March 13, 2024

Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time benefit extended

The University has chosen to extend the Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) paid leave to employees who work in states other than Minnesota. ESST is paid leave employers must provide to employees working in Minnesota. Employees who live outside of Minnesota will be given ESST credit for any time worked since Jan. 1, 2024. ESST accruals will appear in MyU.

Chairs and department heads invited to nominate Unit Service Award recipients

Unit chairs and heads are invited to choose awardees for the University of Minnesota Unit Service Award program, which recognizes excellence in internal service by all faculty in academic units systemwide. The award consists of $500 for professional development or research; six of these awardees will receive the Provost’s Unit Service Award of $5,000 and one will receive the University of Minnesota Unit Service Award of $10,000, the highest recognition for unit service. 

Call for proposals and registration: 2024 U of M Sustainability Symposium

Join the Institute on the Environment, Students for Climate Justice, and systemwide sustainability offices on Apr. 12, 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m., for the U of M Sustainability Symposium (register). Faculty and staff are asked to encourage students to submit their sustainability story by March 24 as a presentation, poster, or creative work. Register by Apr. 5 for free lunch on the Twin Cities campus in St. Paul, though the event will be available in person and virtually.

Nominations open: Student Impact Awards in sustainability

The Institute on the Environment and systemwide sustainability offices invite nominations for the Student Impact Awards, which recognize students or student groups systemwide who have made significant contributions to a sustainable future. Individual student awards are $500 and collaborative projects will receive $1,000 in grant funding. Nominations are due March 20.

How will this warm winter affect my plants?

Many Minnesotans are wondering how this unusually warm winter will affect their home landscapes. Learn what Extension educators expect this to mean for gardens, lawns, trees, and shrubs.

Research Brief: A crown rust fungus could help manage two highly invasive plants in Minnesota

Though some crown rust fungi are known to cause widespread damage to oat and barley crops, new research suggests a close relative of these major pathogens could actually be a valuable asset in managing two highly invasive wetland plants in Minnesota. See additional recent Research Briefs.

Talking resilient infrastructure with the U of M

Across the United States, extreme weather events are leaving destroyed property and displaced people in their wake. Richard Graves, College of Design associate professor and director for the Center for Sustainable Building Research, answers questions about how Minnesota can better prepare our buildings and infrastructure for the future. See more editions of "Talking with U of M."

Apr. 8-12 - IEM Innovation Week

IEM Innovation Week includes events that focus on advances and new directions in medical engineering, including engineering to fight cancer, neurological disorders, failing organs, and many other ailments. The week’s activities include four days of technical sessions, three different workshops, networking mixers, poster sessions, competitions, and more, including the Design of Medical Devices Conference and the Minnesota Neuromodulation Symposium.

May 13-31 - Summer Public Health Institute

Experience short courses that respond to current advances in your field with the summer Public Health Institute, offering 27 online and in-person courses that are innovative, allowing faculty and experts to share applied research skills and practices that can be used right away. Most courses span one week and registration is now open.