After 30 years, David McFarlane Retires from MSU

July 12, 2024 - Shelly DeJong

David McFarlane has been solving problems for the Department of Psychology for over 30 years. Since 1993, he has been a Systems Designer at Michigan State University. With a background in neuroscience and cognitive science research, David moved to the Lansing area and started doing consulting work for the specialized technology needs of the psychology faculty. He proved himself useful, and a position was quickly created for him.  

As a Systems Designer, David solved problems for labs doing research in neuroscience and cognitive science. He provided custom measurement and control applications for scientific research, which could involve tasks ranging from light electronic work to software development to hanging mirrors on the ceiling.  

“David’s meticulous, thorough, and methodical approach to every project he undertook will be difficult to replace. His quiet dedication and attention to detail consistently added credibility and depth to any research he was involved in,” said supervisor Chip Shank.  

Throughout his career, David enjoyed the freedom to indulge his own creative interests, which luckily happened to coincide with the needs of others.  

A favorite memory of his was when a lab needed a fetal monitor to export its data for further analysis. David explained that he “took care of shopping for the monitor and did some deep software hacking to decode the undocumented data structure. When I later contacted the company to fill in some fine but non-essential details of the structure, their engineering told me that I was not supposed to know all that!” 

In retirement, David and his wife are eager to travel more and have extra time for rest, volunteering, and activities like hiking, biking, camping, caving, reading, and folk dancing. He may also take on more opportunities to call for English Country dances as well.  

With over 30 years of experience at Michigan State, David has sage advice for those who remain: “Take advantage of the opportunities here. Connect with people. Keep learning, both from elders who have seen more than you, and youth who have a fresh vision. And above all, be kind, treating others so that they feel that they matter (I have to keep reminding myself this) -- we're all in this together!”