- Regents launch virtual forum.
- U of M–led team achieves near-perfect light absorption in atomic-scale material.
- Long-term artificial sweetener intake linked to increased body fat.
- Features: Cultural connectors; Team takes aim at migraines.
- Awards and Recognition: Announcing the Imagine Fund grant and award recipients; and more.
Regents launch virtual forum
The Board of Regents has created a virtual forum for ongoing University and community input. Regents are currently welcoming feedback in advance of the Sept. 7-8 Board meeting. Comments received during the submission window will be compiled and shared with the Board for its consideration. Learn more and submit your comments.
U of M–led team achieves near-perfect light absorption in atomic-scale material
A University of Minnesota–led team has, for the first time, engineered an atomically thin material that can absorb nearly 100 percent of light at room temperature. The discovery could improve a wide range of applications, from optical communications to stealth technology.
Long-term artificial sweetener intake linked to increased body fat
Over 20 years, U of M researchers examined people's regular dietary intake, paying particular attention to non-nutritive sweeteners commonly found in artificial sweeteners. They found that long-term consumption of aspartame, saccharin, and diet beverages were linked to increased fat stores in the abdomen and fat within muscle. The study's findings raise concerns about recommendations that promote the replacement of added sugars with artificial sweeteners.
Cultural connectors
The M Health Fairview cultural brokers program was created in 2016 to improve the health of folks from marginalized communities by helping them interact with the health care system and find the care they need. Each broker serves as a navigator, translator, and advocate for a specific community: Hmong, Karen, American Indian, African American, and Latine. The program, supported entirely by philanthropy, has grown to reach more than 14,000 people, assisting families from all over Minnesota.
Team takes aim at migraines
Migraine is the No. 1 cause of disability in women between 20 and 50 years old. Many don’t realize how disabling headaches can be. Learn how U of M doctors are helping migraine patients like Kelly Aanestad reduce the intensity and frequency of their migraine attacks thanks to a whole-patient approach to treating migraine.
Awards and Recognition
Announcing the Imagine Fund grant and award recipients; two proposed U of M affiliated projects have been chosen as finalists for the NSF’s Regional Innovation Engines competition; the U of M has been recognized as a Forbes Best Employer for Women 2023; U of M Libraries is part of a $741,921 National Leadership Grant to continue research on institutional expenses for public access to research data; U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media.
New curriculum management system launches Aug. 21
Coursedog—the new integrated course and program approval workflow system replacing ECAS, PCAS, and University catalogs—will launch on Aug. 21. All faculty and staff will have view access to Coursedog. All previous users of ECAS and PCAS will have equivalent access in Coursedog. This launch is the culmination of more than a year of work involving curriculum management representatives systemwide. Learn more on the Coursedog Project webpage.
Coursera access at no cost
All U of M students, faculty, and staff have free access to a range of courses and specializations in Coursera. Access U of M Coursera content through Coursera for Minnesota as well as over 3,800 online courses and 400 specializations from other institutions through the Coursera for Minnesota Consortium, all at no cost. Simply log in with your U of M credentials. Email Fritz Vandover with any questions about how to access Coursera content to supplement your U of M courses.
Wellbeing Program year-end notice
The 2022-23 Wellbeing Program year ends on Aug. 31. Participants who earn 5,000 points (7,500 points for employee and spouse) by that date receive discounted 2024 medical insurance rates. Learn more on the Office of Human Resources website.
Free legal consultation
With Lyra work–life services, University employees can receive one free 30-minute office or telephone consultation per legal matter with a network attorney or mediator, plus a 25 percent discount on attorney rates after the initial consultation. U of M employees also have access to 24-hour emergency services, easy-to-use legal forms, document preparation, and an online legal library.
Google Workspace service changes
In support of the Sustainable Storage Program, all newly created U of M Google Workspace accounts have storage allocations according to their role or function. Additionally, the Google Photos app is disabled on all new accounts and on existing accounts that had no files stored in the app, and a new request process for shared drives is available and will become required in September. Learn more about the Google Workspace service changes.
Office of Measurement Services name change
The Office of Measurement Services provides systemwide internal consulting and implementation services for surveys, focus groups, and assessments. Effective Aug. 15, the office will be known as University Survey and Assessment Services (USAS), located at survey.umn.edu. USAS is the business owner of Qualtrics and Explorance Blue and assists with Student Rating of Teaching.
Opening Aug. 21 - Fall 2023 Grant-in-Aid competition
The Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship program, sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), provides seed funding for a wide range of projects in seven funding categories, including a multicultural research category. OVPR is especially interested in supporting entrepreneurial or collaborative projects that could result in near-term impact. The deadline to submit applications to approvers is Sept. 18; the deadline for approvers to submit final applications is Sept. 21.
Library program saving students $183,000
The Libraries’ Partnership for Affordable Learning Materials program is helping to replace commercial textbooks with openly-licensed materials across the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses, saving students approximately $183,000 per year.
Study reveals disparities in Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccination rates
A new study from the School of Public Health State Health Access Data Assistance Center shows that vaccination rates for some racial and ethnic groups lagged behind rates for the state’s white population.
Research Brief: Use of law enforcement strategies to curb underage drinking has decreased over past decade
Despite the harm that excessive alcohol consumption can cause in a community, use of some alcohol-related enforcement strategies remained low or decreased over the past 10 years—specifically those related to underaged drinking, according to a new study from the School of Public Health. See additional recent Research Briefs.
Talking kindergarten anxiety with U of M
Summer is winding down and for many new kindergartners and their parents, first-time school anxiety may be starting to set in. Annie Hansen-Burke, a senior lecturer in the College of Education and Human Development, addresses questions many parents have about helping their kids get through that critical first year of school. See more editions of "Talking with U of M."
Aug. 23, 31 - Virtual Canvas Clinics
Academic Technology Support Services will host Virtual Canvas Clinics for faculty and instructors to get hands-on support and consultation as they prepare for fall semester. Staff from Information Technology, Library Services, and academic technologists from across the system will be on hand to help with start-of-semester tasks and course planning assistance. Bring questions about designing course sites, creating activities and assessments, and integrating media and other course resources into Canvas.
U of M Crookston names next associate vice chancellor for business, arts, and education
The University of Minnesota Crookston has named Shawn Boyne as the next associate vice chancellor for business, arts, and education. Boyne begins her new role in September. Boyne recently served as an associate vice chancellor for undergraduate education at the University of Illinois Springfield, and has previously served in leadership roles such as director of academic quality and undergraduate education at Iowa State University and faculty fellow and professor of law at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
U of M Crookston opens ‘The Nest on Broadway’ in downtown historic building
The University of Minnesota Crookston is spreading its wings into the community with the opening of a new downtown space, “The Nest on Broadway.” Serving as an extension of the campus, the shared space located at 101 North Broadway in the historic Fournet Building will allow students, faculty, staff, campus committees and clubs, and alumni boards to gather and host a number of engagements.
NRRI develops fast-growing tree variety
After more than two decades of research, the InnovaTree developed by the Natural Resources Research Institute is on the market. This large upright-oval shade tree is ideal for larger yards and parks because it quickly produces shade and privacy. It also captures an impressive amount of carbon dioxide per year and is suitable for paper and lumber mills.
Champ statue installed on campus
A new Champ has been placed in front of the UMD Darland Administration Building, where the campus hopes it will serve as an engaging and fun point of Bulldog pride. The location gives easy access to campus visitors, students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and it offers an engaging spot to snap a picture with the bronze statue. Champ sports a UMD shirt in the school colors: maroon and gold. Watch a video about Champ’s creation and installation.
Duluth giving garden grows community
UMD student Zaakir Hassan is working on a University of Minnesota Extension garden project in Duluth this summer, along with lead gardener Rumbi Masawi. Hassan is helping the St. Mark Giving Garden in Duluth's Central Hillside produce a plethora of vegetables for the community from a historically rocky and hardscrabble piece of land.
Blue Heron Toledo tours
The National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, OH, is hosting tours of the Blue Heron research vessel on Aug. 20. Billed with the phrase “Get on board the largest U.S. academic research vessel on the Great Lakes,” the event encourages museum-goers from the Toledo area to tour the Blue Heron and learn about the critical Great Lakes research being done by the Large Lakes Observatory at UMD.
Morris alumna shares surprising, beautiful Fulbright experience
It took a couple of tries to become a Fulbright finalist, but Rose Schwietz ’13, Mendota Heights, was selected in 2021. Her project focused on Nepal’s traditional theater forms, and Schwietz spent several months in a rural village called Nalma where she got to know villagers and documented a five-day ritualistic dance-drama through writing, photos, and videos.
U of M Morris announces 2023-24 Performing Arts Series
Tickets are now available for the 2023-24 Performing Arts Series. This year's season features performances by NÆ, Tres Souls, The Pack Drumline, and Tony Ross & Bethel Balge.
Aug. 16 - Faculty/staff/family picnic
Come enjoy this annual welcome-back event with special guest Jeff Ettinger, University of Minnesota interim president. There will also be "Pictures with Pounce." 4-6 p.m., Humanities and Fine Arts Building.
Experiencing medicine abroad
Tenzin Sopa ’23 traveled to Dharamsala, India, during her fourth year at U of M Rochester to learn more about Tibetan Medicine. “As a Tibetan on track to attend medical school … studying different perspectives of medicine, especially in underserved populations, can not only help future patients but also help me become a well-rounded physician,” says Sopa. Read more about Sopa’s experience.
UMR and Mayo Clinic launch new internships
U of M Rochester and Mayo Clinic have collaborated to connect employer needs and student learning in NXT GEN MED, an accelerated program designed to increase student success and lower college costs while preparing students for administrative careers the health care system desperately needs. Students will participate in paid internships providing them with work-based learning that complements their coursework.
New Employee Transit Pass offers unlimited bus and rail
All Twin Cities faculty and staff with a 75-100 percent appointment may request activation of the Employee Transit Pass, which provides unlimited access to the regional transit system in the Twin Cities metro area, among other benefits. Faculty and staff with a 50-74 percent appointment will be able to opt in to the program via a pretax payroll deduction later this fall. Request the pass.
Data management fall workshop series
Keep your research organized by learning data management skills and register for a workshop series to build and enhance your data management strategies. Topics will range from introductory skills to specific tool-based workshops on citation managers, backup workflows, writing your dissertation with R, and publishing your data. Free to U of M graduate students.
At Lake Itasca, a wild and watery start for budding biologists
How many freshmen start college in a rustic cabin on the shore of a remote woodland lake? In the U of M College of Biological Sciences, all of them do. Every summer, entering biology majors meet their field of study head-on at the U of M’s Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories. The station provides an ideal and idyllic setting for Nature of Life, a one-of-a-kind introductory course program celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Brain waves
Riki Banerjee (PhD ’05) is helping her company scale technology to allow paralyzed patients to control a computer with their mind. If Banerjee has her way, millions of people may be able to benefit from the technology in the not-so-distant future. Company investors include Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos.
Aug. 28 - Let Freedom Ring: A commemorative procession and concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington
Experience “beloved community” and honor the enduring legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for a symbolic procession and uplifting concert. Dynamic artists will include Jovonta Patton, Joe Davis & The Poetic Diaspora, Threads Dance Project, Thomasina Petrus, members of the Twin Cities Choral Consortium, and spoken word artist Eshay Brantley. Learn more and reserve your free ticket.
Featured events
Aug. 22 - Teaching Practices that Support Student Mental Health and Well-Being
Aug. 23 - Designing Engaging Media for Effective E-Learning Experiences
Aug. 23 - Webinar: Allyship in the Workplace
Aug. 28 - AI and ChatGPT in Your Fall Teaching
Ongoing - Mindful Mondays: Free Drop-In Sessions
Through Sept. 10 - Doug Argue: Letters To The Future
Sept. 22 - Microbiome and Cancer Symposium