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News

A photo of the MSU Museum on a sunny day

MSU Museum and GEL Lab Secure HARP Grant for Gaming Exhibition

The MSU Museum and the Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) Lab have been awarded the prestigious 2025 Humanities and Arts Research Program Large-Scale Development Grant to support the creation of Game Changers, an immersive exhibition exploring the societal, cultural and technological impact of video games.
Representation of human brain with a chip and flowing connections

Study Reveals Dopamine’s Unexpected Role in Memory Devaluation

New research out of Michigan State University expands on current understanding of the brain chemical dopamine, finding that it plays a role in reducing the value of memories associated with rewards. The study — published in the open access journal Communications Biology — opens new avenues for understanding dopamine’s role in the brain.
Two students focused working on lab samples wearing lab coats

Henry Ford Health Scientists Teaming Up to Take On Obesity

According to 2017-2018 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity affects 42.4% of U.S. adults and 19.3% of U.S. children and teens ranging from two to 19 years old. Comstock said she hopes the information gathered from this project will be used to identify mechanisms by which obesity develops and to find solutions that would prevent its occurrence early in life.
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Researcher Finds In-Person Mental Health Treatment to Be More Successful for Young Patients

A recent study led by researchers from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and DePaul University finds in-person mental health treatment to be more successful for young patients, despite a growing number of apps and online support.
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Using Unique Approaches to Study Plants in Future Conditions

As major changes continue for our planet’s climate, scientists are concerned about how plants will grow and adapt. Researchers in the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, or PRL, Sharkey lab are studying changes in plant metabolism that occur when plants are grown in high light, high CO2 conditions.
A zoom in of two orange butterflies sitting on a blade of grass together

Study Raises the Possibility of a Country Without Butterflies

Butterflies are disappearing in the United States. All kinds of them. With a speed scientists call alarming. Elise Zipkin, director of MSU’s Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, and her MSU colleague and co-author Nick Haddad, professor of integrative biology in EEB, have been major figures in assessing the state of U.S. butterflies.
A lake surrounded by trees

How MSU’s Global Reach Benefits Michigan

MSU is one of the most internationally engaged universities in the U.S. With more than 350 partnerships in 60 countries and more than 1,600 faculty and academic staff involved in international research, teaching and outreach, MSU continues to share knowledge and improve lives around the globe and right here in Michigan.
Picture captured of space with clouds of gas and dust swirling around forming stars

MSU Scientists Discover New Sources for ‘The Molecule That Made the Universe’

From helping catalyze interstellar reactions and fueling the birth of stars to its presence in neighborhood gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter, trihydrogen, or H3+, is best known as the “the molecule that made the universe.”
Announcements
Trifecta Spring 2025 Awardees Announced
The Trifecta Advisory Council has awarded two award applications for Spring 2025.
2025-26 CIRCLE Seed Grants Request for Proposals
CIRCLE (Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Collaboration, Learning, and Engagement) is excited to offer seed grants to support three projects in 2025-26. This program aims to provide an opportunity for genuine interdisciplinary collaboration among scholars and educators from different fields and areas of focus. The aim of these grants is to help develop new collaborations. We welcome proposals that focus on teaching and learning, research, or creative practice, and we welcome proposals in which team members are changing course or exploring new areas of inquiry.
2025-26 CIRCLE Graduate Fellowship Call for Applications
The Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Collaboration, Learning, and Engagement (CIRCLE) seeks applicants for its second Graduate Fellowship, 2025-26. See below for the fellowship’s description, eligibility requirements, and how to apply. The application deadline is April 4, 2025.
MSU Forges Strategic Partnership to Solve the Mystery of How Planets Are Formed
Astronomers have long grappled with the question, “How do planets form?” A new collaboration among Michigan State University, Arizona State University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will seek to answer this question with the help of a powerful telescope and high-performance computers.
Elliott Awarded Red Cedar Distinguished Professorship
Kevin C. Elliott, professor of philosophy and member of the Lyman Briggs College Science and Society faculty group, was promoted to Red Cedar Distinguished Professor on March 1, 2025.
Neogen Land Grant Prize Applications Due Febraury 27, 2025
The Office of Research and Innovation is seeking applications for the Neogen Land Grant Prize.