Read Brief on the Web at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief/Brief_10042006.html .
Vol. XXXVI No. 32; Oct. 4, 2006

Editor: Gayla Marty, 612-625-0552, brief@umn.edu

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

PUBLIC JOBS, PRIVATE DATA: For more than a year, the U of M and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) have worked together to develop "Public Jobs: Private Data," an easy, Web-based program to give all employees the training they need to be responsible stewards of public data and public trust. The new training covers not only HIPAA but other federal and state laws and U policies. Academic Health Center faculty and staff are completing the three primary 15-minute segments now. The rest of UMTC will begin training this month, followed by UMD, UMC, and UMM. Read more at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/Public_jobs_private_data.html .

FINDING YOUR CAREER FOUNDATIONS: Identifying what's important to you is key to charting a career path. For years, employees have been using the U's Center for Human Resource Development (CHRD) to do that through workshops on personality, skills, and interests. Now the CHRD staff has developed a one-day course that puts all the pieces together. Career Foundations debuts Oct. 25. Register now--space is limited. Read more at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Faculty_Staff_Comm/Office_of_Human_Resources/Finding_satisfying_work.html .

PEOPLE: Mark Seeley, climatologist-meteorologist and professor, has received the U of M Extension Service's top award; UMD theater professor Tom Isbell's new musical, a collaboration with political humorist Mark Russell, will open at the Kennedy Center Oct. 13; Melissa Gardner, a graduate student in biomedical engineering, has won the Paper of the Year award from the editors of Molecular Biology of the Cell. Read more at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Faculty_Staff_Comm/people.html .

Transforming the U:

NEW CEHD DEAN Darlyne Bailey: When her parents gave her a stethoscope for her birthday, the 9-year-old Darlyne Bailey started seeing patients immediately. Bailey's shingle ended up saying not M.D. but Ph.D., a path to what she sees as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity--the chance to lead the new College of Education and Human Development at the U of M, Twin Cities. Bailey began her duties this week. Read more at http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/Rising_star.html .

CAMPUS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS

University-wide:

FALL WELLNESS CAMPAIGN: 10,000 STEPS. U employees statewide can enroll in the 10,000 Steps program to boost physical activity. Use the U of M promotional access code PNUSTEP to register at http://www.healthconnections.umn.edu . Set a goal and then work gradually toward achieving the recommended 10,000 steps a day. Partners and early retirees can participate. Receive a new, high quality pedometer; UPlan members are also eligible to earn a $65 wellness reward for completing the eight-week program. Read more at http://www.umn.edu/ohr/workwell/wellness/healthconnections/steps .

NEW EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH COLLABORATIVE is a partnership of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and the Center for Early Childhood Education, designed to enhance multidisciplinary research and high profile policy discussions. Its first public event will be a conference featuring Nobel laureate James Heckman, U of Chicago, Oct. 13, Humphrey Center, UMTC. Read more at http://www.earlychildhoodrc.org .

"CREATING A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS," a keynote by Mary Howard Hamilton, Indiana State U, will be part of this year's Focusing on the First Year conference. The one-day event provides an exchange of ideas, best practices, and opportunities to strengthen collaboration that enhances the first-year student experience. Oct. 16, Coffman Union, UMTC; register by Oct. 6. For more information, see http://www.ofyp.umn.edu/topnavpgs/facstaff/fyconference .

"MOVING TOWARD SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS: Exploring Global Pathways to a Common Destination" will be the second in a three-part conference series on climate change and sustainable development. The Upper Midwest and India will provide examples for comparison of local and national constraints and opportunities. Keynote speaker: R. K. Pachauri, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Energy Research Institute. Oct. 24-25, Humphrey Center, UMTC; early registration is recommended. For more information, see http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/stpp/global_climate_econdvlp.html or albot002@umn.edu or 612-626-1593.

"COLLEGE HEALTH SUMMIT: TOBACCO, ALCOHOL, AND OTHER DRUG USE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS" will feature the release of a spring 2006 survey of all the U campuses. Parking and lunch provided. Free, but registration is required. Nov. 2, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Humphrey Center, UMTC. For more information, see http://www.bhs.umn.edu/healthdata/summit or 612-626-5520.

FRIENDS OF EASTCLIFF BOOK DISCUSSIONS for 2006-07 will open with Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity, and the War on Terror, by U professor Steven Miles, Oct. 16. Subsequent books will be Mommy Knows Worst: Highlights From the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice, by James Lileks (Dec. 4); Dial M: The Murder of Carol Thompson, by Bill Swanson (Jan. 25); Gardenias, by Faith Sullivan (March 1); and The Translation of Dr. Apelles, by David Treuer (April 17). Membership in Friends of Eastcliff is open to anyone; membership fees support maintenance of Eastcliff, historic home of U presidents. For more information, see http://www.bookstore.umn.edu/eastcliff.html .

Crookston:

DIVERSITY AWARNESS WEEK will include a wide range of activities, including talks by Debra Davis, former executive director of the Minnesota nonprofit Gender Education Center, and Anne Phibbs, director of the U-wide GLBT Programs Office. Bede Ballroom, Student Center. Free and open to the public. For more information, see http://www.umcrookston.edu/umcnews/stories/story362.html .

A RECEPTION TO HONOR UMC WOMEN ATHLETES will include special guests Patricia Simmons, vice chair, Board of Regents, and Susan Hagstrum, wife of President Bruininks. Oct. 11, 5 p.m., Lysaker Gymnasium lobby; short program at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome. For more information, see http://www.umcrookston.edu/umcnews/stories/story365.html .

Duluth:

THE 12-MINUTE TRAILER OF NOT MADE IN HEAVEN, a documentary by art and design faculty members Sarah Bauer and Jen Dietrich about 20th century artist Philip Pearlstein, premiered in September at the IFP Market in New York. The trailer will be screened with a discussion, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., Tweed Museum of Art. For more information, see http://www.d.umn.edu/tma .

THE DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN'S STUDIES 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION will include a panel discussion, "Back to the Future: A Quarter Century of Women's Studies at UMD," with special guest Marge Grevatt, a feminist community activist now in Cleveland who helped launch women's studies at UMD. A quilt unveiling and a reception will follow. Oct. 6, noon, Kirby Garden Room. For more information, see http://www.d.umn.edu/ws/main .

Morris:

"THE AL FRANKEN SHOW" will broadcast live on Air America Radio from UMM's Edson Auditorium, Oct. 6, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free and open to the public; hosted by two student organizations: the Campus Activities Council Convocations Committee and the Student DFL. Doors open a half-hour before the show. For more information, see http://www.morris.umn.edu/ummnews/View.php?itemID=1431 .

SCIENTISTS ON THE SPOT for Science Buzz, hosted by the Science Museum of Minnesota, will be UMM sustainability coordinator Troy Goodnough and West Central Research and Outreach Center director Greg Cuomo Oct. 13-Dec. 14. Goodnough will field questions on the UMM gasification project and Cuomo on the wind turbine and wind power. For more information, see http://www.smm.org/buzz .

Rochester:

OAKLAND SCULPTOR and award-winning public artist Ruth Santee, U of California, Davis, will give a lecture, followed by a reception. Oct. 5, noon, CC200 (Quiet Lounge). For more information, see http://www.r.umn.edu .

Twin Cities:

MINNESOTA CHARITIES COUNT ON YOU: 2006 COMMUNITY FUND DRIVE IS OCT. 1-31. The drive kicked off this week, giving faculty and staff an opportunity to support a wide variety of respected, well-run community organizations. These groups support social services, education, arts, health, the environment, and much more. This year, UMTC aims to raise $1.2 million in pledges from at least one-third of the campus's employees. For more information, see http://www.umn.edu/cfd .

DOES LIVING WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE to work or classes at the U appeal to you? Take three minutes to complete a survey to help plan attractive housing options within walking distance for faculty, staff, graduate students, and alumni. Sponsored by the U's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and neighborhoods adjacent to UMTC in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Fill out the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=432702571939 .

ENGLISH CONVERSATION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: The U Center for Teaching and Learning seeks individuals to be English conversation partners for international graduate students, meeting an hour per week this fall, on or near campus. Training is provided. For more information, contact Caroline Rosen at mrozl001@umn.edu or 612-625-3017.

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGISTS FORUM MEETINGS this semester will discuss Moodle open source courseware (Oct. 11) and Xythos file management tool (Dec. 13). For more information, see http://dmc.umn.edu/etf/schedule06.shtml .

2004 PHYSICS NOBEL LAUREATE Frank Wilczek, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will speak on "The Origin of Mass and Feebleness of Gravity." Today, 4 p.m., 150 Tate Laboratory of Physics. For more information, see http://www.ftpi.umn.edu .

A CELEBRATION OF THE "SCRIBES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS" PROGRAM will feature Pulitzer Prize winning author Tracy Kidder and the first scribe, MFA student Laura Flynn. Oct. 12, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Minneapolis Central Library. Deadline to register: today--contact hrp@umn.edu or 612-626-7947. For more information, see http://hrp.cla.umn.edu/projects_events.html .

"STARTING PLACES FOR INTEGRATIVE LEADERSHIP: PEOPLE AND CONTEXT" will feature Project for Pride in Living director Steve Cramer, Itasca Project chair James Campbell, and others. Oct. 12, 3:45-6 p.m., 3M Auditorium, Carlson School of Management; a reception will follow. Deadline to register: Oct. 8--to radje002@umn.edu . For more information, see http://www.hhh.umn.edu/news/headlines/headlines2006/hhh_events.html .

A MICROBIOLOGY SYMPOSIUM to honor retiring professor Peter Plagemann will include the Winford P. Larson Lecture, "Discovery of New Horizons for Infectious Protein Folding (Prion) Diseases," by Michael Oldstone, Scripps Research Institute. Oct. 13, noon-1 p.m., followed by a reception. The symposium is free and open to the public. For more information, see http://www.microbiology.med.umn.edu .

"BACK TO THE FUTURE: EXPLORING THE WORLD OF NURSING INNOVATION," by Marie Manthey, president emerita of Creative Healthcare Management, will highlight entrepreneurship in nursing. Oct. 16, 12:15-1:30 p.m., 2-530 Moos Tower. Light lunch will be provided; registration is requested. For more information, see http://www.nursing.umn.edu/Foundation/Events/PrintyLecture/home.html .

SAVE THE DATE: A retrospective on Elizabeth Cady Stanton by Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, professor of communication studies, will be the Fall 2006 Ada Comstock Distinguished Women Scholars Lecture. Campbell is a pioneer in feminist rhetorical discourse and theory. Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m., Cowles Auditorium, Humphrey Center. Sponsored by the Office of the Senior VP and Provost, Graduate School, Office for U Women, and U of M Libraries. For more information, see http://www.umn.edu/women .

RECENT CAMPUS EVENTS have included the on-campus stadium ground breaking (see http://www.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/U_breaks_ground_for_new_stadium.html ) and unveiling of 34 senior interior design students' proposals for office space to temporarily house the University Northside Partnership in north Minneapolis (see http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?ID=3306&from=umnnews ).

MORE EVENTS include the 21st annual Silha Lecture, "The Freedom of the Press v. the National Security," by Geoffrey Stone, U of Chicago Law School (today); professor Madelon Sprengnether on her new book of prose poems, The Angel of Duluth (Oct. 5); the first Headliners monthly date with a faculty expert, "The Prospects for Peace in the Middle East," by Michael Barnett, Humphrey Institute (Oct. 5); "Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Da Vinci," by Elaine Pagels, Princeton U, as the annual Guy Stanton Ford Lecture (Oct. 6); CEHD's Saturday Scholars classes (Oct. 7); Garrison Keillor talking about his book, Homegrown Democrat (Oct. 9); "Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy" (Oct. 9); "Best Seat in the House--From the Locker Room to the Press Box: Women's Sports in the 21st Century," by Christine Brennan, USA Today, for the Tucker Center's fall distinguished lecture (Oct. 10); "The National Surveillance State," by Jack Balkin, Yale U, the Law School's William B. Lockhart Lecture (Oct. 10); all about avian flu at Cafe Scientifique (Oct. 10). SEE THESE AND MORE TWIN CITIES EVENTS ONLINE at http://events.tc.umn.edu .

NEWS RELEASES are posted daily at http://www.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice/home.php .

Published by University Relations at the University of Minnesota.

Please send comments, questions, or submissions to Gayla Marty, editor, at brief@umn.edu . All Twin Cities event submissions are handled through the events calendar at http://events.tc.umn.edu .

Brief is published by e-mail and on the Web at www.umn.edu/umnnews/Publications/Brief.html. See also UMNnews, a U-wide Web publication, at www.umn.edu/umnnews .

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