News

Vipin Kumar Named a Fellow of the AAAI
MSI PI Vipin Kumar (Regents Professor, Computer Science and Engineering; Institute for Engineering in Medicine) is one of the 2023 Fellows of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). The AAAI is a society that advances and promotes research in, and responsible use of, artificial intelligence.
NIH Grant to Study Tick-Borne Pathogens
MSI PI Peter Larsen (assistant professor, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences) and Assistant Professor Jon Oliver (Environmental Health Sciences) are co-PIs on a grant from the National Institutes of Health that will study the transmission tick-borne pathogens such as Lyme disease.
Practicing Academic Medicine
In a story about the discipline of academic medicine, the U of M Medical School’s monthly feature “Where Discovery Creates Hope” describes the work of MSI PI Melena Bellin (professor, Pediatrics). Academic medicine combines both research and teaching. Professor Bellin uses MSI resources for research into islet transplantation as a treatment for diabetes.
Bhagi-Damodaran Receives Cottrell Scholar Award
MSI PI Ambika Bhagi-Damodaran (assistant professor, Chemistry) has received a 2023 Cottrell Scholar Award. These awards, which are presented to early-career researchers in the U.S. and Canada, are given by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement to honor outstanding teacher-scholars in the fields of chemistry, physics, and astronomy.
2023 Distinguished McKnight University Professors
Two MSI PIs have been named Distinguished McKnight University Professors. This program recognizes outstanding mid-career faculty members who have recently achieved full professor status. The MSI PIs on the list are:
A Breakthrough in Studies of African Swine Fever
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly contagious, devastating disease in pigs. In one of the few facilities allowed to work on the virus in the U.S., Professor Gerald Shurson (Animal Science) and MSI PI Declan Schroeder (associate professor, Veterinary Population Medicine) led the research team that compared ASFV and a surrogate virus, Emiliania huxleyi (EhV).
MSI PIs Leading Invasive Species Research
The Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Pests and Plants Center (MITPPC) has announced ten new projects to investigate some of the serious invasive species causing environmental and economic harm to Minnesota. Five of these projects are being led by MSI PIs. This research will improve how Minnesota can detect and manage invasive species. The projects are funded by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Projects led by MSI PIs are:
Research by MSI PI Leads to cCMV Screening in Minnesota Newborns
In early February, Minnesota became the first state in the nation to start screening for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) in newborns. Research by MSI PI Mark Schleiss (professor, Pediatrics), who uses MSI resources for a project to develop a vaccine for CMV, helped to inform the decision to add this test to other routine screenings for newborn children. cCMV is the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the U.S.
MSI PI Claudia Schmidt-Dannert Leads BioTechnology Institute
The BioTechnology Institute website features an interview with MSI PI Claudia Schmidt-Dannert, who is the new BTI Director: Q&A with BTI Director Claudia Schmidt-Dannert. Professor Schmidt-Dannert uses MSI resources for two projects: one that seeks to engineer pharmaceuticals from fungi and plants, and another that is engineering more efficient metabolic and biocatalytic systems.

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