Dr. Robert McMillen will again lead the "Surveillance and Evaluation Services for the Mississippi Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program." The project will develop and implement a system of surveillance and evaluation for programs and services administered by the Mississippi State Department of Health Office of Tobacco Control.
Delaney Foster (pictured left) & Tockie Hemphill (pictured right) graduated from MSU's Leadership Development Program. The program prepares participants for potential leadership roles within the university. Read more at https://bit.ly/3PPuHIK.
In May, and as part of the Fish Innovation Lab activities, Dr. Gina Rico Mendez traveled to Kenya to participate in the “2023 Feed the Future Innovation Labs Regional Partners Meeting: Systemic and Innovative Solutions for Climate Adaptation and Mitigation in Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition Systems”. This meeting served as an opportunity to engage with other Innovation Labs representatives and local implementers. During the meeting, Rico Mendez served as moderator for the panel: “Systems change for local leadership”, a critical aspect of USAID’s effort to improve localization of development efforts. Participation in this meeting also included site visits to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) headquarters and the Kapiti Research Station, and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO).
In the month of May, and as part of the Fish Innovation Lab activities, Dr. Gina Rico Mendez, along with Dr. Stephen Reichley (Fish Innovation Lab Deputy Director) traveled to Kenya to provide oversight and technical support to the following Fish Innovation Lab funded activities: “Achieving Coral Reef Fishery Sustainability in East African Biodiversity and Climate Refugia Centers” and “Samaki Salama: Securing Small-Scale Fisheries in Kenya for Healthy Nutrition and Ecosystems”. The visit include meetings with implementing partners from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Pwani University and local communities. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish is managed by Mississippi State University through an award from USAID (Award No. 7200AA18CA00030; M. Lawrence, PI).
Billy Brister, Dr. Blythe McCance, and Chuck Dawkins made a presentation concerning MASEP registration procedures to the Mississippi Municipal Court Judges conference held in Biloxi on June 1st. This training was hosted by the Mississippi Judicial College.
Billy Brister, Dr. Blythe McCance, and Chuck Dawkins attended the Conference of Mississippi Municipal Court Judges held in Biloxi May 31-June 2. Dr. McCance and Chuck Dawkins attended the Annual Conference of Mississippi Chiefs of Police held in Biloxi June 21- 23.
Madison Warren, former student worker in the MASEP office, has been hired to a full time position effective June 1.
MASEP will host its annual training for its facilitators July 21 & 22 at the Mill Conference Center in Starkville . This will be the first in person conference that MASEP has held since 2019. This is a training that MASEP requires its facilitators 3 out of 5 years in order to maintain certification to teach the MASEP class.
Jennifer Alberson, long time MASEP project manager, retired June 30th. Congratulations to Jennifer! The entire SSRC wishes her a happy retirement!
Dr. Robert McMillen was interviewed by WLOX about the Mississippi Tobacco Data's work with helping establish smoke-free community's in Mississippi. Read at www.wlox.com/2023/06/27/biloxi-hosting-mississippi-municipalities-convention/.
On behalf of Mississippi First in Jackson MS, the Survey Research Laboratory is administering a telephone-based survey of public opinion regarding the value of funding early childhood education programs. The survey respondents will include a representative sample of 600 adults residing in the state of Mississippi.
Daniel Appiah, a trained medical doctor from Ghana, who graduated from the University of Ghana School of Medicine has joined the Gender Impacts Lab. His work with the lab is part of his practicum while pursuing a Master's of Public Health at the Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis with Epidemiology/Biostatistics concentration. The focus of his practicum with the GIL is to investigate the determinants of Household Hunger among soybean farmers in four rural communities in Northern Ghana over a period of four years. With Drs. Ragsdale and Read-Wahidi, he will have the opportunity to make a social impact through the analysis and interpretation of data.
Mississippi Tobacco Data hosted an informational booth at the 2023 Mississippi Municipal League Annual Conference.
Kakwasha, K., Mudege, N., Muzungaire, L., Ragsdale, K., Read-Wahidi, M.R., & Kolbila, R. (2023, June 7). FishFirst! Zambia: Learning Event–Scaling Readiness Assessment for Instant ComFA+Fish Porridge. FishFirst! Zambia Learning Event, USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish. Lake Safari Lodge, Siavonga District, Southern Province, Zambia. June 7, 2023. https://www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/sites/www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/files/inline-files/2023_LEARN.EVENT_3_Kakwasha%20et%20al_Scaling%20Readiness_06-07-23%20%282%29.pdf
Kolbila, R., Ragsdale, K., Mudege, N., Read-Wahidi, M.R., Muzungaire, L., Marinda, P., & Kakwasha, K. (2023, June 6). FishFirst! Zambia: Learning Event–Exploring Food Insecurity among Lake Kariba Fishing Families – Results from the Household Hunger Scale II. FishFirst! Zambia Learning Event, USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish. Lake Safari Lodge, Siavonga District, Southern Province, Zambia. June 6, 2023. https://www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/sites/www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/files/inline-files/2023_LEARN.EVENT_2_Kolbila%20et%20al_HHS%20II_06-06-23%20%282%29.pdf
Poole, C., Tatum, M., Harris, B.(2023, June 8). Child Care Policy Panel. NEW Leadership Conference. Jackson, MS.
Ragsdale, K., Mudege, N., Read-Wahidi, M.R., Muzungaire, L., Kolbila, R., & Kakwasha, K. (2023, June 6). FishFirst! Zambia: Learning Event–2022 ComFA+Fish Sensory Panels I-II Results. FishFirst! Zambia Learning Event, USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish. Lake Safari Lodge, Siavonga District, Southern Province, Zambia. June 6, 2023. https://www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/sites/www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/files/inline-files/2023_USAID_1_Ragsdale%20et%20al_FFZ_Sensory%20Panels_06-09-23%20%284%29.pdf
Seitz, H. & Rendon, S. (2023, May 25-29). Effects of community-engaged learning on student perceptions and outcomes. 73rd Annual International Communication Association Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Stouffer, C., McClelland, E., Anreddy, S. (2023, June 27). How to navigate and report Program events and activities into the Tobacco Reporting and Progress System (TRAPS), data portal. [Training session]. The Office of Tobacco Control New Directors Training for the ACT Center program.
Stouffer, C., McClelland, E., Anreddy, S. (2023, June 29). How to navigate and report Program/Meeting events and activities into the Tobacco Reporting and Progress System (TRAPS), data portal. [Training session]. The Office of Tobacco Control’s new directors’ training for the Strategic Planning Center program.
Stouffer, C., McClelland, E., Anreddy, S. (2023, June 30). How to navigate and report Program/Evaluation events and activities in the data portal of the Tobacco Reporting and Progress System (TRAPS). [Training session]. The Office of Tobacco Control external evaluator training for Jackson State University evaluators regarding the Pilot Youth Initiative Prevention program.
Brenner, D., Alley, K., Miller, N., Smith, K.O. & Tullos, A. (2023). Partnership School: A rural school-university collaboration like no other. In S. L. Hartman & B. Klein (Eds). Middle of Somewhere: Rural Education Partnerships and Innovation (pp. 30-52). Harvard Education Press.
Ragsdale, K., Mudege, N., Read-Wahidi, M., Iannotti, L., & Muzungaire, L. (2023). Technical Brief: Complementary Food for Africa+Dried Fish Powder (ComFA+Fish) – Nutrient Analysis and Sensory Panel I-II Results. USAID, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish. Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University. 4 pp. https://www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/sites/www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/files/2023-06/2023_BRIEF_Ragsdale%20et%20al_ComFA%2BFish_NUTRI%20ANALY%2BPANEL%20I-II_06-25-23_FINAL.pdf
Read-Wahidi, M.R. & Ragsdale, K. (2023). GRADA-FIL Wave II Results at a Glance: Fish Innovation Lab Success and Challenges. USAID, Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish. Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University. 2 pp. https://www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/sites/www.fishinnovationlab.msstate.edu/files/2023-06/2023_BRIEF_Ragsdale%20et%20al_ComFA%2BFish_NUTRI%20ANALY%2BPANEL%20I-II_06-25-23_FINAL.pdf
