As a child, it was Kevin Brewster’s mom that helped steer him toward the saxophone.
The 2021 East Kentwood grad said his mom, Audrey Reed, often listened to gospel, R&B and soul music such as Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind & Fire.
“I always wondered what the specific instrument I heard in those songs was until eventually I found out it was a saxophone which made me want to play it,” Brewster said. “I then began playing the saxophone at 11 years old.
“As far as I remember, growing up I was always into music, either if it was dancing, listening to music or singing. I grew up in the church which got me involved with playing the drums, saxophone and singing in the choir.”
Brewster, who just finished his second year of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University, was recently in the WKTV studio with his quartet taping a television program called Jazz Works, which will air soon on our station.
The other members of the quartet are Max Gage on piano, Judah Guerra, bass and Brian Allen, drums.
The Kevin Brewster Quartet recently performed on the WKTV Jazz Works program. Front, Kevin Brewster; from left; Max Gage, piano; Judah Guerra, bass and Brian Allen, drums. (WKTV/Cris Greer)
East Kentwood and MSU connection
Guerra also graduated from EK High School, while Allen went to Grand Rapids Christian and Gage, Northview. All members study music at Michigan State University.
Brewster said they all met while in high school and began practicing together.
“We had one of our first gigs at a restaurant and I knew ever since then I wanted to keep playing with these guys,” Brewster explained. “We formally got together in 2021, and then we gigged throughout the summer our first year of college.”
The quartet has performed locally at the Grand Rapids Foodie Fest, GRNoir Jazz Club, GR Festival of the Arts and the Kentwood Winter Concert Series.
While at East Kentwood, Brewster performed in the marching band, wind ensemble and jazz ensemble I.
He’s counting on his high school and college experiences to guide him through his career.
“After I graduate college, my goal is to attend graduate school to pursue my masters in jazz performance while continuing to put out music and eventually become a recording artist. I also want to tour around the world as a band leader and/or sideman, and then soon become a college professor to teach jazz saxophone.”
As Michiganders struggle to deal with the aftermath of the Feb. 13 shootings at Michigan State University, many are juggling conflicting emotions: anger, fear, sadness, rage, grief, helplessness and others.
That’s all normal in light of the trauma we collectively witnessed Monday night, according to Dr. Caelan Soma, the chief clinical officer for Starr Commonwealth in Albion, Mich. Many watched the search in real time for the lone gunman who terrorized the East Lansing campus, killing three and sending five to the hospital before turning the gun on himself.
And many, Soma says, are struggling for answers days later.
Soma says the first step is validating the feeling that this was a very scary situation that elicited an acute stress response for many of us, whether we had a student or loved one on the MSU campus or a child on a campus across the country or we are Michiganders without a direct connection.
“You begin to relate to what those kids experienced last night and put yourself in their position,” Soma said. “Even if you are safe at home, understand the person is no longer a threat and logically know the danger has passed, you can take on a lot of those symptoms and reactions as well.”
Those stress hormones can continue to roil in our bodies for weeks, keeping us on a high state of alert with fear and worry. Soma notes the next step is to find things that make you feel safe – and that can have little to do with logic.
“Telling yourself that the police have the shooter, he can’t hurt anyone anymore, that everyone is safe and lockdown is over isn’t helpful,” Soma explained. “What you have to do is help your body return to a state of balance.”
That can differ person by person, but Soma says it often comes back to connecting with people – hearing the voice of a loved one, spending time with friends, being able to discuss what happened and how you are feeling and then hearing others are feeling the same way. Other body-based ways to help you feel comfort and safety might include cozying up to watch a movie, listening to music, baking cookies, going for a walk or anything that helps you get your body back in balance.
“Our stress response is intense anxiety, and telling people to chill out doesn’t help,” she says. “They need to feel their body is chilling out and experiencing a sense of safety. It doesn’t matter how old you are.”
Founded in 1913 as a home for runaway and homeless boys, Starr Commonwealth has grown and evolved over the decades to provide community-based programs, education and behavioral health services that create and promote universal hope, boundless love and limitless success for children. Starr recognizes that trauma is real – but it does not seal an individual’s fate.
For more information about Starr Commonwealth and its services, visit starr.org.
Bumble bees are an important and well-known group of pollinating insects, but populations of some bumble bee species are declining across the globe, including those in Michigan. Many groups are developing efforts to help conserve these insects by planting attractive flowers, yet we know little about where bumble bees nest in the winter. Now there’s an effort to change that, and you can help.
A group of scientists have launched Queen Quest, a collaborative public science program to understand where queen bumble bees overwinter across North America. If you are interested in helping, just get a few friends together, develop a fun team name and go questing! This can be done in a few hours and could be in your garden, a park or anywhere you think there might be a nest.
The group wants to know where bumble bees are—and are not—found. Finding these nest sites will help conserve bumble bees by informing the development of improved conservation programs.
The Queen Quest website has all the information necessary to get involved, including literature resources, a step-by-step protocol and information on where to look. If you can’t do it this fall, your team could try in the spring once the snow is gone. Everyone is welcome to participate, so please help put Michigan on the Queen Quest map!
MSU Extension’s focus on pollinators and pollination brings together educators and researchers who are working with experts around the country to provide the latest information through webinars, seminars, online resources and email newsletters.
Disruptive behaviors, such as substance use and aggression, in one member of a relationship are associated with relationship distress for both partners in that relationship, a study of nearly 800 couples has found.
The findings – reported by researchers from Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University and published in the Journal of Personality Disorders – revealed an association between relationship satisfaction and certain disruptive behaviors, as well as positive and negative personality traits.
“The results of the study help bolster research in both academic and clinical settings about the connections between an individual’s traits and behaviors to relationship satisfaction,” said Mikhila Wildey, assistant professor of psychology for Grand Valley State University and lead author on the study.
Researchers found that disruptive personality traits and behaviors, such as rule-breaking and aggression, were associated with lower relationship satisfaction for both the affected individuals and, interestingly, for their partners.
The researchers gathered data for eight years from nearly 800 couples. Participants were recruited from the MSU Twin Registry, the university’s ongoing, large-scale study of twins and their families.
One of the hallmarks of the MSU Twin registry – which is co-directed by study co-authors Alex Burt and Kelly Klump – is the multi-method assessment of twins and their family members. In this case, researchers focused on the romantic relationships of twins’ parents, which shows the value of twin family designs for understanding many different kinds of family relationships.
Each partner completed surveys that rated their own satisfaction with their relationship. Each couple was also recorded for 10 minutes discussing issues in their romantic relationship to allow researchers to analyze the interactions.
The researchers explained that the findings are consistent with prior work, which along with the scope of the study provides important depth to the research in this area.
Wildey, who is also a couples’ therapist, noted that the findings give insight for approaches in a clinical setting.
“These findings suggest that disruptive behaviors are not something to overlook when considering romantic partners,” Wildey said. “In addition, without any intervention, these behaviors can persist across adulthood and are, therefore, something that should be addressed for couples who want to have a healthier relationship with one another.”
MSU Psychology professor Brent Donnellan was a co-author on the paper. Donnellan, who researches personality, hopes these findings encourage people to consider patterns of behaviors and personality traits when thinking about long-term relationship partners.
“People might overlook these attributes in the initial stages of attraction but this study highlights their relevance for happy and mutually satisfying partnerships,” Donnellan said.
The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is controlled in its home region of Asia by samurai wasps. The wasps are now found in the United States and could help control BMSB in Michigan.
The samurai wasp with the scientific name of Trissolcus japonicus was found in Michigan for the first time in 2018. This tiny parasitic wasp has great potential to provide effective biological control of brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) that have invaded Michigan orchards, crops and homes.
In 2019, Michigan State University researchers started a rearing and release program of samurai wasps at Michigan State University. We are boosting population sizes and increasing its distribution across Michigan to speed up control of BMSB. This program has generated a lot of interest in the media and online recently, and with that there are some common misconceptions about what these developments mean. I wanted to answer some frequently asked questions about the samurai wasp and the brown marmorated stink bug.
1. How did these wasps get to Michigan? Where else can they be found?
The samurai wasp is native to northeast Asia where BMSB comes from. It was not intentionally released in North America, but got introduced accidentally, likely the same way as BMSB by being stowed away in shipping containers, planes or any other means of transportation. It was first found in Maryland in 2014, and in 2015 in Washington in the western United States. Based on its patterns of discovery, the wasp appears to follow BMSB distribution and has been moving west from Maryland.
In 2017, it was found in Ohio and the following year we found it in Michigan. Now, BMSB has been found in 12 states (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, California, Michigan, Utah and Washington), the District of Columbia and in British Columbia, Canada. The densities of samurai wasps are very low in most places and this is why several states, for example, New York, Ohio and Washington, have started similar rearing and redistribution programs of samurai wasps as is Michigan.
2. What is an invasive species and is the samurai wasp invasive?
The samurai wasp is a non-native species and not considered an invasive species. Invasive species are those that reach high densities locally or regionally and result in economic damage or other harm to the environment.
3. Are they going to attack any species other than BMSB?
The samurai wasp is adapted to parasitize stink bugs only. It cannot attack any other species. However, there is a concern it might attack stink bugs native to Michigan. In the laboratory, it was able to attack native stink bugs when given no other choice, however, it shows a strong preference for BMSB.
Right now, BMSB is the most prolific stink bug species in most habitats, so it will likely be the primary target of the wasp. It is well-known that no-choice laboratory tests often overestimate impact that will actually occur in the field. In nature, the behavior of parasitoids is influenced by many things that cannot be replicated in a laboratory setting including climatic, biological and environmental factors.
Wasps use many different cues to locate hosts, such as chemicals emitted by stink bugs and the plants the stink bugs feed on. A recent study found when the wasps were exposed to these types of chemical cues, in every single case they chose to attack BMSB and not the native stink bug species. So, when given a choice in the field, it is likely they will attack BMSB, their primary host that they are adapted to and which is our most common stink bug.
4. Can I find samurai wasps in my orchard or garden? Will they sting people?
Brown marmorated stink bug feeds on an apple. BMSB are pests of many crops and are a nuisance in people’s homes. Photo by Bill Shane, MSU Extension.
These wasps are tiny, only 1/8 of an inch, about the size of a sesame seed. They cannot sting people and most people will never see them in nature. They track BMSB eggs flying around in tree canopies, hiding among leaves of crops or taking shelter under barks of trees. They are hard to find and see with the naked eye. Scientists use so-called sentinel eggs to capture them.
The sentinel BMSB eggs are usually laid in lab colonies and then affixed to leaves and left for a few days in habitats where BMSB and thus the wasps likely reside. If samurai wasps find these sentinel eggs, they can parasitize them by laying their own eggs inside the stink bug eggs. The sentinel eggs are taken back to the lab and monitored to see if wasps emerge. This is how samurai wasps were detected in Michigan and elsewhere.
5. Why do we think the samurai wasp will be effective at controlling the brown marmorated stink bug?
The samurai wasp is the parasitoid that keeps BMSB populations down in Asia in its native range. There are other parasitoids attacking BMSB in Asia, but the samurai wasp is the one with the highest attack rates, parasitizing 60-90% of BMSB egg masses. Because of its effectiveness in Asia, we assume it will be a good biocontrol agent here. It is adapted to BMSB so it will respond to the cues and chemical signatures that the stink bug leaves on the trees and crops and can find BMSB in many different habitats.
Another trait that usually characterizes successful biocontrol agents is the ability to have several generations during a growing season. BMSB has only one generation in Michigan, but lays eggs over an extended period of time, probably from June to August. Wasps can complete one generation in two weeks so they can keep attacking BMSB during the entire season as the new generations emerge.
Finally, because BMSB is a season-long pest and can feed on hundreds of plant species including many adjacent to crop fields, it is difficult to control with pesticides. Samurai wasps can follow stink bugs across the landscape into all the different habitats where they may feed and reproduce so they can be effective at suppressing their numbers over large areas.
6. Are there efforts to monitor impacts on native stink bugs?
My lab is taking steps to better understand the host choice of samurai wasps and their potential impact on native stink bugs. As part of our release and monitoring program, we placed over 180 sentinel egg masses of native stink bugs in BMSB habitats and in places where wasps were released and so far, none of them were attacked by samurai wasps.
7. Have we seen any results yet of the wasps controlling BMSB?
No. It is too early to see any impact samurai wasps may have on BMSB. Like with most biological control programs, it will take probably years until a newly arrived natural enemy such as the Samurai wasp builds up large enough populations to have a measurable impact on its target. This is the process we are trying to speed up a bit with our augmentative releases.
Also, the samurai wasp will not eradicate BMSB—that is not how biological control works. What is expected of a successful biocontrol agent is to bring down pest densities and reach a low equilibrium density where the wasps and BMSB co-exist, but BMSB would no longer create enough damage to be considered a pest.
Azucena Alcantara and her dad, Kevin Alcantara, are learning what they need to know for the high school junior to get into college and pursue a fulfilling career.
“I want to go to college and I want to study something about medicine, but I’m not sure what yet,” Azucena said.
When it comes to going to college, there’s a lot to know even for the most education-savvy families. There are academic requirements, piles of forms and loads of financial resource and scholarship information. But for Hispanic families without much experience in American education, even knowing where to start can be daunting.
With her father’s help, Azucena is confident she can figure out what steps to take to get where she wants to go. “He can help me choose some colleges and know about the opportunities for a scholarship or something,” she said.
Kevin Alcantara, who came to the U.S. from Mexico 19 years ago, is happy to help his American-born daughter so she can have a successful future and “better life,” he said. “We want to know the options she has for college.”
About 50 parents and children attend a weekly evening session of Exito Educativo in the school’s media center. The course, in its fifth cohort in Wyoming, was developed through the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University. It teaches Latino families how to navigate the American educational systems, with topics ranging from high school graduation requirements to family communication, career exploration and financial resources.
At Wyoming Public Schools, about 44 percent of students are Hispanic. Many will be the first in their families to attend college. While nationally, the rate of Hispanic students who go on to college has increased and high-school dropout rates have declined, barriers and myths still exist that keep them from pursuing college. They also have lower college completion rates than their white peers.
Parents are eager for information, said Veronica Quintino-Aranda, facilitator and developer of Exito-Educativo. “I think every parent wants their child to go to college. It’s very uncommon to find a parent that says “no, I don’t want my child to go,’” she said.
But not having had the college experience themselves in the United States makes it difficult. “They really don’t have anyone to walk them through the process because they are navigating it as they go,” Quintino-Aranda said.
Latin American education systems are very different and, in some countries, poverty keeps many students from attending school, added program co-facilitator Susan Fenton. They have no information about college to reference from their home countries.
“We wanted to bring a tool for families to come be in the school, hearing from school staff and having people walking them through these processes,” Fenton said.
Junior Jessica Rojas wants to go to college to become a nurse. Mom Maidelin Urquiza is learning how to help
Emphasizing Degrees, Careers
While the program provides information on other post-secondary pathways, facilitators stress four-year degrees and beyond. They emphasize potential earnings, the difference between a career and a job, and opportunities degrees can provide.
Quintino-Aranda, who is Hispanic, knows what it’s like for the students and their families. She is the first in her family to go to college and the first to get a master’s degree. “Where (these students are) at, I used to be there too. There were people who supported me … This is my way of giving back and sharing a little bit of my experience so others can also go to school and graduate.”
She and Fenton also work to dispel the common belief within the Latino community that college isn’t an option due to affordability and status in the U.S. “We clarify all the myths out there about why people can’t go to college and we provide them with the resources… There are resources out there available that if you want to go to college, you can,” said Quintino-Aranda.
Dad Juan Carlos Caracheo tells a funny story to his children, from left, seventh-grader Christopher, fifth-grader Catherine and junior Carlos. (School News Network)
Many students who have gone through Exito-Educativo are now in college, including at Michigan State University.
Jesus Hernandez, Wyoming High School’s dean of students, said part of the goal of the program is to introduce families to high school staff members and their roles, so they can feel comfortable making future connections. He and his wife, Jane Hernandez, completed the program with their son, Jonah, who now attends MSU. Even as an educator, Hernandez said, he learned a lot from the program.
“I’m college-educated. I really didn’t even know where to start with the FAFSA,” he said, about the federal student financial aid forms. But with help, the Hernandezes were able to fill out the needed information in 30 minutes. “For me, it was eye opening when it came to all the stuff I thought I knew that I didn’t know.”
Junior Anette Ramos chats with her dad, Ruben Ramos, during a session of Exito Educativo on family communication. (School News Network)
Program completion also is a source of pride for parents.
“Parents here are so, so supportive of their kids,” Fenton said. “They are all super willing to learn alongside their kids, willing to ask questions and willing to take on any barriers.”
Maidelin Urquiza is one of those parents. She is learning what needs to be done for daughter, junior Jessica Rojas, to go to college to become a registered nurse and work in an emergency room.
About 50 parents and children attend Exito Educativo. (School News Network)
“My family immigrated from a different country. They don’t have much experience about how this works,” Jessica said. “This is their first time finding out about things like this. It’s helping me and my family for a better future.”
“It is beneficial for her,” added Urquiza via a translation by Jessica. The family is Cuban, but settled in Israel before moving to the U.S. six years ago.
“It’s a way to help me for my future, for my education, for college. It’s going to teach me about ways I can get get involved in my education in general,” said Jessica. “This is helping me decide where I want to go.”
For more stories on area schools, visit the School News Network website, schoolnewsnetwork.org.
Despite the cool rainy spring, people have generally reported seeing lots of migrating monarchs and the resulting eggs and caterpillars. In the East Lansing, Michigan, area, caterpillars from the earliest-laid eggs are already transforming into pupae—i.e., very likely originating from eggs laid in Michigan—was observed on June 19. A promising start to the 2019 season!
Monarch life cycle. Larvae (caterpillars) go through five stages of growth called instars. The first instar is the smallest size caterpillar. (Courtesy MSU Extension)
This spring, we have again been impressed by the importance of the earliest-emerging stems of common milkweed for supporting egg laying by migrating monarchs. We first observed monarchs in East Lansing on May 16 and eggs on May 18. The important part about this observation is that relatively few common milkweed stems had even emerged by that time, suggesting that the early emerging milkweed is a key resource for the initial migrants into the state. This prompts us to ask, what are the factors that result in early emergence of milkweed and how can we ensure that some is likely to be present in any given year?
In our research we regularly survey common milkweed patches in the East Lansing area, often returning to the same spots year after year. While we know that common milkweed occurs at each of the sites, there is tremendous variability in when the stems emerge and thus become available for egg laying. This year when we first began scouting out patches in mid-May, common milkweed had emerged at very few of the sites. On June 3, we found milkweed at more than half of the sites, but some still had no stems above ground. Finally, on June 18 milkweed was up at most sites, but some of the places we know had milkweed last year still have no evidence of emergence. What is the implication of this variation in emergence timing for monarch egg laying and larval (caterpillar) survival?
Benefits of early emerging milkweeds
We gained additional insight when we surveyed 13 common milkweed patches in the East Lansing area on June 17 and 18. At 10 of these sites, we found virtually no monarch eggs or larvae—just five eggs and two early-instar larvae despite searching more than 1,200 stems. However, in three patches of milkweed, we found a glut of later-instar larvae that were approaching pupation. Across these three sites we found an average of one fourth or fifth-instar larva for every 15 stems, which is a very high density of monarch larvae, especially considering they were later-instar caterpillars.
What made these sites so attractive to the migrating adult monarchs a few weeks ago, and why did the larvae survive in such high numbers?
Monarch collected at one site on June 17-18, 2019. Photo by Nate Haan, MSU Entomology. (Courtesy MSU Extension)
The common denominator at these caterpillar-filled sites seems to be relatively sparse vegetation with little plant litter on the soil, which we think stimulated the common milkweed stems at those sites to emerge early. This means the stems were available and likely were more visually obvious to the first migrating monarchs arriving in our area, and consequently they were loaded up with eggs. The individual factors that resulted in the sparse vegetation varied. One site was a sandy grassland in an industrial park, another a recently harvested poplar planting on a sandy, West-facing hill, and the third was a sparsely-vegetated grassy parking lot edge. We have also observed that around the home landscape, milkweed growing in elevated beds or on warmer South-facing slopes seem to emerge early. Areas that have been burned (removing plant litter) also warm up quickly and support early emerging milkweed.
Benefits of later emerging milkweed
Having spent most of this article talking about the importance of early emerging milkweed, we also need to mention the benefits of late emerging milkweed. The first generation butterflies that will be flying over the next several weeks prefer young milkweed on which to lay their eggs. Some of those eggs will be laid on butterfly milkweed, swamp milkweed, and whorled milkweed, which naturally emerge later than common milkweed. Alternatively, we previously discussed how setting back a portion of a common milkweed patch by mowing can enhance egg and larval survival.
In the past, there was probably a wide diversity of milkweed emergence dates due to natural disturbances like fire, grazing, as well as variable soil types and slopes. Later, humans introduced variability through agricultural practices associated with preparing and cultivating crop fields. Currently, we have lost some of that variability and may need to replicate it more intentional ways.
How to increase variable times of emergence in a milkweed stand
Given this, it’s worth considering how we might increase variability in milkweed emergence throughout the critical spring and early summer season. Perhaps that means finding a low-productivity sandy spot on your property on which to plant milkweed. Milkweed in mulched garden beds near structures also seems to emerge early and may provide critical resources. Plant or encourage some late emerging species of milkweeds. Finally, consider how you might mow or trim common milkweed to provide timely resources for monarch butterflies.
Photo 1. Oak wilt symptoms. A) Dying red oak showing foliar wilt symptoms. B) Crack in the bark indicating mycelial mat presence. C) Nitidulid beetle visiting a mycelial mat. D) Gray spore containing mycelial mat and pressure pad. Photos: Monique Sakalidis
By Monique Sakalidis, Michigan State University, Department of Forestry
Species name
Bretziella fagacearum (used to be known as Ceratocystisfagacearum) is a fungal pathogen that causes the disease oak wilt.
How did oak wilt come to the United States and how long has it been here?
Oak wilt was first recognized as an important disease in 1944 in Wisconsin, where in localized areas, over half the oaks had been killed. The fungal pathogen was thought to be native to the Eastern U.S. Difficulties in identifying the fungus led to a delay in recognizing the exact extent of its impact until the 1980s. More recent evidence suggests oak wilt is an exotic disease that arrived in the U.S. in the early 1900s. The fungus has not been reported in any other country other than the U.S., so its origin remains unknown. In Michigan, it was first reported in the 1970s.
Extent of range
In the U.S., oak wilt has been confirmed in 24 states, including 829 counties. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has confirmed oak wilt in 56 Michigan counties. Oaks comprise about 10 percent of the forest in Michigan and oak wilt has the potential to impact the 149 million red oak trees across 20 million acres of Michigan forest land (private, state, local government and federal ownership).
Why is oak wilt a problem?
Oak wilt is a serious disease of oak trees that mainly affects red oaks. The disease also affects white oaks, but because they are somewhat more resistant (due to their better ability of compartmentalizing the fungus whilst maintaining a functioning water transport system), the disease progresses more slowly. Activities that result in tree wounding such as pruning, tree climbing spikes, nailing signs on trees, hanging lanterns on trees, tree barking and storm damage during the warmer months of the year can result in more new tree infections. Oak wilt causes devastating ecosystem damage and is also an aesthetic blight across the landscape.
Oak wilt symptoms
An infected tree is often first noticed due to a sudden drop or browning of leaves in the summer months (Photo 1A). Leaves may be brown, omewhat bronzed or partially green. Often, leaf tips and margins will be bronze or brown whilst the leaf base will remain green (Photo 2). There are other pest, pathogen and environmental problems that may cause similar symptoms and therefore it’s important that suspected oak wilt-infected trees are lab verified.
How it kills the tree
Once the fungus enters the tree either via a spore coming into contact with a tree wound or via interconnecting root grafts, it grows throughout the water conducting channels of the tree—the xylem vessels. These vessels are eventually blocked both by the fungus and structures produced by the tree, meaning water cannot be effectively transported and we start to see the “wilting” effects. Tree death in red oak is rapid and can occur within three to four weeks after initial appearance of symptoms.
Six to 12 months after the tree has died, the fungus will complete its life cycle and produce spore-containing mycelial mats (Photo 1D) on the dead tree. These mats form under the bark and, as the mats mature, produce specialized, non-spore producing structures in the center of the fungal mat called “pressure pads” that exert pressure outward to the bark, causing it to split (Photo 1B) and thus provides a route for insects to reach the mycelial mats. These mycelial mats have a distinctive odor that makes them attractive to a variety of beetles (Photo 1C) that will feed on the mat then fly to other mats or fresh tree wounds, through which the fungus then enters the tree and starts the infection process anew.
How it is spread
Spread of the disease is rapid and there are multiple ways the disease can be spread.
Below ground by root-to-root transmission. Local spread of oak wilt occurs when the fungus travels through the interconnected roots of infected and healthy trees. This can account for up to 90 percent of new infections each year. This type of spread results in outwardly expanding pockets of dead trees (infection epicenters) in the landscape (up to 39 feet per year). One important management strategy when dealing with oak wilt is disrupting these root grafts via trenching or vibratory plows.
Overland by insect transmission. Nitidulid beetles carry fungal spores from sporulating mats on infected trees to wounds on healthy trees, from which a new infection can develop. Overland transmission results in new infection centers. Removing the entire infected tree, including stump removal, and limiting activities that result in tree wounding is essential to reduce overland infection.
Overland by firewood. Since mycelial mats develop on dead oak trees, they can also form on wood cut from infected oaks. Sporadic long-distance infections can result from moving firewood. Specific handling of firewood is mentioned below.
Cool and unusual facts
One way this fungus is spread is by sap-feeding nitidulid beetles, also known as picnic beetles, and, to a lesser extent, bark beetles. The mycelial mats smell like fermenting apple cider vinegar, red wine or even bubblegum.
Management actions and options
Because red oaks have no natural resistance to this disease, the only way to stop new infection is to prevent the spread of the fungus to new, healthy trees and reduce the fungal presence or inoculum load in known oak wilt-positive locations. This is done by reducing activities that cause tree wounding, disrupting root grafts that may have formed between healthy and infected trees, and by removing confirmed oak wilt-positive trees.
Once oak wilt is confirmed at a site either by the presence of mycelial mats or lab-based confirmation (from branch samples that show black streaks in the vascular tissue). Management decisions can be made and action taken normally between August and when the ground is frozen. Working when the ground is frozen will minimize wounding events that lead to overland spread as well as minimizing the chance of spores moving via root grafts (underground spread).
Management options once oak wilt is confirmed on a site vary depending on the accessibility of the site (steep versus flat), type of site (forest versus yard) and the number of trees affected. Management is primarily centered around disrupting root grafts that may allow infection to spread from diseased to healthy trees and removing and destroying infected material, including firewood (best to cover firewood until the bark has fallen off).
Photo 2. Typical fallen leaves associated with oak wilt. Photo by Monique Sakalidis | MSU.
What you can do to help prevent the spread of oak wilt
Do not prune oak trees during the warmer months of the year. Limit any activity that results in tree wounding or movement of cut trees, such as pruning, harvesting, thinning, utility line clearance and firewood. To prevent above-ground spread, trees should not be pruned from April 15 to July 15 during the highest risk periods. There may be some risk of spread outside of this date range, but at a reduced amount.
Paint tree wounds with tree-wound paint or latex-based paint as soon as they are made. Beetles have been known to find their way onto wounds within 10 minutes of pruning.
Do not move firewood. If you cut oak down, either chip, debark, burn or bury it. If you cut it into firewood, cover the wood with a plastic sheet (minimum 4-millimeter thickness) and bury the edges of the plastic underground, making sure none of the plastic breaks. This needs to be left for six to 12 months until the wood has dried out enough—and therefore isn’t conducive to fungal growth—and the bark falls off.
While Myasthenia Gravis – or MG as it is commonly referred to – is a rare disease, affecting about 20 in 100,000 people, the medical community has been aware of it since the 1800s.
MG is the breakdown in the normal communication between nerves and muscles. It is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms, drooping eyelids, double vision, slur speech, trouble chewing or swallowing, and weakness in arms or legs, will usually improve with rest.
However, medical advancements have improved over the years, according to Dr. Amit Sachdev from Michigan State University’s Department of Neurology. Sachdev has specialized in MG. Since the 1950s and 1960s, the medical community has learned to treat MG better, working to improve detection, Sachdev said.
To increase awareness and to educate the public, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of Michigan, which is based in the West Michigan area, recently put together a series of educational videos about MG, which will be airing on WKTV Wednesday, Oct. 31, at 11:30 a.m and again Thursday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m.
According to Sue Southern, the executive director for the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of Michigan, MG-MI is working to put a face to the disease by talking to those who are living with it in hopes of building a better understanding about the MG.
“While MG is an illness, unlike other neurological diseases, MG is a disease with hope,” Southern said. There is no cure for the disease, however; there are treatments. Part of the Foundation’s goal is to provide resources and information to people along with creating supportive connections between people who have been just diagnosed with those who have been living with MG.
For more information about MG and the Foundation, visit mg-mi.org.
Students at the Early Childhood Center are looking up to four new faces this school year, thanks to a new partnership between Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and Michigan State University’s College of Education.
It’s the first time the district has had Spartans interning (commonly called “student teaching”) at one of its schools, and it has been a great fit for the school and the interns, said Pete Geerling, center principal. MSU places its education program graduates in schools for an entire year, as opposed to the traditional single-semester internships of most teaching colleges.
A second-grader shows Katelyn Kouchoukos, an MSU graduate and teaching intern, her dance moves
“I think that far too often, people go through student teaching and it may not answer all of the questions they have,” said Geerling. “This — being here from the beginning (of the school year) all the way to the end — is huge.”
The college of education has about 100 interns, and about a quarter of those are in West Michigan, said Rochelle Hosler, field instructor for the interns at Godfrey-Lee. Other West Michigan districts with MSU interns include Grand Rapids and Kentwood Public Schools districts.
“We’ve learned a ton — especially in terms of implementing routines early on in the school year. It’s fun to see how fast (the students) pick them up,” said Ryan Culey, intern in Rebecca Swem’s kindergarten classroom. “There’s a lot of classroom management stuff that you don’t learn in the university courses.”
Ryan Culey empties the contents of a new student’s bag
Victory for MSU, and Godfrey-Lee
Superintendent Kevin Polston, a proud MSU alum, said the partnership has been a veritable “win-win.” Polston’s link to the MSU College of Education goes back about a decade, to his days at Grand Haven Area Public Schools. There, he worked with MSU’s education program to offer mock interviews to interns, as a way to give back to the profession, he said, and also to meet some up-and-coming teachers. After coming to Godfrey-Lee last year, Polston harnessed that connection to help bring MSU interns to the district.
Polston said his district is a great fit for MSU, which aims to prepare future teachers for an urban environment. The program even offers an urban educators cohort, which focuses on challenges unique to urban schools. He added that the research is pretty clear: most new teachers come from a fairly narrow demographic that has more women and is overwhelmingly white. Recruiting a diverse talent pool is important, he said, and so is equipping the current talent pool to work with students of different racial and economic backgrounds than what they’re familiar with.
Hosler said that certain factors, such as a high percentage of students in the free and reduced lunch program, made Godfrey-Lee a great fit for the interns.
Intern Hayley Browning works on an assessment for her internship at the Early Childhood Center
Moreover, she thought the school was outstanding.
“When we toured the school in the spring I was really impressed with the building, the teachers and the things that they’re doing here,” she said.
Intern Hayley Browning, who was in the urban educator cohort, said, “I actually hadn’t heard of Godfrey-Lee, and was intrigued by the fact that it’s the smallest district geographically in the state at one-square-mile. It’s pretty cool. I’m glad to be here.”
‘A Year-long Job Interview’
Polston said that at a time when demand for teachers is high, connections with teaching colleges are important ones to have. Hosler concurred, as she’s seen the number of students going into education decline during her time at MSU.
Teaching intern Katelyn Kouchoukos joins a second-grader as she gets her wiggles out during a “brain break”
“When I was done (with college), finding a job was really hard,” said Hosler, who completed her education internship 20 years ago. Now, she said, “our interns get hired very quickly. What we tell our interns is, ‘This really is a year-long job interview.’ If they want to stay here, it’s not hard to find a job in West Michigan right now.
Katelyn Kouchoukos moved to Grand Rapids from her home in the suburbs of Chicago for her internship at Godfrey-Lee’s ECC. Both she and Browning are unsure of their next step after completing the internship. They’ll attend job fairs, apply for jobs and see where they can go.
“I could see myself in Michigan, but I might go home,” said Kouchoukos.
Culey, however, was ready for a change of pace: “I will not stay here. I love Michigan… but for a little bit, I want to get away.”
Whatever path they take, they say they’re gaining valuable experience for whatever they may face as teachers. And, said Polston, the ECC reaps the benefit of another caring adult in classrooms.
Check out School News Network for more stories about students, schools, and faculty in West Michigan.
MSU graduate and teaching intern Olivia Fox meets with field instructor Rochelle Hosler for a debriefing after a classroom observation
Following heart disease and cancer, medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.
Cynthia McCurren, dean of the Kirkhof College of Nursing at Grand Valley State University, put it another way: the third leading cause of death in the U.S. is its own health care system.
To raise awareness of patient safety, particularly among emerging nursing and health professionals, KCON will host the first West Michigan screening of a new documentary, “To Err is Human,” followed by panel discussions in two locations for specific populations on Tuesday, Sept. 25, from 6:15-8:30 p.m. The events are free and open to the public.
• KCON alumni and community members: L. William Seidman Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A reception will precede the event at 5:30 p.m. RSVP online at gvsu.edu/kcon/edevents. Continuing education credits are available to registered nurses.
Panelists at the community screening will be Bret Jackson, president of the Economic Alliance for Michigan; Julie Klausing, vice president of product, integration and operations for Great Lakes Health Connect; Thomas Peterson, vice president of quality and safety for Munson Healthcare; and Mary Kay VanDriel, president of Spectrum Health Big Rapids & Reed City hospitals.
• Area students, faculty and staff members: DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium, Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A reception will precede the event at 5:30 p.m. RSVP at gvsu.edu/kcon/edevents.
Student panelists will be represented by KCON, Grand Valley’s College of Health Professions, and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
“To Err is Human” is produced by Tall Tale Productions and directed by Mike Eisenberg, son of the late Dr. John Eisenberg, who was a pioneer in patient safety. The documentary reports medical mistakes lead to as many as 440,000 preventable deaths every year, features interviews with a family who endured two deaths due to preventable errors, and highlights employees who are creating a new path to patient safety.
McCurren said the documentary is a follow-up to a 1999 report by the U.S. Institutes of Medicine, “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System,” which detailed medical mistakes and made recommendations to build a culture of safety among health care workers that would decrease the number of errors made. She said progress has been made, but “there’s a long way to go.”
“By shedding light on the realities of our progress and the urgency for action, we hope professionals will set the tone for constant awareness and the significance of patient safety cultures,” she said.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) is once again the West Michigan Hub for Michigan State University’s Science Festival. Join the GRPM and the rest of the state in this science month celebration with special events hosted in West Michigan.
The Museum will host two special science events in the month of April, including a Statewide Astronomy Night and Pub Science at Brewery Vivant! Entrance is FREE for these events.
The MSU Science Festival is a month long of statewide events highlighting and celebrating the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). The MSU Science Festival features talks, demonstrations, tours, open houses, guest speakers, and hands-on activities for lifelong learners of all ages. The MSU Science Festival is proudly coordinated and produced by Michigan State University, working together with professionals and educators across the state to bring Michigan communities an opportunity to experience “Science Live.”
On Friday, April 20, experience Statewide Astronomy Night at the Veen Observatory in nearby Lowell. Presented by the GRPM’s Chaffee Planetarium, there will be tours of the facility, hands-on activities and telescope demonstrations. Assisting with the event will be members of the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association (GRAAA), who operate the observatory with support from the Museum. The observatory houses three large telescopes (including one that can be operated robotically), and portable telescopes will also be set up on the grounds for visitors to use. Special sky observations will take place from 8:30 -11:30 p.m. to observe the moon, Jupiter and other sky objects. Telescopes will be weather dependent; all other activities will take place regardless.
Pub Science will be April 18 at Brewery Vivant.
Pub Science will take place on Wednesday, April 18. Participants will tour behind the scenes at Brewery Vivant to see how beer is made, as well as partake in a discussion all about the science of making beer. Pub Science begins at 7 p.m. and limited to 30 participants. Participants must be 21 and older, and can reserve a spot at grpm.org/calendar.
For more information on MSU’s Statewide Science Festival, please visit www.sciencefestival.msu.edu/. For information regarding Grand Rapids specific events please visit grpm.org.
The GRPM continuously offers astronomy events in conjunction with the GRAAA. On Thursday, April 19, join the GRAAA public meeting to hear Star Stories from Michigan from Mary Stewart Adams, Star Lore Historian, open and free to the public. This presentation begins at 7 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Chaffee Planetarium.
On Saturday, April 21, join the GRPM and GRAAA for International Astronomy Day. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., view the sky through telescopes at the GRPM. Inside the Museum will be additional hands-on activities, free with general admission.
By Bert Cregg, Michigan State University Extension, Departments of Horticulture and Forestry
Michiganders that purchase a real tree for the holidays each year are likely familiar with many of the “tried and true” Christmas tree species that usually appear at tree lots and choose-and-cut farms such as Fraser fir, balsam fir, Douglas fir and blue spruce. Michigan Christmas tree growers are an innovative lot, however, and consumers may find exotic or lesser-known species as they’re looking for this year’s tree.
Why exotics?
Turkish fir. Photo by Bert Cregg, MSU.
Strictly speaking, an exotic is a tree species that is not native to our area. In Michigan, we grow some conifers that are native Christmas trees like balsam fir, white spruce and white pine, but also commonly grow other trees that are not native like Fraser fir and blue spruce. When talking about Christmas trees, the term exotic has morphed into meaning less common or unusual.
Growers produce exotics to give their customers a greater range of choices when they come to their farm or tree lot. In certain cases, exotics may be better adapted to certain soil conditions, such as high soil pH or wet soils, or more resistance to diseases. This allows growers to produce trees on sites they might not be able to otherwise. Some growers are interested in the botany of conifers and enjoy learning about and growing different and unusual species.
For consumers that like something outside the box, Michigan State University Extension suggests the following exotic or less common Christmas trees you may want to keep an eye for as you look for this year’s tree.
The Michigan State Spartans will bring their energy — and a No. 2 ranking — to Grand Rapids this weekend. Photo from a 2016-17 game. (Courtesy MSU Athletic Communications)
Update Oct. 26, 5 p.m. Update.
MSU basketball charity exhibition receives overwhelming response. No tickets currently available for Sunday’s contest against Georgia
Sunday’s men’s college basketball exhibition between Michigan State University and University of Georgia at the Van Andel Arena in support of disaster relief efforts has proven to be an extremely high demand event. Tickets went on sale Wednesday afternoon, and the response was immediately overwhelming. There are no tickets currently available for the game, but there will be a very limited number of holds released this week.
By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org
The preseason No. 2-ranked Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball team — including a freshman big man Xavier Tillman, who played high school ball on local courts — will be coming to Grand Rapids this Sunday to play the Georgia Bulldogs in a special disaster-relief fundraising exhibition contest.
The charity exhibition game will take place Sunday, Oct. 29, at 2 p.m., at the Van Andel Arena. Its goal is to help to raise awareness and financial support for hurricane relief efforts, specifically those in Georgia and in the Bahamas — the home of Spartans senior guard Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn Jr.
Ticket sales, which begin today, Wednesday, Oct. 25, will benefit American Red Cross (International Services) and American Red Cross (Georgia Region).
To bring the game to town, the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority and SMG, which manages the Van Andel Arena and the DeVos Place and Performance Hall partnered with the Michigan State University Athletic Department and the University of Georgia Bulldogs.
Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo. (Courtesy MSU Athletic Communications)
“This is a great opportunity for our programs to help make an impact with the relief and rebuilding efforts in areas that were affected by this summer’s hurricanes,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said in supplied material. “We look forward to playing back in Grand Rapids where we have a strong fan base.
“They’ll see us play a very good Georgia team that is very well coached and features a great player in Yante Maten, who’s returning to his home state. Combining a competitive basketball game with a worthy cause makes for an outstanding event.”
Georgia’s Maten was selected as the Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Year last season. A native of Bloomfield, Mi., he averaged 18.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last year. The Bulldogs received votes in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll after posting a 19-15 record last season and playing in the National Invitation Tournament.
“This is a unique opportunity allowed this year by the NCAA to help with disaster relief,” Georgia head coach Mark Fox said in supplied material. “Adding a road game in short notice seemed more difficult than needed. But this is an opportunity to help the people of the state of Georgia. Hurricane Irma had a significant impact on the DawgNation.”
While the contest will be an exhibition game, a non-counter for the team’s official record, both teams are preparing in earnest for the season to begin and should be a very competitive game. And not only will it match up to of the best players in the country in MSU’s Nairn Jr. and Georgia’s Maten, it will also mark the return home for Tillman.
Tillman, a 6-foot-8 and 260-pound forward, played high school ball at Grand Rapids Christian.
And while Tillman is expected to have an impact on the Spartan program as early as this year, he said he is still in the learning mode when it comes to the next level of basketball and Coach Izzo.
Xavier Tillman, a freshman Spartan who played high school ball in Grand Rapids last year. (Courtesy MSU Athletic Communications)
“It’s crazy … This intensity is different because it’s not like Grand Rapids Christian,” Tillman said in supplied information. “Coach Izzo is looking at me in my face like, ‘You gotta show up, you gotta play.’ So it’s more personal and I think that would be the biggest difference between how my high school used to be and now.”
Tillman was named to the 2017 Detroit News and Detroit Free Press Dream Team and the AP Class A All-State team after averaging 13.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 4.2 blocks as a senior, shooting 68 percent from the field. He led Grand Rapids Christian to a 27-1 record and an appearance in the Class A state title game.
Ticket prices start at $17.50 and are available at the Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place box offices, online at Ticketmaster.com, and charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Prices are subject to change.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) is pleased to announce that it will open a brand new original production in the Chaffee Planetarium on Oct. 21. The show, titled Subatomic, will take visitors through the discovery of the Higgs boson, a scientific quest solved in our lifetime.
Subatomic will take viewers on a journey of scientific discovery. In 2012, after a 48-year search and the construction of the world’s largest machine, more than 10,000 physicists celebrated the discovery of the Higgs boson, an elusive subatomic particle crucial to physics and existence itself. Learn more about this important discovery, and how it fits into humanity’s quest for unraveling the secrets of the universe.
Subatomic will include a produced portion, followed by a live and interactive portion with a planetarium staff member, and hands on components just outside the Chaffee Planetarium to demonstrate the concepts highlighted in the show. The entire show will be 30 minutes in length.
Subatomic was developed through collaborations between the GRPM, scientists, and local experts specializing in serving neuro-diverse audiences. It will be part of the daily schedule of shows in the Chaffee Planetarium upon its launch.
For scientific accuracy, the Museum worked with academic advisors Dr. Jacob Bourjaily, theoretical physicist at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, Dr. Brian Winer, Chair and Professor of Physics at The Ohio State University, and Dr. Reinhard Schwienhorst, physics professor at Michigan State University. Numerous interns and staff helped produce the show with assistance from Kendall College of Art and Design for audio and sound editing. Subatomic is narrated by Grand Rapids’ own Adrian Butler.
“It is exciting to be part of a project like this” said Prof. Brian Winer, of The Ohio State University. “I was pleased to be one of the many experts the Museum worked with for the development of this show, which undoubtedly covers one of the important scientific discoveries in our lifetime – the Higgs boson. This show is a great way to bring a complex idea involving physics to the general public.”
The Museum also partnered with Dr. Mira Krishnan and Hope Network at the beginning of the show’s development, discussing the creation of an experience that would resonate for children with autism. Dr. Krishnan made recommendations for how the GRPM could visually enhance the show for these unique learners. As a consequence, a shorter show was developed, with some specialized graphics to emphasize complex scientific concepts in different ways, a live presentation was created to complement and reinforce the show, and hands-on activities were developed for students and Museum visitors to learn more scientific concepts in kinesthetic ways outside of the planetarium.
“I first approached the Museum looking for ways to make our community more accessible to people with differences. I was really overwhelmed with the Museum’s support for this,” said Dr. Mira Krishnan, a clinical neuropsychologist. “The Museum’s focus on universal design gave us a really common language to make Subatomic more autism and learning difference friendly. Beyond that, I did applied physics before I became a psychologist, so being a part of this particular project is an amazing dream come true for me, because it brings together so many of my passions!”
“This project has a great story,” said Dale Robertson, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Public Museum. “From the very beginning, we were working with Dr. Krishnan to make this an experience that could be enjoyed by all audiences. We then brought in scientists – two of whom grew up in Grand Rapids – to consult on the content of the project. The group then took a very complex idea, physics and the discovery of a subatomic particle, and made it accessible for all learners. This is all part of our effort to embrace universal design for learning in the Planetarium and throughout the Museum.”
The show begins on Oct. 21 and will be part of the Chaffee Planetarium’s regular schedule. Subatomic can also be reserved for school groups and field trips. Planetarium shows are $4 with general admission and $5 for planetarium only. Museum members receive free admission to planetarium shows.
For additional information on the Chaffee Planetarium or to view the full schedule, visit grpm.org/planetarium.
Michigan State University had big plans when they purchased the old home of the Grand Rapids Press on 155 Michigan Street NE back in 2012, out with ink and paper and in with a new Biomedical Research Center.
The demolition project was approved December 12th by the MSU board of trustees. Tear down of the 175,384 square foot building is scheduled to begin this spring and finish at the tail-end of 2015. It will cost three million dollars for the building to be destroyed and the debris taken away.
Built back in 1966, the Grand Rapids Press building served as the headquarters until 2012 when Michigan State bough the property. The property was bought with the hopes to expand their West Michigan research presence after opening the Secchia Center in 2010. The new 50 million dollar Biomedical Research Center is expected to be 145,000 square-feet and five or six stories tall.
The scheduled finish date is the end of 2017.
It’s another exciting development for Grand Rapids and an ever-expanding initiative to bring more top-notch scientists into the area.
