Today's News: Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Administration
Kaler talks conflict of interest policy
After a summer of major policy decisions, administrative changes and plans for the University of Minnesota’s future, President Eric Kaler sat down with the Minnesota Daily for the last time before beginning his second year.
Minnesota Daily
http://www.mndaily.com/2012/08/01/kaler-talks-conflict-interest-policy
University assesses value of its 200-plus centers and institutes
The University of Minnesota has completed an evaluation of 241 centers and institutes across all five campuses as part of President Eric Kaler’s ongoing mission of “operational excellence.”
Minnesota Daily
http://www.mndaily.com/2012/08/01/university-assesses-value-its-200-plus-centers-and-institutes
Research
As climate changes, organic methods look like a path to adaptive agriculture
Reading up on the nation’s deepening drought and failing crops last week, I came across an interesting piece by Jonathan Foley, director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment.
MinnPost
http://www.minnpost.com/earth-journal/2012/07/climate-changes-organic-methods-look-path-adaptive-agriculture
Medica Research Institute receives funding to study impact of clinic ownership on care delivery
The Medica Research Institute was recently awarded a grant from The Commonwealth Fund to study how vertical integration of clinics into an integrated health system of clinics and hospitals affects the delivery of care. Medica Research Institute will be collaborating with researchers at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health in this study.
MarketWatch
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/medica-research-institute-receives-funding-to-study-impact-of-clinic-ownership-on-care-delivery-2012-08-01
Germs in hotel rooms finding new places to hide
Wondering just where the germs lurk when you check into a hotel? Maybe not always where you'd expect. ...Even the presence of coliform should not deter people from booking hotel stays, says environmental health sciences professor Craig Hedberg of the University of Minnesota.
USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/story/2012-07-22/hotel-room-germs/56623708/1
Business and Politics
India's power woes a classic story of supply, demand
It might be too early to say what the exact cause of India's latest massive power outage is, but in its simplest form, it probably has something to do with supply and demand –- not enough of the former and too much of the latter. ...Massoud Amin, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and professor of electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota, has studied India's power system firsthand. "In a big city like Bangalore, you have a half-hour to 45 minutes of load shedding every day," he says.
NPR.com
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/31/157669087/indias-power-woes-a-classic-story-of-supply-demand
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2012/s3558103.htm
1320 WILS
Listen: http://www.webwiseforradio.com/site_files/368/File/7-31-12%20Dr_%20Massoud%20Amin.mp3
Students petition to oust Chick-fil-A
Ordering a fried chicken sandwich and waffle fries at the University of Minnesota’s Chick-fil-A restaurant used to be a campus favorite. Suddenly, since anti-gay comments made by the franchise’s president, it’s become political.
Minnesota Daily
http://www.mndaily.com/2012/08/01/students-petition-oust-chick-fil
KMSP
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/19167504/chick-fil-a-day-vs-same-sex-kiss-day
Will rising food prices change America's eating habits?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has predicted substantial price increases for numerous food items in 2013, if not sooner, due to the devastating impact of the current drought on farms across the country. According to its latest Food Price Outlook, the agency expects prices to go up substantially, especially for meat and poultry because of reduced inventory and higher feed expenses. ...For many of us, undoing all that would require changing our entire food environment, according to Dr. Simone French, director of the Obesity Prevention Center at the University of Minnesota.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
http://blog.seattlepi.com/timigustafsonrd/2012/08/01/will-rising-food-prices-change-america%E2%80%99s-eating-habits/
Updates and Events
U of M doctor on athletes and injuries
Dr. Grant Morrison with the U's Department of Family Medicine talks to WCCO about athletes and injuries.
WCCO-TV
Watch: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/7555772-u-of-m-doctor-on-athletes-and-injuries/
U of M professor discusses social media and the Olympics
Steven Ross, professor in the University of Minnesota's School of Kinesiology, was a guest last night on WCCO's Jordana Green Show.
WCCO-AM
Listen: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/audio/1641-jordana-green/7-18-12-jordana-green-show-8-pm-hour/
Fun, balance keys to Missy Franklin's gold
It was the moment she'd dreamed of since childhood. When Missy Franklin won her first gold medal in London on Monday, she said it almost didn't feel real. ..."Missy Franklin is living proof that there are many pathways to elite performance," said Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D, associate director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota.
KARE
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=985172
After 3 years, Itasca lands upgrade funding
Visiting the University of Minnesota’s Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories is like stepping back in time. Buildings resemble log cabins. Cellphone reception is spotty. Residents don’t lock their doors. In May, the Minnesota Legislature approved $4.1 million in renovations which include a new, nearly 13,700 square-foot campus center, which is scheduled for December 2013 completion.
Minnesota Daily
http://www.mndaily.com/2012/08/01/after-3-years-itasca-lands-upgrade-funding
Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 includes University of Minnesota, Morris
The University of Minnesota, Morris has been included in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2013 based on a broad range of subjects, including student body, academics, social life, financial aid, campus setting, housing, food, and extracurricular activities.
Morris Sun Tribune
http://www.morrissuntribune.com/event/article/id/28433/
Rescue in Palmer Lake Park; chicks saved
Travis Bonovsky of Brooklyn Center often goes bird watching in Palmer Lake Park, a large nature area that straddles the border of Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park. ...He knew one of the members, Paul Fusco, volunteers for the University of Minnesota Raptor Center.
Minnesota Sun Post
http://post.mnsun.com/2012/07/rescue-in-palmer-lake-park-hawk-chicks-saved/