"The fellows are a wonderful resource," says IFP director Sudha Shetty. "As high-ranking mid-career professionals, they really help us look outward, so that our curriculum is not so America-centric. The case studies and examples I use in the course titled Leadership for the Common Good--to point to just one example--are much richer because of the fellows.

"Thanks to the commitment by the dean and the Institute, we are one of the model programs in the country," she continues. "We have wonderful relationships with Hennepin County and other local organizations and companies, as well as a 'buddies' program that pairs each international fellow with a current Humphrey student so that they can learn from one another on a social level as well as in an academic setting."

Below are the biographies of this year's Humphrey Fellows.

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program provides a year of professional enrichment in the United States for experienced professionals from designated countries throughout the world. Fellows are selected based on their potential for leadership and their commitment to public service in either the public or private sector.

Ishfaq Ahmed
Pakistan
Mr. Ishfaq Ahmed has been with the Pakistani police service since 1999. He currently serves as commandant of the Punjab Police Department's Rawalpindi Police Training School in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. There, he supervises training, administration, and the training curriculum development. During his fellowship year, Mr. Ahmed will focus on human rights mechanisms, due process and the rule of law, and judicial and criminal justice systems.

Sabha Al Dhafri
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Ms. Sabha Al Dhafri has worked for the Union National Bank in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi for 13 years. Promoted to bank manager in 2006, she is the first UAE national female branch manager in the Union National Bank. Her focus is on the recruitment, motivation, development, evaluation, and retention of employees. During her fellowship year, Ms. Al Dhafri will focus on human resources management and team leadership.

Faiza Al-Qubati
Yemen
Ms. Faiza Al-Qubati has a rich background in accounting and financial management. She currently serves as Accounting Coordinator for the Yemen Liquid Natural Gas Company, one of the country's largest companies working to develop Yemen's gas resources. There, she coordinates various types of audits, such as cost recovery, shareholders', and external audits. During her fellowship year, Ms. Al-Qubati will focus on U.S. auditing practices, economic development, finance, and banking.

Sultan Al Shereiqi
Oman
Mr. Sultan Al Shereiqi began his career with Oman's Ministry of Manpower in 1999, working his way from data entry to his current position as director of labor inspection. His responsibilities include preparing action plans for comprehensive labor inspections; advising business owners, workers, and stakeholders on labor law; conducting follow-up investigations; and organizing labor inspection research. Mr. Al Shereiqi will concentrate on labor rights, human trafficking, and public-private partnerships.

Idirisu Chin
Cameroon
Over the past 17 years, Mr. Idirisu Chin has held many leadership positions within Islamic education in Cameroon, first as vice principal then principal of an Islamic high school, and now as chief of pedagogy and administration for the Organization of Islamic Educational Establishments in Kumbo, North West Region. During his fellowship year, Mr. Chin will focus on human resources management, performance evaluation and career development, leadership, conflict management, nonprofit management, organizational culture, and public-sector ethics.

Mohamed El-Qasemy
Morocco
Mr. Mohamed El-Qasemy's background is in economics, public administration, and public finance. He has worked in Morocco's Ministry of Economy and Finance for the last 10 years, currently serving as state controller in its Department of Public Enterprises and Privatization, responsible for oversight of contracts and performance of public establishments and state-owned companies. Mr. El-Qasemy will focus on public finance systems, the budget processes, public policy analysis, and program evaluation.

Jin Hyuk Her
South Korea
Mr. Jin Hyuk Her is an officer in the Korea National Police Force, currently serving as police patrol car dispatcher with the Gyeong Ju Police Station, where he counsels callers on legal matters and conflict resolution, and dispatches patrol cars when necessary. During his fellowship year, Mr. Her will be focusing on law enforcement, human rights, and social policies.

Min Htin
Burma (Myanmar)
Mr. Min Htin currently serves as executive committee member and board member for the YMCA in Mandalay, an organization that plays a vital role in developing a civil society through practical training and education for local youth. His main interest is in human resources management and of youth development as it relates to the future of his country. During his fellowship year, Mr. Htin will focus on human resources management, particularly human resource planning, performance management, and youth training.

Agnes Igoye
Uganda
Ms. Agnes Igoye has served 14 years in the Government of Uganda's Ministry of Internal Affairs, currently as senior immigration officer/training coordinator for the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control in Kampala, Uganda. She is responsible for planning, designing, and conducting training activities on such topics as irregular migration and counter trafficking, passport/document fraud, organized crime, and effective border management. During her fellowship year, Ms. Igoye will focus on human trafficking prevention, victim and witness protection programs, and victim rehabilitation programs.

Min (Zoe) Shen
China
Ms. Min Shen currently serves as director of international business development at Horizon Research Consultancy Group, the largest local independent research company in China. Ms. Shen's extensive research experience in public opinion and social studies enables her to serve as a bridge between the public and local government in China, as well as between the Chinese and others from around the world. During her fellowship year, Ms. Shen will focus on public policy analysis, foundation and nonprofit operation, management and governance of nonprofits, and organizational effectiveness.

Kirti Thapa
Nepal
Ms. Kirti Thapa has more than 10 years of experience in gender equality and protection of children and women from violence, abuse, and exploitation, including trafficking. She currently serves as senior program coordinator-child rights governance with Save the Children in Kathmandu, where she is responsible for providing strategic direction and technical assistance to her organization and its partners to improve their capacity to develop and implement child rights programs. During her fellowship year, Ms. Thapa will focus on human trafficking (prevention, protection, policy advocacy, victim support) and human rights.

Abdoul Aziz Traore
Mali
Mr. Abdoul Aziz Traore is director of human resources at Energie du Mali, the only electricity provider in Mali, where has worked since 1996. He also is a member of the international nonprofit LEAD, a worldwide network of organizations and individuals committed to sustainable development. During his fellowship year, Mr. Traore will focus on public policy, program evaluation, and leadership.

Nadezhda (Nadia) Trubova
Kazakhstan
Ms. Nadezhda Trubova has worked in Kazakhstan's NGO sector for more than 10 years, particularly in support of orphans and underprivileged young people, helping them find their place in life and arming them with educational and professional tools to be active members of the society. She currently is training coordinator at the public foundation HELP in Kostanai, where she is responsible for preparing and conducting trainings for HELP projects. During her fellowship year, Ms. Trubova will focus on community needs assessment, project management, qualitative methods in social research, monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning, and financial and organizational management of NGOs.

Each year, the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute at CTS selects one graduate student for the Outstanding Student of the Year Award sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration. Fay Cleaveland, a second-year Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) student, was this year's recipient.

Research Fellow Ferrol Robinson was selected for the 2010 Ray L. Lappegaard Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented to a transportation professional who displays outstanding leadership, mentorship and support to the profession.

Zhiyi Xu, a MURP candidate, received the John S. Adams Award for Excellence in Transportation Research and Education for his paper "Exploring the connections among residential location, self-selection, and driving behavior: A case study of Raleigh, N.C." The Adams award is named in honor of Professor Emeritus John S. Adams, a significant contributor to transportation-related research, education, and outreach activities. MURP graduate Katie Roth was the inaugural recipient last year.

Kathy Quick, who will join the Humphrey School this fall as an assistant professor of leadership, is interested in building individual and organizational potential for solving public problems.

Quick originally trained in ecology and environmental affairs, earning a Master of City Planning degree from the University of California-Berkeley and a doctorate in planning, policy, and design from the University of California-Irvine. She worked in the environmental movement in Indonesia for several years between her master's and Ph.D. degrees, which gave her the opportunity to observe the intersection of environmental planning and development.

Quick has seen some more successful--and less successful-- models of civic engagement and public leadership over the years.

"I worked a as a stringer for the local newspaper when I was in college [at Swarthmore] and I was stunned by the lack of leadership at the local level in that part of rural Pennsylvania. Some of the cities had such dysfunctional responses to problems," she says.

By contrast, the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan--which was the subject of Quick's dissertation--"has made persistent and successful attempts to engage citizens in creating solutions together, which has helped the city weather a lot of hard times."

But, even in a city with a strong commitment to civic engagement, some efforts turn out better than others. Based on hundreds of interviews with senior government managers, political leaders, and community members, Quick has compared several efforts to engage the citizenry, including the management of a citywide environmental master planning effort, a process to address neighborhood gentrification conflict, city budgeting choices, and organization of a major new international art competition in Grand Rapids.

Her dissertation focused on what she describes as "inclusive public leadership practices," which are practices that facilitate adaptive community change through involving a broad array of public and private sectors to address public issues. She found that the inclusive nature of leadership generated several positive impacts, such as facilitating new connections among people and issues that produce new ways of seeing and addressing problems; generating additional resources to address problems; enhancing leadership; and strengthening buy-in and capacity for ongoing engagement and implementation of related policies and programs.

Quick says that she is excited about her move to the Twin Cities and to the Humphrey School.

"Irvine is lovely, but I am ready for some real city living," she says.

The classroom may be the most exciting place for Quick of all. "I have been impressed by Humphrey students--their energy, their enthusiasm--at conferences. Meeting them has confirmed that. This really is a very outward-looking institution, and I welcome that."

Peter H. Brown got his first bike in 1965. He got his second bike last year for Father's Day.

"[My wife] made the case that it was inconsistent for a self-proclaimed urbanist like me not to take advantage of Minneapolis's system of bike trails, which is one of the best in the country," he says. "Now, in good weather, we ride around together in search of good pastries, cheap Vietnamese food, and ice cream."

"I really liked being a 'mature' student," he says [He was 37 when he completed his degree.] "Because I had worked as an architect and in city government, I brought a lot to it."

Brown went on to earn a Ph.D. in city and regional planning and, in 2009, the University of Pennsylvania Press published his book, America's Waterfront Revival. Since moving to the Twin cities seven years ago, he has worked in real estate development, and now he "brings a lot" to the classroom as an adjunct professor in the Institute's urban and regional planning program.

"Teaching is a way of learning," Brown says, "and I always want to be learning. My professional background has informed my view of urban development, and I try to share that perspective with my students."

Brown has taught a course on private sector development at the Institute for the past three years. Brown says that, initially, some students look askance at private-sector development, considering developers opportunistic or solely focused on the bottom line. By taking a market perspective and using case studies and other real-world examples, Brown tries to convey a more nuanced view of real estate developers and their role in the urban landscape.

"Some students come into class wanting to learn 'how the other guy thinks' because they assume that they will be in a government role, sitting across the table from developers," says Brown. "By the end of the semester, some of those same students have gone from wondering 'how the other guy thinks' to thinking like the other guy."

Brown has done considerable thinking about how developers think. In fact, he is under contract with the University of Pennsylvania Press to write a book on the subject.

"Developers think like entrepreneurs," he says. "They have a different attitude toward risk and opportunity. But once you understand the economics and finance of their business, you find that they are very sensible and rational."

Adjunct professors, such as Brown, are essential to the Institute's academic programs, says Associate Dean Greg Lindsey.

"We're happy Peter teaches for us. His contributions to our program exemplify what is best about professional education at the Humphrey School. Our students get to learn from some of the world's best theoreticians as well as from successful practitioners, like Peter, whose understanding of urban theory and economics enable him to work successfully in private enterprise and government."

Talking about urban development and redevelopment, Brown says, "I like to do it. I like to think about it. I like to write about it. And I like to teach it."

Although 23% of Americans live in rural areas, rural roads account for a sizeable portion of the nation's roadways, and 57% of highway deaths occur on roads that are considered rural.

Researchers at the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS) tackled this question by commissioning a nationwide poll to better understand drivers' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs concerning their safety on rural roads.

The results of this survey were clear: despite statistics to the contrary, drivers feel safer on rural highways, making them more likely to drink or engage in distracted driving on these roads.

According to Lee Munnich, CERS director, "People seem more comfortable on those roads, even though the facts show that they are more dangerous. They feel more relaxed, and, as a result, they engage in riskier behavior."

Munnich blames much of the misperception of safety on rural roads to the fact that there is less traffic and fewer people, and that drivers tend to be more familiar and comfortable with their surroundings.

"Engineers can do a lot to design safer roads, but they can't create safer drivers," Munnich says. "That's where policy comes in."

In the same survey, CERS asked questions to gauge the support on behalf of American drivers for policies aimed at reducing road fatalities. They found that drivers were overwhelmingly supportive of these measures, including primary seat belt laws, sobriety checkpoints, helmet mandates, graduated drivers' licenses for teenagers, automated speed enforcement, and breathalyzer-based ignition locks.

"The bottom line is, people want to be safe," says Munnich. "Ultimately, they should adopt safe practices of their own. But in the meantime, they want to know that there are penalties for unsafe driving."

The CERS team is taking this message directly to lawmakers, with the hopes that they will see the overwhelming public support for and success of these policies across the nation. Munnich presented the policy results at the National Conference of State Legislatures annual summit this summer and will now move on to surveying lawmakers to find out political and other obstacles to implementing these policies.

The Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice will host a conference on racial inequality and public procurement and contracting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m on Wednesday, May 11, in Cowles Auditorium at the Humphrey Center. The conference will bring together national academics and experts to discuss the best practices, methodologies, and development of new tools for increasing small business participation in both public and private contracting activities. The conference is aimed to reach academics, policy makers, business owners, and the public. Tickets at http://procurementandcontracting.eventbrite.com.

The Center on Women and Public Policy will host a meetings of the Women and Politics Book Club on Wednesday, May 11, at 5 p.m. in Freeman Commons (Room 205 Humphrey Center). Big Girls Don't Cry: The Election That Changes Everything for American Women, by Rebecca Traister, covers the 2008 presidential election. This event is free and open to the public.

"The literature documenting the relationship between family activities and child well-being already is well established," Fan says. "I am interested in establishing the causality chain linking neighborhood design to family togetherness and then to good outcomes for kids."

The first phase of the research will involve recruiting families with school-age children from throughout the Twin Cities. Analyzing such data as the characteristics of the neighborhoods in which they live, weekly activity logs, and personal attributes, Fan will identify potential determinants of family activity participation and child well-being, which, in turn will be used to design neighborhood-specific strategies to meet the needs of families with school-age children.

The final phase of the project will be before-and-after comparisons of targeted neighborhoods with "control" communities that have similar socio-demographic characteristics to determine whether the positive changes in the built environment improve child health and school performance by increasing participation in family activities.

'The 'active living through design' movement in urban planning has focused on individual activity," Fan continues, "but the 'with whom' question has been overlooked. With whom you enjoy recreation and physical activity is very important in terms of building social capital, something that has been declining in American society for the past 20 years or so."

Aided by the Humphrey School's information technology team and a grant from the University's Digital Media Center, Sandfort set out to leverage the power of technology to turn written case studies into interactive, multimedia experiences for students.

"By providing information in multimedia formats, students experience the problem and potential solutions unfolding in ways that much more closely approximate the complexities of practice," says Sandfort. "It's as if they are really there, in the situation."

The goal of the enhanced case studies is to help students learn the role of nonprofit organizations, define and analyze difficult problems, understand the ramifications of policy decisions, and use accessible analytical tools to arrive at solutions.

In Sandfort's first case, students are presented with information about a complex public policy problem: predatory lending practices. Some national tax preparers subvert earned income tax credits into "refund anticipation" loans. These tax credits are meant to compensate low-wage workers, but end up costing them much more in high interest rates.

Students assume the role of the executive director of a small nonprofit firm that provides free tax preparation to low-income citizens. They navigate their way through the process of solving the problem, considering potential avenues to expand their services.

The students make these leadership decisions based on multimedia tools-video interviews with key stakeholders, audio segments with photographs, and reports around relevant topics. All of these tools help them understand the assets and limitations of the organization and choose possible solutions to maximize the impact it could have.

When it comes time to implement their decisions, each student's individual outcome is documented as part of a final report that he or she evaluates with the instructor.

"The tools also require that students articulate why they made the decisions they did about how to proceed," Sandfort says. "This forces them to make their 'hunches' more explicit and ground them in analysis."

Although still in nascent phases, Sandfort already is evaluating the multimedia case study's effectiveness. "We are focused on evaluating student learning outcomes with this tool," she says. "Not just compared to traditional, written case studies, but also the possibility that this will change the way students learn."

An expert on the international aspects of competition, taxation, and other economic policies, Kudrle recently returned from the Kingdom of Swaziland where he was invited to present at a workshop on competition policy to government representatives and staff of the Swaziland Competition Commission (SCC), as well as local law firms and businesses. The European Development Fund, the International Institute for Advanced Studies, and TradeCom Facility sponsored the workshop.

Formal competition law concerns three main areas, Kudrle explains:

Amalgamation by mergers and acquisitions among firms, which can lead to monopolies and threaten the competitive process;
Collusion by agreements that restrict competition among business, including the suppression of competition caused by cartels; and
Exclusion by such practices as predatory pricing, marketing restrictions, and other actions intended to drive competitors out of business or to keep them from entering.
The Kingdom of Swaziland is an absolute monarchy, says Kudrle, where the king exercises ultimate governing authority. The country has a parliament and a well-structured bureaucracy, but there also are deeply entrenched economic interests.

One of the principal functions of the SCC should be to eliminate anticompetitive activity fostered elsewhere within the government through various forms of regulation. In addition, 90 percent of Swaziland's imports come from South Africa, so many of the competition problems it faces have their roots abroad. This call for strong cooperation with competition authorities in South Africa and elsewhere.

"The issue goes well beyond getting the right laws the books. That's the easy part," Kudrle says. "The government must be alert to a broad range of practices that lower the purchasing power of the Swazi people.

Part of Kudrle's considered four industries that are important in many African countries: sugar, beer, cement, and telecommunications.

Swaziland is making progress toward a freer market. Three years ago, the Swaziland legislature enacted the 2007 Competition Act, creating the SCC, which is charged both with improving trade and economic liberalization and with enabling effective prosecution of region-wide anti-competitive market practices.

Kudrle's hopes for the project are even broader.

"The aim is to maximize transparency and make the market work freely. We want to try to encourage people working on these issues to be aggressive. We want them to become strong advocates for competition and choice in the marketplace."

The ultimate goal is to equip the SCC with the tools to support a free market where consumers benefit, bringing greater economic prosperity and reducing poverty. Kudrle will make at least one more trip to Swaziland in the near future.

"It's exciting to share lessons from abroad with people who are setting the groundwork for an important new venture. I think it builds morale--theirs and mine--to know that professionals all over the world face similar challenges and want to help each other," he says. "This is what networked governance is all about."

On September 29, the University of Minnesota Alumni Association honored outstanding alumni volunteers, groups, and programs, including former Humphrey School Advisory Council and Alumni Board member Bernadine Joselyn (MPA '99), pictured here with mentor and Advisory Council member Tom Swain.

"The University of Minnesota community benefits in many ways from the valuable contributions and service of its dedicated alumni," said Phil Esten, president and chief executive officer of the alumni association. "We are honored to annually recognize individuals who devote an incredible amount of time, energy and talent to promote the University of Minnesota across the state, nation and world, and who encourage engagement through unique and meaningful ways."

As of mid-2009, approximately 33 states had a climate change action plan and about 15 states had adopted California's vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards. California also has enacted a low-carbon fuel standard.

While California is well-studied, the researchers decided to study Minnesota because it is more representative of a typical state in relation to several factors affecting greenhouse gas emissions including population, registered vehicles, typical distances traveled, and gasoline consumption. Minnesota also enacted legislation in 2007 regarding emissions. The greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in Minnesota are 15 percent by 2015 and 30 percent by 2025, relative to 2005.

In their research, the team modeled several technology and policy options for reducing Minnesota's emissions. They studied a wide range of scenarios, from doing nothing, to adopting strict standards for fuels and vehicle efficiency, to increasing mass transit.

The researcher team, which included Humphrey School student Peter Nussbaum and Assistant Professor Elizabeth Wilson, concluded that Minnesota has a viable approach to meeting these goals only if advancements are made in all three areas--vehicle efficiency, decreased carbon content of fuels, and reduction of distances traveled by car. If the approach is not comprehensive and policies focus on only one or two areas, potential improvements may be negated by backsliding in another area, the report stated.

To view the full research report, visit http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es902019z.

Developments in Egypt have been so dramatic and have moved so fast in the past few days that I am engulfed in conflicting emotions about what is happening there.

On the one hand, I am elated and excited about the potential for democratic change made possible by ordinary people losing their fear of a repressive regime and going to the streets to demand its ouster.

On the other hand, I am filled with apprehension at the potential for chaos and violence. I worry about family members and friends who are having to fend off a wave of looting and vandalism unleashed by a police force that simply vanished from the scene.

The uprising has already achieved a great deal. President Hosni Mubarak has given up on his ambition to pass on the mantle of power to his son Gamal. By appointing a vice president for the first time in 30 years, he acknowledged the impossibility of the inheritance scenario.

Mubarak is trying to suggest that he is willing to enact reforms. But he has appointed a vice president and a prime minister who both have prominent military backgrounds. He seems to be trying to aiming to please the military, rather than the protesters.

These changes will never satisfy the crowds in the streets. These measures will become meaningful only if they pave the way for Mubarak's own exit. If Mubarak leaves, the protesters might be willing to grant the military a chance to usher the country toward democratic elections.

The military appears unwilling to fire on the protesters. The repressive internal security forces are off the street. In my view, the demonstrators have gained the upper hand.

The disappearance of those security and police forces from the streets of Cairo on Friday night may have been a tactic to frighten the middle and upper classes into clamoring for their return. If so, the tactic failed when neighbors organized to protect their families and property. The people simply refused to let themselves be terrorized.

They see that the game is over for the Mubarak regime. Now it's time for the Obama administration to acknowledge as much. It has been trying to hedge its bets by appearing tough on Mubarak, yet stopping short of pulling the plug on his regime in case he survives.

The administration should quit prevaricating and take a clear position in line with the principles America stands for. It should help nudge Mubarak into the dustbin of history. That is the only way to gain the future trust and friendship of the Egyptian people.

----

Ragui Assaad, a professor of international development at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, spends three to four months a year conducting research in his native Egypt. He is a source in MPR's Public Insight Network.

ABC News, 02/01/11, Egypt president Mubarak is 'making the whole country pay the price'

KSTP, 01/31/11, Unrest in egypt could affect local gas prices

Minnesota Daily, 01/31/11, Protests, pressure mount in egypt

Minn Post, 01/31/11, Behind the turmoil in egypt: angry young people who expected more

Council on Foreign Relations, 02/14/11, Demographics of Arab Protests

Council on Foreign Relations, 02/16/11, Top of agenda: violent protest erupt in libya

Fox 9, 02/04/11 Professor predicts democracy for egypt

Brookings, 02/23/11, How will tunisia's jasmine revolution affect the arab world?

American Public Media, 02/02/11 Egypt bank closures halt remittances

Spiegel Online International, 02/03/11, No quick fix for arab youth's economic woes

Knowledge Wharton, 02/02/11, Uprising in egypt: rebirth in an ancient land?

CNN, 02/02/11, Inside the numbers: the frustration of a generation

KSTP, 01/30/11, How egyptian protests could impact minn.

The National, 02/09/11, No quick fix for economic malaise of many Arab countries

Sify News, 02/06/11, Egypt's divided military will want mubarak to go with dignity

The New York Times, 02/05/11, Egypt stability hinges on a divided military

Today online, 01/31/11, Suleiman likely to please military, not crowds

Oneinida News, 01/30/11, Mubarak's appointment Suleiman as VP likely to appease military, not people: Analysts

Hindustan Times, 01/31/11, Suleiman may please military, not public

Turthout, 02/23/11, US-financed egyptian military orchestrating attacks on protesters

The Gleaner, 02/06/11, Egypt at is red sea

Yahoo News, 02/03/11, The youth unemployment bomb

The Telegraph, 02/23/11, Even if the fires raging in the middle ease raze its authoritarian regimes, little will change

The Daily Reckoning by Bill Bonner, 02/09/11, Problems of unemployed youth deepen

NDTV, 02/01/11, Egypt crisis: A million protesters march into tahrir square in cairo

Guardian.co.uk, 01/30/11, Egypt protest-as they happened

Adoption of many of these evidence-based policies has been limited in part by a perception among some policymakers that the initiatives lack public support. However, according to Munnich, the CERS research findings call these assumptions into question

"Research can tell us which policies will save lives, but many policymakers have been assuming that they are unpopular and that the public is opposed to them," Munnich says. "But these findings show remarkably strong public support."

Of the 1,205 people surveyed:

64% support "enforcing speed limits through the use of automated camera and radar devices."
72% support "allowing law enforcement officials to stop and ticket drivers for failure to obey seatbelt laws."
82% support "allowing law enforcement officials to stop drivers at checkpoints and ticket those driving drunk."
84% support "requiring motorcyclists to wear a helmet."
88% support "requiring new drivers to gain experience and skills gradually over time in low-risk environments before giving them a full driver's license."
88% support "requiring people convicted of drunk driving to install a device on their car that locks the ignition if the driver fails an automated in-vehicle breathalyzer test."
Large majorities of self-described conservatives, moderates, liberals, rural citizens, urban citizens, and suburban citizens all supported the six policies. Males and females both overwhelmingly supported the policies, though significantly larger majorities of females were in support.

Overall, 91 percent of survey respondents said that it was important that their local lawmakers work to improve the safety of roads in their area. Political philosophy was not a significant factor in their support: 92 percent of conservatives, 86 percent of moderates, and 92 percent of liberals thought it was important.

"It's unusual to see this much support across the board for any public policy issue," says Munnich. "We now know that the public supports road safety policies. It will be interesting to see what policymakers do with that information."

The survey was sponsored by CERS, and conducted by Critical Insights of Portland, Maine. The findings represent the responses of a randomized national probability sample of 1,205 registered voters who drive at least once per week. The survey was conducted from March 23 through May 6, 2010. The margin of error for questions in which the entire sample is considered is +/- 2.8 percent. The margin of error is higher when smaller sub-populations are analyzed.

"Social policy is a pillar of our teaching and research program," said J. Brian Atwood, dean. "Women and public policy is an important concentration and an element of our curriculum that makes the Humphrey School degree programs unique."

As associate director and then interim director, Fitzpatrick has lead several major, multi-year research projects. In partnership with the Women's Foundation of Minnesota, she directs the Status of Women and Girls in Minnesota project, a new initiative that systematically examines key indicators for women and girls in Minnesota, raises public awareness of issues important to the lives of women and girls, and identifies policy solutions for decision makers. She also leads the center's research efforts in the area of women and electoral politics, including a longitudinal study examining the effectiveness of programs designed to help women achieve elected office. Finally, Fitzpatrick directs the Infinity Project, a collaboration of legal scholars and lawyers working to increase gender diversity on the federal bench.

Before joining the center, Fitzpatrick served as a program director for the Center for School Change, conducting major research projects on education policy with such partner organizations as the National Governors Association and the Gates Foundation. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

Co-author Marcie Rendon, Ojibwe playwright, poet, and writer adds, "Art keeps Native people alive. Young man brought back from the dead decides to pursue art and now makes a career on the plains of 'Pleasantville' in Fargo, North Dakota. Father paints spirit of daughter killed in school bus accident into each work of art he creates. Man rehabs self from debilitating stroke by carving images out of stone."

The study finds Ojibwe artists are more likely to be self-employed than artists in general. Few work for commercial or nonprofit employers, the legacy of discrimination, poor access to arts training, and living far from employment centers. Some are successful entrepreneurs, while many travel to sell work at Indian markets and powwows. Overwhelmingly, the artists interviewed would like to concentrate more on their art and make more income from it.

Many Ojibwe artists do not see themselves as individuals pursuing a career, but anchor their artwork in community cultural practice. Native values, such as gift-giving, cooperating, and "not standing out," clash with Western norms of artistic aspiration and self-promotion. Nevertheless, many Ojibwe artists have been successful in bridging traditional with contemporary artistic forms and content.

McKnight Foundation program officer Vickie Benson welcomed the findings by saying "Despite remarkable creativity and great demonstrated skill, most Native artists in Minnesota have not received the respect, the attention, or the financial resources their cultural contributions merit. We at The McKnight Foundation were pleased to support this report's research into the multiple barriers our state's Native artists face in developing their work."

The study showcases pioneering efforts that offer Ojibwe artists opportunities to present and earn income from their work. "There are one-of-a-kind instances where a Native entrepreneur creates a place for young musicians to practice, record, and perform (Cass Lake's North Star Coffee Bar); visual artists to hang, speak about, and sell their art (Two Rivers Gallery); and authors to read and sell their work (Birchbark Books)," says Markusen. "In other cases, non-Native patrons or managers dedicate a space for Native artwork (Todd Bockley Gallery, the Mahnomen Shooting Star Casino gift shop, Fond du Lac's Min No Aya Win Clinic, Grand Portage Lodge, and Mille Lacs Grand Casino and Hotel)."

The report makes recommendations for artists, arts resource/space managers, tribal leaders, funders, city leaders and Native arts organizations, among others, to raise the visibility of the value and impact of Native work and to build careers and good incomes for Native artists. "We believe that, through the talents of many of our interviewees, Minnesota and neighboring states could build a reputation for distinction in Woodland Indian art, comparable to the place Pueblo and Navajo art holds in the southwest," says Markusen.

The complete study, including profiles of more than 50 artists and pioneering arts managers, can be found online at www.hhh.umn.edu/projects/prie. The study was funded by The McKnight Foundation, in support of an environment in which artists are valued leaders in our community. While supplies last, copies are available from McKnight by calling 612-333-4220.

The Humphrey School ranks among the top professional schools of public affairs at public universities in the country. The Institute is widely recognized for its role in examining public issues and shaping policy and planning at the local, state, national, and international levels, as well as for providing leadership and management expertise to public and nonprofit organizations. The Institute offers four graduate degrees, plus a Master in Development Practice degree in international development that will welcome its first cohort in August 2010.

Painting credit: Jim Denomie, Untitled Portraits; Photo credit: Cheryl Walsh Bellville

Lack of political will, economic agendas, and uncertainties over environmental risk assessment are among the challenges to addressing environmental pollution before it's too late. Now, history seems to be repeating itself with the newest addition to the soup mix: engineered nanomaterials (ENMs).

Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of matter at the atomic scale, 1 to 100 nanometers (1 billionth of a meter), to create new products and processes with novel properties. It's being used in material engineering, consumer products, food production, agriculture, health care, environmental remediation and medicine.

Many portray nanotechnology as today's greatest revolutionary force. More than a thousand consumer products currently on the market contain nanomaterials, from dental fillers, fuel cells and tires to electronics, clothing and cosmetics. Nanotechnology could help improve human drugs, pesticide delivery, renewable energy systems, and the quality and safety of food.

At the nanoscale, matter takes on increased reactivity, unique electrical and physical properties, and the ability to penetrate biological and environmental systems. Some of these properties can be harnessed for environmental benefit. Superfund sites, where hazardous waste is located, are being remediated with iron nanoparticles. In addition, solar cells developed with ENMs are proving to be more efficient with the use of fewer materials.

However, these special properties also allow nanoparticles to cross the blood-brain barrier in the central nervous system, among other physical separations in organisms. And nano-versions of existing chemicals are more toxic to animals at lower concentrations than their larger cousins.

In other words, nanotechnology presents a double-edged sword. While it has potential to benefit society, it also has potential to increase risk.

The United States has yet to see a coordinated approach to environmental regulation of ENMs, even though their manufacturing, use and disposal have occurred for more than a decade. Our laws and regulatory processes are not designed to capture nano-versions of existing products. Moreover, there's little information on where nanomaterials are produced or in what quantities. No mandatory reporting requirements exist. There is also little pre-market testing for the ENMs used in most products.

Washing machines with silver nanoparticles illustrate just one crack in the regulatory system. The machines allow clothes to last longer without smelling (i.e. bacterial growth is prevented by the particles), but the associated ENMs end up in surface and ground water--despite the fact that their toxicity to microorganisms has already been established.

After intense pressure from non-governmental organizations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is just now starting to consider the regulation of silver ENMs as pesticides. But if the manufacturer does not claim that the product is a pesticide, the regulatory process is not triggered. For example, some silver ENM products are now marketed as "fresher longer" instead of germ-killing.

To date, about only 1 percent of federal government spending on nanotechnology research has been devoted to environmental risk-relevant research. A new bill to increase this percentage has been drafted, but has yet to pass the House and Senate.

At the same time, laboratory studies on the toxicity of ENMs to several indicator organisms are accumulating. Bans on the most toxic ENMs, such as certain carbon nanotubes with asbestos-like properties, should be considered until more studies are gathered and interpreted.

These bans may not be purely "science-based" decisions, in the sense that the damage hasn't been explicitly seen, at least not yet. Considering our history of chemical usage and environmental impacts, a cautious approach makes sense. Given its "newness," nanotechnology presents an opportunity for us to do better this time.

- Associate Professor Jennifer Kuzma

(Reprinted from the Institute on the Environment's Momentum magazine.)

"The University of Minnesota is a ground breaker with the development of a rigorous, interdisciplinary, practice-based MDP program. They have moved forward with developing a program that prepares young people with the knowledge and skills they need to address the complex challenges of sustainable development be it poverty, hunger or disease," says Lucia Rodriguez of the Global Master of Development Practice Secretariat, the umbrella organization overseeing all MDP programs and activities worldwide. "University of Minnesota's launch of the MDP program will ensure that more young people are prepared to be the type of leaders who really make a difference in the world."

The new degree will provide training that integrates policy analysis and management, health and education, natural sciences, social sciences, and interdisciplinary research methods. The University's is one of only four such degrees in the nation, including an existing program at Columbia University and planned programs at the University of Florida and Emory University.

"The new MDP capitalizes on ICGC's experience working with scholars and doctoral students on interdisciplinary study and combines that with the professional school ethos of the Humphrey School," says Eric Sheppard, Regents Professor of Geography who serves as associate director of ICGC. "It's an exciting new undertaking."

The academic units participating in the MDP degree are: College of Biological Sciences, College of Education and Human Development, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change, and School of Public Health.