University of Minnesota Regents Professor Ted Davis has been named director of the BioTechnology Institute (BTI)—a joint effort of the College of Biological Sciences and Institute of Technology.
“With research in biofuels and renewable energy moving to the international forefront, the work done at BTI, especially in the area of biocatalysis, is more critical than ever,” says Robert Elde, dean of the College of Biological Sciences. “Ted Davis brings the leadership and expertise needed to create momentum behind the University’s initiatives in these areas of research.”
Davis has been a faculty member in the University’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science since 1963, serving as department head for 15 years. In 1995, he was named dean of the Institute of Technology and served nine years in that role before leaving the post in 2004. In his new position, Davis will lead efforts to boost interdisciplinary research for new and innovative sources of renewable energy.
A new book co-authored by faculty members Mark Decker and Randy Moore traces the history of the evolution-creationism debate back to the mid-19th century. More Than Darwin: An Encyclopedia of the People and Places of the Evolution-Creationism Controversy provides descriptions of significant personalities, places and organizations across the social and scientific spectrum involved in the long history of evolution versus creationism. “When you look at the controversy it pulls from so many areas—age of the earth, free speech, constitutional issues, science issues,” says Moore. “The entries in the book range from theological to political to science, but they are all important.”
Anh Tran, a senior majoring in neuroscience and psychology, received two awards for her achievements as a student leader: the 2008 President’s Student Leadership Award and the Donald R. Zander Award for Outstanding Student Leadership.
During her tenure as a CBS undergraduate, Tran has been involved in numerous student organizations including the Deans’ Scholars Program, CBS Student Board, Fairview Volunteer Advisory Committee, Vietnamese Student Association and Biology Without Borders, a group she helped organize.
“I have learned that leaders inspire others to step out of their comfort zones,” says Tran, “to become more active members in their communities and take actions that they otherwise would not have.”
Steven Burrill, a leader in the biotechnology industry and CEO of Burrill & Company, a life sciences merchant bank and venture capital firm, will speak at this year’s Commencement ceremony. Burrill has been named a top biotech investment visionary by Scientific American and he serves on numerous biotechnology company boards.
Robert Herman, John Lipscomb, Judith Berman and Stephen Polasky were among seven University of Minnesota faculty recently named fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Berman received the recognition for significant advances in the field of genomics; Herman for developmental genetics; Lipscomb for contributions to metalloenzymology; and Polasky for his work on environmental economics.
Professor Emeritus Harrison “Bud” Tordoff, who taught in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior for nearly 20 years before retiring in 1988, led a recent effort to install a nest box on top of the Biological Sciences Center on the U’s St. Paul campus. His goal: to lure a pair of peregrine falcons from their current roost in the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
“A pair of falcons has nested on the Space Tower at the fairgrounds for years with no success in fledging any young,” says Tordoff. “Peregrines like high places. So we thought a box on top of the Biological Sciences building would give them another maybe better option.”
Tordoff and others have been watching the local peregrine population closely during its slow recovery from the DDT era. With assistance from the Bell Museum and University facilities staff, the new nest box was installed this spring. While the peregrines in question have yet to relocate, the benefits of having the falcons literally on-site are considerable. Says Tordoff: “We see a nesting pair there as a huge asset for classes and research projects.”
Plant biology major Brian Arnold has been awarded a Fulbright Grant to Finland for 2008-09. Arnold will spend the year at the University of Oulu working in the laboratory of Outi Savolainen, a renowned plant genetics researcher who is studying the genetic basis for adaptation in flowering time in the plant Arabidopsis lyrata.
Want to know what’s happening in biofuels research? The University of Minnesota BioFuels Database, designed to advance biofuels research and boost efforts to develop fuels from renewable resources, lets you search for synthetic pathways based on class of molecule. And there’s a handy glossary, too. It’s the only database of its kind that is free and available to the public.
Judith Berman, in the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, has been named a 2008-10 Distinguished McKnight University Professor in recognition of her outstanding contributions as a researcher and teacher. Berman is a leader in the study of yeasts. Her work spans genetics, cell biology, genomics, microbiology and systems biology. Among her accomplishments, Berman has identified a major new mechanism of resistance to antifungal drugs and is using that breakthrough to develop new tools for preventing of this important clinical problem.
Mark Bee and Michael Wilson, both assistant professors in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, have been named McKnight Land Grant Professors. The award, which goes to promising junior faculty, includes a research grant and the option of a year’s leave to pursue research.
Bee’s research draws on mechanistic and evolutionary studies to answer fundamental questions about animal communication. Wilson, who has a joint appointment in the Department of Anthropology, uses data collected over four decades to better understand intergroup aggression and vocal communication in chimpanzees.
