGee is excited to be returning to

FALL 2015

her alma mater in this key role. “My time of service with Mississippi State helped me develop a strong passion not only for the university, but also for the mission of the Alumni Association,” she said. In her new role, McGee will provide guidance and advice for alumni chapters and their leaders. She will also serve as a liaison between the Alumni Association and the Office of Admissions and Scholarships and will personally work with the institution’s alumni to further the role of this group in student recruiting. “We are thrilled to have Casey join our team,” said Jeff Davis, MSU Alumni Association executive director. “We look forward to working with her to continue serving our alumni and friends, and providing them opportunities to support MSU in many ways.”

McGee

RENASANT BANK TAILGATES WITH MSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION “Renasant is a community oriented bank that cultivates relationships locally as the foundation for our success and MSU is a large part of the community that we support with our outreach activities.”

~Tommy Tomlinson

he fall sports season on the Mississippi State University campus is always a time for the Bulldog faithful to gather and experience a great Southern tailgate opportunity. For every home football game this year, Renasant Bank has proudly presented festivities in conjunction with the university’s Alumni Association. Beneath two big-top tents in front of the Leo Seal M-Club, alumni, friends and fans have enjoyed music, face painting, pompoms, “beat” stickers and complimentary food and drinks for every home game. “We are excited to join with the MSU family this season and present the tailgate experience through the Alumni Association,” said Tommy Tomlinson, Starkville division president of Renasant Bank. “Renasant is a community oriented bank that cultivates relationships locally as the foundation for our success and MSU is a large part of the community that we support with our outreach activities.” Tomlinson graduated from Mississippi State with a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance in 1975. He has enjoyed more than

40-years in the banking industry, specifically with Renasant since 2011. “Renasant is a generous partner of MSU and our association, and we are grateful for the opportunity to extend MSU hospitality alongside them during sports season,” said Jeff Davis, executive director of the MSU Alumni Association. Through the years, Renasant Bank has been a strong supporter of MSU. Among its generous gifts include the Renasant Bank Annual Scholarship, and the Renasant Bank Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Finance in the College of Business, which assists in attracting and retaining outstanding faculty and administrators. Additionally, the Renasant Bank Conference Room in the Leo W. Seal Family Business Complex is named in honor of the financial institution’s generosity. Throughout football season, remember to visit the alumni website often at www. alumni.msstate.edu for the latest details on upcoming tailgate activities and travel opportunities. n

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Our PEOPLE

For more information on the Alumni Association and its delegates organization, visit www.alumni.msstate.edu.

ALUMNI DELEGATES SERVE MSU WITH DISTINCTION Forty-three Mississippi State students are 2015-16 members of the university Alumni Association’s liaison organization. Founded in 1980, Alumni Delegates serve as key links between the 137-year-old land-grant institution and its more than 132,000 living graduates. Helping improve the student body’s understanding of the alumni association’s role and purpose also is among their major goals. Over the decades, the volunteer group has assisted with organizational programs and activities, including football tailgate gatherings, class reunions, free in-state tuition drawings, and numerous other on- and off-campus events. Members are selected each year through a highly competitive interview process. Consisting of 21 returning and 22 new members, this year’s group was chosen from among nearly 300 applicants. The 2015-16 Alumni Delegates include (by hometown):

ABERDEEN—Daron K. Chandler, a senior mechanical engineering and mathematics double-major. BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Emily E. Dance, a senior electrical engineering major. BRENTWOOD, Tennessee—Erica A. Sowell, a senior human sciences/human development and family studies major. CANTON—Sanjaris D.M. Johnson, an educational psychology major; and Marshall G. Scruggs, a biological sciences major. Both are seniors.

HATTIESBURG—Robert O. “Rob” Hairston, a senior communication/public relations major serving as the organization’s president. HOOVER, Ala.—Alex K. Ezelle, a kinesiology/ sports administration graduate student and a May 2014 cum laude accounting graduate. HOUSTON—Nolen Hood, a senior mechanical engineering major.

CHELSEA, Ala.—Austin G. Grace, a senior computer science major.

JACKSON—Jonathan D. Lancaster, a business administration graduate student and May 2015 cum laude accounting graduate; and Bianca A. Tatum, a senior marketing major.

CLINTON—Allyra C. Williams, a junior political science/pre-law major.

LAUREL—Leslie R. Howard, a senior psychology major.

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn.—Skylar S. Workman, a senior kinesiology/clinical exercise physiology major.

MACON—Christian L. Good, a senior agribusiness/management major.

COLUMBUS—Nicholas H. “Nick” Brewer, a junior biochemistry/pre-medicine major; Tyrus R. Hill, a senior finance major; and Hagan D. Walker, a senior electrical engineering major. CORINTH—Annaleigh E. Coleman, a senior biological engineering major serving as the group’s vice president of education. CUMMING, Ga.—Emma C. Sweat, a senior marketing major. CYPRESS, Texas—Abrianna N. Thompson, a junior pre-accounting major. FLORA—Zavian S. J. Burns, a senior kinesiology/ clinical exercise physiology major.

GULFPORT—Katherine M. Gargiulo, a junior political science/pre-law major.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Alison N. Jones, a junior political science major. MERIDIAN—Jermario J. Gordon, a senior marketing major. NEW ALBANY— Samuel J. “Josh” Creekmore, a senior history and business administration double-major serving as the group’s secretary; and Joseph D. “Joe” Male, a junior chemical engineering major. PASCAGOULA—Katherine L. “Kaylie” Mitchell, a senior art/graphic design major serving as the organization’s vice president of public relations.

PELHAM, Ala.—Van K. Tong, a counselor education/student affairs graduate student. She is a May magna cum laude communication/ journalism and pre-law graduate. PETAL—Seth I. Rhodes, a senior biological engineering major. PONTOTOC—Anna L. Chrestman, a senior secondary education major; and Edward M. “Eddie Mac” Huddleston, a May 2015 magna cum laude biochemistry/pre-medicine graduate now pursuing a second bachelor’s degree. RICHTON—Taylor Thoms, a senior mechanical engineering major. RIDGELAND—Elizabeth Shapley, a junior interior design major. SLIDELL, La.—Edward T. “Eddie” White, a junior chemical engineering major. SOUTHAVEN—Thomas L. “Tommy” Allmon, a senior agricultural engineering technology and business major. STARKVILLE—Dipa P. Patel, a junior biochemistry/pre-medicine major; and Teddy P. “Trey” Wallace, a sophomore computer engineering major. TERRY—Taylor N. Wilkinson, a junior biological sciences/pre-dental major. TUPELO—Benjamin T. “Ben” Coggin, a junior mechanical engineering major; and Mary Holliman Lanphere, a senior elementary education major. VANCLEAVE—Matthew T. “Matt” Moseley and Jessica E. Sanders. Both are senior biological engineering majors.

2016

Alumni

ASSOCIATION Awards Banquet & Leadership Conference

Save the Date

February 12-13, 2016 The Mill Conference Center Alumni officers, chapter leaders and honorees can find updated information and schedules at

alumni.msstate.edu/conferenceinfo.

ABLC-2016_SaveDateAd_Alumnus_Half.indd 1

9/10/15 11:50 AM

THE MISSISSIPPI STATE RING

TRUE MAROON

Be part of the tradition!

速

VISIT ALUMNI.MSSTATE.EDU/CLASSRING OR CALL 662.325.7000 FOR MORE INFORMATION. ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Infinite IMPACT

Mississippi State selects 2015-16 Presidential Scholars class By Sasha Steinberg

tudents who are Presidential Scholars at Mississippi State University are wellknown for their academic skills, creativity and desire to excel in their studies. These young adults are among the nationally elite students who come to MSU for the opportunity to further their goals as students in the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College. Fifteen freshmen and sophomores from Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, California and Louisiana are new selections for Mississippi State’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships. These students join 30 others selected in previous years of the program that is part of the highest level of academic achievement at Mississippi State. Incoming freshmen receiving Presidential Scholarships may keep them for as long as eight semesters. The annual awards cover the current cost of university tuition, fees, books and room and board, as well as research and study-abroad expenses. To qualify, the scholars must have a minimum 30 ACT/1330 SAT score, as well as have graduated with a minimum core or overall 3.75 high school grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. Each Presidential Scholar is expected to maintain an overall 3.4 GPA while at Mississippi State. The 2015-16 Presidential Scholars class includes nine in-state recipients. They are Charles C. Provine of Brandon, a freshman biochemistry/pre-medicine major receiving a Malcolm and Olivia Portera Presidential Scholarship; Nicholas A. “Nick” Ezzell of Laurel, a sophomore physics major receiving a Charles and Pat Lee Presidential Scholarship; Elise M. Moore of Madison, a freshman political science major receiving a Steve and Melody Golding Presidential Scholarship; freshman chemistry major Caroline N. Russell of Madison receiving an L.A. Hurst Presidential Scholarship; Benjamin N. “Ben” Emmich of Olive Branch, a sophomore biological engineering major receiving a Hal and Linda Parker Presidential Scholarship; Karleigh E. W. Kimbrell of Pontotoc, a junior

FALL 2015

PHOTO BY RUSS HOUSTON

President Mark E. Keenum, center, welcomes the newest class of MSU Presidential Scholars, including (first row, L-R) Sarah Darrow, Elise Moore, Gentry Burkes, Kristen Lacy; (second row) Flannery Voges-Haupt, Shelby Adair, Caroline Russell, Nick Ezzell, Stephanie Durr; (third row) Ben Emmich, Spencer Callicot, David Sides, Charles Provine, and Ryan Stallcup. Karleigh Kimbrell is not pictured. English major receiving an Ottilie Schillig Presidential Scholarship; Shelby C. Adair of Starkville, a freshman biological engineering major receiving a Mickey and Babs Holliman Presidential Scholarship; Kristen R. Lacy of Starkville, a sophomore chemical engineering major receiving a John and Renée Grisham Presidential Scholarship; and Flannery VogesHaupt of Starkville, a freshman chemistry major receiving a Dean and Turner Wingo Presidential Scholarship. Joining them are six out-of-state recipients: David H. Sides of Birmingham, Alabama, a freshman business administration/ international business major receiving a James and Kay Bryan Presidential Scholarship; Spencer I. Callicott of Bryant, Arkansas, a sophomore computer engineering major receiving a Bobby and Barbara Martin Presidential Scholarship; Ryan M. Stallcup of Huntsville, Alabama, a freshman electrical engineering major receiving a Lila and Hunter Henry Presidential Scholarship; Gentry I. Burkes of Los Angeles, California, a freshman English major receiving a G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Presidential Scholarship; Sarah E. Darrow of Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, a freshman computer

science major receiving a Mickey and Babs Holliman Presidential Scholarship; and Stephanie J. Durr of Shreveport, Louisiana, a freshman political science/pre-law major receiving a G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Presidential Scholarship. Selected from more than 500 qualified applicants, the new Presidential Scholars have opportunities to interact with members of the land-grant institution’s extensive research faculty and be part of the college’s Oxford University summer-study program in England, along with other enhanced learning opportunities. Over the years, a number of scholars have received additional recognitions as national Goldwater, Marshall, Mitchell, Rhodes, Truman and Udall scholars, as well as being selected for a variety of professional internships. Donors may continue to establish endowments for Presidential Scholarships. A minimum of $250,000 will endow a Presidential Scholarship. To contribute, contact Jack McCarty, executive director of development for the MSU Foundation, at 66.325.9580 or jmccarty@foundation. msstate.edu. n

MILESTONE FISCAL YEAR DRIVES INFINITE IMPACT

PHOTOS BY RUSS HOUSTON

BY AMY CAGLE

The MSU Foundation Ambassadors student group held its annual Donor Appreciation Day on the historic Drill Field this fall. More than 600 students signed large thankyou displays, extending their gratitude for philanthropy.

rivate giving continues to have a powerful impact on Mississippi State University, and fiscal year 2015 adds one to the record books with more than $109.6 million in gifts and pledges raised. Fiscal year 2015 was the most successful giving year in the university’s 137-year history, as it posted an over $3 million increase from the previous year’s $106.2 million. Of the total funds raised for MSU in fiscal year 2015, new gifts accounted for more than $48.5 million, while new pledges totaled nearly $25.9 million. A strong year in deferred gifts made up the remaining $35.2 million plus. Also, the proportion of alumni who contributed climbed to nearly 19 percent, ranking MSU above several major peer institutions in that measure of support among former students and keeping the institution well above the national average. “The generosity of donors sparked the highest giving year in Mississippi State history and marked the second time in our organized fundraising that we’ve experienced back-to-back $100 million plus

years,” said John P. Rush, vice president for development and alumni and president and CEO of the MSU Foundation. He added, “We are deeply grateful to our contributors and we hope to experience this trend in giving for the foreseeable future.”

“We are deeply grateful to our contributors and we hope to experience this trend in giving for the foreseeable future.” ~John Rush The successful giving year created a major infusion for Infinite Impact: The Mississippi State University campaign. Since 2010, campaign gift counting has reached more than $586.4 million toward an announced goal of $600 million.

“As we work to secure the amount needed for Infinite Impact, we renew our focus on areas across MSU where gifts are crucial to the university’s mission and its long-range goals,” said Rush. “We are proud of all we have accomplished during Infinite Impact, and we are grateful for our contributors who see the work and impact of MSU as an investment in the future of our world.” There is still time for supporters to extend the MSU impact further. At the midpoint of another fiscal year, alumni and friends should consider various giving avenues with tax advantages. Annual gifts, stock gifts and planned gifts, such as gift annuities and bequests, will count toward the overall campaign goal. Gifts of real estate and timberland through MSU’s Bulldog Properties and The Bulldog Forest programs are also encouraged. Professional staff members of the MSU Foundation are available to offer personal assistance with gift planning year-round. A complete list of staff members is located at www.msufoundation.com. ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Infinite IMPACT As Mississippi State moves toward its $600 million Infinite Impact goal, the individual priorities of the university’s academic colleges and major units remain at the forefront of fundraising efforts. Some highlights of specific giving opportunities include: • Endowments for faculty positions in cropping systems and agricultural marketing in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences created with gifts can further the university’s impact to reach other nations that often rely on agriculture as their primary source of revenue. Besides the economic impact, the knowledge gained from these areas, along with food safety and crop production, allows countries to feed growing populations. Drawing the best students will take scholarships and graduate assistantships. An investment in these students and their education will allow them to become tomorrow’s responsible leaders.

• An endowment gift for the College of Architecture, Art and Design would give Mississippi an opportunity to become a national leader in design and build, sustainable design, rural economic development and innovative construction practices. The college also seeks an endowment to attract adjunct faculty who are nationally and internationally recognized practicing architects, designers and construction professionals. With an endowment for the Building Construction Science program and a chair to lead the program, MSU can further innovative

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construction education. Scholarships also are needed for students in all areas of study. • Uniquely positioned by enrolling more than a quarter of the student body and providing much of the general education requirements, gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences can be leveraged to impact nearly every student who passes through MSU. A Graduate Fellowship program will recruit top graduate students, which directly bolsters not only teaching and research, but also the ability to recruit and retain the very best faculty. Endowed chairs and professorships will further enhance our research productivity and academic stature. World-changing research takes place in the college every day, and gifts make this possible.

• As it marks a century of progress, the College of Business is creating a Wall Street atmosphere where students can learn about a global economy. With gifts, the college can create an enhanced speaker series featuring distinguished alumni and professionals who can provide insight into the global marketplace. Another effort for the college is to develop a new concentration encouraging global thinking and addressing critical topics such as information assurance, cyber security and fraud detection. Funding is needed to initiate this program, which will, in turn, produce graduates prepared to enter these demanding careers. • MSU can strengthen its stance as a state and national leader in early childhood education with an endowed professor to lead the Early Childhood Institute in the College of Education. The position will assist in developing and providing research-based practices and

policy recommendations that promote high quality early childhood development and learning for all young children in Mississippi. Beyond our campus, the College of Education aims to address the needs of rural populations with the creation of a partnership school. With gifts for this project, MSU will serve as a model for teacher education and as a research center for rural education across the nation.

• The future of the engineering profession in the United States is at a critical juncture. Our nation is now producing fewer engineering graduates than competing countries, and the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering must have gifts to provide scholarships and educational opportunities for exceptional degree candidates. The college cultivates these talented students with outreach to K-12 students and teachers. In any given year, thousands of K-12 students interact with the college through science fairs and summer camps, and gifts are needed to continue this exposure. With gifts for critical areas, the college will continue amassing its reputation as one of the top engineering colleges in the nation. • With Infinite Impact gifts, the College of Forest Resources can develop cutting-edge programs and offer the best all-around educational experience as we teach the next generation to find solutions to utilize precious resources and pursue renewable energy opportunities. The college seeks to endow chairs in large animal management, which includes white-tailed deer, and renewable energy. The large animal management chair will provide research and mentor future leaders in wildlife management while advocating

for conservation through hunting. The renewable energy chair, combined with licensed technology, will ensure that MSU continues to be a leader in bioenergy, thus economically impacting our state.

• As one of only 28 accredited veterinary medicine colleges in the United States, and the only one in Mississippi, the College of Veterinary Medicine plays a vital role with daily veterinary care, lifesaving surgeries, and pioneering research. Private support can improve the overall learning and research environment for our undergraduate, graduate, veterinary technology, and doctor of veterinary medicine students in the college and its Animal Health Center. Beyond our campus, gifts can help CVM with outreach programs that foster a passion for veterinary medicine in future generations. Further outreach is provided through our mobile veterinary clinics that bring services to communities and give our students hands-on educational experiences through gifts.

• The Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College can further expand academic and study abroad opportunities for the university’s top students through private support. Alumni and friends can

increase the number of scholarships for potential selections of prestigious national and international awards such as the Rhodes, the Marshall and the Truman. With gifts, the college can grow through special programs and community service efforts, and implementation of a research and discovery program for middle school students to broaden their horizons. • MSU Athletics continues its plans to upgrade facilities over time for all 16 NCAA Division I sports programs currently offered by the university. Planned projects in need of gifts include the renovation and expansion of PolkDeMent Stadium at Dudy Noble Field to modernize the complex to keep baseball play at the highest level. Also more gifts are needed for the full completion of the MSU Golf Practice Facility located at Old Waverly Golf Club and for extensive work on the A. J. Pitts Tennis Centre and Softball Complex. Gifts for these projects will help MSU ensure facilities for all sports remain top-notch. And, most importantly, gifts can help studentathletes excel in the classroom and in the field of competition.

able to expand its educational offerings and meet this critical need. • The University Libraries will continue to pursue inclusion with the Association of Research Libraries and place an emphasis on facilities and technology. For Mitchell Memorial Library, gifts can help expand and renovate the Instructional Media Center, refurbish the electronic classroom and auditorium, and place additional technology in the John Grisham Room, named for the MSU alumnus and best-selling author. The library is also working to house more collections in the humanities. The MSU Foundation offers many ways to have an immediate impact on the university’s goals and create a lasting impact for tomorrow. Contributors should consider:

• Outright gifts

• Matching gifts from employers • Gift annuities • Gifts of personal property and real estate • Gifts of stocks, bonds and other securities • Bequests

• MSU-Meridian is seeking to expand its current recruiting efforts by using scholarships to recruit students who seek to pursue degrees in one of the main divisions of Arts and Sciences, Business and Education. With a regional need for a well-prepared workforce in healthcare services, the university can be a frontrunner in eastern Mississippi and western Alabama for medical education and research endeavors. By securing campaign gifts, MSU-Meridian will be

Special videos and progress reports for Infinite Impact may be found at infiniteimpactmsu.com. Individuals can discuss the best way to impact MSU by contacting Jack McCarty, executive director of development for the MSU Foundation, at 662.325.7000 or email jmccarty@foundation.msstate.edu. Any contribution to MSU from now through 2018, regardless of the designation, is a commitment to Infinite Impact. n

ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Infinite IMPACT

FALL 2015

REMEMBER WHEN OLD MAIN: Originally called the Main Dormitory, this building was the first dormitory on campus and was thought in its day to be the largest college dormitory in the United States. The first section was built in 1880, with additions in 1901, 1903, 1906, and 1922. Old Main was destroyed by fire on January 22, 1959; bricks salvaged from the fire were used to build the Chapel of Memories.

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Infinite IMPACT

Visit msufoundation.com and read the latest MSU Foundation publication.

Recipients of The James Patterson Teacher Education Scholarships are (l-r): Mary “Hannah” Duke, Birmingham, Alabama; Caitlin McFarland, Franklin, Tennessee; Brooke Leggett, Centreville, Alabama; Amanda Hayes, Madison, Alabama; Abigail Yann, Franklin, Tennessee; Jodie Newsom, Laurel; Mary Hannah Swan, Madison. Caroline Thomas of Cumming, Georgia, is not pictured.

Bestselling author rewards future teachers through scholarship By Addie Mayfield

any different components contribute to a person’s academic success; however, the most influential of these factors can often be the instruction of a devoted teacher. James Patterson, a New York Times bestselling author, understands the need for quality educators and is helping future teachers pursue their degrees. Mississippi State University is one of nearly 20 colleges and universities to receive James Patterson Teacher Education Scholarships this year. Funded by the Patterson Family Foundation, eight $6,000 scholarships have been awarded to Mississippi State students pursuing degrees in education. “This very generous gift for teacher education scholarships exemplifies the values and commitment of James Patterson and his wife, Susan Solie Patterson, to quality education,” said Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum. The 2015-16 MSU James Patterson Teacher Education Scholarship recipients are all freshmen majoring in elementary education. In addition to upholding a 3.0 GPA and expressing an interest in English language arts, the scholarship recipients are expected to understand the importance of promoting literacy and plan to instill in their students a lasting love of reading. “Being a recipient of the James Patterson Scholarship means the world to me because of what it stands for,” said scholarship recipient Brooke Leggett of Centreville, Alabama. “Literacy is so important to me, and story time was one of my favorite parts of the day in elementary school.

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I cannot wait for the day I get to share that with students in my own classroom.” Patterson, himself a passionate promoter of reading and literacy, is best-known for his crime novels, including the Alex Cross, Women’s Murder Club and Michael Bennett series. He also holds the Guinness World Record for the most No. 1 New York Times bestsellers of any author and was the first to achieve 10 million e-book sales. The James Patterson Teacher Education Scholarships are one of several philanthropies supported by the Pattersons, including the James Patterson Pageturner Awards and the Middle School and College Book Bucks programs. Additionally, Patterson’s website, ReadKiddoRead.com, was established to help parents and teachers ignite the next generation’s excitement about reading. “The Pattersons have become a tremendous force for good in higher education and I’m very pleased to have Mississippi State affiliated with the work of their foundation,” Keenum said. Valuable support from benefactors like James Patterson and the Patterson Family Foundation allow Mississippi State to foster individual academic success, while also preparing the next generation of educators to do the same. “I have wanted to teach my entire life,” scholarship recipient Amanda Hayes of Madison, Alabama said. “It is rewarding to know that out of so many students, I was chosen to receive the scholarship award. It gives me all the more assurance and confidence in my career choice.” n

James Patterson

WALKER NAMED ANNUAL GIVING FUNDRAISER

lumni and friends of Mississippi State University are among the most faithful in the Southeastern Conference, and a new MSU Foundation fundraiser is in place to assist them with contributions through the university’s annual fund. Sidney “Ally” Walker became associate director of annual giving in September. A Starkville native and MSU alumna, Walker will be responsible for securing leadership annual giving commitments, assisting with special campaigns and focusing on specific university programs such as Compass Scholarships. She joins other team members—Jana Berkery, annual giving director, and Kelli Conrad, assistant director of annual giving who oversees the Bulldog Calling Center. Walker earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2009 from MSU in communication with an emphasis on public relations with a minor in marketing. Focusing on business development, outside

3719_USSP_NCAA_MIssStAlumniProgramAd_FINAL.indd 1

sales, and project management, she worked previously at Beech Street Capital in Bethesda, Maryland, and Skyline DFW Exhibits and Events in Grand Prairie, Texas. At MSU, the annual fund is designed to provide an avenue through which donors can support any area of Mississippi State on a continual basis. Gifts may be specifically designated for a college or school, academic department, scholarship fund, or any other area. A component of the annual giving program is the Bulldog Calling Center, composed of more than 50 student fundraisers. In addition to solicitations, center staff members work to update Alumni Association records during the contact process. MSU has more than 132,000 living alumni, and the MSU Foundation engages as many of them as possible annually. For a complete list of MSU fundraisers, visit msufoundation.com.

Ally Walker

9/28/15 3:22 PM

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FORMER STUDENT, MENTOR FOREVER CONNECTED BY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP By Amy Cagle

he dedicated teaching and guidance of a Mississippi State University faculty member helped spark a successful career in public service for one of his best students. In appreciation, the former student is saluting his mentor with an academic scholarship. When Scott Ross attended Mississippi State from 1978 to 1982, his favorite undergraduate professor was Krishnaprasad “Kris” G. Bhansali of Starkville. In honor of Bhansali’s passion for his field and the impact he made on his students, Ross has established the Kris Bhansali Endowed Scholarship in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration in the College of Arts and Sciences. Eighty-seven-year-old Bhansali came to the United States from his native India to follow his dream of becoming a teacher. He earned an undergraduate degree in his home country and came to the United States to earn a doctoral degree at American University in Washington, D.C. From there, he spent two years in his first academic appointment at the University of Houston-Texas, before relocating to Mississippi because he wanted to teach in an environment where he could personally know his colleagues and interact with his students. Bhansali joined the MSU faculty in 1966 and was a professor of political science at the time of his retirement in 2001. During his three decades at the university, Bhansali shared a passion for political science with his students. “As I began studying international relations under Kris, I was hooked on political science and he made it a complete way of thinking for me,” said Ross, who is a practicing attorney and businessman in West Point. “Kris’s classes and experiences made the political science major of study fun, and I definitely enjoyed the coursework and the intensity with which he taught.”

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Ross, a former Mississippi legislator and mayor of West Point, credits his success in state and local politics in part to Bhansali’s teaching methods and inspiration. He established the scholarship in the hope that current Mississippi State students will learn of the reputation of Bhansali and appreciate how the distinguished professor inspired an earlier generation of learners. “Kris opened the eyes of a Mississippi native who had never been anywhere in the world. It was a culture lesson in his class, and I and many of my classmates would often visit with him, and his wife, Julie, in his home,” Ross said. “He always extended his hospitality and in the process provided us with a wealth of knowledge into politics, government, and cultures across the world.”

“The scholarship is wonderful, and I am extremely pleased to have my name always connected to MSU. It is a place I am privileged to have found as my career home and I am grateful for the people I met, like Scott, who are now part of my extended family.” ~Krishnaprasad Bhansali Ross completed a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1982 and readily embarked on a career in public service before earning a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi. “When Scott was elected to the Mississippi legislature, I was extremely proud of his accomplishment and certainly everything he has done since that time, personally and professionally,” Bhansali said. Ross served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1984 to 1992, spending nine years of service on the universities and colleges committee. He was appointed to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning board of trustees for a term from May 2000 to May 2012. His resume also includes several years as a trustee and adjunct professor for Mary Holmes College, and as a state and local politics specialist for the John C. Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State.

PHOTO BY RUSS HOUSTON

Infinite IMPACT

L-R: Krishnaprasad Bhansali and Scott Ross Mississippi needs effective political and government leaders, and Ross hopes the scholarship will help educate and inspire future generations to serve at the local, state and national levels. Edward Clynch, a professor emeritus of political science and public administration is pleased the scholarship will enhance the legacy of his former Mississippi State colleague. “Kris Bhansali literally changed lives and was a positive influence on his students inside and beyond the classroom,” said Clynch, who served as a longtime political science department head in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Kris Bhansali Endowed Scholarship will assist full-time undergraduate students in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. Preference will be given to academically competitive students with a demonstrated interest in international relations. “The scholarship is wonderful, and I am extremely pleased to have my name always connected to MSU. It is a place I am privileged to have found as my career home and I am grateful for the people I met, like Scott, who are now part of my extended family,” Bhansali said. Former students and colleagues impacted by Bhansali have an opportunity to assist in growing the scholarship endowment. Individuals may contact Alex McIntosh, director of development for the College of Arts and Sciences, at 662.325.3240 or amcintosh@foundation. msstate.edu for additional information on honoring Bhansali with a contribution. n

Infinite IMPACT

Memorial I scholarship builds bright future for aspiring architects BY: ADDIE MAYFIELD

n 1984, Sheila Rene Jackson made a name for herself by becoming the first female African-American graduate of the Mississippi State University School of Architecture. Today, Sheila’s accomplishments continue to be recognized through an endowed scholarship fund in her memory, which will benefit future generations of students who share her passion for success. The Sheila Rene Jackson Memorial Endowed Scholarship within the College of Architecture, Art and Design, was established through a generous gift from Sheila’s siblings. The perpetual gift will enable more aspiring architects to pursue their goals while experiencing all that Mississippi State has to offer.

Sheila’s legacy at MSU, but would also do what meant the most to her—help others.” Beginning next year, the scholarship will be awarded to a fifth-year student in good standing within the MSU School of Architecture. Preference will be given to female African-American students and students demonstrating financial need. “The School of Architecture is honored to be the recipient of this generous memorial scholarship, and to be associated with Sheila Rene Jackson’s name,” said Michael Berk, director of the School of Architecture who holds the F.L. Crane Endowed Professorship in Architecture. “She was a pioneer in helping to break gender and racial barriers in the architectural profession,

“My sister believed in helping others. My siblings and I wanted to do something that would not only honor Sheila’s legacy at MSU, but would also do what meant the most to her—help others.” ~Betsy Jackson “Completing her degree in architecture was no easy feat for Sheila,” said Sheila’s sister, Betsy Jackson. “I remember many all-nighters she spent working in the architecture building to meet project deadlines, and her worries about how to pay for supplies and materials for those projects. “We wanted her legacy at MSU to always be remembered and what better way than through a scholarship to benefit future students pursuing their dreams to also become architects.” After graduating from MSU, Sheila led a progressive career as an architectural designer for several organizations including the city of Atlanta and the Georgia Tech Research Institute. Additionally, Sheila was a seasoned cook and poet, and regularly volunteered her time at the local women’s shelter. “My sister believed in helping others,” said Betsy. “My siblings and I wanted to do something that would not only honor

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and remains an incredible role model for us all.” As Mississippi State continues to push the limits and reach new levels in educational success, private support from devoted alumni and friends is essential. “Sheila had so many classmates who supported and encouraged her throughout her studies and many who remained friends throughout her life,” Betsy said. “I invite her classmates, friends and other family members to support the scholarship fund to help make a substantial impact in the lives of future students.” For more information on contributing to the Sheila Rene Jackson Memorial Endowed Scholarship, contact Perry “P.K.” Thomas, the college’s director of development, at 662.325.2542 or pkthomas@foundation.msstate.edu. Individuals may also visit msufoundation. com and discover how to establish a legacy at MSU. n

Want to contribute to the Allen Scholarships? Send an email to amcintosh@foundation.msstate.edu.

Porteras’ contribution strengthens Allen Scholarships BY ADDIE MAYFIELD

Thanks to support from alumni and friends like the Porteras, Allen’s legacy of leadership will continue for generations. MALCOLM AND OLIVIA PORTERA

uring his 30 year career, professor Tip H. Allen Jr. inspired students and peers alike. A devoted faculty member in political science and public administration, he had a profound impact on many lives, including that of former Mississippi State University President Malcolm Portera. After Allen’s passing in 2010, his family and academic department established the Tip Allen Undergraduate Scholarships in his memory. One individual eager to generously contribute was Portera. MSU’s 16th president and his wife, Olivia, both West Point natives and 1969 graduates, have been loyal supporters of MSU for many years, contributing to numerous areas and establishing multiple scholarships. The Tuscaloosa couple’s most recent gift of $250,000 will benefit the Tip Allen Endowed Memorial Scholarship in acknowledgment of the valuable impact Allen made on Malcolm’s life. Portera, initially graduated from Mississippi State with a Bachelor of Science, but decided that he wanted to pursue a career in higher education. Remembering how much he had enjoyed the political science and public administration class from his undergraduate studies, Portera sought advice from the instructor, Allen. With Allen’s encouragement, Portera earned a Master of Science in political science from Mississippi State in 1971 and followed his mentor’s post-graduate path to the University of Alabama. Allen had earlier earned a doctorate in political science from the school in 1961, and readily provided a strong recommendation for Portera’s application to the same program. After gaining acceptance to the program and graduating from the UA with a doctoral degree in 1977, Portera enjoyed progressive administrative roles at the school for more than two decades. In 1998, he returned to Mississippi State and served as its president through 2001. He concluded his

TIP H. ALLEN JR.

successful career as chancellor of the UA system. Thanks to support from alumni and friends like the Porteras, Allen’s legacy of leadership will continue for generations. The Porteras’ contribution serves as a tribute to an investment that was once made in Malcolm, and affords investments in the lives of other students aspiring to make a difference through public service. At Mississippi State, the Tip Allen Endowed Memorial Scholarship provides financial assistance to undergraduate students participating in a public service internship. Recipients must demonstrate the potential for making contributions in some area of public service, engaging the spirit of Allen’s instrumental guidance. As an open fund in the MSU Foundation, the Tip Allen Undergraduate Scholarships may be increased through additional contributions. For more information, contact Alex McIntosh, director of development for the College of Arts and Sciences, at 662.325.3240 or amcintosh@ foundation.msstate.edu. n

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Infinite IMPACT

NEW BUILDING ECHOES SPIRIT OF OLD MAIN, Creates Future Teaching, Learning Blueprint By Amy Cagle Amid the heart of the 137-year-old historic campus of Mississippi State University, a captivating new structure will open next year. The building will strengthen excellence in academics with a multitude of teaching and learning areas while enhancing the MSU experience for all students. The dynamic, new classroom building will be reminiscent in design to the campus’s legendary Old Main Dormitory and strengthen the memory of that iconic structure for all students who lived there, and for thousands of others who know the tale of its rise and fall. Believed in its day to be the largest dormitory in the United States, Old Main was built in 1880 to house cadets of then Mississippi A&M, and four additions would follow before it burned in 1959 as Mississippi State College transitioned into Mississippi State University. The new building replicates the character and scale of Old Main and other historic buildings on campus, however it incorporates sustainable materials and systems and state-of-the-art technology. Beyond paying homage to history, the classroom structure creates a future blueprint for teaching and learning important to the Mississippi State reputation. “New facilities are imperative for the growth and success of Mississippi State University and this new classroom building reaffirms our commitment to excellence in teaching for all academic disciplines,” said Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum. “We are pleased to bring this building to our campus because it creates a way for our current students to strongly identify with those who successfully preceded them.” As with Old Main, the modern building will occupy a prime location within central campus. Since groundbreaking in mid-April 2014, the university has moved ahead with construction at the corner of George Perry Street and Barr Avenue with anticipation of opening the building in the fall of 2016. Eupora-based Belinda Stewart Architects is heading the project, and Brandon-based Evan Johnson and Sons Construction is the general contractor. The $41-million, 150,000 square-feet project is being built with funds through the Mississippi Bureau of Buildings and MSU’s Educational Building Corps. Private gifts associated with naming special features within the facility will enhance the project. The three-level facility will contain 90,000 square feet of classroom and associated spaces with 22 rooms

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on three floors. Additionally, another 60,000 square feet will be parking in a two-level garage. The parking structure will accommodate approximately 150 to 160 visitor and hourly parking spaces adjacent to the Colvard Student Union, Perry Cafeteria, Lee Hall and other core campus facilities. The building will house undedicated classroom space and be designed with advanced technology to meet multiple teaching styles and learning environments, from independent and small group study to large auditorium and distance learning spaces. “The classroom levels will accommodate the teaching and learning requirements for approximately 2,000 students and associated faculty and staff with multiple sizes of classroom space, from small to large, and many of them interactive,” said Julia Hodges, associate vice president for academic affairs. The building will be outfitted with modern instructional technology, energy efficient lighting, and energy management control systems. Further enhancing the efficiency will be electrochromic glass in the majority of the building’s windows that will adjust to provide a comfortable learning environment for all seasons. Among its architectural features, visitors will also find a grand staircase and two rotundas. Other select features include a gallery, a lounge area and a commons area that will house library resources for students of all academic disciplines. Many of these select areas are available for alumni to link their name to this facility. In a fitting tribute, an impressive first floor rotunda with seating will be named in honor of Robert E. “Bob” Wolverton Sr., a longtime professor of classics in MSU’s department of foreign languages. At MSU, Wolverton has been honored as a John Grisham Master Teacher and recognized by the Mississippi Legislature as one of the university’s outstanding faculty members. Wolverton earned in 1948 a bachelor’s degree in classics from Hanover (Indiana) College and later added a master’s from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from the University of North Carolina. He came to MSU in 1977 as vice president for academic affairs, having previously been president of a small private college. Over his long career, he has been a faculty member at the University of Georgia, and Tufts and Florida State universities, and held various other administrative positions, including department head and dean of graduate studies.

ABOVE AND RIGHT: An architect’s rendering depicts the new classroom building currently under construction in the central part of the MSU campus. The building occupies a prime location at the corner of George Perry Street and Barr Avenue. The facility will feature a grand staircase and various classroom and meeting spaces.

Chapel of Memories

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Infinite IMPACT

FIRST Floor

Along with Wolverton, MSU will recognize an alumnus for a contribution that helped spark the classroom building. The auditorium will be named for Turner Wingo of Collierville, Tennessee, a 1967 general business graduate who has enjoyed a successful career in real estate and investment management. His contributions to MSU include those for the Turner A. Wingo Endowed Professorship in the College of Business, several scholarships, funds for various campus facilities and support for athletics. He serves on the MSU Foundation board of directors. The Turner Wingo Auditorium will be a multipurpose area with state-of-the-art instructional technology. The area can be used in one or two spaces with its ceiling partition to section areas as a teaching space and as a venue for musical performances and speakers. Other alumni and friends may leave a lasting mark on Mississippi State by

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supporting the facility and linking their names with opportunities available. With gifts from $30,000 to $1 million, donors may name select areas and classrooms in honor or in memory of family members, friends or mentors. All commitments are payable over a five-year period. “The MSU Foundation would like to assist alumni and friends who want to have their name linked with this extraordinary facility as a salute to learning at its best,” said Jack McCarty, executive director of the MSU Foundation. “There are many ways to make gifts possible, and our fundraisers can help interested persons explore those avenues.” For their contributions, donors for the building will be recognized in the appropriate giving societies through the MSU Foundation. Each named area will be accompanied by appropriate signage. For personal assistance with featured opportunities, contact McCarty at 662.325.7000 or jmccarty@foundation. msstate.edu. n

NAMING

OPPORTUNITIES STUDY ROOM

$30K each

SMALL CLASSROOM

$100K each

COMMONS AREA

(with library resources)

$100K

GALLERY

$125K

(featuring Steinway piano) STANDARD CLASSROOM $150K each ACTIVE CLASSROOM LOUNGE AREA GRAND STAIRCASE

$250K each $500K $1M

SECOND Floor

THIRD Floor

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Class NOTES

1950s ________________________________________________

1990s _____________________________________________

Bill James (B.S. electrical engineering, ’58) has been elected to another three year term on the board of directors of SECOEnergy (Sumterville, Florida), the fifth largest electric cooperative in the U.S.

Wade Shrader (B.S. aerospace engineering, ’91)

1970s ______________________________________________ Catherine Dunn (B.S. industrial engineering, ’75)

is now the director of port development for the Port of New Orleans. She has been with the port for 26 years, serving the past 12 as deputy director of port development.

1980s ________________________________________________

Laura Beth Hendricks (B.B.A. banking and finance, ’92; B.P.A. accounting, ’93) has been promoted to

of business affairs at Copiah-Lincoln Community College after joining the school as comptroller in 2014. He is licensed as a certified public accountant in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Robert L. Taylor Jr. (Ph.D. animal physiology, ’81) has been named a

Fellow of the Poultry Science Association. He is a professor, director of the Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, and co-director of the School of Agriculture and Food at West Virginia University.

Randy Galloway (B.S. mechanical engineering, ’83) is now deputy

director of the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County. He will be responsible for coordinating all of NASA’s rocket propulsion testing capabilities and the center’s role in NASA’s applied science programs.

R. Douglas Vaughn (B.B.A. banking and finance, ’87) was included in the 22nd edition of “The Best Lawyers in America.” He is a partner at Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles LLP in Gulfport.

Dr. Jimmy Hollingsworth (B.S. education, ’87) is now the 140th president of the Mississippi Dental Association. He practices general dentistry at Hollingsworth Dental Clinic in Newton and was recognized as an Alumni Fellow in 2010.

FALL 2015

Marc Verhage (B.S. aerospace engineering, ’91) is now senior vice

president of the Civil Space Strategic Business Unit of TriVector Services Inc. in Huntsville, Alabama. This unit provides support to NASA’s Space Launch System and other projects.

Stan Patrick (B.P.A. accounting, ’80) has been named vice president

recently returned to Mississippi to be the chief of pediatric orthopedic surgery at Batson Children’s Hospital–University of Mississippi Medical Center. For the past 10 years he has served in the same role at Phoenix (Arizona) Children’s Hospital.

director of internal compliance and support at Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, an entertainment business management firm with offices in Nashville and New York.

Fourth generation farmer Allen Eubanks (B.S. agricultural economics, ‘92) is the 2015 Mississippi Farmer of the Year. His 2,800-acre farm is one of the largest vegetable farms in the state.

Alan E. Hicks (B.M.E. music education, ’93) will

make company debuts this season with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Minnesota Opera, Opera Santa Barbara and Shenandoah University. He spent the last two seasons with Seattle Opera, and last summer with Miami Summer Music Festival. His book “Singer and Actor: Acting Technique and the Operatic Performer” is available in paperback and as an e-book.

Bryan D. Leatherman (B.S. microbiology, ’93) was selected to

teach an instructional course on balloon sinus dilation and serve as an expert panelist at the 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy in Dallas, Texas. He is an ear, nose, throat and sinus surgeon at the Coastal Sinus and Allergy Center in Gulfport.

Christie Veach (B.B.A. marketing, ’93) has been promoted to assistant manager at Wal-Mart in Canton. She has been with the company in assistant and co-manager positions for 22 years. Charles Vance (B.B.A. management, ’94) plans to run 220 miles from Boston to New York City to raise money for the ASPCA, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Wounded Warrior Project. His elderly, rescued dog and training partner Jack will ride in a modified stroller to accompany him on the trek. More information is available at www.jackontherun.com.

Know an alum who has news or a recent promotion? Send an email to alumnus@msstate.edu.

Bill Hardin (B.P.A. accounting, ’96, M.P.A. accounting, ‘97) has joined Charles River Associates as a vice president at its Chicago office. Throughout his career he has worked hundreds of cases involving data breach and cyber incident response, theft of trade secrets, white-collar crime and enterprise risk management.

Lady Cox (B.A. communication, ’98) has been named assistant vice

president for engagement and outreach for Auburn University’s Division of Student Affairs. She will oversee the student center, student involvement, student media, and parent and family programs, while continuing to be the university’s deputy Title IX coordinator.

2000s _____________________________________________ Chase Frazure (B.B.A. general business, ‘01) is now senior vice

president and business banker at BankFirst Financial Services in Columbus. He has 14 years of banking experience, including eight years in commercial lending.

Getarah “Gigi” Washington Shepard (B.B.A. risk management, insurance and financial planning, ’08; MBA, ’09) earned a Juris Doctor in May from

Lauren Rushing Sullivan (B.A. English, ’12) earned a Juris Doctor in May from the Mississippi College School of Law.

Kelli Coggin (B.A. communication, ‘13) is now an agency producer with the GodwinGroup in Jackson. She is responsible for coordinating print, digital and broadcast production, as well as estimates and project management for the agency’s clients. Morris Marketing Group in Lakeland, Tennessee, recently hired

Clinton Alexander (B.A. communication, ’15) as a marketing

communications specialist. He will help create and maintain communication plans, facilitate client relations, assist in media relations, and construct and facilitate social media strategies.

Thomas McBroom (B.F.A., ’15) had three works accepted in the

Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Arts Council’s 27th Annual Juried Exhibit. His oil painting “Standing Pig” took third place. He also received a grant to serve as an artist-in-residence at the Vermont Studio Center for the month of August.

the Mississippi College School of Law.

2010s ________________________________________________

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS _______________________________________________________

Andrew Beets (B.S. geoscience, ’11) was named Civilian of the Second

Clara Marie Lann, Dec. 25, 2014 to Barry E. Lann (’01) and Curry Marie Lann of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Quarter 2015 at the Naval Oceanographic Office. He is a physical scientist, production specialist and quality control analyst in the Maritime Homeland Defense Support Division.

The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi has hired LaCiana

McIntyre (B.S. kinesiology, ’12; M.S. food science, nutrition and health promotion, ’14) as a health and

wellness coordinator. She will implement the partnership’s interactive childhood obesity prevention program, Just Have a Ball, in elementary schools across the state.

Eleanor Christine Seitz, June 16, 2015 to Marc Seitz (’03, ’07) and Holli Hitt Seitz (’05) of Starkville. John Thomas Mason, July 23, 2015 to Gregory Mason (’04) and Christina Pitzer Mason (’07, ’08). Henry Arthur Lassetter, Sept. 16, 2015 to Michael Lassetter and

Susan Hughes Lassetter (’07) of Starkville.

Mary Victoria Sanderson, Sept. 22, 2015 to Marie Thomas Sanderson (’01) and Brian Sanderson of Ocean Springs.

Brandi Ratliff Hamilton (B.A. history, ’12) earned a Juris Doctor and

health law certificate in May from the Mississippi College School of Law.

ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Forever MAROON

Scientists R. W. Shafer, J.L. Flanagan, and L.R. Rabiner (left to right) listen to synthetic speech produced by their new technique that uses only one fiftieth of the amount of digital information previously needed for computer generated speech. Photo courtesy of Bell Laboratories (November 1970).

Remembering Jim Flanagan ~ AN ACOUSTICS PIONEER James L. Flanagan, a pioneer in the field of acoustics, died August 25, 2015—one day shy of his 90th birthday. Born in Greenwood, he earned a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Mississippi State in 1948 before earning a master’s and doctorate from MIT where he began studying the efficient transmission of speech. He spent 33 years in research at AT&T Bell Laboratories, retiring as director of information principles research. He then spent 15 years at Rutgers University as a center director, professor and vice president for research before retiring to teach as an emeritus professor of electrical engineering at Mississippi State. He was honored with a National Medal of Science in 1996 and an honorary doctorate from Mississippi State in 2012. His book, “Speech Analysis, Synthesis and Perception,” became the foundation for modern speech and audio processing. However, he is most well known for contributing to the acoustic investigations into the JFK assassination, Apollo 1 tragedy and the Watergate tapes.

FALL 2015

A true lover of science and learning, Flanagan wrote of the future of science and science education shortly before his death. The following is an excerpt.

SHOULDERS OF GIANTS:

A Rumination

Science is a living thing. Its sustenance is knowledge—knowledge about our physical world. Despite the prominent interviews in Horgan’s book, “The End of Science,” my belief is that Science has no end—-because, the human intellect compels the unending search for knowledge. An oft-used phrase, especially by those (typically modest and humble) who have made societalchanging discoveries and contributions, is that we stand on the shoulders of giants. It is true. Each generation of scientists builds upon the remarkable advances of previous generations. … All fields of science are similar in this respect. It would seem there are giants in each generation, whose creation of knowledge is so key as to influence human understanding of, and benefit from, our physical world—-into the never-

ending future. A great challenge is to foster giants in every generation, to understand the human drive to seek knowledge, and to find ways to discover and cultivate such instinct. Many institutions of learning, lower and higher, are being drawn to this focus, as witnessed by emphasis on the science of learning, and the remarkable interactive Internet capabilities coming into existence. More and more, science is being shown to be attractive to young students. Those that commit to this career path will need increasing opportunities for knowledge generation—and, this, in turn, heightens the importance of strong support for basic research, in both leadership and facilities. Inevitably, governments have to be a mainstay in sustained and generous support. This highlights an obligation of today’s senior scientists to contribute to public understanding of science, and certainly to governmental understanding (where our country has a notable paucity of scientifically knowledgeable political leaders). The latter requires personal interactions that should now begin to transcend the scientists’ well-known aversion to political engagement. It is a responsibility that our present generation of scientists must accept and discharge. n

Know someone who should be recognized in Forever Maroon? Send an email to alumnus@msstate.edu.

Joe Turner Bilbro (B.S. business information systems, ’59 ) 78, Carlisle – As a young man he worked in films and as a longshoreman in California and later earned his Mississippi real estate license. He served in many community leadership positions and as a senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church where he was a member. – Jan. 30, 2015 Murray Elmo Collum (B.B.A. general business, ’71) 67, Greenwood – He spent his career with the Mississippi State Extension Service, including leading its emergency management efforts. He trained extension personnel and first responders across the state in incident management and coordinated response and recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon incident on the coast. – July 19, 2015 Rudy Daly (B.S. business information systems, ’50) 88, Kosciusko – A former member of the Bulldog football team, he served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He spent many years with Southern Natural Gas Co. before moving to Louisville where he owned Daly Hardware Store. – Aug. 17, 2015 William P. “Willie” Daniel (B.S. physical education, ’59) 77, Starkville – A member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, he played football at State before spending nine years in the NFL with the Pittsburg Steelers and Los Angeles Rams. He later opened an insurance agency and a health center. An original member of the Starkville Kiwanis Club, he coached local junior baseball and football teams. – June 29, 2015 Samuel Ray Faust Jr. (B.S. electrical engineering, ’46) 93, Casper, Wyoming – He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was a retired employee of Exxon Mobil. – July 25, 2014 Hyram Foster Gerrard (B.S. chemical engineering, ’62 ) 74, Greensboro, Georgia – During his 30 year career with OlinHunt, which later became Arch Corp, he served as plant manager and director of manufacturing at several of the company’s facilities around the world. While at State

he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternal Order. – May 11, 2015 Maurice Hill (B.S. agribusiness management, ’47) 91, Tupelo – He spent 24 years as administrator of Tippah County Hospital and Nursing Home and retired as administrator of Whitfield State Hospital. He was a member of numerous professional and service boards. While at State he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha. – July 16, 2015 Armour Jackson Idom (B.B.A. business information systems, ‘41) 96, West Memphis, Arkansas – After graduating from Mississippi State he received a naval ensign commission from Notre Dame and served in World War II. He had a 30-year career with the Mississippi State Rating Bureau and was a longtime member of Broadmeadow United Methodist Church. – Jan. 7, 2015 Tate Marsh (B.S. physical education, ’72) 67, Columbus – A member of the Bulldog football team, he later played with the Dallas Cowboys. He spent 43 years teaching and coaching in Mississippi, Florida and Alabama earning three state championships. – July 9, 2015 Clark Clovis McKissack (B.S. physical education and social studies, ’57) 82, Ocean Springs – He attended Mississippi State with both football and baseball scholarships. He began his career at Hawking Junior High School before joining the Pascagoula School System where he taught drivers education and coached football and baseball before being appointed athletic director. – July 9, 2015 Robert Mohon Jr. (B.S. general agriculture, ’55) 83, Canton – A retired colonel for the U.S. Air Force, he was a pitcher for the baseball team while at State. He was a member of Grace Chapel Presbyterian Church. – Aug. 23, 2015 Henry A. “Hank” Moseley (B.S. business, ’51) 87, Starkville – As a student he was the manager of the Bulldog football team and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force through the ROTC program. Following his military retirement he worked

in the construction field before spending 10 years with the Mississippi State Alumni Association. Since 1993 he had been part of the staff for U.S. Reps. G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery, Chip Pickering and Gregg Harper. – Aug. 19, 2015 Billy B. Moss Sr. (B.S. industrial arts education, ’50 ) 86, Columbus – A native of Lena, he served as a petty officer third class in the U.S. Navy. He taught high school for a year before beginning a 36-year career with Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph. He retired after 22 years as general manager in Columbus. He was a Rotarian and was active in his community on numerous boards. – Sept. 2, 2014 Robert Yates Neaves Sr. (B.S. civil engineering, ’61) 79, Columbus – He retired from CECO Building Systems after a 40-year career as a civil engineer. He was a Gideon and a member of the First Baptist Church where he served as a deacon. While at State he was a member of the football team. – Sept. 2, 2015 Melida Wilson Patterson (B.S. home economics, ’73) 64, Meridian –She served as a clinical dietitian at several hospitals including Baptist Memorial in Memphis. She was a volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club of East Mississippi, serving as president and member of the board. While at State she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha. – Aug. 2, 2015 Jim Paulk (B.S. civil engineering, ’46) 88, Hernando – He served as a Navy Seabee during World War II and spent his career as a civil engineer working on projects in Mississippi, Peru and Venezuela. He owned J.L. Paulk and Associates where he developed municipal master plans for cities. He also served as chief utilities engineer for the Mississippi Public Service Commission. – Aug. 17, 2015 Albert Paxton Sr. (B.S. aerospace engineering, ’43) 93, Tallulah, Louisiana– While at Mississippi State he played baseball and was a member of Tau Beta Pi and Lambda Chi Alpha. He served in World War II as a member of the First Combat Engineers. He later owned LaClede Plantation and Paxton ALUMNUS.MSSTATE.EDU

Forever MAROON Quarter Horses. In 2002 he was inducted into the National Cutting Horse Hall of Fame. –June 8, 2015 William Charles “Billy” Peel III (B.B. A. banking and finance, ’84) 51, Columbus – He was a partner at Gunter and Peel Funeral Home. He was a member of the Columbus Lions Club and played the organ for his church, Columbus Christian Center. While at State he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. –Dec. 20, 2013 Elton Putnam (B.S. dairy science, ’50) 88, Tupelo – After serving in the U.S. Navy and earning degrees from State and the University of Missouri, he joined the Mississippi State Board of Health. He was a charter member of the North Mississippi Hospital Wellness Center and served as a First Baptist Church deacon, member of the Shepard’s Center board and a Meals on Wheels volunteer. – July 18, 2015 Harry Commodore Smith (B.S. aerospace engineering, ’48) 91, Westchester, California – He interrupted his college education to serve as an Army Air Corps fighter pilot during World War II. After completing his degree he was hired by North American Aviation where he retired as a wind tunnel engineer after 41 years of continuous service. – Aug. 3, 2015 Coyte Vance (B.S. physical education, ’52) 85, Florence – A four-year letterman at Mississippi State, he led the basketball team in scoring. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Hawks but declined the offer to serve in the Korean conflict. He coached at schools across the state and was principal of Richland, Boler-Decatur Elementary. – May 23, 2015 Paul Van Deusen (M.S. forestry, ’79) 62, Mount Washington, Massachusetts – He spent two years in the Peace Corps in Jamaica before obtaining a research assistant position at Mississippi State and completing a master’s degree. He later earned another research assistance

grant from the University of California, Berkeley where he received a doctorate. He spent his career with the USDA Forest Service and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement where he studied endangered species. – Aug. 21, 2015 Ira Nicholas Walker (B.B.A. general business, ’04, M.A.B.M. agribusiness management, ’06) 34, Jackson, Tennessee – A crop insurance adjuster for Armtech, he raised cattle and taught farm management at the University of Tennessee Martin, Jackson campus. He was a member of the North Jackson Church of Christ and an avid duck hunter and outdoorsman. – Sept. 19, 2015 Ronald Delane Walker (B.S. music education, ’67, M.M.E.D. education, ’72, E.D.D. secondary education, ’77) 74, Starkville – He was a high school band director before returning to Mississippi State to earn a doctorate. He then stayed in Starkville and worked for the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service. A former member of the Famous Maroon Band, he participated in the alumni band and Starkville Symphony Orchestra. – July 11, 2015 Christopher J. Ward (B.S. accounting, ’70) 67, Germantown – A certified public accountant and accredited estate planner, he began his career with Peat, Marwick Mitchell and Co. He retired as fiduciary services manager for the Memphis Region of Suntrust Bank. – April 18, 2015

IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT HUNGER.

WE ARE.

Imagine a world where food is not a privilege, but a right. A world where there is room at the table for everyone. Where food technologies are developed, perfected and shared to feed a growing population that will reach 9.5 billion by 2050. Imagine a world where the spark of an idea grows into a solution that molds the future. We are, at Mississippi State University, where we ring true.

Thomas Luther Wilburn, II (B.S. animal science, ’40) 96, Columbus – After graduating from Mississippi State he became a pilot in the Army Air Corps and served as a flight instructor during World War II. He was a commercial cattle farmer and enjoyed more than 40 years as a harness race horse trainer and racer, winning more than 2,000 races across the country. – July 27, 2015

MSSTATE.EDU 64

FALL 2015

Banking on what matters. “Working at Cadence allows me to stay connected with an outstanding university and a wonderful community.”

CMY

How has MSU impacted your life? I am who I am in large part because of Mississippi State University. I can’t adequately thank the number of individuals who invested in me and made a difference in my life during my tenure at State. What is your proudest moment as an alum? When I graduated, I never imagined I would be fortunate enough to be a staff member at my alma mater for almost 38 years. Working with faculty and staff to recruit students was very rewarding; advising three outstanding student groups – the MSU Roadrunners, the Orientation Leaders, and the Alumni Delegates - was an incredible experience; and serving as Executive Director of the Alumni Association and interacting with loyal alumni and friends provided me with memories that will last forever. What are you doing now? Besides spoiling my grandchildren, I am enjoying working for Cadence, my bank for 43 years. One aspect of my job that is especially gratifying to me is working with MSU's Promise Program. Cadence is proud to support this worthy initiative that provides scholarships and professional resources for students.

Jimmy Abraham, Vice Chairman, Client & Business Relations Master of Education, Student Personnel and Counselor Education - MSU, 1977 Bachelor’s degree in Marketing - MSU, 1975

To find out how Cadence can help your business succeed, visit us at cadencebank.com/commercial

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