Elizabeth H. Simmons (Dean & Professor) & R. Sekhar Chivukula (Professor)

A major attraction was the opportunity for both members of a dual-career academic couple to obtain positions in physics at a major research university located in a family-friendly community with excellent schools. We knew that the physics department was highly-ranked nationally and we personally knew several members of the research group in our discipline. The chance to be part of the interdisciplinary Lyman Briggs community was also very compelling.

Part of what makes MSU special is its commitment to the land grant mission of making its research, teaching, and engagement available to all citizens of Michigan. These values inform discussions in the university community and the policies arising from those discussions. Another special element at MSU is the presence of dedicated staff members who have made lifelong careers at MSU and effectively support the academic mission of the university.

Attending Lugnuts baseball games at Oldsmobile Park (especially when there are fireworks)… the Impressions 5 Science Museum … the IMAX theatre at Celebration Cinema … the Harris Nature Center … the Kal-Haven bike trail … the East Lansing Art Fair and the Folk Music Festival … and exercising at the Michigan Athletic Center.

One of our favorite activities is to bring our bikes to Lyman Briggs, ride across campus to the Potter Park Zoo, and return via the MSU Dairy Store. We also enjoy attending events at the Wharton Center and going to lectures in various departments on the MSU campus. On Halloween, we have dinner in the Holmes cafeteria and go trick-or-treating in the residence hall floors. The Briggs-Madison canoe race, the Briggs Extravaganza and the Red Cedar Clean-up Day are also family favorites.

In 2006-07 the two of us won an MSU China Development Grant that enabled us to visit research colleagues at Tsinghua University, together with our graduate students and postdocs, and to strengthen linkages between the MSU and Tsinghua particle physics groups. Over the past three years, we have jointly developed a new junior level mathematical physics course incorporating interactive teaching techniques such as peer instruction, group projects, homework workshops, and participation in the Lyman Briggs Research Symposium. We have also enjoyed working with undergraduate Professorial Assistants from Honors College on projects related to K12 outreach.

There are many cost-free on-campus opportunities for professional development, including the MULTI and Lilly seminars sponsored by the Office for Faculty Development and the classes run by the Libraries, Computing, & Technology Training Program. We have found these to be extremely helpful. MSU has excellent retirement and family health benefits. Finally, dual-career couples should know that there are many dual-MSU-career couples among the faculty and staff.