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March 27, 2024

Inside This Issue
  • Features: Wild times; My heart dog.
  • Awards and Recognition: U of M researchers were issued 98 U.S. patents for their discoveries in 2023; and more.
Top News

Wild times

a woman wearing a suitcoat and scarf with a painted wooded background and a stuff coyote in front of her

As our planet warms, animals will need human help to adapt and cope. That's why in 2020 Congress appropriated funds to create a Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (MW CASC) serving eight Midwestern states, housed at the University of Minnesota. Alumnus Olivia LeDee is MW CASC’s regional administrator and helped to champion and launch the effort.  

 

My heart dog

a black dog with a white paw stares at a tennis ball on the ground

Caitlin Feiock’s cattle dog, Artie, kept a small but tight circle of trusted people, and she was one of them until the very end. Feiock, an assistant professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, says that loving—and losing—a pet made her a better veterinarian.

 

 

Awards and Recognition

U of M researchers were issued 98 U.S. patents for their discoveries in 2023; Alexandre Ardichvili was recently inducted into the Academy of Human Resource Development Hall of Fame; Nelson Rhodus was recently named a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh; Connie White Delaney has received the HIMSS-ANI Nursing Informatics Leadership Award; U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media.

Awards and Recognition

U-Wide News

Apply for MN Cup 2024

Graphic reading MN CUP with a lightbulb outline

Apply for the largest statewide startup competition in the country through Apr. 12. This free program supports Minnesota entrepreneurs by offering critical feedback from industry experts, mentorship from experienced community members, opportunities for networking, and a chance at $400,000 in seed funding.

 

 

MITPPC request for proposals for new invasive species research projects

The Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) is accepting proposals for new research projects on priority terrestrial invasive species in Minnesota. $3.75 million is available for grants up to $150,000 per year for four years. Applications are due by Apr. 30. U of M faculty, staff, and postdocs are eligible to apply for funding as principal investigators.

Innovation Impact Case Award applications open Apr. 1

Apply for the Innovation Impact Case Award, which recognizes research that has led to significant impact outside of academia and has made a meaningful difference in our communities. The competition, open to all eligible U of M faculty and researchers, requires the development of a short, written case study highlighting the impact of research to an external audience. Awards of $10,000 per case will be given to two outstanding individuals or teams. Submissions due May 6.

Dear Minnesota: Heidi digs in

Heidi leaning against a table in a lab

Heidi’s roots run deep in Crookston—literally. Being born, raised, and educated in Crookston, she knew that when she got older, she would pour back into the place that formed her. Heidi now has a fulfilling career as a soil scientist at the Northwest Research and Outreach Center, helping agriculture and the environment thrive. Read Heidi’s story, explore the Dear Minnesota series, and share your own story.

 

Enhanced computational approaches boost invasive plant predictive power

Traditional field surveys take precious time and effort to monitor the spread of invasive plants like common tansy and leafy spurge that threaten Minnesota landscapes. So researchers from the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center are developing better predictive maps by bringing together interdisciplinary studies like ecology, evolution, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence.

Creating sharper tools for cutting bias in the diagnosis of autism

Autism prevalence is reported in boys at nearly four times the rate in girls. Researchers have long suspected gender bias plays a role in the disparity. Assistant Professor Casey Burrows is preparing to test a new screening tool designed for use in primary care settings that will better identify autism symptoms in males and females.

Master Gardener seed trials give Minnesota green thumbs the best picks

carrot bunch

Looking for the ideal addition to your menu? Give Malbec a try. As in Malbec, the red carrot. U of M Extension Master Gardener trials sought the best varieties of mustard greens, sauce tomatoes, pink cleome, purple and red basil, small watermelons, green pole beans, red carrots, and butter daisies.

 

 

Research Brief: New insights into deadly acute respiratory distress syndrome

University of Minnesota researchers may have discovered a mechanical explanation for lung instability in cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome, particularly following respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 or pneumonia. See additional recent Research Briefs.

Apr. 23 - Finding Your Teaching Community in Challenging Times

The challenges of teaching can feel difficult to manage by ourselves. How can a focus on community help us strategize and sustain our teaching craft for the long term? In the Finding Your Teaching Community in Challenging Times interactive workshop, participants will learn about the meanings and purposes of teaching communities and identify ways to build teaching communities to support a sustainable teaching practice. Noon-1 p.m.

Apr. 25 - Convene Conference: Building the Vision for SmartTech for Health

The Convene Conference, hosted by the Business Advancement Center for Health at the Carlson School, will feature industry leaders sharing insights on Minnesota's selection as a "Med Tech Hub" and how the state can build towards this designation. Register to learn about how advances in smart technologies (AI, machine learning, and data science) are impacting the med tech space.

Crookston

Horticulture program to further develop Allen & Freda Pedersen Community Garden

Community members, a dozen or so, show off a recent harvest of produce at the community garden

U of M Crookston’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Department, along with the horticulture program, are in the process of securing funding to further develop the Allen & Freda Pedersen Community Garden owned by the City of Crookston adjacent to campus.

 

 

Student's dream job is to be a translator for Japanese baseball players

Yusuke Matsuda wearing a backpack and hiking in a wooded area

Senior Yusuke Matsuda, a communications major from Fukuoka, Japan, is looking forward to graduating in spring 2024 and plans to work as a summer camp counselor in Washington. But his dream job is to be a translator for Japanese baseball players who get drafted to play on a Major League Baseball team in the United States.

Duluth

A sweet study

Lab services coordinator Lyndon Ramrattan and Helen Chen with a batch of white chocolate

At the University of Minnesota Duluth, students are putting their chemical engineering knowledge to work learning the art of chocolate making in the chocolate lab at the Swenson College of Science and Engineering. From bean to bar, students are learning in a delicious way.

 

 

Apr. 12-20 - UMD Theatre presents Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

poster featuring a kind of golden framed seal with text reading The Great Comet of 1812

UMD Theatre’s theatrical season will conclude with the twelve-time 2017 Tony nominee Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. From the celebrated composer Dave Malloy comes an electropop opera based on a scandalous slice of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Performances take place in the Marshall Performing Arts Center.

Morris

Founders Scholar named

Mark Collier

Philosophy professor Mark Collier has been named the 12th U of M Morris Founders Scholar of the Liberal Arts. Collier’s proposal, “The Future of the Liberal Arts in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” will examine one of the challenges to the liberal arts in the 21st century; namely, the rapid explosion of artificial intelligence technologies.


 

Volunteers needed for the Morris Community Meal

a close up of a hand holding a plate being filled by a serving dish

The final Morris Community Meal for this academic year will take place Apr. 8 at Faith Lutheran Church. Volunteers are needed to help prepare, serve, and clean up. Sign up and get involved as a co-sponsor, volunteer, or attendee.

 

Rochester

Apr. 29 - Research and Education Symposium

Poster with a couple students and text overlay reading Research and Education Symposium

U of M Rochester’s annual Research and Education Symposium will provide a space for undergraduate students to present their research in a supportive and dynamic environment. Students showcase research from courses, internships, or other opportunities with both UMR faculty and Mayo Clinic researchers.

 

 

UMR welcomes admitted students to campus

UMR students and families post for a photo with Rocky Raptor mascot

Admitted students and their families were welcomed to campus March 19 for the first Admitted Student Day of spring semester. UMR’s admissions team hosted a resource fair and led tours and information sessions to help new students learn more about UMR’s downtown campus and innovative curriculum.

Twin Cities

The chicken and the egg

Myah Walker in a bright red dress holding a chicken with a decorative rug background

Myah Walker had a habit of bringing home stray animals. There were dogs, of course. But there were also less common pets—including baby rabbits, which she hid from her parents. “They hopped down the stairs and surprised my mom,” Walker (BS ’10, MPH ’14) says. Walker’s parents weren’t animal enthusiasts, but they understood their daughter’s interest in them was special. Today, after 13 years working in commercial egg production, Walker serves with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.
 

Minnesota high school students bring history to life through the College in the Schools program

Makenzie from Richfield High School studies archival materials from the Social Welfare History Archives

“History isn’t just about facts—at the college level, it’s about understanding how [historical narratives] are made,” says Katharine Gerbner, associate professor of history. Gerbner was addressing an audience of over 300 high school students recently gathered in Willey Hall. The University’s College in the Schools partnership program enables these students to earn college credits by taking U of M courses at their own high schools.

 

Featured events

a mural of several artistically rendered women in colorful clothing

March 28 - Everything is Connected: Indigenous Ecological Knowledge and Practices

March 29 - University Symphony Orchestra

March 30 - Embracing Our Roots: Rooted and Rising

Apr. 2 - Break the Wheel Book Talk on Social Justice and Police Reform

Apr. 2 - Northrop Presents: Anna Lapwood, Organ Recital

Apr. 3 - School of Public Health Research Day

Apr. 4 - Dynamic Design in Everyday Objects

Apr. 5 - First Fridays: Community by Mail

Apr. 10 - How to Think Impossibly: A Talk by Jeffrey Kripal

Apr. 10-11 - Letters That Link Us

See the full Events Calendar