In August, Peter Demerath, associate professor in the Department of Organizational, Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), returned to Papua New Guinea where he carried out his dissertation field research in 1994-1995, to explore partnership opportunities with the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and University of Goroka (UG), visit primary and secondary schools, and continue his collaborative sustainable development work in the village of Pere, Manus Province. The trip was supported in part by a UMN Global Programs and Strategy Alliance travel grant awarded to he and his wife, Ellen (UMN School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology).
At UPNG the Demeraths met with Professor Steven Winduo (Ph.D. English, University of Minnesota) and Moyep Kilepak regarding possibilities for scholar, student and knowledge exchange between the two institutions. (Steven Winduo is the author of the blog The Window). At the University of Goroka, Demerath met Dr. Kapa Darius Kelep Malpo, Executive Dean of the College of Education and author of Gender Equity at the Workplace: A Recipe for Smart Organizations with a Purpose in Papua New Guinea. Dr. Malpo’s work is motivated largely by Papua New Guinea’s continuing challenges with regard to gender equality: it is currently ranked 153 out of 187 on the United Nations Gender Inequality Index.
Demerath then travelled to the island province of Manus where he visited two of the schools that hosted his 1995 research on student identity and academic utility. Most of the Demerath’s time in Manus was spent back in the village of Pere, conferring with the Pere Executive Council and Pere Council of Chiefs on the next phases of construction for the rebuilding of the Margaret Mead Memorial Community Centre. The Demeraths carried a message of goodwill with them for the completion of the Centre from Margaret Mead’s daughter, Catherine Bateson. At the end of August the Demeraths celebrated the completion of the first phase of the Mead Centre rebuilding project with the people of Pere by sponsoring four outrigger sailing canoe races, two for men and two for women, using both mbromana (large) and mwelipwe (small) outrigger canoes. Until recently it had been forbidden for women to sail on the large canoes; this was the first mbromana race for women in the history of the province.
See extended write up and pictures [PDF]
CASCW receives National Science Foundation grant for data intensive research on child well-being
The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work has received a competitive grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that will provide $489,119 over three years to create the capacity for data intensive research through expansion of the Center’s Minn-LInK project.
The Minn-LInK project, or Minnesota Linking Information for Kids, is an integrated, cross-system data project housed at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. Minn-LInK utilizes administrative data from state agencies to examine a variety of indicators of well-being for children involved in the child welfare system and children in other at-risk populations, with an aim of highlighting policy and practice implications and improving services for children.
For example, a recent study examined educational outcomes of children involved in the child welfare system, with a specific focus on children in out-of-home placement, or foster care. This study helped local and state educators and service providers (including the Minnesota Educational Stability Taskforce) better understand the educational experiences of this at-risk population and informed decision-making. Minn-LInK uses data in accordance with data sharing agreements and strict security protocols are in place to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of data.
The NSF grant will allow the Center to expand the infrastructure of Minn-LInK by integrating additional statewide administrative data and developing ready-to-use datasets and tools. It will also fund the creation and piloting of the Minn-LInK Fellowship Program to prepare future researchers for cross-system research on child well-being. Through this grant the Center will be able to organize a community of researchers whose focus is on child well-being.
For more information, visit the Minn-LInK webpage.
Hatch joined by colleagues in presenting at August’s Teaching Enrichment Series
Jay Hatch, Associate Professor Postsecondary Teaching & Learning and Leon Hsu joined Kent Kirkby Associate Professor/Teaching
Earth Sciences, Department of Geology and Geophysics and Ken Leopold Professor, Chemistry, in developing and facilitating a two-part workshop entitled, “Teaching Non-Majors in Large Enrollment Courses: An Instructor’s Guide to Engaging a Diverse and Multidisciplinary Audience”. The workshop was part of the August Teaching Enrichment Series, hosted by the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning. Part 1 focused on frameworks for structuring such courses, while Part 2 considered strategies for teaching them.
Dengel and Bosch publish in Journal of Strength and Condition Research
Donald R. Dengel, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology, and doctoral candidate 
Tyler Bosch [pictured at right] are authors of an article to be published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. The article entitled “Body Composition and Bone Mineral Density of National Football League Players” examined body composition and bone density in over 400 professional football player.
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U of M, Minneapolis Public Schools partner to develop early childhood education centers in Minneapolis
To expand access to early childhood education to Minneapolis children and families, Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and the University of Minnesota have formalized a new partnership. The goal is to improve the overall quantity and quality of services by working together and with community partners to establish new early childhood education centers in the City of Minneapolis, beginning in North Minneapolis immediately and eventually expanding to a second center during the next several years.
There is not enough space at high-quality facilities in North Minneapolis to meet the demand for successful early childhood education, University research recently found. This program is meeting a real need and aligns with the state’s focus on supporting all families seeking quality education for their young children.
“MPS continues to make significant investments in early childhood education because we believe that it is critical to reducing and eliminating the disparities in student achievement,” said Dr. Bernadeia Johnson, superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. “I am grateful to the University for helping to elevate early childhood education and to our community partners for their long standing commitment to young children and their families. ”
The partnership will support early learning “centers of excellence” that are based on the most current research and that demonstrate strong results for the children and families that participate. The program model will be based on both best-available research and evidence-based practices, and the already-established promising and proven practices of existing high-quality programs. The partnership will focus on the planning, development, and implementation of permanent sustainable solutions for children ages 0-5 in Minneapolis.
MPS will provide leadership, space, and staff–with a long-term goal of sharing this space with other community partners. The University will share intellectual capital, through research, to best support early learners; convene and facilitate a conversation to find long-term solutions for this partnership; and continue to innovate and improve the experience for young students.
“The investment we make now in Minneapolis’ young children will pay dividends in the years to come–they are our future college graduates and workforce,” said University of Minnesota President Kaler. “The U is uniquely poised to partner in this effort, with our past and current work in early childhood education as well as ongoing commitment to close the state’s achievement gap.”
MPS has a long history of partnering closely with the University’s Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) and Department of Educational Psychology faculty, and this investment will continue that tradition. Many other University resources will provide assistance to this partnership: Professor Michael Rodriguez, who is leading achievement gap efforts; the University’s Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center (UROC); the Human Capital Research Collaborative; and other academic departments and centers.
Minneapolis Public Schools and the U of M plan to broaden their partnership to include other community based organizations that have long been working on providing early childhood education to the children of Minneapolis. These programs, through their existing services and ongoing commitment to finding the best ways to serve young children and their families, will enrich the knowledge and bandwidth of the overall partnership such that more children reap the benefits of high-quality early childhood education.
See more on the story in the Minnesota Daily.
Lee accepts editorial board appointments
Amy Lee, department chair and associate professor in Postsecondary Teaching and Learning has been invited to and will serve on both the Editorial Board of the Journal of Learning Communities Research and Practice and the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of College Teaching and Learning.
KSTP highlights Gao’s exergaming research and benefits for students
Dr. Zan Gao, assistant professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Physical Activity Epidemiology Lab (PAEL), was featured on KSTP in a feature on how “Exercise-Based Video Games May Improve Students’ Fitness, Grades.”
The piece describes the concept of exergaming and how Gao is working with the Ann Sullivan school in Minneapolis on his research. His previous studies point to many different benefits of exergaming for students.
Exergaming is great for fitness because students are moving, according to Gao. But it may also “…help improve grades because it forces students to use the same part of their brain as they might for — as an example — a math problem,” he said.
Research on exergaming and its impact on grades will begin next week in the school.
See the KSTP story below and read more on Gao’s research.
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Ingraham discusses CrossFit risks on WCCO
Dr. Stacy Ingraham, lecturer in the School of Kinesiology, was the featured expert in a WCCO segment about the risks associated with the popular exercise methodology, CrossFit. In the piece, Ingraham describes CrossFit as a “free-for-all”—which, she warns, may not be a good thing for beginners. Ingraham’s opinions begin at 1:26 in the video below.
Dengel to publish in Pediatric Blood & Cancer
Professor of kinesiology and director of the Laboratory of Integrative Human Physiology (LIHP), Dr. Donald Dengel, is the lead author of an article to be published in the journal Pediatric Blood & Cancer. The article titled, “Signs of Early Sub-Clinical Atherosclerosis in Childhood Cancer Survivors,” examines the effects of cancer treatments in children and adolescents who were survivors of cancer.
The New York Times features Stoffregen, APAL
Professor of kinesiology Dr. Thomas A. Stoffregen and his work as the director of the Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) was highlighted in a recent blog in The New York Times‘ Well section. The feature, “Rethinking Motion Sickness,” relays Stoffregen’s hypothesis that motion sickness is connected to posture and gait, not imbalances in the inner ear.
Author Peter Andrey Smith writes, “For decades now, Dr. Stoffregen, 56, director of the university’s Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory, has been amassing evidence in support of a surprising theory about the causes of motion sickness. The problem does not arise in the inner ear, he believes, but rather in a disturbance in the body’s system for maintaining posture. The idea, once largely ignored, is beginning to gain grudging recognition.”
LaVoi comments on intermittent fasting regimen
Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi, teaching faculty in the School of Kinesiology and associate director of the Tucker Center, comments on gender differences in adherance to a protocol of intermittent fasting in a WCCO online article, “Fasting: The Key To Quick, Healthy Weight Loss?”
Mitchell co-authors article featured in Association of American Colleges and Universities
Tania D. Mitchell, Assistant Professor, Postsecondary Teaching & Learning along with Rick Battistoni (Providence College), Art Keene and John Reiff (UMass Amherst), authored the article “Programs that Build Civic Identity: A study of alumni”, which was featured in the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The article shares preliminary findings from a three-campus study of alumni of multi-term civic learning programs. Focusing on career choice and the importance of the cohort model each program utilizes, the article highlights the enduring influence of service-learning and civic engagement on college alumni. The full article can be found here.
Robert Yawson
Robert Yawson (Ph.D. ’13) is assistant professor of organizational leadership at Quinnipiac University.
Caitlin Tharaldson
Caitlin Tharaldson (M.S.W. ’13) is an in-home therapist for Face to Face in Saint Paul.
Holley Locher
Holley Locher (Ph.D. ’13) is assistant to the dean at the College of Design, University of Minnesota.
Azizah Jor’dan
Azizah Jor’dan (Ph.D. ’12) is a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School.
Millicent Adjei
Millicent Adjei (M.A. ’12) is associate director of diversity and international programs at Ashesi University College in Ghana.
William Mullen
William Mullen (Ed.D. ’11) was named vice president for enrollment management at Augsburg College.
Anastasia Maximova
Anastasia Maximova (M.A. ’11) is an international development officer at the Center for International Cooperation in Education Development in Russia.
Rebecca Shlafer
Rebecca Shlafer (Ph.D. ’10) is piloting a research project using Sesame Street Workshop materials developed for children of incarcerated parents.