MSU’s Coffee with the Profs series is going virtual 

FRIDAY, Aug. 18 — Coffee with the Profs is one of the Michigan State University Alumni Office’s time-honored traditions. Like so many other events, including MSU’s 2020 commencement ceremony, it’s going to take place on Zoom. You’ll have to bring your own coffee this time. 

Coffee with the Profs is a series of presentations that highlight the work of some of MSU’s best and brightest faculty and staff. The series includes a range of professors from a variety of fields. It will take place every Monday in October.  

First up in the series is Director of Campus Sustainability Amy Butler and Campus Sustainability program coordinator Laura Young, presenting a lecture centered around MSU’s recent successes in sustainability.  

In 2019, MSU achieved a Gold Rating in sustainability from the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and was 19th in the Princeton Review’s Top 50 Green Colleges. This was the first time MSU achieved rankings these high.  

Butler and Young will discuss how these rankings reflect the four pillars of MSU’s sustainability framework: campus, curriculum, community and culture.  

Director of the School of Journalism Tim Vos comes next in the lecture series. His presentation, titled “Journalism in the Crosshairs and at a Crossroad,” will explore the future of journalism. The lecture focuses on the complications of reporting in the 21st century and the limitations of journalism in the post-truth era.  

Professor Mark Wilson of the School of Planning, Design and Construction is going to speak about the proliferation of autonomous vehicles in cities across the country. The lecture will look at both of the pros and cons of these vehicles, while also considering how we can prepare for these machines to become a part of our daily lives. 

Last in the series is a presentation titled “Grayling in Michigan: Challenges in Species Reintroduction” from Professor Dan Hayes of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. His presentation will ask why efforts to restore grayling, a once-dominant fish in Michigan, back into the population.  

There is also an extensive archive of past lectures available to watch on the MSU Alumni website.  

Coffee with the Profs is free and open to the public, but online registration is required. Guests can register for individual presentations or the whole program.  

Once you register online, you will get an email with a Zoom link and password to access the lectures. The email will also have information about how to submit questions for the professors beforehand.  

There will be an opportunity to ask questions live, but it is recommended that attendees send their questions in advance.   

Coffee with the Profs  via Zoom 

All presentations are from 10 to 11:30 a.m. 

Registration opens Aug. 24 

For the Oct. 5 presentation – Register by Sept. 30 

For the Oct. 12 presentation – Register by Oct. 7 

For the Oct. 19 presentation – Register by Oct. 14 

For the Oct. 26 presentation – Register by Oct. 21 

Livestream Archive available here 

Click here for more details