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May 2007

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High gas prices changing driver behavior ... but not by much
- U of M expert says higher interest in public transit only noticeable difference so far -
May 24, 2007

One might assume that record-high gas prices are causing people to change their commuting habits in a big way across Minnesota. But according to University of Minnesota Humphrey Center Senior Fellow Lee Munnich, that’s not necessarily the case.

“Many Twin Cities Park and Rides are full and Metro Transit is looking for ways to provide more park and ride spaces for express bus service,” said Munnich, “but most people still continue to use their cars and drive alone.”

Thanks to a number of factors, Munnich says people still have not made significant life style changes due to high gas prices. And he says there’s no way to know how high gas needs to go, before motorists start making those changes.

Munnich is available to talk about driver behavior with regards to rising gas prices and some the of commuting trends that have taken place in the Twin Cities in recent years.

To interview Munnich, contact Michael McCarthy at (612) 624-3645 or Justin Ware at (612) 626-1720.

Gunflint Trail fire exposes debris connected to devastating meteorite strike 1.85 billion years ago
May 22, 2007

Before the meteorite strike that drove dinosaurs to extinction -- in fact, before dinosaurs even existed -- another just as devastating meteorite hit closer to Minnesota. The Sudbury, Ontario meteorite strike happened 1.85 billion years ago, and some of the remnants of that strike can be found on the Gunflint Trail, exposed as a result of the recent fire.

University of Minnesota staff geologists, Mark Jirsa and professor emeritus Paul Weiblen, were scheduled to lead a geology field trip at the end of the Gunflint Trail on Saturday, May 12. The trip was of course canceled due to the fire. However, Jirsa was still able to visit one of the planned field trip stops in the vicinity of the Gunflint Lodge, and during his examination of rock exposures at the stop he discovered some unusual features in the rocks.

The rock samples he gathered showed the typical macroscopic textures of material that is ejected from a meteorite crater and deposited over a large area around the crater (somewhat like volcanic ash around an erupting volcano). Geologists have connected this debris to the famous Sudbury strike.

Weiblen and Jirsa are available to talk about this unique discovery and what other ancient geological secrets may be waiting in the sediments of the Gunflint Trail.

Over the past two decades, geologists have reached a consensus that a large meteorite -- more than five miles in diameter -- impact occurred at Sudbury. The impact scattered a blanket of debris from a 160-mile-diameter crater over nearly a million square miles of landscape. It is also considered to be the time when the formation of a succession of iron-rich sedimentary rocks in a shallow ocean basin in northeastern Minnesota and southern Ontario was coming to an end. The impact crater is like those still visible on the Moon and other terrestrial planets. From studies of lunar craters and model calculations, impacts of this magnitude produce “blankets” of ejected material extending up to five times the radius of the crater.

To speak with Weiblen or Jirsa, contact Mark Cassutt at (612) 624-8038.

Travel green this Memorial Day
- U of M Tourism Center has tips on sustainable trips for Memorial day and beyond -
May 21, 2007

From fluorescent light bulbs to locally grown food on the menu, sustainable tourism is becoming popular at resorts and it is paying off for the people who run those resorts.

“That became a reason why people wanted to stay here,” said Lynn Scharenbroich, a Brainerd-area resort owner who runs an environmentally-sound business. “It started contributing to people booking with us.”

This Memorial Day, there will be a lot of Minnesota families heading out on vacation. And many of those families will want to stay at a resort they know is helping the environment and the community they operate in.

That’s just one of the reasons why sustainable tourism is smart business for people like Scharenbroich, according to the Ingrid Schneider, U of M Tourism Center.

“Immediate economic savings can be realized through efficiencies in energy and water use that will contribute to longer term solutions for the environmental issues we face,” said Schneider.

Experts at the U of M Tourism Center are available to answer questions about sustainable tourism this Memorial Day and throughout the summer.

U of M researcher says journalists as medical zealots can do more harm than good
- Medical news monitoring trends show that some news organizations lose objectivity when it comes to the coverage of some health screening tests -
May 14, 2007

According to an article written by University of Minnesota journalism professor Gary Schwitzer for Poynter.org Web site, some of the top medical journalists and news organizations are abandoning their usual healthy journalistic skepticism when it comes to the coverage of some health screening tests such as mammography and PSA tests for prostate cancer. Schwitzer contends that this lack of objectivity may be doing more harm than good.

Schwitzer leads a team that monitors U.S. health news coverage each day for a web project -- http://www.HealthNewsReview.org -- that evaluates and grades health news stories. Recent trends seem to reflect a bias in favor of screening tests in many news stories. Some of these - even by reputable journalists - ignore the recommendations of organizations such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, probably the most unbiased and balanced source on such issues. And recently released guidelines on mammography for women in their 40s by the American College of Physicians' also seem to have been ignored.

Schwitzer says the important point of these news reports that is lost is that there are both benefits and harms that can come from screening tests.

To interview Professor Schwitzer contact Mark Cassutt, University News Service, (612) 624-8038.

U of M expert says despite the popularity of fishing, the number of anglers is down in Minnesota
- People fish to get out into nature, but fewer people are doing just that -
May 8, 2007

Forget about landing that trophy-sized walleye, for many anglers who will head out to the lakes this weekend, just being on the water is reason enough to buy a license.

“In a nutshell, fishing is one of those things we do in our non-obligated free time, because we think it will be fun,” said David Fulton, adjunct professor in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, University of Minnesota. “And that fun we crave from fishing centers primarily around being in nature and with family and friends.”

That love of nature translates into a desire to protect the environment later in life, but fewer people are fishing now than five years ago. And according to Fulton, that could lead to conservation struggles in the future.

“Large declines in hunting and most other nature-based recreation activities suggests some very big changes are occurring in how our society relates to and uses natural resources,” Fulton said.

Fulton is available to answer questions about why people fish and the consequences of dwindling interest in the sport.

U of M researcher back from BWCA fire can talk about the burn’s ecological impact
- Professor says the fire was so close, there was no need for flashlights at night -
May 8, 2007

A University of Minnesota forest researcher spent two days in a plume of smoke, trapped on the north side of Seagull Lake, watching the Ham Lake fire burn towards him over the weekend.

“Sunday night the fire began moving around the east end of Seagull Lake and we considered that it may approach our area,” said Lee Frelich, department of forest resources. “The fire created an orange glow to the east which was bright enough that we could walk in the forest without flashlights during the night and we thought it was probably burning the Gunflint Trail area.”

As we now know, the fire did burn parts of the Gunflint Trail and is not yet 100 percent contained. And while the loss of property has been devastating to those who live, work and vacation in that area, wild fires like the Ham Lake blaze are supposed to happen in that area, according to Frelich.

“This forest type is fire dependent and now has the right conditions to regenerate naturally,” said Frelich.

Frelich is available to talk about the ecology of the Ham Lake fire, his own personal experience and FireWise planning for homes and cabins.

It’s no day at the beach, as Spidey battles Sandman
- U of M professor discusses the physics of the movie’s superhuman characters -
May 3, 2007

Spider-Man 3 opens nationwide Friday, and if it comes close to matching the last Hollywood installment of the comic book series, it will surely be one of the biggest movies of the summer. His latest villain, Sandman, battles the arachnid hero with his ability to change body density from rock solid to an un-hittable powder. A University of Minnesota expert who can discuss the physics of Spider-Man 3's characters is:

James Kakalios, U of M physics professor
Author of the book “The Physics of Superheroes,” James Kakalios is available to talk about the physics behind Spider-Man and Sandman. Kakalios has conducted research for over ten years into the properties of sand and can talk about its ability to take many forms, from powder to solid rock -- an ability Sandman takes full advantage of.

Talking to Kakalios, you'll also learn how an average grain of sand reaches the ocean, why your footprints on the shoreline are dry, why sand -- but not water -- is used in hourglasses, and how the properties of sand are crucial for the pharmaceutical and construction industries.

Kakalios has been featured nationally in the media for his physics research and his book.

To interview Kakalios, contact Drew Swain at (612) 625-8962; or dswain@umn.edu or Asim Dorovic at (612) 624-0214 or dorovic@umn.edu.