July 24, 2003

1. Serving Minnesotans through regional centers
2. Playing fetch and catching bad guys
3. The "Father of the University" gets a face-lift
4. U parents get oriented
5. Chemical soup: U expert uses computers to predict toxicity
6. Mosquitoes are biting
7. School leaders know little about technology
8. Borealis 2: racing with the sun
9. U of M Happenings
10. Links

U NEWS

Serving Minnesotans through regional centers
On Monday, July 21, the University of Minnesota Extension Service named 18 Minnesota communities as regional Extension centers. These new centers, replacing county offices, will allow the University's research and resources to continue to be available to citizens across the state.

The centers will be located in Albert Lea, Andover, Brainerd, Cloquet, Crookston, Farmington, Fergus Falls, Grand Rapids, Hutchinson, Mankato, Marshall, Moorhead, Mora, Morris, Rochester, Roseau, St. Cloud, and Worthington.

"After careful consideration and significant consultation, we picked these communities as sites for regional centers because they create a network to ensure all Minnesotans have access to Extension," says Chuck Casey, Extension dean and director.

Each center will house five to ten University employees, who will be part of the statewide system that provides educational programs and services to address critical issues in Minnesota.

The University began shifting its Extension Service to a regional system last spring in response to state budget reductions and requests from counties for more flexibility in how they contract for extension services. More than 100 letters were received from communities interested in becoming a regional center location.

"A great deal of passion and interest came across in the letters we received," says Casey.

The communities were chosen based on criteria such as geographic location and active commitment from the host community. "The process of choosing the 18 from so many who expressed interest was very challenging because many communities met most of the criteria," Casey says. "Unfortunately, we can only afford a limited number of regional centers."

U officials will now select specific locations for the regional centers within the identified communities. Counties and other local partners are working with Extension staff to identify programs, services, positions, and satellite offices that will meet local needs and enhance the regional programming. The centers are expected to open in January 2004.

To learn more about the U of M Extension Service, see www.extension.umn.edu.

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Playing fetch and catching bad guys
The University of Minnesota police department's newest officer is one-and-a-half and loves to play--but he's all business when he's on the beat. Meet Ben, a German shepherd from the Netherlands, at the Minnesota State Fair on Friday, Aug. 22.

Ben became the police department's (UMPD) first K-9 officer at a swearing-in ceremony on June 27. Ben and his partner, Officer Andy Panek, completed 12 weeks of training at the St. Paul Police Department earlier this year. The training covered such areas as obedience, tracking, and agility. In the fall, they will return for a course on detecting explosives.

The University Police Canine Unit began in June 2003. "Ben", UMPD's first ever four-legged officer is a male German Shepherd who was born in December 2001. Ben was imported from the Netherlands and in February 2002 he was assigned to his handler, Officer Andrew Panek.

One of the biggest benefits Ben has brought to the UMPD is efficiency. "I can go into a building with Ben and [check that it's safe] in less than the time it might take four or five officers to do the same job," explains Panek, a five-year veteran of UMPD. And Ben also has public relations value. "I can't stand on the corner with Ben for more than a minute without someone coming up and wanting to talk," says Panek.

So how does Ben handle his newfound celebrity status?

" He loves it," says Panek. "He's very social and very friendly. He can be aggressive on command, but otherwise he's soaking up the attention."

Ben and Panek patrol the U's Twin Cities campus between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m., and also spend a lot of time together away from work. Ben lives with Panek to facilitate the bonding between the partners. In Ben's spare time, he's like any other youngster--he loves playing fetch.

" I throw the ball, and he brings it back," says Panek. "I think he'd do that until he passed out, if I kept throwing it. He has a very high play drive, which is the key to a good police dog. When we're searching for a bad guy, he thinks it's a game."

The U's Canine Unit will appear on the U of M Stage at the Minnesota State Fair on Friday, Aug. 22, at noon.

To learn more about the U's police department, see www.umn.edu/umpolice. For a list of U-related State Fair events, including Maroon and Gold Day on Aug. 24, see www.umn.edu/statefair.

--University of Minnesota News Service

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The "Father of the University" gets a face-lift
The bronze statue of the University of Minnesota's first major donor, and the man credited with saving the U from closure in its early years, received a new pair of glasses and a thorough cleaning during its first face-lift in more than a century.

A welder works on a new pair of spectacles for John Sargent Pillsbury. Photo by Amirali Raissnia.

Since 1900, the John Sargent Pillsbury statue has stood on Pillsbury Drive in the heart of the U's Twin Cities campus. It was created by Daniel Chester French, the sculptor responsible for the marble statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The U's monument to Pillsbury was refurbished in the name of the Presidents Club and privately funded by the University of Minnesota Foundation.

" This seems an appropriate way [at the end of Campaign Minnesota] to celebrate private support to the University," said Gerald Fischer, president and chief executive officer of the U of M Foundation. "In 1889, John Sargent Pillsbury made the first documented gift to the U--$150,000 to build Pillsbury Hall."

Thus began a tradition of giving that, in 1963, led to creation of the John Sargent Pillsbury Fellowship honoring donors of $10,000 or more. The fellowship was renamed the Presidents Club in 1977.

Pillsbury was a hardware merchant who served five terms as a Minnesota state senator and three terms as governor. He was appointed to the U's Board of Regents in 1863 and elected board president. He is recognized by many as the father of the University, largely for his efforts in the 1860s to rescue the U from debt and ensure its status as a land-grant university.

The restoration of the statue was managed by the U's Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, which oversees all public art on the Twin Cities campus. Shelly Willis, museum coordinator, said the project is significant because the statue was made by "one of the great American sculptors" and it is the oldest piece of public art at the U. The project included removing corrosion, insect cocoons, dirt and grime from the bronze; welding a pair of bronze eyeglasses into the statue's right hand; and creating a plan to ensure the statue doesn't go another century without regular maintenance.

--University of Minnesota News Service

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U parents get oriented
New students at the University of Minnesota aren't the only ones attending summer orientation to get adjusted to life on campus--their parents are here, too.

U Parent Program director Marjorie Savage says the goal of the orientation is to assure parents that their children are in good hands.

About 3,500 parents of first-year students have attended orientation with their children this summer. They spend the first few hours together before going their separate ways for different sessions. Parents also have the choice of attending an evening program, which includes a dinner at Coffman Memorial Union and a trolley tour of Minneapolis.

" The orientation is designed to offer insights into the adjustments new college students undergo and to help parents feel more knowledgeable about the University of Minnesota community," says Jennifer Milleville, assistant director of the U's Orientation and First-Year Programs.

"Parents attending the program have the opportunity to meet with University staff, network with other parents, and speak with student leaders about their college experiences."

U Parent Program director Marjorie Savage says the goal of the orientation is to assure parents that their children are in good hands. "While they have been supporting and protecting their child for 18 years, they now [have to] make the change to supporting and empowering their students to make their own decisions, take responsibility, and work through the challenges of being on their own."

The University of Minnesota Alumni Association (UMAA) is offering parents who join UMAA during the summer orientation a free student membership for their child. Parents do not have to be U alumni to become members. Benefits of the 2-for-1 membership include discounts on arts and athletic events, U of M Bookstore merchandise, and hotel lodging. To learn more about the UMAA membership offer, see www.alumni.umn.edu/parentstudent.

To learn more about the U's Parent Program, see www.parent.umn.edu. To register for an orientation session, see www.ofyp.umn.edu.

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Chemical soup: U expert uses computers to predict toxicity
Understanding how chemicals behave when they're mixed together, and then predicting how those blends affect human and ecological health, is what Subash Basak does best. But instead of testing his hypotheses on lab animals or in test tubes, this University of Minnesota predictive toxicologist uses a computer.

Subhash Basak examining a stick model of a chemical compound.

Basak has designed a software program to create computer models of individual chemicals. "Basically, we look at the properties of each chemical in a mixture to predict how they will act together," explains Basak, who works in the Natural Resources and Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. "Like with chicken noodle soup. If we know what chicken tastes like and we know what noodles taste like, we can predict what the soup tastes like."

One of the biggest advantages of the in silico (in the computer) is its cost-effectiveness, says Basak. Testing one chemical for cancer with lab animals can cost approximately $5 million, and with test tubes and petri dishes, it would cost $200,000. But by using a computer program like Basak's, a toxicity study on a chemical costs only about one cent.

Earlier this year, NRRI received two federal grants totaling $1.6 million to use Basak's skills and computer modeling program in real-world applications. The Center for Disease Control wants to understand the toxicity of more than a thousand Superfund sites across the country and the U.S. Air Force is interested in learning the toxic effects of jet fuel, including JP-8 that comprises about 2,000 different chemicals.

A big task is at hand, but Bask is prepared. He has assembled a "virtual team" of more than 50 scientists from around the world to work with him via computer on both projects. "[Predictive toxicology] is something I've been working on for the past 25 years," says Basak. "But I don't want to sit in a lab doing endless basic research. I want to see it applied. These are real-world problems being solved with theoretical ideas in a cost-effective way."

Edited from an original story by June Kallestad in NRRI Now.

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Mosquitoes are biting

Last summer, 992 horses, 342 birds, and 48 humans with the West Nile virus were reported to the Minnesota Department of Health. This summer, as of July 18, three horses, six birds, and one man have tested positive. University of Minnesota extension educator Chuck Schwartau has tips to reduce your risk of infection.

While West Nile virus can be deadly for horses and birds, the risk for humans is generally low.

Because West Nile is a viral disease transmitted to people and horses through a bite from an infected mosquito, the best thing you can do is minimize mosquito bites.

Learn more about the West Nile virus by visiting the College of Veterinary Medicine homepage www.cvm.umn.edu.

While West Nile virus can be deadly for horses and birds, the risk for humans is generally low. Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience either no symptoms or may, three to five days after being bitten, sustain a mild, flu-like illness that typically lasts a few days. But if you experience symptoms of a more serious nature, such as high fever, stiff neck, tremors, and paralysis, see a doctor immediately. A small percentage of people, especially elderly adults, may develop encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and about 13 percent of these cases are fatal.

To learn more about the West Nile virus, see www.cvm.umn.edu.

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School leaders know little about technology
Because many K-12 administrators don't know enough about technology to put it to good use in their schools, the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development has developed the first academic program of its kind in the nation to address this issue.

The $2.1 million initiative involves the University, school districts, major technology corporations such as Microsoft, and other groups.

" We have a wealth of evidence that student achievement can be enhanced by effective use of technology in schools," says Scott McLeod, codirector of the college's School Technology Leadership Initiative and assistant professor of educational policy and administration. "What we don't have is a critical mass of school leaders who know how to make this happen."

McLeod explains that with technology, administrators can make data-driven decisions that improve education and, in turn, improve student performance. For example, by reviewing student information in databases, administrators can learn what remedial reading program works best for a particular group of kids. Without computers, administrators would have to rely on hunches or anecdotal evidence to find the best curriculum. Through this initiative, school leaders will also realize the importance of investing more in technology support.

" Schools underpay and overwork tech support people," McLeod says. In business, there is typically one tech support person for every 50 to 100 computers. School districts average one tech support person for every 350 to 400 computers.

The $2.1 million initiative involves the University, school districts, major technology corporations such as Microsoft, and other groups such as the International Society for Technology in Education and the Consortium for School Networking.

The first group of participants attended classes on the U's Twin Cities campus July 7-12 and will continue their lessons online during the school year.

To learn more about the initiative, see www.schooltechleadership.org.

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Borealis II: racing with the sun
The University of Minnesota's solar-powered car team is basking in a top finish position in the 2,300-mile American Solar Challenge (ASC). Borealis II crossed the finish line in Claremont, Calif., about 1:45 p.m. CDT Wednesday, July 23.

Official results were not yet released when eNews went to "press," but an update is available at www.umn.edu/umnsvp. "The race is a high-stress environment," said team leader Travis Lee. "We're overjoyed about doing so well, but it's also a bit of a letdown now that it's over."

University of Minnesota driver Brian Eickhoff gets ready to start the American Solar Challenge, a 2300 mile cross country race, in front of the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Stefano Paltera/American Solar Challenge

Twenty teams from universities across the United States and Canada competed in the biennial ASC, which began on July 13 in Chicago and had the teams travelling along the historic Route 66.

ASC cars must be powered entirely by the sun, travel at highway speeds, and are required to obey the local speed limits. (Ten years ago, only a few cars with solar-powered technology could reach 30 mph. Today, on a closed course, the cars can reach 80 mph or more.) Teams build their own solar-powered cars for the competition. Most cars are made of advanced composites and use the best available photovoltaic (solar) cells to convert sunlight into electricity for power. In general, the cars can run faster on sunnier days.

The U's Solar Vehicle Project was founded in 1990 by students from the U's Institute of Technology. It remains an undergraduate project that involves about 30 students from a variety of disciplines who want a hands-on lesson in engineering and managing product development. Borealis II is the project's sixth vehicle. Its predecessor, Borealis, finished sixth in the American Solar Challenge in 2001.

--University of Minnesota News Service

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U OF M HAPPENINGS

Farmers Market at UMD
Pick up fresh produce this summer at the Farmers Market on the University of Minnesota, Duluth, campus. The market is held every Wednesday (through September) at 2 p.m. in the parking lot next to the UMD Medical School and Alworth Planetarium. For more information, call Wendy at 218-727-0992. To receive a weekly reminder, e-mail shub@shubatsfruits.com.

Harvesting the Children's Garden
See the biggest zucchini, the prettiest flower, the tallest sunflower, and the silliest vegetable creature at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on Saturday, Aug. 2, and Sunday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Children's Garden Harvest Fair offers a chance to win some prizes, make some crafts, and have your face painted. To learn more, see www.arboretum.umn.edu. Admission to the Arboretum is $7.

Nazi persecution of homosexuals
The U's Steven J. Schochet Center for GLBT Studies is cosponsoring a traveling exhibit, "Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945," from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Aug. 4-Sept. 26 at the YWCA of Minneapolis, 1130 Nicollet Mall. For general information, call 612-625-3499 or e-mail qstudies@umn.edu. To read about the history behind the exhibit, see http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?ID=585.

Supporting children with chronic and disabling conditions
The KDWB University Pediatrics Family Center (part of the U's Department of Pediatrics) stands to win $25,000 if Dave Ryan of 101.3-FM KDWB wins a Quizno's Subs contest to find the best radio voice for their slogan. For more information about the contest, which ends Aug. 8, see www.quiznos.com. To learn more about the center, see www.allaboutkids.umn.edu.

Metal works
The HIP 2003: Cast Metal Exhibition, showcasing a variety of artists, techniques, and metals, will be on display through Friday, Aug. 8 at the Humanities Fine Arts (HFA) Gallery at the University of Minnesota, Morris. Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. A public reception will be held on Aug. 7, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. For information, call 320-589-6250.

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LINKS

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