- Board of Regents February meeting highlights.
- Features: Focusing on the issues; For the love of Minnesota; Protecting ideas.
- Awards and Recognition: U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media; and more.
Board of Regents February meeting highlights
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents met and discussed, among other topics, the building namings policy, the proposed Future of Advanced Agricultural Research in Minnesota (FAARM) project, and the report from the MSafe Implementation Team. In addition, the Board authorized the repatriation of objects from a collection of Mimbres-affiliated cultural artifacts. See the news release for more details.
Focusing on the issues
After winning the Food Network’s “Food Court Wars” in 2013 at Pimento Jamaican Kitchen’s Burnsville Center location, Tomme Beevas opened a second location: Pimento Jamaican Kitchen on Eat Street in South Minneapolis. Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Beevas launched Pimento Relief Services with the goal of creating a sustainable, long-term model for community support that moves beyond emergency relief and into community prosperity. His story is part of the "Where it Starts" series.
For the love of Minnesota
Cycling through Minneapolis in 2006, artist Adam Turman (BS ’99) photographed buildings and signs he found cool and nostalgic. He started creating stylized screen prints and selling them at art fairs and events. Soon, he couldn’t make the prints fast enough. His body of work celebrating iconic Minnesota scenes, sayings, and sentiments caught on at a time when pride of place in the Land of 10,000 Lakes became a trend. Ultimately, Turman’s success propelled him to transition to a full-time artist.
Protecting ideas
As a high school exchange student from China living in Hutchinson, MN, Shui Li (BS ’09, MS ’12) visited Duluth for the first time one summer with her host family. She fell in love with the beauty and scenery, and when it came time to apply for college, she set her sights on the University of Minnesota Duluth for her undergraduate degree. Li then enrolled in graduate school at the U of M Twin Cities to study medical chemistry, where she was exposed to what has ultimately become her career.
Awards and Recognition
U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media.
Public health effort works to curb COVID-19 in prisons and jails
A team from the U of M Healthy Youth Development - Prevention Research Center (PRC) aiming to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake among Minnesota’s jail and prison populations is making progress, thanks to its community advisory board. Each member of the PRC research team’s 14-member advisory board has lived experience with incarceration. Learn more about this work.
U of M announces wastewater dashboard for COVID-19
The University of Minnesota, supported by the Minnesota Department of Health and 3M, has published a wastewater dashboard through the Institute on Infectious Diseases website. The data illustrates the SARS-CoV-2 found by the participating wastewater treatment plants in comparison to COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in that region. The dashboard reflects viral detection in wastewater approximately two weeks before clinical cases show up in hospitals or clinics.
UMN Headlines: February 2022
The February installment of the "UMN Headlines" video series shares highlights from around the University of Minnesota System, including a grant to advance racial justice in Minnesota, a rural economic development grant, the implementation of a life-saving gene therapy, a step forward in engineering living building materials, the development of a flexible OLED display, and more. See past episodes here.
Update from Google: Changes to Gmail interface
Starting Feb. 22, Google is introducing a new user interface for Gmail. The main feature of the interface is the addition of a navigation bar that allows you to move between applications like Google Chat and Meet without switching tabs or opening a new window. You can opt-in to use the new interface until it becomes the default for everyone in summer 2022. Learn more about the Gmail interface changes and how to opt-in.
Now accepting nominations for outstanding service to University Senate Governance
The nomination deadline for the 2022 Vickie R. Courtney Award for Outstanding Service to University Senate Governance is March 11. This award, which honors Vickie Courtney, inaugural and long-time director of the University Senate Office, recognizes faculty, academic professional and administrative staff, civil service staff, and students systemwide who have made a significant impact on University Senate governance. Recipients of this award will receive a one-time $1,000 stipend.
Call for Proposals: Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar
The Institute for Advanced Study is coordinating the internal review process for the University's single nomination of a Mellon Foundation John E. Sawyer Seminar. Seminars typically meet for one year and bring together faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and community members from a variety of fields. Apply by March 1, and register for a Feb. 18 information session.
MITPPC request for proposals
The Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) is seeking proposals for invasive species research that develops methods to prevent and minimize the threats posed by terrestrial invasive plants, other weeds, pathogens, and pests in order to protect the state’s prairies, forests, wetlands, and agricultural resources. Up to $5 million will be allocated to new or continuing projects under this request for pre-proposals. The deadline for pre-proposals is Apr. 29, 4:30 p.m.
Community-engaged board opportunity for faculty
The Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) support community-engaged scholarship through five regional boards serving Greater Minnesota. RSDP boards have openings for U of M faculty members for three-year terms. RSDP boards bring together local community members with faculty, Extension educators, and staff to review and support community-driven sustainability project ideas. The projects frequently provide opportunities for faculty to test and share scholarship in a real-world setting.
Office for Equity and Diversity awards submission deadline extended
The submission deadline for the systemwide Josie R. Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award, the Outstanding Unit Award for Equity and Diversity, and the Undergraduate Scholarly Excellence in Equity & Diversity Award has been extended to March 1.
Research Brief: Communication spillover processes in families
New research from the College of Liberal Arts explores how phenomena such as attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance lead to harmful relationship outcomes for romantic partners and their families. Additional recent Research Briefs include “High-quality home health agencies are ‘out of reach’ for Medicare beneficiaries of color” and “Blood levels of common antiepileptic drugs drop during pregnancy, causing breakthrough seizures.”
Discuss recent articles about instructors promoting student diversity, equity, and inclusion
Join colleagues in monthly online discussions about scholarly pedagogical articles on topics of demographic data that reveal intersectionality, anti-racist teaching practices, and reducing performance gaps. Register to gain access to readings and related resources, online meeting details, and event reminders.
March 2 - Research Ethics Day webinar - Deepening Engagement and Equity in Research: Next Steps in Research Ethics
National leaders will discuss the challenges and benefits of enhanced engagement with historically underrepresented and underserved communities, and how engagement can advance equitable outcomes in precision medicine, environmental and global health, and neuroscience research. Free CE credits offered. An agenda, full list of speakers, and other resources are available on the Consortium on Law and Values website. 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
March 14 - Startup Valuations 101
Register for this interactive, online event to learn about assigning a valuation to your startup. Topics will include the importance of an accurate valuation, the best sources of data to establish a valuation, how to find comparable small business valuations, and more.
Apr. 11-15 - IEM Innovation Week
Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM) Innovation Week will highlight events that focus on advances and new directions in medical engineering. Events include the Design of Medical Devices Conference (Apr. 11-14), Medical Device Security 101 (Apr. 11), the Minnesota Neuromodulation Symposium (Apr. 14-15), and more.
U of M featured virtual events
Feb. 18 - Open Conversations: Grading
Feb. 21 - What Poetry Saves by Nikky Finney
Feb. 23 - 2022 Midterm Elections
Feb. 24 - How Dinosaurs Learned to Fly
Feb. 25 - Successes & Challenges in Transition of Care for Rare Disorders
March 3 - Headliners: Intimate Lies and the Law
March 3-4 - Register for the Keeping Our Faculty of Color Symposium
Work ethic guides student in the classroom and on the baseball field
Sports were an integral part of senior Brad Morris’s family. A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Morris has three cousins that play for the New Zealand National Rugby Union squad. Another relative competed in shot put at the Olympics. Morris grew up playing a variety of sports, but a notable absence was baseball—until he came to the United States.
New director of American Indian Learning Resource Center
Jody O’Connor is the new director of UMD's American Indian Learning Resource Center. O’Connor is a longtime UMD employee, an alumna, and an enrolled member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. She hopes to provide “a good connection point that can help students navigate college, from the first day they walk through the door to the day they graduate.”
‘Office Hours’ with Wendy Anderson
In this episode of “Office Hours,” UMD talks with Wendy Anderson, associate professor of social work. Anderson is passionate about her field and her students, and she’s on a quest for perfect s'mores. “The great thing about this role and what I get to do every day is to engage with really great students that are excited to learn,” says Anderson.
Feb. 17 - Virtual Bulldogs behind the scenes: Olga Lakela Herbarium
Alumni Relations is offering a virtual tour of UMD’s Olga Lakela Herbarium on Feb. 17. The herbarium is a continually expanding collection of more than 48,000 dried botanical specimens, mainly dating from the 1940s through the present. It is notable for its holdings of Canadian and northern U.S. plant species.
U of M Morris class gets Wikified
Students in the Introduction to Gender, Women, and Sexuality class at U of M Morris added 12,000 words and 57 references to Wikipedia articles that had received 37,000 views as of the end of the semester in December. According to Wikipedia, instructors at more than 500 universities have been creating new content for the online encyclopedia through the Wiki Education program since 2013.
Beyond the Nest: Build a really good LinkedIn profile
In the latest episode of the Beyond the Nest podcast, 2014 graduate Gavin Mark speaks with UMR faculty member Molly Dingel. Mark shares his experiences as an early student of UMR, how he built connections, and how he transitioned from school into the workforce. Beyond the Nest is distributed via Apple, Google, Spotify, and Podbean.
UMR Career Pathways: Health Care Research and Discovery
UMR's innovative degree programs and integrated curriculum provide students with a foundational undergraduate education. Discover how Gavin Mark navigated UMR’s many health career pathway opportunities to prepare himself for a career as a clinical research associate at Syneos Health. Learn more about UMR's Pathways.
First Lady visits U of M to highlight early childhood development and care
The University welcomed First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden to its Twin Cities campus on Feb. 9 for a listening session to highlight the American Rescue Plan’s investments in child care. Biden’s visit to the U of M’s College of Education and Human Development brought her to the Child Development Laboratory School, which offers high-quality early care and education to children ages birth to five in the University of Minnesota and Twin Cities communities.
Letterpress apprentice program develops students' printing skills
To compensate for students’ limited access to physical production and experimentation during the initial COVID-19 wave, two graphic design instructors, Karl Engebretson and Bill Moran, created a new Letterpress Apprenticeship Program at the College of Design. “This program opens up a more official time and place for letterpress exposure as well as an opportunity to connect with students from a wider group—beyond who we have directly instructed,” says Engebretson.
College of Liberal Arts alumni changemakers: Lulete Mola
Lulete Mola (BA '14, political science) is the cofounder and first president of the Philanthropic Collective to Combat Anti-Blackness & Realize Racial Justice. Mola is devoted to engaging in and supporting community organizing, movement building, and work to advance women's political leadership. In this short interview, Mola talks about her work and her commitment to live an honest and reflective life.
Feb. 25-27 - Creative Collaboration: Rare Diseases Project
The University of Minnesota Center for Orphan Drug Research and the Department of Theater Arts and Dance will present a new production focused on bringing attention to those diagnosed with a rare disease in collaboration with Kevin Kling, a nationally renowned storyteller and playwright. No charge. 7:30 p.m., Rarig Center.