Dean R. James Kirkpatrick's presentation on August 30, 2011, to incoming freshmen in the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University.

1. R. James Kirkpatrick
Dean

2. CNS Is One of 17
Colleges at MSU
Agriculture & Natural Resources NATURAL SCIENCE
Arts & Letters Nursing
Business Osteopathic Medicine
Communication Arts & Sciences Social Science
Education Veterinary Medicine
Engineering James Madison College
Human Medicine Lyman Briggs College
Law Residential College in Arts and
Music Humanities

3. CNS is one of 3 core colleges
College of
Social We provide the courses
Science in general education
(a.k.a. Integrative
Studies)
College of
and Arts Any student can select
and Letters a major without
additional
requirements
College of
Natural
Science

4. CNS students select from
28 different majors
Departments coordinating
these majors are in three
areas of science...

5. CNS majors are in departments
of Physical Science
‐ Geological Sciences
‐ Physics & Astronomy
‐ Chemistry

6. CNS majors are in departments of
Mathematical Science
‐ Mathematics
‐ Statistics & Probability

7. CNS majors are in departments
of Biological Science
‐ Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
‐ Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics
‐ Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
‐ Physiology
‐ Plant Biology
‐ Zoology

8. CNS is among MSU’s largest colleges
• 4,500 undergraduate
students
• 1,000 graduate students
• 320 faculty
• 1,400 entering freshman in
2011

9. With size
comes
opportunity

10. You Can Do Stuff
Others Only Dream Of

11. CNS faculty lead MSU in research
CNS faculty bring in more external research funding
than any other college at MSU

12. Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
- FRIB -
A superconducting
linear accelerator
that will produce
isotopes that
normally exist only
in the most extreme
environments in the
universe.

13. Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
- GLBRC -
Explores scientifically
diverse approaches to
converting various plant
materials – agricultural
residues, wood chips, and
nonfood grasses – into
liquid transportation fuels.

14. SOAR Telescope
Used to detect the presence of elements, carbon and
oxygen in a number of ancient stars and star systems,
data that continue to yield more information on how
these elements originated

15. Animal Behavior
Professor Kay Holekamp studies
mammalian behavior
development in spotted hyenas
in Kenya.

16. Bio/Computational Evolution in
Action CONsortium
- BEACON -
Professor Rich
Lenski studies
evolution in
50,000+
generations of
e. coli.
Lenski is part of
the NSF “Science
and Technology
Center” studying
evolution in
action.

17. Infectious Disease
Professor Yong‐Hui Zheng has
discovered several proteins that
have anti‐retroviral properties in
humans. One family of these
proteins prevents the HIV virus
from replicating.
Professor Ned Walker studies
microbial mediation of mosquito
production from aquatic habitats
and is involved in the $9.1 M NIH‐
funded Malaria Research Center.

18. Science and Mathematics are about
Discovery and Its Application
Create your Own
Natural Science
Learning Adventure…

19. Take advantage of our size, unique
resources, vast capabilities and
faculty expertise.

20. Enhance your studies
with
research, activities
and experiences.

21. MSU students have won 28
prestigious Goldwater
Scholarships and many other
international awards.
Undergraduate Research plays a
major role in these awards.

22. University Undergraduate
Research and Arts Forum
• Hundreds of
students
showcase their
research each
year.
• Be a part of
this great
experience.

23. Get Involved in Student Groups
Every department offers opportunities for
involvement through student groups

24. Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostics
Students Association
For 5 of the last 7 years,
they have won the
Collegiate Challenge for
the Gift of Life‐Michigan
by recruiting the most
organ donors of all
colleges in Michigan

25. Residential Initiative on the Study
of the Environment
- RISE -
For students interested in
stewardship of the environment

26. Immerse yourself
in your Department,
College and MSU

27. http://ns.msu.edu
@MSU_NatSci
MSU College of Natural Science