Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory

Please help us welcome Christina Childers to her new role with the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory as Director of Chemical Regulatory and Petroleum Products! 🎉

While Christina may be new to this position, she's certainly not new to the MSCL team. With more than 22 years of dedicated service, Christina has built an impressive career through hard work, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to the MSCL. Throughout her journey, she has served in numerous roles, from Research Associate in the Pesticide Residue Laboratory all the way to Interim Director. She gained extensive experience across laboratory operations, regulatory compliance, quality systems, and personnel development.

Congratulations, Christina! We are grateful for your years of dedication and look forward to this exciting new chapter.

Here's a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of!

We're still accepting resumes for our Fall MDAC Internship! This internship offers hands-on experience in several areas, including:
• Assisting with marketing and public affairs projects, including graphic design, content creation, and administrative support
• Helping with merchandising, setting up and day-to-day operations at the Genuine MS Store
• Supporting special events, promotions, and other agency initiatives
• Taking on a variety of projects while building valuable professional skills

This is a great opportunity to grow your creative and professional skills, strengthen your resume, and help promote Mississippi agriculture, businesses, and communities. The internship runs from September through November 2026.
Apply today!

For more information or to apply, contact Jenna Vowell at [email protected]

Please join us in congratulating our REU student, Jayla Singleton, on presenting her research at the Mississippi State University Undergraduate Research Symposium!

Her research explored how maize plants respond to one of agriculture's most destructive pests, the fall army worm, by investigating the volatile compounds released after insect damage. Her research contributes to a better understanding of plant defense mechanisms and could help support future strategies for sustainable pest management.

We are incredibly proud of the work Jayla managed to complete this summer. The dedication, curiosity, and hard work she has shown throughout her stay at the MSCL has been nothing short of impressive.

Jayla, your time with the MSCL has come to an end but we hope to see you MARCH on 😉 (fall army worm reference... ok I'll see myself out)

🦠 Your salad should be full of nutrition not surprise guests! 🦠

Recent headlines about parasites on fresh produce are an important reminder that food safety starts long before the first bite. While no single step can completely eliminate the risk of foodborne parasites, practicing good food safety habits can help reduce your risk and protect against many other foodborne hazards.

A few simple habits can make a big difference:
- Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables under clean, running water.
- Wash your hands before preparing or eating food.
- Use clean cutting boards, utensils, and preparation surfaces.

At the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory, we know that science plays a vital role in protecting public health. From testing food, water, and agricultural products to providing reliable analytical services, we're proud to support safer communities through quality science and accurate testing.

This week at the MSCL, our quality procedure training topic was document control. Side note: apparently "I saved it somewhere on my desktop" is not an approved record retention strategy.

Dr. Erika Womack Peoples created an amazing exercise for the group to refresh themselves on the importance of keeping procedures, forms, and records organized, controlled, and up to date. It may not be the flashiest part of laboratory operations, but when it comes to quality, traceability, and compliance, document control is the unsung hero working behind the scenes.

Remember: if there are five versions of a document floating around, the wrong one will always find you first. Stay organized, stay compliant, and may all your revisions be properly approved!

Hey, so.... Did you know that if you removed all the empty space from the atoms in your body, your remaining mass could fit inside a single grain of salt?

Anyways. We hope you enjoyed your holiday and had a chance to honor those who have fallen 🦅

Make sure to follow our page closely, as we will spend the next month or two introducing our team!

🎉 Happy Lab Week from the MSCL! 🧪🔬

Last week, we finished up strong celebrating the incredible people behind the science at the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory. From analytical testing and research support to quality assurance and sample prep, our team works hard every day to provide accurate, reliable results that support agriculture, industry, public health, and research across Mississippi and beyond.

Our staff participated in the 2026 MSCL Lab Week Olympics featuring events like:

🏓 Beaker Pong
🧤 PPE Relay Race
🧪 Erlenmeyer Toss
🧠 Lab Trivia
🐾 Mystery Feed Sample Challenge

Thank you to our amazing staff for your dedication, teamwork, and passion for science. We appreciate everything you do to keep the lab running.

Please take the time to congratulate our winners!

MSCL takes on Mobile!

Laboratory Analysts (Julie, Anna Beth, and Sara) and an MSU student (Elizabeth) were able to join Agilent Technologies in Mobile, AL for a very informative workshop.

The two-day workshop focused on key aspects of GC, HPLC, and MS. The workshop featured live demonstrations along with show-and-tell sessions. Agilent provided a closer look at tools, techniques, and workflows that can transform your day-to-day lab operations.

*The items pictured were display items and will not be used in future analytical work* 🤣

The MSCL has kicked off May with a lot of force! This week the lab celebrates 'MSCL's Lab Week.' Be sure to stay tuned this week for all the festivities.

MSCL Lab Week 2026- upcoming

⭐ Monday, May 4th
🎬 Theme: Star Wars – May the Fourth Be With You
🧑‍🚀 Star Wars attire encouraged
👥 Lab-Wide Meeting
🍩 Donuts + ☕ Coffee (on the dark side)

🌮 Tuesday, May 5th
🎉 Theme: Cinco de Mayo
📍 Lab Lunch

💖 Wednesday, May 6th
🎀 Theme: On Wednesdays We Wear Pink (Mean Girls/Guys)
👚 Wear pink
🎨 Do you know your peers contest?

🕺 Thursday, May 7th
📼 Theme: Throwback Thursday
👗 Wear 70s | 80s | 90s |00’s attire
🤝 Team Building Day (to be not so mean)

🏅 Friday, May 8th (Morning)
🔥 Theme: MSCL Lab Olympics
👕 Jersey or 🧢 cap day
🏃 Lab Olympics activities

The MSCL was grateful for being part of the Undergraduate Research Symposium, where Madeline (BRIDGES student) showcased research on the invasive species, Cogongrass.

Cogongrass might look harmless, but it’s one of the most invasive plants threatening ecosystems across the United States, designated as the seventh-worst w**d in the world. The more we understand how it spreads and how to control it, the better equipped we are to stop it.

Investing in research today means healthier landscapes tomorrow. Let’s support science that protects our environment.