May 30, 2002
1. Final bonding bill is a disappointment
2. Study suggests infants 'tune in' to familiar face groups
3. Pam Borton is new Gopher women's basketball coach
4. Expanding the circle of life
5. Research reveals problems with windshield pillars
6. School of Nursing NIH ranking rises
7. U researcher to study lions and viruses
8. U of M Happenings
9. Links
U IN THE NEWS
Final bonding bill is a disappointment
This legislative session was capped off with gubernatorial line item vetoes of nearly $400 million worth of projects in the bonding bill, including $48.3 million in University projects.
Among the most disappointing vetoes were $24 million for the Translational Research Facility and $8 million for Jones Hall, both on the Twin Cities campus, and $9 million for a renovation of the Social Sciences building on the Morris campus.
"I am extremely disappointed about these vetoes," said President Mark Yudof. "The University is about teaching, research and outreach; these vetoes cut to the very heart of our mission."
Most of the projects in the University's request were renovations or restorations. One exception was the Translational Research Facility, a new facility with laboratories for 33 researchers who do cutting-edge work to help translate basic research into cures for illness and disease. The University had secured $12.5 million in private funding for the facility, which was contingent on the state appropriation.
"The Translational Research Facility is exactly the type of public private partnership this administration has promoted," said Yudof. "It has the potential to attract millions of dollars in federal research funds to the state and, more importantly, to improve human health here and worldwide. We'll bring this project back to the legislature, but the delay will certainly slow our momentum."
While expressing disappointment in the final bonding bill, Yudof praised the work of alumni and friends of the University who contacted their legislators on its behalf. "Each year, legislators tell us that they hear from constituents who urge them to support the University. We know those calls make a difference and I want to thank all of those people who supported our request."
To see a complete list of the funded and non-funded projects from this year's legislative request or to get involved in supporting the University at the Capitol, go to www.umn.edu/urelate/govrel.
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Study suggests infants 'tune in' to familiar face groups
How good are you at recognizing the faces of monkeys? Chances are, you were very good at six months of age, but by nine months you were only good--or at least fast--at discriminating between faces of people. That's the conclusion of a study by researchers at the University of Minnesota and two British universities, who say it provides evidence that the brain's ability to perceive faces normally narrows as infants develop. The findings may help guide the treatment of people who suffer impaired ability to recognize faces or read emotions from facial expressions.
The work tests an idea of Charles Nelson, Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Child Development, Neuroscience and Pediatrics and co-director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Development, who is also an author on the paper. Nelson had proposed that as infants gain experience analyzing faces, their brains--especially a certain area of the cerebral cortex known as the fusiform gyrus--"tune in" to the types of faces they see most often and tune out other types. This implies that younger infants, who have not had enough experience to become specialized in discriminating human faces, ought to do better than older infants or adults at telling faces of other species apart.
In tests of adults, six-month-olds, and nine-month-olds, by Olivier Pascalis of the University of Sheffield, England, and Michelle de Haan of University College London, the younger infants outperformed both other groups in distinguishing the faces of monkeys. All groups were able to distinguish human faces from one another. In previous work, Pascalis had shown that adult monkeys were better able to distinguish monkey faces than human faces. Both studies illustrate the same pattern, namely that because primates tend to be most familiar with faces of their own species, they learn to distinguish those types of faces but not others, said Nelson.
"I believe that the brain has the potential to become specialized to recognize faces, but this specialization occurs only with experience in viewing faces," said Nelson. "Experience with faces is crucial to driving the system that allows normal face recognition and emotional 'reading' skills. This is contrary to the views of researchers who think the ability to recognize individual faces is innate. If that were so, then the adults and the 9-month-olds would have been able to tell the monkey faces apart as easily as they distinguished human faces."
None of this means that the ability to distinguish faces of a different species can't be learned, said Nelson. People who regularly see or work with chimpanzees, monkeys, or other species learn to tell them apart. But primates are not born with the ability to do this; they are born only with the ability to learn it.
"It's like learning to distinguish different species of birds or different models of cars," said Nelson. "We're not born with the ability to do it--just the ability to learn to do it."
Such "perceptual narrowing" may signal a general change in neural networks that is involved in early cognition, Nelson said. "We're interested in what this means in neurological terms," he said. "For example, we don't know why this particular area of the brain--the fusiform gyrus--gets the assignment of distinguishing faces."
Researchers studying speech development have shown similar results. At six months, infants can discriminate sounds of nearly all languages, but between nine and twelve months they become "specialized" in discriminating the sounds of their native language, Nelson said.
Nelson and his colleagues are expanding their study to include infants younger than six months and older than nine months in order to pinpoint the changes in face recognition abilities. He said such research may help children born prematurely with retinopathy, children born with cataracts, or babies born with damage to the area of the brain that will become specialized for recognizing faces (i.e., the fusiform gyrus). Premature infants, for example, may need "more proactive work to help them learn to recognize people," Nelson said. Other implications of the work involve children who were maltreated, were raised by a depressed mother, or who have autism. Such children may have trouble reading emotions on faces, with obvious and sometimes severe social repercussions.
"Perhaps, by understanding how the ability to recognize faces develops, we can find ways to help these individuals," Nelson said.
The study was published in the May 17 issue of Science.
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The new U women's basketball coach Pam Borton (middle) is welcomed by team captain Lindsey Lieser (left) and Athletic Director Chris Voelz.
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Pam Borton is new Gopher women's basketball coach
Pam Borton, former associate head coach at Boston College, is the new University of Minnesota Gophers women's basketball coach. Borton becomes the seventh head coach in the 29-year history of Golden Gopher women's basketball.
"This winter, the women's basketball program was the pride of our state," said University President Mark Yudof. "I am confident that under Pam's leadership this program will continue to achieve great success, attract record crowds, and inspire all Minnesotans."
"I'm very proud to be named the head coach at the University of Minnesota," said Borton. "I'm excited to join the Golden Gopher women's basketball family and am looking forward to working with a talented group of student-athletes who has been embraced by the Minnesota basketball community. We expect to sustain the excitement of last year's season and reach toward loftier goals in the years to come."
Borton signed a five-year contract with a base salary of $150,000. The contract includes a $40,000 supplement and additional performance-based incentives increasing the total compensation package to more than $200,000. When the five-year contract is fulfilled, Borton will receive a $50,000 bonus. A buy-out clause of $100,000 is included in the contract. Salary from any camps are in addition to the compensation package.
"Coach Borton brings an outstanding record both on and off the court to this program," said University Vice President and Chief of Staff, Tonya Moten Brown. "We're delighted to have her join our team."
"Though we've had a few speed bumps, I believe the hiring of Pam Borton assures us that we will not miss a beat in resuming our pace in athletic achievement, academic accomplishment, and community enthusiasm for Golden Gopher women's basketball," said Women's Athletic Director Chris Voelz.
Borton, 36, spent the last five years at Boston College, where she was promoted to associate head coach three years ago. She served as the Eagles' recruiting coordinator and produced top 25 recruiting classes three times.
Borton helped the Eagles to a 102-51 record, including NCAA Tournament berths in 1999, 2000, and 2002. Boston College advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and 2000, and entered this year's tournament as a No. 5 seed but was upset by Mississippi State in the first round. Boston College finished the 2001-02 season with a record of 23-8 overall and 12-4 (third) in the BIG EAST. The Eagles lost to eventual undefeated national champion Connecticut in the BIG EAST Tournament championship game.
Before joining the Boston College women's basketball program as an assistant coach in June 1997, Borton served as head coach at the University of Vermont from 1993-97. In her four years at Vermont, she led the Catamounts to a 69-46 record, a North Atlantic Conference championship, and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1994.
Borton was an assistant at Vermont for five years and was named head coach in May 1993. In her first season as head coach, she led Vermont to the North Atlantic Conference title, marking the third consecutive championship for the Catamounts. Vermont finished second in the league in 1995-96 and 1996-97. As a Vermont assistant coach, Borton helped lead the Catamounts to consecutive undefeated seasons in 1991-92 and 1992-93, including an NCAA-record 53 consecutive regular-season victories.
Prior to her arrival at Vermont in 1988, Borton served as an assistant coach with the Bowling Green University women's basketball team for the 1987-88 season. Borton received her Master's degree in Sports Management from Bowling Green in 1988.
A 1987 graduate of Defiance College in Ohio, Borton received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education. She was a four-year letterwinner on the basketball team, served as team captain in her junior and senior years, and was a third-team All-American in both years. A three-time all-conference and all-district selection, Borton was named the conference and district player of the year as a senior. Borton scored more than 1,000 points during her collegiate career and was voted Defiance College's Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.
Borton replaces Brenda Oldfield, who left for the head coaching position at the University of Maryland. Minnesota posted a 22-8 overall record in 2001-02, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
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Circle of Life student Natasha Johnson (right) and reservation biologist Doug McArthur ('95) work on identifying invertebrates in a sample of stream water.
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Expanding the circle of life
Lacey Littlewolf is among 22 Ojibwe youth who participated in a six-week science and math summer program last year on the White Earth Reservation. The students explored how science and math tie into everyday life. They gained an appreciation for natural resources, their Native American culture, and their ability to create a positive future for themselves, their community, and their world. And, says Littlewolf, "It was fun!" This summer, from June 10 to July 19, up to 30 students will be a part of the program, now in its fourth year.
Living classroom
The idea for the award-winning summer program emerged four years ago when University of Minnesota Extension Service representatives visited the White Earth Reservation as part of an effort to help land-grant universities connect with the people they serve. When somebody asked how the University might contribute to the reservation’s goals, tribal historian Andy Favorite, a former teacher, had just the answer. With half the reservation residents on public assistance and only 40 percent of adults holding high-school diplomas, young people were growing up in an environment that gave them little confidence or interest in academic success—particularly in seemingly irrelevant topics such as science and math. Yet all around them were fields and forests offering an incredible opportunity to link learning with life.
College of Natural Resources forestry extension specialist Charlie Blinn and Deb Zak, extension northwest district director, took on the task. Working with the Circle of Life School, White Earth Reservation Tribal Council, White Earth Tribal and Community College, and Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program, Inc., they put together a program to help youth in grades 8 through 12 envision and create a brighter future for themselves.
Mark Paulson, a graduate student in the University’s Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership, who directed the program for the past three summers, talks about the synergy that developed among collaborators. "The mix of [tribal] elders coteaching with University professors was really important." The message to the youth, he says, is that science and culture not only can coexist but also can enrich and inform each other.
"We believe in you"
The White Earth Reservation Science and Math Summer Program opened with a traditional pipe ceremony on June 14, 1999. Over the next six weeks the young people, guided by tribal elders and educators, studied soils, tested water quality, and investigated how fish hatcheries work. They made pots with native clay and planted a garden. They learned to identify birds and bugs, harvest wild rice, and plant a tree. They explored and interwove Native and non-Native perspectives on nature. At the end of the session, they prepared a community feast with wild rice, venison stew, and other traditional foods.
Standardized test scores for the 10 students who completed both pre- and post-program tests went up an average of 1.2 grade levels in math and 0.2 grade levels in science. They developed a positive work ethic and a stronger sense of connection with their heritage.
"Basically we told them, 'We believe in you,'" Favorite says.
Buoyed by the positive results, program developers offered the program to 29 students the following summer, and last year, a capstone project was added: designing an environmental learning center (ELC) for the reservation.
Building on the experiences of previous years, Zak says this summer participants will design and develop a nature area with trails in the woodland behind the Circle of Life school building. Other activities will include creating a traditional Native American garden with medicinal plants and reestablishing a stand of northern white cedars, which are important for traditional ceremonies.
Bountiful benefits
The summer program has collected kudos from around the United States. It received the 2001 United States Department of Agriculture Secretary’s Honor Award in Washington, D.C. Circle of Life principal Mitch Vogt and science teacher Steve Furuseth were named 2001 principal of the year and 2001 secondary teacher of the year by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
But more important than these honors are the benefits to the students. Tests show consistent gains in science and math skills. Vogt reports that participants tend to be more attentive and value school more after the summer program. Discipline problems have dropped and graduation rates have risen.
The program has also expanded student horizons. "Just the fact that it developed a collaborative with the University of Minnesota has impacted us in a number of different ways," Vogt says.
"Prior to this program, the opportunity for our kids to get connected with students and instructors outside of the reservation was nil," Vogt says. "The likelihood of college was a rarity. Now I think it’s more likely. And we hope to build even more on that in the future."
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Research reveals problems with windshield pillars
Drivers, call your insurance agents. New research from the University of Minnesota shows that people who crash their automobiles and say they never saw the other car may be right.
A recent study by Michael Wade, professor and director of the University's School of Kinesiology, demonstrates how "A-pillar" front posts, which support vehicles' windshields, act as blind spots. According to Wade, the posts often block drivers' views of oncoming traffic, leading to collisions. While other studies have researched blind spots on the sides of automobiles, Wade said this one includes the first controlled tests of the specific problem of "forward-looking blind spots."
"A-pillars can comfortably hide the presence of vehicles, even very large ones," said Wade. "Even repeated scanning is insufficient to reveal approaching vehicles without actually craning the head around the pillar. During the study, drivers in our simulator routinely missed cars visible to others in the car for as many as 10 seconds prior to the collision."
Wade and co-author Curtis Hammond created driver simulation software that demonstrates how A-pillars in cars impede a driver's ability to see approaching vehicles at intersections. Throughout the tests, the 10-centimeter-wide A-pillars repeatedly blocked the view of test drivers, who often crashed and said they never saw the other car.
According to Wade, nearly all of the test-driver accidents occurred at four-way intersections when the other vehicle was approaching from a right angle at approximately the same speed. He said the study might also have implications for railroad crossings and pedestrian safety at intersections.
Wade and Hammond recommend two approaches to addressing the hazard: an increased emphasis in driver's training to alert drivers to the forward-looking blind spots and engineering solutions applied to vehicle or intersection design.
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School of Nursing NIH ranking rises
The University of Minnesota School of Nursing ranks 14th among 83 nursing schools, according to a recent announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2000 the University's nursing school was 34th out of 90 schools ranked. The rankings are based on the number of dollars awarded by NIH.
"We are extremely pleased by the NIH's recognition. This demonstrates the continued dedication of our nursing faculty to pursuing research of importance for improving health care," said Sandra Edwardson, dean of the School of Nursing. "Increasing the school's contribution to the knowledge base for nursing practice is one of the key goals of our strategic plan. Three years ago, we established two centers of research excellence to help us achieve that goal by focusing research efforts and resources on our areas of strength. This new ranking suggests that the centers are doing exactly what we had hoped they would do."
Total NIH awards to the School of Nursing rose from $467,000 in 2000 to $2,446,568 in 2001.
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U researcher to study lions and viruses
As human populations expand, so do populations of pets and other domestic animals, some of which harbor viruses that can spread to nearby wildlife. Little is known about how such viruses circulate between species, which makes it hard to design efficient prevention strategies in developing countries that lack any veterinary care for companion animals. Now, armed with a five-year, $1.48 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, University of Minnesota ecology professor Craig Packer is set to study movements of three viruses between domestic dogs and the lions and other large mammals of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. The study will lay groundwork for mass vaccination programs in developing countries to prevent epidemics in both wild and domestic animals.
The grant, which runs from June 1, 2002, to May 31, 2007, was given by the joint NIH-NSF Program in the Ecology of Infectious Diseases for a project called "Viral Transmission Dynamics in the Serengeti." It's what Packer calls the "fully realized implementation of Project Life Lion," a response to a 1994 distemper outbreak among lions in the Serengeti. In that effort, thousands of dogs were vaccinated for distemper to prevent its further spread to lions. The underlying assumption was that dogs were a reservoir for the virus, but that other carnivores don't transmit it as efficiently.
"It became questionable to us whether our assumptions about viruses were right," said Packer. "We want to find out if dogs are indeed the primary reservoir for these viruses and how we might best prevent their spread to wildlife."
In the study, Packer will examine the movements of rabies, canine distemper and canine parvovirus near the Serengeti, which is ringed with villages that house tens of thousands of dogs. Dogs will be vaccinated for rabies in 120 villages; in 112 of those villages, dogs will also be vaccinated for distemper and parvovirus. Control villages in the outer ring, away from the Serengeti, will receive no vaccinations. Park wildlife will be monitored to see if any of those diseases are slipping through the vaccination zone.
The project was prompted by the increasing likelihood of viral spread in developing countries. In the Serengeti region of northern Tanzania, the human population has been doubling every 18 years for the last 50 years, and more people means more domestic animals, Packer said. With little or no veterinary care for companion animals, vaccination programs will be necessary. But such programs are expensive, and efficiency is at a premium. To erect an effective barrier around the park, Packer wanted to see how wide a buffer area (vaccinated villages) is needed around the Serengeti and what proportion of dogs must be vaccinated. In the Serengeti, mammals tend to be large and conspicuous and can be easily monitored for whatever viruses afflict them.
"We'll look at the incidence of new distemper cases among lions every year," said Packer. "Lions are not sensitive to rabies, but the bat-eared fox is very sensitive, so we'll check foxes for signs of rabies exposure. The idea is to create a buffer between large areas of Tanzania and national parks like the Serengeti. If, for example, distemper gets through to the park despite it being surrounded by vaccinated villages, then either unvaccinated dogs are getting into the treated villages or wildlife are carrying the virus in. To get a better idea how viruses are transmitted between dogs and wildlife, we'll put radio collars on dogs and see how often they come into contact with wild carnivores."
Possible interactions include bites, which spread rabies, and sneezing, which spreads distemper. Close contact may not be needed to spread parvovirus, which can survive in soil for weeks, Packer said.
Packer is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior of the University's College of Biological Sciences. Project Life Lion was supported by several private donors, including Paradise Animal Park in the United Kingdom and Solvay Animal Health in Minnesota. MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas has contributed $50,000 a year to the vaccination effort for the last two years.
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U OF M HAPPENINGS
The men's and women's athletics seventh annual Gold Country Run and Gopher FanFest will be Saturday, June 1. The Gold Country Run, a 5k run/walk through the University of Minnesota campus, starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Gibson/Nagurski Football Facility. FanFest, which will follow the run/walk in the Bierman Track and Field Stadium, will feature coaches and student athletes. The fee for the 5K is $20. Gopher FanFest is free, including pizza, pop, and snacks. For more information and to register, call 612-624-8080.
The Goldstein Gallery will host the "Material Witness: The Socio-Political in Contemporary Textile Art" exhibit from June 2 through Aug. 18 in 241 McNeal Hall on the Twin Cities campus in St. Paul. The show features work by American textile artists on themes such as domestic abuse, aging, and gun control. The opening reception, on Monday, June 2, from 1:30-4:30 p.m., and the show are free and open to the public. For more information, call 612-624-7434.
Tune in to WCCO 830 on Tuesday, June 4, at 1 p.m. for "Beyond the U," a monthly radio show featuring University President Mark Yudof who will take calls and discuss the latest University news and current events.
The annual University of Minnesota Alumni Association celebration "Rock Around the Block" will be Tuesday, June 4, at 5:30 p.m. at the Gateway Plaza. Tickets, which include dinner and entertainment, are $42 for alumni association members and $57 for non-members. For more details and ticket information, see www.umaa.umn.edu/event/elvis or call 612-624-2345.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston Alumni Association and UMC Teambackers will host a series of golf tournaments across northwest Minnesota this summer. Tournament dates are Friday, June 14, at the Heart of the Valley Golf Course in Ada; Monday, June 24, at Two River Golf Course in Hallock; and Saturday, July 20 at Minakwa Golf Club in Crookston. All alumni and friends of the University are welcome. For more information or to register, call 218-281-8436.
This summer, volunteer at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center on the Twin Cities campus in St. Paul. The center is looking for people who can make a three to four hour commitment once a week to feed orphan wild animals, such as songbirds, mammals, and waterfowl. Shifts are available seven days a week. For more information, call Carrie Gmeinder at 612-625-7029 or see www.wildlife-rehab.org.
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LINKS
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PRIVACY POLICY
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The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
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