News & Publications

Urban streams often become increasingly polluted as municipalities expand around them. It can be challenging to quantify the benefits of improving their ecological health. A national team of researchers, including Melissa Kenney, PhD, and Hillary Waters, PhD, of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment (IonE), has developed a suite of tools to estimate the economic value of improving water quality in urban streams.

To mark the end of the federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19, several members of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID Advisory Board, including Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) and co-moderator of the Consortium’s COVID Controversies and COVID Consequences webinar series, collaborated on a guest essay published in the New York Times, titled "

A panel of leaders in the Minnesota COVID response met for a May 10 webinar to consider the lessons for the next pandemic.

Center for Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (CSTEP) Co-Directors Bonnie Keeler, PhD, and Gabriel Chan, PhD, received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC) at the University of Minnesota. The Center will work with underserved, rural, and tribal communities across Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin to help them apply for federal funds to address environmental challenges. CSTEP is a Consortium member center.

Consortium Communications Intern and Research Assistant Madeline Beglinger received the University of Minnesota President’s Student Leadership and Service Award, which recognizes exceptional leadership and service to the University of Minnesota community. Beglinger is a Senior pursuing a B.S. in Psychology and Sociology of Law, Criminology, and Justice.

Professors Susan Wolf, JD, and Robert Green, MD, MPH, have published a new article in the Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics examining the rationale for offering genetic results to participants in research involving large-scale and whole genome sequencing (gRoR). They discuss the growing practice of gRoR as the “new normal” in research, though not all studies will be able to support the practice and challenges remain.

The Institute on the Environment (IonE) is now accepting applications by May 1 for their Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The program supports interdisciplinary research projects that accelerate the transition to sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and a healthier environment. Postdoctoral fellows will be part of a cohort of 5-15 researchers who will seek to find equitable solutions to our environmental challenges.

The University of Minnesota's 2023 Research Ethics Day Conference, What Makes Your Research Trustworthy? Threats and Opportunities, was covered in a story published in the Star Tribune.

The University of Minnesota Genomics Center (UMGC) is working with the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities to monitor COVID-19 variants in wastewater. These data are made available to the public through an interactive dashboard. The UMGC also conducts genome sequencing on COVID samples to aid global efforts to track the spread of COVID.

The Food Protection Defense Institute (FPDI) is excited to announce a new partnership with ToxStrategies, a “multidisciplinary scientific consulting firm that strives to develop innovative solutions to address the scientific, technical, and regulatory challenges confronting [their] clients.” FPDI and ToxStrategies will collaborate to create curriculum and training that will help reduce the risk of food systems disruption.