The work of University of Minnesota alumnus Dr. Aminul Mehedi in the material science field is motivated by one simple goal: mitigating climate change.

In order to achieve this goal, Mehedi has researched and developed new soft magnetic material that is capable of charging electric vehicles and other products. Mehedi’s business startup, CM Materials, received a $100,000 Encouraging Development, Growth and Expansion (EDGE) grant on Dec. 16 to continue this research and product development.

The grant will allow the startup to demonstrate how magnetic cores and powder can charge electric vehicles and be put to use in other devices.

“The EDGE Grant program is incredibly competitive,” said Jordan Schulties, division director of the Delaware Division of Small Business, the organization that awarded the grant. “Dr. Mehedi and his team successfully demonstrated that the work CM Materials is doing to help power devices in a more efficient and sustainable way will allow the company to stand out from its competitors as it takes its product to market.”

After coming to the University in 2012 from Bangladesh seeking a master’s and doctorate degree in material science and engineering, Mehedi worked alongside his advisor, electrical and computer engineering professor Jian-Ping Wang, as a researcher in his lab for six years.

Mehedi worked with soft magnetic material during his graduate program at the University, and eventually went on to win the Minnesota Cup Student Division in 2016, a large business startup competition for a new soft magnetic material called “Minnealloy.” This technology was eventually licensed to Seagate.

Mehedi also worked for the electric vehicle company Tesla and Carpenter Technology, a material manufacturing company.

Now, Mehedi’s Delaware-based company is looking to put new technology, called CleanMag, on the market for other investors, Mehedi said.

“If you need to generate, distribute or convert power, you use motors, inverters or transformers, which our electromagnetic material goes into,” Mehedi said.

The charging systems in electric vehicles rely on electromagnetic components to operate. The technology developed by Mehedi is 50% smaller and approximately 25% more efficient than competing technologies.

“I saw a gap in the market and wanted to solve it, after experiencing the customer [demand] side as well as the challenges of creating materials to provide,” Mehedi said.

By using sustainable materials and making devices smaller, there is less electric current operating in the car, which ultimately reduces energy consumption.

With its magnetic efficiency, this green technology has the ability to reduce Co2 emissions by 2.6 billion tonnes by 2050, according to Mehedi.

“I understand I am only one person and there is only so much that I can do in helping the climate crisis, but you can start small,” Mehedi said.

The United States is not considered an industry leader in this technology, as most of the soft magnetic materials in the world are controlled by China, Japan and Germany, Mehedi said. As electric cars and products become more prominent, it will be critical for the United States to have access to technology like that developed by Mehedi.

“He is a very unique student, in the way that he has a strong passion for research and learns quickly,” Wang said of his interactions with Mehedi. “I observed that he always wants to help the people as if the research can go one more step so that it can be used further on and then see what it can become.”

During his time as a University student, Mehedi was not only invested in developing new research, but also had kind interactions with those around him, Wang said.

“He represents a strong mannered program for magnetic material research,” Wang said. “He carried these forward towards application. As a professor, we want to see that.”

A University of Minnesota project led by undergraduate students is researching new cost-efficient technology that could make solar panels more accessible for everyday use.

The University’s Institute on the Environment awarded a $3,000 grant on Jan. 5 to fund this project, which is led by a team of students, faculty and staff advisors.

Solar energy is at the forefront of climate change solutions due to its efficiency in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, according to the government agency Energy Saver. Beginning this week, student researchers will begin creating a new model and design for Maximum Power Point Trackers (MPPTs), an important component of solar power technology.

“Products right now are made by companies for sale and profit,” said Maxim Erickson, a team member and third-year student studying computer engineering. He said the designs from the project will be released to the public so other companies or users could use them instead of current designs on the market, as a more efficient option.

MPPTs convert the solar energy captured in solar panels to electricity in utility grids. Each MPPT can cost up to $200, making the average cost of installing solar panels in Minnesota approximately $13,800 to $18,700, according to 2019 data from EnergySage, a solar energy financial advising company.

Despite the costs, residential solar energy use is growing across the state, according to a report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). In 2020, solar energy accounted for over 3% of Minnesota’s net energy.

With a small market and few designs available for residential solar panels installations, solar power is not economically viable for homeowners, electrical and computer engineering professor David Orser said. The main goal of the new research is to produce technology that runs at maximum efficiency.

Rickey Sipila, founder of solar energy startup Sisu Solar, said the high price of installation comes from three components of the technology: the panels, inverter system and racking.

“MPPTs are one part of the device and are a smaller component of a bigger system,” Sipila said. “Basically, it controls the voltages and maximizes the panel’s efficiency.”

Collaboration with other undergraduate students and assistance from industry experts also allowed students to dictate the project in order to come up with their own design, Orser said.

Erickson, a student researcher, said he joined the research team in hopes of applying his power electronics skills.

“I’d love to see us come up with a design that is relatively simple and will accomplish the task of achieving maximum power,” Erickson said. “Then, there can be flexibility so that the end user can decide if they want to use [the new MPPT technology].”

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the goal of the project. The goal is to make solar panels more accessible. A previous version of this story also misstated the relationship between the project and outside partners — the project is being completed by undergraduate research students.

Combatting deadly viruses has been part of scientific research for hundreds of years, and is especially prevalent with the COVID-19 pandemic and its new variants. As researchers look for solutions using vaccines, antibiotics, and other technologies, one of the most significant steps is prevention.

University of Minnesota Ph.D professors from the animal science department, including Gerald Shurson, Pedro Urriola, Andres Perez, and Declan Shroeder, are collaborating with other University experts in conducting research projects related to the safety of animal feed ingredients and environmental sustainability.

One project in particular looks at preventative measures for African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) which is a virus that affects swine (i.e. pigs) and causes many to die. ASFV is not the same as swine flu, which is a human respiratory infection.

From 2014 to 2017, over 800,000 pigs died from ASFV in Russia and Europe alone. With no vaccine, ineffectiveness of antibiotics, and no treatments, the only option is to humanely euthanize pigs infected with the virus, according to the “African swine fever: A re-emerging viral disease threatening the global pig industry” published by the U.S. National Institute of Health.

After originating in Africa, ASFV spread to Russia, various parts of Europe and Asia. As of summer 2021, the spread traveled to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

In 2019, swine nutrition experts Urriola and Shurson received two grants from the United Soybean Board. The University researchers are developing research and evaluating the survival rate of a surrogate virus used on feed ingredients when deactivated by high heat.

Soybean meal is a byproduct of soybean oil, which is commonly used as an ingredient in feed by the swine industry.

This year, the research team developed a surrogate called Emiliania huxleyi, which replicates the ASFV, and will enable the research team to understand how the virus works on surfaces, different disinfectant types, and cleaning trucks.

Surrogates are viruses used as an alternative in a lab when the virus of interest poses a risk to researchers. Emiliania huxleyi is a virus that only affects marine algae commonly found in ocean ecosystems.

“A surrogate is beneficial because it is biosafe, without requiring us to work directly with ASFV,” Shurson said. “It is unusual to find a similar virus to use to study a deadly one.”

The surrogate’s success has the ability to help the research team determine if the feed imported into the U.S. has the potential to carry the virus.

Although there are no cases of ASFV in the U.S., many researchers said they are concerned about the proximity of the virus and the potential impacts a case could have on international trade, global economies, and the pork industry.

“No country has been able to control the virus since 2007,” said University research partner Dr. Andres Perez. “We expect to help countries increase their ability to control it and create resilience, and prepare the U.S. swine industry for biosecurity and detection.”

Shurson said one of the highest risks of introducing the virus to the U.S. comes from the illegal importation of pork or meat products in passenger luggage, despite United States Department of Agriculture offices at international airports.

He added that “in many instances, people purposely or unknowingly come from countries and bring their favorite pork dish back, and leftovers could get into recycled food waste or pig feeds.”

The ASFV is highly resilient so it can survive for a long period of time. There are no known cases of pigs getting sick from contaminated feed, but researchers said they are concerned about imported feed carrying the virus, as there is not a zero-risk chance.

“With the discovery of the surrogate virus, we can do real-world field trials,” said project partner Schroeder. “This can be tested by adding the surrogate virus to feed, transporting it, and then sampling for detection on truck surfaces.”

Many Twin Cities corporations such as Cargill, Purina, and Kemin Industries showed a great deal of interest in the research.

The preventative research can help prepare for potential outbreaks in the future. Shurson mentioned that many of the projects related to feed ingredients are ongoing, as there are many unanswered questions that still need explanations.

“If we were to get this virus, we would have a system in place to get it isolated, farms quarantined, and contained as quickly as possible,“ Shurson said.

For thousands of years, manoomin, also known as wild rice, has been used for food and medicine, and holds cultural and spiritual significance to Indigenous culture that is vital to their food sovereignty.

Yet, previous University of Minnesota research projects on wild rice have faced criticism for exploiting tribal land and not consulting with tribal communities, specifically the Ojibwe people, before conducting research. As a result, researchers in an ongoing project are taking a different approach in working with tribal communities.

The University project received a small grant from the Whiteside Institute for Clinical Research in Duluth to study the potential for wild rice to reduce colon cancer in humans.

The research team consists of family physician Dr. Emily Onello from the University of Minnesota Duluth; Daniel Gallaher, Ph.D, professor and director of Undergraduate Studies in Nutrition at the Twin Cities campus; as well as Lindsey Meder, a University graduate student.

The researchers found that the addition of wild rice to diets showed favorable reductions in the biochemical cancer markers, suggesting that wild rice may reduce the risk of colon cancer.

The study also found that the addition of wild rice also reduced the amount of fat in the liver, which suggests that consumption of wild rice also can reduce the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a common cause for liver disease in Americans.

Wild rice is an aquatic plant native to Minnesota, grown and harvested across the entire state. It is different from cultivated rice, as it is not grown artificially in mass quantities as paddies, on a large economic scale; wild rice is lake-harvested and has a small amount of harvesters.

Since Minnesota is one of the largest state producers of wild rice, there have been various wild rice research projects throughout the years at the University.

“We do this work in a way that promotes respect for manoomin and the traditional knowledge, so that we can raise awareness of all Minnesotans about the valuable plant,” Onello said.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Indigenous people have the highest mortality and diagnosis rate for colon cancer in the state. While they already have a relationship to the grain, Onello said this research will uncover potential ways to decrease the risk of colon cancer.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge, also referred to as TEK, is defined as Indigenous and traditional knowledge about natural resources incorporated into environmental science practices.

Fond du Lac reservation museum director Jeff Savage met with environmental staff when creating the health impact statement on the effects of wild rice water quality and tribal health.

“I hope the project shows that even using western style research, the importance of wild rice in a diet is healthy and a medicine as the Anishinaabe have known all along,” Savage said.

Onello said even though the project does not have a tribal partner, they keep tribes informed, provide periodic updates, and open up input to them. Researchers have also connected with band members, including purchasing the wild rice used in the study from Spirit Lake Native Farms, which produces products made by federally recognized tribes.

“Manoomin is significant as a multi -generational family cultural harvesting legacy, of at least 7 generations of oral harvest stories of family harvests,” Savage said. “It is a cultural treaty right to procure food from the treaty territory which is our right and responsibility.”

In addition, the continued harvesting of manoomin by non-natives, the construction of pipelines and environmental issues with water quality, climate change and land use changes negatively affect the abundance of wild rice.

According to Gallaher, the acreage of wild rice has declined. “There isn’t as much as there used to be,” he said. “Development, building cabins on lakes, and the contamination of water with sulfate (SO4) are worrisome.”

Onello said she is hopeful that the new findings will inform the scientific community and the public about the significance of wild rice and its need for protection.

To examine its health benefits, the research team used an animal model of rats and fed them three diet types: healthy, high fat and high fat with manoomin.

Because colon cancer takes many years to develop in people, animal models were used.

Onello explained that although there is not a good screening blood test for colon cancer in humans, they were able to perform other types of screening tests.

“In the study we wanted to look for early signs that colon cancer was developing,” Onello said. “These early signs are called ‘markers’ and can indicate the onset of microscopic changes that can lead to cancer.”

To further investigate the health benefits, the team is hoping to receive more funding to look deeper into how and why wild rice prevents colon cancer and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

With the nickname “The Land of 10,000 Lakes,” it’s no surprise that water is one of the most significant natural resources in Minnesota.

In 2016, the prior University’s Vice President for Research, Brian Herman, formed the Water Council to bring together researchers and specialists on water resources across the University system to address concerns for clean water. Around 15 individuals are elected or appointed from water units to be members of the Water Council.

The Water Council reports to the University’s Office of Research. In return, the University’s Office of Research attends Water Council meetings and identifies the top subjects of interest across the University, such as pollution and water quality issues. This office forms the framework for University researchers to work in and achieve tasks.

In 2019, the University Water Council took an inventory which discovered that 272 individuals from the University system specialize in some type of water research.

“It was spread out across the state, which made it clear that we wanted to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts,” said Jeffery Peterson, University Water Resources Center director.

“We had the potential to create an infrastructure that would allow all those different people to find each other,” Peterson said.

Despite the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the Water Council formed the virtual water network, creating opportunities for water scholars to collaborate from different locations from facilities and institutions across the University system and University of Minnesota Extension. Membership for the network is self-selected and voluntary.

The virtual setting for the network worked out well, since it collapsed distances that enabled timely collaboration and participation in events such as water coolers or water circles.

Water coolers are meetings with no proposed topic but topical water coolers allow scholars to propose a topic to discuss. Water circles can also be formed if members are wanting to have a series of discussions on a topic.

Robert Sterner, member of the Water Council and director of the Large Lakes Observatory at University of Minnesota – Duluth, said “we needed to build a way for water researchers across the University to find each other, collaborate, and come together in new ways.”

The Large Lakes Observatory conducts scientific investigations of large lakes which are highly specialized, requiring oceanography and more typical science dealing with freshwater resources.

The Observatory is one of many interdisciplinary scientific studies across the University system, with working groups of water research at the Institute on the Environment, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center, and several others.

Sterner is hopeful that these working groups will result in large grant proposals, new initiatives, academic papers, or new ways of thinking.

“It would be great for the network to make a structure including workshops and training for the graduate students, which could provide a beneficiary framework,” Sterner said.

Peterson added that the Water Council will continue to meet regularly and keep talking about how to improve communications, coordination, and create more committees.