Vol. XXXVIII No. 5; Feb. 6, 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

Campus Announcements and Events
University-wide | Crookston |Duluth | Morris | Twin Cities

U'S QUALITY FAIR drew a large crowd of staff, faculty, and students sharing best practices for the second consecutive year. The event highlighted projects from around the University that "innovate, improve, and inspire." Read more at "Doing things better."

PEOPLE: UDS executive chef Ray Thering receives a Food Alliance Midwest award for his commitment to support local growers; clinical associate professor Bonnie Bata-Jones retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel; English faculty members Charles Baxter and Patricia Hampl are finalists for 2008 Minnesota Book Awards (Baxter for The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot and Hampl for The Florist's Daughter); English professor and chair Paula Rabinowitz will be honored Feb. 13 as the 2008 CLA Dean's Medalist. Read about these and more awards and appointments in People.

CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

University-wide:

SUPPORT THE U DAY AT THE CAPITOL Feb. 20. Hundreds of U supporters from across the state are expected to attend. Noon rally in the rotunda; 12:45 p.m. lunch in the Great Hall; 1 p.m. optional meetings with legislators. Sign up at Legislative Network.

U RESEARCHERS at the Academic Health Center and the Institute of Technology (IT) have discovered a new way to turn genes off in human T cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the immune system fight infections. The research could lead to new drugs for patients with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. It could also prevent cancer cells from dividing. The research was published in the Feb. 1 issue of Molecular Cell. Read the news release.

IT AND THE COLLEGE OF DESIGN will lead the U's effort in the 2009 Solar Decathlon (item appeared in Brief, Jan. 30). Read the news release.

BEAUTIFUL U DAY April 17--Mark your calendars for the 10th anniversary of the annual campuswide clean up. The 2008 event focuses on sustainability efforts at the U. Grants are once again available to help fund department and student group projects and activities; see Beautiful U Day.

APPLICATIONS WANTED for the 2008-09 President's Emerging Leaders (PEL) cohort. The program is designed to identify and further develop the leadership skills of high potential P&A, civil service, and bargaining unit staff. The application deadline is March 20. For more information and application instructions, see PEL.

Crookston:

DANIEL SVEDARSKY, head of the Natural Resources Department at UMC and president of the 8,000 member Wildlife Society, took part in a Jan. 29 news conference in Washington, DC, calling for legislation that would protect and restore wildlife and ecosystems harmed by global warming. Read the news release.

ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY FRIENDS of the Northwest School of Agriculture (NWSA) and UMC will gather for a social Feb.15 at the Terrace Green at ViewPoint Resort, Mesa, Arizona. Read the news release.

Duluth:

"ADDING UP TO ZERO," an educational campaign highlighting the positive steps UMD is taking to minimize its environmental impact, is under way. The campaign features a Web site and brochures designed to further educate students, faculty, and staff. To review the campaign materials and offer comments, see Adding up to Zero.

UMD MUSIC DEPARTMENT presents "Faculty Artist Recital: An Evening With the Bassoon," featuring bassoonist Jefferson Campbell, Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m., Weber Music Hall. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, see recital.

UMD THEATRE will perform A Flea in Her Ear, French master playwright Georges Feydeau's most celebrated work, Feb. 14-17 and 20-23 at Marshall Performing Arts Center. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. except Sunday, Feb. 17, when the show starts at 2 p.m. Written in 1907, the story of eccentric characters, misunderstandings, clandestine trysts, and misplaced jealousies creates overall fun and mayhem. Tickets are $15 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $6 for children 12 and under. For more information, see current season.

Morris:

UMM'S BIOMASS GASIFICATION FACILITY and participation in Campus Energy Wars mentioned in a new publication from the National Wildlife Federation, "Higher Education in a Warming World: The Business Case for Climate Leadership on Campus." Read the full report at NWF.

FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL hosted by Entre Nous and the French discipline at UMM, with support of the French-American Cultural Exchange. The 2008 Tournées Film Festival offers five award-winning feature films in French with English subtitles. Films will be shown on Fridays throughout Feb. 7 p.m., Science Auditorium. Special screening of Paris, je t'aime on Valentine's Day at Morris Theatre. Read the news release.

Rochester:

MORE THAN 80 RESEARCHERS and scientists from the U, Mayo Clinic, IBM, and Hormel Institute gathered at the Rochester campus in January to share the early results of five biomedical informatics and computational biology research projects and to mark a milestone in a new collaboration that helps bolster the state's strength in these critical fields. To learn more about the projects, read UMNnews or see the Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology program, which was established with funding from the 2006 Minnesota Legislature.

Twin Cities:

SCHOOL OF NURSING RECEIVES $2.5 MILLION ENDOWMENT from the Mary K. and Cyrus A. Field trust to support undergraduate and graduate nursing students. This is the second largest gift to the school in its 99-year history. The gift is eligible for the President's Scholarship match, further enhancing the funds available to nursing students. Read the news release.

MET COUNCIL TO HEAR PUBLIC TESTIMONY on the proposed Central Corridor project, an 11-mile light rail line between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis that would run through the Twin Cities campus. Today, noon-2 p.m., Shepherd Room, Weisman Art Museum. For more information about U's involvement in the project, see Central Corridor.

ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT WILL ANNOUNCE its 2008 football recruiting class (3 p.m.) and unveil a virtual tour of the new TCF Bank Stadium (3:30 p.m.). Today, Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Read the news release.

NEW WEB SITE launched for the Center for Interprofessional Education. The center, established in December 2006, collaborates with AHC schools and colleges to identify, promote, implement, and evaluate interprofessional education.

TONY DIGGS EXCELLENCE AWARDS for student group contributions. The awards allow faculty, staff, and students to recognize student groups for excellent work. Nominations must be submitted by March 5, 4:30 p.m. Call Student Activities (612-626-6919) with any questions. Award descriptions and nominations are now available at Student Unions and Activities.

RECOGNIZE AN OUTSTANDING STUDENT with a President's Student Leadership and Service Award. Nominations are accepted through Feb. 8. For more information and online nomination forms, see Student Unions and Activities.

REMODELED ESSENTIALS MARKET NOW OPEN in Blegen Hall. New products include an organic food/beverage section, hot dogs, freshly prepared grab-n-go items, and school supplies such as pens, calculators, and notebooks. Hours: Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. For more information, see University Dining Services.

USHER IN THE CHINESE NEW YEAR Feb. 8 with the Friendship Association of Chinese Students and Scholars at St. Paul Student Center. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., with dinner starting at 5 p.m. U students will perform 7-9 p.m. There will also be games, a movie, and karaoke. Admission is $5 at the door.

EXTREME WINTER WALKABOUT: Join a naturalist-led hike through the woods, wetlands, and prairies of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska (Hwy. 5, 9 miles west of I-494). Feb. 9, 11 a.m.; departs from Oswald Visitor Center. Bring snowshoes if you wish. Complementary hot beverage afterwards. Free with Arboretum gate admission ($7 adults, free for members and children under 15).

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL ORATORIO, "To Be Certain of the Dawn," with music by U alum Stephen Paulus and libretto by U professor Michael Dennis Browne. The event features a full orchestra and a shofar (traditional Jewish instrument), children's chorus, four soloists, and cantor, as well as photographs by Roman Vishniac. Feb. 12, 10 a.m. ticketed open rehearsal; 7:30 p.m. performance, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis. Tickets: $10-$83; see Minnesota Orchestra. (The performance will also take place April 25-26 at St. Cloud State University and St. John's University, Collegeville.)

"THE FUTURE OF VEHICLE SAFETY" is part of the Center for Transportation Studies winter 2008 Luncheon Series. Ronald Medford, senior associate administrator for vehicle safety at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will discuss how future technologies will monitor driver behavior to avoid crashes. Feb. 13, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Learn more at CTS.

MATH MATTERS lecture by the Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications will feature Alfio Quarteroni from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. In his talk, "Mathematical Modeling in Medicine, Sports, and the Environment," Quarteroni will describe how his research team uses math to improve cardiac surgical interventions and to optimize the design of the America's Cup yacht Alinghi. Free; Feb. 13, 7-8:30 p.m., 125 Willey Hall. Learn more at IMA.

"THE AGING GAME" is the theme of Mini Medical School, spring 2008. Topics for the five-week series include what happens as we age, your aging skin, oral health, sexuality and aging, heart health, and what you should know about prescription drugs and medications. Mondays, March 24-April 21, 6-8:30 p.m., Coffman Union Theatre. For more information, see Mini Med School.

MORE EVENTS include "The Legacy of the Nazi Doctors' Trial for American Bioethics and International Human Rights Law" (Feb. 7); "Women and Heart Disease" (Feb. 8); "Russel Wright: Living with Good Design" (Feb. 9); Adventure Science: Samsam Villages and Clean Water in Ghana (Feb. 10); "Drugs, Herbs, and Supplements" (Feb. 11); "Extreme Googling: Tips and Tricks for Expert Searching"(Feb. 12). 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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