Mississippi State is celebrating the researchers, innovators and professionals advancing knowledge and addressing real-world challenges with its annual Research Awards Celebration this week. College of Arts and Sciences faculty receiving acknowledgment include Michael Nadorff, Amy Dapper, Nick Fitzkee and Dongmao Zhang. Congratulations!!

Mississippi State Professor Benjamin Crider has been selected as a 2026 Experimental Physics Investigator by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. With an award valued at $1.35 million, Crider is one of only 21 inducted into this year’s select cohort recognized for innovative work advancing the study of physics.

For Andrew “Andy” Impastato, Mississippi State University was a practical choice rooted in friendship, family and the opportunity to build a future close to home. He arrived in Starkville with plans to attend law school, but the foundation he developed as a philosophy major would prove valuable long after graduation.

Sometimes, the most memorable stories start with a poster on the way to the library. That was the case for Kate Myers, editor-in-chief of Mississippi State’s student newspaper, The Reflector, whose story about the return of cricket spitting to campus was named a “Best of Student Media” selection by the College Journalism Newsletter the week of Sept. 23.

Mississippi State graduate student Tanner Marlow is turning his research in microbiology and insect-mediated waste conversion into an entrepreneurial venture.

Sometimes a single college course can change the direction of a student's life. For Tatu Taylor, that course was Population Problems, which sparked an interest in public health and prompted her to change her major to sociology with a minor in biological sciences.

“I honestly don’t think I chose MSU—I believe MSU chose me.” Marleisha “Mar” Kyles originally planned to attend the University of Mississippi, but limited scholarship opportunities led her to consider another option. After being encouraged to apply to Mississippi State University, Kyles received a full music scholarship from then-choir director Dr. Leslie.

What can mathematics reveal about Alzheimer’s disease? Mississippi State Associate Professor Shantia Yarahmadian is using mathematical modeling to examine how common metals may influence a protein that forms plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease—and how potential therapies could alter these processes.

The Mississippi State theater program’s upcoming season launches next month and features a sharp contemporary comedy, beloved children’s character, Shakespearean classic with an Appalachian twist and a fast-paced comic opera.

Mississippi State geoscientist Athena Owen Nagel is the recipient of the national 2026 Mid-Career Excellence Award in Academia from the Association for Women Geoscientists.

From disaster response and food security to natural resource protection and national defense, geospatial intelligence helps address some of today’s most complex challenges—and Mississippi State is preparing students to meet them through nationally accredited undergraduate and graduate geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT, certificates.

Mississippi State’s College of Arts and Sciences marks its 70th anniversary this month alongside the 250th anniversary of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. One of the university’s largest academic colleges will mark the occasion with the nation’s oldest academic honor society by holding a panel discussion exploring the enduring value and future of a liberal arts education.