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Deane Morrison
Astronomy graduate students are an intrepid bunch. They must have a good command of math and physics in order to master the science, and lord knows they pull a lot of all-nighters. From the word go, they are steeped in a graduate school culture that demands utter devotion to study and research.
Kristen McQuinn knew that as she faced the University of Minnesota's director of graduate studies (DGS) in astronomy. Since college she had spent 12 years out of academia, she had two kids in diapers, and she was asking to be admitted to doctoral study - heresy of heresies - part time.
"I was straight up about it," she said.
The odds against her looked astronomical. Except the DGS on that day in 2001 was Evan Skillman, who, true to his chosen profession, took a farsighted view.
"He was encouraging about me applying," McQuinn said, who has just finished her fifth year of graduate study with Skillman and hopes to complete her doctorate next year.
And how has she done? Let's put it this way: During graduate school, a budding astrophysicist can reasonably expect to be the main author on perhaps two or three research papers. McQuinn has just notched three, and sometime this summer the number will rachet up to five.
If her story shows anything, it's that enthusiasm trumps all.
"One theme runs through my life: I'm not just going to settle for something," she said. She began her scientific journey as a physics major at Lehigh University, but she soon switched to mechanical engineering, a major with more job potential.
She found herself reading physics books and magazines in the evening in her spare time. Then, while living and working in Buenos Aires, McQuinn decided she really wanted to be an astrophysicist. She had been out of school nine years, but was accepted to a master's degree program at Boston University. Graduating after two years, she followed her husband to Dartmouth College, where he earned a business degree and she had two children, then to Minneapolis after he landed a job with General Mills.
The new location "just happened to be near a large university with a high-caliber astronomy department," McQuinn said. On one visit to the U, she had her fateful conversation with Skillman, and soon she was back in graduate school--after three years at home with kids.
McQuinn owes her enduring fascination for astrophysics in part to the vastness of human ignorance about the cosmos.
"It's an impossible task to understand any field of science," she said. "Many people are chipping away, but there is always some more to explore and understand in the universe."
In her most recent paper, McQuinn used Hubble Space Telescope data to settle a point about how galaxies evolve.
She studied regions of small, nearby galaxies undergoing a "baby boom" of new star births. Called starbursts, these areas had been considered local features that die out after about 10 million years (the blink of an eye for a galaxy). But McQuinn found evidence for starbursts that sweep through entire galaxies, lasting 200 million to 400 million years.
"[The time scale of starbursts] resolved a controversy," Skillman said. "It's an important number that there wasn't enough debate about."
Starbursts are triggered when two galaxies get close enough to warp each other with their gravity, McQuinn said. Thus, they probably were more common in the early universe, when galaxies were closer to each other and hydrogen - the fuel of star formation--was more abundant.
Those ancient galaxies can't be studied, "so studying these [nearby galaxies] gives us a window into the distant past and clues as to how galaxies change and evolve," McQuinn said. She also hopes to discover whether starbursts ignite individually or in a chain reaction, like fans doing the wave at a stadium.
For McQuinn, the bottom line is "I'm here because I really want to be." Working mostly at her home computer, she goes to campus once a week.
"There's no one else I know of who is doing this," she said. "But one tradeoff is that I haven't been able to travel to present my results. Not with two kids in diapers." But that will change in July, when she presents data at a conference in Italy.
She has already made many presentations to one of the toughest audiences known: kindergarteners and first-graders.
"They call me 'scientist Kristy,'" she said. "A lot of little girls come up and say, 'I want to be a scientist when I grow up.' That's to die for."Natural remedies ease summertime skin irritations
Dennis McKenna, Ph.D
Sun-filled days and warm nights beckon us to linger over iced coffee, barbeques and fishing holes. From North Shore trails and sparkling lakes to cultured gardens and farmers' markets, Minnesota summers are irresistible.
Just as difficult: Avoiding the inevitable consequences of our warm-weather follies, such as minor skin irritations. While there are a host of over-the-counter products to relieve itching, swelling and pain from bug bites to sunburns, there also are inexpensive, natural remedies to treat these common skin ailments.
Who hasn't suffered the insult of an insect rumored to be the state bird? The easiest way to handle mosquito and other such bug bites is to prevent them altogether: wear light-colored clothing, long pants and bug repellent, avoid sweet fragrances and check for pests after walks in the woods or long grass.
When these precautions fail, alleviate pain, swelling and itching by using such natural remedies such as ice and lavender and tea tree essential oils. These natural remedies are available at natural product stores and at some pharmacies.
Some bug bites worsen in the heat. Ice cold packs wrapped in a towel and applied to the skin for 10 to 15 minutes can reduce swelling. Ancient cultures have long used the antiseptic and antibacterial properties of lavender and tea tree oils to reduce skin discomfort. Applied directly to the affected area, these essential oils help wounds to heal more quickly. Lavender oil contains a compound called linalool, which acts as an analgesic and can soothe the sting of a bite or minor wound. While these two essential oils are non-toxic and non-sensitizing in most people, skin sensitivity may develop in rare cases. Discontinue if redness or skin irritation develops after use.
Prevention is your best bet against sunburn: wear protective sunscreen and clothing that covers. If you do happen to burn, there are a number of natural ways to reduce the throbbing.
Aloe vera is both a common household plant and a living first-aid kit. Its fleshy leaves contain a clear gel that provides relief for burns and other superficial wounds. Break open a leaf and smooth the gel directly on the skin. A cool 15-minute bath with a few drops of lavender essential oil in a cup of baking soda also is a great way to ease pain.
From gardener to biker, superficial cuts and scrapes are bound to happen. As a multi-purpose first-aid oil, tea tree oil can help to heal almost any type of superficial wound. Aloe vera gel can help to seal the wound, relieve pain and promote healing.
Poison ivy, poison oak and sunscreens are among the many culprits that can trigger a rash. Tea tree oil and lavender oil can help to relieve discomfort and dried chamomile steeped in water makes a soothing wash for a plant-based rash. Finely ground oatmeal in a hot bath can also help to soothe irritated skin.
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Dennis McKenna, Ph.D., is an ethnopharmacologist and specializes in the therapeutic applications of plants and natural products. This column is an educational service of the University of Minnesota. Advice presented should not take the place of an examination by a health-care professional. For more health-related information, go to http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu.
Kathleen Olson
Do you remember the time you spent outdoors when you were a child? I lived on a farm, with many opportunities to get outside and run through the fields, garden, make mud-pies, build forts and more.
Parents don't often turn their children loose and tell them to "go out and play" like my parents used to tell me. Few children experience the outdoor unstructured play that has been shown to promote imagination, cognitive learning and healthful activity. Too often, children are sitting in front of a television or computer. In fact, children are about three times more likely to play video games than to ride a bike today.
Many parents, family, environmental and health professionals are concerned with the growing disconnect between children and nature. This disconnect from nature along with a sedentary lifestyle has serious implications for long-term health and well-being of children.
What is keeping kids inside? Parents often mention safety. To counteract this, parents can set clear limits and rules for their children that reflect heir age, your neighborhood and available supervisors. Determine if they are allowed in front yards on your block only, or if a local park is safe.
Ask parents in your neighborhood to share times for your children to go outside. This will take away one of the major complaints kids have about going outdoors - that there isn't anyone else to play with. Also, enlist the help of other parents to watch out for the children and join the children outside yourself.
What can parents do when inside activities may seem more fun to kids, with technology available? Parents can limit screen time to a couple hours a day. Make your outside area interesting and ask your child to participate in gardening, feeding birds or building a fort with you.
If you get outdoors yourself, you can make it family time. You can set an example by spending time in nature too. It has many benefits such as a greater sense of calm and reduced stress, which is positive for adults and kids alike. For children, physical activity helps improve concentration, memory and classroom behavior as well as help curb childhood obesity.
We are blessed to live in an area where we have many opportunities for experiencing the outdoors. Children love nature, and they learn by experiencing it firsthand. While it may be challenging to balance safety and supervision with exploration, creativity and wonder, it's too important for children to jump, spin, climb, build, and learn about the natural world. Get outside and enjoy nature!
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Kathleen Olson has spent her career focusing on parenting issues and believes that most issues we face in life go back to parenting. She is an Extension Educator in Family Relations for the University of Minnesota and has two children of her own.
Find more stories at: http://www1.umn.edu/news/features/index.htm