Awards and Recognition

Robert Clarke is quoted in a KAAL TV story about innovative technology used in research leading to a breakthrough in understanding breast cancer; William Doherty is quoted in an NBC Today story about how to navigate holiday family gatherings in the age of COVID-19; Art Rolnick is quoted in a Mpls St. Paul Magazine story about the Northside Achievement Zone; Michael Osterholm is quoted in the Politico story, “Here's How the Pandemic Finally Ends”; Kumi Smith is quoted in a VOX story featuring nine experts reflecting on the U.S. reaching 200,000 confirmed Covid-19 deaths; Christina Ewig is interviewed at KSTP-TV about more Minnesota businesses making Election Day a paid company holiday; Allison Hubel is quoted in the Star Tribune about the Minnesota Cup winner; Christopher Uggen is quoted in a Minnesota Reformer story about skyrocketing catalytic converter thefts; Paul Goren answers CBS Local's "Good Question: Do Presidential Debates Persuade Voters?; Michael Osterholm is quoted in the Wired story, "Testing Won't Save Us From Covid-19."

A multi-state coalition led by the U of M has received a 5-year, $10 million grant from the USDA to scale the research, production, awareness and commercialization of Kernza, the first commercial perennial grain in the United States. By building the support system necessary to successfully increase Kernza acres, this project aims to improve the environmental sustainability of food production and demonstrate the viability of new perennial crops as real economic opportunities for farmers and rural communities.

Robert Stein is quoted at Fox 9 about his personal memories of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Timothy Johnson is quoted in the Los Angeles Times about the three women Trump is considering for the Supreme Court; Joshua Page is quoted in the Star Tribune about the spread of violent crime across Minneapolis this summer; Jimmy Patino Jr. is quoted in a History Channel story about how the Chicano movement championed Mexican-American identity and fought for change; Ryan Demmer is quoted in the New York Times about Big Ten cities bracing for outbreaks as football returns; Rajean Moone is quoted in Forbes about new ideas to make long-term care insurance cheaper and better; Katy Kozhimannil is quoted at CBS News about how Black doulas are fighting the maternal mortality crisis; Michael Osterholm is quoted in the New York Times about what the fall and winter pandemic will look like; Lori Arent and Julia Ponder are quoted in InsideHook about what it’s like to save a bird of prey; Shahnaz Sultan is quoted in Popular Science about how Google search data can help pinpoint COVID-19 hotspots before they flare up; Maggie Tomas is quoted in Money Magazine about a shortage of entry level jobs for new graduates; Christina Ewig and William Jones are quoted in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal story, “Black workers bear brunt of Covid's job shock in Minnesota.”

Jane Kirtley talked to CBS Local about why misleading campaign ads are allowed on TV; Maggie Hennefeld is quoted in Time about the Oscars’ new diversity rules; Kari Schloner and Kristen Brogdon were interviewed by KARE 11 about Northrop’s upcoming socially distanced season; Marc Jenkins spoke with the Associated Press about hopes for virus antibody tests; Larry Jacobs is quoted in a Los Angeles Times story about new Trump ads stoking racial bias among white people; Krista Soria spoke with Science Magazine about the pandemic eroding the mental health of graduate students; Jiarong Hong is quoted in The Atlantic story, “How I Mastered the Art of Ventilating My Home”; William Northrop is quoted in Wired about whether lightning-fast plasma is the key to a cleaner car engine; Michael Osterholm spoke to The Hill about the potential for another year of difficulty navigating the coronavirus; Natalie Hunt is quoted in a GreenBiz story about diversifying crops to cut emissions and increase profits; Michael LuBrant is quoted in the Star Tribune about funerals on hold during the pandemic.

The University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering announced that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $18 million in renewed funding over the next six years for the University’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). The University of Minnesota MRSEC program is among only 11 centers nationwide receiving funding for successful collaborative research. This is the fourth renewal of the University of Minnesota MRSEC since its inception in 1998, with cumulative total funding exceeding $79 million from NSF. The center’s researchers conduct cutting-edge materials research that enables important areas of future technology, ranging from biomedicine and electronics to security and renewable energy.

With the goal of revolutionizing how the world understands the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss, the University of Minnesota has been awarded a $12.5 million grant by the National Science Foundation to establish the Biology Integration Institute (BII). Based on the Twin Cities campus, it is conducted in partnership with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The BII is the only research institute of its kind aimed at using spectral biology to create a greater understanding of plant and vegetation biodiversity from the genome to the global scale. Spectral biology uses the way light interacts with matter—in this case, plants—to reveal information about their chemistry, structure and function.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have been awarded a $6.6 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to develop a new medical device that can treat mental health disorders in a way that has never been done before using brain rhythms. Principal investigator Alik Widge, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has previously developed methods to bring two regions into synchrony when they’re not and force regions out of synchrony to break a connection that is too strong. With this grant, Widge and his team are using these methods of syncing and unsyncing brain waves to develop a novel, human-ready neuromodulation device for people with mental health disorders. His team includes Gregory Molnar, associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and medical device development expert, and Mahsa Shoaran of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

The University of Minnesota Medical School has named Renée Crichlow, assistant professor and director of Advocacy and Policy in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, as the inaugural Mac Baird Endowed Chair in Family Medicine Advocacy and Policy. Crichlow has extensive experience in teaching health policy, community engagement, and leadership in addition to her full-spectrum practice.