News

MSI PIs and Stem Cell Institute researchers Ann Parr (associate professor, Neurosurgery) and James Dutton (associate professor, Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development) have developed a faster way to generate neural and glial cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Existing ways of creating these cells were lengthy and involved several steps, so Professors Parr and Dutton developed an entirel
Research by the University of Minnesota’s NeuroPlasticity Research in Support of Mental Health collaborative (NeuroPRSMH, pronounced “neuro-prism”) is featured in the Winter 2021 issue of the U of M Foundation’s Legacy magazine. NeuroPRSMH is co-directed by two MSI PIs, Sophia Vinogradov (professor and head, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences) and David Redish (professor, Neuroscience).
MSI PI Keshab Parhi (professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering) Keshab Parhi has been named as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). This is the highest professional honor given to academic inventors. Professor Parhi will be inducted into the NAI at the group’s annual meeting in June.
MSI PI Jaime Modiano (professor, Veterinary Clinical Sciences; Masonic Cancer Center) was interviewed by Steve Dale’s Pet World on Chicago radio station WGN 720. Professor Modiano discussed hemangiosarcoma, a common cancer in dogs.
On Wednesday, February 3, 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 February 3. Jobs that cannot be completed before 5:00 a.m. on February 3 will be held until after maintenance and then started once the system returns to production status. February maintenance will include:
MSI PIs are among the researchers who have received grants from the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics. PIs head three of the five projects that received research grants for 2021.
MSI PI Paul Dauenhauer (professor, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science) is featured in the Winter 2021 issue of the University of Minnesota Foundation’s magazine, Legacy. The article discusses Professor Dauenhauer’s research into using renewable resources like grasses and other plants as raw materials for consumer goods. The story can be read on the Foundation’s website: Turning Plants Into Everyday Products.
MSI PI Brian Steffenson (professor, Plant Pathology) provides insights in a Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) story about a new genetic modification technique that shows promise in developing strains of wheat that are resistant to wheat stem rust. This disease is highly damaging to wheat crops worldwide. The new method may allow researchers to more quickly breed crop varieties that are pathogen-resistant, leading to less use of fungicides.
An interview with MSI PI Damien Fair (professor, Institute of Child Development (ICD); Pediatrics; co-director, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain) appeared recently in the magazine Minnesota Monthly. The interview discusses his research into ADHD and autism, as well as his academic activism.
MSI PI R. Stephanie Huang (associate professor, Experimental and Clinic Pharmacology; Masonic Cancer Center) described the computational methods she and her group use to discover possible new drug combinations for clinical uses in a new video.
MSI PI Bill Arnold (professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering) and members of his research group were interviewed by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) about their recent publication on pesticides in Minnesota lakes and rivers. The researchers discovered that low levels of neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been implicated in declines in pollinator numbers, can be found in Minnesota’s waters. The researchers emphasize that the levels are too low to affect humans, but could be an environmental problem.
On Wednesday, January 6, 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 January 6. Jobs that cannot be completed before 5:00 a.m. on January 6 will be held until after maintenance and then started once the system returns to production status. January maintenance will include:
MSI PI Professor and Chair Dante Cicchetti (Institute of Child Development) has received the 2021 William James Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science. This award recognizes a researcher’s lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the basic science of psychology.
Two MSI PIs, Elizabeth Borer (professor, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior) and Nathan Springer (professor, Plant and Microbial Biology), have been named Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This award honors members of the AAAS who have distinguished themselves in their work to advance science or its applications.
MSI PIs in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering are among the researchers featured in a UMNews story about the Minnesota Robotics Institute (MnRI), which opened in 2019. The story is available on the News site: Building a Brighter Future With Robotics. The MSI PIs are:
Inactive data is eating away at the available storage of MSI's highest performing, and most expensive, storage platform. MSI’s Advanced Systems Operations group has developed metrics, policy, and a workflow to identify and move this data to less expensive archival storage. This archival storage may - in the longer term - have extensions to then automatically move this archived data to even less expensive cold storage.
On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, 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 December 2. Jobs that cannot be completed before 5:00 a.m. on December 2 will be held until after maintenance and then started once the system returns to production status. December maintenance will include:
Thirteen MSI PIs are among the 22 U of M researchers listed on the 2020 Highly Cited Researchers list, published recently by Clarivate Analytics. High citation counts indicate that work is highly regarded by a researcher’s peers. The MSI PIs on the list are:
In a recent paper, researchers led by the University of Minnesota describe a method of measuring changes in biodiversity by using spectral images taken from an aircraft. The paper was published in the journal Natural Ecology & Evolution: Remote spectral detection of biodiversity effects on forest biomass.
MSI PIs are among the researchers who have teamed up to create artificial intelligence technology that can detect whether a patient is infected with COVID-19 from chest X-rays. X-rays are non-invasive and accessible, and using an AI that can identify COVID in the images speeds up diagnosis. The M Health Fairview hospital system has begun using the technology. A story about this project appears on the College of Science and Engineering website: Artificial Intelligence, Real-Life Results.

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