oldentomologybldg.png

News

Diagram of growing arabidopsis mutants under high light conditions

Decoding Plants’ Language of Light

Researchers have revealed a previously unknown way plants shape their growth in response to light — a breakthrough that could better equip crops to handle environmental stress. In a first-of-its-kind finding, the team discovered how a compound that’s involved in plant metabolism can directly "reprogram” an unrelated light-sensing protein.
Basso working next to drone

Basso Lab Featured in New York Times

At Sandborn Farms in Portland, Michigan, a drone recently swept low over cornfields, delivering fertilizer only where data showed it was needed most. This careful approach not only saves money and boosts yields but also helps protect air, water, and soil by avoiding unnecessary fertilizer use.
AI component in computer

AI and Engineering: Pioneering Positive Change

A wide range of disciplines are adopting artificial intelligence, or AI, at a rapid pace. From science and medicine to the humanities and education, AI is influencing the landscape of how information is accessed and processed. At Michigan State University, the College of Engineering is exploring new ways for AI to improve lives through railway safety, AI security, learning and health outcomes.
Safoi's Film Group Picture

Documentary by French Professor Earning Recognition at Film Festivals Worldwide

“Chœurs Atlantiques | Tales from the Atlantic Beyond,” a documentary by MSU professor Safoi Babana-Hampton, is screening worldwide, including Michigan on Sept. 12, major European festivals on Africa and its diaspora, and has won a Best International Documentary award.
Art classroom celebrating

Making a Mark When It Comes to Investing in the Arts as Essential to K-12 Education

MSU integrates the arts into core subjects—math, science, social studies, and world languages—so creativity enhances every lesson. This approach fosters curiosity and joy while helping students strengthen their grasp of both the art form and the academic content to meet learning goals.
Peter Glendinning smiling

Exhibit by Professor Part of Inaugural Cape Town Photography Festival

“Attached to the Soil,” the Fulbright Scholar portrait project by Peter Glendinning, Professor of Photography in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University, is a featured exhibition and was the kick-off event for the month-long inaugural Cape Town Photography Festival in South Africa.
Tractor in a field

AgBioResearch Helps Propel Potato Industry

The Michigan potato industry is seeing significant returns from investment in Michigan State University research. Scientists are helping growers deliver chips and fries that stay local longer, cut costs, and keep hundreds of jobs in Michigan.
Soy beans plants in the sun

M-AAA Backs Research on High Oleic Soybeans, Driving ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Gains for Michigan Dairy Farmers

MSU-led research shows how feeding dairy cows high oleic soybeans can cut feed cost, boost milk quality and spark economic growth — allowing one southwest Michigan dairy farm to add more than $1 per cow per day in income over feed cost.
Announcements
MSU Scientist Jason Rowntree Recognized for Sustainable Agriculture Research, Leadership
Jason Rowntree received NCR-SARE's Hero Recognition for his long-term leadership and contributions to sustainable agriculture across the North Central region.
12 MSU Scholars, Students Named Fulbright Finalists
The Fulbright Program has selected five Michigan State University faculty members and seven students as finalists for the 2026–27 academic year.
Seed Grants Nurture New Directions and Collaborations Campus Wide
MSU’s Ecology, Evolution and Behavior program awarded seed grants to 12 interdisciplinary research teams, providing early funding to help launch innovative projects and secure future external research support across fields ranging from AI to conservation and public health.
MSU AgBioResearch Funds Three Projects to Advance Health, Food Systems and Community Well-Being
MSU AgBioResearch has selected three projects to fund through the Growing Healthy Together Initiative, a program designed to solve complex health challenges through transdisciplinary research.
Ren and Shipley Named Guggenheim Fellows
Two MSU professors have been named 2026 Guggenheim Fellows: Xuefei Ren, a professor of sociology in the College of Social Science, and Lara Shipley, assistant professor of photography in the College of Arts and Letters’ Department of Art, Art History and Design.

Michigan State University Advances One Health Research at Summit
This faculty-based initiative brought together more than 600 researchers to shape interdisciplinary pathways and position MSU as a national leader in One Health.