Surveying the alumni landscape
Data collected from the first comprehensive survey of grads from all University campuses reveal that U graduates play a major role in the economic vibrancy of their communities.

Driven to Discover
The University has developed a new way to communicate--and to "brand"--the spirit of inquiry that lies at the heart of its research. Beginning September 24, the phrase "Driven to Discover," and the intent it conveys, is being woven through University communications, from student recruiting material to President Bruininks's speeches.

Ethanol fuel presents a corn-undrum
Does ethanol fuel derived from corn entail a net energy gain or loss? A comprehensive study by University researchers shows a net energy gain, but also water pollution and other environmental consequences. Biodiesel fuel from soybeans fared much better, but at this point neither fuel can be made in large enough quantities to lower greenhouse gas emissions by more than a few percent.

Weighing in
The ways alumni are making a difference in our world are as varied as the graduates themselves. Read how some are putting their University experience to good use.

The write way to learn
The Twin Cities Baccalaureate Writing Initiative is out to improve the writing ability of every student on the Twin Cities campus. Its centerpiece is a planned new department in the College of Liberal Arts that will consolidate writing expertise and instruction.

An eye on the future
Macular degeneration affects more than 10 million Americans and is the leading cause of blindness in people over 55. The University of Minnesota is taking important steps to stop this crippling disease by helping an important new research discovery make it to the marketplace.

Most mosquitoes give malaria the boot
A University-led team has found that most Anopheles mosquitoes--the type that transmits malaria from human to human--are resistant to the malaria parasite and so incapable of spreading the disease. The work could lead to better, more ecologically sustainable methods of controlling the disease, which claims a million victims every year.

Rising star
In October, Darlyne Bailey will become the dean of the U's new College of Education and Human Development and the U's first African-American female dean. She is leaving Teachers College at Columbia University, where she served as vice president for academic affairs and dean of Teachers College and as acting president in spring 2003.

Closing the wealth divide
In her new book, The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide, Rose Brewer and her coauthors examine race and wealth and how the government has played a role in influencing a racial wealth disparity.

Doing it his way
As the U's second longest-serving faculty member, Wayland Noland has found good chemistry between professor and students.

Seaside Station
From 1901 to 1906, the U maintained a biological research station on the coast of British Columbia.

Major league student
After more than a decade playing for the Seattle Mariners, Dan Wilson has retired from baseball. He's traded his shin guards and mask for treasured summers in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and four children. The 37-year-old also has picked up where he left off as a U of M student. He's working to complete the undergraduate degree that he set aside 16 years ago for a career in the pros.

Hot air bassoon ride
A Berneking Fellowship puts music student in the driver's seat

Profit Sharing
Entrepreneurship in Action students presented a check for student scholarships to then-interim Carlson School dean Jim Campbell.

Stargazing
The astronomy departments on the Twin Cities and Morris campuses hold public viewings of the night sky throughout the year.

Get connected, fall 2006
A listing of ways to stay connected to the University of Minnesota through the U of M Alumni Association.

Walking proud
The Scholars Walk heads west from the McNamara Alumni Center toward Northrop Mall and ends 2,000 feet later at the front door of Appleby Hall on the bluff above the Mississippi River. Lined with trees, shrubs, and benches, the walk includes lighted glass-and-limestone monuments honoring the University's creative and academic stars.

The sun in stereo
Twin spacecraft carrying University-designed instruments will send back a 3-D view of the sun--and the occasional fireballs it hurls our way.