News

Land-Based Microbial Threats to Coral Reefs
MSI PI Michael Sadowsky (Director, BioTechnology Institute) and colleagues have published a new study indicating that bacteria and fungi from land-based sources may be damaging coral reefs. Earlier studies have failed to find the same land-based microbes on other reefs, suggesting that that the microbes are invasive on the reefs. The researchers are planning additional experiments to test the hypothesis.
Three MSI PIs Named Distinguished McKnight University Professors
Three MSI PIs are among the six University faculty members who have been named Distinguished McKnight University Professors for 2017. They are:
ACM SIGHPC/Intel Computational & Data Science Fellowships
ACM SIGHPC and Intel are launching a new international program of graduate fellowships in computational and data science. The goal of this new graduate fellowship is to increase the diversity of students pursuing graduate degrees in data science and computational science, including women as well as students from racial/ethnic backgrounds that have not traditionally participated in the computing field.
Shape-Shifting Drone
MSI PI Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos (Computer Science and Engineering) and his research group are featured in the magazine New Scientist in a story about a new kind of drone they have developed. This drone takes off vertically, like a helicopter, but then changes configuration into a flat, winged vehicle. The drone also has solar panels so that it can fly for extended periods.
Student Volunteer Program for SC17
The SC17 Student Volunteers program is now accepting applications. SC17, the annual Supercomputing Conference, will be held November 12-17, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The application deadline is June 15, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. (AoE). Acceptance notifications will be sent by the end of June 2017. Advantages and benefits for students:
MSI PI Traian Dumitrica Named Fellow of HWK
MSI PI Traian Dumitrica, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been named a Fellow in the Energy area at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) (Institute of Advanced Studies). During his Fellowship, Professor Dumitrica will work at the HWK with collaborators from the Bremen Center for Computational Materials Science at the University of Bremen.
Forest Diversity
In a new study, researchers have found an explanation about why more diverse stands of trees are more productive than stands with only one species. Two MSI PIs, Associate Professor Jeannine Cavender-Bares (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior) and Professor Peter Reich (Forest Resources), were part of this study.
Interview of MSI PI George Weiblen
Professor George Weiblen, an MSI PI in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology in the College of Biological Sciences, was interviewed recently by the magazine American Scientist. The interview discusses Professor Weiblen’s research into Cannabis sativa, the species that includes hemp and marijuana.
Breakthrough in Tissue Preservation
MSI PIs are among the authors of a paper that announces a new technique for warming cryofrozen tissues. Although it is possible to freeze tissues and organs without harm, thawing them usually causes damage. The method described in the paper uses iron oxide nanoparticles that surround the frozen tissue and warm when activated by an external magnetic field. This method may eventually help keep organs viable for transplant for a much longer time than is currently possible.
New Treatment for Epidermolysis Bullosa
MSI PI Jakub Tolar, a professor in the pediatrics department of the UM Medical School, is known for his work aiming to find a cure for the debilitating disease epidermolysis bullosa (EB). In this genetic disease, a person’s skin sloughs off at the slightest touch. It is painful, disfiguring, and can be fatal.

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