STATE UNIVERSITIES
MSU lands $1M USAID grant to fight Zika virus
Michigan State University has landed a highly competitive grant from USAID to fight the Zika virus in Mexico. The $1 million grant was awarded to Zhiyong Xi, associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, to build a mosquito factory in Yucatan, Mexico. The laboratory will be modeled after a facility in Guangzhou, China, a center that Xi leads in partnership with Sun Yat-sen University.
SVSU home to ‘best dorms’ in Michigan, among top in nation
Saginaw Valley State University is ringing in the new year having secured — and improved — its reputation as a neighborly and friendly institution for students to live, according to a website grading “Best Dorms” in the nation. The website, Niche, ranked SVSU’s residential facilities No. 1 in the state and No. 19 nationally. Niche first ranked SVSU No. 1 statewide in 2015. The ranking assesses 1,398 four-year colleges and universities.
Wayne State to launch new master’s program next fall
The Wayne State University Board of Governors recently approved the establishment of a new, highly innovative Master of Science in Data Science and Business Analytics program, offered by the College of Engineering and the Mike Ilitch School of Business. The program will launch in fall 2017. Analytics is a fast-growing STEM field with a high demand for individuals who can navigate the process of transforming data into insight for making sound business decisions.
PEER INSTITUTIONS
Penn State researchers receive $3.6M to study plant genetics
A $3.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation will support a new Penn State research project aimed at pinpointing the genes that confer disease resistance in cacao. The ultimate goal of the four-year study is to develop a new approach that plant scientists and breeders can use to identify the genetic basis for disease resistance in a variety of perennial crops.
Cornell constructs three new solar farms
Cornell University formally opened three solar farms in December that will generate large amounts of electricity and help the campus achieve its carbon-neutrality goals. One of the new solar farms, which opened Dec. 20, features 20 acres of 9,333 photovoltaic panels that annually will produce 3.2 million kilowatt hours and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 610 metric tons. With the new arrays, solar power is providing 7 percent of campus electricity needs.
— Compiled by Meg Bauer, The University Record
