News

U-Spatial has named the winners for their 2021 Mapping Prizes. This annual event, which is open to students at the University of Minnesota, honors provocative and innovative map-making. See the winners on the Spatial University website: U-Spatial Mapping Prize. Submissions for the 2022 competition are due on May 13, 2022. The link to the submission information is on the U-Spatial Mapping Prize page linked above.

MSI PI Sophia Yohe (associate professor, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology) is a co-investigator on a clinical trial that aims to reduce disparities in cervical-cancer screening in Somali American women. The team, which includes researchers from the U of M and the University of Washington, was awarded $2.9M from the National Cancer Institute. The researchers are investigating whether offering HPV self-sampling will increase cancer screening rates.

Research by MSI PIs Donald Wyse (professor, Agronomy and Plant Genetics) and David Marks (professor, Plant and Microbial Biology) is featured in a recent story on the Office of the Vice President for Research Inquiry blog. Professors Wyse and Marks are developing the plant pennycress for use as a cover crop.

Research by MSI PI Phu Tran (assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics) and others is featured in a recent story in Minnesota Alumni magazine. University of Minnesota researchers are studying how the fetal brain develops and how iron deficiency in the mother can cause neurocognitive conditions. Professor Tran has found that iron deficiency in pregnancy can cause changes to DNA that affect how the brain is able to learn. He uses MSI resources as part of this research.

MSI’s Research Computing partner, the University of Minnesota Informatics Institute (UMII), has opened the application period for the 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. 

On Wednesday, August 4, 2021, MSI staff will perform scheduled maintenance and upgrades to various MSI systems. Primary Storage, Mesabi, and Mangi will be unavailable throughout much of the day. A global system reservation will start at 5:00 a.m. on August 4. Jobs that cannot be completed before 5:00 a.m. on August 4 will be held until after maintenance and then started once the system returns to production status. Systems status is always available on our Status page.

A treatment for Parkinson’s disease involves the placement of electric leads into specific parts of the brain, a treatment known as deep brain stimulation (DBS). Electric impulses through these leads can result in reduction or elimination of the tremors associated with Parkinson’s.

A project that developed a technology that improves the fuel efficiency of delivery vehicles has won the 2021 Robert C. Johns Research Partnership Award. MSI PI William Northrop (associate professor, Mechanical Engineering) is the PI of this project, and MSI PI Shashi Shekhar (professor, Computer Science and Engineering) is a co-investigator. The U of M team worked with colleagues from UPS, Workhorse Group, and JKV Engineering.

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) has awarded 2021 Minnesota Futures Grants to two projects. This program offers funding each year to promote research that incorporates new, cross-disciplinary ideas.