U of M Moment : UMNews : University of Minnesota

December 17, 2009

Sherlock Holmes lives on at the U of M

Sherlock Holmes, one of the most well known fictional characters ever created, did most of his detective work in his home country of England. But where's the world's largest collection of Holmes documents and artifacts? Elementary my dear Watson, it's at the University of Minnesota Libraries. With more than 60,000 items it's a unique resource for the public, says Tim Johnson, curator of the collection.

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December 10, 2009

Protecting Woodward and Bernstein

Health care reform isn't the only bone of contention in Washington DC this year. Another is known as the federal shield law and it would more strongly protect journalists from revealing their anonymous sources. University of Minnesota media ethics and law professor Jane Kirtley says, when you consider high-profile or national security issues in the news, it opens up a debate about freedom of the press.

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Posted by dswain at 2:04 PM | Comments (0)

December 3, 2009

U of M students at the Mississippi headwaters

Many know that Lake Itasca is the headwaters to the country's greatest river, the Mississippi, but few are aware of its leading scientific research and teaching facility, the Itasca Biological Station. Run by the University of Minnesota, the station is a leading scientific hub to monitor and improve the state's environment and water quality. At 100 years old, it needs repairs and is part of the university's current bonding request to the legislature. Michael Sadowsky, director of the Biotechnology Institute, is coordinating the Minnesota Mississippi Metagenome Project at the station and says it's a valuable learning opportunity for students.

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Posted by dswain at 2:16 PM | Comments (0)