U of M || University News Service || U of M Moment

September 29, 2006

Bringing Gopher Football Back to Campus on Saturday, Sept. 30th

This Saturday is a big day for Gopher football... and all Minnesotans are invited to take part in the festivities. Margaret Sughrue Carlson, CEO of the U of M Alumni Association, calls on Gopher fans from near and far to join in the celebration to kick off construction of the new on-campus football stadium.

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Posted by jfalk at 04:41 PM

September 28, 2006

The Wall of Discovery

On Friday, Sept. 29, the U of M will unveil the Wall of Discovery, an innovative artistic display that highlights some of the research, notes and drawings of 92 of the university's greatest researchers. Drew Sternal, who designed and created the wall, says the representations are meant to inspire and cause people to reflect.

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Posted by jfalk at 05:30 PM

September 27, 2006

Scholars Walk

On Friday, Sept. 29, the U of M will unveil the Scholars Walk, a 2,200-foot-long corridor through campus with monuments honoring the U's greatest intellectual achievements. Larry Laukka, who spearheaded the design and development of the walk, says the bur oak tree-lined pathway provides for the first time a prominent, permanent memorial for the U's greatest minds.

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Posted by jfalk at 06:42 PM

September 26, 2006

Giving to the U

This month, the U of M Foundation announced that alumni and friends made gift commitments totaling $181 million to the university in the 2006 fiscal year. Gerald Fischer, head of the U of M Foundation, says this figure continues a pattern of growth in giving to the U, with the total more than double what it was a decade ago.

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Posted by jfalk at 06:02 PM

September 25, 2006

A New Kind of Paving Stone

Thanks to the grand-prize winner of the 2006 Minnesota Cup competition, hosted at the U of M, paving stones for both commercial and residential construction projects will be made from recycled tires and plastic. Steve Thorkelson with Vast Enterprises of Eden Prairie says the invention is consumer-friendly as it makes paving, an often tedious and labor-intensive task, as easy as putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

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Posted by jfalk at 12:03 PM

September 22, 2006

Ramadan -- a Month of Blessing

More than a billion Muslims around the world -- including some eight million in North America -- will begin Ramadan, a "month of blessing," this weekend. Iraj Bashiri with the U's Institute of Linguistics says Ramadan is marked by prayer, fasting and charity.

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Posted by jfalk at 05:40 PM

September 21, 2006

U-Guide – a Road Map for College Life

University seniors Travis Boisvert and Ryan Broshar, and recent alumnus Joe Collins, took home the $5,000 Minnesota Cup student entrepreneur prize for their creation of the U-Guide. Broshar says the U-Guide is a "road map for college life" for new students, which includes coupons, college life advice and... well maps.

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Posted by jfalk at 08:32 PM

September 20, 2006

Rooting for the Underdog

As the baseball playoff races heat up and the NFL season kicks into high gear, sports fans everywhere will be chosing teams to root for, whether a perennial favorite or the classic underdog. Todd Wilkinson with the U's psychology department says that while favorite teams do have their loyal fan base, rooting for the underdog is a time-honored American tradition.

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Posted by jfalk at 04:48 PM

September 19, 2006

National Peripheral Arterial Disease Awareness Week

This week marks National Peripheral Arterial Disease Awareness Week. The disease -- P.A.D. -- occurs when narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the limbs. Diane Treat-Jacobson with the U's School of Nursing says P.A.D. is the leading cause of lower-limb amputations in the U.S.

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Posted by jfalk at 07:35 PM

September 18, 2006

Norman Borlaug Day in Minnesota

Norman Borlaug, the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner and U of M alumnus, will visit the university's St. Paul campus today to take part in the annual E.C. Stakman Award ceremony and to mark the release of a new biography, "The Man Who Fed the World." Mary Buschette with the U's College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, says Borlaug has spent the better part of six decades fighting hunger in Africa, Asia and Mexico.

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Posted by jfalk at 06:43 PM

September 15, 2006

Kids and Reading

If there is a single habit that translates into lifelong learning, it's got to be reading. But how do you make your kids into readers? Kathleen Olson, family relations educator with the U of M Extension Service, says the most effective way is for parents to model the behavior by reading themselves.

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Posted by jfalk at 01:54 PM

September 14, 2006

Open House in Waseca

This afternoon the U of M Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca hosts its fifth annual open house. Forrest Izuno, the center's head, says the theme of this year's open house is "Agriculture for the 21st Century."

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Posted by jfalk at 06:48 PM

September 13, 2006

The U's Front Door for Business

It's part customer service, part library resource and part matchmaker, connecting entrepreneurs with academic brainpower. Dick Sommerstad, director of the U's new Academic and Corporate Relations Center, says the center taps into the U's research and knowledge, using thousands of databases and expert resources to answer businesses' questions on the spot.

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Posted by jfalk at 05:59 PM

September 12, 2006

U of M Student Farm

You've heard about family farms and corporate farms, but have you heard about the U of M student farm? Courtney Tchida with the U's Institute for Sustainable Agriculture in St. Paul says students have the opportunity to experience what it's like to operate a farm in the real world.

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Posted by jfalk at 04:27 PM

September 11, 2006

It's Salsa Season!

It's tomato season in Minnesota, and a great way to preserve tomatoes is to make homemade salsa. Deb Botzek-Linn, food science educator with the U of M Extension Service, says salsa is popular and easy to make, but it's important to follow recipes closely to ensure a safe product when canning.

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Posted by jfalk at 01:36 PM

September 08, 2006

Apple Season in Minnesota

This summer's heat coupled with timely rains should yield a bumper crop of apples in much of Minnesota, industry representatives report. Jim Luby, a U of M horticulturalist, says roughly 20 apple varieties are grown in Minnesota, of which about 80 percent were developed by the U's fruit-breeding program.

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Posted by jfalk at 05:02 PM

September 07, 2006

The Minnesota Cup Final

The winner of the second annual "Minnesota Cup," a statewide contest that seeks out Minnesota's newest and most innovative business ideas, will be unveiled at the U of M's McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis this evening. Scott Litman, a U alum and the cup's co-chairman, says the cup's five finalists will be judged at a final presentation this afternoon.

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Posted by jfalk at 06:46 PM

September 06, 2006

New Plant Pathology Research Facility

Today, the U of M will break ground on a new, state-of-the-art Plant Pathology Research Facility in St. Paul that will allow scientists to research pests that could reach Minnesota and seriously damage crops and forests. Carol Ishimaru, head of the U's plant pathology department, says crop diseases are a constant threat to Minnesota's agricultural community.

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Posted by jfalk at 04:53 PM

September 05, 2006

College Life and Homesickness

Going away to college is an anxiety-filled time for students, and it's a difficult time for parents as well. Marjorie Savage, the U's Parent Program director, says homesickness is a common issue students have to deal with and it doesn't always appear during the first week away from home.

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Posted by jfalk at 10:39 AM

September 04, 2006

Repairing Damaged Lawns

Hot and dry conditions brought significant levels of stress to Minnesota lawns this past summer. While some lawns started to recover with the help of rains during the last few weeks, others were too stressed and the grass died. Bob Mugaas, horticulturalist with the U of M Extension Service, says now through mid-September is the best time to repair damaged areas.

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Posted by jfalk at 05:59 PM

September 01, 2006

Battling Soybean Aphids

In a state-of-the-art quarantine facility on the U of M's St. Paul campus, entomology professor George Heimpel is studying how a small stingless wasp imported from China may provide an answer for battling soybean aphids here in Minnesota. Heimpel says soybean aphids, an invasive species, is wreaking havoc among soybean crops in North America.

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Posted by jfalk at 06:24 PM