News

MSI at the 2022 Minnesota State Fair
Come see MSI at the Minnesota State Fair! We’ll be there with our partners at the Institute of Engineering in Medicine (IEM) and the Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center (BMDC) on Wednesday, August 31. You can see videos of cool research being done using MSI. Come say hi! MSI will be there 12 – 3 p.m. 
Male Contraceptives Near Human Trials
MSI PI Gunda Georg (Regents Professor; Director, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development) has been interviewed by several media outlets about a new contraceptive pill for men that may soon enter clinical trials. The pill, which works by blocking sperm production, is 99% effective in mice and is completely reversable. Stories about this research appear on the following websites:
Developing Stable Quantum Structure
MSI PI Vlad Pribiag (professor, Physics and Astronomy) is leading a team that is developing a new process combining quantum physics and biochemistry that could lead to a major breakthrough in the quantum computing field. The team has received a $1.4M grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation for a project that will use DNA nanoassembly techniques to create stable quantum structures.
MSI PI Eric Watkins Named Vice Provost for Distributed Learning
Professor Eric Watkins, an MSI PI in the Department of Horticultural Science, has been named the Vice Provost for Distributed Learning. This is a new position created to drive the development of innovative, coordinated, and scaled systemwide distributed learning models as part of the University’s strategic plan. Professor Watkins will begin this role in September 2022 and will continue as a faculty member.
MSI PIs Receive $1.7M Grant From National Institute on Drug Abuse
Several MSIs PIs are participating in a project that has received a $1.7M grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The project, “Neurobehavioral Mechanisms Linking Childhood Social Disadvantage With Substance Use Trajectories in Adolescence and Adulthood,” includes the following MSI PIs:
Roadside Habitats for Pollinators
MSI PI Emilie Snell-Rood (associate professor, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior) is studying the development of roadsides as habitats for pollinators. Professor Snell-Rood has overseen projects that studied the pros and cons of using roadsides for this purpose; while the amount of land is quite large, there are challenges such as road salt and car collisions affecting these areas. The studies are providing data for roadside managers working on conservation.
Reduced Snowfall May Harm Winter Crops
Climate change is having enormous effects on farming. One of these effects is reduced snowfall. With less snow protection, winter crops may be more likely to freeze, and the reduced amount of snow could lead to drought later in the year.
2023 UMII-MnDRIVE PhD Graduate Assistantship Program
MSI’s Research Computing partner, the University of Minnesota Informatics Institute (UMII), has opened the application period for the 2023 MnDRIVE Graduate Assistantship program. This program supports UMN PhD candidates pursuing research at the intersection of informatics and any of the five MnDRIVE areas: Robotics, Sensors and Advanced Manufacturing; Global Food Ventures; Advancing Industry, Conserving Our Environment; Discoveries and Treatments for Brain Conditions; and Cancer Clinical Trials. 
August 2022 Maintenance
On Wednesday, August 3, 2022, MSI staff will perform scheduled maintenance and upgrades to various MSI systems. During this month's scheduled maintenance period, primary storage may be unavailable or in a read-only state throughout much of the day. Mesabi and Mangi front-end nodes will be unavailable some portion of the day. A global system reservation will start at 5:00 a.m. on August 3. Jobs that cannot be completed before 5:00 a.m. on August 3 will be held until after maintenance and then started once the system returns to production status.

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