Awards and Recognition

Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing announced that Dean Connie White Delaney and Professor Karen Monsen will be inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame inductees are nurse researchers who have achieved significant and sustained national or international recognition and whose research has improved the profession of nursing and the people it serves.

Jeannine Cavender-Bares writes in Scientific American about how oak trees evolved to rule the forests of the Northern Hemisphere; Mark Schleiss is quoted in the Tampa Bay Times about what we know, and don’t know about coronavirus and children; Lisa Brosseau is quoted in FiveThirtyEight about how to make indoor air safer; Theresa Glomb is quoted at Finance & Commerce about changes in the workplace and how not to waste a crisis; Emily Vraga is quoted at the Washington Post about a med-school staffer who dived into online groups to debunk coronavirus conspiracy theories; Erin Sheets is quoted in the New York Times about what to bring along when visiting a National Park during the pandemic; Michael Osterholm is featured in the Mpls St. Paul Magazine feature, “Mike Osterholm's Last Stand”; Rose Brewer and Keith Mayes are featured in conversations about racism and the road to equality at KSTP; Rachel Hardeman is quoted in the New York Times about the striking racial differences found in pregnant women regarding coronavirus; Samuel Myers Jr., is quoted in the Wall Street Journal about economic journals being faulted for neglecting studies on race and discrimination.

Michael Osterholm is quoted in the National Geographic story, “Here's how to stop the virus from winning”; Sarah Gollust is quoted in the New York Times story, “On Coronavirus, Americans Still Trust the Experts”; Samuel Myers Jr. is quoted in the Star Tribune about whether rural Minnesotans can confront systemic racism; the Minnesota Daily takes an in-depth look at President Gabel's systemwide strategic plan, with comments by Joan Gabel and Kathy Schmidlkofer; William Jones is quoted in a VOX story about how police unions became so powerful; Stephen Meili is quoted in Minnpost about the Supreme Court’s CACA ruling; Tim Kehoe is quoted in the Star Tribune about Minnesota business groups opposing visa suspensions for foreign workers; Kathleen Vohs is quoted in a BBC story about why lockdown is so exhausting; Alexandra Klass is quoted in a Inside Climate News story about a lawsuit filed in Minnesota against ExxonMobil, Koch, and API for deceiving the public about climate change; Joshua Page, Michelle Phelps, and Joe Soss co-author “Dismantling the police, reimagining public safety” in Minnpost; Tasoulla Hadjiyanni writes in Minnpost about three ways to move toward racial and social justice in Minneapolis.

The Office of the Vice President for Research has announced the recipients of its 2020 Research Infrastructure Investment Program. Nearly $2.3 million was awarded to 12 research projects, reaching 12 departments, units, and centers, six colleges, and two campuses. Including matching funds from colleges and centers, more than $6.5 million in total funds were awarded this year. Funding supports research infrastructure over a variety of University research areas, including support for a new, 3T MRI system in the College of Veterinary Medicine and enhancements to the laboratory for stream and floodplain science at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, part of the College of Science and Engineering.

Nic Rider and Stephanie Terezakis are co-principal investigators on a new grant from the Radiation Oncology Institute focused on health disparities in cancer care plaguing the LGBTQ population.

Matt Clark, assistant professor of grape breeding and enology at the University of Minnesota and cold-hardy grape research expert at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Horticultural Research Center (HRC) has been named research director. Clark replaces James Luby who served in that role for two years and is on sabbatical. Since its inception in 1908, the HRC has generated more than 103 fruit introductions and continues to develop improved, hardy strains of fruits and woody plants.

Keith Mayes spoke with MPR about the significance of Juneteenth; Dana Woods and Phyllis Moen are quoted in a Star Tribune story about baby boomers rethinking retirement because of the pandemic; Tim Kehoe is interviewed in Marketplace about WTO disparities in tariffs; Saje Mathieu is quoted in NBC News about how the Red Summer of 1919 relates to 2020’s racial violence and pandemic; Michelle Phelps is quoted in the Star Tribune story, “The killing of George Floyd marks a failure of 21st Century Policing”; Kirsten Delegard is quoted in MarketWatch about racist housing deeds having been 'the most powerful tools to segregate American cities and determine who could own properties'; Lisa Brosseau is quoted in the Wall Street Journal about the growing consensus about how people catch COVID-19; Eugene Borgida is quoted in Popular Science about whether implicit bias training can help cops overcome racism; Julie Schumacher and her bestselling novel are featured in the Seattle Times; William Roberts is quoted in Outside about the science of exercising on sunny days; Doug Hartmann is quoted in USA Today about whether resuming or halting the NBA season help the league's efforts to fight racial inequality; Mary Jo Kane is quoted in ABC News about the NFL's lack of diverse leadership; Annie Mason is interviewed at KARE 11 about why we didn't learn about Juneteenth in school; Brooke Cunningham writes in Time that protesting police brutality and racial oppression is essential work.

The University of Minnesota ranks 17th in the world—ninth among U.S. public universities—on a recent list of universities granted the most U.S. patents in 2019. The “Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents,” released by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association, draws on data from the US Patent and Trademark Office to highlight the vital role patents play in university research and innovation. The U of M has ascended the rankings continuously for the past five years, climbing from 50th in 2014. View the full patent ranking or learn more about U of M Technology Commercialization.

The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs has announced the recipients of this year’s Faculty Interactive Research Program (FIRP) grants. The FIRP encourages University faculty to carry out research projects that answer questions about important regional issues, in partnership with community groups, agencies, or organizations in Minnesota.

• Ryan Allen (Urban and Regional Planning, Humphrey School) - The USDA Section 515 Program and the challenge of preserving affordable housing in Greater Minnesota
• Lizbeth H. Finestack (Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, College of Liberal Arts) - Identifying language impairment in students with diverse home languages
• Lindsey Weiler (Family Social Science, College of Education and Human Development) - Addressing mental health and social isolation of individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Stephanie Terezakis, a professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, is the only U of M faculty member among 65 others who were hand-picked as 2020-21 fellows for the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program for Women at Drexel University College of Medicine.