News

MSU Research Roundup-Waiting for hemp -Bacteria-b-gone-Digging dangers-Gender bias

Waiting for hemp

According to Montana law, it’s legal to grow industrial hemp in this state — but the U.S. Drug
Enforcement Agency disagrees. Unless that conflict is resolved, don’t expect to see local
farmers seeding the crop, says Jim Bauder, an MSU Extension soil scientist. Bauder, though,
sees so much value in industrialized hemp as an alternative crop that he’s advised Montana
farmers on how to plant and harvest it-just in case Congress ever repeals the illegal
designation. Industrial hemp, which has no intoxicating properties, was grown extensively in
the1930s and 40s. Bauder says the crop, which produces fiber for paper, clothing and fuels,
could be a valuable addition to Montana’s crop rotations.

Bacteria-b-gone

Bacteria sometimes take up residence on the surfaces of medical implants, such as artificial
hips. The bacteria can create a colony called a biofilm that can be hard to treat with
antibiotics. Scientists at the University of Washington have invented a way to treat a plastic
surface so that it releases a substance inside the body in the presence of sound waves. Now the
Center for Biofilm Engineering at MSU is partnering with the Washington scientists to see if the
method will work for preventing biofilm infections. They envision coating an implant surface
with antibiotics that would be released after surgery. The National Science Foundation is
funding the project.

Digging dangers

Archaeology can sometimes be dangerous, says Susan Cohen, assistant professor of religious
studies at MSU. Cohen has been excavating in Israel since 1987 and says a locked gate has
usually been enough to protect her sites. In 15 summers, she has only had three times when
tense political situations prevented her from digging. In 1998, however, harassment made it
necessary to string a razor wire fence and post an on-site guard. Cohen excavates a variety of
sites, but tombs have been part of her work for the past seven years. In her experience, reaction
to that type of digging varies by and within religions. Tomb excavations are highly
controversial among the ultra-Orthodox Jews, for example. Muslims allow bones to be
removed, but want them reburied.

Gender bias

Why are so few women at top management levels? Richard Martell, an associate professor of
psychology at MSU, and his research team conducted a series of computer simulations to
demonstrate the forces that determine who does and does not advance in a typical Fortune
500 company. One finding was that the model of organizational mobility a company uses
seems to be most harmful to women. The tournament model, for example, places enormous
weight on factors like previous performance evaluations, time-in rank and speed of earlier
advancements. Even one failure to be promoted disqualifies a person from future opportunities
for promotions. Martell presented his findings earlier this month at the annual conference of
the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

http://newspapers.mywebpal.com:80/templates/../partners/311/public/news293671.html

Posted in:

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.