science wire

Sustainable Rail International, University of Minnesota Announce Coalition to Develop the World's Cleanest Passenger Locomotive
New steam engine has the potential to change both 'the rail industry and clean energy research Media Note: Images of the cosmetic work performed on the locomotive and historic images of the engine are available by contacting SRI.

University of Minnesota startup to treat challenging bacterial infection
Current treatments often compound problem, potentially making infection lethal MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/16/2012) —A live biological preparation developed by University of Minnesota

U.S. Court of Appeals rules in favor of the University of Minnesota in case involving the Turkish Coalition of America
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/03/2012) —The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled in favor of the university today in a closely watched case involving First Amendment and academic freedom claims.

Minnesota Museums contribute $674 million in economic impact, U study finds
May marks Minnesota Museums Month, the country's first monthlong, statewide celebration of museum s MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (05/02/2012) —Museums preserve our heritage, inspire artists, entertain and educate children, conserve the natural world and capture scientific advancements.

Federal and state officials to celebrate opening of high-tech physics lab in northern Minnesota
Massive laboratory will support 15,000-ton particle detector that will help unlock mysteries of the origin of the universe Media Note: Click here to view a gallery of construction photos in Flickr What: Ribbon-cutting ceremony of the NOvA far detector building.

University of Minnesota startup offers game-changing energy solutions that reduce CO2 emissions
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/19/2012) —The University of Minnesota has launched a startup that will provide renewable energy more economically than existing alternatives while reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion such as from coal-burning power plants.

Trayvon Martin & Beyond: A Forum on Race, Media, & Criminal Law
What: Panel discussion on the social and legal issues that influence the Trayvon Martin case When: 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 18th Where: Room 25, Mondale Hall, 229 19th Ave.

A scarcity of college men leads women to choose briefcase over baby, study finds
UMN study finds ratio of men to women dramatically alters women's choices about career and family MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/16/2012) —American women today are more likely to earn coll

More day-tripping, fewer vacation days for families managing four-day school weeks, study says
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/16/2012) —As of 2012, 13 Minnesota school districts have implemented a change to a four-day week.

University of Minnesota invention helps advance reliability of alternative energy
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/11/2012) —A University of Minnesota invention could help make storage of solar and wind energy more efficient and economical.

U of M staff member Rosemary White Shield receives national appointment, most recent books released
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/03/2012) —Rosemary White Shield, director of evaluation for the University of Minnesota's Office for Equity and Diversity, has been appointed a national expert

Researchers collaborate with Ancestry.com to create the most comprehensive database of the 1940 Census
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/02/2012) —A collaboration between the University of Minnesota and Ancestry.com will create the largest database of detailed information about people and their households ever made available for scientific research.

U to host panel discussion today about issues of race and privilege as it relates to domestic human trafficking
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/26/2012) —“Girls Like Us,” a panel discussion regarding issues of race and privilege as they relate to domestic trafficking, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Great Hall, Coffman Union, 300 Washington Ave.

Seed catalogs, Minnesota beginnings, the Green Revolution, and the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible among topics in upcoming U of M Libraries exhibits
Seed catalogs, Minnesota beginnings, the Green Revolution, and the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible among topics in upcoming U of M Libraries exhibits MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/20/

U of M Vice President for Research Tim Mulcahy to retire
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/20/2012) —The University of Minnesota today announced that Vice President for Research Tim Mulcahy will retire in December 2012.

"Flagrant Conduct" by U Law Professor Dale Carpenter Acclaimed in New York Times, New York Review of Books, New Yorker
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/19/2012) —Critics are calling University of Minnesota Law School Professor Dale Carpenter's new release, Flagrant Conduct: The Story of Lawrence v. Texas, a landmark book on a landmark case.

U of M American Indian Studies Department Launches Groundbreaking Online Ojibwe Dictionary
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/14/2012) —The University of Minnesota's Department of American Indian Studies, in the College of Liberal Arts, has launched a ground-breaking online Ojibwe-English dictionary, the Ojibwe People's Dictionary, at http://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/ .

Statement by Board of Regents Chair Linda Cohen about release of legal opinions in Regent Steve Sviggum conflict of interest matter
Media Note: To request PDF copies of the legal opinions, please the University News Service at (612) 624-5551.

Charter schools still lag behind traditional public schools in test scores and are increasingly segregated by race and income
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/24/2012) —New work, which both updates and supplements a 2008 study by the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota Law School, shows that a

Cell phone hackers can track your physical location without your knowledge
Using a cheap phone, readily available equipment, and no direct help from a service provider, hackers could listen to unencrypted broadcast messages from cell phone towers MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/16/2012) —Cellular networks leak the locations of cell phone users, allowing a third party to easily track the location of the cell phone user without the user's knowledge, according to new research by computer scientists in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering.

Board of Regents Chair Linda Cohen's Statement on Regent Sviggum's Employment
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/10/2012) —"As Regents are aware, on January 16, 2012 Regent Steve Sviggum announced that he had accepted employment as Director and Executive Assistant for the Minnesota Senate Majority Caucus.

44th annual University of Minnesota Senior Fashion Show, 'twelve,' hits the runway Feb. 18
Two Saturday evening shows to highlight work by U of M student designers MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/09/2012) —“Twelve,” the 44th annual University of Minnesota Senior Fashion Show, will take place on Saturday, Feb.

University of Minnesota and startup to develop antidote to cyanide poisoning
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/09/2012) —Cyanide poisoning is often fatal and typically affects victims of industrial accidents, terrorist attacks, or structural fires.

U of M seeks Minnesota National Guard and Reserve families to evaluate parenting resources during and after deployment
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/08/2012) —University of Minnesota researchers are recruiting more than 300 Minnesota National Guard and Reserve families to participate in an ongoing study that

NorthStar Initiative launches corporate sustainability webinar series
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (02/03/2012) —The NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment is launching a free quarterly webina

U of M Physics Circus brings large-scale stunts and physics lessons to the public Feb. 9
Media Note: Members of the media may attend a daytime school group show at the Minneapolis Convention Center to get photos or video, but please Rhonda Zurn at rzurn [a] umn (p) edu to make arrangements. MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/31/2012) —If you've never seen a physicist drop 20 feet through thin air while a friend shoots a ball at him from a cannon, or grown men and women shooting streams of toilet paper over an audience with a leaf blower, the University of Minnesota Physics Force has a show for you.

U of M survey: Minnesotans predict higher leisure travel spending in 2012
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/23/2012) —A majority of the state's residents spend their leisure time in Minnesota, and 78 percent said they plan to spend as much or more money on leisure travel in 2012 compared to 2011, a new survey by the University of Minnesota Tourism Center reveals.

Biologists replicate key evolutionary step
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/17/2012) —More than 500 million years ago, single-celled organisms on the Earth's surface began forming multicellular clusters that ultimately became plants and animals. Just how that happened is a question that has eluded evolutionary biologists. But scientists in the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences have replicated that key step in the laboratory using natural selection and common brewer's yeast, which are single-celled organisms.

EPA administrator to visit the University of Minnesota
Jackson will address the latest national environmental policies and challenges to environmental laws MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/13/2012) —Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of the Un

A Scarcity of Women Leads Men to Spend More, Save Less
University of Minnesota Research Finds Sex Ratios Influence Financial Decisions MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/12/2012) —The perception that women are scarce leads men to become impulsive, save less, and increase borrowing, according to new research from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

University of Minnesota startup Drive Power uses mobile app DriveScribe to monitor and coach teen driving skills
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/12/2012) —Some 16.5 million drivers are involved in traffic accidents in the United States each year, and more than 12 percent of them are under the age of 20&m

Researchers to be featured on Big Ten Network's new 'Impact the World' series
Biomedical engineer Bin He will be profiled in the premiere episode on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 8:30 p.m. CST MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (01/09/2012) —University of Minnesota researchers will be featured in the Big Ten Network's debut of “Impact the World,” a powerful new original series that highlights the academic side of Big Ten universities.

Abandoned mines hold potential to capture wind energy
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/16/2011) —Minnesota's Iron Range is pocked with ponds – abandoned open pit mines – that could help energy providers more efficiently use intermittent renewable energy sources, such as wind, to meet state renewable energy mandates.

U of M experts weigh in on how to safely consume alcohol; spot and treat alcohol addiction; consequences of drinking and driving
As holiday parties continue to ramp up this season, so will the number of opportunities to consume alcohol.

Carlson School and Wells Fargo launch Sustainability Initiative
$250,000 grant supports research to help increase consumer demand for 'green' products MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/14/2011) —The University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management h

Innovative new approach to industry-funded research announced by U of M
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/09/2011) —The University of Minnesota today announced a new, unique approach to the way The new approach eliminates the need for protracted negotiations over rights to intellectual property that may result from industry-funded research.

U of M study suggests flexible workplaces promote better health behavior and well-being
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/06/2011) —A flexible workplace initiative improved employees' health behavior and well-being, including a rise in the amount and quality of sleep and better health management, according to a new study by University of Minnesota sociology professors Erin Kelly and Phyllis Moen.

Climate change warning deep under the Dead Sea
University of Minnesota professor is part of international team that predicts the volatile region's water may once again vanish MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/05/2011) —An international te

Jim Brandenburg's 'Chased By The Light' returns to Bell Museum of Natural History
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/30/2011) —“Chased By the Light: Jim Brandenburg's 90-Day Photo Journey” comes back to the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History for a new showing that opens Dec.

Central Minnesotans to get first look at scenarios for regional master plan coordinated by U of M
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/30/2011) —Central Minnesotans will meet to vote on four distinct regional possibilities—four futuristic scenarios—for their region's long-term sustainable development at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec.