Brief summer schedule: Brief will publish on July 14 and 28; and Aug. 11 and 25. Weekly publication will resume Sept. 8.
- Board of Regents June meeting highlights.
- Features: Going beyond volunteering; The night of the train; A new way to promote mental health; Holey homemakers.
- Awards and Recognition: Dziwe Ntaba and Michael Westerhaus have been selected as 2021 Bush Fellows; and more.
Board of Regents June meeting highlights
During its June meeting, the Board of Regents heard a report on enrollment projections for the upcoming fall semester. Systemwide confirmations for students coming directly from high school have jumped roughly 12 percent since this time last year and are up about seven percent over the University’s five-year average. Duluth and Morris have both seen notable increases, while the Twin Cities’ total is an all-time high. Regents also approved President Joan Gabel’s recommended FY22 capital improvement budget, reviewed the recommended FY22 operating budget, and discussed strategic planning with Duluth campus leaders. See the news release for more details.
Going beyond volunteering
As a U of M undergrad, Breanne Retherford helped redesign a 7-year-old’s 3-D printed prosthetic hand, assisted people with impaired vision who wanted to play hockey, and collaborated with students in Uganda to develop low-cost medical device solutions for health centers in their country. Overall, Retherford put in more than 400 hours of volunteer service, receiving a special notation on her transcript as a University of Minnesota Community Engagement Scholar.
The night of the train
U of M student and Gopher football player Shannon Brooks was grappling with depression and overwhelming grief 18 months ago. On a cold night in December 2019, he remembers saying to himself, “I want to be with my mom,” before running toward the side of a speeding train. Today he wants to share his mental health journey with others.
A new way to promote mental health
The year before Carmen Aguirre started medical school, a mentor advised her to find a hobby unrelated to medicine. A lover of music and art, she decided to side hustle as a video jockey. Later, she became the one who made the visuals on the screen. Now Aguirre has completed two years of med school, and her art has really taken off. She’s sold at least 20 pieces, and has begun donating 10 percent of her sales to support mental health resources at the U of M.
Holey homemakers
The feisty red-headed woodpecker has been declining in many parts of the country, but not at the U of M’s Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, which boasts lots of savanna and the largest known population of the birds in Minnesota. Postdoc Elena West leads a team of volunteers, land managers, and community scientists from a range of disciplines that studies these woodpeckers, noting what features of their environment make good habitat for them—and other species.
Awards and Recognition
Dziwe Ntaba and Michael Westerhaus have been selected as 2021 Bush Fellows; the Board of Regents approved the appointments of deans for the College of Veterinary Medicine, School of Dentistry, and College of Education and Human Development; Paul Dauenhauer has been named a 2021 finalist for the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists; Tasoulla Hadjiyanni has been selected as the Imagine Fund 2021-23 Arts, Design, and Humanities Chair; George Karypis received the Distinguished Contributions Award during the 2021 Pacific-Asia Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining; Douglas Kearney has received the inaugural Campbell Opera Librettist Prize; Joachim Savelsberg is the recipient of the 2021 Harry J. Kalven, Jr. Prize; St. Paul-based Johnson Brothers is endowing a $1M scholarship at the Carlson School for underrepresented Minnesota students with financial need; the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior was recently ranked number two in the world by Shanghai Ranking; U in the News features highlights of U faculty and staff cited in the media. Awards and Recognition
UMN Headlines: June 2021
The third installment of the "UMN Headlines" video series shares highlights of recent accomplishments from around the University of Minnesota System, ranging from groundbreaking research to student successes and scientific breakthroughs. See past episodes here.
Get the vax
Vaccinations will not be required to live, learn, and work at U of M campuses and sites, as most campus members who can be are expected to be vaccinated. The University will do everything possible to make vaccines accessible because vaccines help protect others. Learn more about the University’s approach to vaccines.
Researchers uncover unique properties of a promising new superconductor
A study led by University of Minnesota physics researchers has discovered that a unique superconducting metal is more resilient when used as a very thin layer. The research is the first step toward a larger goal of understanding unconventional superconducting states in materials, which could possibly be used in quantum computing in the future.
Study suggests new approach to reduce COVID-19 death among the elderly
New research from the University of Minnesota Medical School and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic reveals a possible new approach to preventing death and severe disease in elderly people infected with SARS-CoV-2. The researchers demonstrated in a preclinical study that senolytic drugs significantly reduced mortality upon infection from a beta-coronavirus closely related to SARS-CoV-2 in older mice.
Studies provide new evidence to battle drug price increases
Two recent studies led by researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School add new evidence to how drug price increases affect U.S. patients and the overall cost of health care.
Osterholm Update podcast: COVID-19
In Episode 58: A Year at Sea, Michael Osterholm and host Chris Dall discuss the international spread of COVID, the spread of the newest variant of concern, the ongoing virus origin controversy, the debate about immune passports, and a new segment on practical advice for listeners. Previous episodes are available here.
Hot weather gardening tips
Minnesota just experienced record-setting June temperatures, and meteorologists are predicting that we’ll continue to see above-average temperatures for the remainder of the summer. What does this mean for how we manage our gardens? U of M Extension offers tips on watering, weeding, pruning, and more during hot weather.
Generations keep giving in memory of Mary and Jim Page
Many remember Mary Page (1934-2013) for being the mayor of Olivia, a University of Minnesota regent, and a voice for rural Minnesota. Elizabeth Page remembers how happy her grandmother was in her garden. This memory led Elizabeth, 18, to make her first significant philanthropic gift: $5,000 to the University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program.
Research Brief: Researchers discover a key cause of energy loss in spintronic materials
A study led by U of M researchers uncovered a property of magnetic materials that will allow engineers to develop more efficient spintronic devices in the future, which could lead to faster and more efficient computing and data storage. Additional recent Research Briefs include “Weight teasing is a risk factor for disordered eating in young people across demographic groups,” “Oral health needs among youth with a history of foster care,” and “Are plant-based ground beef alternative products healthier than ground beef?”
U of M featured events
June 25-26 - Firefly Viewing Nights
June 26 - Bug-tastic!: Arthropod Bodies and How They Work, with the Bug Chicks
July 7 - Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Orientation Class
July 8 - Web GIS 101: Introduction to Mapping with ArcGIS Online
July 10 - U of M Day: Topgolf Live
July 10-11 - Northrop presents: ABT Across America
July 15 - Why Everyone Deserves a Health and Wellbeing Coach
U of M Crookston announces spring 2021 graduates
The Office of the Registrar at the University of Minnesota Crookston recently announced its list of over 240 spring 2021 graduates. Students completed their degree requirements during the spring session 2021.
July 16 - Teambacker Golf Classic
The U of M Crookston Teambacker Golf Classic Presented by Altru will be held at Minakwa Golf Course, Crookston. The 31st annual golf scramble is a five-person team athletic scholarship fundraiser.
Trees for Minnesota
The Forest Assisted Migration Project, led by Julie Etterson, is planting millions of climate-smart trees in the forests of Northern Minnesota. “The five-year goal began with detailed research in order to find the right trees to grow in our warming climate,” says Etterson.
Sustainable tourism in Northern Minnesota
Social media can be a great way to find new, undiscovered places to visit, but increased traffic brings challenges for ecologically sensitive areas. Ken Gilbertson, Environmental and Outdoor Education Program professor, discusses the costs and benefits of nature-based tourism.
Morris marks one year of carbon neutrality in electricity
The University of Minnesota Morris has been able to create community-scale clean energy systems to achieve carbon neutrality in electricity in recent years, achieving full carbon neutrality in electricity for the first time last year. Campus leadership on clean energy has expanded into the larger Morris community and has grown into a community partnership called The Morris Model.
Morris hosts Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges annual meeting
U of M Morris recently hosted the virtual Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) annual meeting. COPLAC colleagues from across the consortium came together to discuss local initiatives, create networks, and pursue collaborative possibilities. The theme this year was sustainability. Morris is a founding member of COPLAC.
Educational innovation
UMR’s interdisciplinary Center for Learning Innovation drives educational innovation with a faculty research focus on student learning and development. Professor Angie Mejia's article, "Plan for the Worst, Hope for the Best, but Realistically, Expect a Combination of Both: Lessons and Best Practices Emerging from Community-Engaged Teaching During a Health Crisis," has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement.
Spring 2021 Chancellor’s List
UMR recognizes students who have attained high academic achievement through the Chancellor's List. View the spring 2021 Chancellor’s List.
Two students named 2021 Astronaut Scholars
Two students in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus are among 60 students nationally who have been awarded scholarships for the 2021-22 academic year by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The prestigious Astronaut Scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research-oriented careers in mathematics, engineering, and the natural and applied sciences.
School of Public Health launches certificate for behavioral health professionals
The School of Public Health has launched a unique Healthcare Management Certificate for Behavioral Health Professionals in collaboration with the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies. This 10-month program will address the growing need for leaders in behavioral health. It’s one of the only programs of its kind in the U.S. and is designed exclusively for professionals with two or more years of experience working in the field.
SciPride celebrates the scientific contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community
In honor of Pride Month, the Bell Museum celebrates the scientific contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community at the University. Explore this series of flash talks from LGBTQIA+ researchers across STEM disciplines and career levels.
The promise of trees
Trees and their fruits have taken over the display cases in the Andersen Horticultural Library at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in the exhibit “Turning over a New Leaf.” The exhibit accords with the Arboretum’s theme for this summer—the Season of Trees.