News

On Wednesday, November 6, 2019, MSI staff will perform scheduled maintenance and upgrade to various MSI systems. Primary Storage, Mesabi, and Itasca will be unavailable throughout much of the day. A global system reservation will start at 5:00 a.m. on November 6. Jobs that cannot be completed before 5:00 a.m. on November 6 will be held until after maintenance and then started once the system returns to production status. November maintenance will include:

The Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) has released a video featuring the work of MSI PI Michael Smanski (assistant professor, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics). Professor Smanski and his group are developing a novel method of biocontrol for common carp. A description of the project can be found on the MAISRC website: Genetic Control of Invasive Fish Species.

Research by MSI PI Carol Cardona (professor, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences) is featured in the University of Minnesota’s 2019-20 Driven to Discover campaign. Professor Cardona and other U of M researchers work with Minnesota’s poultry farms - many of them independent businesses that have been family-owned for several generations - to help them keep their flocks healthy and safe.

A new paper by researchers from the National Science Foundation Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology has revealed that bacteria can adapt quickly to the presence of nanoparticles in the environment, even when those nanoparticles are not designed to kill the bacteria. The study showed that the bacterium Shewanella ondeidensis MR-1 adapted to higher and higher levels of nanoparticles used in making lithium-ion batteries. This is the first study to show that bacteria can develop resistance to substances other than antibiotics.

The College of Veterinary Medicine has received a grant of nearly $3M to fund a project to study how porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus evolves and spreads. PRRS costs the swine industry millions each year. This project is a collaboration between the U of M and at the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute.

MSI PI Gabriel Chan (assistant professor, Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy) explains the gasoline market and why prices go up after certain events. Professor Chan was interviewed as part of Minneapolis TV station WCCO’s “Good Question” series. The story, including video, can be found on WCCO’s website: What Causes Gas Prices to Rise?

MSI PI Walter Low (professor, Neurosurgery) is featured in an article in the Fall 2019 issue of the University of Minnesota Foundation’s magazine, Discovery. The article describes the work of University researchers who are looking for a way to use stem cells to regenerate nerve cells in the inner ear. These nerve cells, spiral ganglion neurons, are necessary for cochlear implants to work.

MSI PI Alon Herschhorn (assistant professor, Medicine) has received a 2019 Avenir Award for HIV/AIDS Research. The award, presented by the National Institutes of Health,  is for a project that investigates the pathways used by HIV to escape broadly neutralizing antibodies.

On Wednesday, September 4, 2019, MSI staff will perform scheduled maintenance. This maintenance period will have minimal impact on MSI systems and operations. Mesabi, Itasca, Lab, and Primary Storage will remain online. No global system reservation is in place for this maintenance period. September maintenance will include: Second Tier Storage CentOS updates Systems status is always available on our Status page.