Presentation by Dean R. James Kirkpatrick to incoming freshmen at the College of Natural Science Welcome Colloquium at Michigan State University on August 31, 2010.

1. R. James Kirkpatrick
Dean

2. CNS is One of 16
Colleges at MSU
Agriculture & Natural Resources NATURAL SCIENCE
Arts & Letters Nursing
Business
B i Osteopathic Medicine
Communication Arts & Sciences Social Science
Education Veterinary Medicine
y
Engineering James Madison College
Human Medicine Lyman Briggs College
Music Residential College in Arts and
Humanities

3. CNS majors are in departments
of Physical Sciences
‐ Geological Sciences
‐ Physics & Astronomy
‐ Chemistry

4. CNS majors are in departments
of Biological Sciences
‐ Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
‐ Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics
‐ Food Science & Human Nutrition
Food Science & Human Nutrition
‐ Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
‐ Ph i l
Physiology
‐ Plant Biology
‐ Zoology

5. CNS majors are in departments
of Mathematical Sciences
‐ Mathematics
‐ Statistics & Probability

6. CNS is among MSU’s largest colleges
MSU s
• 4,500 undergraduate
students
• 1,000 graduate students
• 250 faculty
y
• 1,200 entering freshman in
2010

7. With i
Wi h size
comes
opportunity
pp iy

8. You
Yo Can Do St ff
Stuff
Others Only
Dream Of

9. CNS faculty lead MSU in research
y
CNS faculty bring in more external research funding
CNS fac lt bring in more e ternal research f nding
than any other college at MSU

10. Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
- FRIB -
A superconducting linear
accelerator that will
accelerator that will
produce isotopes that
normally exist only in the
y y
most extreme
environments in the
universe.

11. Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
- GLBRC -
Explores scientifically
Explores scientifically
diverse approaches to
diverse approaches to
converting various plant
feedstocks – agricultural
g
residues, wood chips, and
nonfood grasses –
nonfood grasses – into
liquid transportation fuels.
liquid transportation fuels.

12. SOAR Telescope
Used to detect the presence of elements, carbon and
Used to detect the presence of elements carbon and
oxygen in a number of ancient stars and star systems,
data that continue to yield more information on how
y
these elements originated

13. Animal Behavior and Development
Professor Kay Holekamp studies
mammalian behavioral
development in spotted hyenas
development in spotted hyenas
in Kenya.

14. Bio/computational Evolution in
Action CONsortium
- BEACON -
Professor Rich
Lenski studies
evolution in
l i i
50,000+
generations of
generations of
e. coli.
NSF “Science and
Technology
Center studying
Center” studying
evolution in
action.

15. Infectious Disease
I f ti Di
Professor Yong‐Hui Zheng has
discovered proteins that have
anti‐retroviral properties in
p p
humans. One family of these
proteins prevent the HIV virus
from replicating.
Professor Ned Walker studies
microbial mediation of mosquito
microbial mediation of mosquito
production from aquatic habitats
and is involved in the $9.1 M NIH‐
funded Malaria Research Center.
funded Malaria Research Center.

16. Science and Mathematics are about
Discovery and Its Application
Create your Own
Natural Science
Learning Adventure…

17. Get Involved in
Research

18. 28 MSU students have won
28 MSU d h
prestigious Goldwater Scholarships,
including genomics and molecular
biology senior Tasneem Pierce.
biology senior
biology senior Tasneem Pierce
U d
Undergraduate Research experience
d R h i
p y
plays a key role in these awards.
y

19. University Undergraduate
Research and A F
R h d Arts Forum
- UURAF -
• 535 students
p
participated in 2010
p
• CNS students
received 11 first
prizes in Natural and
i i N t l d
Physical Sciences and
the grand prize.
g p
• Some of the 2010
posters are displayed
in the atrium today
in the atrium today

20. Get Involved in Student Groups
Every department offers opportunities for
involvement through student groups
involvement through student groups

21. Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics
Students Association
d i i
For 4 of the last 6 years,
they have won the
they have won the
Collegiate Challenge for
the Gift of Life‐Michigan
g
by recruiting the most
organ donors of all
colleges in Michigan

22. Residential Initiative on the Study
of the E i
f h Environment
- RISE -
For students interested in
stewardship of the environment
stewardship of the environment

23. Take advantage of our size,
vast capabilities and
faculty expertise.
f l i

24. http://naturalscience.msu.edu
MSU_NatSci
MSU College of Natural Science
MSU College of Natural Science