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Photo by Kurt Stepnitz Magic moment Hundreds of fans gathered to watch Earvin “Magic” Johnson pull the tarp off the 12-foot bronze statue of him that was unveiled Saturday, Nov. 1. The piece depicts Johnson as he was during his days as an MSU basketball player. Johnson, his teammates on the Spartans’ 1979 championship team and university officials helped dedicate the statue in front of the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. “I did not achieve this alone,” Johnson said after receiving a standing ovation and taking a long pause to keep down his emotion. “It’s about all these guys, it’s not about me. It was always about being a Spartan.”

MSU Extension to sponsor biofuel event

Representatives of MSU Extension, commodity organizations and governmental agencies will be speaking at “Renewable Energy in Michigan, Biomass Energy and Agriculture,” a one-day biomass and agriculture conference on Friday, Nov. 21, at the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute near Hastings.

The speakers will discuss the past, present and future of biofuels as well as their potential for farmers, manufacturers and consumers. Specific topics include ethanol production in Michigan, soybean-based biodiesel and anaerobic digestion.

“There is a lot of interest in these topics and a lot of new information available to farmers, agribusinesses and others,” said Dennis Pennington, MSU Extension agriculture and natural resources agent. “Biofuels may be important to farmers because they can offer an additional option for marketing crops.”

The conference also will feature panel discussions that will allow audience members the opportunity to ask the presenters questions about each of the topics.

Registration is $25 for adults and $10 for students, which includes lunch, materials and refreshments; space is limited.

MSU Extension and Pierce Cedar Creek Institute are sponsoring the conference with support from the U.S. Department of Energy through the Michigan Biomass Energy Program. For more information, contact the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute at (269) 721-4190 or the Barry County MSU Extension Office at (269) 945-1388.

Journalism Hall of Fame seeks nominations

Nominations are now being accepted for the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame.
Nominees are judged on their contributions to Michigan journalism, courage, innovation, leadership and impact and influence on the industry. They may be living or deceased. The deadline for nominations is Jan. 5, 2004.

Honorees will be inducted at a banquet on April 17, 2004, at the Michigan State University Kellogg Center.

Since its founding in 1952, 109 journalists have been inducted into the original Michigan Newspaper Hall of Fame. In 1985 it was renamed the Journalism Hall of Fame and eligibility expanded to include broadcast journalists and journalism educators.

Nomination forms may be obtained from Jane Briggs-Bunting, chairperson, Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame Committee, Michigan State University, 305 Communications Arts Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1212.

For more information, visit the Hall of Fame Web site at hof.jrn.msu.edu/nominate.html

For further information, please contact Briggs-Bunting at jbb@msu.edu or (517) 353-6430.

Social Science presents first lecture in series

The MSU College of Social Science will present a lecture on “Observation and Experimentation in Urban Neighborhoods: From Chicago to Moshi” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, in Room 428 of the Law and Business Library Building.

Felton James Earls, professor of social medicine at the Harvard Medical School and professor of human behavior and development at the Harvard School of Public Health, will speak about two large-scale research programs.

Earls is the principal investigator of a longitudinal study based in Chicago on the causes and consequences of children’s exposure to urban violence. The study demonstrates that high levels of neighborhood cohesion and social control reduce rates of all types of violent behavior.

His newest project, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is an experimental study aimed at reducing the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the growth, development and education of children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.
The lecture is the first part of the college’s “Urban and Metropolitan Studies Forum Series: Globalization-Localization and Cities.”

The lecture, a light lunch at 11:30 a.m. and the reception following the lecture are free and open to the public.

For more information about the forum series, contact Maureen Cook at (517) 355-6674 or by e-mail at cookmau@msu.edu, or Joan Reid at (517) 353-9505 or by e-mail at reidj@msu.edu.

Opera Theatre to present brash musical “Nine”

Maury Yeston’s and Arthur Kopit’s brash, sexy musical “Nine” will be presented by the MSU Opera Theatre and Philharmonic Orchestra at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, in Fairchild Theatre, at the corner of Farm Lane and Auditorium Road.

“Nine” is based on Federico Fellini’s classic, autobiographical Italian film “8-1/2.” “Nine” is the story of film legend Guido Contini, who is suffering a complete artistic block and surrounded entirely by women, from his wife and mistress to his mother and muse. The story unfolds in flashback and fantasy, as Guido must decide whether to grow up to be 40, or stay “Nine” forever.

This musical won the 2003 Tony for Best Revival of a Musical and is still running on Broadway, most recently starring John Stamos. The score ranges from lovely ballads and Wagnerian parody to French cabaret. The sets are based on the famous Tuscan spa at Montecatini Terme, the original location of Fellini’s film.

Vocal arts faculty member Melanie Helton will hold a preview lecture 45 minutes before each performance. Raphael Jimenez, assistant professor of conducting, will conduct the MSU Philharmonic Orchestra. Reserved-seating tickets are $16, $12 for senior citizens, and $8 for students and those under age 18, and can be purchased at the Wharton Center, (517) 432-2000, or online at www.whartoncenter.com.

For more information, call (517) 353-9958.

Broad School to host supply chain forum

A group of 11 “self-starting” undergrads from the Eli Broad College of Business at MSU have organized the first university-level global business forum with a dedicated focus on China’s supply chain, to be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, at the MSU Student Union. The forum will bring together world-renowned researchers, business leaders from major corporations and economic development representatives from the Chinese government to discuss the current state and future of China’s supply chain.

“We started organizing this forum last spring,” said Zhibo Yu (Lawrence), president and chairperson of the board of the student-run Broad International Business Forum and a senior majoring in supply chain management. “The Broad School is ranked at the top of supply chain schools in the country, so it made sense to us to leverage our faculty expertise in this subject. We also wanted to use our own contacts in China and here to bring China’s real-world supply chain challenges to campus. The forum enlightens our fellow students on the subject and presents an opportunity for professionals in China and the United States to exchange ideas, face to face.”

The topics covered in the day-long program include how crucial the supply chain is to China’s development, the current state of supply chain development in China and opportunities in China’s supply chain business.

Tickets for the event, which includes a luncheon, are $20 for students and $40 for professionals, and can be purchased on line at www.bus.msu.edu/msc/broadchinaforum/ .

The luncheon speaker is Deyou Tian, general consul of economic and commercial of The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China.

MIT professor to speak at Dunway lecture

Peter A. Diamond, institute professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will give the annual Aloysius Dunway Memorial Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, in Room 109, South Kedzie Hall.

His lecture will focus on social security reform and other economic issues. The lecture series is sponsored by the Department of Economics.

Diamond is the recipient of the 1980 Mahalanobis Memorial Award and the 1994 Nemmers Prize. He is currently the president of the American Economic Association, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He also served as president of the Econometric Society of America and as president of the National Academy of Social Insurance, where he was a founding member and chairperson.

Diamond has written on behavioral economics, public finance, macroeconomics and social security in various countries. He received his bachelor of arts degree in mathematics from Yale University and his doctorate in economics from MIT.

The Aloysius Dunway lecture was initiated approximately 15 years ago. Dunway, who took his undergraduate studies in economics at MSU, made financial contributions to the department. The chairperson at the time, Daniel Hamermesh, established the lectureship series in Dunway’s name.

International clubs celebrate Global Festival

Guests can travel around the world without leaving Michigan at the 2003 MSU Global Festival on Nov. 16. The festival will take place from noon to 5 p.m. at the MSU Union.

The festival features exhibits, demonstrations, crafts, singing and dancing offered by more than 33 MSU international clubs. Festival admission is free.

Guests can play a game and make a craft in the children’s area and enjoy international foods in either the a la carte food area or at the Global Café. The Global Café will serve ethnic cuisine in the MSU cafeteria from noon to 3 p.m., with a la carte offerings on the second floor.

Visitors may purchase a unique gift in the World Gift Shop which will offer an international variety of art, jewelry, glassware, clothing, stamps and other gifts.

Proceeds from the sales go toward scholarships for international spouses.
The Global Festival 2003 kicks off MSU’s extended International Education Week 2003, Nov. 15-23.

For more information, visit the Web at www.isp.msu.edu/calendar/intledweek2003.php

Copyright 2001 Michigan State University Division of University Relations.