Contact: Jim Laird
As legions of college sports fanatics can attest, the Southeastern Conference's prowess on the football field is unmatched. What many fans may not know is that the SEC's 14 member institutions pack an equally potent punch when it comes to research.
Thanks to an innovative grant program funded by the conference, four Mississippi State University faculty members are now better equipped to collaborate with SEC colleagues from across the region.
Richard Baird, Matthew Berg, Islam El-adaway and Giselle Thibaudeau are recipients of 2013 SEC Visiting Faculty Travel Grants, according to a senior administrator at the land-grant institution.
"These grants will allow our faculty to travel to another SEC campus to exchange ideas, develop grant proposals, conduct research, meet with peers and students, and give lectures or other presentations," said assistant vice president for research Teresa Gammill, who coordinated the application and review process in conjunction with the offices of the Executive Vice President and Provost and the Vice President for Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine at MSU.
Each grant is for $2,500, she said.
"We were pleased with the number of proposals and their quality, and appreciate the effort of all who applied," added David Shaw, the university's vice president for research and economic development.
Baird is a professor in biochemistry, molecular biology, entomology and plant pathology. Berg is an assistant professor in physics and astronomy. El-adaway is assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering. Thibaudeau, an associate professor, is director of the Institute for Imaging and Analytical Technologies.