Contact: Leah Barbour
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State's 2013-14 lineup of Maroon Edition forums, competitions and other programs features something for everybody, including the general public and the university family.
Physicist Richard A. Muller, author of this year's common reading experience selection, "Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines," will visit campus on Sept. 17 to lead two campus programs in Colvard Student Union's Bill R. Foster Ballroom.
Muller, a University of California at Berkeley professor and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory faculty senior scientist, will begin his first presentation at 3:30 p.m. and focus on climate-change issues. At 7 p.m., he will discuss the ideas and proposals presented in his book. For more on Muller, visit http://muller.lbl.gov/.
His book was distributed to freshmen during summer orientation and is available at MSU's Barnes & Noble Campus Bookstore.
All Maroon Edition activities are free and designed to appeal to the general public, as well as students and faculty in any academic discipline, said Lynn Reinschmiedt, Maroon Edition consultant at the Center for Teaching and Learning.
"While the focus does remain on the freshmen and their first-year experience, reading 'Physics for Future Presidents' represents something much broader than that," he said. "As professor Muller says, 'You never know when you're going to influence that one person.' That's what drives education, people and society's well-being."
The service-learning component of the Maroon Edition began Aug. 12 with a Habitat for Humanity house groundbreaking ceremony in Starkville. Volunteer shifts remain available to students, staff, faculty and community members on Fridays and Saturdays from August through October. Visit www.mvc.msstate.edu to sign up.
Altogether, more than 30 other Maroon Edition events will be held during the academic year. Other major activities include:
-- Sept. 25: Yoram Bauman, the Stand-Up Economist, will discuss comedy, economics and climate change at 3:30 p.m. in McCool Hall's Taylor Auditorium. Visit www.standupeconomist.com for a preview.
-- Sept. 27: Maroon Edition Children's Book Blitz, will feature College of Education majors reading "Waiting for Ice" by Sandra Markle, this year's children's book choice, to local youths. Also, high school science teacher candidates will conduct local high school discussions.
-- Oct. 8: "Physics Phun Night + Sidewalk Astronomy," a physics and astronomy department program, will begin at 6 p.m. in and around Hilbun Hall. Participants will view physics demonstrations and heavenly bodies, among other activities.
-- Nov. 13: "Energy Dialogue for the General Public," will be a 6 p.m. workshop in the Griffis Hall Forum Room. The dialogue will be based on the non-partisan Public Agenda's Citizens' Solutions Guide that provides energy facts and encourages discussions about the national energy policy. For a preview, visit www.publicagenda.org/pages/csg-energy.
-- Dec. 2: "Earth Sustainability Lyrics Contest" submissions are due. Participants should submit lyrics for a song titled "Fixing a Hole in the Ozone," and the winning selection will be set to music by associate professor Bill Cooke, interim head of the geosciences department. The winner will also appear in a YouTube music video. E-mail submissions to whc5@geosci.msstate.edu.
-- Feb. 12: "Executive Leadership for Future Presidents: Four Perspectives on Decision Making and Crisis Management" will be held at 7 p.m. in McCool's Taylor Auditorium. Led by MSU President Mark E. Keenum, he and other presenters will examine the challenges and benefits of decision-making in the real world.
For more information about the above-listed activities, as well as others, visit http://www.maroonedition.msstate.edu.