October 19, 2022

Inside This Issue
  • Board of Regents October meeting highlights.
  • Feature: Work to slow aging moves on a fast track; Using telemedicine to help families when they need it most.
  • Awards and Recognition: Steven Ruggles has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship; and more.
Top News

Board of Regents October meeting highlights

At its October meeting, the Board of Regents unanimously approved President Joan Gabel’s recommended biennial legislative budget request. The request includes a proposed Minnesota Resident Scholarship that aims to attract Minnesota high school students to all five of the University’s campuses and retain those students through graduation. The request also addresses financial challenges faced by the University and embraces cost-saving measures. Additionally, Regents discussed progress toward MPact 2025 enrollment goals with U of M Morris leaders, received an update on trends and challenges in graduate education, and more. See the news release for more details.

Work to slow aging moves on a fast track

An older couple laughing together

Previous research published earlier this year in Nature Medicine involving U of M Medical School faculty and Mayo Clinic investigators showed it was possible to reduce the burden of damaged cells, termed senescent cells, to extend lifespan and improve health, even when treatment was initiated late in life. The researchers now have shown that treatment of aged mice with the natural product Fisetin, found in many fruits and vegetables, also has significant positive effects on health and lifespan.

 

Using telemedicine to help families when they need it most

Jessica holding her son Elias

With autism, time matters, but the wait list to see a specialist can take months. A telemedicine study from the U of M’s Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain hopes to speed up the process and provide families with a critical diagnosis much faster. “Time is neurons. We can’t put our son’s developing brain on pause,” says Jessica, whose son Elias received that critical diagnosis in just four weeks.

 

Awards and Recognition

Steven Ruggles has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship; the NIH has awarded $2.5M to fund Minn-KPMP, a recruitment site for the Kidney Precision Medicine Project; the School of Nursing has received the Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine; U of M startup BKB Floral Foam took first place at the 2022 MN Cup startup competition; U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media.

Awards and Recognition

U-Wide News

FeedbackFruits now available in Canvas

Explore FeedbackFruits, a suite of peer collaboration tools recently integrated into Canvas. Academic Technology Support Services is offering (virtual) hands-on sessions that invite instructors to take a closer look at four tools now available in FeedbackFruits. Sessions will cover overall tool functionality, ways to set them up in Canvas, and both student and instructor perspectives of the tools. Register for one or all of the “Use FeedbackFruits Tools for Collaborative Learning” sessions.

New Research Project Budget Estimator tool

The Medical School has launched a new Research Project Budget Estimator (RPBE) to help researchers and their teams draft budget estimates to assess feasibility of research projects. RPBE is able to pull salary and fringe information for personnel, and it can automatically apply adjustments like the NIH salary cap and inflation rate adjustments to budget calculations.

UMN Headlines: October 2022

Graphic reading Discovery never stops

The October installment of the “UMN Headlines” video series features highlights from around the University of Minnesota System, including homecoming celebrations, the Special Olympics, startup and patent successes, antibiotic-resistant infection research, innovations in treating chronic pain, grants to support research and students, U.S. News & World Report rankings, and more. See past episodes here.

 

School of Nursing and MHA form collaboratory to address workforce needs

The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) and the U of M School of Nursing announced the formation of a collaboratory to facilitate working together to improve nursing practice, education, and patient outcomes. The collaboratory will serve as a nursing think tank and incubator for creativity and innovation that will engage nursing faculty, staff, and students in the development of strategies to enhance nursing education, research, and practice.

Nov. 15 - Women Innovators Conference: Nurturing Innovation

This annual professional development summit will inspire, inform, and connect women students, postdocs, research scientists, faculty, and business professionals to strengthen and extend the diverse talent pool of women innovators. 1-5 p.m., McNamara Alumni Center.

Crookston

U of M Crookston announces Rural Leadership and Success course series

Through a partnership with Rotary Club of Crookston, Minnesota’s Polk County, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, and CareerForce, the U of M Crookston will offer groundbreaking skills training to help develop the next generation of professionals. The “Rural Leadership and Success” course series is intended for students who are currently in the workforce and may have had some previous higher education experience. The initiative is aimed at personal development, communication skills, and leadership techniques that can lead to a certificate or into a four-year degree.

Duluth

Glensheen Formal Garden has reopened

Glensheen formal outdoor garden

After $4 million in public investment from the State of Minnesota in 2018, Glensheen was able to restore its formal garden. The planting design brings it back to the original 1907 plans. During the Minnesota school system's fall break, the estate will be open extended hours: Oct. 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Oct. 21 and 22, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Oct. 23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

 

‘Office Hours’ with Jenna Soleo-Shanks

Jenna Soleo Shanks

In this episode of “Office Hours,” UMD talks with Jenna Soleo-Shanks, professor of theatre, who encourages students to be flexible, to use their imagination, and to play. Once, she directed a performance which was held outside on the grounds of the Glensheen Mansion. Her students drew the audience into a totally new experience by telling a story with nature as the backdrop.

 

Oct. 25 - Timothy Goodman

Tim Goodman lies on his back on some of his artwork

Artist, writer, and all-around storyteller Timothy Goodman continues the UMD Visual Culture Lecture Series with a virtual presentation at 6 p.m., via Zoom. Goodman’s art has appeared on buildings, on book jackets, and in art galleries. His clients range from Google to The New York Times, and he recently launched a global clothing collection with Uniqlo. He teaches at the School of Visual Arts, New York City.

Morris

Oct. 22 - RARE: Stories of Dis-ease

Poster advert reading Rare: Stories of Dis-ease. Graphic features person with bow holding two intertwining snakes

Sod House Theater of Minneapolis will bring its production of RARE: Stories of Dis-ease to the University of Minnesota Morris. The play is being performed to help bring greater awareness and understanding of the medical, economic, psychological, and social challenges facing people with rare diseases. 7 p.m., Edson Auditorium.

 

Oct. 24 - 2022 Barber Lecture

Elizabeth Otto

Elizabeth Otto, professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History and Global Gender Studies at the University of Buffalo, will deliver the 2022 Barber Lecture. Otto's talk is titled "Haunted Modern Art: Gender Fluidity, Queer Identities, and Radical Politics at Germany’s Bauhaus Art School.” 7 p.m., Humanities Fine Arts Recital Hall.

Rochester

U of M Rochester featured at P-3|EDU 2022

The University of Minnesota and the Rochester campus were recently featured on a panel at the invite-only P-3|EDU Conference in Denver, along with Ted Mitchell, president, American Council on Education; Ben Nelson, founder and chancellor, Minerva University; and Horacio Sosa, president and CEO, Rowan Global. The conference is designed to connect thought leaders to share best practices for public-private partnerships in higher education.

Resilience, well-being, and mental health

Naomi Hazard

UMR's innovative degree programs and integrated curriculum provide students with a foundational undergraduate education. Discover how Naomi Hazard navigated her time at UMR to prepare herself for a master’s in social work. Learn more about UMR’s Patient Care Pathway

Twin Cities

‘eFargo’ turns reducing energy use into interactive game

Game graphic featuring smiley faced shapes (circle, square, etc.) and text reading Zer+

A project years in the making, eFargo is an interactive game that teaches users about carbon emissions and helps them reduce energy use in the real world. Developed by a team of faculty and students from the College of Design and North Dakota State University, the project has won numerous awards, including the highly competitive 2022 R+D Award from Architect magazine.

 

Searching for stability: Futility, choice, and access in the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority’s Housing Choice Voucher Program

In 2019, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) worked to build and facilitate an inclusive participatory action research process that provided 10 low-income Black women in Minnesota the time, space, and tools needed to resume control over their own housing stability. See the report, findings, and recommendations. Other recent CURA research projects include “Seeking Closure, Part One: The Sale of Lowry Grove."

Art in hand

Chamindika Wanduragala

The creative life does not always have to happen on center stage. That discovery was a lightning bolt moment for alumnae and puppetry artist Chamindika Wanduragala, who realized that her anxiety about performing was preventing her from fully immersing herself in her art. Today, Wanduragala employs puppetry to support BIPOC artists and explore the world around us.

 

In the affirmative

Jerry Rinehart

Jerry Rinehart, former U of M dean of students and vice provost and a member of the Friends of the Libraries board, remains open to all the possibilities and all the people around him.

 

 

UMTC featured events

Marshall Johnson stands in field of wheat

Opening Oct. 20 - Sherlock Holmes Collections special exhibition

Oct. 20 - Keeping Accountability on the Table: Mapping Land-Grab and Next→

Oct. 21 - The Case for Health Care Reparations

Opening Oct. 22 - Narwhal: Revealing an Arctic Legend

Oct. 27 - James Ford Bell Lecture with Michael Gaudio: ‘Speaking Images: The Art of Travel Literature in Early Modern Europe’

Nov. 10 - Advancing Climate Solutions. Now. with Marshall Johnson

Nov. 10 - Karlis Kaufmanis Lecture Series: "The Weirdest Galaxies in the Universe"

Nov. 11 - DSM-5-TR: Changes and Future Directions

See the full Events Calendar