MSUM LAUNCHES SURVIVAL
SCHOOL FOR WALLEYES
Moorhead, MN…The first class of  60 fingerling walleyes will begin school this month at Minnesota State University Moorhead where they’re expected to learn the basics of avoiding northern pike, their dominant predator.

Brian Wisenden hopes these finny freshmen dive into their studies hook, line and sinker.

"We’re targeting fingerlings raised in Minnesota Department of Natural Resources rearing ponds where they’re protected from natural predators," said Wisenden,  a behavioral ecologist who teaches biology at MSU-Moorhead. "When they’re released in lakes through DNR stocking efforts, they’re kind of naïve about who their enemies are. We think we can teach them how to fear a predator they’ve never encountered."

The cooperative effort between the MSU-Moorhead biology professor and the Detroit Lakes Department of Natural Resources Office could become a boon for the state’s walleye stocking efforts.

"Fishing is a billion-dollar business in Minnesota," says Peter Jacobson, a fisheries research biologist at the Detroit Lakes DNR office, who’s helping Wisenden with the project. "If we can find a cost-effective way to increase the survival of stocked fingerlings, then we’re definitely interested."

Jacobson estimates that the mortality rate of fingerlings stocked in Minnesota lakes is between 50 and 75 percent, depending on the characteristics of each body of water. And northern pike, he said, are probably their major predator, followed closely by largemouth bass.

The Minnesota DNR raises 100 million fry annually in 300 rearing ponds statewide. Each fall, when the fish grow into fingerling size (six-inches long) about two million of them—equivalent to 90,000 pounds??are stocked in 250 Minnesota lakes.

While walleyes do travel in schools, Wisenden said, their ability to learn is still unknow.

"We know that most non-predatory aquatic species—from minnows to insects??learn to avoid predators by sensing chemical cues in their environment," Wisenden said. "Last year, a biology student here, Melissa Millard, even taught primitive flatworms to respond to the same chemical cues."

Minnows, for example, have an amazing number of "alarm substance cells" distributed over their bodies. "These cells, if injured, release chemicals that send warning signals to other fish of the same species," he said. "Hundreds of these cells dot the bodies of most fresh-water fish."

When a predator tears into the flesh of a minnow, Wisenden said, it damages the alarm substance cells, which then send out chemical odors warning of the attack. An injury to a square inch of flesh can release a bouquet of warning scents more than 10 feet in all directors, signaling other minnows to scat.

Once they receive an alarm signal, most fish will swim away, hide, cluster or escape to the bottom of the lake.

The question is: Do walleyes also have alarm substance cells, and will they respond to them?

"When they’re young, walleyes are prey—mostly to northern pike," Wisenden said. "But when they become adults, they turn into predators themselves. They no longer have to fear these larger fish."

Wisenden’s experiments with minnows show that once they learn that a chemical scent signals danger, they never forget.

"They’ve been 100 percent right in every test I’ve done," he said. "And they learn on the first try. Probably because it’s so important to survival and reproduction. If it takes two or three times to learn the danger signals, it’s too late. They’ll be eaten. Evolution apparently perfected the learning process."

Chemical cues, he said, are the most ancient and primitive method used by life forms to learn about their environment. "Our one-celled ancestors, who didn’t even have eyes, responded  to the world around them by detecting the presence of certain chemicals."

New research, he said, shows that fish are immersed in a world of scents and smells. Some scientists suggest that fish have a sense of smell that’s 1,000 times more acute than a dog’s, which is 1,000 times better than a human’s.

And water, a universal solvent, is a perfect medium for dispersing long-lasting odors.

It makes sense, he said. "Fish live in a dangerous environment, an underwater jungle where the mortality rate for young may reach 99 percent. Vision and hearing aren’t reliable defenses because lake water is often turbid, and predators are often stealthy."

But what’s more amazing, he said, is that fish can be taught to pair two stimuli, or associate two odors, simultaneously. "My student have done experiments on minnows pairing skin extracts that contain these alarm substances with red lights. They literally taught  them to fear the red lights, something that doesn’t  even exist in their environment, by linking them with alarm cues."

Which suggests that  their reaction is learned, not transmitted genetically.

And that’s how he hopes to train walleyes to fear pike: by mixing chemical alarm cues in walleye skin extract with the odor of pike.

"We hope they learn to associate the fear cues of the skin extracts with the pike odor," he said.

Wisenden and two MSUM students—Mariya Rzaszutak and Tonya Overbo—will be training walleyes one at a time. They hope to get preliminary results by the end of  fall.

"If our research works, then maybe we can mass train fingerling walleyes while they’re in holding tanks  being transported  between the rearing ponds and the stocking sites," Wisenden said. " We’d do that by injecting the tank with both skin extracts from walleye alarm cells and the pike odor."

Wisenden said the project is an example of how pure science can be used practically to benefit society: by increasing the population of the walleyes, the filet mignon of fresh-water fish; and thereby increasing tourism and sports fishing enterprises.

Besides fingerlings, the Minnesota DNR also stocks 250 Minnesota lakes and streams with 225 million walleye fry, each about a third of an inch long.

"Fish this small may not yet have developed alarm cells, or may not be mature enough to sense them," Wisenden said. "Even if they did respond to alarm cues, they’re probably too young to deploy any diversionary tactics."

But maybe, he said, these tiny walleye can be taught to recognize the signals and use them later in life.

So what’s next? Kindergarten classes for small fry ?

"It’s possible," Wisenden said. "I’ve got lots of students interested in research."

The 224-page tribute ($24.95), published this month by the Minnesota Historical Society Press,  is as much about grass, alfalfa and clover as it is about sweat, fear, toil and loss.

Through diaries, agricultural guidebooks and personal interviews, Hoffbeck takes a lyrical look at 150 years of haymaking, what he calls "just about the hardest work on a farm."

The book is also a personal journey for Hoffbeck. Raised on a farm in southwestern Minnesota, the MSUM professor lost both his father and his oldest brother in separate agricultural accidents. His is one of the five families profiled in the book.

As he writes, "wound around my memories of summers haying with my dad and my brothers are deeper threads of mourning. Danger, both natural and mechanical, is woven into the fabric of farm work."

Hoffbeck also explores his own feelings of guilt about leaving the family farm for a career as a teacher and historian.

Besides describing the tools and the methods of haymaking in the book, he chronicles the relentless demands of the farm and the constant struggles with nature and changing technology.

Both a documentary of the daily rhythms of farm work and an elegy  for a vanishing way of life, the book  is part agricultural history and part testament to how farm families survive and persevere. It includes 50 illustrations.

"The Haymakers" is available at local and online bookstores, or directly from the Minnesota Historical Society Press by calling 800-647-7827.

(To reach Hoffbeck, call him at his MSUM office, 236-4041.)

Mallory and his companion, Andrew Irvine, vanished about 800 feet from the summit (29,028 feet) of Mount Everest on June 8, 1924. Pollard, on an expedition commissioned by the BBC and PBS, found the perfectly-preserved body of Mallory at 27,000 feet on May 16, 1999.

With reverence and permission of the Mallory family, Pollard verified that it was indeed him, said prayers and re-buried the body.

Admission to the show, sponsored by the Campus Activities Board, is $1 for MSUM students and $2 for the general public. A question and answer session will follow.

Chapman, a social historian and member of the Royal Astronomical Society Club, is a faculty member at Oxford’s Wadham  College  and  frequently  appears  on BBC television  specials  about  the history of astronomy.  A specialist  in the history  of early medicine,  he’s been  a Hastings Memorial Lecturer  at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Tea and cookies will be served following his talk.

Chapman will also speak on, "Does Christianity have Anything to Fear from Science?" at the Cormorant Lutheran Church in Cormorant, Minn., at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27.

During his visit to campus, Chapman will also talk to students  interested  in studying  at Oxford next year  under MSUM’s Eurospring  program. For details, contact  Jill Holsen at the university’s International Programs  office, 236-2956.

It’s the first of five scheduled afternoon lectures sponsored this year by the university’s deans. Free and open to the public, they all meet in room 109 of the Center for Business.

Former MSUM President Dille will discuss the creation of the Moorhead Normal School, which was established in 1887 by the Minnesota Legislature to meet the growing need for teachers after an influx of immigrants to the Red River Valley following the Civil War. It grew into what today is called Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Other lectures in the series:
* Martin Grindeland, a mass communications professor, will show a short video and talk about his three weeks in the Ukraine during the spring of 1999 at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18. His wife, Sveta, a native Ukrainian, accompanied him on that trip.
* Allen Sheets, an art professor, will talk about the diverse range of styles that have emerged from the university’s graphic design students over the past decade at 3 p.m.  Tuesday, Nov. 14. MSUM’s graphic design program has received national attention for the quality of its graduates.
* Doris Walker-Dalhouse, an elementary and early childhood education professor, will discuss her experiences working with the Kentucky Education Reform of 1990 at 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. The program was aimed at correcting inequalities in school achievement.
* Bruce Roberts, an anthropology professor, will talk about the everyday lives of most Africans, who often face monumental odds and great risk, at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 22. Rather than focusing on HIV, drought or civil war, the talk is an attempt to focus on the charity, goodwill and forgiveness—lessons of humanity—that can be gleaned from African life.

Borden’s novel, "Superstoe," was recently published by Orloff Press. He is a Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at the University of North Dakota..

The Theatre of the Invisible Guests will present three of Borden's one-act plays, "Apple," "Moving Letters," and "Reunion," at the Spirit Room (111 Broadway, Fargo)
at 8 p.m. September 21-23 and September 28-30.

Many of the stories in the 139-page paperback are set in Davis' home state of Louisiana and involve an assortment of displaced personalities confronting spiritual and emotional crises.

The title story is about a minor league baseball player who bumbles a convenience store robbery and ends up in jail, where he tells his story to his wife. Other characters populating the collection range from a schizophrenic cured by ketchup to poets, performance artists, reluctant soldiers, wayward priests, and the divorced and disillusioned. The landscapes stretch from Louisiana bayou’s and piedmonts to downtown Chicago and a war ground in Eastern Europe.

This is second collection of short stories published by Davis. His first, "Rumors from the Lost World," was among four winners in the 1993 Minnesota Voices Project, which recognizes outstanding new Midwest writers. For a dozen year’s he’s also co-edited "American Fiction," an annual anthology chosen by Writer’s Digest as one of the top 15 short story publications in the country.

Davis is currently working on a novel set in a New Orleans mental hospital.

He’ll will read from his new short story collection at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16 in King Hall Auditorium as part of MSUM’s annual Tom McGrath Visiting Writers Series.

The three-year grant was awarded to MSUM chemistry professor Joe Provost and biology professor Mark Wallert, who will involve more than 18 undergraduate students in their research each year, three full-time each summer.

"We’re not going to find a cure for or a cause of cancer," Provost said. "We just hope to add some pieces to the puzzle."

The grant was one of 20 awarded nationally by the Cell and Molecular Biology: Cell Signaling section of the NSF.

Wallert has spent most of his academic career studying transport and cell signaling at Emory University and MSUM. Provost did similar cancer research at Vanderbilt University before coming to MSUM three years ago.

The overall goal of their project is to look at the underlying genes and proteins involved in cancer, along with hormones that can change the acid level in the cells—one of the first events in a cell becoming cancerous.

Students in MSUM’s two-year old biotechnology program helped do the preliminary research that led to the successful grant application. Most of the grant money will be used to fund student research and buy materials.

He’ll be leaving Moorhead City Hall at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 and traveling along Hwy. 10 to the Twin Cities. He’s expected to arrive at the state Capitol steps between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19. He’ll be cruising at a speed of about 4 miles per hour, akin to a brisk walk, during the 250-mile journey.

He sent certified letters to Gov. Jesse Ventura and Senators Paul Wellstone and Rod Grams, hoping they’ll meet him on the Capitol steps to discuss the plight of Gulf War veterans.

Shores was hit by a garbage truck making a right turn on a red light last spring in St. Paul while preparing for his wheelchair journey across the state. He suffered a broken femur and elbow, and will require hip replacement surgery.

"It was  just another bump in the road," he said.

Shores was coming back from St. Paul on University Avenue, timing his trip to the Capitol steps,  when he attempted to cross Highway 280. "I thought I made eye contact  with the driver before I crossed," he said. "I guess not."

Shores, a 32-year-old Native American, is a former 220-pound Navy veteran and captain of his high school swimming team who now weighs 140 pounds and is confined to a wheelchair. He says his condition is the result of Gulf War Syndrome, a term coined by the media that covers a variety of ailments and symptoms. Veterans Administration doctors have told him he’s suffering from rheumatoid variant disease, an acute arthritic condition.

Shores’ goal is to draw attention to an array of mysterious maladies that he says affect more than 186,000 Gulf War veterans who have registered their health complaints with the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration.

Anyone willing to support Shores’ effort may e-mail him at: nindoogitchidaa@aol.com. (Nindoogitchidaa is an Ojibwa phrase that translates as "I am a warrior.")

All shows start at 7:30 p.m. in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre. This year’s season:

* "Braziliana-Music of Brazil and the Americas" with guitarist Christopher Parkening and baritone Jubilant Sykes opens MSUM’s Performing Art Series season on Tuesday, Sept. 19. In the spirit of Bobby McFerrin and Yo Yo Ma, the two musicians will present a program of traditional, folk and classical music from Brazil and the Americas. Parkening is recognized as an heir to the legacy of the great Spanish artist Andres Segovia and Sykes, a veteran of the Metropolitan Opera, also won the Sacred Music USA’s Vocalist of the Year Award.
* "Unforgettable: The Nat King Cole Story," a new musical by Clarke Peters ("Five Guys Named Moe"), is on stage Saturday, Oct. 7. The show features 26 songs that burst into a portrait of the American jazz legend.
* "Quartetto Gelato," a chamber music ensemble with a new millennium approach, is on stage Saturday, Oct. 28. Performing on multiple instruments including oboe, English horn, violin, viola, cello, accordion, guitar, mandolin and a tenor voice, the group performs a mix of classical favorites, operatic arias, tangos and gypsy fiddling.
* "The Dancing Wheels," a pioneering modern dance company comprised of dancers with and without disabilities, is on stage Thursday, Jan. 18. The company has created a unique artistry integrating handicapped dancers—using their movement on wheelchairs—with non-impaired dancers.
* The Guthrie Theatre presents "Molly Sweeney," a portrait of a woman blind since infancy who faces the possibility of having her sight restored, is scheduled March 24. This Guthrie touring production, directed by Joe Dowling, explores Irish-American culture through three characters and addresses a variety of issues about psychology, literature and attitudes about disabilities.
* "Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago" is on stage April 5. Giordano, known as "the Godfather of jazz dance," presents a program that integrates jazz styles with modern dance, communicating jazz dance as a reflection of the emotions, dreams and desires of the American people.

Season tickets are $99  (25 percent discount) for a  single or $185 (30 percent discount) for two people, which includes all shows and guaranteed "A" level seating, the best in the house. Tickets for any four of the performances are $74.40 (20 percent discount), with reserved seats. Tickets for any three events is $56.10 (15 percent discount), with reserved seats. Single show prices range from $12 to $22.

Call the MSUM box office at 236-2271 for reservations.

"It looks a lot busier around here this year," says David Crockett, vice president of administrative affairs.

"Don’t forget, however, that in the previous two years we spent more than $12 million from the  state’s Higher Education Asset Preservation  and Renewal Fund to replace roofs and refurbish several campus landmarks. It’s been a frantic three years."

Here’s an update on current construction projects:

* Five Block Expansion: MSUM hired Ulteig Engineering to do the design work shortly after Governor Ventura approved the $3.6 million project. The money became available in late June and the project was let for  bids in early July. The parking lots from 9th Ave. to 6th Ave will be ready  to use when school opens Aug. 28. The parking lots in the  north block between 5th and 6th Ave. and 10th and 11th St.. will be completed in mid September. And the parking lot north of Hagen will be completed by Oct. 1. The lot west of Hagen and the lots around the Continuing Education house will be paved this month. The rest of the parking lots may have an underlayment coat in late fall and will be finished next May.

The entire project created 940 new campus parking spaces. Next spring, the university will plant about 140 trees in the expansion zone. ($2.5 million of the $3.6 million project has already been spent.)

* Lommen Hall: The renovation of Lommen Hall involved a total redesign of office spaces on the second floor to make better use of space for the staff there. It includes adding four new offices and turning some dead space into storage. The project is done. ($300,000)

Mold was found in the basement of Lommen Hall last spring. So the four classrooms there were totally gutted, disinfected and rebuilt. The project is completed. ($230,000)

* Flora Frick Hall: The renovation on the second floor of Flora Frick Hall, designed to allow mass communications to completely digitize its curriculum, will be completed by Sept. 10. It will take two to three weeks after that date to install tables, finalize cabling and hook up computers and software. Backup space in the Library computer labs will be used until then. ($1 million)

The first floor construction, moving the Docutech Center into the Print Shop and moving the Post Office next to the east entrance to Flora Frick, will get underway in September. Both projects should be completed by November. The Peer Advising Center will expand to where the Docutech is now; the old Post Office space in Owens will be converted into a reception area. ($150,000)

* Campus Security: It’s been moved temporarily into the old Delta Zeta House at 1025 7th Ave. The City of Moorhead has kicked in $60,000 so far for a police substation that will be built this fall on the corner of 9th Avenue South and 17th Street, just south of the Physical Plant. The 1,680-square-foot, single-story building will be home to MSUM’s Campus Security program and to two or  three Moorhead patrol officers. Crocket said he’s received one quote for installation of the basement walls and floor for the substation. "The quote of $54,000 was absolutely ridiculous," he said. "So we’re back looking for a concrete company to install the basement walls. The economy in the area is much stronger than most may appreciate." ($120,000)

* Nemzek Hall: The renovated six-lane, 25-meter pool swimming pool should be completed in early September. ($700,000)

* The new outdoor track is under construction now. ($370,000)

* Locker room and concession stand will be partially completed by Aug. 28, and finished in early September. ($600,000)

* Center for the Arts: The new graphic design computer lab in room 166 will be ready when school starts. Additional office spaces will be ready by mid-October ($15,000)

Site preparation to install a new kiln will be completed in September. ($8,000)

* Hagen Hall: A new computer lab for the Technology Department’s graphic commucations program will be ready when school starts. ($10,000) The university will also repair the steam heat system in the Technology Department office area. ($21,500)

* Owens Hall: Some construction work might begin over the holiday break, which would include renovations in Academic Affairs and replacing carpets elsewhere. It may, however, be delayed until next spring. ($20,000)

* Grier Hall: Flood damage this summer to the basement will be repaired when classes start. FEMA is expected to reimburse the university for this $40,000 expense.

* Keyless Entry System:  It should be completed by Thanksgiving. The access cards are computer chip proximity cards. Students, faculty and staff will have to get new I.D. cards that include the chip, which dictates which doors each individual is allowed to access.

Under the new keyless system, if a student, faculty or staff member loses their I.D. card, the university will no longer have to re-key an entire building—an expensive process that happens too often. The lost card’s access codes are simply deleted from the computer-generated system. ($540,000)

* Bleacher Renovations: To meet Minnesota safety and access codes, MSUM will have to spend about $350,000 to improve both outside and inside bleachers at Nemzek Fieldhouse.

* Strategic Initiatives: Carpet and signage across campus will continually be worked on through fall semester and may reach into spring. ($40,000)