June 19 , 2002 VOLUME 14, NO. 11

 

The 3rd Annual CBS Community Day is Wednesday, August 28, from 8:30
a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Bandana Square in St. Paul. The program includes continental breakfast, morning workshops, and a luncheon. Workshop choices are "Technology Enhanced Learning" and "The One Biology: Evolutionary Lessons from Molecules to Ecosystems." Faculty and staff may attend either workshop.

Judy Berman, professor of genetics, cell biology, and development, is moderator of "The One Biology." Faculty presenters and tentative subjects include:

• Tony Dean, Bioprocess Technology Institute and ecology, evolution, and behavior, "Molecular Evolution."
• Bridgette Barry, biochemistry, molecular biology, and biophysics, "Conservation and Evolution of Photosynthetic Structures."
• David Zarkower, genetics, cell biology, and development,"Sex Determination in Worms, Flies, and Mice."
• George Weiblen, plant biology, "Co-evolution and Biodiversity of Plants and Insects."
  

Topics for the "Technology Enhanced Learning" workshop are being selected. Suggestions include getting more out of Microsoft Office and Excel; preparing images with Adobe Photoshop; making the transition to MacOS X; technology enhanced learning such as streaming video; and using Portfolio to share and showcase web projects.

Those who have not yet registered for a workshop will receive registration forms in July. Everyone is encouraged to participate.

$17.7 million for Plant Growth Facilities was included in the capital bonding bill approved by the 2002 Minnesota Legislature and Governor Ventura at the end of May. Other projects include HEAPR ($35 million), Duluth Lab Science ($33 million), Nicholson Hall ($24 million), Bede Hall, Crookston ($7.7 million), and Classroom Improvements, system wide ($2 million). The total value of the approved projects for the University, including the University's debt obligation and private contributions, is $119.4 million. Dean Elde thanks all faculty, staff, alumni, and students who contributed to the grass roots support effort by writing letters and making phone calls. Special thanks go to Ruth Shaw, professor of ecology, and Dave Biesboer, professor of plant biology, who led planning for the project and advocated for funding.

The U of M Board of Regents has approved a $2.3 billion fiscal year 2003 operating budget for the University. The budget includes reallocations, reductions, and a tuition increase to fund a $38.2 million budget shortfall created by a state budget reduction of $23.6 million and new security, insurance, and software costs. The tuition increase averages 14.4 percent for full-time students on the Twin Cities campus taking a full 13-credit load, bringing tuition to $5,720 annually. Tuition at the University of Minnesota is fifth among Big Ten universities.

CBS election results are in. Newly elected CBS senators are Ed Cushing of ecology, evolution, and behavior, and Ross Johnson, genetics, cell biology, and development. Continuing senators are John Anderson, general biology, and James Fuchs and Janet Schottel of biochemistry, molecular biology, and biophysics. Election to the three-year term includes membership in the University Senate, Faculty Senate, and Twin Cities Campus Assembly. Clarence Lehman, associate director of the Cedar Creek Natural History Area, is the representative to the all-University Academic Staff Advisory Committee.

CBS Staff elected to committees are:
Academic Professional and Administrative Staff representatives:
Administrative Committee: Jeff Thomas
Consultative Committee: Paul Germscheid
Educational Policy Committee: Jane Phillips
Civil Service/Bargaining Unit representatives:
Consultative Committee: Jane Albeck
Administrative Committee: Lori Nicol
Scientific/Technical representatives:
Consultative Committee: Carol Gross
Administrative Committee: Paul Kluge

The southwest corner of Larpenteur and Cleveland on the St. Paul campus has been selected as the tentative site for a new Bell Museum of Natural History building, according to Scott Lanyon, museum director. A planning group of museum staff and supporters made this decision after considering four sites on the Minneapolis campus and five sites on the St. Paul campus during an 18-month pre-design study. Relocating to the St. Paul campus will enable the museum to partner with University units engaged in environmental research, Lanyon said. The next step will be to complete pre-design based on the selected location. Construction of the building has not yet been approved by the University and there is no timetable for completion.

Campaign Minnesota has raised $1.327 billion as of April 30, putting the campaign over its goal of $1.3 billion a year ahead of schedule. However, the campaign is not yet complete. The final year will focus on reaching fund-raising goals for student support, libraries, and campus, college, and program needs. About $150 million is still needed to reach these goals; $38.5 million of that amount is for undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, and enrichment opportunities such as study abroad. While the campaign has quadrupled private support for students, the Twin Cities campus still provides fewer merit-based scholarships than any Big Ten university.

You are invited to the Cedar Creek Natural History Area’s 60th anniversary celebration in Bethel, Minnesota on Saturday, September 21. The day will begin at 1:30 p.m. with a dedication program followed by refreshments, a walking tour of Cedar Lake Bog or the savannas, and a radar-tracking demonstration with a very special guest. CBS faculty, staff, students, alumni and their families are all welcome. To learn more about Cedar Creek visit www.lter.umn.edu. For more information on this FREE event, send an e-mail to alumni@cbs.umn.edu or call 612-624-4770

The University Libraries new version of the online catalog, MNCAT, will be operational in July. During the transition the catalog will continue to be accessible, but services such as recalling, ordering new books, and some delivery options will be unavailable. For more information go to www.lib.umn.edu/about/mncat.

The Supercomputing Institute will offer the following tutorials during June: Introduction to Parallel Programming, June 20, 1–3 p.m., 402 Walter Library; Getting Familiar with Linux/Unix, June 24, 1-–3 p.m., 239 Gortner; Overview of Bio-Informatic Software and Databases at the Supercomputing
Institute, June 25, 1–3 p.m., 402 Walter Library; Perl Scripting for Unix Made Simple, June 26, 1–3 p.m., 239 Gortner. Go to www.msi.umn.edu/tutorial for tutorial abstracts and further information.

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Bill Herman, genetics, cell biology and development, retired this spring after 36 years at CBS. After earning his Ph.D. at Northwestern University and gaining postdoctoral experience in endocrinology at the University of California-Berkeley Herman joined the zoology department at the University of Minnesota. He joined the genetics and cell biology department in 1976 and served as head from 1980-89.

Paul Magee, genetics, cell biology, and development, has been elected to fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology. He was honored for contributions to molecular mycology, including the training and mentoring of other scientists, and for his leadership role in sequencing the genome of candida albicans.

Lincoln Potter, biochemistry, molecular biology, and biophysics, was awarded a four-year grant of $997,435 from the National Institutes of Health to study the regulation of the atrial natriuretic peptide receptor.

Akhouri Sinha, genetics, cell biology and development/laboratory medicine and pathology, has developed a test that can be used to identify patients with aggressive prostate cancers. Details are published in the June 15 issue of Cancer.

Robert Sterner, ecology, evolution, and behavior, has been awarded $8,322 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for "Mechanistic Analysis of Biomanipulation in Wetlands on Waterfowl Production Areas."

Jacques Finlay will join ecology, evolution, and behavior in January 2003. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley in 2000, completed postdoctoral work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and recently held an NRC-sponsored appointment working on the ecology of the Yukon River. He will teach ecology and limnology courses.

Three young eastern hemlock trees have been planted behind the Ecology Building in honor of Regents’ Professor Margaret Davis, who recently retired from ecology, evolution, and behavior. Davis is well known for her research on the history of hemlock-hardwood forests in Northern Michigan

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• June 25
  LSSURP Graduate, Professional Studies, and Career Fair, 7-9 p.m., Basic Sciences and Biomedical Engineering building.
  
  
• June 27
  CBS at St. Paul Saints vs. Sioux Falls, 5:30 p.m. happy hour at Gabe’s by-the-Park, 7 p.m. first pitch.
  
  
• August 9
  LSSURP Poster Symposium & Farewell Banquet, 4:30-8:30 p.m., St. Paul Student Center.
  
  
• August 22–September 2
  Minnesota State Fair.
  
  
• August 28, 2002
  CBS Community Day, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Bandana Square.
  
  
• September 16-20
  Biology Week
  
  
• September 21
  Cedar Creek 60th Anniversary Celebration, Cedar Creek Natural History Area, cake and ice cream social, 1:30–2:30 p.m.; tours and displays, 2:30 –5 p.m. Contact CBS Alumni Relations at 612-624-4770 for further information.
  
  
• September 30–October 1
  "From Egg to Organ: Motors and Motility in Development," Earle Brown Center.
  
  
• October 9
  Dedication, Molecular and Cellular Biology Building, Minneapolis campus.
  
  
• October 11–12
  CBS and U of M Homecoming activities.
  Go to www.cbs.umn.edu/main/about/seminar.shtmll for links to department seminar lists.
  

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Visit the CBS Web site at www.cbs.umn.edu.
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