- U of M celebrates selection of Minnesota MedTech 3.0 as federal tech hub.
- Innovative collaboration between Tribal communities and U of M aims to slow CWD spread.
- Awards and Recognition: The 10,000 Families Study has received a new $12 million award to continue studying environmental exposures and cancer risks in Minnesota; and more.
U of M celebrates selection of Minnesota MedTech 3.0 as federal tech hub
A collaborative effort led by Greater MSP has been selected by the U.S. Department of Commerce as one of its inaugural tech hubs. Minnesota MedTech 3.0 emerged from a field of roughly 200 proposals to earn one of 31 designations that will open new opportunities to accelerate innovation and discovery. The tech hub will bring together research institutions like the U of M, hospitals, medical device manufacturers, and others to integrate AI, data science, and device manufacturing.
Innovative collaboration between Tribal communities and U of M aims to slow CWD spread
Several Tribal Nations in Minnesota are combining forces with the University of Minnesota in a groundbreaking collaboration aimed at stopping the continued spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) on and near Tribal lands. Together, they’re developing one of the first Tribal CWD management plans in the U.S.
Awards and Recognition
The 10,000 Families Study has received a new $12 million award to continue studying environmental exposures and cancer risks in Minnesota; Stephanie Carlson has been awarded $2.8 million to align measures of personal attributes that best predict physical and mental health outcomes in youth; Margaret Moss has been inducted into the National Academy of Medicine; the School of Nursing has received the Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine; U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media.
New provider for international medical insurance and emergency support
The University of Minnesota has a new provider—On Call International—for international medical insurance and emergency support services for University-purpose travel outside the U.S. The policy includes several changes and upgrades, including new ways to reach out for help and the option for hosting departments to purchase coverage for guests and visitors. In addition, fees are now covered centrally for all faculty and staff traveling abroad for University purposes.
Benefits Open Enrollment available Nov. 1-30
Benefits Open Enrollment is available in MyU from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30. During this time, employees can change medical or dental plans, enroll in an FSA, increase or decrease disability coverage, make changes to additional life insurance, or add or remove eligible dependents. View the open enrollment website to learn what action can be taken or register for a Nov. 1 open enrollment webinar.
Storage allotments for Google Workspace accounts
As part of the Sustainable Storage initiative, beginning Oct. 26, the Office of Information Technology will set storage allotments for U of M Google Workspace accounts according to one’s role. No action is required. People whose Google Workspace accounts currently exceed the allotment for their role will automatically receive one-time additional storage. Learn more at Google Workspace storage allocations.
Apply for IAS Residential Faculty Fellowships
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) invites applications from U of M System faculty for its 2024-25 fellowship. While spending a semester in residence at the IAS, faculty fellows work intensively on their own research and creative projects, meet regularly to exchange ideas, and contribute to a supportive interdisciplinary community. Fellowships are open to faculty at all ranks; faculty from the Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester campuses will receive relocation expenses. Apply by Nov. 6.
Nominate a climate adaptation leader
The University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership is accepting nominations for its 2024 Minnesota Climate Adaptation Awards. These awards celebrate exceptional achievements in leadership, education, research, policies, and practices that improve resilience or climate justice through the development, advancement, or implementation of climate adaptation strategies. The nomination deadline is Nov. 10.
Apply for MPact 2025 education grants
The Center for Educational Innovation seeks applications from academic units to fund projects that accelerate meaningful educational change by advancing the teaching and learning priorities of the MPact 2025 systemwide strategic plan, including student success and engagement, student community and belonging, and student mental health and well-being. The application deadline is Nov. 30.
Submit proposals for 2024 Internationalizing the Curriculum and Campus Conference
The call for session and poster proposals is now open for the systemwide 2024 Internationalizing the Curriculum and Campus Conference, to be held March 22. The theme of the conference is “Leveraging New Realities: Innovations, Successes, and Challenges.” Sessions and posters that are interdisciplinary in nature or highlight work that spans units, offices, departments, or campuses are encouraged. Submission deadline is Dec. 1.
U of M researchers work towards sustainable, pest-resistant soybeans
Soybean aphid is the primary pest of Minnesota soybean crops. The go-to treatment is insecticide, but it has downsides. A research team from the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center developed solutions to decrease the negative environmental impacts of soybean aphid management. The research has empowered Minnesota's farmers by developing aphid-resistant soybean plants and deploying drone technology for targeted, remote surveillance.
Inclusive higher education moves forward
The University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration recently signed an agreement with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education to establish a technical assistance center that will create self-sustaining education options across the state for students with intellectual disability who want to earn postsecondary credentials. The Minnesota legislature has also earmarked $750,000 for annual competitive grants to institutions launching these programs.
Research Brief: Understanding mutualism can help control the spread of invasive species
Cooperation between species to help each other's survival is known as mutualism. Recent U of M research attempted to identify the conditions under which a mutualistic partner could make a species more or less invasive. As invasive species become more widespread, this research could eventually help protect native habitats from mutualistic invaders. See additional recent Research Briefs.
Pedagogical workshops
The Center for Educational Innovation will offer teaching-related workshops via Zoom in November, including Teaching Practices That Support Student Mental Health and Well-Being (Nov. 9), Cultural Norms and Help-Seeking among First-Generation College Students (Nov. 15), and Introduction to Anti-Racist Pedagogy at a Predominantly White Institution (Nov. 17).
Nov. 20 - Quie and Peterson Global Health Lecture
The Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility is hosting its annual Quie and Peterson Global Health Lecture (register). This year’s topic is compassion in global health and features speakers Shams Syed of the World Health Organization and David Addiss of the Task Force for Global Health. 5-6:15 p.m.
Alumni feature: Jeff Runck
As a smokejumper for the Bureau of Land Management, Jeff Runck ’12 is working his dream job, and with the support of family and friends, he’s going to keep at it for years to come. Runck has been a wildland firefighter/smokejumper for over 15 years, and his interest was sparked as a freshman at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Calculated risk
Brandon Stachewicz studies management and entrepreneurship in the Labovitz School of Business and Economics. He’s up to all kinds of challenges in and out of the classroom, and that includes riding on a mountain bike trail near the UMD campus called “Calculated Risk.” When he’s not making tight turns on the trails, he’s routing shipments and maneuvering a forklift for Dayton Freight, as a way to learn more about the transportation and logistics industry.
Nov. 1 - Dia de Los Muertos
All are invited to see the film "Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life" and enjoy free food, activities, and views of the ofrendas (altars) at the Día de los Muertos holiday observance. UMD art education students created many of the brightly colored pieces on display. Film noon-1 p.m.; celebration 4-7 p.m., Griggs Center.
Inaugural Cougar men's swim/dive team competition
The Cougar men's swim/dive team will have eight swimmers and one diver compete against Nebraska Wesleyan University on Oct. 27 for the first meet in program history. U of M Morris announced the addition of men's swimming and diving earlier this year with Dave Molesworth as the head coach. Assistant coach Annie Corbett joined the staff this fall.
Morris Challenge Rural Youth Institute on the road to Des Moines
Morris Challenge director Doug Reed will accompany four area high school students and their chaperones to the 2023 World Food Prize Foundation Global Youth Institute in Des Moines, Oct. 24-27.
Oct. 26 - Inauguration of Janet Schrunk Ericksen
Janet Schrunk Ericksen will be officially inaugurated as chancellor of the University of Minnesota Morris in a ceremony at 11:30 a.m., Edson Auditorium, Student Center. U of M interim president Jeff Ettinger, professor emeritus Gwen Rudney, and Morris Student Association vice president Kianna Big Crow will make remarks. Janie Mayeron, chair of the U of M Board of Regents, will officially install Chancellor Ericksen.
Upcoming U of M Morris events
The Saddle Club Barn will be decorated as the “Haunted Barn” for $2 Halloween tours on Oct. 28, 2-5 p.m.; beloved Los Angeles trio Tres Souls will deliver its own interpretations of the bolero genre on Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.; and the Symphonic Winds fall concert will take place Oct. 29, 3 p.m.
UMR celebrates Parent and Family Weekend
UMR recently welcomed families to downtown Rochester in celebration of Parent and Family Weekend. Families connected with their students, explored campus, and heard from UMR faculty member Jake Wright, who presented his “Last Lecture” during a welcome brunch. See photos from the event on Facebook.
Faculty collaborative research focuses on student experience
UMR faculty member Olivia Crandell co-authored the article “What About the Students Who Switched Course Type?: An Investigation of Inconsistent Course Experience,” published in the Journal of Chemical Education. Crandell and her colleagues Samantha K. Houchlei of the U of M Twin Cities and Melanie M. Cooper of Michigan State University measured the impact of transformed organic chemistry curricula on student reasoning.
Donate to the Community Fund Drive
The Twin Cities Community Fund Drive runs through the end of October. Faculty and staff can give to one or more federation partners or a specific charity of their choosing. You can also give to your favorite University cause through the U of M Foundation. Please join in this important tradition.
Science and the cities
The Minneapolis-Saint Paul Long-Term Ecological Research program—one of the only urban long-term ecological research programs in the country—brings together dozens of researchers from the University of Minnesota and beyond to study how urban stressors affect the ecological structure and functioning of urban nature. Learn about a few of the research projects led by College of Biological Sciences faculty, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students.
Training to serve
Living with quadriplegia, Jenny Peterson uses a wheelchair for mobility and has limited use of her arms and wrists—the result of a broken neck sustained in a downhill skiing accident at age 17. In the late 1980s, a few years after her accident, a new research program at the University of Minnesota exploring the potential of dogs assisting people with disabilities introduced her to Alpha. The pairing changed everything.
Deployed MBA student balances school and service
Duty to service and school are what drive Lujana Thapa ’24. Despite being thousands of miles away on deployment in the Middle East, Thapa remains dedicated to her academic goals at the Carlson School. While on her mission overseas, Thapa is pushing herself to fulfill her service duties and stay on top of her studies. She shares in this Q&A how her military experience inspires her and what it takes to stay balanced.
Featured events
Oct. 27 - KDI Exchange: What Does Biomimicry Mean?
Oct. 30 - From Kernels to Culture: Delve into the World of Corn
Through Oct. 31 - Scarecrows in the Gardens | Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Nov. 2 - Navigating NIL: What it means for the University of Minnesota
Nov. 2 - Northrop presents Alonzo King LINES Ballet: Deep River
Nov. 8 - Inventing Tomorrow: Sustainability, Innovation, and the Future of Food
Nov. 9 - International Law and the Death Penalty’s Denial of Universal Human Rights
Nov. 9 - Balanced Reporting in Divisive Times: Making Local News Antiracist
Nov. 10 - Constitutionalizing Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights