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Vol. XXXVIII No. 3; Jan. 23, 2008
Interim editor: Pauline Oo, brief@umn.edu
Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_1092008.html.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
--U moves up in research expenditure rankings.
--D2D commercial earns spot in NSF presentations.
--People: Former University Counseling & Consulting Services
director named president-elect of the Minnesota Psychological
Association; MMF staff snag award for annual report; and more.
Campus Announcements and Events
University-wide | Crookston |
Duluth | Morris | Twin Cities
U MOVES FROM 10th to 9th AMONG PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES in research
expenditures. At the Board of Regents meeting last month, VP for
Research Tim Mulcahy reported that the U had $595 million in
research expenditures in 2006—up from $549 million in 2005;
the increase represents the second highest growth rate among top
public universities. Mulcahy talks about why those numbers are
important in "Research
on the rise."
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF) WILL HIGHLIGHT DRIVEN TO DISCOVER
television ad, "Harnessing Brainpower," in presentations throughout
2008, inviting the general public and U.S. Congress to learn more
about work supported by NSF. This ad features the work of professor
of biomedical engineering Bin He and his students. Together, they
have created a brain cap that enables users to control a computer
with only their minds. Ultimately, this same technology can be used
to help those with artificial limbs. To learn more and view the ad,
see
D2D.
PEOPLE: Harriett Copher Haynes, senior psychologist and former
director of University Counseling & Consulting Services, has
been named president-elect of the Minnesota Psychological
Association; Minnesota Medical Foundation (MMF) staff were
recognized by the Association of American Medical Colleges' Group
on Institutional Advancement (MMF's 2006 annual report received an
Award of Distinction from the group). Read about these and more
awards and appointments in People.
CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
MEET LEGISLATORS AND U SUPPORTERS at district meetings across
Minnesota. Dates vary and registration is required; see the
complete schedule.
STATE OF THE ACADEMIC HEALTH CENTER address, "Fulfilling the
Vision: Breaking New Ground," by Frank B. Cerra, senior VP for
health sciences, is scheduled for Jan. 31, 3-4 p.m., Mayo
Auditorium, UMTC. Address will follow the AHC Faculty Assembly. All
faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend; both sessions
will be telecast to campuses in Duluth (263 Med), St. Paul (280
VDL), and Rochester (388 University Square). Address will also
include virtual groundbreaking of the new Medical Biosciences
Building.
NEW DATABASE FOR ETHICS SCHOLARS. The U's Center for Bioethics, in
partnership with the University Libraries and the Department of
Computer Science and Engineering, received a $517,000 grant from
the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to develop and pilot "EthicShare,"
a Web site and bibliographic database for ethics scholars to share
scholarly and popular press articles, multimedia objects,
preprints, and archival documents. See
news release.
REGISTER FOR QUALITY FAIR BY JAN. 24 FOR FREE BOX LUNCH.
Registrations after that date and walk-in reservations are welcome,
but there is no guarantee of lunch. Come and see change in
action—39 poster displays, 14 best practice ideas and success
stories, and 8 new projects—plus breakout sessions. Keynote
address by Kentucky U president Lee T. Todd, Jr., who brought
quality improvements to his university. Chance to win 1 of nearly
50 door prizes and iPhone grand prize. Jan. 31, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.,
McNamara Alumni Center, UMTC. Information and registration at
Office of Service and Continuous
Improvement.
2008 McKNIGHT LAND-GRANT PROFESSORSHIP recipients have been named
by the Office of the Provost and the Graduate School: Taner Akkin,
biomedical engineering; Alptekin Aksan, mechanical engineering;
Elizabeth Beaumont, political science; Mark Bee, ecology,
evolution, and behavior; Nicholas Hopper, computer science and
engineering; Chris Kim, electrical and computer engineering; Kirill
Martemyanov, pharmacology; Katsumi Matsumoto, geology and
geophysics; Jason McGrath, Asian languages and literatures; Shana
Sturla, medicinal chemistry; Elizabeth Wilson, public affairs;
Michael Wilson, anthropology; and Hui Zou, statistics. The Board of
Regents will honor them in April. For more information, see
McKnight professors.
NEW UPLAN FITNESS REWARD. When you visit a participating fitness
facility eight times a month, you can receive up to a $20-per-month
reimbursement of your health club membership. Bring your UPlan
health plan card (HealthPartners or Medica) when you register at a
participating recreational facility. More information at Office
of Human Resources.
UPLAN WELLNESS ASSESSMENT CONTINUES. If you have taken the Health
Connections online assessment in the past, OHR encourages you to
repeat the 20-minute questionnaire to measure how your health risks
and lifestyle have changed. Both new and previous participants can
earn a $65 Wellness Reward for completing the assessment by April
30. Go to Health
Connections to take the assessment and learn more about
additional health improvement programs. If you need help with the
assessment, call StayWell Health Management at
1-800-926-5455.
TWO COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS for faculty,
staff, and postdoctoral scholars will be presented by Howard
Gadlin, ombudsman and director of the Center for Cooperative
Resolution at the National Institutes of Health. Explore issues
specific to collaborative and interdisciplinary research and
scholarship, including how to resolve conflict, communicate
effectively across disciplinary boundaries, and lead successful
interdisciplinary teams. Presented at UMTC and by interactive TV at
UMD, 410 Library. Feb. 4, 3-5 p.m., Mississippi Room, Coffman
Union; and Feb. 5, 3-5 p.m., A. I. Johnson Great Room, McNamara
Alumni Center. See details and
register.
ENGAGING CONTROVERSIES: A Writing Pedagogy Discussion Series by the
Center for Writing offers faculty members, TAs, and instructional
staff a venue for discussing controversial issues related to
teaching with writing. Brief, topical readings are sent to
registrants in advance. Spring 2008 topics are "Disciplinary
Differences #2," Feb. 1, 10:30-11:45 a.m.; "Writing = Skill or
Ability?," March 7, 10:30 a.m.-noon; "Academic Writing Meets
Digital Literacy," April 4, 10:30 a.m.-noon. To register or for
more details, see Center for Writing or
call 612-626-7579. All discussions will be held at 12 Nicholson
Hall, UMTC.
MINNESOTA NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION (MNLA) FOUNDATION
recently awarded $3,500 IN GRANTS to assistant professor of golf
and turf management Rob Golembiewski. Funds will go toward the
upgrade of the Horticulture Greenhouse Teaching Laboratory. Plant
donations for the Golf Garden Teaching, Research, and Outreach
Facility are currently being planned. Read the news
release.
AG ARAMA will take place Jan. 25-26 in the University Teaching and
Outreach Center. UMC alumni and friends are invited to take part in
the activities. Read the news
release.
AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN Charlie Maguire will recognize
Minnesota's history and 150 years of statehood in a series of
special events sponsored by UMC Feb. 6-7. Maguire will perform in
concert on campus Feb. 7, 7 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Student Center.
Admission is $5 or $2 with donation of a canned good. Admission is
free for UMC students. Read the news
release.
A SERIES OF MEETINGS will be held in three locations in northwest
Minnesota. Local food producers, processors, retailers, and
consumers interested in selling or buying local foods are invited
to learn about the Buy Fresh Buy Local Red River Valley chapter.
Read the news
release.
LECTURE ON FOREIGN POLICY AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES.
Chancellor Martin and the Royal D. Alworth, Jr. Institute for
International Studies will present a lecture by former U.S. vice
president and senator Walter Mondale, Jan. 31, 1:30 p.m., Weber
Music Hall. Mondale's speech, "Foreign Policy Development and
Presidential Candidates," is the 2008 Royal D. Alworth, Jr.
Memorial Lecture. The public is invited; a reception will follow.
Read news
release.
BUS SERVICE FROM UMD TO THE TWIN CITIES will continue to be offered
by Jefferson Lines. The bus departs daily from Kirby Student Center
at 3:50 p.m. Riders with a U Card (student ID) will receive an
additional 15 percent off the service. The MOVIE EXPRESS BUS will
also resume after winter break and will be offered on Fridays and
Sundays. Tickets are $24 one way and $45 round trip. Ticket prices
include bottled water, snack, and viewing of a recently released
DVD. For schedules and to purchase tickets, go online or visit UMD Stores
(street level).
HILDA LADNER has been named assistant to the chancellor for
equity and diversity, as well as director of the Multi-Ethnic
Student Program. Ladner will assume her new roles in March 2008.
Read news
release.
GREEN LECTURE. Chancellor Jacqueline Johnson; Lowell Rasmussen,
associate vice chancellor for physical plant and master planning;
and Sandy Olson-Loy, vice chancellor for student affairs, will
present "Back to the Future: Reinventing a 'Green' Learning
Environment," Jan. 25, 1:30 p.m., during the Association of
American Colleges and Universities Annual Meeting in Washington,
D.C.
OPEN YOUR HOMES. If you're going to be away on sabbatical next
year and would like to rent your home to a new or visiting faculty
member, e-mail the Relocation Assistance
Program (RAP) or call 612-626-0385. RAP maintains a temporary
housing database in which U faculty and staff can list their
properties. Properties for sale, open to students, or advertised
elsewhere are not listed on or accepted for the database.
CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION. The Chinese American Student
Association of the University of Minnesota is holding its annual
Chinese New Year celebration. (The Chinese New Year, aka the Lunar
New Year, officially begins Feb. 7.) The event will feature
traditional Chinese dance and music; a Chinese-style dinner will
also be served. Jan. 26, 5 p.m., Great Hall, Coffman Union. Free
for U students, staff, and faculty; $5 per person for general
public. For more information, please e-mail casa@umn.edu.
TOUR FOLWELL AND JONES HALLS. Associate dean of space planning in
CLA Mark Pharis will talk about the historical and architectural
importance of Jones and Folwell Halls and plans for refurbishing
Folwell. Jan. 26, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Freshman Welcome Center, 200
Jones
Hall. Refreshments will be served in Folwell's Gerhard Weiss
Library. RSVP to Erica Giorgi
or 612-625-8837, with your name and the number in your party, by
Jan. 23.
CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM. The U's Center for Excellence
in Children's Mental Health and the Cultural Providers Network are
cosponsoring a Symposium on the Intersection of Evidence-based
Practice and Culture, Jan. 28-29. The keynote speaker, Ken Martinez
of Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental
Health and the American Institutes for Research, will speak about
strategies to eliminate behavioral health disparities. For more
information, see CECMH.
AMBASSADOR JOSEPH GLAUBER will present "Whither U.S. Agricultural
Trade Policy" as part of the Minnesota Lectures on Applied
Economics and Policy, Jan. 31, 3 p.m., Cargill Building for
Microbial and Plant Genetics, 1500 Gortner Ave. As chief economist
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Glauber will discuss the
issues surrounding trade and protection related to U.S. interests
and those of other countries in the ongoing Doha Round multilateral
trade negotiations. (The Doha Round, in the works since 2001, is a
means to encourage free trade worldwide.) Free, but registration
is encouraged. Reception will follow.
THE HISTORY OF ARGENTINE TANGO COMES ALIVE in Tango Fire
by Estampas Porte?as. Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., Northrop Auditorium.
Tango demos by Twin Cities and Rochester teachers and a performance
discussion by the artistic director precedes the show;
milonga (aka tango dance) with live music, cohosted by the
Tango Society of Minnesota, follows the show. More info and
tickets, see show
details. Two related events: "It Takes Two to Tango: An
Exploration of Argentine Tango Through Performance and Analysis" by
Bob Barnes, leader of the Twin Cities' Mandragora Tango Orchestra,
and Emily McManus, U graduate student in ethnomusicology, Jan. 30,
4 p.m., Nolte Center; and tapas and wine with faculty and friends
of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Jan. 31, 5:30-7:30
p.m., Nicholson Hall lounge.
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH. Librarians from the Givens
Collection of African American Literature will share stories about
contributions of prominent members of Minnesota's black community
in "First Fridays," Feb. 1, noon-1 p.m., Elmer Andersen Library.
Bring lunch; light refreshments served.
MORE EVENTS include "Reducing Harm to Minnesota Women Who Drink too
Much: The Smart Women Smart Choices Program" (Jan.
24); "Words, Words, Mere Words: Links to Our Hearts, Souls, and
Psychological States" (Jan.
25); "Dance of the Snowflakes"—Ballroom Dance (Jan.
26); Dialogue on the Intersections of Faith and Sexuality
(Jan.
29); and Hated Ideas and the American Civil War Press
book discussion with U professor Hazel Dicken-Garcia (Jan.
29). SEE THESE AND MORE TWIN CITIES CAMPUS EVENTS.
Published by University Relations at the University of Minnesota. Please send comments, questions, or submissions to the editor at brief@umn.edu. The deadline for submissions is noon on the Friday before publication. All Twin Cities event submissions are handled through the events calendar at http://events.tc.umn.edu.
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