Awards and Recognition

Fang Li will receive the American Society of Microbiology’s Elizabeth O. King Lecturer Award, celebrating those who've notably advanced public health and pathogen discovery. Li’s team's initial forecasts on SARS-CoV-2, coupled with novel discoveries, laid the molecular bedrock for the worldwide fight against COVID-19 and significantly expedited the creation of vaccines. The American Society for Microbiology is one of the largest professional organizations dedicated to life sciences. Every year, one Elizabeth O. King Lecturer Award winner is selected by a committee based on nominations from peers.

A new, nearly $1.6 million grant is fueling research at the Carlson School of Management to better understand how the rapid flow of information during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted medication treatments for the disease.

Pinar Karaca Mandic, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and the C. Arthur Williams Jr. Professor in Healthcare Risk Management, is leading the research over the next four years out of the Carlson School’s Business Advancement Center for Health (BACH). Molly Jeffery, Nathan Cummins, and Andrew Limper, from Mayo Clinic, as well as Caroline Carlin, adjunct faculty at the Carlson School, are collaborating with Karaca Mandic on the project. The work, supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, is a continuation of Karaca Mandic and BACH’s mission to improve value and equity in health.

Steve Schondelmeyer is quoted in Marketplace about an FDA finding that the most popular over-the-counter decongestant doesn't work; Salman Arif and Richard Painter are quoted in the Star Tribune about a U of M study showing that insider trading from top corporate executives spikes after audits; Travis Thul and Robb Anderson are quoted in the Minnesota Reformer about a Minnesota program that helps manufacturers train their teams for an all-electric future; Daniel Kaiser is quoted in the Minnesota Public Radio story “Nutrient producing microbes win over farmers but skeptics doubtful;” Michelle Phelps is quoted in a Star Tribune story about Minneapolis police staffing levels reaching historic lows; Roger Ruan is quoted at Minnesota Public Radio about the challenges of making renewable energy from manure; Jill Doerfler is quoted in the Star Tribune story “At Leech Lake powwow, 'you just close your eyes and dance;'” Erin Chastain is quoted in a CBS Minnesota story about Minnesota women athletes basking in record-breaking attendance of their games.

A team of College of Veterinary Medicine researchers led by Kimberly VanderWaal was recently awarded a 4-year, $800,000 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant from the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The study aims to create an “integrative data science” platform to predict the ability of PRRSV-2 variants to provoke an immune response and spread across farms. The platform will use interconnected machine learning tools from structural biology, computational immunology, and genomic epidemiology.

The University of Minnesota’s Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program has received international recognition by winning two prestigious awards. The first is the 2023 Exemplary Enduring Program Award, which was announced at the International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference at Clemson University. Bestowed jointly by the Association for Writing Across the Curriculum and the WAC Clearinghouse, the Exemplary Enduring Program Award is presented to one WAC program and recognizes extraordinary achievements in establishing, maintaining, and sustaining effective WAC programming. The selection committee noted that the University’s 35-year-old WAC program is doing more than supporting writing across the curriculum; it is making shifts to the culture of writing on campus and beyond—having impact at a broad scale.

The program also received the 2021 Council of Writing Program Administrators Best Book Award for Writing Enriched Curricula: Models of Faculty-Driven and Departmental Transformation, edited by Pamela Flash and Chris Anson.

John Nieber is quoted in the New York Times about big farms and french fries gulping water in the land of 10,000 lakes; Sayan Biswas is featured in a Newsweek story about his research on a highly efficient plasma spark plug that could have gas cars getting 100 mpg; Daniel Schwarcz is quoted in a Washington Post story about home insurers beginning to cut natural disasters from policies as climate risks grow; Joanne Slavin is quoted in the Insider story, “A dietician shares her favorite fall recipe for a high-protein, high-fiber beef stew;” Sophia Albott is quoted in a Star Tribune story about how to recognize and manage trauma if it is affecting you at work; George Barany is quoted in Science about Svetlana Mojsov and how her work paved the way for blockbuster obesity drugs; Emily Fairfax is quoted in the Los Angeles Times about a baby beaver sighting inspiring hopes of a California comeback; Marguerite Ohrtman is quoted in a Star Tribune story about whether parents should get their children GPS tracking devices as they head back to school; Mark Schleiss is quoted in an MPR News story about what you need to know about vaccines this autumn; Joe Redden is quoted in a CBS Minnesota story about the true price of tailgating as the NFL season begins.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has renewed its designation of the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, as a comprehensive cancer center after a highly competitive and rigorous process. This is the sixth consecutive designation awarded to the Masonic Cancer Center, which is one of only two NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the state of Minnesota—the only one in the Twin Cities—and one of only 53 such centers nationwide.

The 2023 US Open marks the 50th anniversary of men and women first earning equal prize money in tennis, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is taking the occasion to celebrate the pioneering women who have led that important fight for equality.

One of those women is Nicole M. LaVoi, director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota. In recognition of her many years of commitment, leadership, research, service, passion for tennis, and dedication to equality for women in sport, LaVoi has been named a “Champion of Equality.”

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) has announced the winners of the Research Technical Staff Award, which recognizes staff for their distinguished service to the University of Minnesota research community and celebrates exemplary leadership that positively impacted their colleagues and advanced the University's mission. Award recipients Eric Buchanan, Alicia Hofelich Mohr, Conrad Lindquist, Julie Mutchler, and Maria Razzoli received personal honorariums of $1,000. 

Troy Goodnough and Janet Schrunk Ericksen are quoted in the Minnesota Public Radio story “Morris is a small Minnesota town with big climate goals;” Christopher Federico is quoted in a Star Tribune story about the racist shooting in Florida; Mike Reese is quoted in Minnesota Public Radio about green hydrogen; Christina Ewig is interviewed in Minnesota Women's Press about whether Minnesota values women’s work; Matt Simcik is interviewed at MPR News about what’s in our water; Tiffany Wolf and Tyler Garwood are quoted in the Duluth News Tribune story, “Minnesota's moose mystery unravels a little more;” Arshia Khan is interviewed in a PBS NOVA story about assistive technology and AI on individuals with dementia; Joanne Slavin is quoted in an INSIDER story about how fiber can help regulate blood sugar, reduce cholesterol, and may even help prevent cancer; Steve Schondelmeyer is interviewed at Minnesota Public Radio about an expected decrease in out-of-pocket prescription costs for Minnesotans.