The funding is an extension of a previous $64,000 NSF grant the biotechnology program received in 1997 when it was first established.

Because the university will match the latest grant, more than $154,000 in new equipment will be added to the campus biology and chemistry departments this year. It will all be used for teaching and undergraduate research.

“Biotechnology is a very practical, research-intensive, job oriented program,” says MSUM biology professor Mark Wallert, the principal investigator for the grant. “It taps into a growing national job market for students trained in biology chemistry at the molecular level.”

More than 45 students, who select a double major in biology and chemistry, are now enrolled in the biotechnology program.

Over the past four years, MSUM’s five biotechnology professors—Wallert, Chris Chastain, Ellen Brisch, Joseph Provost and Shawn Dunkirk­­have received more than $660,000 in research and equipment grants to support the program..
 

The Minnesota Center for the Book, a program of the Minnesota Humanities Commission, announced the winners last week. Among them were:
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“Visiting Emily: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work of Emily Dickinson,” edited by Sheila Coghill and Thom Tammaro, won the Minnesota Book Award in the Anthology and Collections category. Coghill is an English professor and Tammaro is a professor of multidisciplinary studies at the university.

In the History & Biography category, “The Haymakers: A Chronicle of Five Farm Families” by Steven R. Hoffbeck was an award winner from among five finalists. Hoffbeck is an assistant professor of history and a resident of Barnesville, Minnesota.

This year marks the fourth time one of Tammaro’s works has received recognition in the Minnesota Book Awards. The two  anthologies he previously co-edited won awards: in 1996 for “Imagining Home: Writing from the Midwest,” and in 1994, for  “Inheriting the Land: Contemporary Voices from the Midwest.” Tamarro’s book of poetry, “When the Italians Came to My  Home Town,” also garnered a nomination for an award in 1996.

“The Haymakers” is the first book of Hoffbeck’s to receive a nomination or to win a Minnesota Book Award. This year is  Coghill’s first nomination for an award also.

The Minnesota Book Awards is sponsored by the Minnesota Center for the Book. They are given annually to recognize and honor outstanding Minnesota authors and their books.

Their visit is sponsored by an MSUM mass communications class that's developing publications and display materials for the Runestone Museum in Alexandria, Minn. The class, taught by Prof. Mark Strand, is approaching the controversial artifact by weighing historical evidence and recent scientific studies on the stone.

The two speakers:
* Barry Hanson, a chemist and design engineer who organized the study team in 2000, is the author of an upcoming book, "The Trial of Olof Ohman: Accused Forger of the Kensington Runestone." In this 500-page, two-volume set, Hanson examines the literature in detail, including 192 claims by 32 experts that the stone is a modern fraud and forgery. He will discuss the evidence surrounding the controversy and present findings from physical studies now being conducted at the University of Minnesota's geology and geo-physics departments.
* Richard Nielsen, a mathematician and engineer from Houston, received his doctorate at the University of Denmark at Copenhagen. He has studied the language of the stone for the past 14 years. A 60-page summary of his research is about to be published in the journal "Scandinavian Studies." In it, he concludes that the runic writing on the stone is authentic 14th century writing and that no one alive in the late 19th century would have been knowledgeable enough to carve a proper medieval inscription.

Nielsen's translation of the inscription on the stone reads: "8 Gotalanders and 22 Northmen are on this acquisition expedition from Winland far to the west. We had traps by/at two shelters one day's travel to the north from this stone. We were fishing one day. After we came home I found 10 men red with blood and death. Ave Maria. Deliver from evils! I have 10 men at the inland sea to look after our ship 14 days travel from this property. Year of our Lord. 1362."

The stone, a native rock called graywacke, weighs 202 pounds and measures 31 inches long, 16 inches wide and six inches thick. It was displayed in 1948-49 at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and was the centerpiece of the Minnesota pavilion at the New York World's Fair in 1965.

The stone currently resides in the Runestone Museum in Alexandria, Minn., the seat of the county in which the stone was found. It will be displayed this summer at a museum in Vienna.

Recent geological tests at an independent lab in St. Paul, and now at the University of Minnesota, indicate the stone was in the ground 50-200 years before it was uncovered on the farm of Olof Ohman.

Over the years, Ohman has been accused of chiseling the 202-pound stone's runes himself and planting it in his field as a hoax.

These recent scientific and language studies cast doubt on that theory and present new evidence for a 14th century explanation of the Kensington Runestone.

Nichole Korpi and Daniel McEwen, along with 300 other college and university students throughout the nation, last week were notified they will receive the scholarships, which cover tuition, fees, books, room and board up to $7,500 for each of the next two years.

Korpi is a junior biology and chemistry major from Owatonna, Minn., who intends to pursue a career in biomedical research. The 1997 graduate of Owatonna High School is the daughter of William and Karen Korpi. Because she’ll graduate next year, she’ll receive $7,500 scholarship for one year of undergraduate studies.

McEwen is a junior biology major from Austin, Minn., and a graduate of the Bear Valle Bible Institute of Denver. The 1991 graduate of Austin High School and the son of Donald and Robin McEwen intends to pursue a doctorate in ecology or zoology. He’ll received $7,500 during each of his next two years at MSUM. McEwen is married and has four children.

The two were selected from a field of 1,164 students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities throughout the country.

The scholarship program honoring Sen. Barry M. Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. It is the premier undergraduate scholarship in these fields.

The Goldwater Foundation, in its 13-year history, has awarded 3,323 scholarships worth $33 million.

Admission to this Campus Activities Board event is $3, or $1 for MSUM students.

Author of "Steal This Book and Get Life Without Parole," an American Booksellers Association recommended selection, Harris is a former stand-up comedian who now hosts a daily syndicated  radio commentary airing on 100 stations nationwide. Mixing critical journalism with l humor, his commentaries are also broadcast four times daily to over 140 countries by Armed Forces Radio.

This is what Harris wrote in a column on the John F. Kennedy assassination: "Lee Harvey Oswald, an awful marksman with no motive and a defective rifle, caused seven entrance wounds with only three bullets. Oswald then escaped by catching a city bus, only to be murdered in police custody by another lunatic acting alone."

According to polls, Harris said, only about 15 percent of American's believe that account. "Twice that many believe in witches, and 10 percent think Elvis is still alive," he said."

Using declassified records and the limited amount of physical evidence available, Harris will explain in specific detail how and why the Oswald story was accepted without proper investigation and then employed as propaganda, concealing a more complex and disturbing reality.

Harris holds a degree in electrical engineering and applied physics from Case Western Reserve University. Before becoming a writer and comedian, he worked as a guitarist, cartoonist and a designer of audio mixing consoles for recording studies.

Harris, who lives in Hollywood, reeled off five strait wins on the game show "Jeopardy!" in 1997, taking home over $100,000 in cash. Last year he won $200,000 on the Fox game show "Greed."

A total of 224 passed all sections of the three-part test, designed to assess competency in the basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Only two students did not pass the mathematics or reading tests.

The results are on par with the 99 percent passage rate of student teacher candidates who took the test at the other 26 Minnesota colleges and universities who prepare students as teachers.

In 1998, Congress reauthorized the Higher Education Act. Title II, Section 207, of this law, includes new accountability measures that require states and institutions of higher education to report annually on certain indicators of the quality of their teacher preparation programs and licensure and certification requirements.

"The PPST is a snapshot of basic skills," says Beth Anderson, MSUM's Title II coordinator and associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services. "Under the law, we are required to make our first report of test scores to the state on April 9, 2001, and also make them available to the public. They'll be included in all our recruiting publications." * (see below)

The federally unfunded mandate, she said, is part of a growing effort to hold public education up to scrutiny and accountability.

Students majoring in teaching have been required to take the PPST since 1988. Teacher candidates can not earn a teaching certificate unless they pass the test.

The PPST, which can be taken in a written or computer format, has three sections: reading, writing, and mathematics. The reading and math sections are one hour in length and are multiple-choice. The written test includes a 30-minute multiple-choice and a 30-minute essay section.

It costs $130 to take the test by computer and $110 in writing. Most students choose to take the test by computer. Students who fail can retake the test, but they must pay the fees again.

Minnesota students are required take the test before taking upper division education classes, but needn't pass it.

"Minnesota has taken the position that its universities and colleges must admit students to upper division courses if they meet our other requirements, even if they haven't passed the PPST," Anderson said.  "The state's position seems to be that all students need equal access to try to become a teacher. This is part of Minnesota's tradition of social justice. The university has measures to help students remediate their difficulties in basic skills."

Some states, however, use the PPST as a gate to prohibit students from going any further in teacher education until they pass it. The scores on the federally mandated report from these states will, of course, be 100 percent passing grades, Anderson said.

Only one state, Iowa, refused to comply with the federal mandate.

The states must file their first annual report of these test scores with the U.S. Department of Education on Oct. 7, 2001. The following April, 2002, the U.S. Secretary of Education must file a report with Congress on state test scores, while all colleges and universities must file their second annual report with their state.

* The following statement MSUM will include in all its recruitment materials: In 1998 the federal government passed Section 207 of the Higher Education Act (HEA) mandating that all institutions with teacher preparation programs in which students receive federal financial assistance prepare annual reports on teacher preparation and licensing.  The reporting process started with all teacher education students graduating in the 1999-2000 academic year.  The state of Minnesota mandates that students must pass the PRAXIS I battery of tests to receive a teaching license.  Below are the pass rates of MSUM graduates on these tests as well as the state pass rates reflecting all institutions in Minnesota.

     MSUM   STATE

PPST Reading    100%     99%
CBT Reading    100%   100%
PPST Writing   100%     98%
CBT Writing       99%     98%
PPST Math       98%     99%
CBT Math    100%     99%

If you have any questions concerning Title II, please contact the Dean of Education & Human Services at 218.236.2096.
  Written version of the test.
  Computer version of the test
  One MSUM student did not pass.
  One MSUM student did not pass.

The funding continues the research initiated by a $42,000 grant he received from the United States Department of Agriculture in 1997.

Chastain is a specialist in a photosythetic process called C4, a more recently evolved and superior form of photosythesis that allows plants to produce twice as much biomass as other plants that use the more common form of photosynthesis called C3.

Only two grains, corn and sorghum, use a more advanced C4 form of photosynthesis. "That explains why farmers like to grow corn more than wheat or soybeans," he said. "Corn yields more."

Unfortunately, most weeds, such as crabgrass, also happen to be C4 plants. That's why they easily outgrow C3 plants such as bluegrass in residential lawns.

Chastain hopes to provide enough details on how the process works so that genetic engineering of superior C4 form of photosynthesis into C3 crops may some day be possible.

Part of his research involves an enzyme called RP, which biochemically activates a photosynthesis in the leaves of corn. Chastain wants to isolate a gene clone for RP, then study it using genetic engineering techniques.

Chastain has also discovered an ancient form of RP that also exists in C3 plants, but isn't involved in photosynthesis. He hopes to discover what it does.

Two MSUM students will be hired under the research grant to work with Chastain on the project, which is design to involve undergraduates in applied research.

"Only 15 % of evaluated NSFproposals are funded," Chastain said. "Well, that's fine and dandy for me. But what I really want to add is that the MSUM administration has been a key factor in our ability to compete for these awards. They have done a great deal in providing support in terms of equipment matching grants, funding emergency repair bills, emergency replacement of key equipment, etc., when the need arises. One only has to go to our peer institutions to see that such a nurturing attitude does not exist.

It’s presented annually by the faculty of Minnesota State University Moorhead's New Center for Multidisciplinary Studies to a graduate who exemplifies the spirit of Corrick, who retired in 1997 after 21 years at the university, 16 of them as director of the New Center.

Corrick’s egalitarian vision of higher education and his belief in the potential of the human spirit prompted the New Center to create an award in his honor.

The New Center is an alternative entry program at MSUM, established for students who don’t meet the university’s requirements for admission, but show promise to succeed in college.

Williams, a Moorhead High School graduate, enrolled in MSUM's New Center in 1986 at the age of 37 after nearly two decades struggling with drug addiction and a life on the streets. He graduated in 1991 with  a bachelor's degree in social work and secondary major criminal justice, and the next year joined the Homeless Health Services as a case manager. Seven years later, he was promoted to program director.

Homeless Health Services is a walk-in clinic at the Salvation Army, providing primary health care, case management, and outreach services to homeless people in Fargo and Moorhead.

Williams will be asked to accept the award on behalf of all students—past, present and future—who’ve been touched by Corrick’s vision and spirit.

Carlson, now a photographer for the Superior (Wis.) Daily Telegram, spent more than 400 hours working on the book as an independent study project. with Prof. Mark Strand.

The 44 black and white photographs in the collection capture Chihuahuas, bassett hounds, puppies and an assortment of mutts in a variety of everyday situations. Most were taken in and around his hometown of Willmar, Minn., and in the Fargo and Moorhead area.

It's a take-off on Carlson's favorite photographer, Elliot Erwitt, a photojournalist with a world-wide reputation who's also published a few noted books of dog photographs, including "DogDogs" and "Son of a Bitch."

Copies of the "Dogography" are available at the MSUM Bookstore for $7.50 feach.

The purpose of the all-day event is to showcase the work and talent of MSUM students through presentations, posters, and creative works. More than 250 students will present research on 147 topics from1to 2:20 p.m. and 2:30
3:50 p.m. in the university's student union.

Details can be found at the conference web site, http://web.mnstate.edu/acadconf/2001/visitors.html

Spies, who holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a specialist in multicultural education and school reform issues. He has nearly a decade's experience teaching in urban and suburban high schools where he developed multicultural faculty and student organizations.

He's also the author of  "Interdisciplinary Teams for High Schools" published by Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation(1997)Fastback Series, and is associate editor of "Voices from the Field," the journal of the National High School Association.

Spies has been teaching at St. Cloud State for the past two years. Before that he served on the faculty at Viterbo College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He'll illustrate that Latin lives on in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Rumanian and Catalan as well as host of other minor language groups and so-called dialects. He'll discuss how these languages have produced histories and literatures that have profoundly affected Western Civilization.

Her novels include "Living to Tell," "Talking in Bed" and "Nobody's Girl." She's also won the Flannery O'Connor and the Nelson Algren Awards.

Nelson teaches creative writing at New Mexico State University. She'll also give a talk on the writer's craft at 4 p.m. that day on the Library Porch.