UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FALL 2018 What U alumni and faculty are doing to SAFEGUARD ELECTIONS and other good news from the world of politics Secretary of State Steve Simon protects against cyberattacks. OpenSecrets's Sheila Krumholz sleuths for the hidden money. U professor Chris Uggen, student Rob Stewart, and lobbyist Sarah Walker advocate for felon voting rights. The Humphrey School launches a Certificate in Election Administration program. tr-H Plus: CAMPUS A TO Z and our 2018 HOMECOMING GUIDE, featuring Grand Marshal Alan Page MN Alumni Magazine August 2018.pdf 1 6/27/18 7:02 PM HELPING FAMILIES FOR 25 YEARS. Accra provides support to families that need help in their homes for a loved one with a disability. We'll help you navigate the different services available to you. PCA Choice services allows you to choose a family member or friend to be your paid caregiver. Non-Profit Home Care Agency We accept major insurance plans; Medicaid and private pay. Call us and ask about the possibilities! 866-935-3515 • Metro 952-935-3515 SERVING PEOPLE STATEWIDE www.accracare.org Made possible by members of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association since 1901 | Volume 118, Number 1 Fall 2018 4 Editor's Note 5 Letters 8 About Campus Soaring eagles, an A to Z campus guide, a Big M Bridge goodbye, Gophers hall of fame, and Kaler’s 2019 departure 13 Discoveries Helping Alzheimer’s patients live at home By Lynette Lamb Plus: a global health training program, waiting for the cookie, cancer killers, and why thriving watersheds matter 18 18 Will Your Vote Be Hacked? Alumnus and Secretary of State Steve Simon stands 34 guard over Minnesota’s elections By Britt Robson 24 Election Academy The U’s one-of-a-kind training program By Elizabeth Foy Larsen 26 Telling Secrets Alumna Sheila Krumholz tracks the dark money By Susan Maas 28 They’ve Done Their Time Is it time for felon voting rights? By Elizabeth Foy Larsen Plus: I Married a Pundit By Julie Schumacher 34 History: On Ice Early Antarctic explorers name features after the U By Tim Brady 38 Journeys A pilgrimage to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain By Jennifer Vogel 39 Arts Spoken word artist and alumnus Guante examines modern manhood By Jim Walsh Plus: our quarterly books roundup 43 Alumni Stories An alumnus scientist grows a new grain, a deaf engineer breaks ground at NASA, and a developer leaves a U legacy 51 Stay Connected 39 The Alumni Association’s strategic plan and new board chair, plus events, benefits, and a thanks to our donors 60 The Last Word A mother contends with racial bias in public schools By Taiyon J. Coleman Cover art by Eric Hanson • This page from top: Kristi Anderson, Thomas Bastien, Sara Rubinstein DISCOVERY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Douglas Huebsch, ’85 Chair-elect Laura Moret, ’76, ’81 Past Chair Sandra Ulsaker Wiese, ’81 Secretary Mark Jessen, ’85 Treasurer Scott Wallace, ’80 Center for Innovation and Collaboration President and CEO Lisa Lewis Eric Brotten, ’03 Xin (Sean) Chen, ’16, ’19 Carol Johnson Dean, ’80, ’97 Patrick Duncanson, ’83 NEW PRIVATE Catherine French, ’79 MEETING Chad Haldeman, ’08 Maureen Kostial, ’71 SPACE NOW Matt Kramer, ’84 AVAILABLE Peter Martin, ’00 Simran Mishra Akira Nakamura, ’92 Emilia Ndely, ’11 Peyton N. Owens, III Roshini Rajkumar, ’97 Built-in AV Jason Rohloff, ’94 & video web Kathy Schmidlkofer, ’97 conferencing Ann Sheldon, ’88, ’04 Anthony (Tony) Wagner, ’96 Myah Walker, ’10, ’16 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GOVERNANCE LOCATED President Eric Kaler, ’82 ON THE 2ND Board of Regents FLOOR OF THE David McMillan, ’83, ’87, chair Kendall Powell, vice chair MCNAMARA Thomas Anderson, ’80 ALUMNI Richard Beeson, ’76 CENTER Linda Cohen, ’85, ’86 Michael Hsu, ’88 Dean Johnson Peggy Lucas, ’64, ’78 Abdul Omari, ’08, ’10 Fresh, modern Darrin Rosha, ’90, ’91, ’93, ’96 design with Randy Simonson, ’81 natural lighting Steven Sviggum To join or renew, change your address, or get information about membership, go to CALL 612-624-8041 OR UMNAlumni.org or contact us at: EMAIL [email protected] McNamara Alumni Center TO RESERVE SPACE FOR YOUR 200 Oak St. SE, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55455-2040 NEXT MEETING OR EVENT! t 800-862-5867 612-624-2323 [email protected] MCNAMARA ALUMNI CENTER 200 Oak Street SE, 2nd Floor The University of Minnesota Alumni Association is Minneapolis, MN 55455 committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employ ment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, mac-events.org/about/discoverynexus.html handicap, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation. ~ Par:k Dental W . it ay h U e w every smile of th 45 convenient Twin Cities, greater Minnesota and western Wisconsin locations. Visit us online to Early morning and evening appointments. find your dentist Preferred provider for most insurance companies. and schedule an Locally owned by dentists who care.* appointment today. *111 of our 127 dentists are University of Minnesota alumni. parkdental.com Trusted dentist for the A EDITOR'S NOTE Why Vote? WHEN IT COMES TO VOTING, Minnesota does exceptionally well. Often, including in 2016, the state has the highest voter turnout in the nation for presidential contests. That’s partly thanks to the fact EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING that, back in 1974, when alumnus Wendell Anderson (B.A. ’54, J.D. President and CEO ’60) was governor, Minnesota was ahead of the pack in adopting Lisa Lewis Election Day voter registration. The law was supported by former Editor Secretary of State Joan Growe, who also attended the U, while Jennifer Vogel she was a state legislator. Senior Editor Minnesota is a good government state—with problems, Elizabeth Foy Larsen certainly, including dramatic racial disparities—where residents take civic engagement Copy Editor seriously and evince confidence in elected officials. Minnesotans are dutiful. We read a Susan Maas lot. We attend forums and call in to radio shows. And we are educated, with 35 percent Contributing Writers Jodi Auvin of adult residents holding bachelor’s degrees or higher. Tim Brady The University of Minnesota, by equipping and inspiring people to participate in pub- Taiyon J. Coleman lic life, owns a big part of Minnesota’s enviable reputation. The U has a habit of making Lynette Lamb good citizens and turning out political big deals who put their stamps on the culture, Susan Maas from Hubert H. Humphrey (B.A. ’39) to Walter Mondale (B.A. ’51, J.D. ’56) to Eugene Britt Robson Julie Schumacher McCarthy (M.A. ’39) to Harold Stassen (B.L. ’27, J.D. ’29). In fact, at present, there are Chris Smith 52 alumni serving in the Minnsesota Legislature—of various political stripes, religious Emily Sohn backgrounds, races, and genders—comprising a quarter of all lawmakers. Jim Walsh When we vote, we are stating our collective will. Yes, it’s hard to imagine a collective Art Director will at the moment, since society feels more divided than most of us can remember. But Kristi Anderson when we vote we are expressing confidence that each of us matters, even if by dint of Two Spruce Design addition. And so, despite attempts to undermine the elections process by nefarious Senior Director of Marketing actors, domestic and foreign, and despite schemes to make us believe our votes in fact Lisa Huber don’t count, we will line up at the polls this November to fill in the ovals. As always, the Advertising stakes will be high. As always, we will—gleefully or glumly—accept the results. Send inquiries to [email protected] Take heart in the knowledge that good citizens, who also happen to be U alumni and or call 612-626-1417 faculty, are working hard to safeguard elections everywhere. Alumna Sheila Krumholz (B.A. ’88) runs the D.C.-based Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan nonprofit Minnesota Alumni ISSN 2473-5086 (print ) is published four times yearly that tracks the hidden money behind elections. Former sociology doctoral student by the University of Minnesota Alumni Sarah Walker, U professor Chris Uggen, and Ph.D. student Rob Stewart (B.A. ’12, M.A. Association, 200 Oak St. SE Suite 200, Minneapolis MN 55455-2040 in SEPT., ’18) are working to restore voting rights to felons. The new Certificate in Election DEC., MAR., and JUN. Business, editorial, Administration program at the Humphrey School, the only program of its kind in the accounting, and circulation offices: country, is teaching administrators how to run honest, secure elections. And alumnus 200 Oak St. SE Suite 200, Minneapolis MN 55455-2040. Call (612) 624-2323 to and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon (J.D. ’96), who oversees voting and subscribe. Copyright ©2017 University statewide election services, is keeping the doors wide open to voters while guarding of Minnesota Alumni Association Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, against the increasing threat of cyberattacks. You’ll find these stories and more in the Minnesota, and additional mailing offices. issue you hold in your hands. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to: Minnesota Alumni, McNamara So, why vote? Because voting is the only mechanism sturdy and legitimate enough to Alumni Center, 200 Oak St. SE, Suite determine what we think as a society and where we’ll go next. But it only works if we all 200, Minneapolis, MN 55455-2040. show up, away from the shouting, to cast our ballots. —Jennifer Vogel Jennifer Vogel (B.A. ’92) can be reached at [email protected]. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Send letters and comments to [email protected] Sher Stoneman 4 MINNESOTA ALUMNI Fall 2018 II LETTERS .1 It’s great to have“ a large scale and part of something larger and grander.