CFANS e-newsletter

Issue 7 - April 17, 2007

CFANS People in the News

Emily Hoover Emily Hoover, a professor in the Department of Horticultural Science, has been named a Fellow of the American Society for Horticultural Science, the organization's highest honor.

Matt BakkenMatt Bakker, a graduate student in the Department of Plant Pathology, has won a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. He'll be studying plant root exudates and how they might influence behavior such as antibiotic production in associated bacteria.

andi dierich bosu seoolivia ledeeThree CFANS students have earned Presidential Leadership and Service Awards for 2007. They are (from left): Andi Dierich, a senior majoring in Forest Resources and classical civilizations; Bosu Seo, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Applied Economics; and Olivia LeDee, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology.

Lisa KissingLisa Kissing, an honors student majoring in environmental science and Spanish, has won one of three Sullivan Scholarships awarded by the University of Minnesota. She'll use the scholarship to study organic agriculture at the Agrarian University of Havana in Cuba.

Whitney CranshawThis year's presenter of the Hodson Alumni Award Lecture, sponsored by the Department of Entomology, is Whitney Cranshaw, Professor of Entomology at Colorado State University who earned his master's and Ph.D at the University of Minnesota. The award and lecture will be on May 2 in the Cargill Building.

Patina Mendez, who earned her doctorate at the University of California-Berkeley, is one of three recipients of the new University of Minnesota Postdoctoral Fellowship for the 2007-08 academic year. The fellowship is designed to attract promising scholars with potential to pursue future faculty positions. Mendez will work in the Department of Entomology.

Susan VonBankSusan VonBank of MAST International was one of five people honored as 2007 Outstanding Agricultural Mentors at the Women’s Ag Leadership Conference on April 10 in Chaska. The awards are sponsored by Minnesota Agri-Women.

Gene AllenC. Eugene (Gene) Allen, faculty member in the Departments of Animal Science and Food Science & Nutrition since 1967, is retiring. His administrative leadership roles included Dean of the College of Agriculture; Vice President of the Institute of Agriculture, Forestry, and Home Economics; Director of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station; Provost for Professional Studies and Executive Director and Associate Vice President for International Programs. A reception is planned from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 17 at the McNamara Alumni Center. To attend, or for details, email schla025@umn.edu.

Mike YostThis year's Department of Applied Economics Outstanding Alumni Award will be given to Michael Yost, Administrator of the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. Mike received his B.S. in Agricultural Business Administration from the department in 1973. An event in his honor will be held Friday, April 27 at 3 p.m. in the Cargill Building. Mike will present “Global Agriculture - USDA’s Role.”

In This Issue

  1. From CFANS Dean Allen Levine
  2. Symposium focuses on biofuels
  3. A new "Speaking of Science" interview
  4. New database highlights CFANS expertise
  5. Mirko Bunzel joins FScN faculty
  6. Beautiful U Day grants will help St. Paul campus
  7. Dairy team places high in national competition
  8. Faculty/Staff Awards deadline is Wednesday
  9. New award recognizes work on diversity
  10. Stay up-to-date on CFANS in the news
  11. Borealis Night of Excellence planned
  12. Events

From Allen Levine: Environment is our future

Allen LevineAs you have heard from us many times, CFANS makes every attempt to provide extraordinary education, breakthrough research, and dynamic public engagement. Our vision to be a world leader in advancing solution-driven science reinforces and renews our land grant heritage for the 21st century. Based on our academic strengths, our college is strategically focused on:

  • Bioeconomy (Biofuels)
  • Environment (Global Climate Change)
  • Food and health

Clearly, our focus areas are interrelated. We work on biofuels as a means of preventing further global warming, which in turn affects the world’s food supply. This month I have chosen to discuss our environmental focus and its relevance to our health and the health of the air, water, and land.

Read more

This past weekend, nearly 200 alumni, staff, faculty and friends participated in the annual Classes Without Quizzes event. Professor and climatologist Mark Seeley from the Department of Soil, Water & Climate spoke about climate change in Minnesota and personal responsibility. WCCO-TV news anchor and reporter Don Shelby, known for his interest in alternative fuels and renewable energy, spoke about the need for people to have a greater connection with nature and ways in which we can conserve energy use. Professor and Interim Director of the Institute on the Environment Deb Swackhamer provided guidance on fish consumption and potential contaminants. Pat Huelman, associate professor in the Department of Bio-Products and Biosystems Engineering spoke on methods for achieving a high-performance house. All are excellent examples — and there are many more — of how CFANS researchers work toward solving the world’s most critical problems.

CFANS, which has a very large environmental research faculty, will be involved at different levels with the newly formed Institute in the Environment (IonE). Four of the fifteen Founding Fellows -- Susan Galatowitsch, Anne Kapuscinski, David Mulla and Steve Polasky-- are CFANS faculty.

These Founding Fellows are helping to shape the structure and culture of the organization along with identifying the IonE’s major research themes. (And, as an aside, all four will be speaking at CFANS commencement.) One of the IonE’s missions is to organize and coordinate environmental research work across the university. Additional CFANS faculty may become either Institute Fellows who have long-term appointments to help direct the Institute’s research program, or Associate Faculty, who will work with IonE on specific projects. No college can solve such complex problems alone and the interaction amongst colleagues across the University will enhance our faculty’s teaching and research efforts.

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Symposium focuses on biofuels

The first in a series of symposia sponsored by CFANS will feature two of the nation's leading experts in biofuels will present their views in a symposium titled: Biofuels: Economic Prospects and Environmental Implications. The event, which is from 1 to 3 p.m. on May 1 in Borlaug Hall, is free and open to the public.

The symposium will include Bruce Babcock, director of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University, and Wally Wilhelm, a plant physiologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. Responding to their presentations will be U of M economist Steve Taff and soil scientist Gyles Randall.

This is the first Solution-Driven Science Symposium organized by the college. The goal of the series is to highlight topics that are relevant to CFANS’ strategic initiatives. The format of these symposia offers the St. Paul campus community an opportunity to listen to experts and get engaged in the conversation through an extended questions & answer panel discussion.


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A new "Speaking of Science" interview

Mindy KurzerThe latest installment of "Speaking of Science" is now online. This series of interviews between CFANS dean Allen Levine and key faculty and staff showcases the variety and depth of the research and outreach work happening throughout the college. The latest interviewee is Mindy Kurzer, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition.

Read the Q and A with Mindy Kurzer

Listen to raw MP3 audio of the interview:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

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New database highlights CFANS expertise

The Faculty Expertise Database is now available on the college web page. Click the link on the right-hand side of the page labeled: "Faculty Expertise Search." The database has multiple search capabilities, including faculty name, department, area of expertise, keywords and combinations of the above.


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Mirko Bunzel joins FScN faculty

Mirko BunzelMirko Bunzel has joined the faculty in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition as an Associate Professor and General Mills Endowed Land Grant Chair in Cereal Chemistry and Technology. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Hamburg in Germany and has been a researcher and lecturer there for the past several years.

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Beautiful U grants aimed at St. Paul campus

Beautiful U Day projects this year include money for an improved gateway to the St. Paul campus at Cleveland and Larpenteur avenues, which involves the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station and students from the Department of Horticultural Science; a planting project at the Sarita Wetlands by students in the Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Club; another FWCB project that expands the Community Learning Garden; and a new peace garden at the Commonwealth Terrace apartments just south of campus. Beautiful U Day is Thursday, April 19.

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Dairy team places high in national competition

dairy teamStudents from the University of Minnesota recently won a second-place platinum award in the Sixth Annual North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge. The contest included 29 teams from the United States and one from Canada. The annual contest tests students' management abilities in all phases of a specific dairy business. Pictured are: (back row) Peter Burfeind, Charlie Peterson, Justin Reeck. (Front row): DiDi Christopherson and coach Marcia Endres, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science.

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Faculty/Staff Awards deadline is Wednesday

This Wednesday, April 18, is the deadline for the annual college faculty and staff awards, which will be presented at the College Assembly on May 7. The awards include:
The CFANS Civil Service/Bargaining Unit (CSBU) Staff Award recognizes the outstanding contributions of two members of the CSBU staff; $1,500 and certificate.
The CFANS Distinguished Academic (P&A) Staff Award recognizes the two members of the P&A staff in furthering the mission and goals of their unit(s) and the college; one for academic related duties and the other for scientific work; $1,500 and certificate.
The CFANS Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes those members of the faculty who have made significant contributions to teaching. The Distinguished Teaching Award symbolizes the College's commitment of excellence in teaching. Two cash awards of $1,500 each will be presented annually, one to a non-tenured faculty and one to a tenured faculty member.
Click on the links to nominate someone for each award.

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New award honors diversity work

CFANS has a new college award: The Distinguished Diversity and Inclusion Award, to be made annually in recognition of faculty and staff efforts to support diversity, inclusion, multiculturalism and cultural pluralism. The deadline for nominations is April 30. Questions? Contact Karl Lorenz at klorenz@umn.edu or 624-9299.

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Stay updated on CFANS in the news

A new listserve allows alumni and friends of the college to receive a weekly e-mail listing articles in the local and national media that mentioned CFANS faculty. To sign up, visit http://www.cfans.umn.edu/cfansinthenews

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Borealis Night of Excellence planned

The first CFANS Borealis Night of Excellence will be Wednesday, May 2. The Night of Excellence, co-hosted by the CFANS Student Board and the college Alumni Society, is intended to honor student, faculty and alumni volunteer leaders. The awards will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bell Museum.

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Events

Here are a few of the upcoming events of interest to the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences community. Visit www.cfans.umn.edu to see more events.

“Understanding Ecosystems for Conservation of Biodiversity: Lessons from the Serengeti"

Tuesday and Wednesday, April 17-18
Green Hall
The 2007 Kolshorn Lecture features Anthony Sinclair, Director of the Centre for Biodiversity Research at the University of British Columbia. The lecture is sponsored by the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology.

What's for Dinner? The Ethics and Aesthetics of Eating

Thursday, April 19
University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chanhassen
Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma," will present the keynote address, followed by a panel discussion including Allen Levine, CFANS dean, as well as regional experts, growers and distributors. The event is presented by the arboretum’s Public Policy Program and sponsored by the University of Minnesota's Program on Agriculture, Food and Environmental Ethics and the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. For more information and to register, call the Arboretum’s Education Office at 952-443-1422 or go to http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/education/adult/publicpolicy.htm

Minnesota State FFA Convention

Sunday-Tuesday, April 22-24
St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota
More than 3,000 high school students will attend the 78th annual Minnesota State FFA Convention. “Dare, Dream, Discover: Living in 3D” is the theme of this year’s conference.

'Plant Exploration: Lessons Learned'

Wednesday, April 25
Green Hall
The annual Kermit A. Olson Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the Department of Horticultural Science, features Tomasz Anisko, Curator of Plants at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The lecture, awards ceremony and reception are open to the public.

Minnesota Sustainable Tourism Conference

Wednesday-Thursday, April 25-26
University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chanhassen
A conference aimed at tourism practitioners, community decision makers and elected officials in Minnesota as well as students and others interested in sustainable tourism. Hosted by the Minnesota Tourism Center and co-sponsored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships.

Steroid Signaling in Plants: The First Decade

Monday, April 30
Cargill Building
This year's Phillip C. Hamm lecture, sponsored by the Department of Plant Pathology, features Joanne Chory, director of the Plant Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

'Toward a Global Food and Agricultural Policy for an Open International Economy'

May 2-3
Hubert H. Humphrey Center, U of M West Bank campus
This symposium will honor recently retired Regents Professor G. Edward Schuh, who was a longtime faculty member in the Department of Applied Economics and at the Humphrey Institute. For more information and to register, visit the Schuh Symposium website.

Minnesota Int'l Economic Development conference

May 4-5
McNamara Alumni Center, Minneapolis
The Center for International Food and Agricultural Policy will sponsor this conference, which includes 40 papers presented in 13 sessions. Guest speaker is Christopher Udry, Director of the Economic Growth Center at Yale University. Cost is $75 or $20 for graduate students and pre-registration is required.

CFANS Commencement ceremonies

Sunday, May 6
Northrop Auditorium
More than 250 students are expected to participate in the first CFANS commencement. This year's commencement speakers will be the four CFANS faculty members who are Founding Fellows of the Institute on the Environment.

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