News
UMD program paves the way for more Native Americans in health care
The University of Minnesota Medical School is leading the way when it comes to recruitment of Indigenous students. Thanks in part to support from Genentech, the University's Duluth campus has created the Gateways to Medicine and Research master of science program, which aims to recruit more Indigenous students and provide them with fully paid tuition. Read more.
Teaming up to improve body confidence in sport
The University of Minnesota's Tucker Center Team worked together with the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR)—international experts on body image and appearance research; Nike—the biggest champion of athletes and sport in the world; and Dove—the world’s biggest provider of self-esteem and body confidence education to develop a first-of-its-kind set of coaching tools to build body confidence in 11- to 17-year-old girls, and individuals across the full gender spectrum. Read more.
Helping girls reach their full athletic potential
A partnership between the University's Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and sportswear giant Nike is bolstering girls confidence, with the goal of keeping them in athletics. The online tool, called Coaching HER, takes aim against biases and inequalities in girls’ sport by providing coaches with a free interactive education program that fits easily into their busy lives. Image courtesy of Coaching HER Read more.
CLA helps make the Twin Cities a hot spot for early talent
The UMN College of Liberal Arts (CLA) has teamed up with GREATER MSP to make the Twin Cities a national hotspot for college internships and early talent development. CLA created a free Internship Toolkit for Employers on GREATER MSP's online internship hub that includes best practices for starting or expanding a quality undergraduate internship program. Read more.
Co-op program matches STEM students with potential employers
Since 1950, the co-op program in the College of Science and Engineering has been connecting talented students with innovative businesses during months-long internship opportunities. Last year, some 55 companies—from Fortune 500 to smaller local businesses—representing industries from manufacturing to aerospace to biomedical engineering took part in the program. Read more.
Industry partner opens facility at UMD
The Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth has opened its first onsite facility partnership with industry. In June, NRRI (NRRI) and Louisiana Pacific (LP) celebrated the grand opening of the Louisiana Pacific Innovation Center, which will be a showroom for LP Building Solutions’ latest products, as well as a place where representatives of building companies, large and small, can come to work with LP materials. Read more.
Students share research at 3M poster session
The University of Minnesota, in partnership with 3M, hosted a poster session with current graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. The event showcased student expertise by providing a platform to share their work and network with 3M’s research and development leaders. The session featured students from many UMN colleges and campuses. More than 150 3M employees and 45 U of M researchers participated. Read more.
Energy and U eclipses 100,000 student milestone
It’s official: more than 100,000 students in the Twin Cities metro area have engaged with chemistry through the biannual Energy and U program, supported in part by Medtronic and 3M. With the completion of the May 2023 series, the interactive show – which teaches third, fourth, and fifth graders about the First Law of Thermodynamics – surpassed this major education milestone. Read more.
Online platform helps companies and researchers connect
For corporations seeking university research expertise through networking and social media sites, Halo stands out as a way to connect corporate R&D teams with research scientists and vice versa. Launched at University of Chicago in 2020, Halo uses networking technologies to match up companies and scientists who have shared interests to accelerate scientific innovation and advance solutions. Read more.
UMN establishes research agreements with Korean peer institutions
A UMN delegation visited Korea's Hanyang University and the Korea Institute for Science and Technology (KIST), where they signed agreements to build research collaborations with these partners. Hanyang University is a leader in battery research and development, and KIST specializes in materials science and device fabrication. Read more.
UMN competition pairs product innovation with digital manufacturing
Protolabs is a title sponsor of the University's Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Challenge, which allows students to conceptualize, prototype, design and eventually launch a new product to market. Participants can utilize Protolabs digital quoting platform, attend design workshops, tour their local facilities, and work one-on-one with Protolabs engineers. Read more.
General Mills taps UMN for tech leadership training of employees
Technical leadership was on the menu at the U of M campus when nearly 30 General Mills food scientists and engineers gathered for the third offering of the Technical Leadership Essentials (TLE) course – a seminar in leadership fundamentals hosted by the U’s Technological Leadership Institute in the College of Science and Engineering. Read more.
UMN remains among the 'Billion Dollar Research Club'
For the second year in a row, the University of Minnesota sustained more than $1 billion in competitively earned sponsored research awards. In addition, the University ranks among the nation’s top 15 public universities in research expenditures, according to a report Vice President of Research Shashank Priya gave to the Board of Regents. Read more.
University of Minnesota, DEED launch $34.5M Minnesota Venture Capital Programs
The University of Minnesota is partnering with the State of Minnesota to inject $34.5 million into Minnesota’s early-stage, venture-backed businesses — a key step toward maintaining Minnesota’s position as one of the best states nationally for growing new businesses. Read more.
College of Pharmacy receives grant to continue diversifying pharmacy workforce
To help increase the diversity of the pharmacy workforce and improve overall health outcomes for vulnerable populations, the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy has announced a grant of $750,000 over three years from The McKesson Foundation. Read more.
In partnership with Cisco, UMN computer scientists explore video conferencing inequities
Do video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and WebEx create barriers to participation in online meetings? University of Minnesota computer scientists partnered with Cisco Systems to understand how biases impact participation in online meetings and design ways to mitigate bias and enhance participation equity. Read more.
Meet Shashank Priya, New Vice President for Research
On September 30, 2022, Shashank Priya will assume the role of vice president for research at the University of Minnesota, bringing a wealth of experience as a scholar, researcher, and administrator as well as enthusiasm for UMN research and discovery: “I am very excited about joining this highly talented and experienced team.” Read more.
A strong year for U of M tech transfer
New FY22 statistics show the University’s technology commercialization program continues to grow, thanks to a record number of startups created (22) and patents (241) issued by U.S. and foreign authorities to University inventors. Results reflect the University’s ongoing commitment to the research-related objectives of MPact 2025, the Systemwide Strategic Plan. Read more.
National recognition for encouraging underrepresented groups to pursue STEM careers
Support from Boston Scientific and Medtronic enabled the Department of Biomedical Engineering to launch an internship program recognized with an award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. Read more.
25 years of Visible Heart® Laboratory research and training at the U of M
The Visible Heart® Lab was created in 1997 in collaboration with Medtronic to perform translational systems physiology research ranging from cellular and tissue studies to organ and whole-body investigations. Today, it is Medtronic's longest-standing academic collaboration and a valuable resource in the medical device industry. Read more.
80 years of the Hormel Institute: from food R&D to innovative cancer research
Many are familiar with Hormel Foods, a food processing company most famously known for producing Spam. Lesser known is The Hormel Institute, the nearby state-of-the-art biomedical research facility that recently celebrated 80 years of research. Read more.
The value of having a research school in your midst
A new report of which U.S. universities are best at creating new knowledge through technology transfer ranks the University of Minnesota Twin Cities No. 1 among universities in America's heartland, No. 5 among all U.S. public universities nationally, and No. 10 among all U.S. universities. Read more.
New Monarch Healthcare Scholarship sets the bar
Monarch Healthcare Management aims to change the way both short-term rehabilitation and long-term health care are delivered. The company's new CCAPS scholarship will help fulfill that mission while making college possible for generations of Pell-eligible undergraduates. Read more.
U of M celebrates its 200th startup company
The University of Minnesota announced that it has launched 200 startup companies since 2006, a significant milestone in its work to scale and commercialize ideas and inventions from labs and research facilities on its five campuses. Read more.
U of M named one the best for tech transfer
Heartland Forward recently named the University of Minnesota among the country's best universities for technology transfer, noting that "its Minnesota Innovation Partnerships program provides a low-risk option to license technologies through its Try & Buy contracting program." Read more.
Novel retinal scan for earlier Alzheimer's detection
The work of Center for Drug Design researchers Robert Vince, PhD and Swati More, PhD, led to a noninvasive tool for earlier detection of Alzheimer’s disease through the retina, and also to a partnership with medical imaging company RetiSpec. Read more.
U of M students help shape Cargill's national DEI effort
Cargill Inc. introduced the $6 million nationwide thrive program last year to ensure more equitable access for underrepresented students pursuing careers in STEM, business, and agriculture. U of M students serve on an advisory board to help shape the program, which will launch in fall of 2022. Read more.
Gift from farm credit groups supports rural entrepreneurship
Rural entrepreneurship in Wisconsin and Minnesota will get a boost from a newly created Extension program at each state’s land grant university funded by two farm credit associations – Compeer Financial and AgCountry Farm Credit Services. Read more.
A framework for place-based collaboration with industry
Interim Vice President for Research Michael Oakes presented to the University's Board of Regents a framework and rationale for developing place-based collaborations with business and other external partners. Read more.
"Strong, growing, and impactful”: 2021 University research report
Corporations invested $255.5 million in University research during a record year for innovation and technology funding in 2021, the first year that external research funding surpassed $1 billion. Read more.
Stratasys donates 3D printers to Visible Heart Laboratories
Stratasys, a leader in polymer 3D printing solutions, is sponsoring the University of Minnesota Visible Heart® Laboratories with a donation of Stratasys J750™ Digital Anatomy™ 3D printers. Read more.
PPG invests in future leaders with safety in mind
PPG, a global leader and supplier of paints, coatings, and specialty materials with headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, continued its support of graduate students in the College of Science and Engineering with its latest gift of $50,000. Read more.
Serious about ATV safety
With help from Polaris, 4-H students contribute to ATV safety across the state. Read more.
Using analytics to develop better "similarity metrics"
Winfield United, the crop sciences division of Land O’ Lakes, worked with students at the Carlson School of Management Analytics Lab to improve the way the company uses data to advise member farmers. Read more.
University of Minnesota is part of Toyota Research Institute’s new initiative
U of M researchers will use artificial intelligence to better understand drivers’ behavior to increase safe driving. Read more.
Holmes Center and MN Cup gain national recognition
The Holmes Center was a finalist for “Outstanding Contributors to Venture Creation” and was recognized in the State of University Entrepreneurship Centers’ Fall 2020 Report. Read more.
Polaris donates $1 million to support STEM education programs
A $1 million donation from Polaris Inc. to the U of M College of Science and Engineering will expand educational and experiential opportunities and support scholarships for diverse and underrepresented students. Read more.
Gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota establishes new center
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has donated $5 million to the University of Minnesota School of Public Health to establish the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity. Read more.
Planting seeds of innovation
The 3M Venture Fellows program helps high-potential 3M employees gain expertise in launching startups, while lending valuable insights to U researchers. Read more.
Minnesota Corn Growers Association earns 4-H honor
Minnesota 4-H has named the Minnesota Corn Growers Association as their 2021 Friend of 4-H in recognition of the organization’s contributions to reaching Minnesota young people. Read more.
Thanks in part to U of M research, Catamaran Bio soars with early funding
A biotech startup that includes U of M technology created to bring new cancer therapies to life has attracted high levels of funding during its early-stage investment rounds. Read more.
Collaboration with Cisco explores frontier of data technologies
A new collaboration between University of Minnesota researchers and Cisco Systems seeks to advance cutting-edge technologies that transform the way people access, manage, and protect data. Read more.
Cargill invests in the next generation of food and ag leaders
The U of M has been selected as a partner in the Cargill University THRIVE program, which aims to ensure more equitable access for women and minority students in STEM fields, agriculture, and business. Read more.
Building trust and improving care
Abbott partnership with the U of M Community University Health Care Center brings care closer to underserved communities. Read more.
U of M launches Center for Medical Device Cybersecurity
The new center will foster university-industry-government collaborations to ensure that medical devices are protected from growing cybersecurity threats. Read more.
‘This is groundbreaking’: UMD partnership transforms medical technology with humanoid robots
Thanks to a partnership between University of Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota-based Monarch Healthcare, humanoid robots will help care for patients in assisted living spaces. Read more.
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Center for Retail Design and Innovation Partners with Kohl's
The College of Design’s Center for Retail Design and Innovation (CRDI) has entered into the biggest partnership in its history with omnichannel retailer Kohl’s. Read more.