February
19,
2004
1. U remains accountable
2. Stem cell
research Q & A
3. A reading list from the U
4. Hydrogen from renewable sources within
reach
5. Learning from the Irish
6. Homeschooling without neglecting yourself
7. U of M Happenings
8. Links
UNEWS
U
remains accountable
The University of Minnesota “compares
favorably” with its peers on seven
key measures, according to a new self-assessment
released February 13 as part of Accountable
to U, the University’s 2004 Plan, Performance,
and Accountability Report.
The annual report, mandated by the state,
offers a comprehensive look at the University’s
accomplishments, challenges, and strategies
for improvement. But for the first time,
the report includes a scorecard assessing
the University’s academic quality,
student quality and experience, public engagement,
human resources, campus facilities and environment,
efficiency and effectiveness, and finances
against other public research institutions.
Some key findings from the report:
- The
University awarded more than 11,500 degrees
of all types in 2002-03, the most in
its history.
- The University’s total energy consumption
has declined by 15 percent since 1991.
- The University has made dramatic increases
in annual licensing income from its technology
commercialization efforts over the past five
years.
- Annual giving to the University surpassed
the averages of the top 10 public and private
research universities and of Big 10 public
universities.
“As a public university, it
is imperative that we are accountable to
the people of
Minnesota,” says President Bob Bruininks. “This
report clearly demonstrates that the University
is fulfilling the mission and high expectations
our citizens--and our students--have for
us.”
To read Accountable to U: 2003-04 University
Plan, Performance, and Accountability Report,
see http://www.umn.edu/urelate/govrel/reports.html.
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Stem
cell research Q & A
The University of Minnesota's recent
decision to pursue investigation of embryonic
stem cells has received considerable attention
over the past couple of weeks. Stems cells--parent
cells for all the body's tissues--offer great
potential and promise for important medical
treatments and cures. But embryonic stem
cell use is
controversial and federal funding
is prohibited for research on newly donated
embryos. Following is a brief Q & A on
some of the main issues surrounding stem
cell research at the University.
Q. Do University scientists currently study
embryonic stem cells?
A. Yes. Scientists at the University of Minnesota
Stem Cell Institute study stem cells derived
from adult bone marrow as well as embryo
stem cells approved for federal research
funding by President Bush in 2001.
Q. If University scientists already have
embryo stem cells to study, why do they want
to expand the effort?
A. Scientists find the few
federally approved stem cell lines lacking
for a few reasons.
First, of the nearly 70 lines thought to
be available for research, the National Institutes
of Health has approved fewer than a dozen
for research. Second, the human embryo stem
cells approved for federal research funding
by President Bush in 2001 have been contaminated
by mouse cells and are not likely to be useful
in any clinical way. Third, and perhaps most
importantly, these approved lines represent
only a tiny fraction of the human gene pool,
and do not well-represent the diversity of
the human population or the diversity of
human illness. The existing cells may not
be usable for someone with a certain disease
or the studies’ results may only be
applicable in a very limited case.
Q. Where will these new embryo stem cells
come from?
A. The University will not create embryos
but use those donated for research. These
embryos come from fertility clinics where
parents have chosen to donate their unused,
frozen five- or six-day blastocysts (the
embryonic stage that implants) rather than
discard them.
Q. Is it legal for the University to do research
with embryo stem cells that are not from
federally approved embryo stem cell lines?
A. Yes. But it would be
illegal to pay for it with federal funds.
That’s why the
University is seeking private funding for
the research effort.
Q. How can stem cell research benefit the
public?
A. Here at the University,
researchers are studying the use of all types
of stem cells
for repairing damaged hearts, treatments
and cures for Parkinson’s Disease and
stroke, and treatments for inherited genetic
diseases.
To learn more about the University of Minnesota’s
Stem Cell Institute, see http://www.umn.edu/stemcell/sci/sup8-6/pg/patch2gar2v2.shtml.
--Academic Health Center
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A
reading list from the U
When University notables were
asked, “What book had the
greatest impact on the way you
think?” one person said The Wump World,
a children’s
book with aliens called Pollutians,
and another replied, It Can’t
Happen Here, a cautionary tale
about the rise of fascism in
the United States.
A medical doctor, a wine researcher,
a basketball coach, a provost,
a speechwriter, three professors,
a graduate student, and a poet
suggested the 10 books that make
up U Reads 2004. For surgeon
John Najarian, The Lives
of a Cell: Notes of a Biology
Watcher by Lewis Thomas,
makes the cut because it gives
unique insight
into human behavior and diseases.
For art history and American
studies professor Karal Ann Marling,
biographies that “scare
me silly” are her favorites;
she chose Dino: Living High
in the Dirty Business of Dreams by
Nick Tosces, a tale about Dean
Martin’s rise to stardom
and shadowy connections to the
mob.
U Reads, sponsored by the College
of Continuing Education, grew
out of the college’s desire
to offer more learning resources
for readers and writers, explains
coordinator Liz Turchin. “We
knew Minnesotans had a healthy
appetite for stories,” she
says. “The response [to
U Reads] has been exciting.”
For the complete U Reads 2004
list and more comments about
each selection, see http://www.cce.umn.edu/ureads.
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Hydrogen
from renewable sources within
reach
University of Minnesota
engineers have invented the
first reactor
capable of producing hydrogen
from a renewable fuel source--ethanol--efficiently
enough to hold economic potential.
The technology is poised
to remove the major stumbling
block to the hydrogen economy:
no free hydrogen exists except
that which is made at high
cost from fossil fuels.
When coupled with a hydrogen
fuel cell, the new device--small
enough to hold in your hand--could
generate one kilowatt of
power, almost enough to supply
an average home, the researchers
say. They see an early use
for their invention in remote
areas, where it is not feasible
to install new power lines.
People could buy ethanol
and use it to power small
hydrogen fuel cells in their
basements.
U
of M Regents Professor
Lanny Schmidt led
the research effort.
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Hydrogen--an
element present in water
and organic
matter such as plants,
petroleum, and coal--is
now produced
exclusively by a process
called steam reforming,
which requires very high
temperatures
and large furnaces. It’s
unsuitable for any application
except large-scale refineries,
says chemical engineering
professor Lanny Schmidt,
who led the research effort.
“The hydrogen economy means
cars and electricity powered
by hydrogen,” explains
Schmidt. “But hydrogen
is hard to come by [and]
you can’t pipe it
long distances. There are
a few
hydrogen-fueling stations,
but they strip hydrogen
from methane--natural gas.
[This
process is] expensive,
and because it uses fossil
fuels,
it increases carbon dioxide
emissions [and] is only
a short-term solution until
renewable hydrogen is available.”
Ethanol, on the other hand,
is easy to transport and
relatively nontoxic. It is
already being produced from
corn and used in car engines.
But if it were used instead
to produce hydrogen for a
fuel cell, the process would
be nearly three times as
efficient. That is, a bushel
of corn would yield three
times as much power if its
energy were channeled into
hydrogen fuel cells rather
than burned alongside gasoline.
The work, which was featured
in the February 13 issue
of Science, was
supported by the University
of Minnesota’s
Initiative on Renewable
Energy and the Environment,
the
National Science Foundation,
and the U.S. Department
of Energy.
To learn more about the
University’s
renewable energy initiative,
see http://www.umn.edu/iree.
--University of Minnesota
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Learning
from the Irish
University of Minnesota senior
Zachery Coelius is off to Limerick, Ireland.
Coelius
and 11 other students--selected from a
pool of 245 nationwide--are recent recipients
of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship that
supports a year of study in this land of
Ulysses author James Joyce and U2’s
Bono.
Coelius,
who aspires to be a political
science professor,
is copresident of the
University’s Parliamentary Debate
club and founder of Votes for Students
(VFS).
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The scholarship, launched in 1998, honors
American students who exhibit high standards
of academic excellence, leadership, and
community service. It’s administered
by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance, a nonprofit
organization in Washington, D.C., and named
after the former U.S. senator who played
a pivotal role in the Northern Ireland
peace process. Coelius, a College of Liberal
Arts honors student majoring in political
science and history, will pursue a master’s
degree in international studies at the
University of Limerick in the southern
region of Ireland.
“It is going to be an amazing opportunity
to look at the world from a perspective
that is very different than what I have
spent the last four years doing,” says
Coelius. “Hopefully, by seeing how
another people deal with the questions
of citizenship, democracy, and collective
action, I will be able to do better work.”
Coelius, who aspires to be a political
science professor, is copresident of the
University’s Parliamentary Debate
club and founder of Votes for Students
(VFS). The latter nonpartisan group uses
e-mail and the Internet to encourage
voting and civic participation among college students. In fall 2002, Coelius
and his VFS colleagues e-mailed more than 500,000 students in 10 states, and
subsequently won a $100,000 grant from the Center for Information and Research
on Civic Learning and Engagement in Maryland to use the VFS data to study why
young people don’t vote.
Also this year, Coelius was selected by USA Today for its All-USA College Academic
Team.
--University of Minnesota News Service
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Homeschooling
without neglecting yourself
In spring 1999, an estimated 850,000
students nationwide ages 5-17
were being homeschooled, according to
the U.S. Department
of Education. If you’re a parent
of one of these children and find yourself
occasionally exhausted, University of
Minnesota developmental psychologist
Martha Erickson has some tips to buy
you downtime during those homeschooling
years.
-
If
you know other homeschool families,
work out a weekly exchange with
them.
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If
your spouse shares your commitment
to homeschooling, arrange for him or
her to teach a couple of lessons
each
week in the evening or on weekends
while you take some time for yourself. You
could also arrange for your spouse
to take on more household tasks, or, if
financially feasible, hire someone
to clean for a few hours each week.
- If
you have family members or close friends
who are invested in your child’s
education, ask them if they could
regularly take your child on a special
outing
or introduce him or her to a new
skill or
hobby. In return, you and your child
could make them a casserole or dessert
during homeschool time. (Cooking
provides great opportunities to practice
reading,
measuring, fractions, temperature,
and time concepts.)
- If
you know other homeschool families,
work out a weekly exchange with them.
Or maybe there’s an interesting
after-school program in sports or
the arts that could complement your
child’s
homeschooling. Even hiring a neighborhood
teenager to come to the house once
or twice a week for educational
games or
storytime could give you that much-needed
break.
- If
you can’t find the support and
respite you need to sustain you
in your effort, it may be time to consider or
reconsider enrolling your child
in school. You can still be an active partner in
your child’s education by
volunteering in the classroom and
supporting the teachers’ efforts.
Editor’s note: The University
Counseling and Consulting Services
on the Twin Cities
campus offers educational assessment
tools, scoring and reporting
services, and training services
for homeschooling
through its outreach arm, the
Minnesota Statewide Testing
Program. To learn
more about the program and
its resources, call 612-626-1803
or see http://www.ucs.umn.edu/mstp.
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HAPPENINGS
Celebrating 153 years
During Founders Day 2004,
you can enjoy free chili and a symphony
orchestra
concert, ask questions at a discussion
about September 11, see Australia through
the eyes of a biologist, and watch
the concepts of existentialism unfold
in a one-act play. The bill officially
creating the University of Minnesota
was signed into law on February 25,
1851. Although this date marks the
University’s birthday, the celebration
on the Twin Cities campus will begin
on Saturday, February 21. To learn
more about Founders Day 2004 events,
see http://www.umn.edu/twincities/founders.
Horses in action
Who has the best-dressed horse? A horse
costume contest is set to tickle the
audience at the Fourth Annual Equine
Extravaganza on Saturday, February
28, at 6 p.m. and Sunday, February
29, at 2 p.m. in the University Teaching
and Outreach Center Arena on the Crookston
campus. The public event, sponsored
by the UMC Rodeo Association and students
in equine industries management, will
also feature horse-handling activities
and a medieval jousting demonstration.
Advanced tickets are $5 for adults
and $3 for children ages 12 and under.
To reserve tickets, e-mail Anna Thelemann
at thel0060@umn.edu or
call 218-281-1444. Only a limited number
of tickets ($6
adults and $4 children) will be available
at the door.
Night with the Timberwolves
Wear maroon and gold to the Minnesota
Timberwolves game against the Houston
Rockets on Friday, March 5, at the
Target Center and the team will reward
you with a free gift and a pregame
Q & A at 5 p.m. with University
alumnus and former NBA player Kevin
McHale. University-discount tickets
($10 off the regularly priced $37 and
$22 game tickets) are available. To
buy tickets or for more event information,
see Timberwolves
tickets or
call Aaron Steele at 612-673-1685.
You can pick up your free gift on game
night at the information booths behind
sections 140 and 240.
Photographs from Iran
The University’s Katherine E.
Nash Gallery will host the work of
nearly 20 Iranian artists in a new
photography exhibition, “Persian
Silver: Contemporary Photography from
Iran,” runs Tuesday, February
24, through Thursday, April 8. This
is the first exhibit of contemporary
Iranian photography in the United States
since the 1979 revolution, says University
art professor Gary Hallman. “These
are images that go beyond mere representation
and address complex cultural issues
shaped by recent Iranian history and
a rich Islamic heritage,” he
says. There will be a public reception
on Friday, March 5, from 6 to 8:30
p.m. and a panel discussion on Tuesday,
March 9, at 7 p.m. The gallery is open
to the public Tuesday through Saturday
(hours vary), and admission is free.
For general information, see http://artdept.umn.edu/art_dept/nash.
Festival of jazz music
Jazz saxophonist and composer Pete
Whitman will perform with the University’s
Jazz Ensemble I at the 2004 Jazz Festival
on Saturday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m.
in the Ted Mann Concert Hall on the
Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis.
This year’s festival also features
clinics and other performances by acclaimed
local and national jazz artists, including
members of the University’s music
faculty. Admission is free. For more
information, call the School of Music
at 612-624-5056.
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