International Dateline
Winter 1999
In This Issue:
Antarctica: U research aids preservation of explorer's huts
Plant pathology professor Bob Blanchette and research scientist Ben Held traveled to summer at the South Pole this quarter to held identify fungi damaging historic explorers' huts. See photos from their exciting trip with colleagues from New Zealand.
President requests $1 million for study abroad scholarships
President Yudof made scholarships for study abroad part of his legislative request to bolster the U of M student experience, and the new governor supported it.
Chinese Vice Minister Wei Yu receives honorary doctorate
China's highest ranking education official visited Minnesota in December and received an honorary degree at Graduate School commencement.
U faculty members win TC International citizen awards
Once again, the University of Minnesota's international character and contribution to the community was apparent when two faculty members, a research fellow, and a graduate student were honored by metro leaders.
Minnesota-Senegal agreement: Ambassador visits Minnesota
Plans for a major partnership between the University of Minnesota and the government of this West African nation moved forward this winter as a U of M delegation gathered information and drafted a proposal aimed at World Bank funding.
Culture Corps' new projects for winter quarter
This innovative program that allows the Twin Cities campus community draw on the experience and knowledge of international students is expanding.
University scientists help preserve early explorers' huts in Antarctica
When early Antarctic explorers set out to reach the South Pole, they built huts near their landing sites to weather the cold and to store up to several years' worth of supplies. Nearly a century later, the abandoned huts, still littered with furniture, laboratory instruments, and food stores, are time capsules into the age of exploration.
Despite extreme cold during most of the year, the huts are decaying. Year-round winds, long hours of summer sunlight, and salt and other compounds in the huts are taking their toll, and so are fungi.
In January and February, temperatures in Antarctica do rise above the freezing point.
"As anyone with a refrigerator knows, some types of fungi can grow in low temperatures," says University of Minnesota plant pathology professor Robert Blanchette.
Blanchette and University research scientist Benjamin Held traveled to Antarctica for most of the month of January to study the problem. With two colleagues from the University of Waikato in New Zealand — professor Roberta Farrell and research scientist Shona Duncan — they took samples from three huts for study back in their laboratories.
Historic huts
All of the huts are located on McMurdo Sound, not far from New Zealand's Scott Base and the United States' McMurdo Station.
Two were built by British explorer Robert Scott for expeditions in 1901-04 and in 1910-13. Scott died in 1912 on his way back from reaching the pole — second by less than a month to Roald Amundsen's Norwegian team.
The third hut being studied was built by Ernest Shackleton's group during the Nimrod expedition of 1907-09. Shackleton's later unsuccessful attempt to be the first to cross the Antarctic continent, overshadowed by World War I, has recently regained attention due to the crew's remarkable survival until rescue after 20 months.
The Cape Royd's Hut, in the center of the top photo, sits in view of Mount Erebus, an active volcano. Blanchette and held took samples from its interior.
Photos by Bob Blanchette
The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 provided protection for the buildings and artifacts. In 1991 the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty forbade the damaging or destruction of historic sites. At international meetings in 1997 and 1998, these three huts received protected-area designation.
Urgent response is needed
The Antarctic Heritage Trust took preliminary samples from the buildings a year ago, which showed that some type of decay was present and justified a fast response.
The Minnesota-Waikato team will provide basic information about the deterioration already taking place so the Trust and others can make informed decisions for preserving the wooden buildings and other artifacts.
Blanchette and Held specialize in the study of fungi in wood, but they are analyzing samples to determine as many biological and nonbiological factors as possible. In the process they are looking for clues to the origin of the fungus — for example, did the fungus come in on wood when the huts were built, or was this fungus brought in more recently?
The team will then be able to propose the best ways to reduce deterioration — such as limiting ultraviolet light, finding a way to stop salt erosion, or reducing humidity inside the huts in the summer months. They also will look for unique aspects of fungi that can be put to good use. Past research has shown that fungi growing in extreme environments often have unique enzymes and other metabolites that may be useful for new biotechnological processes.
Bob Blanchette and Benjamin Held, Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences
The seventh continent
Blanchette has worked on historical preservation projects in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, and on ancient Egyptian wood and a tomb — thought to be the tomb of King Midas — discovered in the plains of central Turkey. But this was his and Held's first trip to Antarctica.
The research is being funded by the Antarctic Heritage Trust, National Science Foundation, and a University of Minnesota international travel grant through the Institute of International Studies and Programs.
"This was our first OIP travel grant to the 'seventh continent' — yet another example of the vast array of fascinating and important research and projects of a land-grant university," said OIP executive director C. Eugene Allen. "We are pleased to support the efforts of our faculty in every field."
An Explorers' Hut on McMurdo Sound
The Cape Evans Hut was built during Robert Scott's Terra Nova expedition in 1911 and is now part of an internationally protected area. The team flew in from New Zealand's Scott Base by helicopter and camped near each site for 3 to 4 days.
The next travel grant deadline is May 17, 1999.
— Gayla Marty, ISP, Jan. 6, 1999; updated Mar. 15, 1999
President requests $1.5 million for study abroad scholarships
A $1.5 million request for study abroad scholarships in the University's 1999 request to the Legislature signaled the President's priority and the role of international study and internships in enriching the student experience.
The scholarships appear in the President's request as part of "enriching the undergraduate experience," along with freshmen seminars, technology-enhanced learning, classroom technology enhancements, as well as budget increases for academic advising, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), and libraries.
The rationale provided for study abroad scholarships is to "ensure that our students are prepared to successfully participate in an increasingly global economy and culture." Overseas internships in students' areas of interest are specifically mentioned.
The business community has been voicing an increasing demand for globally-experienced graduates in recent years.
"It's always been important, but in the last 10 to 15 years, it is almost crucial to some professions," said Global Campus director Al Balkcum, quoted in the Star Tribune Jan. 3. The Global Campus administers most of the University's credit-bearing programs.
The University of Minnesota rank high in the number of internships and experiential learning opportunities it offers abroad, and in the number of students who study at non-traditional sites each year.
But it does not rank highly among similar institutions in the number of students it sends abroad each year. President Yudof has mentioned a target of increasing the number from about 800 to 2000.
The president announced he would seek substantial funds for study abroad scholarships from the legislature this year, with strong support from the governor, when he welcomed students home from study abroad at a special event on the Minneapolis campus Oct. 2.
Support for the scholarships also appeared in outgoing governor Arne Carlson's legislative request, with strong appeal to the business community and to economic competitiveness. Wisconsin's governor made a similar legislative request.
The outcome of the legislative session is not expected until May.
See also:
University's 1999 biennial legislative request.
"Bringing the World Home" welcomes students returning from abroad Oct. 2, International Dateline, Fall 1998.
"U wants more students to learn abroad," by Mary Jane Smetanka, Star Tribune, Sunday, Jan. 3, 1999.
— Gayla Marty, ISP, Jan. 12, 1999
Chinese Vice Minister Wei Yu receives honorary doctorate
Wei Yu, Vice Minister of the State Education Commission of the People's Republic of China, was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Minnesota during commencement ceremonies of the Graduate School on Dec. 7.
Wei, the first Chinese woman to receive a doctoral degree after the People's Republic of China (PRC) was established in 1949, is a prominent scientist in the field of electrical engineering and a strong advocate of international education partnerships.
Wei Yu was hooded by China Center director David Pui (left) and Intitute of Technology dean Ted Davis (right) as she received the honorary doctorate Dec. 7.
She assumed the position of vice minister of China's State Education Mission in 1993, in which she is responsible for China's K-12 and higher education, with approximately 250 million enrolled students.
"I consider this honorary doctorate not only an honor for me personally," said Wei in accepting the degree, "but also a genuine gesture of friendship by this prestigious university to Chinese educators and people, and recognition of our education achievement."
University faculty participating in the ceremony included Ted Davis, dean of the Institute of Technology, and David Pui, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the University's China Center.
Historical and modern ties
The University of Minnesota has a long history of relations with China, dating back at least as early as 1914, when the first Chinese student enrollment was recorded. Today the University of Minnesota hosts the largest number of students and scholars from mainland China, and maintains more than a dozen institutional exchanges.
President Yudof met with the vice minister in China in January 1998 while traveling with Minnesota governor Arne Carlson to explore economic development. Wei has also met former president Nils Hasselmo and IT dean Ted Davis in China.
"I recall with fond memory the meeting with President Yudof last January and his visions of strengthening academic and scholarly exchanges with Chinese universities," Wei said in remarks at a University reception. "We share his visions and commitment, because we feel that [the] academic bridge is the most stable and long-lasting form of friendship."
Distance education and technological development are high priorities for Wei, and were the topic of a policy lecture she delivered at the Humphrey Institute, "To Build a Lifelong Learning System Through Modern Distance Education."
Confronted by the challenge of educating the largest citizenry in the world, "distance education will become a realistic choice for us to develop our educational system in light of the resources constraint," Wei said.
Wei answered questions from students and scholars after her public policy lecture.
In addition to giving the policy lecture on campus, the vice minister toured the biomedical engineering laboratory and met with Chinese students and scholars.
She attended receptions in her honor at Eastcliff, home of the University president, and at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts with Minnesota's Private College Council.
She also visited with government leaders at the state capitol and a luncheon held at the governor's mansion. Governor Carlson proclaimed Dec. 8 as Dr. Wei Yu's Day in Minnesota and made her an honorary citizen of the state.
Governor Arne Carlson (facing Wei Yu, who is standing) hosted a luncheon at the governor's mansion.
A career of leadership in science and public service
Wei taught in the department of electronics at her alma mater, Nanjing Institute of Engineering, until 1979, when she left to earn her doctoral degree in electrical engineering from Aachen Polytechnic University in Germany.
Throughout her career she has contributed to the development of bioelectronics and grounding molecular electronics, including establishment of China's first doctoral program in bioelectronics. In 1994 she was elected to the prestigious Chinese Academy of Engineering.
— Gayla Marty, OIP, Mar. 15, 1999. Photos courtesy of University Relations (commencement) and the China Center.
More photos are posted on the China Center's web site
U community members win Twin Cities International Citizen awards
Four members of the University of Minnesota community were honored in October with Twin Cities International Citizen Awards.
Cynthia Myntti, formerly a senior fellow at the Humphrey Instituteof Public Affairs and co-director of the Center on Women and Public Policy, has worked around the world in the field of public health. "Women's Voices--Minnesota," a ground-breaking study of the daily lives of women from diverse backgrounds across the state, from White Earth Reservation to immigrant communities in southeastern Minnesota, was published in 1998.
William Rogers has been "one of Minnesota's preeminent figures in international affairs for 45 years." He taught international relations in the political science department beginning in the 1940s and created the World Affairs Center in 1949 to engage educators and community members in issues of international scope. He is still active in the Minnesota International Center, which he helped to found, and the ElderLearning Institute.
David Weissbrodt, professor of law, is a preeminent scholar in the field of international human rights and founder of the Minnesota Human Rights Center. He has trained human rights monitors for the United Nations, worked to bridge academia and activism, and was a founding member of the Center for Victims of Torture and Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights.
Cecilia Goetz, (1963-1998), received a posthumous award of special recognition for her international work in the areas of human rights and public health. She was a doctoral student in the Comparative and International Development Education program, College of Education and Human Development, and working in Uganda with the Minnesota International Health Volunteers in July when she was robbed and killed. The award was accepted by her parents.
Other 1998 recipients were folk musician and educator Leo Lara, and non-profit medical donation distributors Joan and Segundo Velasquez.
The award, sponsored by the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul and the board of commissioners of Hennepin and Ramsey counties, honors individuals and corporations whose work has contributed significantly to international understanding, cooperation, friendship, and development.
The first corporate award was conferred this year to Honeywell Inc. for encouragement of volunteerism in international organizations and affairs.
Awards were made by Minneapolis mayor Sharon Sayles Belton at a reception and dinner at RiverCentre in St. Paul on Oct. 1, hosted by local storyteller and playwright Kevin Kling. The event also featured exhibits and music.
The University of Minnesota as a global citizen
Nearly a third of the award's 36 recipients since 1992 have been on the faculty or staff of the University of Minnesota. They have included:
- Edward L. Kaplan, M.D., professor, Medical School (1992)
- Josef A. Mestenhauser, professor, international education, College of Education and Human Development (1992)
- Neil L. Gault, M.D., professor, Medical School (1993)
- Arvonne S. Fraser, senior fellow, Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs (1994)
- Vernon W. Ruttan, professor emeritus, College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences (1994)
- Barbara Frey, adjunct professor, human rights education, Law School, College of Liberal Arts, and College of Education and Human Development (1996)
The Institute of International Studies and Programs (ISP) has represented the University of Minnesota among the exhibitors. This year the Minnesota English Center also sponsored an exhibit.
For more information
Nominations for the awards have been taken from the public each spring. For more information contact the Office of International Affairs, Minneapolis City Hall, at 612-673-2317, or look for information on the web at www.tcglobal.org.
The City of Minneapolis founded the Twin Cities International Citizen Awards in 1992. The City of St. Paul joined on as a sponsor in 1996, and the Hennepin and Ramsey county boards became sponsors this year. Minneapolis and St. Paul take turns hosting the event.
— Gayla Marty, ISP, Jan. 12, 1999
See also:
Local officials present annual citizen awards (Minnesota Daily, Oct. 2, 1998)
Minnesota-Senegal partnership: Delegations exchange visits
"Minnesota" was in the news everywhere they went — newspapers, radio, television. For two weeks in February, a group of six University of Minnesota agricultural researchers traveled from farm to farm and region to region of the West African nation of Senegal.
The group worked in Senegal Feb. 1-14 to draft a report that President Abdou Diouf will soon take to the World Bank as part of a proposal to fund a major agricultural project. Under the plan, Senegal would develop intensive, high-value agriculture in the semi-arid Sahelian regions of the country while maintaining and enhancing the natural resource base necessary for sustainable development.
President Abdou Diouf, second from left, and Prime Minister Mamadou Loom, left, met University of Minnesota representative Gary Lemme, right. Secretary general Fode Seck from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, second from right, met with President Yudof in Minnesota in October.
A few pilot farms are currently up and running. Additional farming areas will be developed in 25 different parts of the country.
On the day President Diouf visited one farm and inaugurated a training center where educational programs for farmers will be held, he departed from his schedule to spend an extra hour talking with participants about their work.
A year of planning
A year ago in April, the first Minnesota delegation traveled to Senegal to explore the idea for an ambitious project inspired by Minnesota's long-term and highly successful partnership with Morocco, and advocated by an energetic U of M alumnus, Moussa Seck. Members of the delegation included College of Natural Resources dean Al Sullivan, associate vice president Robert Jones, professor Kent Crookston, and Steve Clarke and John Vreyens from the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences' Office of International Agricultural Programs (OIAP).
That trip coincided with U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit to Senegal, his last stop on a tour of African nations.
In July, representatives from the embassy of Senegal visited the University of Minnesota to sign an agreement of intent to pursue the project. Then in October, a group from Senegal visited the University and invited President Yudof to visit Senegal.
Drafting the proposal
Minnesota's delegation in February was led by Gary Lemme, director of the University's West Central Research and Outreach Center. Faculty members included professors Dave Ragsdale and Cindy Tong from the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, Jim Perry from the College of Natural Resources, and Vicki Coifman from the College of Liberal Arts.
Debra Stone, a University extension educator for Hennepin County, was already in Senegal for a three-month period of research and study that began in January.
Training coordinator John Vreyens of OIAP in the College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, was also part of the second delegation. Vreyens, who conducted his Ph.D. research in Senegal in the 1990s, was familiar to many people who greeted the delegation.
The University delegation with hosts: (front, left to right) Dave Ragsdale, professor of entomology; Cindy Tong, professor of horticulture; Gary Lemme, director for the West Central Research and Outreach Center; Fode Seck, secretary general of Senegal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; John Vreyens, training coordinator, Office of International Agricultural Programs; Jim Perry, professor of forest resources; (back row, beginning second from left) Abdoulaye Nianj, representative for the U.S. embassy within Senegal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Moussa Seck, U of M alumnus and director of Enda/SYSPRO; Vicki Coifman, professor of Afro-American and African Studies; Waly Ndiaye, agricultural adviser to the prime minister of Senegal; Debra Stone, Hennepin County extension educator; Madame Bah, chief of protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The group was joined by Brahim Hafidi of Morocco, who directs the horticultural campus for the Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan II, with which Minnesota has worked for thirty years.
Senegal is a nation 90 percent the size of Minnesota with twice the population. It is bounded on the west by the ocean and on the east by the Sahara Desert, and nearly bisected by the river-nation of the Gambia. Seventy percent of Senegal's 8.5 million people still live in rural areas.
The project proposes developing five "agripoles" focused on agricultural production and marketing, each would support a population of 20,000. It would also work in twenty areas where people are currently farming to improve techniques and management.
Delegation leader Gary Lemme, left, presented a gift to the president of a rural community where the project will be developed.
Training coordinator John Vreyens of Minnesota, left, talked with Djiby Ndour a farmer who will be part of the project.
Celebrating rural life
During the delegation's visit, Senegal instituted its first major secular holiday, Fete Nacional Rural, or Festival of Rural Life, which will be celebrated annually on the second Sunday in February. The holiday and events were organized and planned by 320 presidents of rural communities.
— Gayla Marty, OIP, Mar. 25, 1999.
Photos courtesy of John Vreyens, Office of International Agricultural Programs, College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences.
Culture Corps: University community learning through the experience and knowledge of international students
Winter quarter '99 brings new opportunities for international students to share their experience and knowledge with the University community through Culture Corps projects.
Nine winter quarter projects have already been approved, and additional projects are continually being proposed for winter and spring quarters.
Department of Work, Community, and Family Education
"Improving Parenting Skills in the University Family Housing Community" is a project devised by YooJin Choi, a master's student from Korea, and Professor Jane Plihal.
Parents and children at Como Student Community built bird houses together in an activity planned by YooJin Choi. A second activity in which the children made toolboxes, was organized by Choi on April 1, 1999. See photos
Plihal is also working with Shu-Ching Kao, a Ph.D. family education student from Taiwan, on "Promoting Cross-Cultural Competence: Understanding Families with Asian Roots."
Shu-Shing Kao, front left, and participants in a program that included textiles.
Both Kao and Choi's projects aim to promote respect for diversity among families living in the University student family housing complex.
"At the University of Minnesota's student housing...community-based parenting support networks are needed because many of the residents are separated from their families, relatives, and friends," said Choi. "They have to take care of children by themselves, which may cause [them] to feel drained and impotent. Yet, through neighborhood support, these parents could strengthen the families within their community."
In November, about twenty parents got together in the Como complex commons room to build bird houses with their children. Choi got support from Home Depot, which supplied the materials and work aprons.
Hillel Foundation
Adi Grinfeld, an undergraduate psychology student from Israel, is working with project sponsor Amy Olson, executive director of the Hillel Foundation.
Adi Grinfeld (back row, second from left) of Israel helped to develop a program for practicing Hebrew.
"Ne' Daber: Let's Speak Hebrew!" provides an opportunity for students who are taking or have taken Hebrew class to practice their spoken Hebrew in an informal conversational setting. It also provides a forum for students to discuss Israeli culture, history, and current events, in Hebrew, with a native Hebrew speaker.
East Asian Studies
The "China Issues Forum" is a series of lectures organized by Chen Zhang, a graduate student from the People's Republic of China, and Edward Farmer, professor in the department of history and area studies, and the China Center. The goal of the series is to stimulate discussion of China-related issues throughout the University community.
Professor Richard Kagan of Hamline (center) was the first speaker in the China Issues Forum in February 1999. Graduate student Chen Zhang of China and history professor Ted Farmer (second from right and right, respectively) organized the China Issues Forum along with Joan Brzezinski of the China Center (second from left). Also pictured: Nelda Njos, Culture Corps assistant coordinator (left).
Each session is open to the public and held on Wednesdays at noon in 246 Social Sciences, West Bank.
- "The Recent Taiwan Elections: Good News or Bad?" Dr. Richard Kagan, History Department, Hamline University (Feb. 3)
- "Chinese Films From 1930s to 1940s: A Preview of Coming Attractions," Dr. Sally Lieberman, CLA Honors Office, (Feb. 17)
- "Chinese Views on Globalization,"Dr. Russell Moses, Director, International Relations Program (Feb. 24)
- "Tibet's Dalai Lama or World's Dalai Lama?" Dr. Shen Wei-rong (Mar. 3)
Department of French and Italian
One of Culture Corps' successful Fall '98 projects was French Communication (Fren 3020), sponsored by Professor Betsy Kerr in the Department of French and Italian. Kerr used the skills of four native speakers of French in an advanced conversation class. They participated in class discussions and also met with students outside of class.
Four native-French-speaking international students got together with students in French 3020 for food and conversation several times during the quarter. Front row (left to right): Pascale Crepon of Switzerland, Professor Betsy Kerr. Second row: Elody Vincent, Marion Thurmes, and Michel Schramek of France.
Kerr is enthusiastic about Culture Corps. "I would definitely recommend the program," she said. "It's easy administratively, and the international students are eager to participate. Particularly in a second language class, they add a dimension of authenticity which is impossible to duplicate otherwise."
The four French-speaking students in Kerr's class, Pascale Crepon from Switzerland and Michel Schrameck, Marion Thurmes, and Elody Vincent from France, also spoke highly of their involvement in Culture Corps.
Marion Thurmes, Elody Vincent, Pascale Crepon, and Michel Schramek with Professor Betsy Kerr
"It was a great experience for me because it is related to an exchange of culture. It was helpful for the students and also for me. I think it is the best way to understand value differences and similarities among cultures."
Marion Thurmes, France
"I would recommend the program to other students because it was interesting to talk about my country with U.S. American students. They have a different picture of France than I have and, while I helped them in thinking in the French way, they gave me the U.S. American point of view."
Elody Vincent, France
"Culture Corps allowed me to have the opportunity to talk about my culture and share it with students willing to get to know francophone countries better. I felt like an ambassador of my country, and my mission was to share knowledge and feelings with U.S. Americans."
Pascale Crepon, Switzerland
"I have learned a lot myself from your country by discussing the cultural differences with mine." The experience enabled Schrameck to express ideas "in a context where cultural differences are precisely what we are seeking."
Michel Schrameck, France
A different type of experience and knowledge
Culture Corps provides a unique dialogue and discussion platform on which international and U.S. American students can openly share their opinions on a variety of topics.
Program coordinator Mohammed Bari says, "I'm hoping that, through Culture Corps, international students will expose the University community to a different type of experience and a different type of knowledge that we otherwise overlook."
Currently there is no deadline for the submission of project proposals, and projects are considered as they are received.
Please contact Nelda Njos, assistant program coordinator, at (612) 626-7194, or CultureC@tc.umn.edu, or by mail at International Student and Scholar Services, 190 Humphrey Center, 301 19th Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55455.
The Culture Corps office location is 94E Blegen Hall (next to the Essentials Restaurant). NOTE: Culture Corps has moved (Oct. 1999) upstairs to 150 Heller Hall (formerly Management/Economics), near the China Center. Student walk-in hours are Wednesdays, 2-5 p.m., or by appointment.
More Culture Corps projects (International Dateline, Fall 1998)
Culture Corps home page
Culture Corps is a new program of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).
— N. Njos, ISSS, Jan. 6, 1999; updated Mar. 22, 1999