MSU College of Natural Science

10/17/2026

The USDA has awarded more than $16M for Michigan State University's ongoing Plant Science Research Greenhouse Complex renovations.

The greenhouses are vital to some of MSU’s preeminent research efforts, including the MSU DOE Plant Research Laboratory and the MSU Plant Resilience Institute.

“In a state with an unpredictable growing season, our greenhouses are critical for plant research,” College of Natural Science Dean Eric Hegg said. “This funding will give our faculty quality spaces and controlled environments to do what they do best, the unseen but vital research that lays the foundation for farmers, plant breeders and agricultural innovators to better feed the world.”

10/13/2026

For decades, many people assumed anorexia nervosa was strictly a brain or psychological condition. New research supported by Michigan State University is showing that biology outside the brain plays a major role, too.

Researchers found that people with anorexia were nearly 4 times as likely to carry rare changes in a gene called PLIN4.

Why does that matter?

🟢 PLIN4 is active in body fat, not the brain: it helps body cells store fat and manage energy.

🟢This discovery suggests that how the body processes and stores fat might contribute to the disease, challenging the old idea that anorexia risk begins entirely in the mind.

🟢Anorexia has one of the highest mortality rates of any mental health condition, yet currently has no FDA-approved medications. Understanding these genetic markers could help scientists design effective new treatments in the future.

Led by MSU's A.J. Robison and clinical researcher Michael Lutter, the team is now diving deeper into how body fat interacts with these genes to help unlock better outcomes for patients.

MSU Department of Physiology

10/12/2026

10/08/2026

We’re Hiring! Join MSU College of Natural Science as our new Assistant Director of IT.

Michigan State University’s College of Natural Science is looking for a strategic thinker to lead our technology operations and support the minds shaping the future.

In this role, you’ll oversee critical infrastructure, collaborate with dedicated faculty and researchers, and lead high-impact technology initiatives across our active academic community.

What we are looking for:
✅ Strong leadership and strategic vision in higher-ed or complex IT environments.
✅ Experience supporting research computing, lab technologies, and modern instructional spaces.
✅ A collaborative leader who thrives on translating complex technical concepts into actionable solutions.

Location: East Lansing, MI (MSU Campus)
Organization: MSU College of Natural Science

Learn more and apply here:

Working/Functional Title Asst. Director of Natural Sciences IT Position Summary Michigan State University is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and forward-thinking technology leader to serve as the Assistant Director of Natural Sciences IT. This position provides strategic and operational leade...

10/07/2026

At our recent Morning of Gratitude event, we brought Spartans together for connection and conversation. To all our alumni, donors, and friends who make these opportunities possible, thank you for your continued support and dedication to Spartan students.

Dean Eric Hegg joined us to speak and connect with attendees, setting the stage for a meaningful morning. A highlight of the event was a panel featuring three of our student awardees who shared how scholarship support has directly shaped their academic journeys, opened doors to new learning opportunities, and reinforced what it means to belong to a supportive Spartan community.

Events like this remind us of the joy that comes from helping others pursue their passions and thrive at Michigan State University.

10/05/2026

MSU College of Natural Science Dean Eric Hegg is ready for the challenge.

Deans from across the campus of Michigan State University will celebrate Homecoming with an epic co****le tournament for the ages. See you there, Spartans!

October 10, 2026.
Demonstration Hall Field.
Tailgate begins at 12:30 p.m.

Video: MSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Center

10/05/2026

Earthquakes happen when tectonic plates, which move along faults in the Earth’s lithosphere, get stuck against each other, building up pressure until they suddenly slip. This releases energy that shakes the ground.

80 years ago, a massive tsunami devastated parts of Hawai'i, Alaska, Washington and Oregon following an earthquake off the coast of Alaska. Researcher Songqiao “Shawn” Wei's team is launching a project to study the underwater fault system where it originated, and whether it still poses a risk today.

For this project, Wei’s team will place waterproof sensors called seismometers at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean near Alaska. They’ll use atomic clocks to accurately time each vibration they record. A battery will power the sensor for 15 months, at which point Wei’s team will collect them to analyze the data.

MSU is partnering with the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the first National Science Foundation (NSF) award of its kind since January 2025. They’re also receiving ship time and instrument usage for the project.

Wei is studying this area because the 1946 tsunami was caused by a relatively small earthquake there. How this happened is still a mystery to seismologists.

“We are still far from predicting earthquakes,” Wei said. “But we can improve our understanding of this local region, and that will be incorporated by the U.S. Geological Survey’s risk map and then into building codes.”

Read more about tracking the energy of earthquakes: https://natsci.msu.edu/news/2026/2026-09-msu-to-probe-source-of-tsunami.aspx

10/01/2026

Congratulations to Tyrone Rooney and Jay Zarnetske who were named to the 2026 50 Under 50 list from the Geological Society of America, Geological Association of Canada and the Sociedad Geológica Mexicana A.C..

For Rooney, an igneous petrologist and geochemist, the questions begin deep beneath Earth’s surface. His research examines how magmatism records the evolution of continents, from massive volcanic eruptions and the earliest stages of continental extension to rifting and, eventually, the breakup of continents. By studying rocks and their chemical composition, Rooney looks to understand why magma forms, where it does, and what those patterns reveal about the history of Earth’s continents.

A watershed scientist and professor, Zarnetske studies how water moves through landscapes and how those movements influence aquatic ecosystems. His research examines questions such as where water goes when it rains, which pathways it takes through a watershed, how long it takes to reach a stream and, ultimately, what all of those answers can tell us about the planet.

Together, they represent the breadth of research in Michigan State University Earth & Environmental Sciences while their work with students, collaborators and the broader geoscience community is helping shape the field for the next generation.

Read more about their research: https://natsci.msu.edu/news/2026/2026-09-50-under-50.aspx

10/01/2026

The presidents of Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Wayne State, and Michigan Tech just published an op-ed in Bridge Michigan laying out why university research isn't a cost, it's an economic engine generating $51.4 billion annually and the foundation of lifesaving breakthroughs.

Today's discovery is tomorrow's cancer treatment, vaccine, or surgical advance.

09/29/2026

While most plants turn brown, wither, and die when exposed to salt, the coastal monkeyflower thrives.

This unassuming yellow flower lives on the windswept bluffs of Oregon and California, where 40-mph ocean winds whip up a spray so salty it leaves a crusty film on car windshields.

To understand how these wild plants withstand such extreme conditions, researchers David Lowry, professor in the MSU Department of Plant Biology, and Madison Plunkert, doctoral student in MSU’s Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Program, brought the ocean to Michigan.

The team constructed an ingenious DIY testing rig dubbed the "Saltmobile": a cart equipped with airbrushes and saltwater bottles, wrapped in a heavy-duty trash bag to keep salt haze from coating the building hallway.

By spraying coastal and inland varieties of monkeyflowers with saltwater and analyzing leaf tissues, the team made several discoveries:

🟢 Active Salt Exclusion: Coastal monkeyflowers contain roughly 30% less sodium per square centimeter of leaf tissue than inland varieties. They block salt from penetrating their leaves.

🟢 Internal Salt Tolerance: Even when salt does breach the leaf, coastal plants can endure it far longer without showing cellular damage.

🟢 Strategic Timing: In related research, the team discovered coastal monkeyflowers delay their flowering until later in the season when ocean winds calm down, naturally avoiding peak salt exposure.

Beyond coastal ecosystems facing climate-induced storm surges, salt stress affects inland communities right here in the Midwest, from agricultural soils damaged by salinity to freshwater ecosystems coping with winter road salt runoff.

By pinpointing the genetics that allow coastal monkeyflowers to tolerate salt, Lowry and Plunkert aim for their work to point to ways to make other plants, including crops, more resilient to salt exposure.