News
News and Announcements
Book by LBC faculty member Jon Wlasiuk explores Cleveland’s environmental history
May 16, 2025 - Adrianna Orlando
Jon Wlasiuk, assistant professor in the Science and Society group at Lyman Briggs College, published a book in October that offers an exploration of Cleveland’s environmental history and its intersection with issues of environmental justice. The book is entitled "An Alternative History of Cleveland" and was published by Belt Publishing.
2025 Spring Commencement
May 3, 2025 - LBC communications
Celebrating over 340 Lyman Briggs students who are graduating in the Spring and Summer Class of 2025
Briggsies take home 28 first-place awards for their research presentations
April 25, 2025 - Adrianna Orlando
28 students from Lyman Briggs College who presented research at the 2025 University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) on April 11, earned first-place awards in their respective categories.
47 LBC students are graduating with a 4.0 GPA
April 25, 2025 - LBC communications
47 graduating Briggsies accomplished something many students dream of — a perfect college GPA.
Dr. Samantha Cass awarded Distinguished Academic Staff award, a prestigious university honor
April 22, 2025 - Adrianna Orlando
Dr. Samantha Cass, senior teaching professor of chemistry at Lyman Briggs College, has received the MSU Distinguished Academic Staff Award for her exemplary commitment to student learning, mentorship, and curricular innovation.
Joseph Kesto named LBC Student Commencement Speaker for May 4 Ceremony
April 21, 2025 - Adrianna Orlando
LBC senior Joseph Kesto has been selected as the student commencement speaker for the Spring 2025 Commencement ceremony on May 4, 2025. A dedicated and accomplished student, Joseph has made significant contributions to the LBC community while excelling academically. Joseph, a graduate of International Academy East Campus in Troy, MI, will be graduating with a degree in neuroscience with a concentration in cognitive science. His studies also include three minors, in public health & epidemiology, cognitive science, and bioethics.
LBC Event: Harm Reduction 101, presented by the LBC Speaker Series
April 9, 2025
Harm reduction is an evidence-based approach for engaging with people who use drugs and equipping them with life-saving tools. Learn from Julia Miller, founder of the Lansing chapter of Punks with Lunch, Dr. Jon Wlasiuk and Briggsie Daniel Barnas
Event: LBC listening session and community art project for Briggs students
March 22, 2025
How are you experiencing this socio-political moment? Join us in an intentional, guided listening session, where we create space to share, reflect, and be in community as LBC students navigating today's world. Event organized by LBC's Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence and Academic Innovation and Assistant Dean for Student Success and Advising and co-sponsored by LBSAC.
LBC celebrates student research at 18th Annual Research Showcase
March 19, 2025
On Tuesday, February 18, we held the 18th annual LBC Research Showcase where Briggsies presented their research to friends, family, peers, faculty, staff, alumni, and corporate partners. It was a great event, and we enjoyed learning from the presenters.
Summer courses offer flexibility for students wishing to earn credits
March 14, 2025
Need a few more credits this summer? Learn about some of the various courses offered through LBC.
LBC's Spring 2025 commencement speaker is an innovator in forensic DNA technology
March 10, 2025 - Adrianna Orlando
Announcing our Spring 2025 Alumni Commencement Speaker: Paraj Mandrekar, M.S., an innovator in forensic DNA technology.
Kevin C. Elliott, MSU professor of philosophy, awarded prestigious Red Cedar Distinguished Professor title
March 1, 2025 - Blythe White
Kevin C. Elliott, professor of philosophy and member of the Lyman Briggs College Science and Society faculty group, was promoted to Red Cedar Distinguished Professor on March 1, 2025. This title is awarded by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and the Office of the Provost and is intended to recognize outstanding faculty who enhance the stature of MSU’s intellectual work to national and global prominence.
At Lyman Briggs, students help others learn and benefit greatly, too
February 27, 2025 - Blythe White
The Lyman Briggs Learning Assistants Program is just one of many high-impact learning experiences in the college that transform lives through deeply engaging students, fostering deep learning, and empowering students for academic success.
MSU researchers use open-access data to study climate change effects in 24,000 US lakes
February 24, 2025 - Emilie Lorditch
MSU researchers, including Dean Kendra Spence Cheruvelil, use open-access data to study climate change effects in 24,000 US lakes
LBC Research Showcase features 39 presentations
February 18, 2025
This annual event features amazing undergraduate research from all over campus, conducted by Lyman Briggs students
Briggsie Emma Knott wins first place in the MLK Advancing Inclusion through Research Awards
February 7, 2025
Congratulations to the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Advancing Inclusion through Research awardees from the residential colleges and the Honors College. Briggsie Emma Knott was awarded first place!
LBC Speaker Series hosts a talk Feb. 7: "Is AI Helping or Hurting Your College Education?"
February 5, 2025
On Friday, February 7, from 3:00-4:30 in Holmes Hall, Room C-104, Isaac Record, faculty member in LBC's Science and society Group, and Prudence Djagba, assistant professor and visiting scholar in LBC, will discuss the uses and ethics of AI in higher education.
Kevin Elliott earns international research award
January 2, 2025 - Adrianna Orlando
Kevin Elliott, professor in Lyman Briggs College and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, was recently awarded a Humboldt Research Award from the German government. This prestigious award recognizes researchers with outstanding international reputations as educators and scholars whose work has made a significant impact beyond their immediate fields.
Congratulations to the Fall and Summer Class of 2024!
December 16, 2024
We are so proud of the Class of 2024. The Fall and Summer graduates have accomplished so much, starting their college years online and still accomplishing amazing things.
Faculty Voice: Reflections on the Spartan Bus Tour
November 27, 2024 - Clausell Mathis
As a relatively new faculty member from the Southeast, joining the MSU Spartan Bus Tour was an incredibly meaningful experience for me. The opportunity to visit multiple sites in Michigan tied to the University’s research, education, and community outreach missions allowed me to witness firsthand MSU’s impact on the diverse landscapes and communities that shape Michigan.
Event: Policymaking as a Scientist: A Conversation with State Representative Julie Brixie
November 8, 2024
The LBC Speaker Series is pleased to present Michigan State Representative Julie Brixie for an engaging conversation on December 2, 2024, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Handling the hype: MSU researcher seeks to improve science communication
November 1, 2024 - Emilie Lorditch
Being a scientist has its challenges. Knowing how to communicate your scientific research in a socially responsible manner can be even more difficult. One researcher at Michigan State University and colleagues at several other universities have identified some of the trade-offs and communication strategies that environmental health scientists can use to communicate more effectively. “Words matter and misleading information is prevalent everywhere,” said Kevin Elliott, a professor in Lyman Briggs College and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at MSU. “As scientists, we need to be more sophisticated and intentional about the messages we are communicating.”
National research translation award for stef shuster
October 28, 2024 - Karessa Weir
Lyman Briggs College and MSU Department of Sociology Associate Professor stef shuster has been awarded the 2024 Council on Contemporary Families’ (CCF) Research Translation Award for their research on transgender joy.
stef shuster receives prestigious research fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities
October 25, 2024 - Blythe White
stef m. shuster, associate professor of sociology in Michigan State University’s Lyman Briggs College and Department of Sociology, has been awarded a competitive 2024 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for their research.
LBC faculty member Vashti Sawtelle named American Physical Society Fellow
October 4, 2024 - Blythe White
Vashti Sawtelle, associate professor of physics in Lyman Briggs College and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University, has been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). This honor is considered one of the most prestigious recognitions in the field of physics and is awarded to no more than one half of one percent of the Society’s membership each year.
How Argonne National Laboratory Changed My Life
October 4, 2024 - Jess Watley, Class of 2027
Jessica Watley is a sophomore from Detroit dual majoring in environmental sciences and management in Lyman Briggs College and arts and humanities in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at MSU. Following her summer 2024 internship at Argonne National Laboratory, Watley was recruited to serve as an official STEM Ambassador for Argonne.
Two Lyman Briggs students among eight MSU nominees for a prestigious Marshall Scholarship
September 26, 2024 - Anneliese Mackel, MSU Honors College
Michigan State University has nominated six undergraduate students and two alumni for the prestigious Marshall Scholarship. Briggs alum Caroline Downes and senior Grace Urban are among the nominees!
MSU researchers find US lakes in communities of color are monitored less for water quality
September 9, 2024 - Emilie Lorditch
A team of Michigan State University researchers found that lakes in communities of color were three times less likely to be sampled at least once than lakes in White communities. Kendra Spence Cheruvelil, dean of Lyman Briggs College, is among the researchers.
Briggs alum wins Miss Universe Japan crown
September 4, 2024 - Maggie Carstensen
Kaya Chakrabortty is a Lyman Briggs alum who was just awarded the Miss Universe Japan crown.
Commitment to academic and athletic excellence: Ashley Harlock
August 1, 2024 - Tiffany Werner
Ashley Harlock graduated in Spring 2024 with two bachelor of science degrees, one in neuroscience and the other in human biology, and was a member of the Honors College. Throughout her college career, Harlock was on MSU’s field hockey team, serving as a team captain. She exemplifies the commitment required for both athletics and academics in being not just a successful student athlete, but an exceptional one.
LBC's Sarah Dickinson wins 2024 Rising Star Award for outstanding advancement and alumni engagement
July 30, 2024 - Tiffany Werner
Sarah Dickinson, the LBC associate director of alumni relations, has received the Rising Star Award from the Great Lakes district of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Kailyn Butler, undergraduate neurobiology researcher, will represent LBC on MSU's Homecoming Court 2024
July 25, 2024 - Tiffany Werner
Kailyn Butler is a fourth-year student from Highland, Indiana, pursuing a double major in neuroscience and human biology, with a minor in bioethics. She will be one of the first-ever African American women to represent Lyman Briggs College on the Homecoming Court, this fall.
Briggsies Nupur Huria and Harsna Chahal co-found MSU’s first ever sexual health conference
June 25, 2024 - Tiffany Werner
Nupur Huria, a spring 2024 graduate and Harsna Chahal, class of 2023 alum, co-founded the MSU HEAL Sexual Health Conference due to their passion for using scientific education to address social issues like women’s health.
LBC's Sarah Evans-Cain wins Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award
June 5, 2024 - Tiffany Werner
Sarah Evans-Cain has won the Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award, one of the most prestigious awards given to Michigan State University employees. Evans-Cain has served as the Administrative Coordinator for the LBC Student Success & Advising (SSA) Team since the fall of 2021, having previously served in the MSU Neighborhood Student Success Collaborative since 2016.
Determining the quality of chemistry educational videos on YouTube
May 23, 2024 - Blythe White
How well do popular educational videos on YouTube follow best practice for helping viewers learn chemistry? A collaborative grant by LBC's Dr. Ryan Sweeder and Grand Valley State University's Dr. Deborah Herrington seeks to answer that question.
Briggsies showcase winning research at University Undergraduate Research & Arts Forum
May 1, 2024 - Tiffany Werner
LBC had the largest number of presenters, and winners, in this year's forum.