April 3, 2003

1. Broadening our reach: U exhibit at the capitol
2. Infants and toddlers rule in Baby's Space
3. U students manage $11 million investment fund
4. Talking with children about war
5. New renewable energy source for homes
6. Operation Minimally Invasive: no gaping incision and little blood
7. Women Bulldogs rule the ice
8. Top companies represented at alumni job expo
9. U of M Happenings
10. Links

U IN THE NEWS

Broadening our reach: U exhibit at the capitol
University of Minnesota research has resulted in things like new grape varieties for producing wines and better data recording devices for airplanes. Through April 12, Minnesota lawmakers will be reminded of the far-reaching impact of University research as they stroll along the north corridor of the state capitol.

The U's exhibit depicts University research that led to breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, technology, and recreation. In addition to the original airplane black box and an early pacemaker, taconite pellets, a rare $12,000-a-pound piece of agarwood, and wine made from cold-weather grapes developed at the U are on display.

This is the first time the University has put together such a large-scale visual presentation for lawmakers, and University advocates can use it to talk about the U's research contributions when voicing their support for the University. This unique display comes on the heels of other advocacy activities. On March 6, hundreds of University students rallied at the capitol, speaking passionately about why they chose to pursue their education at the University. On March 19 and 20, U faculty members visited legislators to tell them about their work. And since February, many University staff have volunteered their time to call alumni and friends of the University and ask them to contact their legislators.

If you live in Minnesota, your legislators will be home for a spring break April 17-22. This is a great time to catch them at community events and remind them to support the University, or for you to call local radio talk shows and write letters to your local paper outlining the importance of higher education.

To get contact information about your legislators, see www.umn.edu/govrel.

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Infants and toddlers rule in Baby's Space
In 2000, the first baby was enrolled in Baby's Space, a groundbreaking program by the University and several community partners to provide infant and toddler care and family support services to parents in one of the most economically distressed communities in Minneapolis.

U president Robert Bruininks during his visit to Baby's Space, which provides support services not offered in traditional child care settings.

University research shapes programs offered at Baby's Space. For example, research indicates that high-quality childcare boosts cognitive and language development, particularly in children who live in poverty. To provide this kind of care, Baby's Space keeps the staff-to-child ratios low and assigns specific caregivers to each child to provide consistency of care.

Research has also found that a strong mother and child relationship fosters a child's cognitive development, so Baby's Space provides support services for parents that are not offered in traditional child care settings. Many parents were involved in developing the Baby's space and the Minnesota Children's Museum played a role, designing the unique infant and toddler classrooms with an emphasis on nature.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the Baby's Space model is working, says Terrie Rose, associate director of the University's Irving B. Harris Center for Infant and Toddler Development and Baby's Space executive director. Babies in the program are developmentally on track, and their mothers are delaying further pregnancies while learning and doing what it takes to successfully nurture a child.

The program has proven so successful that Rose and her colleague Amos Deinard received private funding to expand the Baby's Space model to five existing child care centers and do a longitudinal study that could lead to implementing similar programs across the country.

Recently, University President Bob Bruininks visited Baby's Space to announce the expansion of its program and to publicly launch the President's Initiative on Children, Youth, and Families. The initiative, which will be privately funded, aims to focus University faculty expertise and research on issues facing children, youth, and families and to work in partnership with other community groups. On May 30, the University will convene the first of three children's summits as the first phase of the initiative.

To learn more about Baby's Space: A Place to Grow, see www.harristrainingcenter.org.

To learn more about the President's Children, Youth, and Families Initiative, see www.umn.edu/pres/cyf.html.

Editor's note: A fuller version of this story will appear in the spring issue of M, a seasonal publication for U alumni and friends, which should arrive in your mailboxes mid May. If you currently do not receive M, and wish to, e-mail coven002@umn.edu.

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U students manage $11 million investment fund
An investment fund, run by MBA students at the University's Carlson School of Management (CSOM), is the largest of its kind in the nation and has attracted $11 million in private investment.

The chance to groom promising new financial consultants and make a good, if not hefty, profit, is what prompted five national companies, including a Wells Fargo subsidiary, to invest in the University's Carlson School Fixed Income Fund, says Jay Kiedrowski, Wells Fargo executive vice president of institutional investments.

" Our corporate investors have given us a great vote of confidence by entrusting their funds to us," says Larry Benveniste, CSOM dean. "In doing so, they have also

made an important investment in the students who will become tomorrow's finance leaders."
The corporations investing in the Carlson fund are Advantus Capital Management, American Express Financial Corporation, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, U.S. Bancorp, and Galliard Capital Management, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo Corporation.

A team of four MBA students made their first investment last month, and they will continue to manage the fixed income fund until May 2004 with the help of a professional fund manager and an academic director from the Carlson School. After that, 12 students in next year's MBA class will take over the fund.

The Carlson School Fixed Income Fund is the most recent addition to the Carlson School Enterprise Program. The program provides selected MBA students with reality-based experience in funds and financial management and prepares them to hit the ground running when they graduate. In addition to managing the fund, the students spend four hours a week in a requisite class.

To learn more about the Carlson School Enterprise Program, see www.csom.umn.edu/DegreesPrograms/EnterprisePrograms/EnterprisePrograms.cfm.

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Talking with children about war
War is a topic of conversation nearly everywhere you go these days. And talking to children about the fears and uncertainties that can arise in times of war may be difficult.

Children might express their fears directly by asking a lot of questions. Or their fears may show up in ways that are less obvious, such as sleeping problems, general crabbiness, wetting the bed, or throwing tantrums when they have ordinarily not been displaying these behaviors.

The University's Children, Youth, and Family Consortium developed these tips for talking to children about war:

In responding to war concerns, children will follow the examples set by adults around them, especially their parents. When adults act worried and frightened, children will, too. While it's important that adults not hide the realities of war, keeping a calm attitude will help children remain calm.

For more tips on communicating with children about war and related challenges, see these U Web sites: www.extension.umn.edu/administrative/disasterresponse/terrorism.html www.extension.umn.edu/administrative/disasterresponse/terror2.html

To learn more about the U's Children, Youth, and Family Consortium, see www.cyfc.umn.edu/welcome.html.

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New renewable energy source for homes
Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) and the University of Minnesota, Rochester (UMR) have launched a study to explore the use of new and existing fuel cells to heat and cool homes.

" Customer inquiries about renewable energy continue to grow and this project demonstrates that we are listening," says Jim Walters, RPU marketing and external services manager. RPU is funding the project and UMR has received an additional $59,000 grant to conduct the first phase of study. There are three phases, with completion scheduled for December 2005.

Sophronis Mantoles, a UMR electrical engineering graduate, student shows off one of the fuel cells.

Fuel cells, which use hydrogen to produce electricity, heat, and water, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Those used for the Hybrid Energy System study are about the size of a carry-on airline bag. Although the idea of using fuel cells as a source of renewable energy is more than 100 years old and fuel cells have been used in the space program, it is only recently that they have been tapped for use as residential or vehicle energy sources.

" The two fuel cells used in this initial phase of the project will each produce enough electricity every hour to run 12, 100-watt light bulbs and will produce 0.8 liters of water at the same time," says Sophronis Mantoles, a UMR electrical engineering graduate student working with the researchers to collect and analyze the data.

The study's lead investigator is no stranger to innovation; UMR faculty member Hal Ottesen holds more than 70 patents.

" Dr. Ottesen brings expertise to this project in the area of science and engineering known as fuzzy logic," says project manager Jim Licari, who works with the U's Digital Technology Center. "Fuzzy logic deals with situations where there are rarely right or wrong answers, but a variety of options to consider. [And] the use of fuzzy logic is necessary in situations like fuel cell and energy consumption because of the dynamic nature of the technology and the energy systems."

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Operation Minimally Invasive: no gaping incision and little blood
University of Minnesota surgeons have been pioneers for more than half a century. The world's first successful open-heart surgery at the University ushered in a new era of medicine. Now with the Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, the University is entering a new medical frontier.

The University of Minnesota's new Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery will specialize in state-of-the-art "minimal access surgeries," requiring only five small holes in the patient's abdomen.

As many as 40 percent of abdominal surgeries,and up to 80 percent of routine "high volume" surgeries, like colon resections, splenectomies, and even surgery to remove tumors in the kidney, are currently performed with minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques.

To meet this demand, the University's new Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery, located at Fairview-University Medical Center, includes four ergonomic, state-of-the-art operating rooms (ORs), called endosuites.

" We call this minimally invasive surgery, but the real term for it is minimal access surgery," says Sayeed Ikramuddin, codirector of the center. "Today, we're making four or five holes in a patient's abdomen, but in a few years, as the equipment becomes more and more refined, that will be down to three holes, and someday, there will be no holes in the belly for some patients. We are on a continuum."

Much of the equipment used for minimally invasive surgery is voice-activated and surgeons can call up vital signs on the monitors, raise or dim the lights, or call up and view pathology and radiology reports. Attached to overhead booms, equipment can be moved around the operating table without cables and lines lying about underfoot to trip busy staff in often-crowded ORs.

One of the many other benefits of these endosuites will be a much more rapid turnover time for surgeries--as much as 45 percent quicker than with traditional ORs where equipment is moved from room to room on carts. That means patients spend less time in operating rooms and the University can serve more patients more quickly.

What's more, the telecommunications equipment is opening up the possibility for real-time consultations between surgeons in the OR and surgeons located anywhere in the world. Even more remarkable, telecommunications is leading to the day when surgeons will perform surgery from remote locations, guiding robots in the OR. "This has actually already been done experimentally," says Micheal Maddaus, the center's other codirector. "Not long ago, a pig in New York had its gall bladder removed under the direction of a surgeon located in France."

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Women Bulldogs rule the ice
The Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center exploded with screams, laughter, and tears when sophomore forward Nora Tallus' slap shot ended the double-overtime thriller, 4-3, between University of Minnesota, Duluth (UMD) and Harvard in the 2003 NCAA Women's Frozen Four final game.

The win marked the third consecutive NCAA National Championship for the Bulldogs (31-3-2) and the longest game in women's Frozen Four history.

The UMD Women Bulldogs pose following their victory in the 2003 NCAA Women's Frozen Four final game.

" We're absolutely thrilled to death to be able to win a national championship right here at home," says UMD head coach Shannon Miller. "It is a three-peat for some players and for some it's their first national championship. Both teams were talented and played with so much heart and class that it was like competing in a mirror. We couldn't have put on a better show while raising the bar for women's college hockey."

The game made history as the Bulldogs and Crimson treated the record crowd of 5,167 to 84:19 minutes of play. UMD is the first host school in the three-year history of women's Frozen Four to have its team competing in the tournament. With the win, the Bulldogs stretched their undefeated streak in Frozen Four competition to 6-0-0, and coach Miller has posted a 108-19-13 record in just four years of Division I hockey.

The Bulldogs also captured the WCHA regular season and playoff titles in their fairytale 2002-03 season.

UMD student and first-time national champion Jenny Potter, who missed the past two seasons with the Bulldogs due to pregnancy and the Olympics, says it was a shared passion for the sport and an easy-going rapport among everyone on the team that made the win all the more special. "It's exciting to come back and be part of team like this with so much heart and so much energy."

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Top companies represented at alumni job expo
University alumni, seniors, and recent grads can stick their foot in the doors of several top local and national companies at one time when they bring their résumés to the first ever U of M Alumni Association (UMAA) Employment Expo on Wednesday, April 23, from 1 to 7 p.m., at the McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis.

" The sluggish economy and greater competition in the marketplace mean job seekers need an advantage," says Libby Huff-Tate, UMAA outreach program director. "The Expo aims to bring together qualified candidates seeking good jobs and key employers seeking good applicants."

Target Corp. (Marshall Field's, Target, and Mervyns), US Bank, Fairview Health Services, Cargill, Andersen Windows, the CIA, AT&T Wireless, and Pace Analytical are among the many companies that will be represented at the expo. Each will have displays and informative materials designed to help attendees in their job search and career planning. Career development resources will also be available.

UMAA is cosponsoring this free event with the College of Continuing Education and the Minnesota Workforce Centers. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early for a chance at the door prizes. For more information about the UMAA Employment Expo, see www.alumni.umn.edu/expo or call the Expo Hotline at 612-626-4707.

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U OF M HAPPENINGS

Online discussion of the Iraq conflict
The University's School of Social Work is facilitating an online discussion about the Iraq conflict at http://ssw.che.umn.edu/iraq_discussion/index.htm. In addition to participating in the discussion, you can read other people's comments, find links to recent news, and learn more about Iraq.

Of dogs and microchips
The College of Veterinary Medicine's open house on Sunday, April 6, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., will include a canine microchip implant clinic (noon-4 p.m.), horseshoeing demonstrations, and Raptor Center presentations. Dog owners pay a reduced fee of $30 for pet registration and the implant, which involves placing a chip containing a unique number under the skin between the dog's shoulder blades. The number and owner information are registered with the microchip manufacturer; if someone finds a lost pet, an animal shelter and many veterinarians can scan the chip and obtain the information to call the owner. Proceeds from this clinic will benefit the Veterinary Teaching Hospital's Companion Animal Fund. The college is located at 1365 Gortner Ave. on the St. Paul campus. The open house is free and open to the public. For more information, call 612-624-4747 or see www.cvm.umn.edu.

Looking out for the reproductive life of fish
The things we eat, drink, and wash down our drains can interfere with the hormonal signals that rule fish development and reproduction. Deborah Swackhamer, School of Public Health professor, will discuss her research on chemical compounds and their impact on fish in the Duluth-Superior Harbor on April 9 at 7 p.m. The talk, "Coffee Beans, Laundry Soap, and Fish Sexuality: What Comes Around, Goes Around," will take place in Duluth at the Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Continent Ecology Division, 6201 Congdon Blvd., and aired live on the Web at www.seagrant.umn.edu/speakerseries/index.html.

The last rites of Iron Pour
Cast metal sculpture artists and students will pour 2,500-degree molten metal at the University's art building on the Twin Cities campus for the last time. (A new art building scheduled to open in fall 2003 is under construction.) The Art Department's 34th annual Iron Pour will be held on Friday, April 11, from noon to 4 p.m. in the building's foundry annex, 216-21st Ave. S., Minneapolis. The event is free and open to the public. Special limited edition T-shirts will be sold to commemorate this event. Proceeds will go to the art department's scholarship fund. For more information about the event, see http://artdept.umn.edu/ironpour/index.html.

Summerfolk: a Guthrie and U baby
Summerfolk, a vibrant, satiric collage of diverse and outrageous characters spending their vacation together in pre-revolutionary Russia, will run April 11-19 at the University's Rarig Center on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. The show is the debut production of students in the BFA Actor Training Program, a 3-year-old collaboration between the Guthrie Theater and the U's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. Tickets are $8-$14. To order, call the University Arts Ticket Office at 612-624-2345.

Caring for the folks
Understand the aging process and learn how to better communicate with your parents about sensitive issues at "Parenting Your Parents: Maintaining Lifework Balance With Your Aging Parents," a three-hour workshop offered by the University's Career and Lifework Center on April 9, 6-9 p.m.; May 8, 6-9 p.m.; and June 2, 1-4 p.m. The cost is $89. For more information or to register, call 612-626-7222 or see www.lifework.umn.edu.

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LINKS

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