News & Events | University of Minnesota

Agriculture and Environment

Image of the new Kudos apples hanging from a branch.

Talking with U of M

Talking apples with U of M

If you enjoy a Honeycrisp, Haralson, SweeTango or First Kiss apple at your local orchard or farm stand this fall, you can thank the University of Minnesota apple breeding program for putting it there.

A small stretch of brown prairie burns under a blue sky.

Research Brief

Using fire to revive a fragmented prairie landscape

A new study looks at how controlled burns can help plants and pollinators, especially on smaller patches of prairie.

Talking with U of M

Talking climate-ready forests with U of M

Trees have started showing their spectacular fall colors across Minnesota. This year, the changing leaves have come early due to the stresses of ongoing drought. Drought, flooding and higher temperatures associated with climate change are all factors prompting University of Minnesota experts to think about the future of our forests.

More Agriculture and Environment Stories

Architecture and Design

Expert Alert

The iconic toy behind the big screen in 'Barbie'

The highly anticipated “Barbie” film will hit movie theaters this Friday, inspiring people of all ages to reflect on the iconic doll and what it means to them.

A butterfly rests on a pink echinacea coneflower

Feature

Design to save pollinators

With pollinator populations on the decline, a Minnesota program is drawing on U of M expertise to make it easier for Minnesotans to incorporate pollinator-friendly plants.

Image of Dan Shaw next to an image of a butterfly in a pollinator garden. Credit: Getty Images

Talking with U of M

Talking pollinator gardens with U of M

Minnesotans are eager to get back to their gardens and are busy picking out this year’s plants and seeds. As you make your garden selections this spring, consider plants that will help support the state’s declining pollinator populations.

Arts and Humanities

Students speak with a recruiter at the CLA Internship and Career Fair in September 2022.

Feature

Changing up the internship game for students

How the College of Liberal Arts is making the Twin Cities a hotspot for early talent.

Feature

Alum launches AppleTV+ series imagining a future increasingly damaged by climate change

More than a decade after success with the film Contagion, Scott Z. Burns launches a still more ambitious ‘What if?’

Aiden Bettine holding a hockey puck from the Twin Cities Gay Hockey Association in the Tretter Collection.

Expert Alert

The history of Twin Cities Pride

Soon, people will gather for the 51st Annual Twin Cities Pride Festival from June 23-25, just one of many local celebrations for Pride Month this June.

Business and Management

A woman checks her smartwatch with blurry city lights in the background

Research Brief

Digital nudges based on weather increase exercise

New research from the Carlson School of Management suggests targeted motivation linked to weather can encourage exercise.

UMN startup Niron Magnetics staff members at their Minneapolis pilot plant: COO John Larson (seated), and U of M alumni employees of the company: Fan Zhang Ren. Back row: Sam Rahmani, Rich Greger, Xiaowei Zhang, Dustin Sprouse, Robert Brown, and Yiming Wu. Credit: Rob Levine

News Release

U of M’s Tech Comm sets new record number of startups in 2023

The University launched a record-breaking 23 startup companies in fiscal 2023, the result of a growing research portfolio, an increasingly entrepreneurial faculty culture, and years of careful program growth and refinement by the teams at U of M Technology Commercialization.

Image of East River Road heading into Dinkytown on the Twin Cities campus, with a view of the downtown Minneapolis skyline.

News Release

Two U of M-affiliated projects named as finalists in NSF Regional Innovation Engine Competition

Midwest Sustainable Plastics Innovation Regional Engine (M-SPIRE) and Great Lakes ReNEW in the Running for $160M Over 10 Years to Grow Regional and National Competitiveness.

Campus Affairs

Rendering of the building design for the renewed chemistry labs facility

News Release

U of M celebrates investments in world-class undergraduate chemistry facility

State and University officials joined faculty and students to celebrate the investments and renovations that will transform 95-year-old Fraser Hall and the University’s chemistry education, which will fuel Minnesota’s future workforce.

Ettinger standing outside, near large columns on campus

News Release

University statement on appointees to the Governor’s Task Force on Academic Health at the University of Minnesota

Read Interim President Jeff Ettinger's statement on the appointments to the Governor’s Task Force on Academic Health at the University of Minnesota.

Feature

Dear Minnesota

At all five of our U of M System campuses, our dedication to discovery inspires our students and sparks creative solutions to the challenges of our time. We’re proud to share these stories.

Education

Feature

Changing up the internship game for students

How the College of Liberal Arts is making the Twin Cities a hotspot for early talent.

Parent holds hand of little boy with a backpack

Talking with U of M

Talking kindergarten anxiety with U of M

Lecturer Annie Hansen-Burke discusses tips for preparing kids and parents for kindergarten

Portrait of Judy Anderson wearing a plaid shirt and maroon vest

Expert Alert

National Intern Day

Internships are an integral part of a young professional’s journey between higher education and joining the workforce.

Health

News Release

New anti-bias childbirth training courses address disparities in Black and Indigenous maternal and infant health

The courses were developed by the School of Public Health, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and Diversity Science to help bring awareness to the impact of systemic racism in perinatal care.

News Release

University statement on appointees to the Governor’s Task Force on Academic Health at the University of Minnesota

Read Interim President Jeff Ettinger's statement on the appointments to the Governor’s Task Force on Academic Health at the University of Minnesota.

Research Brief

New study suggests link between tear gas exposures and adverse reproductive health outcomes

U of M School of Public Health (SPH) researchers found that 83% of people exposed to tear gas or other chemical agents used by law enforcement reported at least one adverse reproductive health outcome.

Law and Policy

Image of a judge with an approval stamp.

Expert Alert

Legalizing marijuana in Minnesota

Peter Morrell, a professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, is available to provide expert commentary as Minnesotans prepare for this transition.

Emily Lekahal stands in front of football jerseys and helmets in a display case

Feature

A Minnesota Law degree leads to a Super Bowl ring

An interview with U of M alum Emily Lekahal, assistant general counsel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Expert Alert

Expert Alert: Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action

Jennifer Pierce of the College of Liberal Arts comments on the impact of the Supreme Court ruling on diversity in higher education.

Science and Technology

News Release

U of M celebrates investments in world-class undergraduate chemistry facility

State and University officials joined faculty and students to celebrate the investments and renovations that will transform 95-year-old Fraser Hall and the University’s chemistry education, which will fuel Minnesota’s future workforce.

Ariadna Mondragon Botero, long dark hair, green shirt, gray jacket, smiles next to a large indoor plant.

Feature

Building connections between cultures

A graduate student celebrates the diversity of life in forests and human cultures.

News Release

UMN-led team achieves near-perfect light absorption in atomic-scale material

A University of Minnesota-led team has, for the first time, engineered an atomically thin material that can absorb nearly 100% of light at room temperature, a discovery that could improve a wide range of applications from optical communications to stealth technology.

Social Sciences

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Sports and Recreation

Left: Portrait of Professor Beth Lewis. Right: Hand grabbing a dumbbell from a gym.

Expert Alert

Physical Fitness Month

As we approach National Physical Fitness Month in May, College of Education and Human Development Professor Beth Lewis speaks to the importance of physical fitness at every age.

View of the Minneapolis skyline and Loring Park

Research Brief

Discriminatory housing policies created an unequal park system in Minneapolis

A new study sheds light on the origins of racial disparities in the Minneapolis park system and their long-lasting consequences for environmental justice in the city.

Maroon and gold M flags waving in the wind.

Feature

Gophers reach new high for academic success

University of Minnesota student-athletes have recorded the highest team grade-point averages in school history.

Story Archive

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UMN in the News

September 28, 2023

New UMN executive director of Government and Community Relations talks advocacy efforts and community engagement

The Minnesota Daily

September 28, 2023

Restoring (Some of) Turtle Island

Minnesota Women's Press

September 28, 2023

Talking Points: Lawsuit seeking to keep Trump off Minnesota ballot under 14th Amendment

WCCO

Resources for Journalists

The University Public Relations team for the Twin Cities campus is often the first call for journalists who seek help connecting to faculty experts or who wish to receive information about the University of Minnesota. From news releases to expert alerts to interviews on timely topics, University Public Relations provides the resources journalists need for their reporting in all areas of public interest.

Resources for Journalists