Year in Review: 草榴社区 Marks Achievements in Research, Student Success
Wed, 12/22/2021 - 09:43am | By: Van Arnold
From innovative research partnerships to significant student achievements, the year 2021 proved to be dynamic and memorable at The University of 草榴社区 Mississippi (草榴社区).
Paring the list of noteworthy accomplishments to a concise list is difficult at best. Listed below are some of the more distinguished highlights from the past year.
Research activity
- The Air Force Research Lab awarded a $6.3 million contract to 草榴社区 and Florida State
University to study multifunctional composites to meet the aerospace application needs
of the U.S. Air Force and Department of Defense. The grant period is two years, and
the funding will be split equally between the two universities. Researchers from the
School of Polymer Science and Engineering at 草榴社区 will partner with the High-Performance
Materials Institute associated with the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering , the joint
engineering educational and research institution for Florida A&M and Florida State
universities, to study, design, and test large lightweight sample panels capable of
scale-up manufacturing to provide multifunctional performance for aerospace applications.
/news/2021/release/air-force-research-lab-award.php
- Imagine a cellphone so soft, so pliable that you can fold it like a man鈥檚 wallet. Inside the laboratory of polymer science Professor Xiaodan Gu, a research team is working diligently to make the unthinkable possible. Gu, an assistant professor at The University of 草榴社区 Mississippi (草榴社区), received a $593,505 National Science Foundation CAREER Awardee grant to help further his research. The five-year award from the NSF Division of Material Research Polymers Program will fund Gu鈥檚 proposal: 鈥淭hermomechanical Property Control of Confined Conjugated Polymeric Thin Films.鈥� /news/2021/release/nsf-grant-plastic-electronics.php
Student success
- Three 草榴社区 undergraduate students were recognized for their research efforts as recipients
for the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. 草榴社区 is the only Mississippi college
or university to have three Goldwater Scholars this year. This year's recipients bring
the total number of 草榴社区 Goldwater Scholarship recipients to a state-leading total
of 27. This marks the second time in three years, 草榴社区 has produced three honorees.
/news/2021/release/goldwater-scholarship-winners.php
- The School of Ocean Science and Engineering recorded a historic milestone earlier this month as the first students from the University鈥檚 ocean engineering program received their undergraduate degrees. Sydni N. Crain, from Poplarville, Miss., and Andrew P. Smith, from Madison, Miss., became the first students to complete the rigorous program, which was launched in the fall of 2017. 草榴社区鈥檚 School of Ocean Science and Engineering offers the only bachelor鈥檚 degree in ocean engineering degree in the State of Mississippi and one of only 10 such programs in the nation./news/2021/release/ocean-engineering-graduates.php
Teacher residency program
- The Mississippi Department of Education will provide over $2 million to 草榴社区 over a two-year period to support Mississippi Teacher Residency in critical shortage areas. 草榴社区 has been awarded the largest grant in the $9.8 million program that will cover tuition and expenses at five Mississippi universities for up to 240 individuals seeking a graduate degree in elementary and secondary education. /news/2021/release/mde-award.php
Campus upgrades
- From a pedestrian pathway to additional parking, 草榴社区 launched a series of construction
projects earlier this summer that will provide even greater accessibility and mobility
to its Hattiesburg campus. Dr. Chris Crenshaw, senior vice president for facilities
planning and management, stressed that the projects are part of a long-term bike and
pedestrian master plan developed by a 草榴社区 committee in conjunction with outside engineers.
/news/2021/release/construction-accessibility.php
- Getting around the 草榴社区 Gulf Park campus in Long Beach has gotten much easier, thanks to funding from the Mississippi Department of Transportation鈥檚 Transportation Alternatives Program. The University鈥檚 Physical Plant has been updating the sidewalks and other outdoor areas across campus for several months, which includes wider sidewalks, walkways that are Americans with Disabilities Act accessible, directional signage, and new lighting. Future work will include a dedicated viewing area for the famed Friendship Oak. /news/2021/release/gulf-park-upgrades-pathways.php
Economy and workplace
- 草榴社区鈥檚 annual economic impact on the state of Mississippi has increased to more than
$663 million, representing a 10 percent increase since the previous study in 2016.
The study, conducted by subject matter experts from the Trent Lott National Center
for Excellence in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship and independently verified
by IMPLAN Inc., shows that the University鈥檚 annual economic impact has grown 鈥� a previous
study found the University鈥檚 annual impact to be $603 million. /news/2021/release/usm-annual-economic-impact-increases.php
- 草榴社区 has been rated as the sixth-best employer in Mississippi and No. 1 statewide in the education industry in recent rankings released by Forbes magazine. In its annual 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Best Employers By State,鈥� Forbes seeks to demonstrate how perceptions of companies differ from state-to-state based on local leadership and economies. /news/2021/release/best-work-place-in-education.php
Best for Vets Ranking
- A relentless drive to provide the best support and services to military-students vaulted 草榴社区 to an impressive No. 3 national ranking by the prestigious resource guide Military Times. 草榴社区 is also rated No. 1 in the Southeast by Military Times in its 鈥淏est for Vets: Colleges 2021 Rankings.鈥� The newest position represents a significant leap for 草榴社区, which held a No. 9 national ranking the past two years. /news/2021/release/veterans-program-ranking.php
Gulf Blue, infrastructure
- Earlier this summer 草榴社区, in conjunction with partner organizations across the Mississippi
Gulf Coast, announced an initiative to place Mississippi on the global stage for blue
economy-related work. This initiative 鈥� Gulf Blue 鈥� is poised to bring 鈥淏ig Ideas
Out of the Blue鈥� capitalizing on the region鈥檚 geography and maritime resources and
positioning the Mississippi Gulf Coast to lead the development of world-changing innovation.
Gulf Blue pools the knowledge of research scientists, federal agencies, industry partners and
entrepreneurs to further develop the region as a global leader in ocean- and maritime-related
technologies. /news/2021/release/gulf-blue-initiative.php
- The University was awarded $7 million in state funding to support infrastructure associated with the Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise (RFWCOE). This appropriated money from both capital expense funds and the Mississippi Development Authority鈥檚 Gulf Coast Restoration Fund, brings the total to $21 million in appropriated monies to 草榴社区 since 2019 for RFWCOE, infrastructure, and programming. /news/2021/release/seven-million-ocean-enterprise.php
Coastal leadership
- In February, 草榴社区 selected Dr. Shannon Campbell, a leading strategic planning and economic
development professional, as the new Senior Associate Vice President for Coastal Operations.
In this new position, Campbell serves as the lead administrative officer for the University鈥檚
Coastal Operations and will be part of 草榴社区鈥檚 senior leadership team. /news/2021/release/campbell-lead-coastal-operations.php
- Two longtime educators and marine scientists were named to top leadership positions
within the University鈥檚 Coastal Operations. Jill Hendon became the permanent Director
of the Center for Fisheries Research and Development (CFRD) after serving as interim
director. Dr. Gregory Carter became the Director of the Gulf Coast Geospatial Center
(GCGC). /news/2021/release/hendon-carter-leadership-roles.php
- In January, Dr. Joseph R. (Read) Hendon, longtime marine researcher at 草榴社区, was appointed Director of the University鈥檚 renowned Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL). Hendon has been a research scientist at 草榴社区 for the past 22 years, serving most of that time in a variety of roles with the Center for Fisheries Research and Development, including as its director. /news/2021/release/hendon-director-gcrl.php