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| Thank
you for a another great year at
the College of Biological Sciences
As
another academic year comes to an end, I’d like to thank all
of you for everything you do to make the College of Biological Sciences
a good place to discover, learn, and work.
We
have accomplished a lot together this year. It’s easy to forget
that as we complete one task and quickly move on to the next one
on the list. But as the year ends, it’s important to pause,
to reflect, and to give ourselves credit for jobs well done.
Here
are some of the highlights from 2003-2004.
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The
Nature of Life program was launched.
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Faculty and staff moved into the Cargill Building for Microbial
and Plant Genomics.
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The Initiative for Renewable Energy (IREE) created four research
clusters and awarded more than $1 million in research grants.
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UEL moved forward with a site purchased by the City of St. Paul
and contributions totaling $9 million from Xcel, Medtronic,
3M and other contributors.
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Associate Dean Robin Wright convened a task force to plan reform
undergraduate curriculum.
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Jane Goodall led 100 distinguished professors in a chimpanzee
pant-hoot at the first Gombe Reunion.
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IREE awarded $125,000 to David Tilman, Steve Polasky, Don Wyse
and the Science Museum of Minnesota to create a renewable energy
“Prairie Maze” for the museum’s new “Big
Backyard” exhibit, which opens in June.
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IREE leader Lanny Schmidt and colleagues in IT invented a hydrogen
reactor that uses ethanol.
Meanwhile,
faculty continued to bring in new research grants. While it’s
not possible to mention all of those in this space, I’d like
to note a few:
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Nevin
Young, plant pathology and plant biology, $10.8 million from
NSF to lead sequencing of the genome of Medicago truncatula,
a model legume.
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Sarah Hobbie and David Tilman, EEB, with Peter Reich, CNR, $1.8
million from NSF for “”Interacting responses of
C and N cycles to altered biodiversity, elevated CO2, and N
enrichment.”
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Craig Packer, EEB, $1.7 million from NSF for “Biocomplexity
of the Greater Serengeti.”
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Arkady Khodursky, BMBB, $1.4 million from the NIH for “Structure
and Activity of E coli Chromosome.”
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John Ward, Plant Biology, $1 million from from DOE for “Analysis
of Arabidopsis Sucrose Transporters.”
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Larry Wackett, BMBB, and Mike Sadowsky, Biotechnology Institute,
$700,000 from NSF to sequence the genome of Arthrobacter aurescens.
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Mike Sadowsky, Biotechnology Institute, $1 million from the
USDA for research on Bradyrhizobium japonicum, a nitrogen fixing
bacterium.
And
faculty, staff, and students brought honor to CBS with many awards,
including the following:
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Claudia
Neuhauser, professor and head of EEB, received the Morse-Alumni
Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education.
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Reuben Harris, BMBB, was named a 2004-2006 Searle Scholar.
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Leslie Schiff, microbiology, received the Carski Award for undergraduate
teaching from the American Society for Microbiology.
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Mike Sadowsky, Biotechnology Institute, and Nevin Young, plant
biology, were selected Distinguished McKnight University Professors.
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Maya Babu, undergraduate neuroscience major, won a Truman Scholarship
for $26,000 towards her senior year and graduate education.
In
addition, the administration of the college was strengthened with
the arrival of Elizabeth Wroblewski, Chief Administrative Officer;
Nikki Letawsky Shultz, assistant to Associate Dean Robin Wright,
and Barb Theno, Director of Human Resources.
Following
several All-College Meetings to solicit your input, we submitted
a very strong College Compact to the Provost this spring.
And
we even managed to have some fun at the CBS Year-End Picnic last
week.
Not
bad for a year’s work. Thanks again for everything you do
for CBS. Next fall, we plan to launch a college-wide strategic planning
process. I look forward to working with you on this, and to seeing
what we accomplish together next year.
Bob Elde, Dean
Top |
College of Biological Sciences Commencement
2004
300 CBS students
will cross the stage at Northrop Auditorium Saturday night to
receive their degrees at Commencement 2004. The program begins
at 7:30 p.m.
Guest speaker
is Liesl Chatman, 1990 graduate of the University of Minnesota,
who is a science education partnership specialist with the St.
Paul Public Schools. There will also be two student speakers,
Imee Cambronero, who graduated in December 2003, and Forum Kandar,
a spring honors program graduate. Cambronero now works in the
office Congresswomen Betty McCollum in Washington, D.C.
Holly Hofstad
will be recognized for winning a 2004 President’s Student
Leadership and Service Award for exceptional leadership and service
to the University and surrounding community.
David Biesboer
will receive the Stanley Dagley-Samuel Kirkwood Award Undergraduate
Education Award. Biesboer is professor of plant biology and director
of Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories.
Claudia Neuhauser,
professor and head of the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and
Behavior, will be recognized for receiving the Morse Alumni Award
for Undergraduate Education in April.
Alumnus John
R. Jungck will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science degree for
leading a national effort to improve biology education by integrating
biology with math, physical science, and computer science. He
is co-founder of BioQUEST, a national organization devoted to
biology curriculum reform, and he contributed to “BIO 2010:Transforming
Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists,“
a study conducted by the National Research Council. This study
is the basis for a national revolution in biology education, including
a curriculum review at the College of Biological Sciences.
Currently
Mead Chair of the Sciences and Professor of Biology at Beloit
College, Jungck was a Fulbright Scholar and has authored and edited
many articles, reviews, and book chapters on biology education
and mathematical biology. He is also a Fellow of the National
Institute of Science Education and a Fellow of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science.
Jungck received
his B.S. degree in biochemistry (’66) and M.S. degree in
genetics and microbiology (’68) from the College of Biological
Sciences. He earned his Ph.D. in evolution at the University of
Miami, Florida in 1973. The Honorary Doctor of Science is the
highest honor conferred by the University of Minnesota. Regent
William Hogan will present the award.
All-College
Meeting
All faculty and staff are invited to the All-College Meeting on
Tuesday, May 18, from noon -1:30 p.m. in the Cargill seminar room.
The agenda includes a review of this year’s accomplishments
and a look ahead toward next year.
Undergraduate
Scholarship Recipients for 2004-2005
34 undergraduates have been chosen to receive CBS scholarships
for 2004-2005 ranging from $500 to $5,000 per year.
A list of
recipients with the name of the scholarship they received is posted
at http://www.cbs.umn.edu/main/Honors/hof/Scholarships_2004_Awards.html.
Most CBS
scholarships were created by faculty, alumni, and friends. The
University recently launched a matching program for undergraduate
scholarships that will double the impact of any gift of $25,000
or more for endowed scholarships. If you would like more information
about this program, call the University of Minnesota Foundation
at 612-624-3333 and ask for Bob Burgett.
CBS
students excel at extracurricular activities
In addition to classes, homework, and lab research, many CBS students
find time for sports, music, and other extracurricular pursuits
and excel in these areas. Here are just a few.
Big Ten Conference
Athletes
Jessica Crawford, Thea Fleming, Cecile Lamour, Megan Peters (Swimming
& Diving) and Erin Murphy (Gymnastics). All of these students
are also UM Scholar Athletes.
University
of Minnesota Scholar Athletes
Erika Bjorklund, Jenna Buskohl, Leigh Dixon, Alean Frawley, Julia
Herman, Heather Horton, Meghan Johnson, Nicole Kopari, Jesse Kovash,
Erin Martin, Lauren Reed, Jena Trask, Steven Williamson, and Stefanie
Zeihen.
University
Band
Nichole Boettcher, Courtney White, Anna Bredsten, Brian Engel,
Susan Godbout, Brianna Kase, Sarah Bradley, Keegan Hasselmann,
Kristyn VanderWaal, John Wratkowski, Kassa Andreasen, Chieko Kyogoku,
Lindsey Taylor, Ann Stimmel, Andrew Buttler, Miranda Bernhardt,
Kim VanderWaal, Rachelle Werth, Yuta Sakai.
Henrietta Miller Garden
Thank you to the volunteers who helped clean up and replant the
Henrietta Miller garden in front of Snyder Hall and Gortner Laboratories
this spring. They are Jodi Kipping-Bjork and Ric Roderick (Greenhouse),
Eileen Furlong and Sandra Mackey (Instructional Labs), and Jean
Marie Lindquist, Jeff Thomas, and Elizabeth Wroblewski (Dean’s
Office). Please stop by to take a look at the garden, which honors
Henrietta Miller, retired administrator for the Department of
Biochemistry.
CBS
Day at Midway Stadium
Join alumni, faculty, and staff at the June 25th St. Paul Saints
game for the third annual CBS Day at the Midway Stadium. We'll
be grilling and tailgating prior to the game, then taking our
reserved bleacher seats to cheer on the hometown team as they
take on the Sioux City Explorers. Tickets are $16 per person (includes
reserved bleacher seating, grilled items, chips, potato salad,
baked beans and soda).
Last year
we had more than 150 CBS alumni and friends join us, so be sure
to get
your tickets early to reserve your space. Visit
http://www.cbs.umn.edu/hawk/form42
to register. Family and friends are
welcome!
Peregrine
Falcon Web site
A new peregrine falcon Web site featuring the Midwest database
in searchable form is now online at www.midwestperegrine.umn.edu.
Bruce Fall, Bud Tordoff, Mark Decker, and Rick Peifer all contributed
to the site, which is still a work in progress. Comments and suggestions
are welcome. The original site was created by Pat Redig, Raptor
Center.
Mark
your calendar for Fall Fest 2004
On Sunday, October 17, the Biological Sciences Alumni Society
will
host “Fall Fest 2004: Connecting U.” Join CBS alumni,
students, parents,
faculty, staff, and community members as we explore CBS research,
tour
facilities on the St. Paul campus, and learn how CBS, along with
the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences,
the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Human Ecology
are working to support President Bruininks initiatives for 2004.
You can participate
in one of three presidential initiative education
tracks: Bioscience and Biotechnology; Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives;
Environment and Renewable Energy. Or take a tour of St. Paul campus
facilities including the new Cargill Building for Microbial and
Plant
Genomics; the Raptor Center; the Veterinary Medicine animal
hospitals, or one of the many greenhouses. In addition to the
education
tracks, we'll also have activities and tours for families and
children.
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| Access
to the Literature: The Debate Continues
The Internet is profoundly
changing how scientists work and publish. New business models are
being tested by publishers, including open access, in which the
author pays and content is free to the user. This ongoing web focus
will explore current trends and future possibilities. Each week,
the website will publish specially commissioned insights and analysis
from leading scientists, librarians, publishers and other stakeholders,
as well as key links, and articles from our archive. All content
is available free.
http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/accessdebate/
Stipend survival
Graduate-student
pay levels mean tight budgets and inventive cost-cutting, but is
the five-year pay freeze worth it?
All over the world, graduate
students stretch their take-home pay to cover daily living expenses.
To make ends meet, students forgo or share cars, limit shopping
to sales and take advantage of free campus activities. The low income
leaves little room for savings or an extravagant lifestyle. While
college friends may go on to high-paying 'real' jobs, graduate students
face five years or more of living hand to mouth.
http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v428/n6978/full/nj6978-102a_fs.html
Top |
Carolyn
Silflow, professor of plant biology, has received a four-year,
$730,000 grant from the NSF for “Segregation and positioning
of basal bodies,” a gene discovery project to study the
function of genes involved in positioning of basal bodies in Chlamydomonas.
Robert
Megard, professor of ecology, evolution, and behavior,
was honored at a retirement reception on May 3. Megard joined
the University of Minnesota as a research fellow 1962, after earning
degrees from St. Olaf, University of New Mexico, and Indiana University.
In 1967, he became one of the first EEB faculty members. Megard
retired in December after making numerous contributions to limnology.
He is known for his research on paleocladocera of Iran, kinetics
of oxygen generation in algae, and transmission of light through
water columns. In recent years, Megard refined understanding of
fine-scale spatial distributions in zooplankton in lakes.
Kathy
Ball, education specialist, will retire on June 11 after
33 years at the University of Minnesota. Kathy earned her B.S.
in natural science education and M.S. in botany at the U. She
then worked in General Biology for 19 years (teaching and administration)
and in 1990, joined the Dean’s Office staff to work on administrative
projects. For the past several years, she has taught botany. Kathy,
who says she is “glad she’s finally graduating from
the U” plans to write non-fiction for children, play lots
of scrabble, and travel. A retirement party in her honor will
be held on Wednesday, May 26, from 3 to 5 p.m. in 257 Biological
Sciences Center. Please RSVP to Odette Holter, 625-1234, by Friday,
May 21.
Susan
Gibson, plant biology, received a $152,655 grant from
the NSF for “Collaborative Research: Metabolic engineering
of hairy roots for alkaloid production.”
Nathan
Springer, plant biology, received $327,757 from the NSF
for “Assessment of the use of oligonucleotide microarrays
for single nucleotide polymorphism mutation detection in maize.”
Akhouri
A. Sinha, GCD, received $471,421 from the U.S. Department
of Defense for “Prediction of aggressive human prostate
cancer by cathespin B.”
David
Kirkpatrick, GCD, received $179,086 from the National
Institutes of Health for “DNA repair genes and acquired
drug resistance in Candida.”
Angie
Hodgson and Jacob Egge, EEB graduate
students, were awarded Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants from
the Graduate School. Angie is advised by John Pastor and Jacob
is advised by Andrew Simons.
Erika
Helgerson, CBS undergraduate, is one of two University
of Minnesota students nominated for an Undergraduate Research
Award from the Forum on Education Abroad.
Kyran
McCormack is the new executive assistant in the Dean’s
Office, replacing Jean McAlpine, who retired
last month. Kyran will provide administrative support to the dean,
the chief administrative officer, and other CBS management staff.
She will also coordinate and supervise office services in the
reception area. Kyran comes to CBS from the UM General Counsel’s
Office, where she was principal secretary.
Peggy
Rinard, communications, won the Maroon Award for BIO,
the CBS magazine, in the 2004 University of Minnesota Communicators
Forum Maroon & Gold Awards in May. The Gold Award went to
“The Link,” the magazine of the College of Education
and Human Development, and Honorable Mention went to “Legacy,”
which is published by University of Minnesota Foundation.
Top
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Comments
and suggestions are welcome.
Visit the CBS Web site at www.cbs.umn.edu.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
This publication is available in alternative formats upon request from
Peggy Rinard
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VOLUME 16, NO.
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