The SMSU Podcast

This Week is the SMSU Alumni and Foundation’s “M4L Day Of Giving”. On April 25th, M4L Day (Mustangs 4 Life Day) will bring alums, friends, students, parents, faculty, and staff for Southwest Minnesota State University's Day of Giving.
 This 24-hour online fundraising event offers opportunities to show your Mustang Pride. Your support will directly impact current and future students. 
Justin covers all the different bonuses and opportunities during the online event! There will also be a social on April 25th from 3 to 5 p.m. on the SMSU campus. 
https://www.m4lday.com/giving-events/m4l24/home

This week the computer science student’s have been busy this year putting together an app that they call, Calbuddy, short for “Calendar Buddy”. It allows students to fill out what type of events they would like to be notified about, it can also work for class notifications through the work they did with the SMSU IT department.

This week, Tayyaba Rahman is in the studio discussing her upcoming event, the Future Forward Speaker Series, presented by North Star Mutual School of Business. Tayyaba comes from Pakistan and is pursuing her Master of Business Administration at SMSU.
The event occurs on Monday, April 15, from 3-5 pm in the SMSU Conference Center! RSVP for this free event at www.smsu.edu/go/futureforward

Next week, the SMSU Theatre Program presents “An Inspector Calls.” Director Nadine Schmidt chose this show because it's a classic detective story that fits this year's theme: Timeless and Timeliness.  
Senior Theatre Major Colton Jensen plays Eric Birling, a member of the family called on by Inspector Goole. Colton touches on how he prepared for the role, as well as handling lighting design using new lighting equipment the program received last fall. 
The show runs April 10-14, starting at 7:30 pm, with a matinee showing on April 14, beginning at 2 pm. All performances will take place in the Fine Arts Theatre. Tickets are $10 at the door. SMSU students and employees can attend for free with their SMSU ID.

This Week, Dr. Ken Murphy joins us to discuss the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. In preparation for that, the planetarium at SMSU is putting on a show this weekend. Tickets are sold at the door for five dollars, and SMSU students get free admission.
Dr. Murphy discusses the significance of this solar eclipse and provides “need to know” information to stay safe and enjoy this amazing scientific event!
The show times are March 29 and April 4, both at 7 p.m., at the SMSU planetarium. After the show, if you don’t have the proper eye protection, glasses are available for purchase for four dollars.

This week, Dr. John Ginocchio is preparing for guest artist Tom Scott, who will perform with the SMSU Jazz Ensemble and area high schools. This activity is funded in part with a grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council made possible by an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the State's general fund.
Tom will hold an open discussion on Tuesday, March 26, from 12 to 1 p.m. in the SMSU Fine Arts Theater. The event is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

We’re back after Spring break with SMSU Student Body President Sam Lund. Sam goes over his journey at SMSU, recapping what led him to choose SMSU, how he dealt with online learning through the pandemic, and how important it is to be involved on campus.
Sam also goes over what he’s been up to the past few weeks and the great opportunities that have come his way due to his work in student government and his large involvement on campus.

This week we call up SMSU alumni Wokil Bam who earned a degree in environmental science and chemistry and a minor in biology from SMSU in 2012.
Since then he’s been busy studying and researching earning his master's from LSU in 2015 and his Phd in 2021. Since June 2023, Wokil has worked with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) as a postdoctoral investigator, geochemist, radiochemist, and chemical oceanographer. 
Over the past few months, Wokil has been on a research voyage to Antarctica and New Zealand. 
This won’t be his first research cruise, in total Wokil has spent over 300 days at sea doing research over the past two-and-a-half years. 
If you’d like to know more about Wokil’s research or how he found his way to SMSU go check out; https://www.smsu.edu/today/articles/2024/01-18-2024_wokil-bam-oceanresearch.html

On this week’s episode, Vickie Abel gives us an in-depth look into what challenges SMSU students face and how Accessibility Services helps give them the best opportunity to succeed. Vickie is also the coordinator for the Mustang Market which helps provide basic living items ranging from food to hygiene products. If you would like to donate to the Mustang Market there is a drop off location at the Alumni and Visitor Center

This week we are joined by Karalyn Closs and Cameron Peterson, students enrolled in the culinology program at SMSU. The on-campus restaurant, “The Mustang Kitchen”, is preparing to open its doors every Tuesday this semester with their first night of service being February 20. Service will run 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm with the last order going in at 7:30 pm. Full details on the restaurant and menu items can be found at: www.smsu.edu/go/mustangkitchen .