In early March, the National Weather Service issued the first Red Flag Warning of the year for counties in southeastern Minnesota. In addition, recently released seasonal climate data predict this spring and summer to be hotter and more humid than average in most of the U.S. and Canada.
As the wildfire season stretches longer each year and extreme temperatures become more frequent, there may be implications for long-term health and worsening air pollution.
University of Minnesota School of Public Health Assistant Professor Jesse Berman is available to comment on how climate change can impact air quality and health.
“Climate change is a recognized extreme weather multiplier, meaning it increases the likelihood of individual harmful weather events such as heat waves, wildfires, droughts or floods. Resulting or related air pollution from these events is one of the most broadly significant environmental hazards.”
“Wildfire smoke or dust storms degrade air quality, often transporting pollutants to communities hundreds or thousands of miles away from where they originated. Shifts in extreme temperatures, cloud cover and precipitation can also promote the secondary formation of harmful gasses and particles that contribute to locally elevated air pollution.”
“Exacerbating this issue are compound extreme weather conditions — wildfire smoke during a heat wave or poor air quality amidst drought conditions — which are particularly bad for human health as they can magnify harmful environmental conditions and increase the health risks for vulnerable populations. The most at-risk populations include children, the elderly, people with pre-existing conditions and people who work outdoors.”
“Most people will experience mild health consequences due to poor air quality such as itchy eyes, scratchy throats, mild cough or difficulty sleeping. Symptoms can become quite serious for vulnerable individuals including exacerbation of asthma or respiratory conditions, dehydration, heat stroke or cardiovascular distress. In extreme cases, prolonged exposure to heat waves or wildfire smoke events can increase your risk of death.”
Jesse Berman is an assistant professor in the School of Public Health. He is an environmental epidemiologist whose research investigates the relationship between human health and complex environmental exposures.
Dr. Charles Nies has been named the tenth chancellor of the University of Minnesota Duluth, effective July 1, 2024 and pending approval by the University’s Board of Regents at its May 2024 meeting.
“Dr. Nies is an experienced, strategic leader who is ready to tackle UMD’s challenges and celebrate its success,” said University of Minnesota Interim President Jeff Ettinger. “He will continue to build UMD’s great partnerships with the Duluth community, region and the University of Minnesota System. UMD is poised for a bright future under his leadership.”
Nies currently serves as the vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California, Merced. Founded in 2005, UC Merced is one of 10 campuses in the University of California system and the youngest university in the U.S. to earn the Carnegie R2 designation — the second-highest classification for American research universities. Nies joined UC Merced in 2006 as its first associate vice chancellor and dean of students, a role in which he oversaw the development and growth of student life programs on campus.
“I am honored to be able to serve in the role of chancellor at the University of Minnesota Duluth — having grown up in Minnesota, this will be a coming home opportunity,” said Nies. “I am also excited to join the Duluth and University of Minnesota communities. UMD is filled with wonderfully creative and brilliant students, faculty and staff, and I look forward to the discovery that has been and will continue to be our mark of excellence.”
Nies comes to UMD with over 25 years of experience in higher education. Prior to his work at UC Merced, he served as an assistant dean of an interdisciplinary school at Miami University in Ohio and a program director for a minor in leadership studies at Washington State University. As an instructor, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in leadership theory, organizational theory and student development.
Nies holds two degrees from Washington State University — a doctorate in education administration and leadership and a master’s in counseling psychology. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Nies succeeds Interim Chancellor David McMillan, who will remain in the role through June, and Chancellor Lendley Black, who retired in the summer of 2022.
About the University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota System, with campuses in Crookston, Duluth, Morris, Rochester and the Twin Cities, is driven by a singular vision of excellence. We are proud of our land-grant mission of world-class education, groundbreaking research, and community-engaged outreach, and we are unified in our drive to serve Minnesota. Visit system.umn.edu.
About the University of Minnesota Duluth One of five campuses in the University of Minnesota System, the University of Minnesota Duluth integrates liberal education, research, creative activity, and public engagement and prepares students to thrive as lifelong learners and globally engaged citizens. With an enrollment of nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the Duluth campus offers 87 undergraduate and post-baccalaureate degrees and graduate programs in more than 24 different fields. See UMD’s Land Acknowledgement statement. Visit d.umn.edu.
As Earth Day approaches, many Minnesotans are striving to make environmentally-friendly decisions that will protect our ecosystem for generations to come. Schools across the state have an opportunity to make a difference for the rising generation through solar power — creating an energy source that’s not only renewable but financially beneficial — through the Solar for Schools grant program.
How can schools transition to solar energy with Solar for Schools? Peter Lindstrom with Extension’s Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) has the answers.
Q: What is Solar for Schools? Lindstrom: The Solar for Schools grant program, established by the Minnesota State Legislature in 2021, provides public schools with funds to install a solar energy system. While the cost of solar has dropped significantly, funding a solar array — the panels that convert sunlight into electricity — is the primary barrier. This program provides schools with funding to cover 40-70% of the array, depending on the district’s financial need, with federal or utility incentives covering another portion of the cost. Since its inception, the program has supported the installation of more than 40 arrays, with over 100 more in the works. Solar for Schools is tremendously popular across the state — over 80% of the participating schools are located in Greater Minnesota.
Q: How can solar energy benefit schools and the surrounding community? Lindstrom: Solar panels generate sustainable electricity for communities without creating harmful air emissions — a 40 kW array also provides an environmental benefit equal to 635 tree seedlings growing for a decade.
Solar energy also relieves financial stress on Minnesota schools. Utility costs are often the second highest expense for schools behind personnel. Installing a 40kW solar array, which is about the size of a tennis court, can save a district $200,000 or more over the lifetime of the array.
Importantly, today’s youth will be making tomorrow’s energy choices — choices around energy technologies, markets, policies or working in the energy sector. Solar arrays are a conduit for conversation and inspiration in the classroom that drive the future of Minnesota.
Q: Is this an affordable option for local school districts? Lindstrom: Yes, by design. Solar for Schools provides the highest incentives to schools with the most financial need. In the first full year of the program, over 80% of grantees were in the highest or second-highest tiers for financial need. Under-resourced communities stand to benefit the most from the energy cost savings and educational benefits of going solar.
In addition to the grant, the federal government has made direct pay available — a 30% tax credit for non-taxpaying entities such as schools, churches and nonprofit organizations.
The success of Solar for Schools led the Minnesota Legislature to nearly double the funding from an initial $16 million to $29 million in 2023 and expanded the list of eligible schools to tribal contract schools and cooperative districts.
Q: How can I suggest this to schools in my community? Lindstrom: Solar projects often begin with interested residents bringing this opportunity to their local school. Of course, area students are particularly interested and effective advocates.
Identify champions in your community to help lead the effort and engage with other potential stakeholders and decision-makers, including the school’s superintendent, finance official and board members.
Q: What support does Extension provide for schools interested in solar energy? Lindstrom: The primary role of the Clean Energy Resource Teams is to provide schools with free and unbiased technical assistance. Our motto is “good, better, best.” It’s good if a school puts up a solar array, it’s better if they share their story and it’s best if they put up an array, share their story, and incorporate the array into the school’s curriculum.
CERTs can help districts do all of the above! This includes helping schools select a good location, stay informed about best practices, connect to qualified companies and link to solar-related curricula and opportunities that empower their students.
Peter Lindstrom is the manager of Public Sector and Community Engagement with CERTs at the University of Minnesota’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and Extension. In this role Peter spearheads outreach and education to local units of government, like cities and school districts, about approaches for financing energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements.
About “Talking…with U of M” “Talking…with U of M” is a resource whereby University of Minnesota faculty answer questions on current and other topics of general interest. Feel free to republish this content. If you would like to schedule an interview with the faculty member or have topics you’d like the University of Minnesota to explore for future “Talking…with U of M,” please contact University Public Relations at unews@umn.edu.
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (04/08/2024) — Selecting paint colors for your living room, office or classroom can be a big decision — one that impacts not only the feel of the room but the emotions of those within it. Research suggests color may play an even more important role for children with autism.
For National Autism Awareness Month this April, Cecilia Xi Wang, an assistant professor in the College of Design, answers questions about how families and schools can use color to better support children with autism.
Q: How do colors affect people generally? Prof. Wang: Colors profoundly impact our emotions and behavior, influencing how we perceive and interact with the world around us. In various design fields, colors are recognized as powerful tools for shaping our experiences and creating environments that resonate with us emotionally. Colors can evoke specific responses, like the invigorating red of a fitness app or the soothing blue of a meditation website. Colors can also have psychological and physiological effects. For example, in health care design, colors are selected based on evidence and patient needs, with calming tones reducing stress and bold contrasts aiding wayfinding.
Q: How does color impact children with autism? Prof. Wang: Children with autism spectrum disorder often have unique sensory sensitivities, making them exceptionally responsive to environmental stimuli, including color. In designing spaces for these children, such as classrooms or healthcare facilities, it’s essential to consider the impact of color on their sensory experiences. Bright or intense colors may be overwhelming for some children with autism, while softer colors tend to be more calming.
Q: How can families incorporate autism-friendly colors at home? Prof. Wang: Autism-friendly colors typically include muted hues like pale blues, greens, and earth tones, which have a soothing effect. These colors can be incorporated into home decor through wall paint, furniture, textiles, and decorative accents. Creating designated sensory-friendly spaces within the home, equipped with sensory tools and activities tailored to individual preferences, can provide a safe and comfortable retreat. Thoughtful consideration and personalization can ensure the space feels welcoming and supportive for the entire family.
Q: How can schools use this knowledge to better support students? Prof. Wang: Schools can leverage design insights to create inclusive learning environments for students with autism by creating classrooms that promote focus and concentration by incorporating autism-friendly color schemes and minimizing sensory distractions, such as harsh lighting or busy patterns. Just like at home, providing sensory-friendly zones at school offers students a space to retreat and self-regulate. Collaborating with students, families and experts to understand their unique needs and preferences is also essential in creating supportive environments that foster learning and well-being for all students.
Q: What are you currently working on related to color selection? Prof. Wang: I am deeply engaged in projects centered around color selection within health care and human-centered empathic design. Specifically, I am collaborating with the U of M Medical School’s CentraCare Regional Campus in St. Cloud to develop new learning environments and make informed color selections with students, faculty, and staff. My research focuses on how colors relate to human behavior and psychology, particularly in promoting well-being. These endeavors involve exploring the nuanced impact of color choices on user experiences and emotional responses, aiming to create environments conducive to healing and holistic wellness.
Cecilia Xi Wang is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design. Her research delves into leveraging design thinking to develop intelligent, meaningful, and sustainable experiences, forging novel connections among signs, objects, actions, and ideas. Actively engaged in both teaching and research, Dr. Wang’s contributions span various domains, including design philosophy, user experience design, health care design, service design, visual communication design, and multi-disciplinary design.
About the College of Design Located in a major design city and in one of the largest research universities in the U.S., the University of Minnesota’s College of Design encompasses a full range of design disciplines — including landscape architecture, architecture, retail merchandising, and the design of interiors, graphics, apparel, and other products. Faculty, students, and staff aim to advance the quality of manufactured objects and our natural, built, and social environments through sustainably resilient, socially responsible, civically engaged, and human-centered design collaborations. Learn more at design.umn.edu.
About “Talking…with U of M” “Talking…with U of M” is a resource whereby University of Minnesota faculty answer questions on current and other topics of general interest. Feel free to republish this content. If you would like to schedule an interview with the faculty member or have topics you’d like the University of Minnesota to explore for future “Talking…with U of M,” please contact University Public Relations at unews@umn.edu.
The 2022-2023 winter set records across Minnesota as one of the snowiest in history. It also set another record: the most reported potholes in Minneapolis history. The 2023-2024 winter has been the warmest on record across much of the state, with the Minnesota DNR reporting that most areas “received less than 50% of their normal snowfall through the end of February.”
What does this winter of new extremes mean for Minnesota roads?
Manik Barman, an associate professor in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth and a scholar with the Center for Transportation Studies, can speak to how warmer winter weather — and the general changing climate — will impact our roads.
“Minnesota roads experience cruel winters and warm summers — often with more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit difference between the two seasons. The large volume of snow, frigid temperatures and considerable numbers of freeze-thaw cycles bring in damages to roadway infrastructures.
This year, the effects of El Niño — and likely the effects of climate change — gifted Minnesota roadways with something different: a warm winter with fewer freeze-thaw cycles and significantly less snow. Roads received less plowing, sanding materials and de-icing salt as a result. All of these should contribute to fewer potholes this spring, unlike last year when potholes infested the state.
While fewer potholes are a temporary relief this year, the changing climate is challenging infrastructure to adapt to new extremes. It will be interesting to see how summer 2024 affects roads. We have seen buckling of concrete roads recently, and anticipate some disruption related to road slab-buckling this summer. With La Niña in the forecast for 2024-2025, next year might prove a wet and harsh winter with loads of snow. The variation we have observed in the weather pattern in just the last five years should motivate us to consider the new extremes of weather patterns in roadway design, construction and maintenance.”
Manik Barman is an associate professor in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth and a scholar with the Center for Transportation Studies. His work focuses on pavement design, rehabilitation and maintenance. He is currently researching pavement rehabilitation and maintenance issues, fiber-reinforced concretes for long-lasting pavement rehabilitation and asphalt mixtures for low-volume roads.
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About the Center for Transportation Studies
The Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota is a national leader in transportation research, engagement and education. CTS collaborates with public-sector, industry and academic partners to shape transportation systems that are sustainable, serve the needs of all users, support a strong economy and improve our collective quality of life. Learn more at cts.umn.edu.
About “Expert Alert”
University of Minnesota experts can provide commentary, insights and opinions on various news topics. Find selected experts on the University’s Experts Guide or send requests to unews@umn.edu.
Growing up, Shaun Telepak remembers her mother welcoming a number of foster kids into her childhood home. She hoped that one day she, too, would be the kind of selfless person who would take in other people’s children.
“My mom was a foster child, so I always wanted to do that,” Telepak says. “I always wanted to adopt.”
But first, Telepak wanted to serve her country, which she did for 26 years in the Army. During that time she also earned three degrees, starting with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s degree in organizational leadership and project management. She also got married and had two children.
When she retired from the military, Telepak began the process of becoming a foster parent. During this time, she got to know many of the social workers and saw how much they impacted the lives of families and children, which led her to get her second master’s degree, this one in social work.
Now, Telepak is on a new path, pursuing sexual health training after seeing gaps in social work counseling services, especially for people of color.
Telepak says she was counseling an older Black couple who were trying to find an in-person sex therapist.
“When I started to look for sex-positive therapists it was hard here in San Antonio,” she says. After some research, she found that there were no Black sex therapists in the city.
“If they’re coming to me, there has to be a greater need,” she realized. So Telepak reached out to Heather McPherson, founder of Sexual Health Alliance (SHA), for help. McPherson offered Telepak a position on the spot.
“I was asking about information,” says Telepak. “She’s like, ‘You’re absolutely right. Would you like to come work for us?’”
Telepak went on to earn her certification through the SHA on top of her three academic credentials, but she still thought she could use more training.
“Just being a Black woman, [I] feel like you have to have your credentials, and everything has to be in order to validate where you’re coming from or what you’re saying,” she says. “So I want to have the education behind this.”
She looked for programs that specialized in sex therapy and human sexuality and came across the U of M’s Master of Professional Studies in Sexual Health. “I found several programs, but the University of Minnesota contacted me first by phone and gave me everything I needed to know, so it was a no-brainer.”
She says the program has been fascinating, relevant, and up-to-date. “It’s a fast-paced program, but the information is excellent. The professors make it very engaging, and it makes the time fly. It’s hands-down, out of the colleges that I have degrees from, by far the best.”
In addition, Telepak has been able to take all of her classes online from her home in Texas—which is perfect for someone whose days are as packed as hers.
Telepak is also the mother of four kids, three of whom still live with her. She recently adopted a 14-year-old boy with autism and his little brother, who’s 9.
“Thankfully, in the military I learned how to do schedules and multitask,” she says.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, she also runs her own life coaching company called How You Healing. But she still has more to learn, teach, and share: Telepak will start a doctoral program in social work this June.
“No one in my family has a PhD or is a medical doctor, and I always wanted to be the example,” she says.
See the original version of this story at the College of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Since its inception 30 years ago, the U of M’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport has been at the forefront of efforts to accelerate change for girls and women in sport and physical activity. The center has addressed issues of inequality between genders, including media coverage of sports teams and the disproportionately low number of women coaches at Division I colleges.
It’s no surprise, then, that the Tucker Center would hone in on an alarming reality: Research shows that when girls partake in sport, they often drop out before they’re able to fully reap its many benefits. Globally, teenage girls drop out of sport at twice the rate of boys, and low body confidence is said to be the number one reason why.
So, for the past three years the Tucker Center team has collaborated with the Centre for Appearance Research (international experts on body image and appearance research) and corporate partners Nike and Dove to develop the new Body Confident Sport initiative. It’s a first-of-its-kind set of coaching tools designed to build body confidence in 11- to 17-year-old girls, as well as individuals across the full gender spectrum. (The program dovetails with Coaching HER, the product of a partnership with the Tucker Center and Nike.)
Body Confident Sport couples education for coaches with easy-to-use curriculum and guides so that coaches have the tools—and the inspiration—to help build body-confident athletes.
The curriculum was co-created with girls and coaches in six countries, including France, India, Japan, Mexico, the UK and the U.S., says Nicole M. LaVoi, director of the Tucker Center. It’s been scientifically proven to improve self-esteem and body confidence in clinical trials with more than 1,200 girls.
“I have to give Dove and Nike credit for sticking with us academics and investing the time and resources for us to do it right, because now we know it’s proven to work,” says LaVoi. “It’s really a groundbreaking collaboration—not only between two major brands but between the academic and industry partners.”
LaVoi says that while not all the data have been published yet, “Indications are that it’s impacting self-esteem and body confidence in the girls when coaches deliver the program.”
“No coach sets out to say things that will turn into an eating disorder in their athletes, but that’s what happens.” — Nicole M. LaVoi
One aspect of the new initiative has really stuck out for LaVoi.
“For the girls, it increases their awareness about how much they talk about their own bodies and the bodies of others—this whole idea of body talk and how detrimental and negative our body talk is,” she says.
If we can eliminate body talk, she adds, that will start changing the discussion from what our bodies look like to what our bodies can do. “Instead of, ‘Oh, my thighs are fat,’ it can be, ‘My thighs are strong, and I need strong legs to run fast.’”
The notion of body talk contributing to negative thoughts and behaviors is universal, she notes. Countless girls and women, and many men, have a story of how something that a coach or another player said to them as a youth has dramatically affected them as an adult.
“That’s exactly why we’re doing this, because coaches will inadvertently say things to girls. They just think they’re coaching, but the girls will remember it 30 years later,” LaVoi says. “The universality of this is really resonating with people.”
For LaVoi, the initiative is one of many the Tucker Center has undertaken that stands to change the landscape for girls in sport for years to come.
“I’m very proud of this project; it really is a legacy program, I think,” says LaVoi. “Because it’s evidence-based, because of the collaborations involved, and just the creativity that we were able to use, as academics, to build this with industry partners. I’m proud of our team for doing this.
“We really believe that it is going to change the culture of sport for girls and women—in a very positive way.”
Next Distinguished Lecture on Feb. 6
The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport is celebrating its 30th anniversary as the first center of its kind in the world. On the eve of National Girls & Women in Sport Day, you’re invited to the next Tucker Center Distinguished Lecture on Feb. 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Cowles Auditorium.
As runners begin preparations for races across the state in the coming months, Christopher Lundstrom, a lecturer in the School of Kinesiology, shares his expertise on how to train for upcoming races.
Q: What tips do you have for runners getting started on training? Lundstrom: One of the great things about running is the simplicity of it. I recommend being fitted for a good pair of running shoes, as that will likely make running more comfortable and reduce your risk of injury. For new runners, begin by adding a few steps of running on your walks, and gradually increase how far you run on each walk. For more experienced runners starting to prepare for a race, it’s helpful to think about how much time you have before that race and determine where you are in terms of your running fitness. Then you can start to plot a course between where you are currently and where you want to be when race day arrives. This allows you to train moving between the two points gradually, adding a bit of distance or intensity to the workouts over weeks and months. Rather than jumping in too fast, this gradual trajectory prepares you to meet your goals on race day while also keeping you healthy and feeling good.
Q: How important are warmups and cooldowns? Lundstrom: Starting a run nice and easy is important to allow the body to gradually warm up. It takes a few minutes of activity for our metabolism and blood flow to respond to the demands of exercise, so it’s best to start slow. When preparing for a faster workout, doing some range of motion, mobility or dynamic stretching exercises can also help prepare our muscles for the demands of the workout.
Cooling down can look different depending on the intensity and duration of the workout. The basic goal is to smoothly transition from exercise to recovery, and a period of lighter activity such as a slower jog or walk can ease that transition. However, if the run itself wasn’t particularly hard, there’s no need for a cooldown. I encourage runners to take a few nice deep breaths when they finish, and think about the positive benefits of the run that they just completed.
Q: Are training plans one-size-fits-all? Lundstrom: No — everyone has a unique combination of experience, lifestyle, fitness, physiology, goals and any number of other factors that should shape their training plan. Training program templates can be a helpful starting point, but they should be adapted and individualized to meet the needs of the specific runner using them.
Q: How should runners prepare during the final week before race-day? Lundstrom: Give yourself the best chance to feel good on race-day through some small shifts to your approach, but don’t make any dramatic changes. This is definitely not the time to try anything new! Maintaining relatively normal patterns of running, sleeping, eating and hydration is generally a good practice. Subtle shifts work best — aim to run the same number of days per week as usual, but a little shorter; get slightly more rest and sleep; consume normal amounts of foods that you are accustomed to and know that you can digest easily; and make sure to be well-hydrated without overdoing it.
Lastly, spend some time in the days leading up to the race getting mentally prepared. Using mental imagery — mentally rehearsing race-day in advance — is a great practice that can reduce anxiety, improve performance and improve the chances of a positive race-day experience.
Q: Can you share any UMN projects or research that might be useful to runners? Lundstrom: As a researcher and a coach, I love data and tracking the numbers that we see in training. In general, runners love seeing their distances, paces and split times in a workout or run. However, it’s important to keep in mind that no single metric tells the whole story of how you are responding to your training. I recommend people pay attention to their heart rate during training, as well as resting heart rate and heart rate variability.
Also, keep a training log to track how they are feeling from day to day. Heart rate variability, for instance, is something we have published on in our lab. It seems to track pretty closely with how one is adapting to training. However, that’s just one tool. If you start to see patterns and consistency across multiple measures, then you can be fairly confident that what you are seeing in the data is real.
Christopher Lundstrom is a lecturer in the School of Kinesiology. His research interests center on endurance exercise training and performance. Specifically, he is interested in running economy, aerobic capacity, metabolic substrate utilization, and heart rate variability. He has been teaching courses in the areas of sports science, training theory, coaching, and physical education at the University of Minnesota since 2006.
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About the College of Education and Human Development The University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) strives to teach, advance research and engage with the community to increase opportunities for all individuals. As the third largest college on the Twin Cities campus, CEHD research and specialties focus on a range of challenges, including: educational equity, teaching and learning innovations, children’s mental health and development, family resilience, and healthy aging. Learn more at cehd.umn.edu.
About “Talking…with U of M” “Talking…with U of M” is a resource whereby University of Minnesota faculty answer questions on current and other topics of general interest. Feel free to republish this content. If you would like to schedule an interview with the faculty member or have topics you’d like the University of Minnesota to explore for future “Talking…with U of M,” please contact University Public Relations.
Anna Goorevich’s passion for gender equity in sport is rooted in her own experiences as an athlete. Photo credit: Jairus Davis
Anna Goorevich has a passion for gender equity in sport that is rooted in her own experiences as an athlete. “I played soccer growing up and throughout college, and I have first-hand experiences of the gendered barriers that many athletes face in sport,” she says.
In particular, in her first year of college in 2017, Goorevich suffered a season-ending injury due to RED-S (relative energy deficiency syndrome), a menstrual disorder common in women athletes that is shaped by various socio-cultural factors, like menstruation stigmas and misinformation.
Currently, as a PhD student in kinesiology and a research assistant at the University of Minnesota’s Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, Goorevich recalls her days as a soccer player and strives to leverage her position and research to help make sport a better place for all athletes, regardless of their identity.
“Generally, my research interests revolve around gender and sport, but I have three specific areas of research at the moment: the gendered nature of coaching, menstruation and sport, and gender identity and sport participation equity,” she says. “My planned career path after my PhD is to enter the sport industry, sport governance, or the sport non-profit world. My aim is to use research to inform sport policy and programming that can help create sport into a more welcoming, inclusive, safe, and empowering environment for all athletes.”
Helping her on her journey are the Pam Borton Endowment for the Promotion of Girls and Women in Sport Leadership and Gender Equity in Sport Graduate Fellowship she received this year and the Edith Mueller Endowed Fund for Graduate Education in the Tucker Center she was awarded last year.
“The assistance I have received has been instrumental in my academic and career development so far,” she says. “It provides valuable resources and time for growth and development, to ensure that I am not just doing research for the academy, but also finding ways to directly make a difference in people’s lives.”
For instance, the Tucker Center hosts a Gender Equity internship for high school and college students every summer. The internship and other Tucker Center-related fellowships gave Goorevich the support to directly participate in the program in a leadership role, where she was able to help guide the interns and focus on giving them a nourishing and transformative summer experience.
“Without the assistance from various scholarships and fellowships, I would not have been able to focus on the public aspect of my scholarship as much as I have,” she says. “Donors’ contributions and support are a key part of making the work that we do possible.”
Gars are an ancient lineage of fishes. New research linked their slow rates of molecular evolution to low rates of speciation, studying their ability to produce hybrids (pictured). The research suggests gars may have a strong DNA repair mechanism, with implications for medical research and human health. Credit: Solomon David
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (03/13/2024) — The remarkably slow evolution of gars, freshwater fish species found in Minnesota lakes and rivers as well as North and Central America, could provide new insights for modern human health.
Gars are from a lineage of fishes that is over 150 million years old. Research recently published in Evolution, uncovers evidence of a biological mechanism for living fossils like gars, those organisms alive today that closely resemble their fossil ancestors.
“We have a lot to learn from animals often, and unfairly, considered trash fish,” said Solomon David, an assistant professor in CFANS and principal investigator of GarLab, which focuses on the ecology and conservation of native rough fish.
Led by Yale University, the team includes researchers from the University of Minnesota, University at Buffalo, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and the University of Southern Mississippi.
The researchers compared rates of molecular evolution in gars to those of over 470 vertebrate species, many of them often considered living fossils, including crocodiles, turtles, sharks and coelacanths.
The research found:
Gar DNA evolves up to three orders of magnitude slower than other major animal groups, indicating gars have the slowest molecular evolution rates among all jawed vertebrates.
Researchers linked slow rates of molecular evolution to low rates of speciation, studying the ability of gars to produce viable, fertile hybrids across two species, whose genera split over 100 million years ago: alligator gar and longnose gar.
The next closest organisms that could produce viable hybrids after such a long divergence are two species of ferns that separated more recently in evolutionary terms, 60 million years ago.
The team speculates that gars have an unusually efficient DNA repair mechanism, correcting alterations to DNA more efficiently than most other vertebrate groups. This mechanism may be responsible for low species diversity, hybridization across long-diverged genera, and overall slow rates of evolution.
Identifying the mechanism for this strong DNA repair could also have implications for medical research and human health.
“Most cancers are somatic mutations that represent failures of an individual’s DNA repair mechanisms,” said Tom Near, a professor at Yale University and senior author of the study. “If further study proves that gar DNA repair mechanisms are extremely efficient, and discovers what makes them so, we could start thinking about potential applications to human health.”
David plans to spawn gars in his lab, contributing to genomics research with collaborators at Michigan State University and Yale University to better understand gene function and potential gar DNA repair mechanisms. Additionally, David will continue studying the population status of gars and other native rough fish in Minnesota ecosystems, a priority of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
“True living fossils exist and can give us new insights into evolution and biodiversity,” said David. “These unique native fishes provide value to our Minnesota aquatic ecosystems and even human health.”
About the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences The University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) strives to inspire minds, nourish people, and sustainably enhance the natural environment. CFANS has a legacy of innovation, bringing discoveries to life through science and educating the next generation of leaders. Every day, students, faculty, and researchers use science to address the grand challenges of the world today and in the future. CFANS offers an unparalleled expanse of experiential learning opportunities for students and the community, with 12 academic departments, 10 research and outreach centers across the state, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the Bell Museum of Natural History, and dozens of interdisciplinary centers. Learn more at cfans.umn.edu.
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