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2024-2025 UMRA Liaison to the Board of Regents Annual Report
No full text. (2025). 2024-2025 UMRA Liaison to the Board of Regents Annual Report. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/278689
Faculty motivation to engage with intercultural learning: ane exploratory study
No full textUniversity of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. July 2025. Major: Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development. Advisor: Michael Goh. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 228 pages.Scholars of internationalization have noted three important considerations in relation to maintaining relevance in the face of rapid globalization: 1) the importance of faculty; 2) the need for cultural considerations and intercultural development for students; and 3) how study abroad provides a forum for deeper intercultural development. Previous studies explored faculty motivation to engage with internationalization (Jean Francois, 2014; Nyangau, 2018). Other studies have explored the role of faculty in student intercultural development (Anderson et al., 2016; Neihaus et al., 2018; Paige & Goode, 2009). The goal of this exploratory study is to develop an understanding of faculty motivations to begin and sustain their engagement with intercultural learning.Research was conducted using a qualitative and narrative approach. Two rounds of in-depth interviews explored how a faculty member’s intercultural journey influences their engagement with intercultural learning. Faculty were selected for this study based on three criteria: 1) they were teaching study abroad programs at Midwest Business School (MBS), 2) intercultural learning was included in their study abroad course curriculum and, 3) they did not have formal exposure to intercultural learning in their education. Three research questions guided this study: 1) How do faculty conceptualize intercultural learning in relation to their work as educators? 2) What do faculty identify as the main influences for their chosen engagement with intercultural learning (if any)? 3) In what ways do faculty become and stay motivated to do intercultural work?
The theoretical framework used in this exploratory study is Motivational Cultural Intelligence (MCQ), as defined by Van Dyne et al. (2012), and includes intrinsic and extrinsic interest to engage in an activity, and self-efficacy, the confidence to try new things. The research of Bandura (2002) further informed the concept of self-efficacy. Ryan and Deci’s (2000) Self-Determination Theory (SDT) informed intrinsic interest and complicated the MCQ definition of extrinsic interest with four types of extrinsic interest ranging from least to most self-determined. SDT also suggests that meeting three psychosocial needs (Relatedness, Competence, and Autonomy) improves motivation.
Results from this study revealed that a broad definition of culture and intercultural (i.e., international, domestic, and other identities) were engaging for the faculty in this study, a faculty member’s intercultural journey can have a significant impact on their interest to engage with intercultural learning especially when they spend time reflecting on it, and the MCQ framework is limited in its ability to fully account for the faculty participants’ motivations to engage with intercultural learning. Findings suggest that extrinsic motivation is more complex than the MCQ framework and using the four layers from SDT provides a more nuanced understanding of the concept, that connection is important for faculty motivation, and that motivation can be mutual and increase collectively. Recommendations include: Further research that includes faculty from other disciplines and institutions; Exploration of the importance of SDT-Relatedness for engagement with intercultural learning; Practical applications such as programming that brings people together for connection and reflection and; Intentionality around the way culture and intercultural are defined for more inclusivity.Dickinson, Lauren. (2025). Faculty motivation to engage with intercultural learning: ane exploratory study. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/278156
The impact of brief-motivational interviewing on clinical indicators of periodontal disease: a randomized clinical trial and a 3-year follow-up
No full textUniversity of Minnesota M.S. thesis. Spring 2025. Major: Dentistry. Advisor: Michelle Arnett. 1 computer file (PDF); v, 54 pages.Objectives: This study investigated the long-term impact of brief motivational interviewing (brief-MI) verse traditional oral hygiene instructions (OHI) on clinical indicators of periodontitis. Methods: A 1-year randomized clinical trial collected probing depth (PD), recession (REC) and clinical attachment level (CAL) at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months, and at 3-year follow-up post-intervention. Outcomes were compared between treatment groups (95% confidence intervals and p-values). Analyses were performed using R version 4.3.2. Results: Sixty participants, 97% (n=58) completed the 1-year RCT and 72% (n=41) were retained for the 3-year follow-up. Statistical significance for the brief-MI group for PD and CAL was achieved at all time points. PD was maintained (p=<0.0001) and CAL was not (p=0.81) at 3-year follow-up post intervention. Conclusion: The sustained improvements observed in PD and CAL at the 3-year follow-up highlight the impact of brief-MI to promote long-term periodontal stability.Castillo-Perez, Ligia. (2025). The impact of brief-motivational interviewing on clinical indicators of periodontal disease: a randomized clinical trial and a 3-year follow-up. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/277948
2025-04 UMRA Board Packet
No full text. (2025). 2025-04 UMRA Board Packet. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/278551
Episode 195: We Can Make a Difference
No full textRuntime 00:47:50NOTE: In order to align our schedule with the holidays, we will not be releasing an episode on 11/13. We'll be back with our next episode on 11/20 and will resume our biweekly release schedule. In "We Can Make a Difference," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the recent publication from CIDRAP's Vaccine Integrity Project, an upcoming collaboration between CIDRAP and NEJM Evidence, and the latest measles and respiratory virus data. Dr. Osterholm also answers an ID Query about how the government shutdown is impacting public health surveillance and shares another "This Week in Public Health History" segment. Updated Evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and Influenza Vaccines for 2025–2026 (Scott et al., New England Journal of Medicine, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa2514268); Vaccine Integrity Project - Response to HHS claims about vaccines (Oct 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh5hP6zcVrs)Dall, Chris; Osterholm, Michael. (2025). Episode 195: We Can Make a Difference. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/278892
Creating a custom calibration for the portable X-ray fluorescence instrument to identify iron formation using seawater signatures
No full textUniversity of Minnesota M.S. thesis. August 2025. Major: Geological Sciences. Advisor: Latisha Brengman. 1 computer file (PDF); xvi, 242 pages.Iron formations are chemical sedimentary rocks that formed via precipitation from seawater between ~3.7-1.8 Ga. These rocks are hypothesized to retain seawater geochemical signatures as REE+Y trends, which can be obtained by analytical geochemistry, if the samples contain minimal detrital contamination and limited metamorphic overprinting. Current analytical geochemical methods, such as ICP-MS/-OES, are costly and time consuming, especially when samples do not contain the geochemical signatures of interest. Additionally, these methods require destroying sample first, which results in the loss of textural and petrographic data. However, in the last two decades the pXRF has been marketed as a reliable, rapid, and non-destructive instrument able to produce quality data, nearly on par with traditional geochemistry (i.e., ICP-MS/-OES), particularly when used as an initial screening tool for sample selection. The main goal of this study was to determine if the pXRF could identify seawater signatures in iron formation and distinguish them from detrital contamination using internal and custom calibrations. If the pXRF could detect REE+Y concentrations, then detecting seawater signature trends locked in iron formation could be plausible in the field. Additionally, if the pXRF could measure REE+Y seawater signatures in iron formation, then large-scale field geochemical mapping of in situ units could be possible. This study tested this hypothesis using the Bruker Tracer 5g pXRF and its internal calibrations along with one custom iron formation calibration (Bruker, 2019).
Initial testing of the pXRF’s internal calibrations used four representative elements (Fe, Si, Al, and La) of iron formation geochemistry to understand instrument functionality. Even though the pXRF demonstrated precision and sensitivity to chemical changes, preliminary tests showed that the internal calibrations could not reliably detect the REE+Y representative element La, therefore a custom calibration was required. This iron formation specific calibration was created using Bruker (2019) EasyCal software and 24 Biwabik Iron Formation samples as powdered internal standards. These internal standards collectively contained the four representative elements and 35 additional elements including all of the REE+Y. After creating the calibration, the powdered internal standards, associated billets, and core were analyzed using the pXRF custom calibration. The pXRF iron formation calibration was able to detect the four interested elements and majority of the other elements within two standard deviations of the ICP-MS/-OES concentrations for the same samples across the three material types (powdered, billet, core).
The final test looked at the accuracy and sensitivity of the instrument to detect key elements of the seawater signature in different rock samples of known and unknown geochemistry. Samples with measured ICP-MS/-OES concentrations showed that pXRF measurements for rare elements consistently high compared to standard digestion ICP-MS/OES concentrations, despite being within two deviations of ICP-MS/-OES values. The tests also showed that the calibration had difficulty detecting low concentration elements. Future corrections for non-powdered samples may be able to produce pXRF data that more closely approaches values obtained via digestion chemistry approaches. In summary, the geochemical sensitivity tests demonstrated that the iron formation calibration could differentiate seawater signature bearing iron formation from non-iron formation units by comparing the general seawater signature trends. The key outcome of the study is the demonstration that a custom calibration can be used to detect trace elements in iron-rich samples that are powered, or have flat, fresh-cut surfaces with minimal irregularities. This key result opens the possibility of detailed, mm-scale trace element mapping of fresh cut drill core.Prue, Ann Marie. (2025). Creating a custom calibration for the portable X-ray fluorescence instrument to identify iron formation using seawater signatures. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/277998
Enhancing feammox-based perfluorooctanoic acid biotransformation using porous polyethylene-supported zeolite carriers
No full textUniversity of Minnesota M.S. thesis. July 2025. Major: Civil Engineering. Advisor: William Arnold. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 67 pages.Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are persistent environmental contaminants that pose risks to human and ecological health. Traditional treatment methods for PFAS in drinking water are costly and often generate secondary waste, prompting interest in biological alternatives. Acidimicrobium sp. strain A6 conducts feammox, or anaerobic ferric iron reduction paired with ammonium oxidation, and has been shown to defluorinate PFOA and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) under acidic, anoxic conditions. Its practical application, however, is limited by slow growth, sensitivity to environmental conditions, and specific nutrient requirements. This study explored the potential of porous polyethylene-supported zeolite (PEZ) carriers as a nutrient-integrated support system to promote A6 growth and PFOA biotransformation. Iron-enhanced PEZ carriers were successfully synthesized and exhibited ammonium sorption capacities greater than normal PEZ, confirming their suitability for feammox nutrient delivery. Four unique culture environments were tested in batch incubation experiments spiked with 10 mg/L PFOA, and degradation was monitored over 100 days. Incubations revealed no significant differences in A6 growth or PFOA removal between cultures with carriers and controls. A6 was detectable on PEZ carriers (103 copies/carrier) at the end of the incubations, suggesting that they provided localized microenvironments supportive of A6 retention, though insufficient for measurable feammox activity or PFOA defluorination. The minimal activity observed may have been attributed to low initial A6 concentrations, suboptimal iron phase, or the presence of other bacteria outcompeting A6. While the PEZ carriers successfully retained ammonium and A6, future work should optimize culture conditions and reassess the performance of PEZ carriers in more active A6 cultures.Pearson, McKenzie. (2025). Enhancing feammox-based perfluorooctanoic acid biotransformation using porous polyethylene-supported zeolite carriers. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/277997
Water Resources Conference Program 2025
No full text1 online resource (PDF)University of Minnesota. College of Continuing EducationUniversity of Minnesota. Water Resources Center. (2025). Water Resources Conference Program 2025. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/277919
Does network structure matter? inventor collaboration, mobility, and productivity
No full textUniversity of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. 2025. Major: Business Administration. Advisor: Aks Zaheer. 1 computer file (PDF); iii, 128 pages.This dissertation examines the value of collaboration and mobility to an inventor — to her subsequent inventive activities and career outcomes. Both collaboration and mobility are vital to an inventor’s career in terms of their value creation potential, but both entail opportunity costs as well. In the first chapter, I explore the consequences of disruption to an existing collaboration and how such a network disruption (to their copatenting network) could compel them to look for alternative ways to recover and rebuild their lost knowledge and social capital and the attendant implications for their own career and the employing firm. I propose that inventor mobility may be a potential outcome under certain conditions (less firm-specific capital and higher motivation and incentives to seek outside option) and inventor’s network position in the intra-firm network will further moderate her decision calculus - to stay or leave. In the second chapter, I focus on the post mobility outcomes, namely productivity and distant search both of which are critical to sustaining a fruitful career. I propose a context in which productivity, distant search or both may obtain, that is, a same-industry move, with higher knowledge reapplication and skill transferability potential, will likely result in higher productivity and less distant search and a cross-industry move, where direct knowledge application and skill transfer is difficult, will lead to lower productivity but a greater distant search. Empirical findings largely support my predictions and I find that inventors in central network positions experience an enduring performance advantage whether they stay or move, and those who move within the same industry see higher overall performance gains — in terms of productivity and distant search, over stayers and cross-industry movers. Cross industry movers with lower baseline performance close the gap with their same industry peers in distant search.Ramanathan, Usha. (2025). Does network structure matter? inventor collaboration, mobility, and productivity. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/278065
Episode 190: Courage Over Fear
No full textRuntime 00:58:59In "Courage Over Fear," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the critical Vaccine Integrity Project respiratory virus immunization meeting, recent federal actions to sow disinformation on vaccines, and encourage public servants, including those at CDC, who are facing fear amidst violence. Dr. Osterholm also covers the latest COVID data and reviews a new pre-print study on H5N1 avian influenza transmission. CIDRAP Vaccine Integrity Project Respiratory Virus Vaccine Meeting (https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/vaccine-integrity-project/immunization-info); Statement: CIDRAP stands behind public health officials after attack on CDC (CIDRAP, https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-health/statement-cidrap-stands-behind-public-health-officials-after-attack-cdc)Dall, Chris; Osterholm, Michael. (2025). Episode 190: Courage Over Fear. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/278878