Racer Report: December 20-24

MURRAY, Ky. — The latest Murray State University Racer Report includes student, faculty, staff and alumni accomplishments, announcements, upcoming campus events and more for the week of Dec. 20-24.

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Several Murray State University students from a variety of academic disciplines virtually attended the 2021 annual meeting of the Kentucky Academy of Science. More than 400 scientists and students registered for the event and more than 130 students from Kentucky and regional colleges and universities participated in the research competitions.  

Award winners included the following Murray State students:

1st Place - Agricultural Sciences

Dakota Tate (Bluford, Illinois) - “Evaluating Soil Carbon Sequestration and Compaction Levels in Various Agricultural Fields”

2nd Place - Agricultural Sciences

Presley Woodrum (Liberty, Kentucky) - “Evaluating Topsoil Health Under Different Management Conditions: An Important Indicator for Sustainable Agriculture”

2nd Place - Zoology and Botany

Mia Kieninger (Springfield, Illinois) and Shrijana Tuladhar (Kathmandu, Nepal) - “Molecular Phylogenomics of American Bluets and Allies (Rubiaceae)”

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Murray State University’s online Logistics and Supply Chain Management program was recently recognized as the second-best online bachelor’s degree in logistics by ZDNet.   

Within the University’s Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business, the Logistics and Supply Chain Management program prepares individuals to manage and coordinate all logistical functions in an enterprise, ranging from acquisitions to receiving and handling, through internal allocation of resources to operations units, to the handling and delivery of output. It includes instruction in acquisitions and purchasing, inventory control, storage and handling, just-in-time manufacturing, logistics planning, shipping and delivery management, transportation, quality control, resource estimation and allocation, and budgeting. Possible careers include managerial positions centered around responsibilities such as supply chains, purchasing, transportation, operations, logistics and more.

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Murray State University alumnus Dr. Sam Pellock, ‘14, recently received his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is now a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Dr. David Baker at the University of Washington Institute for Protein Design. Members of this institute are involved in creating new proteins to address current challenges in energy, medicine and technology.

Pellock was one of the lead authors on a paper recently published in Nature, a highly-regarded weekly international journal that dates back to 1869 and publishes peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology.  Pellock’s article centered on using deep neural networks in the design of novel proteins. This specific work can have far-reaching implications in drug design and the creation of new materials.

Pellock was recognized as a spring 2014 Murray State Outstanding Senior recipient and co-recipient of the Outstanding Major in Chemistry. 

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The Peace Corps Prep Program at Murray State University is excited to announce its continued partnership with the Peace Corps for another five years, preparing students for global service work. 

"I am very excited to continue our partnership with the Peace Corps and to continue the Peace Corps Prep program here on campus,” said Peace Corps Prep Program Coordinator Shawna Thomas. “As the coordinator and a returned volunteer, I see the benefits of this program for students who are interested in global sustainable volunteer work." 

The Peace Corps Prep (PC Prep) program is designed to prepare students for international development field work, careers in international service and Peace Corps service. As part of their undergraduate curriculum, the PC Prep program pairs selected courses with leadership and community service to help prepare students for global service work.

For more information on the Peace Corps Prep Program, please visit murraystate.edu/pcprep or email sthomas39@murraystate.edu.