As a teenager growing up in Toronto, Thalia Vrantsidis often sought out popular books on physics, relativity and quantum mechanics from her high-school library and spent her time poring over them in search of deeper perspectives. Reading about complex subjects such as the curvature of spacetime or the source of gravity gave her deeper insights into everyday life and shifted how she viewed daily goings-on and the world around her.

“From working big tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, floods, winter storms to supporting the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event and being deployed to support a Superbowl, they have all had a lasting impact on my journey,” said Kenneth E. Graham, a 1994 MSU geosciences graduate who today serves as the director of the National Weather Service. Before the NWS, he served as director of the National Hurricane Center.

Two Mississippi State University students in the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre have earned national placement in the Heart Journalism Awards program, one of the most prestigious competitions in collegiate journalism. The combined placements have secured a Top 10 spot for MSU in the national broadcast competition.