January 20, 2021

Inside This Issue
  • Features: Turning plants into everyday products; Hardwired for science; Explaining teamwork in male lions.
  • Awards and Recognition: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the University a $5 million grant to address racial justice; and more.
Top News

Turning plants into everyday products

plastic bottles overlaying nature scene

When Paul Dauenhauer walks through the woods, he thinks about possibilities. How could we use tree branches, leaves, and grasses to produce chemicals that make the things we use every day? How can we do it in a way that’s financially feasible? And how can such technology transform the state’s economy? Those are the questions Dauenhauer, a chemical engineer, has been asking in his work. Dauenhauer was recently selected as one of 21 MacArthur Foundation Fellows, a group of creative thinkers and doers who push the boundaries of their fields. 

Hardwired for science

Onri Benally

Growing up on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona, Onri Benally used to watch missiles from the White Sands Missile Range streak through the sky, having flown all the way from southern New Mexico. Today, Benally is building technology with the potential to improve space exploration. As a research associate in the lab of Professor Jian-Ping Wang, he works in spintronics (short for “spin transport electronics”), a technology based on how electrons spin. 
 

Explaining teamwork in male lions

lions in a field

If a male lion is to sire cubs, he must leave his home pride and take over a new one. Because this means displacing the resident male(s) in the new pride and defending it against future rivals, he will likely team up with one or more partners in a coalition to improve his chances. In the Gir Forest of western India, males form coalitions in surprising ways, thanks to the influence of local demographic patterns, according to new research led by Stotra Chakrabarti
 

Awards and Recognition

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the University a $5 million grant to address racial justice; the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement recently received a $3.1million grant from the American Institute for Research to provide professional development to 50 schools around the country; Elizabeth Lightfoot has been named the recipient of the 2020 Award for Global Engagement; announcing the 2020 inductees to the Academies for Excellence; Nasra Giama has been awarded the 2020 WHO Dedicated Year of the Nurse and the Midwife Award; Calvin Phillips will join the University as vice president for student affairs and dean of students; U in the News features highlights of U faculty and staff cited in the media. Awards and Recognition
 

U-Wide News

COVID-19 community update: COVID-19 testing 

COVID-19 testing remains an important part of the University’s approach to public health, and there are many options available to you. Anyone who feels they need a test is highly encouraged to get one. Testing opportunities include on-campus options as well as more than 250 community test sites across the state. In addition, Minnesota residents can order an at-home test at any time. Twin Cities faculty/staff/students can make an appointment to be tested at the MTest site at RecWell. Not sure if you should be tested? Watch this brief video for guidance

Announcing the Minnesota Futures grant competition

Letters of intent are now being accepted for the Minnesota Futures grant program, administered by OVPR. The program promotes new research and scholarship that address societal challenges by fostering opportunities for researchers to advance new ideas that cross disciplinary boundaries and lead to insight that will enrich the lives of Minnesotans and beyond. Note: PI’s who currently hold an OACA Faculty Research Development Grant, or who have applied for that grant within the past year, are not eligible to apply as a PI. Letters of intent are due Feb. 19; the deadline for proposals is March 19. All applicants who submit an LOI are invited to submit a full proposal unless notified otherwise. Up to two grants will be awarded in June. 

Submit nominations for U of M Equity and Diversity Awards

Submit nominations now for the Josie R. Johnson Human Rights and Social Justice Award and the Outstanding Unit Award for Equity and Diversity. The Josie R. Johnson Award honors U of M faculty, staff, and students who exemplify Dr. Johnson’s commitment to creating respectful and inclusive living, learning, and working environments. The Outstanding Unit Award honors exemplary campuses, colleges, departments, or units that demonstrate leadership in equity and diversity work. Nominations for both awards are due to the Office for Equity and Diversity Feb. 15, 4:30 p.m.

Share Google Drive files with non-Google accounts

As of Jan. 7, all University accounts, including in the Health Sciences, can invite people who don’t have Google accounts to collaborate on University Google Drive files easily and securely. Control who can edit, comment on, or view the file, and stop sharing at any time. Visitors receive a unique PIN to confirm their identity and then gain access to the file for seven days. They can re-authenticate with the same PIN as needed. Box Secure Storage is required for housing PHI data.

Get involved with the University Senate

Are you driven to serve? Take on an active role in shaping our University by applying to serve on a systemwide University Senate committee or subcommittee. Consideration of applications for the 2021-22 academic year will begin in January 2021. For more information about the committees and to apply for an appointment, please visit the University Senate Governance website

New business mileage rate

The IRS announced changes in the standard business mileage rates for calendar year 2021. Effective Jan. 1, 2021, the standard business mileage reimbursement rate for personal vehicle use on approved University business will decrease from 57.5 cents per mile to 56 cents per mile. Business mileage incurred in 2020 but reimbursed in 2021 should be reimbursed using the 2020 mileage rate. Chrome River has already been updated with the new mileage rate. The Employee Expense Worksheet (UM1612) will be updated for the rare situations in which that form is still used. 

Greater Minnesota communities respond to calls for racial understanding

Minnesota’s summer of unrest, protests, violence, and personal and political reckoning brought issues of race and systemic racism front and center in 2020. For many Greater Minnesota communities, however, making their towns more welcoming to everyone was a priority long before then. Many leaders have partnered with Extension to look more closely at their communities, become educated about the experiences of people of color, and create local change that makes a difference.

U of M begins Phase I of first-in-human clinical trial for glioblastoma

Physicians and scientists at the University of Minnesota have opened a new brain cancer clinical trial and have treated their first patient. This Phase I, first-in-human trial is enrolling patients with a specific type of brain cancer, glioblastoma. The trial is led by Elizabeth Neil, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology.

Exposure notification apps help curb pandemic spread

In late November, the state of Minnesota unveiled COVIDawareMN, an app designed to provide exposure notifications to users who have recently been close to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The more Minnesotans who download the app, the more effective it will be in slowing the virus’s spread, says U of M expert Shashi Shekhar.

Connecting the dots on COVID

abstract of dots

Policymakers have grappled with questions about locking down and reopening due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Their decisions have often been guided by simulated models of the spread of the disease though populations and consequent impacts on hospital intensive care unit capacity. Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine are helping to clarify how contact network structure affects the spread of COVID-19 with a new app that builds a new angle into COVID-19 modeling approaches.
 

The ethics of vaccine distribution

Debra DeBruin, director of graduate studies for the Center for Bioethics, discusses the ethics of vaccine distribution in this Q&A, where she explores how a framework for prioritized vaccine allocation is decided and what Minnesotans should know about COVID-19 vaccine guidelines.  

Teaching with Writing spring 2021 series

Join Writing Across the Curriculum for its spring Teaching with Writing series, including interactive workshops, panels, and discussions to support course-relevant writing instruction for faculty and staff. Events take place online and at no charge for U of M faculty and staff at all campuses. Pre-registration is required.

Research Brief: New research shows CBD use during pregnancy affects the brain and behavior in adulthood

The use of cannabidiol (CBD), the major non-psychoactive compound in cannabis, is on the rise across the United States. However, new U of M research shows that CBD use during pregnancy affects the brain and behavior in adulthood. Additional recent Research Briefs include “Study counts COVID-19 pediatric hospitalization cases to help states prepare,” “Conductive nature in crystal structures revealed at magnification of 10 million times,” “Excess x-rays from neutron stars could lead to discovery of new particle,” “Racial disparities in excess mortality in Minnesota in 2020 are worse than previously reported,” “Researchers develop new one-step process for creating self-assembled metamaterials,” and “Do predators shape ecosystems?

U of M featured virtual events

Jan. 21 - Web GIS 101: Introduction to Mapping with ArcGIS Online 

Jan. 21 - Community Offering: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction 

Jan. 22 - Teach with Story Maps 

Jan. 25 - Mindful Mondays: A Mindful Approach to Stress Reduction 

Feb. 2 - Ask a Recruiter: Resume Tips

Feb. 5 - U of M Libraries First Fridays

Feb. 9 - Building a Publishing Pipeline: Concrete Strategies for Increasing Your Writing Productivity

Crookston

Online student resumes education after years in the workforce

Peter Andrada

Every student at the University of Minnesota Crookston has a unique story of how they got here, and their stories are what weave the history of this campus in northwestern Minnesota. Peter Andrada, a Minnesota native, found his way to the University of Minnesota right out of high school in the early ’90s, but the timing wasn’t quite right for him then. Years later, Andrada finds himself thriving in his IT career and back at the University of Minnesota Crookston to finish his degree.

Duluth

Erwin honored

Lisa Erwin

Lisa Erwin, vice chancellor for student life and dean of students, has received the 2021 Scott Goodnight Award for Outstanding Performance as a Dean from the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. This award is presented to a dean/vice president who has demonstrated sustained professional achievement in student affairs work. Erwin holds a PhD in counseling and student development from Kansas State University.

 

Coming full circle

Rolf Weberg

In 1982, Rolf Weberg graduated from UMD with a degree in chemistry. After earning a PhD, he worked in R&D for DuPont for 25 years. UMD’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) approached Weberg three times to head the organization. Finally in 2013, he accepted the offer. Weberg says that meeting the people at NRRI was the deciding factor. “These people were so dedicated to a cause, it was hard to say that I didn’t want to be a part of it.” 

Morris

Bledsoe caps time at Morris with COPLAC presentation

Maya Bledsoe

Maya Bledsoe ’20 (French, political science, and African and Black American studies) ended her undergraduate career on a high note. Bledsoe presented her research at the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges Midwest/West Regional Undergraduate Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity Conference just weeks before graduating from the U of M Morris.

 

Alone, Together and The Seed performance

The Theatre Arts Discipline’s fall virtual show, Alone, Together and The Seed, has been selected to be presented at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region 5 virtual conference, Jan. 17-23. Directed by Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Siobhan Bremer, the production depicts characters who follow a path of shock, response, and hope that reflects our journey through 2020.

DuHamel receives Minnesota State Arts Board grant

Ann DuHamel

Ann DuHamel, head of keyboard studies, received a Minnesota State Arts Board grant to create videos of newly commissioned solo piano works by Minnesota composers Jocelyn Hagen and Edie Hill. The grants are intended to help Minnesota artists adapt to changes in the performance landscape driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting with current and future audiences in relevant and sustainable ways. 
 

 

Finzel discusses job market trends

Bart Finzel

Distinguished Teaching Professor of Economics and Management Bart Finzel discusses job market trends in a recent article by Zippia. A recipient of the UMM Alumni Association Teaching Award and the Horace T. Morse-Minnesota Alumni Association Award, Finzel is an expert on labor economics, labor relations, cooperatives, and the economics of employee participation. 

 

Rochester

Growth and fulfillment

Mohamed Yusef

UMR alum Mohamed Yusuf puts all the pieces together with his love of learning and growing as a practitioner of respiratory therapy. Read more in the latest edition of The Kettle, UMR’s alumni magazine.  

 

 

UMR Career Pathways: The Business and Leadership of Health Care

Priya Posani

UMR's innovative degree programs and integrated curriculum provide students with a foundational undergraduate education. Discover how Priya Posani navigated UMR’s many health career Pathway opportunities with an individually planned capstone to prepare herself to be a network strategy and optimization lead at Babylon Health, a global telemedicine startup that puts accessible and affordable health care into the hands of every person. Learn more about UMR's Pathways

 

Learning, Teaching, and Living at a Health Sciences Campus during COVID-19

Assistant Professor Angie Mejia, along with two UMR students and two UMR alumni, recently published "Riding the Coronacoaster: Learning, Teaching, and Living at a Health Sciences Campus during the COVID-19 Pandemic." The group presented methodological insights on the use of autoethnography and narrative inquiry in the health sciences at the 2021 International Association of Autoethnography and Narrative Inquiry conference. The prerecorded presentation is available here.

Twin Cities

COVID through the eyes of historians

scenes inside a hospital during 1918 pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic will live not only in our memories but also in our history books. How does COVID-19 compare to other infectious diseases? What other implications does it have for our societies? In this series, College of Liberal Arts faculty reflect on what we can learn from past epidemics and how we might change in response to this one.

 

Call for nominations: President's Student Leadership and Service Award

Nominations are open for the 2021 President’s Student Leadership and Service Award. The award honors the accomplishments of outstanding students for their leadership and service contributions to the U of M and the community. All Twin Cities faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to nominate current students for the award. Nominations close Feb. 8, 5 p.m. 

U of M Libraries offers book recommendations for winter days ahead

Looking for a good read to get you through the remainder of winter? The University of Minnesota Libraries suggests books for you, including books free for any Minnesota resident through Ebooks Minnesota

Jan. 28 - UROC arts conversation: Crafting Black Visual Narratives in a Post-Uprising America

Black artists have never felt more in the spotlight than now, but the increased exposure brings with it a new set of questions. View the Minnesota Black Fine Art Virtual Show on Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center’s (UROC) website at uroc.umn.edu, then join in a UROC-sponsored conversation with photographers, painters, and textile artists from the show as they reflect, explore, and debate what it means to create Black art in America today. 7 p.m.

Feb. 4 - Headliners: Of Dogs, Dinosaurs, Elephants, and Kids: Demystifying (and Curing) Cancer 

Hosted by the College of Continuing and Professional Studies, join Jaime Modiano from the College of Veterinary Medicine and Masonic Cancer Center when he explains how breaking through the evolutionary lifespan barrier affects cancer risk, allowing scientists to not only demystify the condition, but also develop effective approaches to prevent and cure cancer in humans and companion animals alike. 7-8:30 p.m., online via Zoom. No charge, but registration is required.