| Friday, July 24, 2026 |
| Science, engineering in focus as MSU hosts Mississippi Academy of Sciences summer symposium | |
 | According to an MSU press release, nearly 100 students showcased their science and engineering research this week as Mississippi State hosted the Mississippi Academy of Sciences for its annual Summer Science and Engineering Symposium Tuesday, July 21. MSU Research Professor Emeritus of Plant and Soil Sciences Raja Reddy, now in his third consecutive term as MAS president, served as the symposium's chair. "The Mississippi Academy of Sciences ranks among the top 10 academies of science in the U.S., and this is the largest gathering in Mississippi for high school, undergraduate and graduate students and researchers in science and engineering," Reddy said. "The event gives students the chance to connect with peers and mentors while gaining insight into opportunities such as graduate school." Reddy said this marks the seventh year MSU has hosted the event. |
| Ahead of 'Shark Week': How MSU graduate students are taking a bite out of shark research | |
| According to an MSU press release, as Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" enters its 38th season, public fascination with apex predators continues to rise. But while television audiences tune in for the drama, two Mississippi State graduate students are part of the network of scientists who help provide necessary data behind the public's often-varying opinions on sharks. Alena Anderson and Danielle McAree, graduate researchers in MSU's College of Forest Resources, are contributing to long-term scientific studies that plumb the depths of shark biology and behavior, a field that inspires equal parts curiosity and fear. In 2021, Anderson and McAree moved to Mississippi from opposite ends of the country -- California and Massachusetts, respectively -- for internships in the Marine Fisheries Ecology program at MSU's Coastal Research and Extension Center. The following year, both enrolled in the master's program within the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture. Their shared passion for sharks forged a strong professional partnership and lasting friendship. |
| USDA to purchase $20 million in catfish, benefiting Mississippi catfish producers | |
 | U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will purchase up to $20 million in farm-raised catfish, which will likely benefit Mississippi catfish producers. The USDA's purchase will largely be used for distribution through food banks, charities, and other nutritional assistance programs and builds off a 2025 agreement to purchase $55 million in farm-raised catfish and Gulf shrimp. This $20 million promise comes as part of a larger $76.5 million purchase in U.S. commodities through Section 32 -- a program that supports producers of agricultural commodities that are not supported by large farm support programs. In June, Hyde-Smith, along with U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Republican senators from Alabama and Arkansas, wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins requesting that the USDA purchase surplus catfish products from the U.S. farm-raised catfish industry through Section 32. |
| Ezell bringing House colleagues to Biloxi for roundtable on health of Mississippi Sound | |
| Mississippi 4th District Congressman Mike Ezell (R) has invited his colleagues on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment to hold a Congressional roundtable in Biloxi next week. The roundtable is intended for members of the House subcommittee to hear concerns from invited witnesses and the public on a variety of issues, including reforms of permitting, impacts of the Bonnet Carré Spillway on the Mississippi Sound, and other matters managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Members of the Mississippi Sound Coalition, which has been advocating for restoring and protecting the ecosystem of the Mississippi Sound estuary, along with the Corps of Engineers will be on hand for the event. The goal of the session, as stated by the Coalition, is to bolster relations, community engagement, and discuss possible solutions to problems facing Congressman Mike Ezell's constituents who live and work in the area. |
| Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library surpasses $500M in fundraising | |
| Fundraising for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library has eclipsed $500 million, exceeding the $450 million goal of the project that opened its doors July 4. The total fundraising includes about $79 million in commitments mostly spread over the next five years, Library CEO Ed O'Keefe said Wednesday. He declined to say how much money has been raised over $500 million. Part of the money will go toward paying back a $70 million line of credit North Dakota's Republican-controlled Legislature approved in 2023 as a backstop for beginning construction. The line of credit from the state-owned Bank of North Dakota gave library planners confidence to start construction in June 2023, and without it, the library would not have opened July 4, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, O'Keefe said. "North Dakota just had its moment on the global stage, and people liked what they saw," he said. Since then, 40,000 people have visited the library, he added. Library planners expect 150,000 to 200,000 people will visit the library annually, with an annual economic impact of $42 million on the region. |
| Business Officers Gird for Higher Ed's 'Seismic Shift' | |
 | It's not unusual for Arne Duncan, the former U.S. Education secretary, to be in a text conversation with Ted Mitchell, his onetime undersecretary, about actions the Trump administration is taking. They've even developed their own shorthand: "idkycdt." The acronym stands for "I didn't know you could do that," Mitchell, now the president of the American Council on Education, said from the main stage of the annual meeting of the National Association of College and University Business Officials, or NACUBO, earlier this week in Anaheim, Calif. As he mentioned it, laughter from the more than 1,500 financial officials in attendance gave way to knowing glances and nods of agreement. College administrators spent much of 2025 in a defensive crouch, warding off blow after blow from the Trump administration and trying to keep their shields up in case their institution became a target. Much of 2026 has been slightly different. Still crouched behind shields, administrators are seeing blows rain down from all sides. "The financial squeeze has hit every single institution," said Kara D. Freeman, NACUBO's president and chief executive officer. |
| In a first, Chinese woman wins the prestigious Fields Medal | |
 | For the first time, a Chinese woman has been awarded the world's most prestigious mathematics prize, the Fields Medal, bringing the total count of Chinese-born medalists to three, as two mathematicians from the country clinched medals this year. Often referred to as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, Fields Medals are awarded every four years to between two and four mathematicians under 40, recognizing both achievement and potential. This year marks only the third time a woman has ever won the coveted award in its 90-year history. The recipients, whose medals were presented at the opening ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia on Thursday, included Chinese mathematicians Hong Wang and Yu Deng, American John Pardon and Canadian Jacob Tsimerman. Originally from China's mountainous Guilin City, Hong Wang is the first Chinese woman to ever receive the medal. Wang, who researches at both NYU and France's Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques, shot to fame after resolving a century-old problem known as the Kakeya conjecture in three dimensions, together with University of British Columbia's Joshua Zahl. |
SPORTS
| 'It's a blessing': Kamario Taylor entering first year as full-time Mississippi State starting QB with hype | |
| Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby said he has no ceiling. Nick Saban, arguably the greatest college football coach of all time, said he could be "the truth." And countless media figures have said he will dominate headlines in the near future. Needless to say, a lot of hype surrounds Kamario Taylor going into the upcoming season. "I really do appreciate that from Coach Saban," Taylor said. "Hopefully, I can prove that right this season." The 6-foot-4 sophomore Mississippi State quarterback made his SEC Media Days debut on Thursday and had the red carpet rolled out for him. The Noxubee County High School product, accompanied by Lebby, wideout Anthony Evans III, and defensive back Kelley Jones, had all eyes on him during his team's availability in Tampa. "It's a blessing. Growing up a Mississippi State fan, it's something I always wanted to do. It was one of my dreams," Taylor said of getting to play for the Bulldogs. "That was one of the things I wanted to check off my bucket list, and I got to do it." |
| Mississippi State's Jeff Lebby foresees 'big year' for Alabama native Fluff Bothwell | |
 | Fluff Bothwell was only a part-time starter at Mississippi State last season, but still managed to lead the Bulldogs in rushing. With co-starter Davon Booth now in the NFL, Bothwell enters 2026 as the unquestioned lead back for the Bulldogs. The South Alabama transfer has enjoyed a healthy, productive offseason, head coach Jeff Lebby said. "I think he's got an opportunity to accomplish a lot," Lebby said. "... He's done a great job with his body and putting himself in position to succeed. He feels better than he's ever felt and excited about his ceiling and what he's got a chance to do." Bothwell, an Oneonta native, totaled 834 yards with 13 touchdowns as a freshman at South Alabama in 2024. He transferred to Mississippi State, where he totaled 677 yards and six scores in 11 games, missing one game and part of another due to injury. "I think Fluff will be the running back that takes the bulk of the carries," Lebby said. "I also love the depth in that room with Kolin Wilson, Xavier Gayten and a couple of young guys that we've added to the roster that got here in January. So really excited about that room. Specifically Fluff, he's had a great spring and a great summer and ready to go have a big year." |
| Mississippi wants hunters to kill more deer. See the reasons why | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is pushing for a greater harvest of deer with the goals being to not only slow the spread of chronic wasting disease, but to grow more trophy bucks. "What has our deer population been doing?" asked William McKinley, MDWFP Deer Program coordinator. "Well, it's been rising and it's been rising at a rate that is a little bit alarming." McKinley spoke before the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks during an educational session in Jackson on Thursday, July 23. McKinley's presentation largely focused on CWD; a neurological disease that affects deer and similar animals and is always fatal. It's a disease that is spreading in Mississippi and is having a pronounced impact on deer numbers in parts of the state. McKinley also discussed another issue; the lack of trophy bucks harvested in Mississippi in recent years. The two may seem unrelated, but he explained that they are. Both are being fueled, at least in part, by far too many deer on the landscape. The high number of deer means less food for each deer and less food means smaller deer. The high density is also a factor in the spread of CWD. |
| Greg Sankey doesn't favor SEC breakaway, but options being explored amid 'real frustrations' | |
 | The notion of the SEC breaking away, whether it's making its own rules or even making its own football playoff, entered the public discourse this summer. But it's been going on within the conference for almost a year. Last October, SEC presidents asked commissioner Greg Sankey to present an analysis on "stepping away, or our relationship with the NCAA," Sankey told The Athletic on Thursday. "I identified some key elements, and at the end my recommendation was we not pursue that," Sankey said. Then in January, the SEC contracted with an outside firm to hold confidential interviews with its 16 athletic directors, as part of putting together a "comprehensive strategic plan for the conference," according to a document obtained by The Athletic. A number of topics came up in those interviews, and the breakaway idea was among them, according to a source briefed on the discussion, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meetings. Since then, frustration has only mounted. |
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