News

August 2018 Maintenance
On Wednesday, August 1, 2018, MSI staff will perform scheduled maintenance and upgrades to various MSI systems. Primary Storage, Mesabi, and Itasca will be unavailable throughout much of the day. A global system reservation will start at 6:00 am on August 1. Jobs that cannot be completed before 6:00 am on August 1 will be held until after maintenance and then started once the system returns to production status. August maintenance will include:
U-Spatial Researchers at Esri Conference
Researchers from U-Spatial spoke at the recent 2018 Esri User Conference, an international meeting of experts in mapping and geographic information systems (GIS).
Researchers Seek to Identify Genetic Markers for Equine Metabolic Syndrome
MSI PI Molly McCue (associate professor, Veterinary Population Medicine) was interviewed by radio station KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead recently to discuss her lab’s research into the genetics of Equine Metabolic Syndrome.
MSI PI Melania Figueroa Receives Syngenta Award
MSI PI Melania Figueroa (Plant Pathology) was recently awarded the 2018 Syngenta Award from the American Phytopathological Society. This award is presented for outstanding contributions to teaching, research, or extension in plant pathology.
Raptor Center Treats a Record Number of Eaglets in 2018
The Raptor Center, part of the College of Veterinary Medicine on the St. Paul Campus, has seen a record number of eaglets so far in 2018. The Center rehabilitates injured raptors for re-release into the wild. TV station Kare-11 did a story about the rehabilitation process, which can be seen on their website: Raptor Center works to help record number of eaglets.
Inorganic Catalyst Design Center Funding Renewed
The Inorganic Catalyst Design Center, a federally funded Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) in the College of Science and Engineering, had its funding renewed in late June 2018. The purpose of the EFRCs is to strengthen US economic leadership and energy security. The Inorganic Catalyst Design Center’s mission is to discover new classes of catalytic materials for energy production, especially using computational methods.
Immigrant Microbiome Project
MSI researcher Pajau Vangay, a PhD student in the lab of MSI PI Dan Knights (Computer Science and Engineering; BioTechnology Institute), was featured in a story on Public Radio International (PRI). The story discusses Ms. Vangay’s research into the microbiome and work on the Immigrant Microbiome Project, which studies Hmong and Karen women in Minnesota and Thailand.
U-Spatial 2018 Mapping Prizes
U-Spatial has named the winners for their 2018 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 U-Spatial website: Mapping Prize - 2018 Best Maps.
MSI PIs Receive Awards From 2018 Research Infrastructure Investment Program
Six MSI PIs have received awards from the 2018 Research Infrastructure Investment Program. This Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) program is designed to support transdisciplinary research and collaboration across the U. OVPR made 19 awards this year. Below are the MSI PIs who have received awards:
MSI PIs Named Regents Professors
Two MSI PIs have been named Regents Professors, the University’s highest level of faculty recognition.
Fungi May Help Soybeans
MSI PI Kathryn Bushley (assistant professor, Plant and Microbial Biology) is featured on the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) website for her research that seeks to fight a soybean-destroying roundworm. The soybean-cyst nematode is highly damaging to Minnesota’s soybean crop. The Bushley lab is investigating the use of naturally occurring fungi as a method of fighting these nematodes.
Interview With MSI PI Fumiaki Katagiri
MSI PI Fumiaki Katagiri (professor, Plant and Microbial Biology) was recently interviewed on the College of Biological Sciences (CBS) website. The interview discusses Professor Katagiri’s research, family, and interests. It can be found on the CBS Connect blog: CBSpotlight: Fumiaki Katagiri. Professor Katagiri uses MSI to support research into plants’ immune systems.  
MSI PI Awarded Minnesota Futures Grant
MSI PI Hyun Soo Park (assistant professor, Computer Science and Engineering) is a Principal Investigator for a project that has received a 2018 Minnesota Futures Grant from the Office of the Vice President for Research.
June 2018 Maintenance
On Wednesday, June 6, 2018, MSI staff will perform scheduled maintenance and upgrades to various MSI systems. Primary Storage, Mesabi, and Itasca will be unavailable throughout much of the day. A global system reservation will start at 6am on June 6. Jobs that cannot be completed before 6am on June 6 will be held until after maintenance and then started once the system returns to production status. June maintenance will include:
Researchers Discover Magnetic Properties of Ruthenium
MSI PI Jian-Ping Wang (professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering) and colleagues have discovered that the element ruthenium (Ru) has magnetic properties at room temperature. Ru is only the fourth element to have this property; the others are iron, cobalt, and nickel. The form of Ru that shows magnetism is a very thin film.
MSI PI Bethanie Stadler Named Fellow of the Materials Research Society
MSI PI Bethanie Stadler (professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)) has been named a Fellow of the Materials Research Society. This honor recognizes her contributions to the field of materials research. An article about Professor Stadler appears on the ECE department website: Prof. Bethanie Stadler Elevated to Fellow of the Materials Research Society.
Using the Zika Virus to Fight Brain Cancer
MSI PI Walter Low (Neurosurgery; Masonic Cancer Center) is researching how the zika virus might be able to fight cancer cells. Zika does devastating damage to an embryo’s developing brain, so Professor Low and his colleagues thought it might also target brain-cancer cells. Preliminary research confirmed this, and the work continues to find a zika-based treatment that could fight brain cancer.
Oak Trees Provide Clues to Evolutionary Success
MSI PI Jeannine Cavender-Bares (associate professor, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior) is featured in a new Research Brief on the University’s News website. Professor Cavender-Bares was the lead author on a recently published project that that helps explain how oak trees became so diverse - there are 91 species in North America - and also so dominant.
MSI PI Catherine French Named Distinguished Member of ASCE
MSI PI Catherine French (professor, Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering) has been named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the highest honor given by that group. A story about this award appears on the CEGE website: Professor Catherine French, ASCE Distinguished Member.
Spintronics to Treat Brain Disorders
MSI PI Jian-Ping Wang (Distinguished McKnight Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering) is featured in the Spring 2018 issue of the University of Minnesota Foundation’s Legacy magazine. Professor Wang is studying how spintronics could be used in new devices for magnetic brain stimulations that treat brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

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