Awards and Recognition

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.

For the eighth consecutive year, the University of Minnesota School of Nursing received the Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The school was one of only 15 nursing schools to receive the HEED Award, which honors U.S. nursing, public health, medical, dental, pharmacy, osteopathic, veterinary, and other health schools and centers that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Margaret Moss, professor and associate dean for Nursing and Health Policy and Katherine R. & C. Walton Lillehei Chair in Nursing Leadership, has been inducted into the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Induction into the National Academy of Medicine is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Moss, an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, is the second female American Indian to become a member. The academy cites her exemplary leadership in nursing, law, and Indigenous health inequities as the only American Indian nurse with a PhD and JD.

Michael Georgieff is quoted in a New York Times story about the extremely high rate of iron deficiency in women; Jessica Horvath Williams and Tseganesh Selameab are mentioned in a Twin Cities PBS story about a TV series that destigmatizes disabilities; Myles Shaver and Whitney Taha Frakes are quoted in a Minnesota Daily story about faculty perspectives on a return to in-person work; Michael Osterholm is quoted in a Science Magazine story about funding for next-generation COVID-19 vaccine and treatments; Emily Vraga is interviewed in a Minnesota Public Radio story about how to sort truth from disinformation in the Israel-Hamas war; Aiden Bettine is quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio story about a new Twin Cities zine fest that is kindling an interest in queer, trans art; Hassan Abdel Salan is quoted in a CBS Minnesota story about Minnesota Jewish and Muslim leaders calling for cease-fire and peace in Israel and Gaza; Robert Stein is quoted in a New York Times story about Justice Amy Barrett calling for the Supreme Court to adopt an ethics code; Carol Cardona is quoted in Wired about gene-edited chickens made to resist bird flu; Eric Schwartz talked with Minnesota Public Radio about the escalation of war in Israel and Gaza.

A $2 million National Science Foundation award will support efforts to design a bacterial system to extract critical minerals using biofilms. Large communities of surface-adhering microbes—also known as biofilms—have properties and can perform functions no single bacteria can perform on its own. Dental plaque, for example, is a naturally occurring biofilm that can wear down tooth enamel. Other biofilms can corrode steel.

Claudia Schmidt-Dannert, in collaboration with U of M co-investigator professor Alptekin Aksan and others, will design a bacterial system to extract critical minerals from mining or electronic waste products. This biomining technology could help meet the growing demand for valuable metals, but in a way that’s much more sustainable than conventional mining methods.

Kirsten Newell, assistant professor of school psychology in the Department of Educational Psychology, has been awarded $1.25 million by the U.S. Department of Education. The grant is to develop and administer a personnel preparation program to build capacity for culturally and linguistically responsive research-based school psychological services for multilingual learners with, and at-risk for, learning disabilities. Project leadership also includes co-PI and co-director Amanda L. Sullivan, Birkmaier Educational Leadership Professor, and Indigenous specialist, Lisa Aguilar, assistant professor of school psychology.

Carol Cardona is quoted in a New York Times story about scientists using CRISPR to make chickens more resistant to bird flu; Oren Gross and Eric Schwartz are quoted in a KARE 11 story about major global implications of the Israel-Gaza war; Elizabeth Wrigley-Field is quoted in a Minnesota Reformer story about overdose deaths; Arshia Khan is quoted in a Star Tribune story about the rise of robots and smart technology in Minnesota's communities for older adults; Kevin Peterson is quoted in The Healthy story “Here’s How Naps Affect Your Blood Sugar;” Paul Vaaler co-authors a piece in The Conversation about how empire building has always come at an economic cost for Russia, from the days of the czars to Putin's Ukraine invasion; Christopher Terry is quoted in the Wired story “X's Sneaky New Ads Might Be Illegal;” Perry Moriearty is quoted in a St. Paul Pioneer Press story about making the case for mercy in front of the Minnesota Board of Pardons.

The University of Minnesota has received a $16 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative to support the groundbreaking project of unraveling the mysteries of the brain's ‘wiring diagram.’ Using cutting-edge techniques, this research aims to discover how the brain's neurons are connected and communicate with each other. The project, led by the University of Minnesota Medical School, aims to better understand how complex neural pathways generate human behaviors.

The Office of the Vice President for Research has announced the recipients of the Innovation Impact Case Award, which recognizes University of Minnesota research that has had significant impact outside of academia. This year’s winners, Devaleena Das and Sarah Huebner, who each received an award of $10,000, engage the public to make our world a better, more responsive and responsible place. The award winners and honorable mention Lucinda Johnson were honored at a luncheon with Vice President for Research Shashank Priya at the Campus Club on Oct. 2.