Defeating diabetes
From helping people with the day-to-day management of diabetes to running the nation's largest pancreas transplant program, the University is waging an assault on the disease that affects about 1 in 17 Americans.

Plants to reduce less of our carbon dioxide mess
Some models of global greenhouse warming have indicated that the world's land plants can absorb a significant share of the carbon dioxide emitted by fossil fuel burning. But a new study led by University professor Peter Reich indicates that plants will need extra nitrogen--a nutrient in short supply in many areas of the world--to do it. As plants fall short of expectations, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could rise sharply, accelerating global warming.

Legislature approves on-campus football stadium for Gophers
On Saturday (May 20), the Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill that secures funding for a $248 million on-campus stadium for the University of Minnesota. Pending a signature by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the U hopes to begin construction this fall. The legislature also approved $115.7 million in state funding for other projects at the U.

Another reason to quit
A cancer-causing chemical from cigarette smoke finds its way into the lungs, bloodstream, and urine of infants, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota Cancer Center.

UMM names chancellor
Come August, the Morris campus will have a new leader at the helm. Jacqueline Johnson, from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, was named successor to Chancellor Sam Schuman. Schuman is retiring on June 30 after 11 years in senior leadership positions at Morris.

Raising the barley
While Minnesota farmers have watched their profits steadily decline over the past decade, a team of University researchers and the USDA are discovering ways to improve the quality and yield of barley, and re-establishing Minnesota as the cream of the crop.

Hard to [not] believe
Americans' increasing acceptance of religious diversity apparently doesn't extend to those who don't believe in a god, according to a national survey by researchers in the University of Minnesota's Department of Sociology.

U graduates answer the call
This year, 64 University alums are representing the United States by serving as Peace Corps volunteers. According to Peace Corps data, the University ranked 10th among large colleges in 2005 in the number of undergraduates who enter the Peace Corps and seventh in number of volunteers with graduate degrees.

Broadening hearts and minds
For two weeks in May, Ashley Nguyen and 24 other University of Minnesota students traveled to Vietnam to learn more about the country's social services and help their future growth. The tour was actually a class in the School of Social Work, which encourages its students to attain a global perspective by studying abroad.

A new way to tell rope from dope
The hemp plant has economic potential as a source of high-quality fiber, but although it lacks psychoactive properties, it bears an unfortunately close resemblance to its sister plant: marijuana. Now, thanks to a procedure developed by University researchers, the two plants can be reliably distinguished. The work could lead to the eventual introduction of hemp as a crop for Minnesota farmers, as well as sorting out legal from illegal growing and distribution practices.

Ivory Tower redux
Undergraduate artists have a chance to see their work in print again thanks to a new incarnation of an old publication that once set the standard on the Twin Cities campus for creativity and edge.

When women fall for Mr. Right Now
When women fall for men who are not "right" for them, the problem may lie in the timing. A University study has found that women are most attracted to men with "short-term" traits during the ovulation phase of their menstrual cycles.

Treat your creative self
UMAA members receive a discount on the Split Rock Arts Program's summer workshops, which offer an opportunity to become immersed in creative explorations away from the pressures of daily life.

Goldy gets around
The University community, including members of the Alumni Association, have been known to travel the world with a plush Goldy Gopher.

Putting ethic into action
Rita Ruiz's parents didn't send her off to the University of Minnesota--they came with her. Now she credits them with instilling in her the value of education as she continues to put her ethic of serving others into action.

Telling a great story
Thank you to more than 50,000 University of Minnesota alumni from all campuses who responded to the Connecting With Our Alumni Survey last winter and spring. Survey results will be shared online in the fall and in the fall issue of M.

U Libraries: available at a keyboard near you
UMAA members have access to full-text articles in hundreds of popular, academic, and business publications through the University Libraries.

My alma mater
1992 graduate Jennifer Alstad shares the reasons why she gives to the U.

A cause unlike any other
A new advertising campaign kicked off in the Twin Cities and on the Web to fuel alumni giving and remind them of the important role their alma mater has played in their lives.

Generosity builds generosity
IT alum Rhonda Pierce gives to Engineers Without Borders.

Music with a message
A Bentson Family Scholarship helps student Perry Hemmingsen pursue music production.

Discovery offers hope for early treatment of Alzheimer's
A different form of a protein may be a possible future target for therapies to defeat Alzheimer's disease before it causes irreversible damage.

Drive, creativity, and kindness
Wanting to share the wealth for a cause he believes in , successful ad man Chuck Porter, B.A. '67, recently gave the J-School $25,000 to provide scholarships for students in advertising.

Raindrops keep falling
Within the city of Duluth, 42 creeks run into Lake Superior. Last year, University of Minnesota, Duluth, took a major step to protect Oregon Creek, a principal water pathway from the campus, by building one of the biggest rain gardens in the nation.

Book reviews summer 2006
Three books by people with connections to the U: true crime by U alum William Swanson, an almanac by U climatologist Mark Seeley, and poetry by creative writing professor Ray Gonzalez.

U hosts conference to combat child trafficking
Each year, more than 1.2 million young boys and girls are trafficked around the world for the purposes of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation. A recent conference held by the University of Minnesota Human Rights Program gathered leaders from various disciplines to address the problem and forge new collaborations to combat it.