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(2/13) Anyone interested in environmental stewardship or environmental science, and especially in the places they converge, will want to have a look at the remarkable new issue of Momentum magazine from the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Environment.MinnPost
(2/13) In the early evening on Lake Kivu, along Rwanda's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, lights bob on the surface of the water…"The methane would not spontaneously cause an explosion on the surface. But ... there are numerous possible ignition sources above and around the lake," says Professor Robert Hecky from the Large Lakes Observatory at the University of Minnesota. BBC
(2/13) A new report is giving Minnesotans a first look at how their tax dollars are helping improve water quality in the state…The state agencies and the University of Minnesota are keeping track of where they're spending the money and are also reporting the results of different projects — when they have them. Minnesota Public Radio
(2/13) Electric cars have been heralded as environmentally friendly, but new findings from an international research team suggest that electric cars in China have an overall impact on pollution that could be more harmful to health than gasoline vehicles. UNews
(2/11) Lots of entrepreneurs boast about "eating their own cooking," but Doug Ruth takes it to a whole new level…Some see the state well-positioned as a hub for "green chemistry." At the second annual Minnesota Green Chemistry Forum at the University of Minnesota recently, Dale Wahlstrom, CEO of The BioBusiness Alliance, compared green chemistry to Minnesota's medical-device industry in its infancy decades ago. Pioneer Press
(2/10) All five University of Minnesota campuses will partner to host the 2012 Minnesota Job and Internship Fair, the biggest student career fair in Minnesota, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Minneapolis Convention Center, 1301 Second Ave. S., Minneapolis. More than 2,500 qualified University of Minnesota students and alumni from a wide variety of academic majors and experiences are expected to attend. UNews
(2/9) Cutting-edge international research projects involving food security, agriculture, energy, health, environment and economics will take the spotlight at the University of Minnesota “Addressing Global Challenges Through International Research” conference Friday, Feb. 17, at Coffman Union on the university’s Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. UNews
(2/9) Scientists gather in St. Paul today to discuss a category of pollution called emerging contaminants — new substances they don't know enough about to label harmful to the environment and human health…Timothy LaPara, an environmental engineer at the University of Minnesota, took water samples in several places to pinpoint where antibiotic-resistant bacteria were present at elevated levels. Minnesota Public Radio
(2/8) The University of Minnesota is using March Madness to get students excited about saving energy and recycling. It's called Conservation Madness and it pits the university's 11 dorms and apartments in a month long competition. KSTP-TV
(2/7) The St. Anthony Falls Laboratory sits right on the Mississippi River, overlooking St. Anthony Falls… The St. Anthony Falls Laboratory is a research center of the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering, hosting interdisciplinary research. According to Miki Hondzo, Professor of Civil Engineering and an Associate Director for Research and Development of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, this four-level facility channels river water around and through the building. Twin Cities Daily Planet
(2/3) The NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment is launching a free quarterly webinar series this month aimed at identifying new challenges and opportunities for advancing corporate sustainability through research. The first webinar in the series, “Procurement in Sustainability: From Buying Green Products to Creating Green Solutions,” will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. CST Tuesday, Feb. 21. UNews
(2/1) Did you know that Minneapolis has its own plan to address climate change?… Tonight's event includes two speakers - Dr. Mark Seeley, a climatologist and professor at the University of Minnesota and Kristin Raab, the climate change project director for the Minnesota Department of Health. Minnesota Public Radio
(2/1) When Minnesota Senate Republicans ousted Ellen Anderson as chairman of the Public Utilities Commission this week, it was the latest sign that bipartisan support for renewable energy sources has largely disappeared at the state capitol… A wind turbine spins above the University of Minnesota Renewable Energy Center at Morris, Thursday, April 29, 2010, in Morris, Minn. Minnesota Public Radio
(1/31) Beginning February 2, the University’s Bell Museum of Natural History and Institute on the Environment are inviting visitors to explore sustainability issues through the medium of film. From China to Brazil and Europe to Appalachia, this year's four-part Sustainability Film Series takes a global look at the impacts of large-scale human activities on four landscapes and the people that inhabit them. UNews
(1/31) Students are being encouraged to think about their environmental footprint this coming month by participating in the University of Minnesota’s office of Housing and Residential Life and Facilities Management's second annual “Conservation Madness” contest. UNews
(1/28) Rock-bottom natural gas prices are undercutting Minnesota's taxpayer-supported efforts to expand home-grown energy sources like wood chips and cornstalks…"The era of low-priced natural gas has blunted opportunities for biomass and other renewables," said Doug Tiffany, an agricultural economist at the University of Minnesota. Star Tribune
(1/26) Minnesota slipped from fourth to fifth place among states with the most wind power last year even as the state's number of wind farms climbed above 100…hree installations of one or two turbines each also were completed, including the University of Minnesota's Elos research turbine in Rosemount. Star Tribune
(1/26) I like to say Minnesota is three things: timber, taconite, and tourism… A University of Minnesota Duluth study estimates more than 500 more ancillary jobs will be created in St. Louis County alone, generating an economic benefit of about $242 million, including products and services. Duluth News Tribune
(1/25) Turns out we don't know. But the federal government thinks we should. Now, Steve Polasky, a University of Minnesota expert on economics and the environment is heading a new scientific advisory panel for the Environmental Protection Agency charged with establishing the economic value of clean water. Star Tribune
(1/25) A study by a group of forest scientists confirms forest-derived bioenergy results in no net carbon release… When asked whether U.S. forests are being sustainably managed, study co-author Jim Bowyer of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering says yes and no. Biomass Magazine
(1/24) Lisa Jackson was appointed by President Obama as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in 2009, making her the first African American to head that agency. She speaks at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota about environmental regulations and policies, and the role of science in the EPA's decision-making process. Minnesota Public Radio
(1/23) Poet LLC, a Sioux Falls, S.D. ethanol giant with several plants in Minnesota, today announced a joint venture with a Dutch biotech company to build a $250 million ethanol plant that it hopes will pave the way for the next generation of renewable biofuels…In recent years, a number of ventures have promised to unlock the secret to making cellulosic ethanol cheaply, said Doug Tiffany, a renewable energy expert at the University of Minnesota. Pioneer Press
(1/23) President Barack Obama has followed his earlier rejection of the $10 billion+ Yucca Mountain nuclear storage project with a rejection of the proposed $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline extension project…A study by professor Sangwon Suh of the University of Minnesota reported that in Kansas and Nebraska, 500 gallons of water are required to grow and process the corn for each gallon of ethanol produced. MinnPost
(1/22) A flying insect that thrives in midwinter might seem like a creature from a frightening fictional Minnesota…Researchers from the University of Minnesota are working to understand more about the relationship between these unusual freeze-resistant insects and the fish that eat them in streams in the southeastern part of the state…Jane Mazack, a graduate research assistant in the Water Resources Science program at the U, said Diamesa can remain active down to about 6 degrees below zero, which this winter would be the second-lowest temperature recorded in the Twin Cities. Star Tribune
(1/18) We knew there must have been a connection between climate warming and damaging droughts in the world’s largest rainforest, as the two globally hottest years on record coincide with the two record droughts in the Amazon – which led to large-scale forest degradation and the release of several gigatonnes of extra CO2 into the atmosphere… Earth scientists from the University of Massachusetts and the University of Minnesota have uncovered there may be a link across thousands of kilometres of atmosphere between high latitude northern hemisphere warming and precipitation decrease in the southern hemisphere tropics, which includes the Amazon basin, they write in a new publication in Science. Bits of Science
(1/17) U.S. Senator Al Franken today renewed his call for more energy efficiency efforts and more funding for science, technology, engineering and math as a way to revive U.S. manufacturing. Speaking at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the Democratic senator from Minnesota said he wants to encourage young people to consider jobs in the high-tech precision manufacturing jobs that requires computer skills. Pioneer Press
(1/16) Minnesota will be the nation's first test site for a novel federal program designed to stem the flow of agricultural pollution that is strangling some of the country's great waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River…"The hope is that it would steer producers to meet consumer demand to be more responsible about water quality," said Deborah Swackhamer, an expert on water pollution at the University of Minnesota, and a member of the EPA's scientific advisory panel. Miami Herald
