October 2, 2024

Inside This Issue
  • Delta sends first flight from MSP to use sustainable camelina-based fuel.
  • Resilient crops on demand.
  • Features: Moving into the next technological revolution; Carrying on after breast cancer; The pumpkin king.
  • Awards and Recognition: The U of M launched a record 25 startup companies in fiscal year 2024; and more.
Top News

Delta sends first flight from MSP to use sustainable camelina-based fuel

Commercial airplane flying over field of yellow flowering plants

A major breakthrough in sustainable aviation occurred recently as Delta Air Lines sent off its first-ever flight powered by camelina-based sustainable fuel—an innovation made possible by the work of the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota.

 

 

 

Resilient crops on demand

feng zhang and jitesh kumar each hold a plant in a lab

Traditional plant breeding is slow and methodical; developing a variety can take years. Over the past decade, however, CRISPR gene editing has emerged as an option for fast-tracking new crop development. Now, a recent breakthrough makes this gene-editing technique even more effective.

 

 

 

Moving into the next technological revolution

abstract graphic of computer network with human face embedded

In just a few short years, artificial intelligence (AI) has soared to unprecedented heights, reshaping industries and everyday life. Explore how the U of M is leading the way into this next frontier through this series of stories.

 

 

 

Carrying on after breast cancer

two women walk down a hospital hallway

Bridget is cancer-free thanks to new medicine that would have been impossible just five years ago. Now six years cancer-free, Bridget is sharing her story to encourage early mammograms and support clinical trials. Learn how the U of M Medical School is transforming cancer research and treatment.

 

 

 

The pumpkin king

Travis Gienger squatting down by a pumpkin that is much larger than he is

"Every day it’ll just start doubling in size,” says Anoka, MN, resident Travis Gienger (BS ’03) in late May about what he hopes will be another world-record pumpkin by mid-October. He would know. In 2023, Gienger, who earned an agricultural education degree from the U of M, set a Guinness world record for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown (2,749 pounds). It was also the largest pumpkin by circumference (21 feet 1 inch). He has his eyes on the prize again this October.


 
 

Awards and Recognition

The U of M launched a record 25 startup companies in fiscal year 2024; Biology Teaching and Learning researchers including Kelly Lane have received an NSF grant of nearly $1 million to study how graduate program structures impact student success; Bic Ngo has been awarded $3.25 million for Project EngagED, designed to increase well-prepared teachers from underrepresented backgrounds; Andres Perez has been named the recipient of the 2024 Award for Global Engagement; the University of Minnesota has retained its strong position in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges ranking; U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media.

Awards and Recognition

U-Wide News

Policy update: PCard and Travel Card

The new policy Using a University Corporate Card is posted and in effect (PCard and Travel Card policies were combined). This policy applies to both PCard and Travel Cards. The deadline for reconciling both kinds of cards is within 60 days of when the expense is charged. This is an increase from the previous policy that was 30 days for PCard activity, and remains the same for Travel Card activity. See highlights of the related policy changes. Direct questions to [email protected].

Explore and innovate with AI at the University of Minnesota

Stay up-to-date with the evolving use and application of AI with Navigating AI @ UMN, a new collaborative resource available to the University community. Get practical guidance and tips on AI use, information on University-approved tools like Microsoft Copilot, and insights from around the system about utilizing AI in your work and studies.

Now available: Set personal pronouns in Google Workspace

You can now set personal pronouns for your University Google Workspace account. This is an optional setting that you may choose to use. By default, no pronouns will be set for your account. Learn how to set and share personal pronouns in Google.

Apply for the Technology Commercialization Early Innovation Fund

The Technology Commercialization Early Innovation Fund supports short-term projects that advance early-stage innovations. The program provides from $3,000 to $10,000 per project to advance the technology readiness of an innovation through a variety of means. Open to all U of M researchers and employees, including faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and staff. Applications are due Nov. 29. An online information session about the program will be held Oct. 25, 11-11:30 a.m.

Funding opportunity: 2025-26 MnDRIVE Research Fellowships in Neuromodulation

MnDRIVE Neuromodulation Research Fellowships will be awarded to outstanding graduate students (doctoral), postdoctoral trainees, and residents/clinical fellows pursuing research in neuromodulation. Complete an online application by Jan. 16.

U of M partnerships reimagine the future of Minnesota’s small communities

Dozens of communities in every part of the state are already benefiting from the University of Minnesota’s new Empowering Small Minnesota Communities (ESMC) program. The program is driven by 2023 legislation that allocated funds to the University to support small community partnerships. Over 75 partner communities have been selected in the first round of program awards. ESMC is currently accepting applications from across Minnesota.

Collaborative study improves pedestrian safety on tribal lands

Since 2016, U of M researchers have been working to improve pedestrian safety on tribal lands in partnership with seven Anishinaabe tribes, the Advocacy Council for Tribal Transportation, and MnDOT. Learn more about the multiyear collaborative study.

Research Brief: LGBTQ+ policies significantly reduce discrimination for transgender and nonbinary people

LGBTQ+ Americans experience widespread discrimination that impacts their physical and mental health. Minnesota and many other states have enacted policies meant to better protect LGBTQ+ people from discriminatory behavior. A new study from the School of Public Health examines the efficacy of these policies. See additional recent Research Briefs.

Talking seasonal vaccines with the U of M

COVID-19 and the flu are constantly changing, and new waves can circulate and spread unexpectedly. School of Public Health professor Rebecca Wurtz shares her expertise on why the COVID-19 and flu vaccines are so important, and when the best time is to get vaccinated this year. See more editions of "Talking with U of M."

Crookston

Oct. 9-12 - U of M Crookston to host Homecoming

The University of Minnesota Crookston will host its Homecoming celebration during the city’s proclaimed “Maroon and Gold Week” with a variety of events engaging students, alumni, community members, and friends. On the schedule are home athletic games, alumni awards celebration and athletic hall of fame events, a parking lot party at the Crookston Sports Center, a homecoming dance, and, new this year, a community-wide social media scavenger hunt at participating businesses.  

International students and leadership celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Crookston

Crookston international students and faculty and staff pose for a photo

U of M Crookston celebrated the international Mid-Autumn Festival with a private hot pot party for students and leadership, and a campus-wide celebration on Sept. 17 with crafts, activities, and food. Lecturer and club advisor Grace Menze and Director of Global Programs Sok Leng Tan helped Chinese Calligraphy Club students, as well as new students from Vietnam and Mongolia, coordinate the private event, while Coordinator of Student Engagement Rae French assisted with the campus-wide celebration.

Duluth

From crisis to community: A tribe’s response to the opioid epidemic

Two women pose next to a vending machine that vends overdose meds

The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, in partnership with U of M researchers, is pioneering a unique approach to the opioid crisis with public health vending machines. These machines, the first in Minnesota, provide lifesaving tools like Narcan and fentanyl test strips, as well as everyday essentials, to rural communities. “These vending machines are saving lives,” says Pamela Hughes, a member of Bois Forte and a research project manager with UMD.

 

 

UMD cardboard boat races: a Homecoming tradition returns

students paddling across water on cardboard boats

For the first time since 2016, students made a splash at the Bagley Pond last week in cardboard boat races. This popular Homecoming tradition pits student teams against one another as they construct boats from surprisingly unseaworthy materials, and then put them to the test on the water. Watch this Instagram video (also available on YouTube) to see how contestants thought it would go, and how it actually went.

 

 

Oct. 7 - LSBE Distinguished Speaker Tracey Brophy Warson

Tracey Brophy Warson

The Labovitz School of Business and Economics (LBSE) will host a keynote address by Tracey Brophy Warson, a distinguished UMD alumna who carved out a remarkable career in finance and was named one of the “Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance" by American Banker. Her presentation, From Student to CEO: One Woman's Story on Becoming One of the Most Powerful Women in Finance, is free and open to all, followed by a reception and refreshments. 4 p.m., Weber Music Hall.

Morris

U of M Morris participates virtually in international choral festival

A dozen people in a choir on stage with a conductor

The U of M Morris Concert Choir was invited by maestro Pablo Morales Daal to perform works by Carl Strommen, Henry Mancini, and U of M Morris faculty member Nathan Froebe as part of "Voces del Mundo," a virtual international choral festival hosted by Universidad Ricardo Palma in Perú.

 

 

 

Oct. 2 - Exploring the Mysteries of the Sun: Explosions on our Closest Star

Exterior of an observatory on the UMM campus

U of M Morris will welcome Associate Professor Lindsay Glesener from the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics in the public lecture “Exploring the Mysteries of the Sun: Explosions on our Closest Star” at 7 p.m., Science Auditorium. The U of M Morris observatory will also offer telescope viewings of the sun from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Rochester

President Cunningham visits UMR

Rebecca Cunningham with Chancellor Lori Carrel and two UMR students

UMR welcomed President Rebecca Cunningham to campus and to the Rochester community on Sept. 24. President Cunningham engaged with faculty, students, and community partners. In an overflowing campus and community reception, Cunningham shared her perspective that “students here are truly committed to making a difference and they are uniquely positioned to achieve their career goals of serving patients and communities because of the world-class education they receive here in Rochester.”


 

UMR and Chancellor Carrell highlighted in Invest: Minneapolis-St. Paul

U of M Rochester was in the spotlight in a recent feature by Invest: Minneapolis-St. Paul. Chancellor Carrell shared, “By designing college experiences informed by research, more students, particularly those from historically underrepresented backgrounds in higher education and healthcare, will succeed. This evidence-based approach is key to helping students thrive. The UMR community must remain open to continuous improvement, constantly generating new ideas, testing them, gathering evidence, and adapting based on what we learn.”

Twin Cities

Donate to the Community Fund Drive

The Twin Cities Community Fund Drive kicked off on Oct. 1 and will run through the end of the month. Employees can give to one or more University federation partners—Creating Healthier Communities, Greater Twin Cities United Way, Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless, United Negro College Fund—or a specific charity of your choice. You can also give to your favorite University cause through the U of M Foundation. Please join in this important tradition and give where your passion leads.

Medical students bridging care and community

5 medical students pose for a photo outdoors

Several medical students recently participated in a mobile health clinic, in collaboration with the Somali American Medical Association, and played a significant role in celebrating Somali Independence Day by offering free health services to the community. As part of the Mobile Health Initiative, the clinic provided health screenings, over-the-counter medications, and health education during the Somali Week Festival.

 

 

Making Minnesota home

Desiree and Otto Sanchez with a framed photo of their father

Otto and Desiree Sanchez still remember the novelty of a Minnesota winter when their family moved from Venezuela to Minnesota in 1972 so that their father could study at the University of Minnesota. Their father’s education in clinical genetics at the U of M would turn out to have a profound impact on the field. And later, three generations of the Sanchez family would come to the U of M to study and put down roots.

 

 

Setting the tone for long-term care

Lifelong learner is the phrase that best defines the professional landscape of Long Term Care (LTC) Administration instructor Kari Everson. The University's LTC Administration programs are designed to license nursing home administrators or assisted living directors. In this interview, Everson talks about the rapidly developing aging-services profession and the drive for excellence she sees in her students.

Oct. 24 - Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory open house for U of M researchers

Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) is a world-renowned center for research in fluid mechanics and earth surface dynamics. U of M researchers are invited to learn about SAFL’s unique research spaces and capacities and meet with lab managers and engineers, who will introduce the planning process for doing research projects at SAFL. Register and learn more.

Featured events

Goldy gopher mascot and students celebrate at an outdoor event

Oct. 4 - Walter Library 100 Pop-Up Exhibit

Oct. 7 - Jazz Ensembles I & II

Oct. 8 - Biomimetics24: Nature-Inspired Design and Development

Oct. 9 - Meds makeover: Is how we treat disease about to change for the better?

Oct. 9 - Brotherless Night: Book Talk with V. V. Ganeshananthan

Oct. 10 - Diversity (Evolution) and Connection (Ecology) in Science, and Beyond

Oct. 17 - 2024 Book Week featuring Kate DiCamillo

Oct. 22 - Enhancing Personal Wellbeing & Resilience Series | Workshop #1: Cultivating Personal Wellbeing and Self-Care

Oct. 24 - U.S. Farm Report College Roadshow Live Taping Event

Oct. 25 - Reimagining Rural Health Equity: Understanding Disparities And Advancing Rural Policy, Practice, And Research

See the full Events Calendar