Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost
Awards, Grants, and Rankings
Scholars Walk
For information about other awards and the University's recognition of them, please visit the Scholars Walk Web site.
January 24, 2008
This list represents a sampling of our most recent major national and international accomplishments. Please congratulate your colleagues and celebrate in their success.
Awards: Professor and Deans | Associate Professors | Assistant Professors | Academic Professional and Administrative Staff, Centers, and Programs | Post-doctoral, Graduate, and Professional Students | Undergraduate Students
Awards
Professors and Deans
Professor Kamil Ugurbil (Medical School) has been elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine, one of the national academies, for his work as a pioneer in using ultra-high magnetic fields for magnetic resonance imaging studies of the brain. Dr. Ugurbil, the director of the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, is a leader in mapping functional activity in the brain non-invasively. Read the press release.
Professor Allen Goldman (IT) has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the nation’s highest honor for scientists. Goldman was recognized for his research contributions in the physics of superconductivity. Read the story, “Physicist elected to National Academy of Sciences.”
Professor Judith Berman (CBS/Medical School), Professor Robert Herman (CBS/Medical School), Professor David Lilja, electrical and computer engineering, Professor John Lipscomb (CBS/Medical School), Professor Stephen Polasky (CFANS), Professor Jeffrey Roberts (IT), and Regents Professor Lanny Schmidt (IT) have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for work deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. The AAAS is the world's largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science.
Regents Professor Patricia Hampl (CLA), Professor Geoffrey Hellman (CLA), and Regents Professor John Sullivan (CLA) were inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) in October 2007. The AAAS, established in 1780, honors influential thinkers and leaders who address critical social and intellectual issues.
Professor Deb Swackhamer (Institute on the Environment, Public Health, CFANS) has been named a Fellow in the Royal Society of Chemistry, the largest organization in Europe devoted to advancing the chemical sciences.
Professor Larry Que (IT) will receive the 2008 Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic or Bioorganic Chemistry. Dr. Que joins prestigious company: 17 of the past 20 recipients are members of the National Academy of Science. Que has made outstanding contributions to the field of bioinorganic chemistry and has profoundly impacted the understanding of the structure and function of metal ions in biology.
Professor Douglas N. Arnold (Institute for Mathematics and its Applications, IT) has been voted President-Elect of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), an international community of over 11,000 mathematicians, computer scientists, scientists, and engineers. Read the press release.
Regents Professor Emeritus Leonid Hurwicz (CLA) received the 2007 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on mechanism design theory along with economists Eric Maskin, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and Roger Myerson, University of Chicago. The Swedish Ambassador presented the award to Dr. Hurwicz in Ted Mann Concert Hall as part of a simulcast ceremony from Sweden on December 10. Hurwicz received his law degree in Poland in 1938; he joined the University faculty in 1951.
Professor Denise A. Guerin (CDes) has been awarded the American Society of Interior Designers Distinguished Educator Award for 2007. Only one award is given each year. Dr. Guerin’s award is for her significant contribution to defining and documenting the interior design profession's body of knowledge, coordination of the only searchable database of research on design and human behavior (InformeDesign), work with legal regulation of interior design practice, and research on sustainable design.
Professor and 3M Bert Cross Chair Robert Miller (Medical School) will receive the 2008 Proctor Medal from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in April. This high honor is presented annually, and recognizes outstanding research in the basic or clinical sciences as applied to ophthalmology. Miller was chosen as a recipient for his seminal discoveries on the basic mechanisms of nerve cells communication within the retina.
Professor and Chair Sally Kohlstedt (IT) received a Fulbright Scholar Grant for 2007-2008. The University is hosting nine Fulbright Visiting Scholars on campus this year.
Professor Roger Schroeder (Carlson School) was elected a Production and Operations Management Society Fellow, a prestigious lifetime honor, at the annual meeting of the Production and Operations Management Society.
Professor Donald Liu (CFANS) received the 2007 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Agriculture Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award.
Professor and Chair Srilata Zaheer (Carlson School) was elected to the Fellows of the Academy of International Business in recognition of outstanding contribution to the scholarship and practice of international business. Zaheer was inducted as a fellow at the 2007 annual Academy of International Business meeting in June.
Professor of Plant Biology and Curator of Fungi at the Bell Museum of Natural History David McLaughlin (CFANS) has recently been named Distinguished Mycologist by the Mycological Society of America (MSA). MSA’s highest award recognizes an individual who has established an outstanding career in mycological research and in service to the Society.
Professor John Lamb (CFANS) has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy.
Professor and Chair Samuel L. Myers, Jr. (Humphrey) has been appointed a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA), an organization chartered by Congress to help public organizations improve their effectiveness. Fellows include cabinet officers, members of Congress, governors, mayors, state legislators, and diplomats.
Professor Jane Davidson (IT) received the American Solar Energy Society’s (ASES) Charles Greeley Abbot Award, the most prestigious ASES award. Davidson received the award for outstanding contributions in the research of solar thermal processes for water and space heating.
Professor Maureen Weiss (CEHD) is 2008 Chair of the Science Board of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. This nationwide group of ten advisors provides input on the President’s Challenge physical fitness program and other aspects of health to the President via the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Read the press release.
Professor William Turner (CEHD) was named a 2007-2008 Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow, and will spend the next year in Washington, D.C., shaping health care policy for the United States. Read the news release.
Professor Joanne Disch (Nursing) has been appointed to the board of directors for the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL), and organization that seeks to improve healthcare management and health system performance.
Associate Dean Jeanne Markell (Extension) has been named the 2008 Ralph L. Tabor Extension Fellow by the National Association of Counties (NACo), and will work in Washington, D.C. to guide the national partnership between counties, extension services, and public universities.
Associate Dean Kate Solomonson (CDes) will lead the design and architecture collaborative portion of Quadrant, a program formed under a $672,000 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation award to the University of Minnesota Press and the Institute for Advanced Study. Solomonson was also the recipient of a Special Award from the American Institute of Architects—Minnesota in November.
Professor Michael Osterholm (Public Health) received the 2007 State Excellence in Public Health Award from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), which recognizes Osterholm’s outstanding leadership in public health over the past 30 years.
Professor Charles Baxter (CLA), author of the novel, The Feast of Love, had this work adapted into the movie Feast of Love, starring Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear. Read the feature story.
Professor Anne Kapuscinski (CFANS) is a recipient of a distinguished service award from the Society for Conservation Biology--one of five such awards given internationally in 2008. Kapuscinski is also a fellow of the University’s Institute on the Environment.
Professor Joanne Disch (Nursing) was honored with the 2007 American Academy of Nursing Presidential Award for her creation of “Raise the Voice,” an innovative and successful campaign to transform health care policy and practice.
Professor Russell Luepker (Public Health) has been named the American Heart Association 2007 Seasoned Advocate of the Year. In the past year, he played a leadership role to advance the national and Minnesota legislative agenda in heart health.
Professor Irving Gottesman (Medical School, CLA), has been awarded the 2007 Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement from the American Psychological Foundation (APF) of the American Psychological Association. Gottesman was honored for substantial contributions to the studies of schizophrenia, criminal behavior, and personality and for synthesizing psychology, psychiatry, and genetics in innovative ways. See the news release.
Professor Eli Coleman (Medical School) was elected president of the International Academy of Sex Research IASR. Dr. Coleman is Director of Program in Human Sexuality, has an endowed chair in sexual health, and has held leadership roles with the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and the World Association for Sexual Health. See the news release. Dr. Coleman also received the 2007 Gold Medal Award at the XVIII World Congress of the World Association for Sexual Health. See the news release.
Professor (and Founder and Head of the Center for Drug Design) Robert Vince (Medical School) was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the American Chemical Society's Division of Medicinal Chemistry. His most recognized achievement is creation of the anti-HIV drug, Ziagen, which is marketed worldwide to children and adults and whose royalties continue to fund research and fellowships at the University. See the news release.
Professor Mikhail Shifman (IT) has been appointed a Blaise Pascal Chair by the French government. Dr. Shifman will conduct research in Paris on theoretical high-energy physics. For more information: Pascal Chair.
Professor George Wilcox (Medical School) was the recipient of the Frederick W.L. Kerr Basic Science Research Award, honoring individual excellence and achievements in clinical pain scholarship in May 2007.
Dean and Assistant Vice President for Clinical Sciences Deborah Powell (Medical School) was presented with the Distinguished Service Award of the Association of Pathology Chairs. Dr. Powell is the first woman to receive the award, which recognizes her substantial contributions to academic pathology in research, education, or advancing the discipline of pathology in the medical community and to the public. See the AHC news release.
Professors Fionnuala Ní Aoláin and Oren Gross (Law) have been recognized with a Certificate of Merit from the American Society of International Law for their book, Law in Times of Crisis (Cambridge University Press).
Regents Professor David Tilman (CBS) was conferred the title of honorary professor of China Agricultural University. This is the highest honor administered by the University
Professor Deb Swackhamer (Institute on the Environment, Public Health, CFANS) received the Harvey G. Rogers Environmental Health Leadership Award from the Minnesota Public Health Association. She was recognized for her outstanding contributions to preserving the environment of Minnesota and protecting the health of its people. She is co-director of the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center and interim director of the Institute on the Environment, the University of Minnesota's most comprehensive and ambitious environmentally focused endeavor to date.
Dean J. Brian Atwood (Humphrey) has been named to a council that will oversee a social services reform effort in the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. See the Humphrey Institute announcement.
Professor Michael Garwood (Medical School) received the 2007 Gold Medal Award from the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and the European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology (ESMRMB). Dr. Garwood is the associate director of the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR). See the news release.
Professor Gary Schwitzer (CLA) has won a Mirror Award for excellence in media industry reporting for his Web site that monitors health care news, HealthNewsReview.org. In the site's first year of operation, HealthNewsReview.org received more than 8 million hits, won the Knight-Batten Award for Innovations in Journalism, and won an e-Healthcare Leadership Award. See the news release.
Professor Jay Cohn (Medical School) was honored with the 2007 Award of Distinction from Cornell University Weill Medical College Alumni Association. See the news release.
Professor R. Michael Paige (CEHD) received the inaugural Peter A. Wollitzer Advocacy Award from the Forum on Education Abroad for facilitating educational institutions understanding and support of education abroad.
Professor Carl Malmquist (CLA) has received the Manfred Guttmacher Award for his new book, Homicide: A Psychiatric Perspective, an outstanding contribution to the literature of forensic psychiatry. As both a physician and psychiatrist, Malmquist examines homicidal behavior in the United States, as well as biological and other factors and trends. The Guttmacher Award was established in 1967 to honor outstanding contributions to the literature of forensic psychiatry. See the news release.
Professor John Matheson (Law School), and Law Alumni Dan Robinson (2007), Philip Garon (1972), and Andrew Friedman (1993) received the National Burton Award from the Library of Congress and the Law Library of Congress for effective legal writing though plain, clear language. See the news releases about Robinson and about Matheson, Garon, and Friedman.
Professor Robert Sterner (CBS) has been appointed director of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) division of environmental biology, which supports basic research and education in ecology and evolutionary biology. During his term as division director, through September 2009, he will be based in Washington, D.C. See the news release.
Professor Peter Bitterman (Medical School) received the 2007 American Thoracic Society Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishment. Dr. Bitterman, a member of the University’s Cancer Center and inaugural member of the new Center for Lung Science and Health, was recognized for significant contributions in the prevention and treatment of lung disease. See the news release.
Professor and Chair Alok Gupta, former Professor Robert Kauffman, and Alumnus Nelson Granados (’05 PhD) (all Carlson School) were honored by the Journal of the Association for Information Systems with the best paper award for 2006.
Professor David Ingbar (Medical School) was elected President of the American Thoracic Society. Ingbar is a nationally renowned expert in critical care medicine whose research focuses on repairing injured lung tissue. See the news release.
Professor Henry Balfour (Medical School) received the 2007 Clinical Virology Award from the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology. Dr. Balfour currently serves as medical director of the University’s Clinical Virology Laboratory and is widely recognized as a leader in the field of viral infections. See the news release.
Professor John Archer (CLA) was honored with the 2007 Alice Davis Hitchcock Award from the Society of Architectural Historians for his book, Architecture and Suburbia: From English Villa to American Dream House. See the news release.
Professor Horace Loh (Medical School) received the 2007 International Narcotics Research Conference (INRC) Founders Lecture Award, which honors individuals who have made a sustained and substantial contribution to opioid research.
Professor Kevin Washburn (Law) has been elected to membership in the American Law Institute (ALI), which is limited to 3,000 judges, lawyers, and law teachers.
Associate Professors
Associate Professor Paige Novak (IT) was awarded the Paul L. Busch Award by the Water Environment Research Foundation for her work investigating the presence of potentially ecologically-damaging compounds known as “industrial estrogens.” The award includes a $100,000 research grant. Novak is also a fellow of the University’s Institute on the Environment.
Associate Professor Kathy Saltzman Romey (CLA) recently received a Grammy nomination with the Minnesota Chorale and Minnesota Orchestra for a recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, which was nominated for best orchestral performance. Kathy Saltzman Romey is Artistic Director of the Minnesota Chorale, which is featured on the nominated CD.
Associate Professor and Chair Christine Mueller (Nursing) and Clinical Associate Professor Linda Olson-Keller (Nursing) were inducted into the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) at its annual conference in Washington, D.C. on November 10, 2007. Thirteen University of Minnesota School of Nursing faculty are members of the AAN.
Associate Professor Elizabeth Lightfoot (CEHD) received a Fulbright Scholar Scholar Grant for 2007-2008. The University is hosting nine Fulbright Visiting Scholars on campus this year.
Associate Professor Merrie Kaas (Nursing) received the 2007 Best Practices in the Treatment Schizophrenia award by the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA).
Associate Professor Linda Lindeke (Nursing) is the new president-elect of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.
Associate Professor Jodi Sandfort (Humphrey) and graduate student Timothy Dykstal (Humphrey) received first place for their teaching case in the Maxwell School Collaborative Governance Initiative Competition at Syracuse University.
Assistant Professors
Assistant Professor Eva M. von Dassow (CLA) received the Charles A. Ryskamp Research Fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies. Her work on Freedom and Rights in the Ancient Near East is one of eleven funded projects nationwide.
Assistant Professor Katsumi Matsumoto (IT) was the only Minnesotan contributing author to the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report on climate change. IPCC was recently named co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.
Assistant Professor David Valentine (CLA) has won the Ruth Benedict Prize for outstanding scholarship on a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender topic, awarded by the Society of Lesbian and Gay Anthropologists (SOLGA) of the American Anthropological Association. Valentine is the author of Imagining Transgender: An Ethnography of a Category (Duke University Press, 2007).
Assistant Professor Bonnie Westra (Nursing) was elected to the Board of the American Medical Informatics Association, a national organization that focuses on health and bioinformatics.
Assistant Professor Rachna Shah (Carlson School) received the Production and Operations Management Society’s Wickham Skinner Early-Career Research Award. The award recognizes academics with outstanding early-career research accomplishments.
Assistant Professor Carrie Earthman (CFANS) recently was awarded an Excellence in Practice Award in dietetics research as part of the 2007 American Dietetics Association Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo.
Assistant Professor Ajay Israni (Medical School) is one of 15 scholars nationwide to be selected for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Physician Faculty Scholars Program. Read more in the news release.
Assistant Professor Efrosini Kokkoli (IT) participated in the 13th annual U.S. Frontiers of Energy Symposium of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The event brings together invited young engineers from industry, academia, and government who are engaged in exceptional research and work.
Assistant Professor Carol O'Boyle (Nursing) was recognized by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) in recognition her work as coordinator of a project in the Caucasus states. Here, she brought University resources to the Caucases, including hospitals, public health disease prevention, adolescent programs, leadership, and staffing.
Assistant Professor Marc Swackhamer (CDes) received recognition in the 53rd Annual Design Review in The International Design (ID) Magazine. Swackhamer and partner Blair Satterfield (Rice University and slvDESIGN), received the Best in Category Award in the Environments category for their project “Drape Wall + House.”
Academic Professional and Administrative Staff, Centers, and Programs
Director Janet Abrams (CDes) received recognition in the 53rd Annual Design Review in The International Design (ID) Magazine. Director Abrams and former Design Institute senior editor Peter Hall received an award for Design Distinction in the Graphics category.
International Student Advisor Deanne Silvera (Office of International Programs) received a Fulbright Scholar Scholar Grant for 2007-2008. The University is hosting nine Fulbright Visiting Scholars on campus this year.
The University’s Wall of Discovery won an Honor Award from the Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD), an international nonprofit educational foundation. Six winners were selected from 340 international entries. See the news release.
The Public Achievement program in the Center for Democracy and Citizenship (Humphrey) was one of 15 finalists for the prestigious Carl Bertelsmann prize. Awarded annually since 1981 by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the Carl Bertelsmann prize is an international award that recognizes “innovative approaches and outstanding ideas that help shape and further develop democratic societies.” The 2007 prize recognized the best youth citizenship education effort in the world.
The Carlson School of Management was named educational partner of the year by the National Black MBA Association Twin Cities chapter in August.
Associate Vice President for Planning and Professor Robert Kvavik has been awarded the First Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit by King Harald V of Norway for his research on Norway and for promoting university collaboration and student and faculty exchange between the United States and Norway.
President Bruininks has been elected chairman of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC). During this next year, the group, representing twenty-five universities and colleges, will implement a Voluntary System of Accountability.
Post-doctoral, Graduate, and Professional Students
Eight graduate and professional students were awarded Fulbright Scholarships for 2007-08: Tovah Bender, History (Italy); Rachel Brummel, Conservation Biology (Australia); Richard Parks, History of Medicine (Tunisia); Aeleah Soine, History (Germany); Elizabeth Swedo, History (Iceland); and Julie Whitcomb, Mechanical Engineering (Germany). David Ansari, Psychology (Senegal) received his bachelor's degree from CLA in 2007, and Todd Olin received his law degree in 2007 (Norway). See the Graduate School announcement.
Carlson School of Management master’s in human resources and industrial relations candidates Nicholas Kilduff, Yongmao Feng, and Jia Liu defeated 100 U.S. and Canadian teams to win the North American zone of the L’Oreal e-Strat Challenge finals. The students competed against other teams to create a virtual launch of a new cosmetic.
Post-doctoral research associate Sergio A. Molina (CFANS) was named the winner of the Organizations and the Natural Environment (ONE) Division 2007 Best Doctoral Dissertation Award at the Academy of Management annual meeting.
Research nurse and masters student Juliet Mock (Nursing) won the Nursing Spectrum Heartland Region Nursing Excellence Award in Mentoring. Ms. Mock was the only Minnesota nurse to earn the award.
Doctoral student Matthew Martinez (CLA) is one of four students in the nation to be awarded the 2007-08 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship. This fellowship assists tribal faculty members in the final stages of doctoral studies.
Alumnus Bret Wieseler (2007 Master of Landscape Architecture graduate) won the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) student design honor award in the general design category. Wieseler's project was titled “(In)Security: Access and Anxiety in the Wall Street Financial District.”
Graduate student Molly Secor-Turner (Nursing) received the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Fellowship (NRSA Project) to complete her dissertation.
Doctoral student Darlene Bjorklund (Nursing) was named a scholar in the American Academy of Nursing's Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC) program.
Graduate student Melissa Boney (Public Health) has been selected as a 2007 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Emerging Leader. This prestigious fellowship is an outstanding opportunity for graduate students who want to work in federal government. Boney has begun work at the Indian Health Services headquarters in Rockville, Maryland. She will spend the next two years working in different offices in DHHS.
Carlson School of Management MBA candidates were finalists in a national Net Impact competition in November 2007. Ben Schein, Jennifer Frenzel, Megan Dunbar, and Adrienne Peirce worked to answer a question about Enjuba, a company that works to empower Ugandan artisans by selling clothing made in Uganda and support youth through education. Net Impact challenged the students to plan how Enjuba should market its products and scale up its model for social and economic growth.
Graduate student Mohamed Bakri (Humphrey) was awarded the prestigious 2007 Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Scholarship. Read more at the University News Service website.
Graduate student Katie Gruner (Public Health) has won the Wisconsin Public Health Association’s New Public Health Worker award. She was recognized for helping to create the Off-Reservation Native American Wellness Initiative with the American Indian Center of the Fox Valley. She also created a rural immersion program for pediatric residents at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Graduate students Reuben Collins, Mike Luke, Steve Peterson, and Kevin Yerdon (Humphrey) received the Student Planning Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the American Planning Association (MnAPA).
Law Alumni Dan Robinson (2007), Philip Garon (1972), and Andrew Friedman (1993) received the National Burton Award from the Library of Congress and the Law Library of Congress for effective legal writing though plain, clear language. See the news releases about Robinson and about Garon and Friedman.
Alumnus Nelson Granados (’05 PhD, Carlson School) was honored by the Journal of the Association for Information Systems with the best paper award for 2006.
Graduate student Timothy Dykstal (Humphrey) and Associate Professor Jodi Sandfort (Humphrey) received first place for their teaching case in the Maxwell School Collaborative Governance Initiative Competition at Syracuse University.
Undergraduate Students
The University of Minnesota won the 2007 College Bowl National Championship, the sixth time the U of M has won the national title and the third time in four years. The Golden Gophers previously won in 1984, 1987, 1989, 2004 and 2005. Team captain and senior Andrew Bockover (CLA), junior Meredith Johnson (CLA), freshman Andrew Hart (CLA), freshman Robert Carson (IT), and graduate student Ezra Lyon (CBS). Read the press release.
Undergraduate student Amber Ruel (CLA) is representing Minnesota in the Frank Newman Leadership Award competition based on her dedication to preserving the Ojibwe language and her commitment to public engagement. Read more about Ruel in the feature story: “Sounding Good.”
Undergraduate alumni (all 2007 CDes graduates) Rachel Bickel, Chiharu Miller, Laura Hennings, Sarah Theisen, and Stephanie Volberding constituted five of the eight winners of Target Corporation's Design Me nation-wide competition. The competition invited design students to improve the character of a dormitory room.
Students from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (CLA) placed first in the nation in the annual National Student Advertising Competition, (NSAC), sponsored by the American Advertising Federation. Team members: Brandon Miller, Michael Tsang, Matthew Nyquist, Brenna Whisney, and Meghan Norris. Finishing behind the University of Minnesota were the University of Michigan (second place), University of Southern California (third place) and Syracuse University (fourth place). Read more here.
Kappa Alpha Psi, the largest predominantly African-American fraternity at the Twin Cities campus, won four awards at the national convention: Outstanding Chapter, the Guy Levis Grant Award Oscar Stewart (Alumnus), Adviser of the Year Fred Thomas, and the step show competition. Chapter member and undergraduate Dameon Daniels (CEHD) was elected a national board member, representing undergraduates across the country. The chapter is involved in mentoring, volunteering, charitable activities, and voter registration. See the news release.
The following apparel faculty and students (CDes) were award winners at the International Textiles and Apparel Conference in Los Angeles, fall 2007.
- Lectra Innovation Award for Faculty Research: Elizabeth Bye (Clothing Design faculty), Karen LaBat (Clothing Design faculty), Ellen McKinney (2007 Ph.D. graduate), and Dong-Eun Kim (graduate student)
- Consumer Behavior, Best Paper: Jae-Eun Kim (graduate student), Hueon Jeong Cho (graduate student), and Kim Johnson (faculty)
- Award for Best Sustainable Design presented by the Educators for Socially Responsible Apparel Business: Wesley Martin
- Undergraduate Best Paper: Ashley Lademann
Undergraduate Ann Miron (CFANS) is the 2007 Princess Kay of the Milky Way. Miron serves as the official goodwill ambassador for Minnesota's dairy farmers, and had a sculpture of her head carved in butter during the Minnesota State Fair.
Grants
The University received nearly $14 million to be a lead study center in the National Children’s Study to determine the impact of environmental and genetic factors on child and human health in the United States. One of twenty-two new study centers in the National Children’s Study, a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the National Institute of Health, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the University will manage local participant recruitment and data. More information here.
Professor Jim Neaton (Public Health) is the lead investigator on a nearly $35 million grant, awarded over five years, to develop the International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT).
The School of Nursing was awarded $1.5 million dollars from the John A. Hartford Foundation to open the Minnesota Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing Excellence (MnHCGNE). The MnHCGNE is one of only nine centers selected through a national grants competition by the John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) and its Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity Program (BAGNC) at the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). More information here.
Five renewable energy projects led by University of Minnesota researchers have been selected to receive more than $4.5 million from the Xcel Energy Renewable Development Fund.
- Professor Vance Morey (CFANS)
- Professor Uwe Kortshagen (IT)
- Renewable Energy Coordinator Michael Reese (Morris)
- Research Associate Dean Current (CFANS)
- Associate Professor Fernando Porte-Agel (IT)
The School of Physics and Astronomy has been awarded a $45.6 million, four-year cooperative agreement by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science to build a new international physics laboratory to study neutrinos, pending congressional funding approval. The laboratory will be located near the Ash River, about 40 miles southeast of International Falls, MN. More information here.
The University of Minnesota Press and the Institute for Advanced Study received a nearly $700,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to launch an interdisciplinary research and publication project, Quadrant. The project will bring scholars together in four collaborative groups: design and architecture, environmental sustainability, global cultures and health and society. Read the press release.
Professors Clarence Lehman (CBS) and John Nieber (CFANS) and Regents Professor David Tilman (CBS) and colleagues at the University and the U.S. Geological Survey have been awarded a $1.07 million grant to demonstrate how restored prairie areas buffers water polluted by agriculture while producing bioenergy. Read more here.
A statewide alliance of 16 colleges and universities, led by the University of Minnesota, was awarded a $2.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to attract under-represented minorities to science and engineering programs through the LSAMP program. Read the press release.
Rankings
The 2007 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index in The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked several University disciplines highly:
- American Studies-2nd (behind Yale University), the highest ranking for public research universities
- Geophysics-2nd (behind Yale University), the highest ranking for public research universities
- Veterinary Medical Sciences-2nd (behind Ohio State University), second highest ranking for public research universities
- Wildlife Science-3rd
- Agronomy and Crop Science-4th
The Council of University Transportation Centers ranked the University of Minnesota and the Center for Transportation Studies second in total expenditures, research expenditures, and technology transfer expenditures.
The 2008 America’s Best Architecture Schools by Design Intelligence, a leading publication in the design industry:
- Architecture Graduate Program-5th place nationally (tie with Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Berkeley, Illinois, Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
- Pass Rate of Graduate Program Graduates in Architectural Registration Exam-1st place nationally (tie with Yale and Clemson)
- Landscape Architecture-5th place among graduate programs in the Midwest
- Interior Design-4th place among undergraduate and graduate programs in the Midwest
- Sustainable Design Practices and Principles-2nd place (tie with Kansas State and Oregon)
The 2006 Association of University Technology Managers’ Survey of Licensing Revenue and Patent Activity, presented in The Chronicle of Higher Education, ranked the University 5th in the category of licensing income. With over $56 million generated from licensing, the University ranks higher than Harvard, the University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, among others.
MIS Quarterly received top rankings in the 2006 journal citation reports produced by Thomson Scientific. MIS Quarterly is a University of Minnesota journal published by the Management Information Systems Research Center (MISRC) at the Carlson School of Management.
The University of Minnesota is number one in the nation in Sexual Health, according to the Trojan brand condoms 2007 Sexual Health Report Card. The University topped 138 other Division I schools to earn this honor. Watch the video.