Provost Thomas Sullivan today named professor Jean K. Quam as dean of the College of Education and Human Development, subject to approval by the University's Board of Regents at its November meeting. She has served as interim dean of CEHD since October 2008.

"Dean Quam has served with great distinction as interim dean," Sullivan said. "It is clear that she enjoys extensive support from within CEHD and beyond. She is a leader of calm and careful judgment, with strategic vision, and, very importantly, she has that very special set of skills needed to share and help realize that vision."

Quam holds a Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She conducts research broadly in the fields of aging and marginalized populations. Quam has been active in professional organizations including the state and national organizations of the National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work, the Council on Social Work Education and the American Society on Aging.

"I'm honored to serve the University of Minnesota and to lead the College of Education and Human Development forward into the future. As dean, I am eager to continue our work on creating an 'engaged college' internally and externally by further diversifying the college and our disciplines, being innovative in all that we do, and last but not least, in deepening our excellence in research," Quam said. "Our college is ready, and I'm ready to help each and every one of us to pursue our full potential and our vitally important mission."

Congratulations Jean!

Posted by Diane Cormany at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Experts from the College of Education and Human Development will join colleagues from five other colleges across the University to help developing countries better respond to emerging animal diseases that pose a threat to human health.

The University of Minnesota is part of a multidisciplinary team that will implement a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) cooperative agreement with funding up to $185 million.

The project, called RESPOND, is one of five that will work together to pre-empt or combat the first stages of emerging zoonotic pandemics--diseases that can spread between animals and humans.

Faculty and graduate students from CEHD will provide monitoring and evaluation of training activities, provided by University experts and partners, with animal and health care workers in potential hot spots (likely located in Southeast Asia, the Congo Basin, and the Amazon Basin).

"We are honored to be part of the University of Minnesota partnership with USAID," says professor David W. Chapman from the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, who is the primary college liaison on the partnership. "The project is an important piece of the United States' effort to help combat animal-born diseases that could lead to pandemics."

Faculty from the College of Veterinary Medicine, the School of Public Health, the School of Nursing, the Medical School, the College of Education and Human Development, and College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences, will be tasked with improving the ability of countries to recognize and respond to new epidemics in areas where ecological relationships - between humans, animals, and the environment - are unstable. Over the course of the five-year project, the RESPOND team will work to improve the training and response capacity for zoonotic disease outbreak identification, investigation, analysis, and control within countries and regions; strive to improve the coordination among public and private interests involved in an outbreak; support in-country outbreak response activities; and introduce new technologies to help improve a country's response to an outbreak.

The College of Veterinary Medicine's new Ecosystem Health program, National Center for Food Protection and Defense, and Center for Animal Health and Food Safety were instrumental in obtaining funds to join RESPOND.

"We are increasingly aware that our health depends on the health of livestock, wildlife, and the environment." said Katey Pelican, head of the Ecosystem Health program, who championed the University's proposal to join the RESPOND team. "Nowhere is this clearer than in the increasing number of diseases that are emerging from animal populations as environmental degradation forces more interactions between wildlife, livestock, and humans. The RESPOND program will provide the University of Minnesota the opportunity to use its unique ability to work across animal and human health disciplines to improve global response to these life threatening outbreaks."

Although members of the RESPOND team will be dealing with diseases that don't yet exist, examples of similar diseases they might try to prevent include SARS, Ebola, and avian influenza.

"As the founder of the Congressional Global Health Caucus, I applaud USAID for recognizing the critical need to address emerging illnesses from a global perspective and to better understand the intersection of human and animal health," said Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum. "The University of Minnesota uniquely brings together the multiple disciplines and experience needed to meet this challenge.

John Deen, associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, will be the director of the project at the University of Minnesota.

Posted by Diane Cormany at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Patricia Shannon, Ph.D., assistant professor in the School of Social Work, was interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio about her work on the mental health of Minnesota refugees. She and Family Social Science Associate Professor Liz Wieling collaborated on the study, which shows that Minnesota refugees want mental health care but can't get it. You can listen to or read the interview on the MPR Web site.

Posted by Jackie Colby at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Karen Seashore (Louis) has been named the inaugural holder of the Robert Holmes Beck Chair of Ideas in Education. The first endowed chair of its kind in the United States, the Beck Chair encourages scholarly activity that promotes a better understanding of the conceptual foundations underlying critical issues in education.

Cornelia Ooms Beck established the chair in memory of her husband, Robert Holmes Beck (1918-1991), who was a faculty member at the college from 1947 until his retirement in 1989. He published extensively, writing or editing more than 50 monographs and articles, as well as several books that included Curriculum in the Modern Elementary School; The Three R's Plus; and Beyond Pedagogy, which recounted the history of the College of Education on the occasion of its 75th anniversary in 1980. Beck's scholarship included extensive study of educational systems in other countries. In 1976 he was named a Regents' Professor, the University's highest honor for excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Seashore, director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, was appointed a professor in 1987. In the past, she has served as department chair, associate dean, and as director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement. Her research focuses primarily on school improvement and reform. She is co-principal investigator of research funded by the Wallace Foundation that investigates how principal leadership has an impact on student achievement. Recently, the University Council for Educational Administration awarded Seashore with the Roald F. Campbell Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Beck Chair is a three-year renewable appointment.

Posted by Diane Cormany at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics has released two new reports on intercollegiate athletics outlining the impact and implications for the big-time athletics business model on important issues such as gender equity, Title IX, Olympic sports, and non-revenue sports among others:

Quantitative and Qualitative Research with Football Bowl Subdivision University Presidents on the Costs and Financing of Intercollegiate Athletics:
Report of Findings and Implications | Appendices

College Sports 101:A Primer on Money, Athletics, and Higher Education in the 21st Century

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 8:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pa Lee, a junior majoring in business marketing and education, has won a 2009 Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity (SEED) award. Lee was one of 12 undergraduate students and one graduate student to earn this honor from the University's Office for Equity and Diversity.

The SEED Award program honors high-achieving students at the University of Minnesota with diverse identities, including students of color, women, GLBT students, and students with disabilities. SEED Award recipients must demonstrate impressive academic achievement and leadership in community outreach and activism, in addition to a deep understanding of and commitment to issues of equity, diversity, and social justice.

Posted by Diane Cormany at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mary Jo Kane, Ph.D., professor and director of the School of Kinesiology, is quoted in "From Wearing Jumpers to Shooting Them," in the Fall 2009 issue of the NCAA Champion magazine. The piece, which also mentions The Tucker Center, notes Kane's research with former Kinesiology graduate student Heather Maxwell on consumer response to representations of women's sports, as well as Kane and Kinesiology Education Specialist Jo Buysse's research on female athlete representations on media guide covers.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The School of Social Work is offering a learning abroad opportunity. If you are interested, please come to one of our information sessions:

Monday, Nov 2 @ 12:45-1:15PM in Undergrad Lounge in Peters Hall.

Tuesday, Nov 3 @ 2:30-3PM in Undergrad Lounge in Peters Hall.

For more information, contact: Ross Velure Roholt 612-624-8785

Posted by Peggy Pond at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Learning Technologies program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction is well represented at the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education's World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education in Vancouver, Canada, October 26-30, 2009. LT faculty members Aaron Doering, Charles Miller, Cassandra Scharber, and LT students attending the conference are involved in six faculty presentations and six student presentations.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maureen Weiss, Ph.D., and Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., professors in Kinesiology and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, published a paper titled, Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Physical Activity, in the September 2009 issue of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Research Digest available online.

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Albert Yonas, Ph.D. professor in the Institute of Child Development, and graduate student Sherryse Corrow are featured in an exciting new video produced by University Relations highlighting their research on babies and visual perception. You can view the video on the University's YouTube channel, or follow the link to continue reading below.

Posted by Danielle Bordeleau at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over 45 people from multiple educational and industry backgrounds gathered at Tony's Diner in Dinkytown Monday evening for (re)desine, an informal event sponsored by Curriculum and Instruction's learning technologies faculty and students.

This (re)desine event featured LT students presenting their work for upcoming international conference presentations. Check out pictures from the event as well as (re)desine's website for future events! Everyone is welcome!

Posted by Lynn Englund at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Martha Spriggs (M.Ed. '03), a math teacher at Andersen United Community School, Minneapolis, is the latest college alum to win the prestigious Milken National Educator Award.

Among her achievements, Spriggs was recognized for outstanding results in the classroom, where 82 percent of her eighth-grade students reach state target scores, and for establishing an after-school science program for girls.

The Milken Family Foundation National Educator Awards were established in 1987 by Lowell Milken to recognize the importance of outstanding educators and encourage talented young people to enter the teaching profession.

Read the complete Minnesota Public Radio story on Spriggs's award or read the Minnesota Department of Education release.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Governor Tim Pawlenty, has proclaimed the week of October 17-24, 2009 to be Gifted and Talented Youth Week in the State of Minnesota, according to Professor Bill Bart, Educational Psychology. The Minnesota State Government recognizes the importance of gifted and talented Minnesota youth and their education for the economic well-being and the cultural vitality of the State of Minnesota.

Posted by Kathleen Walter at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tucker Center Associate Director, Nicole LaVoi, will give a workshop to the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association on Friday, October 23, 6-8:00pm, as part of the We Coach: Educating & Empowering Through Sport initiative.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Office of International Programs, in co-sponsorship with the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, is pleased to announce the creation of the Josef A. Mestenhauser Lecture Series on Internationalizing Higher Education. The annual lecture will provide an academic forum in which scholars from around the world will be invited to present thought-provoking scholarship on the internationalization of higher education.

Appropriately, Dr. Mestenhauser will be the featured speaker at the first lecture. Mestenhauser, professor emeritus in the College of Education and Human Development, has devoted has career to international education as teacher, researcher, administrator, counselor, and consultant.

We hope you will be able to join us to honor Dr. Mestenhauser and to hear his insights on the past, present and future of internationalization of higher education. The details are as follows:

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Lecture and Discussion
4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Reception

Please RSVP by Monday, Oct. 26, to 612-626-8832 or nunnx016@umn.edu.

Cowles Auditorium and Atrium
Humphrey Center
301 19th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Posted by Jodie Gustafson at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michelle Everson, Ph.D., lecturer in Educational Psychology, recently published an article, Understanding the Instructor's Role in Facilitating Online Discussions in Faculty Focus.

Posted by Kathleen Walter at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Center for Teaching and Learning is offering several seminars this fall for faculty and college teachers. If you are looking to explore new approaches to teaching that address an evolving student population, please join us. Select topics of interest to you based on your
experience and professional goals. Light refreshments provided. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.
To register: www.teaching.umn.edu
Phone: 612.625.3041
E-mail: teachlrn@umn.edu .

Just in Time Teaching seminars
Tuesdays, 1-2 p.m.
Join us for a series of stimulating and practical discussions of timely
teaching topics. During October and November, explore common mid-term
teaching issues; then close the semester by turning to planning for a
new or redesigned course. This series of seminars include:

* Oct. 27 - High Impact, Low Prep Active Learning
* Nov. 3 - Now, Why Would A Student Say That? Strategies for
Unraveling Unanticipated Classroom Conflicts
* Nov. 17 - Using A Course Management System to Encourage Student
Collaboration
* Dec. 1 - Making It Even Better: Designing Courses to Support
Student Learning and Teacher Satisfaction

Fine Tune Your Accent
Mondays, 1-2 p.m.
In this workshop series, international faculty, scholars, and graduate
students will uncover the nuances of English pronunciation that matter
most for conveying meaning effectively in U.S. academic settings:
fluency, emphasis, and tone of voice. Participants will learn and
practice research-based speaking strategies to enhance classroom
teaching and conference presentations.

* Oct. 26 - Fluency
* Nov. 23 - Emphasis
* Dec. 21 - Tone of Voice

Note: Individual language consultations are also available on a free and
confidential basis to members of the University of Minnesota teaching
community. For more information:
www.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/nonnative/consultations/.

Other seminars and workshops include:

* Making a Difference: Designing Courses to Improve Student Learning
and Teacher Satisfaction
* Lunch with a Great Teacher
* Improving Lecture-based Teaching
* Multicultural Teaching and Learning

For more information, course descriptions, and to register:
http://www.teaching.umn.edu

Posted by Diane Cormany at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Three Institute on Community Integration (ICI) staff presented at Minnesota's 2009 Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) event in Duluth on October 13th. Chris Bremer spoke to young adults with disabilities about how to exercise their right to vote; Joe Timmons, presented strategies young people with learning disabilities can use to succeed in the workplace; and Sharon Mulé spoke to parents about focusing and building on students' strengths to enhance employability.

Posted by Tom Donaghy at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sheryl A. Larson, Ph.D., of the Research and Training Center on Community Living in the Institute on Community Integration, was recognized by the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities for her five years of service on the council at an October 7 event for outgoing members. The Council promotes independence, productivity, self-determination, integration and inclusion for people with developmental disabilities and their families throughout Minnesota.

Posted by Tom Donaghy at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fall semester's CEHD magazine Connect spotlights a host of Kinesiology faculty and students. Read about Kinesiology student Heather Dorniden, U of M track team star, and how she copes with dueling pressures of competing on the field and achieving success in the classroom: More Than Game.

The important relationship of physical activity to lifelong health and well-being is explored in the article Teaming Up. Tucker Center faculty and associated faculty Daheia Barr-Anderson, Lisa Kihl, Nicole LaVoi, and Jo Ann Buysse, and graduate student Chelsey Thul, are doing research and working on a variety of projects to bring the message of the vital importance of exercise and physical activity to local and international communities.

And in the article The Sporting Life, , Prof. Maureen Weiss and Dr. Nicole LaVoi share their knowledge and research on kids' participation in youth sports.

You can also view the entire issue of Connect.

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D, associate director of the Tucker Center, and second-year sport sociology doctoral student and research assistant Austin Calhoun have published the results from their research study "Examining Online Intercollegiate Head Coaches' Biographies: Reproducing or Challenging Heteronormativity and Heterosexism?" in the article "Team Media Guides and College Coaches' Biographies: Who Gets to Have a Personal Life? What Can Online Intercollegiate Coach Biographies Tell Us About Inclusivity and Tolerance of Diverse Sexual Orientations?" in the Women's Sports Foundation Web site's It taks a Team section. The initial study, which included only Big 10 coaches, was expanded to include a nationwide sample of Division I head coaches. It Takes A Team is an educational program sponsored by the Women's Sports Foundation and designed to end homophobia in sport.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Megan Gunnar, Regents professor in the Institute of Child Development, will give a talk at the 19th annual Practical Pediatrics conference held by Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota on September 24th, 2009. Her talk will be on the development of children adopted after spending long periods of time in orphanages and other institutions.

Posted by Danielle Bordeleau at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Learning Technologies faculty Aaron Doering, Cassandra Scharber and Charles Miller, along with former LT student George Veletsianos, Ph.D., University of Manchester, UK, have recently published an article on GeoThentic, their most recently developed online K12 teaching and learning environment.

Doering, A., Scharber, C., Miller, C., & Veletsianos, G. (2009). GeoThentic: Designing and assessing with Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 9(3).

Abstract: GeoThentic, an online teaching and learning environment, focuses on engaging teachers and learners in solving real-world geography problems through use of geospatial technologies. The design of GeoThentic is grounded on the technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) framework as a metacognitive tool. This paper describes how the TPACK framework has informed the authors' design endeavors and how a set of assessment models within GeoThentic can be used to assess teachers' TPACK.

Posted by Lynn Englund at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The School of Kinesiology in collaboration with the Big Ten's Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) is hosting a high-level delegation of Chinese sport and physical education dignitaries on October 21-23. Last year, CIC schools sent their kinesiology faculty representatives to China for two weeks to encourage academic exchange in undergraduate programs and to explore potential research collaborations. This year the CIC is bringing their counterparts to the U.S. from these participating Chinese universities: Beijing Sport University; Tianjin University of Sport; Beijing Normal University; Harbin University of Sport; the Capital Institute of Physical Education in Beijing; Chengdu Sport University; East China Normal University in Shanghai; and South China Normal University in Guangzhou. The delegation will arrive in the Twin Cities and, with the help of an interpreter from the University's China Center, tour the University and specifically the School of Kinesiology's programs and facilities.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Tucker Center's Fall 2009 Distinguished Lecture, Facing Off Over Facebook: The Impact of Social Media on Women Sports, will be available via live stream on Monday, Oct. 19, beginning at 7:00pm Central Time. [convert this to your time]

The links to watch the lecture remotely are as follows (NOTE: The exterior links below may not work until the event has begun):

Tucker Center Site

Broadband Users (QuickTime Player)

Dial-Up Users (QuickTime Audio Only)

If you experience issues with the media player or the live stream, we urge you to contact us. You can reach Austin Calhoun during the DLS for any tech issues (calho029@umn.edu or via Twitter).

Note: The exterior links may not work until the event has begun.

Posted by Austin Stair Calhoun at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stephen Ross, Ph.D., associate professor in Kinesiology (sport management), was interviewed by Fox 9 News (9pm) on October 13th. Ross discussed the marketing power and endorsement opportunities of Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson.

The story and broadcast video are available, see Adrian Peterson: Football and Marketing Star.

Posted by John Brian Becker at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dr. Dorothy McNeill Tucker, whose generous endowment established the renowned Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, has created a $25,000 matching scholarship to support graduate studies at the Tucker Center. This exceptional gift enables the Tucker Center to bring outstanding students from around the U.S. to the U of M to pursue their graduate coursework and to engage in research on the impact of sport and physical activity on the lives of girls and women. Thanks to Dr. Tucker's visionary leadership and generosity, the Tucker Center will be able to provide this scholarship in perpetuity.

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alexandre Ardichvili, Ph.D., associate professor in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, received a 4-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education under the FIPSE/Brazil program called Global Talent Development for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

The program involves a partnership between the University of Minnesota, the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, the University of Sao Paulo (USP), and the University of Brasilia (UnB) that focuses on undergraduate and graduate student exchange and faculty research opportunities.

FIPSE provides scholarships for U.S. students going to Brazil for semester-long stays at USP or UnB.

Associate professors, Edgard Cornachione (USP) and Alexandre Ardichili (OLPD), will give a presentation on HRD in Brazil and the UMN/USP FIPSE exchange program on October 23, 2009 from 12:00-1:30 pm in 250 Wulling Hall.

Posted by Jodie Gustafson at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Curriculum and Instruction is pleased to host Tom DiMaria, executive director of Creative Growth Studios in Oakland, California, at October's Diversity Dialogue event on Thursday, October 29.

Time: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

Location: 325 Education Sciences Building

Posted by Lynn Englund at 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jarrett Gupton will hold an appointment in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development with an affiliation in the School of Social Work. His research is on educational experiences of homeless youth and access to higher education. His doctoral degree is in urban education policy from the University of Southern California.

Posted by Jodie Gustafson at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michael Wade, Ph.D., professor in Kinesiology, is in Taiwan October 6-12 to give two invited presentations at Cheng-Kung University in the city of Tainan. He will also be visiting students and faculty at National Taiwan Normal University and Kaohsiung University. Several former Kinesiology Ph.D. students have faculty positions in both universities.

Wade has also been invited to give the keynote address at the 2010 AAHPERD Convention March 17, 2010, in Indianapolis. The conference will be sponsored by the Motor Development and Learning Academy. The title of his address will be, "Lifespan Motor Development: Movement by Design and Movement that Informs."

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Tucker Center's Chesley Thul and Kelli Blankeship are presenting research posters Wednesday, October 7, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. in the TCF Stadium at the Student Scholar & Public Engagement Showcase.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D, associate director of the Tucker Center, and U of M hockey player and former Tucker Center summer intern and McNair Scholar Kelli Blankenship are featured on the University of Minnesota's home page in a piece titled Showcasing academics that highlights Blankenship's academic and research accomplishments and LaVoi's mentorship.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Ethics and Politics of Research with Immigrant Populations
President's Interdisciplinary Conference
June 4-5, 2010
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Conference chairs Assistant Professor Bic Ngo (Curriculum and Instruction), Associate Professor Martha Bigelow, (Curriculum and Instruction) and Professor Stacey Lee, Department of Educational Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison, announce the conference and extend a call for papers. Submission deadline: December 21, 2009.

Details are available at the conference Web site.

Download conference call for papers [pdf] and conference flier [pdf]

Posted by Lynn Englund at 2:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An adjunct instructor in the School of Kinesiology, Chris Lundstrom finished 12th overall in this year's Twin Cities Marathon with a time of 2:18:58, qualifying him for the Olympic Trials. This marathon was actually a "tune up" for him to run the New York City Marathon on November 1. Fittingly, Lundstrom teaches PE 1262: Marathon Training. In addition, he teaches conditioning courses and the Coaching & Theory of Track & Field in the Physical Activity Program. Congratulations, Chris!

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A study conducted by Anita Larson, research fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, was recently cited in a Minnesota Law & Politics article on homelessness in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Larson's study looked at school attendance records of children before and after they were identified by the schools as being homeless. The study found that attendance dramatically improved once homeless children were identified.

The article, written by Frank Jossi, discusses recent increases in the number of homeless people in the metro area and the impact this has on children. Jossi cites Larson's study, saying, "prospects for homeless kids are good once they are identified."

Larson is also quoted in the article: "It looks like being identified [as homeless] does something to stabilize kids' attendance at school," she said.

Read the full article No Direction Home.

Posted by Sarah Gorvin at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stephen Ross, Ph.D., associate professor in Kinesiology, led a workshop on Saturday October 3th on sports event management. The workshop was the capstone program for the Certificate in Festival and Event Management Program coordinated by the University of Minnesota Tourism Center. Ross spoke on current issues in sports event management, sponsorship opportunities, and the importance of sporting events in community development.

Posted by John Brian Becker at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

During summer 2009, Professors Robert and Rosalie Kane, along with Associate Professor of Social Work, Terry Lum and faculty fellows from multiple Hong Kong universities, led an inter-university intensive program in outcomes research in aging at Hong Kong University.

The intensive programs was part of Cadenza, an Initiative for Seniors sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Eleven Fellows trained in the 3rd cohort of Cadenza Fellows, representing geriatric medicine, ENT surgery, optometry, physical therapy, nursing, social work. While in Hong Kong, the teams met with similarly diverse members of Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 of this program, who are now in various stages of conducting their proposed research, also funded by the Jockey Club.

As of last summer, 30 faculty have participated in the program. The 11 fellows in Cohort 3 will attend the November meetings of the Gerontological Society of America and spend a day working with the Minnesota-based faculty on finalizing their research projects. This program is intended to develop an infrastructure for health services research in aging in Hong Kong and a critical mass of qualified researchers who also form a network for collaboration and mutual assistance.

Posted by Sarah Gorvin at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The College of Education and Human Development will hold a training event for the CEHD community, Responsible Conduct of Research in CEHD: Working with and Protecting Vulnerable Populations on Thursday, October 29. The event will take place in the Vo-Tech Education Building on the St. Paul campus. Presenters will be Cynthia McGill and Jeffrey Perkey of the Research Subjects Protection Program and Jeff Edleson of the School of Social Work.

This continued awareness/discussion event will cover several aspects related to responsible research, specifically working with and protecting human subjects. Issues discussed will directly relate the research enterprise within CEHD. The format will use minimal PowerPoint slides along with a discussion of scenarios.

Topics will include: a brief refresher on IRB procedures; what it means if a project is "exempt," (which describes many CEHD research projects); IRB responsibilities for PIs and students; responsibilities when working with children, seniors and vulnerable populations; and responsibilities and challenges when working with international sponsors and study participants

When: Thursday, October 1, 2009
Time: 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
Where: Vo-Tech Education Building, Room R285

Posted by Sarah Gorvin at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The organizers of the Ninth International Conference on Epigenetic Robotics have invited Juergen Konczak, Ph.D., professor of biomechanics, and colleagues to present a paper that will subsequently be published in a peer-reviewed engineering journal. This is the second paper this year originating from Konczak's collaboration with the Italian Institute of Technology, where he spent a recent sabbatical. Konczak is the senior author of the paper. The conference will be held November 12-14.

The paper models data of the early reaching movements of human babies to better understand their control problems and underlying neural control structures, knowledge that will be used for the control of a humanoid robot called iCub that is being developed in Europe. For a view of the iCub see the article at Euronews or the Human Sensorimotor Control lab.

The preliminary reference of the paper is: Nori F., Sandini G., Konczak J. (2009). Can imprecise internal motor models explain ataxic hand trajectories during reaching in young infants? Proceedings of 9th International Conference on Epigenetic Robotics.

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Next week, CEED's Five Hundred Under Five and CRTiEC (Center for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood) become residents of the University's newest site, the Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center (UROC) at Plymouth and Penn Avenues North in Minneapolis. We invite you to join with us in celebrating the launch of UROC and CEED satellite office there. Please come to the opening of our newly renovated building in North Minneapolis and connect with neighbors and supporters as we come together to create a shared future for our vital urban community. Building tours, art exhibit, performances, speakers, refreshments! Bring friends and relatives and spread the word! All are welcome!

2:00-5:00 pm, Saturday, October 31, 2009
2001 Plymouth Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55411
RSVP to www.uroc.umn.edu/launch or 612-626-UROC

Posted by Sara Zettervall at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alan Sroufe, Ph.D., professor in the Institute of Child Development, was recently interviewed for WCCO's news article and video entitled "Why First 3 Years of Life are Very Important." Sroufe, an expert on attachment in children, discusses how caregiving during the first few years of a child's life can impact their future success. Read more at the WCCO website, or view the video.

Posted by Danielle Bordeleau at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D, associate director of the Tucker Center, is the featured author in an Octoiber 1, 2009, Minnesota Women's Press LeaderVoice guest column entitled, "Relational Coach".

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The School of Kinesiology, in collaboration with Christopher Johnstone, Director of the College of Education and Human Development's International Initiatives and Relations, is hosting a delegation from the University of Agder in Kristiansand, Norway, on Monday, October 5. The delegation includes Torunn Lauvdal, the university's Rector, and Svein Arild Pedersen, Director of the International Office, who will be discussing potential University-wide partnerships and student exchange. The delegation will be talking with the School director Mary Jo Kane, Connie Magnuson, coordinator of the program in Recreation, Park, and Leisure Studies, and with Sean Morrisey and Mitch Hoffman from the Department of Recreational Sports' Center for Outdoor Adventure.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Tucker Center, in collaboration with the Minnesota International Center and the U.S. Department of State, is hosting an International Visitor Leadership Program "Women in Sports" delegation from the State of Qatar in the Persian Gulf on Friday, October 5. Maha Yousef Al-Abduliabbar, Member, Board of Qatar Women's Sport Committee, Ahlam Salem Al-Mana, President, Qatar Women's Sport Committee, and Salha Masoud Al-Naemi, Manager, Qatar Women's Basketball Team, will tour the Tucker Center and talk with Austin Stair Calhoun, doctoral candidate, regarding the Center's programming objectives and implementation.

Posted by Jonathan Sweet at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Megan Gunnar, Regents professor in the Institute of Child Development, presented at the Stress Satellite Symposium of the 41st European Brain and Behavior Society (EBBS) Meeting in Rhodes, Greece, on September 14th, 2009. Her presentation was on "Regulation of the HPA-axis in children: sensitivity to responsive parental care."

Posted by Danielle Bordeleau at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dr. Beth Lewis, assistant professor in kinesiology, will serve as a Co-Investigator on a grant just funded by the Centers for Disease Control. The grant for $200,000 over one year will fund a study on "Prevention of Gestational Diabetes in American Indian Women." The PI is Dr. Jamie Stang from the School of Public Health.

Posted by Marta Fahrenz at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)