Awards and Recognition

Earth’s snowpack is shrinking, glaciers are losing mass, sea ice is declining, and Greenland is melting at an unprecedented rate. Ardeshir Ebtehaj, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering, is leading a $2.9 million NASA-funded project to better understand this decline in the cyrosphere.

Alexandra Armstrong has received a $662,000 Career Development award (K01) from the National Institutes of Health to examine the contribution of growth cartilage to recovery and disease progression in Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD). LCPD is a condition that affects the hip joint, in which the femur doesn't get enough blood supply, so it can become weak and start to break down. But little is known about exactly how tissues related to bone growth impact the trajectory of the disease. To address this critical gap, Armstrong will use a piglet model of LCPD to identify genes within the growth cartilage associated with growth disturbances. She will also examine how tissues related to growth respond to transphyseal drilling, a treatment that may benefit children with growth disturbances resulting from LCPD.

William Jones is quoted in the New York Times story “How the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike Changed the Labor Movement;” Megan Kocher is quoted in a WJON radio story about Minnesota's holiday baking traditions as chronicled in cookbooks; Gabriel Chan is quoted in a Star Tribune story about excitement and concern around a second data center in Rosemount; Heidi Roop is quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio story on the impacts of climate change and a scientist's take on Minnesota's climate future; Rebecca Shlafer is quoted in the NPR story “A novel prison program for pregnant women and their babies;” Dziwe Ntaba is quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio story about how addiction is impacting Karen and Hmong communities; Sergei Katsev is quoted in the Newsweek story “Lake Superior Study Reveals 3-Billion-Year Secret About Earth;” Raphael Stern is quoted in the KARE 11 story “Phantom jams: When traffic comes to a halt because of nothing; Jake Jungers is quoted in an NPR story about Kernza, a climate-friendly grain that is getting the attention of brewers and distillers; Lisa Von Drasek is interviewed in a Minnesota Public Radio story about the best children’s books to give as gifts for the holidays.

The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award honors faculty who have done significant research, teaching, or service/leadership to advance justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University, in the person's field of study, or in the broader community. These awards are meant to advance and elevate equity work, provide funding in recognition of the value of that work, and showcase critical scholarship, pedagogy, and community engagement. Congratulations to the newly named recipients:

• Douglas Kearney, English, College of Liberal Arts, U of M Twin Cities
• Sarah-Jane (Saje) Mathieu, history, College of Liberal Arts, U of M Twin Cities
• Hessam Kassra Mirgolbabaei, mechanical and industrial engineering, Swenson College of Science and Engineering, U of M Duluth
• Mary J. Owen, family medicine and biobehavioral health, Medical School, U of M Twin Cities
• Heather Peters, psychology, Division of the Social Sciences, U of M Morris

Jean Abraham is quoted in a CNBC story about open enrollment tips and strategies for employees; Natalie Peterson is quoted in the Huffington Post story “9 Things Dentists Would Never, Ever Do To Their Teeth;” Jian-Ping Wang is mentioned in the Twin Cities Business story “Minneapolis Magnet Company Attracts Funding from Big Automakers;” Kyla Wahlstrom is quoted in an NPR story about teens and the importance of sleep and school start times; Eric Schwartz is interviewed in Minnesota Public Radio about paths toward peace in the Israel-Hamas war; Emily Fairfax is quoted in the New York Times story “Leave It to Beavers? Not if You're a Wolf.;” Joel Roberts quoted in a Minnesota Daily story about the U of M Solar Vehicle Project team winning second place in the World Solar Challenge; Brad Heins is quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio story about mixing solar and farming as a key to a clean energy future; Stephen Schondelmeyer is quoted in the MarketWatch story “The doctor lowering drug prices for 1 million patients, with help from Mark Cuban, Sam Altman–and Martin Shkreli;” Rui Zhang, Ju Sun, and Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos are mentioned in a Minnesota Daily story about a new $1.2 million grant to explore AI in breast cancer treatment; Matt Simcik is interviewed in the Minnesota Public Radio story about wastewater contributing to 'forever chemicals' pollution.

The University of Minnesota’s position as one of the world’s most outstanding universities was reaffirmed this week with the publication of Shanghai Ranking’s 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. In eight subjects, the U of M ranked in the top 25 globally, including ecology (ranked No. 3 in the world), library & information science (No. 4), management (No. 13), communication (No. 17), economics (No. 20), psychology (No. 23), medical technology (No. 24), and statistics (No. 24). In total, 34 out of the 47 subjects in which the U of M was evaluated were ranked among the top 100 in the world.

The 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects include more than 1,900 universities across 104 countries and regions that are ranked using a variety of objective academic indicators and third-party data to measure performance.

Rachel Hardeman is quoted in a CNN story about the U.S. infant mortality rate rising for first time in more than 20 years; William Doherty is quoted in the TIME story “The Israel-Hamas War Is Making Americans Question Their Relationships;” Tim Lindberg is quoted in Minnpost about how energized Minnesota GOP donors for Trump are out-fundraising Biden supporters; Laura Molgaard is interviewed at KARE 11 about a veterinarian shortage; Prodromos Daoutidis is quoted in Minnpost about how proposed hubs hope to show that the hydrogen energy economy is more than just hype; Michael Osterholm is quoted in the New York Magazine story “COVID Lockdowns Were a Giant Experiment. It Was a Failure;” Hassan Abdel Salam is quoted in a Star Tribune story about Jews and Ukrainians banding together in Minnesota to link conflicts in Israel and Ukraine; Jeff Ettinger and Sima Shakhsari are quoted in a Star Tribune story about rising tensions on Minnesota campuses grappling with the Israel-Hamas war; Tim Lindberg is quoted in the NBC News story “Rural Voters Continue to Evade Democrats;” Joseph Neglia is quoted in the Star Tribune story “U doctor's departure is a setback for kids with rare traumatic illness.”

Anatoly Liberman is interviewed in the Minnesota Public Radio story “The thrills and chills behind ghost stories—and why we like to tell them;” John Stavig is quoted in a Twin Cities Business story about a correction in venture capital; Jian-Ping Wang is mentioned in a Fox 9 story about his magnet being named among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023; Heidi Roop is quoted in a Duluth News Tribune opinion piece about Duluth's climate leadership; Eric Lind and Andrew Owen are quoted in a Star Tribune story about a rise in Twin Cities area traffic; Stephen Schondelmeyer is quoted in the Bloomberg Law story “Insulin Costs Remain Top Target Beyond Biden’s Drug Price Cuts;” Murray Frank is interviewed in a KARE 11 story about why the U.S. economy keeps growing and defying expectations; Carolyn Liebler is quoted in the Washington Post story “Was there really a sudden Native American population boom?;” Todd Tanner is interviewed in a Fox 9 story about University of Minnesota vintage chairs shining at auction 50 years later; Haitham Hussein is quoted in Minnpost about heart health in Minnesota’s Hmong communities; Paul Schrater is interviewed in the CBS Minnesota story "Why do we feel phantom vibrations from our phones?;" Richard Graves is quoted in a Mpls. St. Paul Magazine about biophilic design.

The University of Minnesota-based team leading the 10,000 Families Study recently received a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that funds continued investigation of environmental exposures and cancer risk in Minnesota. The study is focused on chemicals that residents of Minnesota are commonly exposed to, including radon, glyphosate, and PFAS. These chemicals can be found in many different places across Minnesota, impacting both rural and urban areas and racial or ethnic groups that are currently underrepresented in cancer research. The study is led by Jen Poynter, co-associate director for community outreach and engagement with the Masonic Cancer Center and professor with the U of M Medical School; Heather Nelson, co-leader of the Masonic Cancer Center’s Screening, Prevention, Etiology, and Cancer Survivorship Program and p​rofessor with the U of M School of Public Health; and Lisa Peterson, co-leader of the Masonic Cancer Center’s Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program and professor with the School of Public Health.

Stephanie Carlson, Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Institute of Child Development, has been awarded $2.8 million by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The grant aims to align measures of personal attributes that best predict physical and mental health outcomes in youth. Carlson’s research focuses on Executive Function (EF) skills—which include attention, working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and reflection. Together with students and colleagues, she has been studying EF measurement, development, and social, economic, and cultural influences.