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News

MSU facility for rare isotope beams

U.S. Department of Energy Approves Start of High Transmission Beam Line Project at FRIB

On 24 February, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC) approved the start of execution of a $49.7 million instrument at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB).
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, obesity affects 42.4% of U.S. adults and 19.3% of U.S. children and teens. 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.
A bird eye view of a head and face looking to the side carved in a large grass field

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.
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

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.
Announcements
Flint Awards Highest Civic Honor to MSU's Mona Hanna
MSU’s Mona Hanna received a key to the city of Flint in recognition of her transformative impact on public health and child advocacy.
Nwando Achebe Elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
MSU historian Nwando Achebe has been elected a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, recognizing her outstanding contributions to historical scholarship and African history.
FRIB Receives Genesis Mission Award for AI-Powered Research
FRIB and Argonne National Laboratory received a Genesis Mission Phase I award to develop artificial intelligence tools that could transform how heavy-ion accelerators and isotope separators are operated.
FRIB's Witek Nazarewicz Elected Foreign Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences
FRIB chief scientist Witek Nazarewicz receives one of Poland’s highest scientific honors for his contributions to nuclear physics.
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.
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.