News

Carbon Dioxide Levels Affect Grasses Differently Than Expected
MSI PI Peter Reich (professor, Forest Resources; Fellow, Institute on the Environment) was the lead researcher in a study, published this month in the prestigious journal Science, that showed unexpected growth performance of some types of grasses as carbon dioxide levels rise. This 20-year study investigated the response of two types of grasses, classified as C3 and C4 types, to elevated CO2 levels.
Creating Soft Robots With 3D Printing
MSI PI Michael McAlpine (Mechanical Engineering) is working with the US Army Research Lab (ARL) to create soft robots inspired by invertebrates. They are using 3D printing technology to create these robots, which will have much better capabilities for working in congested and urban environments. The researchers have created a prototype of a soft actuator that has tunable parameters, and is fully 3D printed.
A Gene That Protects Against Brain-Cell Loss
MSI PI Apostolos Georgopoulos (Director, Brain Sciences Center professor, Neuroscience) is a co-author on a recent study that discovered a gene allele that seems to protect a person from age-related loss of brain cells. This discovery could be the basis for development of a treatment that can mimic the allele’s effect. The study was published in March 2018 in the journal eBioMedicine.
Alcohol and the Adolescent Brain
MSI PI Monica Luciana (Chair, Psychology) studies brain development in adolescents, including how the developing brain is affected by the use of alcohol and other drugs such as marijuana. She is part of a large research group, The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) consortium, that is following 11,500 children over at least five years. The goal of this project is to find strategies for preventing and treating substance abuse.
MSI PI William Pomerantz Named McKnight Presidential Fellow
William Pomerantz, an MSI PI from the Department of Chemistry (College of Science and Engineering) has been named a McKnight Presidential Fellow. This program recognizes exceptional faculty who have been newly granted tenure and promotion to associate professor. The complete list of this year’s Fellows can be found on the Scholars Walk website.
MSI PIs Receive Research Grants From Morris Animal Foundation
Two MSI PIs from the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine have received grants from the Morris Animal Foundation (Denver, Colorado) to support their research into canine cancers:
MSI PI Christy Haynes Receives Guggenheim Fellowship
Professor Christy Haynes, an MSI PI from the Department of Chemistry, has been awarded a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship. Professor Haynes uses MSI resources for projects related to the study of inflammatory response and drugs to fight inflammation. Her Guggenheim project will take her to the Instituto de Tecnologia Quimica at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for the 2018-19 academic year.
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. They are:

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