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News

A photo of the Natural Science building of MSU on a sunny day

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.
4 people standing near a beach on a sunny day

Afro-Caribbean Artists Reclaim Stories of Slave Trade in New Documentary by French Professor

Safoi Babana-Hampton, Professor of French and Francophone Studies in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University, has produced and directed a documentary that features artists, historians, and policymakers who challenge Eurocentric narratives to reclaim, reshape, and preserve the memory of the Black Atlantic experience.
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.
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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.”
Close-up of a microscope focusing in on a glass slide with a small green leaf underneath

Pestka Seeking to Improve Treatments for Autoimmune Diseases

According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, as many as 50 million Americans may be living with an autoimmune disorder. Many of these remain undiagnosed and, without intervention, can worsen over time. Given current treatment options, however, even those being actively managed can be met with complications.
Monarch butterfly landing on a red flower in nature

MSU Brings New Approach to Stopping the Biodiversity Crisis

What if saving one animal species from extinction at a time isn’t the most effective approach? Michael Belitz, a Michigan State University postdoctoral researcher in the Zipkin Quantitative Ecology Lab, asked himself that question during his graduate work protecting a single butterfly species.
Art of semi-transparent human body with highlighted stomach surrounded by helixes and molecules

More Than a Gut Feeling: How Climate Change Affects GI Health

From heat-related illnesses to the geographic expansion of infectious diseases, the effects of climate change on human health are complex. And indeed, dimensions of this interaction, such as the impact of climate change on gut health, remain overlooked. Emerging research shows this global phenomenon may make you sick to your stomach — literally.
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.
Neogen Land Grant Prize Applications Due Febraury 27, 2025
The Office of Research and Innovation is seeking applications for the Neogen Land Grant Prize.
Jain Receives the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award
Anil K. Jain has received the prestigious BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Information and Communication Technologies for core contributions to machine learning which have unlocked “applications of far-reaching impact on society as a whole.” He shares this award with Michael I. Jordan, University of California, Berkeley, for his contributions to predictive algorithms.