Research

A woman in a black headscarf, MSU Assistant Professor Nareman Amin, stands by a globe sculpture in the MSU International Center in East Lansing, Michigan.

Ask the Expert: How Ideas of Democracy and Religion Have Changed Since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution

January 13, 2026

In early 2011, Egyptians calling for “bread, freedom, and social justice” took to the streets to protest the 30-year authoritarian rule of Hosni Mubarak. Jan. 25 marks the 15th anniversary of the Egyptian uprising and the first taste of democracy in Egypt following Mubarak’s subsequent resignation Feb. 11. Michigan State University Assistant Professor Nareman Amin’s research focuses on contemporary Islam…

Selfie photo of a woman with dark brown shoulder length hair and glasses, who is smiling and standing outside in front of a stone-colored eight-story buidling.

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / News / Research / Scholarship / WRAC / XA

Experience Architecture Professor’s Research Supported by Yale University Fellowship

December 8, 2025

As a Beinecke Library Fellow, Sara Doan, Assistant Professor of Experience Architecture at Michigan State University, spent two weeks immersed in the archives of Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, uncovering materials to inform her forthcoming book, Visualizing Pandemics: A History of Data in Action, that focuses on public health communication and the history of persuasion during disease…

A teacher talks with four adult students who are sitting at two rows of tables.

Faculty / Faculty / International Impact / News / Research / Theatre

Theatre Professor Leads English Program in Thailand Through the U.S. Department of State

December 3, 2025

Deric McNish, Associate Professor of Theatre at Michigan State University, led a four-week U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist Program at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (SSRU) in Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Sasiporn Phongploenpis, SSRU Assistant Professor and Deputy Dean of the Graduate School, hosted and facilitated the drama-based English education program with McNish during October 2025. McNish brought his expertise…

An adult man stands with his hands in his pockets in front of a rustic log cabin with red-trimmed windows and flower boxes. Green foliage hangs above him, and flowers grow at the base of the cabin.

Alumni / English / Featured Alumni / Michigan Impact / News / Research / U.S. Impact

English Alum Part of World’s Longest Running Predator-Prey Research Project

December 3, 2025

In support of the world’s longest running predator-prey research project, Michigan State University alum Jeffrey Holden makes an annual trip to Michigan’s Isle Royale. And it’s no walk in the park. Rugged off-trail trekking, searing heat, black flies, and decomposed moose carcasses are among the hazards borne by dozens of citizen scientists each summer on this remote island in Lake…

Three individual portraits are arranged side by side. The person on the left has braided hair, wears glasses, and is dressed in a black jacket with a bright pink scarf. The person in the center is smiling, dressed in a light patterned shirt and blue blazer. The person on the right has long hair, wears glasses, and is dressed in a light top.

Alumni / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / International Impact / News / Research

Faculty Awarded Grant to Advance Community-Engaged Research and Women’s Empowerment in Tanzania

November 21, 2025

A Strategic Partnership Grant from MSU’s Center for Gender in Global Context (GenCen) will help strengthen the cross-institutional collaboration between Michigan State University and the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania, focusing on gender, environment, and community sustainability. The grant supports a collaborative research project that examines the livelihoods of Maasai women in Naitolia, Tanzania, and a community-engaged learning workshop for UDSM faculty interested in women’s empowerment and sustainable community development.

A large, diverse group of faculty, alumni, students, and guests pose together in a bright atrium with green walls during Michigan State University’s Second Language Studies Ph.D. program 20th anniversary celebration. Many wear MSU name badges and SLS-branded shirts.

Alumni / Event / Faculty / Faculty / International Impact / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Programs / Research / Scholarship / Student / Student / U.S. Impact

Celebrating 20 Years: Second Language Studies Program Honors Its Past and Looks to the Future

November 11, 2025

While Michigan State University’s Second Language Studies (SLS) Ph.D. program may have started by being in the right place at the right time, the efforts made by its administrators, faculty, alumni, and students have propelled the program into an international powerhouse. During the 20th anniversary celebration held Oct. 17-19, 2025, students, faculty, and alums of the program shared their experiences,…

A person with black hair stands smiling on a windswept sand dune overlooking Lake Michigan, wearing a green sweater and backpack. Behind them, rolling dunes, grasses, and a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Religious Studies / Research / Scholarship

Professor Researching Indigenous Environmental Stewardship with Support from Newberry Fellowship

November 10, 2025

Elan Pochedley, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and 1855 Professor of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices, was awarded the Newberry Consortium in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (NCAIS) long-term faculty fellowship to research how Indigenous peoples’ expressions of environmental stewardship and governance have been practiced, sustained, interrupted, and/or rekindled throughout the central and western Great Lakes region.

A person in a green shirt on the left helps a group of four people plant strawberry plants in terracotta pots.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / English / Faculty / Faculty / Grant / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Research / U.S. Impact

MSU and Georgia Tech Receive Mellon Funding for Research Project Combining Afrofuturism, Humanities, and Horticulture

November 5, 2025

Michigan State University has joined the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in The Earthseed Project, a humanities-centered research initiative that uses Afrofuturist literature to connect horticulture, climate resilience, and food sustainability knowledge and practices. The Earthseed Project at Michigan State University uses spaces like the Beal Botanical Garden to bring people together to discuss current topics and develop a…

Five people stand in front of a large field of solar panels on a sunny day. Rows of panels stretch into the distance, surrounded by green grass and trees under a blue sky with scattered clouds

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Grant / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / Michigan Impact / News / Religious Studies / Research / U.S. Impact

Religious Studies Professor Part of $3.6 Million NSF Grant to Build First-of-Its-Kind Solar-Agriculture Lab

October 27, 2025

Michigan State University scientists plan to build a first-of-its-kind outdoor lab to study how solar panels placed alongside crops cloud save water, improve soil health, and support ecosystems, all while boosting farmers' bottom line and preserving farm production. The project, led by Earth and Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Anthony Kendall, is made possible by a five-year $3.6 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. Gretel Van Wieren, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at MSU, is among the senior research personnel on the project.

A group of five people interact with each other around a circular table. On the table are different photographs. In the background is a graphic projected on the wall that says: “For you, which photo represents…”

Faculty / Grant / International Impact / News / Research / Theatre

U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Funds English Language Exchange Program at MSU

October 23, 2025

This summer, more than 20 English educators from around the world came to Michigan State University's campus to be immersed in the language and culture while also learning new creative approaches to teaching English in their home countries. MSU was awarded $116,000 from the U.S. Department of State to lead and host the two-week exchange program “Multimodal Approaches to Content-Based…