Inventing Tomorrow Winter 2020

WINTER 2020

A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

GOOD WORK

How we support communities, encourage civility, and create more informed citizens INSIDE: Science Court, MnDRIVE Scholars, and an African power broker >>

FROM THE DEAN

MOSTAFA (MOS) KAVEH

I

t’s no secret that scientists and engineers make the world a better place.

Clean water, reliable energy, fast communications, safe infrastructures, food security, and life-saving medical innovations all rely on science and engineering solutions. What we often don’t hear about is how scientists and engineers are working to create more equitable communities, connect families, provide a more welcoming environment for learning, and reach out to young people to bolster the next generation of scientists and engineers.

That’s exactly what many of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni are doing in the College of Science and Engineering.

us understand the world around us, protecting our ecological environments, and partnering with local governments in Africa to provide effective solutions.

The impact of good work is also visible at every level across this college.

One grassroots effort that makes me especially proud is the formation of our new CSE Diversity and Inclusivity Alliance. The CSE Alliance is made up of more than 200 students, faculty, postdoctoral researchers, staff, administrative leaders, and alumni representing all of our departments.

Alliance members also represent many kinds of diversity—people with disabilities; veterans; parents; people with mental health issues; survivors of sexual assault; LGBTQIA+ community members; people from a wide variety of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from around the world; and allies of various disenfranchised groups.

Strategic Plan, which will provide a framework for us to move forward on these issues. Diversity in all its forms is important because it highlights different perspectives and viewpoints that can often bring clarity and help solve problems. Diverse perspectives are also important as we work to create the workforce and innovation needed by our society. For more information on the CSE Alliance, visit cse.umn.edu/alliance.

In this issue of Inventing Tomorrow, we see examples of how the people in our college are impacting our communities every day. Read about current undergraduate and graduate students who are working to close the opportunity gap for school-aged kids by getting them excited about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through the use of robots. Learn about how faculty are protecting scientific facts in public policy decision-making, using social media to enhance family relationships, and bringing sustainable energy to communities around the world.

Also, see how our alumni are helping

The Alliance’s goal is to change the culture within the college through the advancement and practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to create a more welcoming environment for all members of the CSE community. We want to empower members of our community to be involved in shaping our college’s future. This fall, the CSE Alliance shared the college’s DEI

OUT AND ABOUT

The people within our college are what makes us special. That’s why each year I make a commitment to engage with our community in different or unique ways.

2

Photo by Rebecca Slater

Impacting our Communities

CSE 1001

This fall, we welcomed 1,289 freshmen—137 more than last year— and each one of them will take our First-Year Experience course.

I visited 33 sections of CSE 1001 and was amazed by these bright students.

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

Dean’s Lunch and Learn Everyone has to eat, right? I relaunched this new monthly program in partnership with our department chairs to provide college-level updates to our alumni and highlight recent faculty accomplishments.

We have much to be proud of in our college, but we also know we have a long way to go to get where we want to be. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to solve large societal problems.

By working together, listening to our communities, and using innovation, I have hope we can move closer to that end goal.

SWE conference

In November, I attended the Society of Women Engineers WE19 conference in California. I had the opportunity to hear keynote speaker Carol Malnati, a VP at Medtronic and CSE electrical engineering alumna.

CONTENTS

INVENTING TOMORROW

Winter 2020 • Vol. 45, No. 1

cse.umn.edu

ADMINISTRATION Dean Mostafa Kaveh

Associate Dean, Academic Affairs Ellen Longmire Associate Dean, Research Joseph Konstan Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs Paul Strykowski

EDITORIAL STAFF

Communications Director Rhonda Zurn Managing Editor Pauline Oo Designer Sara Specht

TECH DIGEST / 4 FEATURES Driven to Educate / 6

MnDRIVE Scholars open young minds to the world of robotics and engineering.

In their Elements / 12

Three alumni are united in their passion to further knowledge and serve the greater good.

Engineering for Humanity / 18

CSE faculty are changing the way we communicate and educate more informed voters and consumers.

INVESTING IN TOMORROW / 28 Inventing Tomorrow is published twice a year by the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities for our alumni and friends.

Send letters to the editor 105 Walter Library 117 Pleasant Street SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

RETROSPECT / 34

H istorians add to the depth and vibrancy of the college.

NEED A PAST ISSUE?

A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

GOOD WORK

How we support communities, encourage civility, and create more informed citizens INSIDE: Science Court, MnDRIVE Scholars, and an African power broker >>

Photo by Ackerman + Gruber

©2 020 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

34

ON THE COVER WINTER 2020

ADDRESS CHANGE?

Email: csemagazine@umn.edu Call: 612-624-8257

12 18

ALUMNI NEWS / 32

This publication is available in alternative formats for the visually impaired upon request.

Call 612-624-8257.

Find it in our online archives at cse.umn.edu/InventingTomorrow

6

Who doesn’t love pocket-sized robots? Borui Zhang, a Ph.D. candidate in linguistics with a minor in computer science, explains how the Ozobot works while her young charge adds more lines to paper. Sensors enable the robot to read the color patterns and perform tricks.

WEB EXTRAS Watch research come to life at youtube.com/umncse. Recent videos include the Small Satellite Research Group assembling a CubeSat to be released into Earth’s orbit this January.

Printed on recycled paper

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

3

TECH DIGEST Photo by Olivia Hultgren, University of Minnesota

For the first time, a University of Minnesota student-built small satellite was successfully launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on an Antares rocket. The satellite, nicknamed SOCRATES, will be released into Earth’s orbit from the ISS in January 2020.

Once the satellite is in orbit, the team will try to make contact from ground stations across the country, including one in northern Minnesota—with hopes of gathering six months of continuous data. Read more and watch video: z.umn.edu/cubesatstory19

Photo courtesy NASA/SOFIA/E. Lopez-Rodriguez; NASA/Spitzer/J. Moustakas et al.

Photos courtesy National Science Foundation Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Nanoparticles may have bigger impact on the environment than previously thought In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from the National Science Foundation Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology show that nonantibacterial nanoparticles used in making rechargeable batteries for portable electronics and electric vehicles can cause resistance in a common, non-disease-causing bacteria found in the environment.

Read more: z.umn.edu/nanomaterials19

University receives $20M grant for sustainable plastics research The University of Minnesota announced that it has been awarded a $20 million grant renewal from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research in the NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers focused on discoveries of the next generation of environment-friendly plastics. Read more and watch video: z.umn.edu/cspgrant19

Future moon landing will leave U of M ‘footprint’ The University of Minnesota will contribute instruments to a series of 12 new NASA investigations on the moon in preparation for landing astronauts there in 2024. The payloads will be delivered aboard three landers as part of NASA’s Artemis lunar program. Launches are tentatively set to begin in 2021. Read more: z.umn.edu/moon19 Photo courtesy NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

4

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

Photo by John Beumer, University of Minnesota

CSE students build small satellite for the ISS to launch into space

Photos courtesy Design of Active Materials and Structures Lab and Wearable Technology Lab, University of Minnesota

Energy researchers break the catalytic speed limit

Image courtesy Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation

A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota and University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered new technology that can speed up chemical reactions 10,000 times faster than the current reaction rate limit. These findings could increase the speed and lower the cost of thousands of chemical processes used in developing fertilizers, foods, fuels, plastics, and more. Read more: z.umn.edu/catalyst19

Researchers invent shape-changing ‘smart’ textiles A breakthrough invention in wearable technology has the potential to change how we interact with the clothes we wear every day. A new study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota details the development of a temperature-responsive textile that can be used to create self-fitting garments powered only by body heat. Read more and watch video: z.umn.edu/textiles19

University launched record 19 startup companies

Photo courtesy Puchner group, Nature Communications

Researchers make breakthrough in understanding the way cells use fat A routine physics experiment at the University of Minnesota led to a surprising breakthrough in understanding the way cells use fats. The discovery could help scientists better understand processes related to diabetes and obesity. Using a new technique they developed for super resolution microscopy, the researchers found that cells, when fasted, will not absorb fatty acids. Read more: z.umn.edu/fatcells19

The University of Minnesota launched a record 19 startup companies over the last fiscal year based on discoveries and inventions by its researchers. Ten of those startups have ties to College of Science and Engineering students, faculty, and staff. Read more: z.umn.edu/startup19

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

5

STUDENT FEATURE

>>

MnDRIVE student scholars aim to spread a love for— and access to— STEM education With the rising profile of youth organizations, like FIRST Robotics, and STEM programs in schools, access to science education and careers is increasing. The College of Science and Engineering (CSE) is doing its part as well.

Each year, CSE’s K–12 outreach events, enrichment programs, and summer camps reach about 50,000 youth. In addition to annual favorites that draw masses from all walks of life—such as Physics Force, Energy & U, and rotating activities at the Minnesota State Fair—the college is home to the little known MnDRIVE Scholars program that’s teaching children and teenagers more about robotics.

We spoke with CSE students Dario Canelon, Geneva Doak, Dat Nguyen, and Laura Irvine about the importance of STEM outreach and why they chose to become MnDRIVE Scholars.

6

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

Driven to Learning about mathematical equations may not initially pique the interest of many kids, but when Dario Canelon pulls out the robots, eyes light up. The mechanical engineering graduate student is a Minnesota’s Discovery, Research, and InnoVation Economy (MnDRIVE) Scholar, and he spends his free time teaching middle school students about robotics.

One of Canelon’s jobs is to give local schools tours of the University of Minnesota’s Gemini-Huntley Robotics Research Labs, where he shows young children everything from the world’s smallest solar-pow-

ered, unmanned aerial vehicle to diving robots used to collect algae samples from lakes. The visiting students even get to drive some of the Scout robots, which are tiny, wheeled reconnaissance vehicles used by SWAT teams to scope out buildings before entering.

“We try to make them see that there’s a path to cool things along the way,” explained Canelon, who has been involved in MnDRIVE since 2015.

“Science isn’t all just dry math.”

Educate MnDRIVE is a partnership between the University and the state of Minnesota designed to further research in five main areas: robotics, global food, environment, brain conditions, and cancer clinical trials. STEM outreach and education are also huge parts of the collaboration, and that’s where MnDRIVE’s Robotics, Sensors, and Advanced Manufacturing

Written by OLIVIA HULTGREN Photos by ACKERMAN + GRUBER

division—housed in the College of Science and Engineering—excels.

Encouraging underrepresented groups

Students like Canelon, who apply for a MnDRIVE Scholars undergraduate or graduate assistantship position, work closely with local schools and community groups to plan, run, and improve on interactive activities that give youth a creative space to explore robotics and programming.

Above anything, the MnDRIVE outreach programs are meant to bring science and technology to kids who would not have otherwise had the chance to learn about those fields.

Canelon, a recipient of CSE’s Mechanical Engineering Fellowship, is originally

MnDRIVE Scholar Dario Canelon collaborates with local schools and community groups to organize activities for youth to explore STEM.

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

7

Each year, Tech Camp welcomes hundreds of children, ages 11 to 13, with limited access to robotics and engineering activities. Mechanical engineering junior Keila Cortes taught them how to solder circuits last summer.

8

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

“

You see kids that come into the camps with low confidence levels, and then by the time they’re done you see a big change in that.

DARIO CANELON

”

from Venezuela and moved to Minneapolis after his family immigrated to Minnesota in 2007. He said he works with a lot of kids who are first-generation immigrants themselves, or whose parents didn’t attend college.

A Tennessee native, Doak has been involved with MnDRIVE outreach for about five years. She said that when she was growing up, she didn’t realize the breadth of opportunities available in science and engineering.

“You come to a new country, and it’s completely different from where you’re from,” Canelon said. “There are all these activities like Lego robotics, but maybe your parents didn’t even know about them. You see kids that come into the camps with low confidence levels, and then by the time they’re done you see a big change in that.”

“I thought if you liked science, you became either a nurse or a science teacher,” she explained. “While those are both important and rewarding jobs, there are other options. It’s important to help people understand what opportunities exist.”

Another issue is the lack of resources in smaller metro area schools. Students who attend larger, suburban schools with more funding for STEM programs are more likely to be exposed to science, while other students might not be.

Canelon said if they aren’t immersed in these fields in grade school, they’re less likely to pursue careers in science and technology.

“Not everybody has to go to college, and not everybody has to do STEM,” he said. “But letting these kids know that they’re not less capable than anyone else is the most important thing.”

Biomedical engineering graduate student and fellow MnDRIVE Scholar Geneva Doak agrees.

MnDRIVE also puts an emphasis on bringing more women into science and engineering by hosting coding camps, after-school STEM activities, and technology daycamps geared toward middle school and high school girls.

Confidence stems from enthusiasm In addition to providing access to science, MnDRIVE Scholars aim to generate a genuine excitement for the subject, whether that means letting students explore the virtual reality cave in Nils Hasselmo Hall or designing a mini robot race tournament.

This also means that they spend a lot of time creating new ways to make STEM concepts fun and understandable for young students. Last year for example,

after a group of middle-schoolers grew bored with the standard computer science concept of Scratch programming, the MnDRIVE Tech Camp introduced “squishy circuits,” or a means to conduct electricity using Play-Doh instead of soldered metal.

Doak said one of the most rewarding parts of outreach is seeing students’ light switches flick on when they realize how to solve a problem.

“Kids will come in and say ‘I can’t do this. I’ve never done this,’” Doak said.

“And then once they get it, you can see the aha moment and they get really excited about it.”

MnDRIVE tech camps also use Ozobots, pocket-sized robots used to teach basic coding, and Arduino boards, which are programmable circuit boards. Dat Nguyen, a senior computer engineering major and undergraduate MnDRIVE Scholar, helped create a mathematical thinking game using the Arduino.

“I could see them get passionate about a subject like math that they had not been passionate about before,” Nguyen said. “A lot of these kids don’t have access to these tools, so by showing them, it introduces them to new ideas.”

According to Canelon, it’s all about getting the students to ask questions and turn on their curiosity. “Then, they’ll ask you about things you’ve never even thought before,” he said.

Exhibit A: Wondering why the trilobe wheels on a Loper robot look like fidget spinners—something Canelon said, while trivial, had never crossed his

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

9

“

Often if a team is struggling, three or four other teams are already over there trying to figure out what’s not working before I even step in to help....

These are the kinds of behaviors that will get them far in the engineering world.

LAURA IRVINE

”

mind. More importantly, he said this newly developed enthusiasm for STEM usually leads to increased confidence in the students.

“It goes from being something dry to being something fun,” he said. “It’s a cool thing when you see kids leave with a more empowered mindset.”

Pass on what you learn Excitement regarding STEM is something with which Laura Irvine is very familiar. The MnDRIVE Scholar uses competition robots from the University of Minnesota Robotics student group to give hands-on demonstrations to visiting school groups.

“Being a STEM major and robotics student, I often take a lot of the cool things we do for granted,” said Irvine, a mechanical engineering senior. “So, seeing how something so simple as a robot shooting a basketball can amaze a young student is eye-opening.”

While most of these demonstrations occur on the Twin Cities campus,

10

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

MnDRIVE Scholars are also tapped to crisscross the metro area to work with STEM programs in local schools, neighborhood organizations like the Brian Coyle Teen Tech Center, and youth groups such as Urban 4-H and Girl and Boy Scouts. A large part of this local outreach consists of mentoring students through FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a national organization that facilitates robotics competitions in which students build robots to complete designated tasks.

A recipient of the college’s PTC/FIRST scholarship, Irvine has been involved in FIRST robotics since high school, and now she helps mentor FIRST Robotics Competition and FIRST Tech Challenge teams around the Twin Cities area, both at practice and at the competitions themselves.

“It’s a lot of fun to see what these kids come up with to solve the challenges each year,” Irvine said. “Often if a team is struggling, three or four other teams are already over there trying to figure out what’s not working before I even step in to help. It’s great to see this at a young age because these are the kinds of behaviors that will get them far in the engineering world.”

Irvine said she enjoys giving back to some of the programs that shaped her own love for STEM—and seeing so many of the students she’s worked with apply to STEM programs or robotics groups in college. Plus, she’s inspired to keep the cycle going.

“The best thing to hear is when the [high school students] say they want to

come back and volunteer just like us, so they can make an impact on a younger student the way we impacted them,” she said.

This notion of paying it forward motivates the other MnDRIVE Scholars as well.

While each one receives either a fellowship or a stipend, all agree that their job is enticing because of the chance to give back and spread a love for science and engineering.

“The program allows me to share my love for the STEM field with a younger generation,” Nguyen said. “Being able to show these kids a whole new world and watching them show interest in it as I once did is very rewarding.”

Being paid is a bonus, Canelon said, but the work is the real reward.

“At the end of the day, you’re doing something that you do for good reasons,” he said. “It lets you take a step back and look at why you’re doing this and why it’s important.”

Doak agrees, adding that their work can even end up changing someone’s career path. She recently ran into a student she had taught at MnDRIVE Tech Camp who had joined her high school robotics team and now wanted to pursue programming because of Doak’s mentorship.

“You see that you’re helping people in real time,” Doak said. “It’s those kinds of things that make you feel like you’re making a difference.”

Computer science grad student Myat Mo guides a middle school student in building a robotic bug.

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

11

ALUMNI FEATURE

>>

Motivated by common good, these alumni are hoping to improve quality of life One is examining the very building blocks of human endeavor that has potential to improve human health. Another works with communities to find ecologically and financially sound ways of safeguarding the environment. The third is helping the world’s secondlargest continent gain access to the basics most of us take for granted.

These individuals have never met or had a conversation with one another. They have different engineering backgrounds, graduated at different times, and live in different parts of the world. But all are united in their passion for their work.

And all are driven to use their expertise to further knowledge, overcome barriers, and serve a greater good.

12

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

G W P

1 MAP

5,000 PLANT SPECIES

GENOME

100,000 chemicals

WETLANDS

50% total area lost in WI

54 COUNTRIES

POWER

600,000,000 Africans

IN THEIR ELEMENTS

Written by JODI AUVIN

M

ichael Overcash: Mapping the other genome

Quick, what do computers, ping pong balls, highways, yoga mats, and ocean liners have in common? And virtually every other product currently in use in the world?

They’re all made from the same central group of 100,000 industrial chemicals.

And since 2016, Michael Overcash (Chemical Engineering Ph.D. ’72) and his researchers have focused on mapping these chemicals—the essential building blocks of everything humans have created and engineered. It’s part of an effort called the Environmental Genome Initiative (EGI), a nonprofit that seeks to better understand the chemicals in use today.

The EGI grew out of earlier research that Overcash and his team did, which led to the discovery and publication of a repeating pyramidal structure across chemicals in commerce. Their discovery mirrored the finding made in 1951 that the human genome has a pattern—the double helix.

“Seeing the repeating elements—the shape, a base of a certain width, a certain distance to the top—allowed us to put the pieces together,” stated

Overcash. “It became an organizing principle for how to assemble the data.”

Their goals are to create an organized chemical description of the entire chemical industry globally and define the manufacturing improvement and environmental footprints of each of the 100,000 chemicals—a data effort never before envisioned. Upon completion, it will serve as an open-source database for industry, academia, public policy users, and others.

And just as the human genome provided a genetic blueprint that continues to advance human health, it’s anticipated that the EGI will support critical discoveries in chemical manufacturing, public health, national security, and other areas.

Overcash, a professor of chemical engineering who has taught at academic and research institutions in the United States and abroad, has long been at the forefront of research and development related to the environment, manufacturing, and systems analysis. While doing his doctoral work at the University of Minnesota—a school he chose because of its highly regarded graduate programs—Ken Keller, former University of Minnesota president, was his advisor. In recent years, Keller participated in a conference to discuss the potential of the EGI.

Industrial Environment Genome

Air, Water, Terrestrial Emissions Overcash sketched this drawing in 2001 to represent his idea of the environmental genome. The rationale to even look for its shape is addressed in two paragraphs of his paper, “Environmental Genome of Industrial Products: The Missing Link for Human Health,” published in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Green Chemistry journal.

Learn more at www.environmentalgenome.org.

Photo by Ken Martin

Product or Services to Society

Michael Overcash (ChE Ph.D. ’72) is on a mission to map 100,000 of our most common industrial chemicals. The chart beside him illustrates a supply chain of 300+ chemicals for one drug.

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

13

Photo by Savanna Daniels

As a natural-area restoration designer in Wisconsin, Collin Smith (BBE ’16) is involved in projects to preserve the state’s wetlands. Wisconsin has lost nearly half of its original 10 million acres.

14

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

What prompted Overcash to fully commit to the EGI was the epidemiology recognition that 70 to 90 percent of all global chronic diseases come from the environment. In the United States alone, 40 million to 60 million people have chronic diseases. “In all probability, those diseases may stem from a causative factor in the environment, of which pollutants are significant,” he said.

One study currently under discussion in the EGI and the National Institutes of Health is how pollution exposure impacts maternal and fetal health, which could yield meaningful insights.

To date, about 2,000 chemicals have been mapped. Overcash anticipates needing another five or six years to complete all 100,000 chemicals. He’s currently working to establish funding support for additional mapping teams in the United States and around the world. “Ultimately, we have no idea how the EGI will be used,” he said.

“But its potential for global society and human health is important.”

C

ollin Smith: Designing greener spaces

Ever since he can remember, Wisconsin native Collin Smith (Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering ’16) has been fascinated by the relationship between humans and the environment.

Growing up, he loved the outdoors and became deeply involved in environmental studies in high school.

When it was time to choose a college, he was drawn to the University of Minnesota for its academic rigor and beautiful campus. And while earning

“

The benefits of integrating nature into urban environments are well-researched and far-reaching.

his degree at CSE, he furthered his knowledge by pursuing green opportunities on the side, including assisting with bark beetle research for the entomology department, interning as a water resources engineer, and volunteering for Engineers Without Borders (EWB).

One of his EWB projects involved creating a rainwater harvesting system in Uganda.

All this experiential learning paved the way for what Smith calls “a dream job” as a natural-area restoration designer at Applied Ecological Services (AES) in Milwaukee, which creates ecologically driven land-use solutions. Since joining AES in 2018, he’s helped plan, design, and manage dozens of Midwestern projects that have a large engineering or landscape design component.

On any given day, he collects and analyzes data, works with key stakeholders to identify and educate them about concerns, and develops and implements solutions. It’s a job that requires a broad skill set, including technical expertise, creative problem solving, and familiarity with local, state, and federal regulations.

Smith is more than up to the myriad challenges that come his way.

Watershed planning is a particular favorite. The projects are diverse, from resolving stream instability and flooding issues to preserving wetlands that are habitats for hundreds of native

COLLIN SMITH

”

plants, insects, and animals. Smith, who worked as a watershed and sustainability coordinator in Ohio prior to joining AES, also appreciates how collaborative the work is.

“Because watersheds don’t follow city and county borders, a number of entities have to work together to manage water quality,” he said. These include landscape architects, health and public works departments, regional planning agencies, and agriculture groups. Once consensus is reached and ecological strategies are agreed upon, Smith and his colleagues design, construct, and help maintain the desired infrastructure.

He’s also quick to say that ecological restoration isn’t limited to rural areas. He’s currently involved in several projects in Milwaukee, where communities are addressing environmental degradation and climate resiliency, as well as health issues, such as obesity and chronic illness, that are impacted by lack of green space.

“The benefits of integrating nature into urban environments are well-researched and far-reaching,” stated Smith. For example, when blighted areas are converted to public parks, community gardens, plazas, and multi-use trails, it helps negate urban heat and offset greenhouse gas emission. It also promotes physical activity and social interaction, which helps reduce stress levels and improve health.

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

15

Smith anticipates that graduate school is in his future. “I don’t know if it will be in ecological engineering, urban planning, public health, or something else,” he said. “But I’m a learner, and there are many amazing fields that overlap and many ways to make a difference.”

S

tella Mandago: Empowering Africa

For most of us, electricity is the backbone of our lives, powering virtually every moment of every day. But in Africa, electricity is anything but a given.

In fact, more than 600 million Africans have no access to electricity—an access rate of just over 40 percent, the lowest in the world. And in sub-Saharan countries like Tanzania, access is particularly low, especially in rural areas.

It’s a challenge that Stella Mandago (Electrical Engineering ’05, M.S. ’07), the first Tanzanian to earn an electrical engineering degree from the University of Minnesota, is addressing head on.

Since 2012, she’s been working as an energy advisor for African Development Bank. Its mission is to help African countries attain sustainable economic development and social progress through

“

policy reform and investments. One of its key programs, Light Up and Power Africa, seeks to help the continent achieve universal access to electricity by 2025.

There are numerous options for electric power in Africa, including geothermal power plants, solar minigrids, and conventional low-voltage grid extensions.

But making electricity affordable and viable requires many factors to come together, including low-cost ways to meet demands and the infrastructure to bring it to life. It also requires billions of dollars in funding and experts to guide the way.

Mandago, who grew up in a village without electricity, helps sub-Saharan countries develop sound energy policies and find investors, grants, and technical expertise that align with government needs. She also facilitates regional interconnection—power trading between countries.

In a current electrification project with Rwanda, the government receives investment funding when certain targets are achieved. “We started by helping the government review its policies and systems on providing electricity,” said

I like using my skills to support Africa’s needs, especially after seeing the difference electrification projects make.

STELLA MANDAGO

16

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

”

Mandago. She and her team are now working with stakeholders to ensure that targets are met and funds are dispersed.

Recent projects in Tanzania include electrification of small businesses in rural areas, including gas stations, banks, and restaurants—all of which help create jobs.

Mandago’s career path began to take shape in secondary school in Shinyanga, when a teacher noted her mathematical abilities and encouraged her to pursue electrical engineering. Mandago learned about the University of Minnesota at the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, applied, and was readily accepted.

During her sophomore year, one of her professors—Paul Imbertson (see page 25)—also urged her to study electrical engineering.

“I took it from there,” she said. “The U is the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Mandago’s ties to her alma mater continue. She’s currently in conversation with Modou Jaw, a fellow African and electrical engineering (EE ’19) graduate, to improve educational opportunities in the continent. Plus, she’s partnering with Douglas Ernie, an associate professor in electrical engineering, to offer online lectures through Unite the World with Africa Foundation, Inc. Every step of the way, Mandago is fueled by a passion for her country and profession. “I like using my skills to support Africa’s needs,” she said. “Especially after seeing the difference electrification projects make.”

Photo by Guy-Roland Tayoro

Stella Mandago (EE ’05, M.S. ’07) is striving to make electricity affordable for all sub-Saharan countries through her work at the African Development Bank. She partners with local governments to change policies and implement sustainable solutions.

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

17

FACULTY FEATURE

>>

Engineering for

HUMANITY Written by KERMIT PATTISON

Engineers are problem solvers.

Increasingly, their specialties are tangled with the most pressing social challenges of our era—the rancorous tribalization of politics, social alienation, and clean energy production, just to name a few.

Engineering was founded to conquer problems created by nature, but increasingly it must solve problems created by humans—usually the byproducts of past engineering triumphs. Faculty from the College of Science and Engineering are rising to meet these challenges in myriad ways. They are creating models to protect rational decision-making in public policy, designing social media to foster connection instead of alienation, promoting renewable energy, and forging ties with the developing world.

“Engineering is about humanity,” explained Professor Paul Imbertson of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “Humanity is about all of us together.”

18

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

Lana Yarosh:

NETWORKING FOR HUMANS Illustration by EMMA SMISEK

T

he digital revolution has entered a period of reckoning.

Recently, almost every discussion of the ills afflicting American society laments the downside of our technological dependency and the social fragmentation it has wrought.

Lana Yarosh wants to design remedies—technologies that enhance relationships.

Yarosh is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and a McKnight Land-Grant Professor. Her research focuses on “embodied interaction” in social computing with an explicit goal of building systems that forge stronger bonds among people.

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

19

“

Lana’s musings

Social isolation is higher than it has ever been.... It is a bigger predictor of mortality than obesity and smoking.

LANA YAROSH

“I think it’s our responsibility,” she said. “Social isolation is higher than it has ever been. We’re learning so much more about how it effects people. It is a bigger predictor of mortality than obesity and smoking.”

Technologists can no longer turn innovations loose into the world and ignore the destructive effects—the erosion of privacy, the spread of false information and propaganda, threats to democracy, economic disruption, and more. In 2018, Yarosh joined a dozen technologists who issued a declaration bemoaning the “serious and embarrassing intellectual lapse” of the computing community for failing to consider the downsides of their innovations.

She and her colleagues called for changes in the peer review process to consider negative consequences, just as the medical industry does.

In recent years, Yarosh shifted her research toward the potential role of technology in addressing addiction. Personal experience played a role: Yarosh is in recovery herself. “It’s been such a powerful

20

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

”

experience,” she said of her work.

“When I saw the possibilities for the interface between my research passions, skills, and basically something that saved my life, I felt like I found my calling.”

Her research has won three grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation—nearly $900,000 in total. One project examined how to preserve anonymity while bolstering online support networks among recovering addicts and alcoholics. Another examined whether the reassurance of “supportive touch” (such as holding hands at the start of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting) can be duplicated with remote technology.

A third investigated how social computing might enhance feelings of connectedness and peer support among those recovering from substance abuse (as well as isolated elderly people and children).

She has designed technology solutions to bring people together.

One mobile application forges connections between people who have recently entered recovery and their sponsors, while another “recovery Fitbit” tracks healthy

With several projects focused on the role of technology in supporting engagement with 12-step groups, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Lana Yarosh is often asked: “Aren’t you encouraging people to join a cult?”

The following is an edited excerpt from her blog on why she works with AA and NA. I get a lot of flak and questions about this—sometimes researchers from other areas actively encourage me to drop this line of research. Many point to The Atlantic article “The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous,” which positions 12-step programs somewhere between a scam and a cult. I have this conversation so often that I thought I would answer some of the questions I frequently get.

Are 12-step programs effective treatment for substance use disorders?

No, these programs are not a medical treatment or a detox plan! However, most people with substance use disorders cannot just detox, spend a month or two in treatment and then expect to stay clean for the rest of their lives. A maintenance program is necessary to avoid relapse and 12-steps is one example. It provides critical social support during and after treatment.

Okay, do 12-steps work as a maintenance program?

It is not at ALL surprising that a social support group would help people achieve behavior change! Peer support groups are also common for other behavior change, for example Weight Watchers meetings or the step-count competitions hosted by your FitBit app.

This is why the National Institutes of Health includes 12-step facilitation (encouraging people to go to meetings) as an important part of treatment programs.

Read the full post at lanayarosh.com/blog.

Photo by Rebecca Slater

The National Science Foundation is backing McKnight Land-Grant Professor Lana Yarosh’s efforts to design technologies that help recovering addicts and alcoholics, as well as isolated adults and children.

activities and provides feedback to reduce the risk of relapse.

“All my roads lead back to social connectedness,” Yarosh said. “Even when I start with projects that conceivably have nothing to do with that space, somehow the follow-up work always leads back to it.”

AI with PBS What does artificial intelligence (AI) look like today? AI is examined in all its forms on a new Crash Course web series produced by the Public Broadcasting Service Digital Studios. CSE assistant professor Lana Yarosh cowrites the 5-15 minute episodes, which are hosted by YouTube personality Jabril Ashe. Watch at z.umn.edu/aicrashcourse.

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

21

22

Photo by Caroline Yang

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

E

llad Tadmor couldn’t stand it anymore. For years, Tadmor, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, watched the erosion of public debates and scientific discourse in the United States. Political factions twisted facts and turned opponents into caricatures.

Ballot initiatives reduced important

policy issues to slogans. The internet, despite being a great river of information, somehow managed to dilute the very notion of truth.

public is not more informed about it.

The way we make decisions has gotten worse. Especially in recent years, it’s become almost tribal.”

“Many topics have become more complicated, and science is playing an ever-larger role in the decisions we have to make,” said Tadmor, “and yet the

For years, Tadmor studied the literature on human decision-making and toyed with the idea of stepping outside his normal research (materials response at

Ellad Tadmor:

DEFENDING SCIENCE

Illustration by CEDRIC HOHNSTADT

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

23

Photo by Rebecca Slater

the microscopic level) and developing a science-based method for reasoning about controversial topics. Then the 2016 election happened. “There just seemed to be frontal assault on truth itself,” he recalled.

“It went beyond the usual conservative-liberal stuff.”

As a scientist, Tadmor’s work is all about truth—he couldn’t stand to watch it become a devalued currency. Being an engineer, he set out to solve the problem. In the fall of 2017, he took a semester leave to plan a new class and create a model of a rational, scientific approach to public policy.

From his readings on the psychology of decision-making, Tadmor had learned that human behavior was a complex mix of emotion and reason—even scientists were not reliably rational. To the contrary, people often behave more like rationalizers and engage in what some researchers have described as “motivated reasoning” biased toward conclusions that fit their preconceptions. “The more emotional the matter,” Tadmor observed, “the less rational the decision process.”

He designed an undergraduate class called Science Court—an investigative and decision-making process that would draw on scientific research to incorporate diverse views, establish a reliable body of facts, and dispassionately deliver fair conclusions. He enlisted three coteachers: Collin Tierney, an assistant Hennepin County public defender; Lauren Clatch, a law and Ph.D. psychology student; and Melody Gilbert, a documentary filmmaker.

It’s been two years since Ellad Tadmor, professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, created Science Court. The class takes a rational, scientific approach to public policy.

24

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

Science Court was first offered in the fall of 2018 as a course within the University of Minnesota Honors Program.

The students held a competition to select the policy question to be addressed that semester—the winner: Should the state of

Minnesota implement a 1:1 technology program and provide one laptop or tablet to every K–12 student? To prepare for trial, students divided into teams specializing in science, law, and media.

About half of the 17 students came from CSE; others from the liberal arts, design, or journalism.

“They needed to learn each other’s language,” said Tadmor. “There were some tensions.”

Two teams presented arguments for and against the proposal. Bill McGinnis, an intellectual property law attorney, presided as judge and volunteers recruited from the general public served as the jury. All evidence had to meet scientific standards.

Several studies were ruled inadmissible and thrown out. After many hours of courtroom argument and deliberations, the jury voted 10-3 against the 1:1 technology program. The media team reported on progress with blogs, podcasts, and videos—all part of the campaign to educate the public in what Tadmor envisions as “a tool for social change.”

Paul Imbertson:

A POWERFUL JOURNEY P aul Imbertson has a simple motto: “Talk about real things. Do real work. Work together.” He and his students have taken that message around the globe.

As a teaching professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, he runs a class called Power Systems Journey: Making the Invisible Visible and Actionable with Jonee Brigham, an architect and artist in the College of Design. It tracks how humans generate, transmit, and use energy. Imbertson describes it as a quest to “open students’ eyes to the electric power grid—not just in the technical sense, but in a society sense, economic sense, and a metaphorical sense.”

“This isn’t just about educating students,” he explained. “This is about students playing an important role and doing something useful for the community. Universities are always being criticized for being insular. This is a direct attempt to engage with society. The students serve as conduits for getting all this knowledge from behind the university walls and sending it out to the public.”

The class was offered again in the fall of 2019. Ever the engineer, Tadmor has made improvements since the first experiment. He hopes the project will inspire similar efforts at other universities—and inject a dose of calm rationality into the fevered bloodstream of American politics.

More on MPR Minnesota Public Radio host Kerri Miller sat down with Professor Ellad Tadmor and student Luke Diamond last fall to talk about Science Court. Listen at z.umn.edu/sciencecourtMPR.

“

Students arrive knowing little more than how to flip a light switch. They trace energy flow backwards to the Gopher campus substation to the coal-burning power plant to the mines of Powder River Basin in Wyoming.

Talk about real things.

Do real work. Work together.

PAUL IMBERTSON

”

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

25

Photo by Rebecca Slater

Paul Imbertson’s Grand Challenge course Power Systems Journey: Making the Invisible Visible and Actionable encourages students to become informed voters and consumers.

Through research and field trips, Imbertson’s students learn how energy travels to their classroom from Oak Park Heights, Minnesota on the St. Croix River.

26

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

They take field trips, make GIS maps, and share their findings with visitors at the Bell Museum.

Imbertson compares the class to the “hero’s journey” described by mythologist Joseph Campbell.

Students end up transformed by the experience and see the world with new eyes.

For Imbertson, the class is part of a larger journey—blazing a path toward cleaner energy production. He also coteaches a class called Pathways to Renewable Energy. In another course called The New Energy of Scandinavia, he took students abroad on an intensive three-week examination of renewable energy production. Students toured a geothermal plant in Iceland, wind farms and a turbine factory in Denmark, and hydroelectric facilities in Norway. According to Imbertson, about 200 students have taken the course and well over half of them now work in power and renewable energy.

Imbertson has organized many such outreach efforts. One is called Building Resources and Innovative Designs for Global Energy, or BRIDGE. Students built a wind turbine from scrap metal, PVC pipes found on the roadside, and electrical relays from an auto-salvage yard—and assembled the machine at Imbertson’s home. They donated the turbine to a small village in Nicaragua; he also took students to study the country’s renewable energy potential and inspired some of their Nicaraguan friends to study engineering.

“The point is not just to build a wind turbine,” said Imbertson. “It’s to build relationships.”

His latest effort focuses on Kenya, where a friend aspires to create a renewable energy park. Imbertson’s students helped erect solar panels and install a system for collecting methane from cow manure. The international program dovetails with another outreach program for local kids. Students from Washburn High School are experimenting with how to build cheap solar cells, and the hope is that what they learn can help the Kenya project.

“We’re building bridges,” said Imbertson. “The important reason to do that—for engineers or anybody—is you can find out what’s on the other side of the bridge.”

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

27

Investing in Tomorrow Tax-wise giving strategies KIM DOCKTER Assistant Dean, External Relations dockter@umn.edu 612-626-9385

GET CAMPAIGN UPDATES AT cse.umn.edu/giving

It is estimated that nearly 90 percent of Americans will not itemize their taxes this year due to changes that took effect following the 2018 tax overhaul. However, there are still many ways to reduce taxes while making an impact with your charitable giving.

Here are a few tax-wise giving strategies.* Make a charitable IRA distribution. If you are age 70 or older, you and your spouse can each direct up to $100,000 from your IRA to charity, without paying federal income tax on the withdrawal. This gift option provides tax savings to donors even if they do not itemize deductions. a. Gifts can be used to satisfy your required minimum distribution. b. I nstead of taking a charitable income tax deduction for the gift, you can exclude the distribution from your income. c. T he funds must be transferred directly to the charity—it is important not to withdraw the funds before making a gift.

If you wish to direct your gift to the College of Science and Engineering or a specific department or fund, contact your IRA plan administrator and request a direct qualified charitable distribution from your IRA account to the University of Minnesota Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, with tax ID number 41-6042488.

Mail the check to University of Minnesota Foundation Attn: IRA Gift Processing 200 Oak Street SE, Suite 500 Minneapolis, MN 55455

Give appreciated securities. Giving appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual fund shares can be a tax-advantaged way to provide immediate support for the College of Science and Engineering. Gifts of any size benefit students, faculty, research, and programs. By giving the college appreciated securities that you’ve held for more than a year, you receive a double tax benefit: a. You avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation that would be due upon sale. b. Y ou can receive a charitable income tax deduction for the current fair market value of the property—up to 30 percent of adjusted gross income. c. Y ou can carry forward any unclaimed portion of the deduction for up to five additional years, subject to the annual limit.

Because we often receive stock transfers without donor-identifying information, please let me know if you are planning to transfer stock or other securities.

Name us as a beneficiary of your retirement account. This is a simple, tax-free way to provide meaningful support for the College of Science and Engineering. If left to family or other loved ones, assets in a taxdeferred retirement account are subject to income and possibly estate tax when distributed. However, if left to charity, these assets will pass tax-free.

To learn more about any of these tax-advantaged giving strategies or to make a gift of appreciated securities or a charitable IRA distribution to the College of Science and Engineering, please contact me. I can assist you in making the gift and ensuring that it supports the area you intend.

*This information is for educational purposes only, and is not legal or tax advice.

We recommend that you consult with a professional advisor before making any gift to the University.

28

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

MAKE A GIFT If you’d like to support a project you read about in this magazine, or are curious about department-specific opportunities, contact us today.

Endowed chairs honor faculty expertise and alumni interests

Courtney Billing

Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

612-626-9501 • cbilling@umn.edu Jennifer Clarke

Industrial and Systems Engineering Mechanical Engineering 612-626-9354 • jclarke@umn.edu Anastacia Davis

Electrical and Computer Engineering Institute for Math and its Applications 612-625-4509 • aqdavis@umn.edu Raechelle Drakeford

Corporate Partnerships

612-626-6874 • drakeford@umn.edu Kathy Peters-Martell

Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Chemistry 612-626-8282 • kpeters@umn.edu Emily Strand

Computer Science and Engineering Medical Devices Center School of Mathematics

612-625-6798 • ecstrand@umn.edu Shannon Weiher

Biomedical Engineering Earth and Environmental Sciences School of Physics and Astronomy

612-624-5543 • seweiher@umn.edu Shannon Wolkerstorfer

Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering History of Science, Technology, and Medicine St. Anthony Falls Laboratory 612-626-6035 • swolkers@umn.edu

If you can 3D print a bionic ear, you can certainly make me a bionic eye.

That’s essentially what Michael McAlpine’s mother, blind in one eye, said to her son in 2013 after he merged electronics with polymers and cells to build an artificial ear.

In January, National Geographic recognized his prototype 3D-printed bionic eye as one of “12 Innovations That Will Revolutionize the Future of Medicine.” In August, Professor McAlpine—who focuses on the 3D printing of functional materials and devices—was named CSE’s inaugural Kuhrmeyer Family Chair.

“What Mike is doing with the students in his lab is extremely exciting research, and it certainly fits with our objectives for this chair,” said Carl Kuhrmeyer ME ’49, a retired 3M vice president who established the endowment to support midcareer faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering with research in human health and cancer. “Research today on big health-related issues requires a multidisciplined approach—a team of people working together with no artificial walls and boundaries between them,” he noted, “and I think we have that in spades here at the University of Minnesota.”

This is Kuhrmeyer’s second major gift to CSE with the same focus.

Distinguished McKnight University Professor John Bischof holds the Carl and Janet Kuhrmeyer Chair in Mechanical Engineering, along with the Medtronic-Bakken Endowed Chair for Engineering in Medicine. Bischof is a renowned researcher in thermal bioengineering who has contributed to applications in therapeutics, regenerative medicine, and diagnostics.

“My philosophy is to do as much as you can while you are living and not wait for your estate adjudicators to do it for you,” said Kuhrmeyer, a cancer survivor. “You don’t have to die before you establish a chair.”

Retaining students and saving the planet The college currently oversees more than 60 named professorships and chairs. Donors may establish an endowment—a permanent, self-sustaining source of funding—in their own names or in the names of others they wish to honor. Each year, a portion of its value is paid out to support the fund’s purpose including the faculty member’s salary and associated costs, such as lab space and graduate student researchers.

Continued >>

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

29

Take the 3M Chair in Experiential Learning, for example. 3M Foundation endowed this chair to enhance the undergraduate experience in CSE, improve retention rates, and better prepare students to enter the workforce.

In her role, Lorraine Francis works with faculty and staff to develop and direct experiential learning opportunities that teach the fundamentals of open-ended problem-solving, teamwork, ethics, innovation, and design.

Mechanical engineering professor Jane Davidson, on the other hand, uses her endowed position to make fuel—and shape alternative energy policies around the world. Davidson, who has held the Ronald L. and Janet A. Christenson Chair in Renewable Energy for almost 10 years, works on solar energy systems for buildings and solar thermo-chemical cycles to produce fuels.

“Ronald and Janet’s vision and support of renewable energy has allowed me and my students to seek technologically risky, but potentially high-payoff solutions to using concentrated sunlight to convert water, biomass, and atmospheric carbon dioxide into renewable fuels,” said Davidson, who also directs the University of Minnesota’s Solar Energy Laboratory. “We have developed solar reactors, which hold the world’s record efficiency for conversion of sunlight to synthesis gas, the building block of synthetic liquid fuels.”

Her colleague, Distinguished McKnight University Professor Uwe Kortshagen,

Who’s who?

30

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

currently the other Christenson Chair, also values the opportunity to push the research boundaries with his endowed position.

“Clean and economical energy generation and storage are among the most pressing challenges of our time,” Kortshagen said. “I am grateful for the generous gift from Ronald and Janet Christenson. Its unrestricted nature allows me to pursue out-of-the-box ideas at the interface of plasma, materials, and renewable energy technology. Such cross-cutting ideas are less likely to be funded by traditional funding agencies.”

For Ronald (Ron) Christenson (ME ’72), supporting faculty research in renewable energy came easy—he is an avid outdoorsperson who is fundamentally concerned about climate change.

“It’s exciting to see what our faculty come up with,” he said. “I am investing in this college because my education at the University of Minnesota opened a world of opportunities for me,” said Christenson, a retired chief technology officer of Cargill who lived in Argentina, Canada, and several U.S. locations while leading engineering and manufacturing operations during his 38-year career. “It is enjoyable for me to give back to the University by endowing a chair in an area of personal interest.” >> T o learn how you can establish a CSE chair to support research that excites you, contact Kim Dockter at dockter@umn.edu or 612-626-9385.

There are more than 60 endowed chairs and professorships in CSE. See who and what they support at z.umn.edu/endowedfaculty.

Human Hearts Capture Her Heart Dannyelle Donahue knew at 14 that she wanted to become a medical devices inventor. Today, her ambition remains strong. She’s a junior majoring in biomedical engineering (BME), vice president of the BME Society, workshops director for the University of Minnesota chapter of Engineering World Health, and a research assistant at the Visible Heart Laboratories through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.

The following are edited excerpts from a conversation with Donahue, who receives the college’s Steven L. and Karen L. Crouch Scholarship and the University’s Florence Goodrich Sinclair Scholarship.

Photo by Rebecca Slater

Scholarship recipient’s career path inspired by grad students

How did you choose your major?

I liked building stuff, so my mom thought I should try an engineering camp at the University of Minnesota. I remember these grad students showing us slices of rat brain and all the brain simulation research they were doing to combat the effects of Parkinson’s. It was really neat. I didn’t know this was a real thing—that you could invent medical devices. I never thought about it as a career before.

What’s it like to be here?

I get to see my sisters all the time!

Sydnee is studying biology, and Dannica just arrived. She’s in BME too. Also, Minnesota is big for cardiovascular technology, and I’m interested in this field. I had internships at Medtronic the past two summers.

Did you enjoy the experience?

Yes, I worked in manufacturing the first year, then research and development. I’m really, really lucky I got to intern there. If I didn’t, I would have been waiting tables again to pay my rent and food over the school year. Getting to do something that’s relevant to my field will help me get a job later.

Do scholarships help?

My sisters and I have both large and small scholarships, which all add up to make it possible for us to attend the University. I don’t know if I would have been able to go to college without this support in my first year. [Younger sister Dannica is a CSE 3M Diversity Scholarship recipient.]

Tell me more.

Scholarships are really important to our family. My mom was young and went to law school while she had me and Dannica. She’s a public defender for people who are incarcerated. There’s not a lot of money in that, but she’s amazing.

She’s got a work ethic like nobody else I know. I helped a lot growing up—waiting tables, being a nanny, paying my own expenses, and watching my sister all the time.

We moved from Wisconsin to be with my stepdad [a Carlson School graduate].

What are your future plans?

As a member of Engineering World Health student group, I get to participate in a national design competition to create low cost medical alternatives. We learn how to take things from here [the United States] and strip them down to their bare components, and make them functional for places that lack the modern resources we have. In the future, I would really like to design a medical device that could be used in low income countries to make healthcare more accessible. >> L earn more about the UMN chapter of Engineering World Health at z.umn.edu/ewhmn.

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

31

Alumni give back and come home During homecoming week, our community was everywhere—from planting trees in Champlin, Minnesota, to cheering festive floats down University Avenue. See more photos in our online album at cse.umn.edu/flickr.

Left, from top: CSE alumni and friends cleaned and tested 601 LCD monitors at Minnesota Computers for Schools during CSE Day of Service.

Faculty, staff, and alumni from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (CEMS) planted trees at the Doris A. Kemp Park in Champlin.

Former NASA flight manager Michele Brekke (AEM ’75, M.S. ’77), served as grand marshal for the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Homecoming parade on Oct. 4. She is now a flight manager for the Boeing CST-100 Starliner.

Gopher Motorsports members drove their high-speed formula car (at a snail’s pace, of course) along University Avenue during the parade.

Go CSE! Student leaders represent the college and all its departments at the parade, one of the University’s oldest traditions.

Above, from top: The CEMS open house drew past, current, and future Gophers to Amundson Hall.

Biomedical engineering alumni reconnected over drinks at Surly Brewing Co. Alumni and faculty from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering gathered for the second Thirst for Knowledge series on robotics.

Current students engaged with alumni and their families at the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering open house.

32

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

Questions? Contact Alumni Relations Director Joelle Larson at 612-626-1802 or jblarson@umn.edu.

Your windows to campus See what’s happening right this moment on the Twin Cities campus. Our two webcams operate 24/7—rain or shine, or snowstorm— on Northrop Mall and Church Street. cse.umn.edu/college/cse-webcam

“

Quotable

”

Many were skeptical about a young African building drone technology and many told me it was going to fail… people thought that we were kids playing around.

—CSE alumnus Eric Rutayisire (EE B.S. ’14, M.S. ’15) in Forbes magazine after being named to the 2019 Forbes-Africa Top 30 under 30. He is founder and CEO of Charis UAS, the first unmanned aerial vehicle company in Rwanda.

He plans to expand its reach to many other African countries.

Read his story at z.umn.edu/ecealumnuseric.

CALLING THE CLASS OF 1970 Save the dates: May 7-8, 2020 Make your plans to come back to Minneapolis for Reunion.

More details: cse.umn.edu/50reunion

Rocks are his friends Haakon Fossen likes the outdoors.

In fact, being alfresco is necessary to his work. This global leader in structural geology, who earned his Ph.D. from the college in 1992, recently received the 2019 University of Minnesota Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals.

Fossen’s career includes significant research contributions in the mechanisms and consequences of tectonic plates, vast industry experience in oil and gas, and longstanding partnerships with scientists, most notably in Norway, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, and the United States.

On receiving the award I am deeply honored. I thank my advisors Christian Teyssier, Peter Hudleston, and Timothy Holst, not only for generously sharing their deep knowledge, but also for creating an atmosphere in which we, as students, could excel and flourish.

On his Twin Cities education It was the best academic investment— one that has had a profound influence on the way I think, teach, advise, and do research.

On the importance of geology Rocks are our friends, and we should never stop visiting them and learning from them in their natural environment.

CSE dean Mos Kaveh at the UMAA Annual Awards Affair with University of Bergen professor Haakon Fossen (Geology Ph.D. ’92).

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

33

RETROSPECT

istorians of

Science and Technology

CSE program encourages students to be thoughtful and develop a longer-term perspective Isaac Asimov once said, “There is not a discovery in science, however revolutionary, however sparkling with insight, that does not arise out of what went before.” The Program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (HSTM) at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus was established on this very premise—that history matters.

“Our faculty and grad students are compelled to investigate and understand the ways in which scientific ideas are influenced by, and are influencing

political, economic, and ideological contexts,” said director Mark Borrello.

“In the undergraduate courses we teach, we hope to contribute a longer view and awareness of social context and implications to the next generation of scientists and engineers.”

HSTM was formed in 2007 as a result of two established initiatives coming together.

The Program in the History of Medicine started in 1967 when Leonard Wilson joined the faculty of the Medical School as the first professor of

the history of medicine. The Program in History of Science and Technology launched five years later when Roger Stuewer, a historian of modern physics, was hired by the college to coordinate this new effort. He was later appointed the founding director and held the position for 15 years (1974–89).

The merger’s success is evident in the fact that HSTM continues to rank among the nation’s best.

Students can pursue an M.A. or Ph.D. in two tracks: History of Science and Technology (HST) and History of

Photo courtesy University of Minnesota Libraries

The Charles Babbage Institute is a valuable resource for HSTM students studying the history of computing. Among its collections are the archives of Burroughs Corporation, once the nation’s largest manufacturer of adding machines. This 1954 image captures a quality-control test of 10-key calculators attached to a new commercial inspection machine.

34

I N V EN T I N G TO M O R R OW

The Plague HSTM professor Susan Jones’s study of a 1930s Soviet effort to eliminate the plague—by exterminating bacteria-carrying rodents in their lairs with poison—found that if the endeavor had been successful, it would have caused “wholesale ecological collapse, as many species rely on rodents for food and their burrows for shelter.”

The Creek and Dam

The Typewriter

In his research of the environmental and technological history of Minnehaha Creek, Sam Froiland (HSTM M.A. ’19) concluded that “we need to reevaluate what natural means— natural doesn’t mean untouched.”

Graduate student Miaofeng Yao is researching the history of the Chinese typewriter and its connection to early information technology and communications business.

Medicine. Within the curriculum, all students are required to take two core courses during their first year of study: Historiography of Science, Technology, and Medicine (a faculty team-taught class that familiarizes students with the various approaches to the field) and Research Methods in History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (a seminar in which students present their final project to peers and faculty).

Each person is a trained historian—and it has been that way since its first two professors: Stuewer, also the former director, and Alan Shapiro, a historian of the physical sciences with a special focus on Isaac Newton. All hold doctorates in the history of science or medicine. Some have extensive backgrounds as scientists.

One, Distinguished McKnight University Professor Susan Jones, also earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

“This program is top notch and that was certainly something that drew my attention,” said Patrick Graham, a second-year grad student who moved from Portland, Oregon, for the HST track. “As a historian of computing, I value the Charles Babbage Institute and its director Jeffery Yost and archivist Amanda Wick. They are truly incredible resources, and CBI is one of the most vibrant places in the country for the history of computing.”

“Our program is unique, certainly in the Big Ten, and maybe in all public universities,” explained Borrello. “Some engineering schools have historians in their midst, but here we have the Minnesota Model. Each of us has tenure in the department of our expertise.”

Borrello’s team at HSTM oversees the institute’s research and fellows program, and University Libraries maintains its vast underground collection of rare publications, oral histories, and more than 100,000 photographs.

The Minnesota Model

In addition to a top notch curriculum, HSTM stands out for its faculty structure.

The faculty are part of departments in the College of Science and Engineering, and beyond—including the College of Biological Sciences (Borrello is an associate professor of ecology, evolution, and behavior) and School of Medicine.

For Leah Malamut, this diversity of expertise and experiences is definitely a draw. Malamut, like Graham, packed up her bags for Minnesota two years ago. The HST track allows the Philadelphia native, who doublemajored in psychology and biological sciences as an undergrad, to focus on

the history of biomedical research and animal models.

“The strength of our faculty helps graduate students,” she said. “Sally Kohlstedt taught our first-year research methods class last year, and she imparted really valuable advice, not just about our specific projects, but also about becoming historians. I found this especially helpful, as many professional conventions of history were new to me. Like many folks in HSTM, I studied science as an undergraduate.”

Almost half a century has passed since the Program in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine was first established, but its importance remains relevant.

“There are always lessons to be learned from history,” Borrello said. “The global problems we are confronted with—like hunger, population, and controlling a disease—aren’t just scientific or technological problems. They’re not problems we can just innovate toward an answer.

A historical perspective can give us an awareness that’s deeper and richer, and potentially lead us to better or more sustainable solutions.” >> Find out more at hstm.umn.edu.

W INT E R 2 0 2 0

35

University of Minnesota 105 Walter Library 117 Pleasant Street SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage P A I D Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 90155

facebook.com/umn.cse @UMNCSE UMNCSE youtube.com/umncse cse.umn.edu/linkedin

cse.umn.edu/flickr

We take experiential learning seriously.

Hands-on opportunities like internships, co-ops, study abroad, and student groups can change lives.

A student’s life. A family’s life. A child’s life. Just ask the members of Engineers Without Borders, Engineering World Health, and Innovative Engineers. They’re partnering with communities near and far to improve quality of life.

Help us do more.

And do better. cse.umn.edu/giving

One world. Many lives.