News Capsules 01/19/05

Jan. 19, 2004

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

The 2005 Minnesota Legislative Session officially convened on Tuesday January 4, 2005, with a host of new lawmakers and changes in the committee structure in both the House and the Senate.  In the House, the DFL captured 13 seats in the November elections to narrow the GOP majority to just two seats.  The GOP has 68 members and the DFL has 66 members.  There are 26 new House members.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed $20 million for joint biosciences research by Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota and said he will not sign a bonding bill unless it includes a Mayo-University genomics lab in Rochester, during his State of the State address delivered in Rochester Jan. 18. The bonding bill also would fund improvements for AHC classrooms and a Life Sciences building on the Duluth campus, which would house the College of Pharmacy branch. For the Star Tribune story, see http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/5192262.html; for the full text of the speech, go to http://www.state.mn.us and click on Government.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

--Attend the University of Minnesota’s 2005 Legislative Briefing Thursday, Jan. 27, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (includes light dinner buffet), McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. S.E. Join President Robert Bruininks for an insider’s look at the University’s 2006-07 biennial budget request to the Minnesota Legislature. Register at http://www.supporttheU.umn.edu or call 625-9174.

--Join the University’s Legislative Network by going to http://www.supporttheU.umn.edu

PEOPLE

Richard Bianco, assistant vice president for regulatory affairs, has been named to the International Organization for Standardization’s cardiac valves working group as an Expert Member. 

Carole Bland, Medical School, and colleagues in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health--Anne Marie Weber-Main, Sharon Lund, and Deborah Finstad--recently published “The Research-Productive Department: Strategies from Departments That Excel.” The book is aimed at helping academic leaders nurture and sustain the highest levels of research productivity among their faculty. It is available at reduced cost for University faculty and staff at http://www.ankerpub.com/UMN-Bland-Order-Form.pdf

Kendall B. Wallace, Medical School, biochemistry and molecular biology, spoke at the South Central Regional Chapter and Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter Society of Toxicology conferences in October.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Janet D. Rowley, University of Chicago, will present “Stem Cell Therapy: Hype or Hope?” on Feb. 2, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Coffman Memorial Union's Mississippi Room. The presentation is part of the 2004-2005 Lecture Series on Law, Health & the Life Sciences. University of Minnesota professors Steve Calvin, Carol Tauer, and Susan Wolf will offer commentary after the lecture. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required if you wish to receive continuing education credits. For more information call 625-0055 or visit http://www.lifesci.consortium.umn.edu.

Yoga is being offered to Academic Health Center employees on Thursdays from Jan. 20 through March 24 in Weaver-Densford Hall, room 2-120/130. The one-hour sessions are at 11:30 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. The 11:30 session will be geared to the beginner while the 12:30 session will be intermediate beginner. Please bring a yoga mat and blanket to class. The cost for the 10-week session is $65, payable to instructor Kitty Kuluvar. Please contact Jane Pederson at mailto:peder010@umn.edu or 624-2490 if you plan to participate or if you have questions.

The Raptor Center has joined with Americorps to bring raptor educational programs to minority and low-income children. The center also will establish a volunteer program for adults to mentor young people and encourage them to get involved in their communities and explore careers working with animals and the environment. For more information, go to http://www.cvm.umn.edu/depts/raptorcenter/news/newsreleases

The AHC Learning Commons will host technology-enhanced learning courses on Breeze and other topics this semester. This is a great opportunity for AHC faculty to take these courses, normally offered on other parts of the campus, in a more convenient location. The Learning Commons is located in 535/545 Diehl Hall. To register, sign up at the University Technology Training Center Web site: http://uttc.umn.edu/training

The courses are:
--Feb. 3, 1:30-4 p.m., Breeze Presenter
--March 4, 8:30-12 p.m., Vista Basics
--March 8, 9-10:30 a.m., Vista Conversion
--March 22, 1:30-4:30, p.m., Breeze Live

CLINICAL RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

The Cancer Center is enrolling healthy women ages 15-25 for a vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer. The control group will receive hepatitis A vaccine. Women who are interested in participating in the study can call 624-2620.

A University of Minnesota research study is seeking African American volunteers willing to donate blood. The study is testing for a genetic endothelial cell basis for the increased risk for stroke and hypertension among African Americans. Volunteers must be health individuals between 20 and 30 years old. For more information, contact Julia at 626-4348.

For information on other clinical research opportunities, go to http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/campusnews/trials