Kwesi Brookins, Vice Provost for University Outreach and Engagement
Growing a Community of Engaged Scholars
As we settle into the academic year, it’s heartening to see a new generation of scholars deepening their commitment to engaged scholarship and connecting with communities in the Lansing area, elsewhere in the state of Michigan, across the United States, and beyond.
Each fall University Outreach and Engagement offers a plethora of professional development opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate and professional students, faculty, and academic staff.
As vice provost, I have administrative responsibilities and a full docket of meetings each week. While I value these aspects of my role and the camaraderie of my colleagues, I find it particularly inspiring to meet scholars, students, and community leaders who share UOE’s commitment to engaged scholarship ... Read more
Featured MSU Engaged Scholars
- Christine Sprunger, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor, Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences
- College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
One thing Brandon Blain loves about farming is the view from his tractor as he glances over his shoulder during the spring planting season.
“I get that immediate gratification because I just turned that weedy field into a smooth field of dirt,” said Blain, who grows corn, wheat, and soybeans on his 2,000-acre family farm in Williamston, Michigan.
But come harvest time, what excites him most about farming is analyzing management and yield data for each field to plan for the following year. “I strategize day and night,” Blain said. He particularly values detailed soil health reports he receives through his partnership with Dr. Christine Sprunger, an associate professor of soil health with the Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, and her research team ...
READ MORE
- Kristen Cetin, Ph.D.
- Red Cedar Distinguished Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- College of Engineering
- Bora Cetin, Ph.D.
- Red Cedar Distinguished Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- College of Engineering
For most Americans, going “off the grid” means taking a break from social media, hitting pause on Netflix, or perhaps just powering down our smartphones.
It has an entirely different meaning in remote Arctic Alaskan villages, where many residents don’t have access to the main electric grid in the first place.
“This was a big surprise for us,” said Kristen Cetin, a professor with the College of Engineering, who with her husband and colleague Bora Cetin has been traveling to Alaska for the past 6 years to work with Native communities on housing, energy, and water-quality issues ...
READ MORE
