October 4, 2023

Inside This Issue

Features: How climate change affects our health; The winding road to discovery.
Awards and Recognition: Emily Kringle will receive the 2023 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Young Investigator Award; and more.

How climate change affects our health

An illustration of the Twin cities campus and city with farmland adjacent

Laalitha Surapaneni has a surprising message about climate change: Not all hope is lost. Surapaneni, assistant professor of internal medicine, is a passionate advocate for climate change action—especially as it relates to the health of our friends, families, and communities. Find out how climate change is affecting our health and see solutions that could make a positive difference.

The winding road to discovery

It might seem like a random assortment of disorders: an illness called the “kissing disease,” an autoimmune condition that affects the brain and spine, and a type of blood cancer. But mononucleosis, multiple sclerosis, and Hodgkin lymphoma do share a connection: close ties to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), one of the most common—and least understood—viruses in humans. Now, U of M researcher Henry “Hank” Balfour Jr.’s career-spanning odyssey in pursuit of a vaccine for EBV is finally paying off.

Awards and Recognition

Emily Kringle has been selected to receive the 2023 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Young Investigator Award in Post-Acute Stroke Rehabilitation; Nathan Kuncel has been awarded a $158,434 grant for a study reviewing what information is predictive of different aspects of medical residency success; U in the News features highlights of University faculty and staff cited in the media.

Awards and Recognition

U-Wide News

Leading on All Levels: Applications now open for virtual leadership development program

Discover your leadership potential and build your skills through the online Leading on All Levels leadership program. Whether you informally manage projects or are looking to advance your career, this systemwide course will help individual contributors explore their strengths and how to use them in their leadership journey. Seven live virtual learning sessions (Zoom) begin Dec. 6.

New anti-bias childbirth training courses address disparities in Black and Indigenous maternal and infant health

Minnesota is facing a racial crisis when it comes to maternal health and infant mortality. To address these disparities, the state passed the Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act in 2021, which calls for the development of a series of anti-bias courses to be made available to hospitals with obstetric care and birth centers. The courses have been developed by the U of M’s Health Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity and other partners.

School of Public Health smoking-cessation research included in White House’s cancer-prevention campaign

The Biden Administration has unveiled new programs to reduce cancer death rates by 50 percent in the next 25 years as part of the Cancer Moonshot program. Among the resources included in the White House’s cancer-prevention efforts is a collaboration between the School of Public Health and the American Indian Cancer Foundation to launch SmokeFreeNative, a text messaging program to help American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents and adults quit smoking.

Pure and simple: First-of-its-kind support for Minnesota private well owners

Keith Koltes waits for his well water test

There are an estimated 980,000 privately owned wells in Minnesota. A new community-based approach to well water testing is gaining momentum, working to keep well-sourced drinking water safe for Minnesotans. Learn more at U of M Extension.

Research Brief: Using fire to revive a fragmented prairie landscape

Although fire can kill some plants, many plants need fires to survive and flower. A new study looks at how controlled burns can help plants and pollinators, especially on smaller patches of prairie. See additional recent Research Briefs.

Talking apples with U of M

If you enjoy a Honeycrisp, Haralson, SweeTango, or First Kiss apple at your local orchard or farm stand this fall, you can thank the University of Minnesota apple breeding program for putting it there. Now a new apple, called Kudos, might join your list of favorites. Researcher David Bedford answers questions about the new apple. See more editions of "Talking with U of M."

Crookston

Niche ranks U of M Crookston No. 1 Best Value College in Minnesota

three students walk across campus while one waves

Niche recently announced its 2024 rankings and has chosen U of M Crookston as No. 1 Best Value College in Minnesota. U of M Crookston ranked above 36 other Minnesota colleges in value. Niche also ranked Crookston the No. 2 Top Public University in Minnesota, No. 3 Best College Dorms in Minnesota, No. 3 Best Colleges for Business in Minnesota, and No. 3 Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in Minnesota.

Minnesota Crookston trap in third place

The U of M Crookston trap team officially opened up the USA College Clay Target League with a strong showing during week one. Minnesota Crookston is in third place out of seven teams in USA College Clay Target League Conference 4. Minnesota Crookston was led by Cole Girtz (Sr., Park Rapids), Lily Krona (Jr., Bemidji), Hailey Olson (Sr., Albertville), and Ellen Payne (Jr., St. Louis Park), who all hit 25-straight in week one.

Duluth

'I want to tell difficult stories'

University of Minnesota Duluth student Oliver Swimeley has always been a bit of a Renaissance man. In eighth grade, he became a Navy Cadet. In high school, he was involved in “everything under the sun,” from drama and band to cheerleading and student council. Now, the UMD theatre major is committed to bringing underrepresented voices out of the shadows—and on to the stage.

Oct. 19 - Maya Activism and Social Justice

Cristina Coc ’08 will speak at UMD about helping unite 41 Maya communities to support a successful land rights lawsuit. Coc and the Maya Leaders Alliance received the prestigious Equator Prize for their work on Maya land rights from the United Nations Development Programme. The prize recognizes community efforts to reduce poverty through conservation and sustainable use. Coc also founded the Julian Cho Society, an NGO in Belize that advocates for Maya people. 7-9 p.m., Marshall Performing Arts Center.

Morris

William B. and Ida B. Stewart Hall dedication

As part of the 2023 Homecoming celebration, alumni gathered to celebrate the legacy of Bill and Ida Stewart and dedicate the building that has been renamed in their honor. Watch a video of the dedication.

Oct. 7-8 - Faculty recital: Ann DuHamel

Ann DuHamel, associate professor of music, will present “Prayer for a Feverish Planet: A New Music Series about Climate Change.” The multimedia piano concerts will feature music from composers around the world that responds to the climate crisis. Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 8, 2 p.m., Humanities Fine Arts Recital Hall.

Oct. 10 - Michael Johnson lecture

Michael Johnson, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, WI, will share the impact and lessons of his U of M Morris experience 30 years ago as one of the victims of the Halloween incident of 1993. 11:40 a.m., Student Center, Edson Auditorium or via Zoom.

Rochester

Nov. 8 - 2023 State of the Campus: “Partners Make it Possible”

U of M Rochester’s 2023 State of the Campus event will feature philanthropic, political, employer, and other partners engaging the community in dialogue about future facilities expansion. 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Historic Chateau Theatre, downtown Rochester.

UMR faculty and students work together in research

UMR students and faculty continue to collaborate, with inquiry into student learning and development. This distinctive work includes contributions by UMR faculty Jake Wright and Amy Collins-Warfield with undergraduate research assistance from UMR alum Gavin Engles ’23 to the recently published volume 8 of American Association of Philosophy Teachers Studies in Pedagogy.

Twin Cities

Donate to the Community Fund Drive

The Twin Cities Community Fund Drive began on Oct. 1 and will run through the end of the month. Faculty and staff can give to one or more federation partners—CHC: 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 their choosing. You can also give to your favorite University cause through the U of M Foundation. Join in this important tradition and give where your passion leads.

Staying sober as a student

Jordyn Berg hiking in Zion National Park

Jordyn Berg had been struggling with alcohol as a teenager. When she came to the U of M in 2019, trying to stay sober became even more difficult. “It’s a really unique experience to be in recovery on a big campus like the U of M and trying to stay sober,” she says. “I needed to find people who were doing the same thing.” Learn more about how Berg found Recovery on Campus, which provides community and support to students who are questioning their relationship with drugs and alcohol.

Memory palaces

For more than 40 years, architecture professor Thomas Fisher has been at the forefront of research on sustainable architecture, design ethics, and design that serves communities. In this interview, Fisher describes what an increasingly hybrid world means for college campuses.

Caught adrift in a changing climate

Neha Mohanbabu measures plant growth at Cedar Creek

If a seed falls in a prairie and no one is around to see it, does anyone really know where it lands? This is a question Neha Mohanbabu is asking as part of her postdoctoral research at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. How a seed falls—and how global stressors affect its dispersal—is something she aims to model in a lab.

Strengthening communities

Sheryl Wilson (BS ’03, MLS ’07) believes in the power of restorative justice. Wilson is now in her sixth year as executive director of the restorative justice center Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. Rather than seeing crime or wrongdoing only as lawbreaking, restorative justice views it as a violation of people and relationships, needing both accountability and repair.