News

November 2017 Maintenance
On Wednesday, November 1, 2017, MSI staff will perform scheduled maintenance and upgrades to various MSI systems. Primary Storage, Mesabi, and Itasca will be unavailable throughout much of the day. November maintenance will include: Mesabi OS upgrade Itasca OS upgrade Windows updates NoMachine Upgrade     Please upgrade your NoMachine clients to version 5 Systems status is always available on our Status page.
MSI PIs Receive Grand Challenges Research Awards
The second phase of the Grand Challenges Awards, part of the University’s Driving Tomorrow strategic plan, have been awarded, and several MSI PIs are among the faculty members leading projects. The interdisciplinary projects funded this year focus on two categories of the Grand Challenges Research initiative, “Fostering Just and Equitable Communities” and “Assuring Clean Water and Sustainable Ecosystems.” Two projects address the intersection of those categories.
MSI PI Miguel Fiol Leads Puerto Rico Relief Efforts
MSI PI Miguel Fiol, an associate professor in the Department of Neurology, is leading a team of doctors who will provide assistance to some of the communities that are still suffering after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. Professor Fiol is a native of Puerto Rico and was visiting there when Maria hit. After returning to Minnesota, he organized a group that raised funds and collected medical supplies.
MSI PI Jakub Tolar Named Medical School Dean
MSI PI Jakub Tolar, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics, has been named the new Dean of the Medical School. Professor Tolar begins his new responsibilities this week; the official appointment is subject to Board of Regents approval. The announcement appears on the Medical School website: Dr. Jakub Tolar Named Dean of the UMN Medical School.
Keeping Genetically Modified Organisms From Interbreeding
Two MSI PIs, Assistant Professor Michael Smanski (BioTechnology Institute; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics) and Assistant Professor William Harcombe (BioTechnology Institute; Ecology, Evolution and Behavior) are authors on a study that describes a way to keep genetically engineered organisms from interbr
Cooperative Governance Networks for Gene Editing
MSI PI Nicholas Jordan (professor, Agronomy and Plant Genetics) is the lead author on a recent paper, published in EMBO Reports, that proposes a cooperative governance network that would oversee how gene-editing technologies would be used on crops. The network would include all stakeholders – crop breeders, financers, and advocacy groups – and would have procedures that would be visible to the public.
Supercomputing for Geospatial Data Processing
MSI PI Eric Shook (assistant professor; Geography, Environment and Society) is featured on the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) website as part of a series about CLA faculty who use big data. You can read the article on the CLA website: Superpowered GIS.
MSI PIs Lead Project to Improve Cities
Two MSI PIs, Professor Shashi Shekhar (Computer Science and Engineering) and Professor Anu Ramaswami (Humphrey School of Public Affairs), are leading a multi-disciplinary team to develop “smart” infrastructure sectors in cities.
MSI PI Timothy Lodge Receives Education Award
Regents Professor Timothy Lodge, an MSI PI who holds dual appointments in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, has received the 2018 Paul J. Flory Polymer Education Award. This award is given by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Polymer Chemistry, and will be presented at the ACS National Meeting in March 2018.
MSI PIs Working to Combat Terrestrial Invasive Species
Four MSI PIs recently were awarded grants to support their research as part of the University’s Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC). The mission of the Center (from their website) is to “prevent and minimize the threats posed by terrestrial invasive plants, other weeds, pathogens, and pests in order to protect the state's prairies, forests, wetlands, and agricultural resources.” The PIs are:
MSI PIs Part of Grant to Improve Deep Brain Simulation
Three MSI PIs are among the investigators working on a project that has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative. The grant was awarded to the Medical School’s Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) for a project that will study ways to make Deep Brain Simulation (DBS) more efficient and safer. DBS is used to treat many neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s Disease. The MSI PIs are:
October 2017 Maintenance
Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 4, 2017, MSI staff will perform scheduled maintenance and upgrades to various MSI systems. Primary Storage, Mesabi, and Itasca will be unavailable throughout much of the day. October maintenance will include:
New Research Could Help Reforestation Efforts
A new study by MSI PI Jennifer Powers (associate professor, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior) and graduate student Leland Werden provides data to help with the restoration of tropical dry forests that have been destroyed by activities such as logging or farming. In many cases, the soil of these former forests is extremely degraded. The study, published recently in the Journal of Applied Ecology, showed that traits in certain trees allowed them to survive in poor soil conditions.

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