HIGHER EDUCATION NOTES: Dullum to speak at UMC ... NCTC gets grant ... Two honored as Fellows ... more

Dullum to address UMC convocation

Grand Forks news anchor Terry Dullum will be the keynote speaker for the University of Minnesota-Crookston's annual event to recognize student academic and athletic achievements.

Dullum, a reporter and anchor with more than 30 years at WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks, will address the university's spring convocation at noon March 3 in Kiehle Auditorium. The public is invited to attend the special recognition.

UMC's spring convocation is a tradition dating back to the founding of the Crookston campus. During the event, Chancellor Charles Casey will present plaques to students who achieved a 4.0 grade point average.

Dullum was invited to be the convocation's keynote speaker by the Crookston Student Association, the student governing body at UMC. Student association president Shawn Friedland will serve as the event's emcee.

NCTC receives $150,000 grant

Northland Community and Technical College has received a $150,000 grant for health care simulation training.

The grant, which comes from the Otto Bremer Foundation, will be used by NCTC to purchase equipment and a high-quality mannequin, a life-sized anatomical human model for education and training.

The mannequin will be used initially by paramedic, nursing and respiratory therapy students. but its use will be expanded to other disciplines.

The college has more than 2,000 students enrolled in nursing and health programs.

The St. Paul-based Otto Bremer Foundation awards grants for community improvement in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Johnson, Lefevre named Fellows

UND professor Russell Lefevre and Phyllis Johnson, the university's vice president for research and economic development, were honored Feb. 12 as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The organization's council voted in December to elect 503 members, who were recognized last weekend for their contributions to science and technology at the AAAS annual meeting.

Lefevre and Johnson are among the seven people in the North Dakota University System who have received this honor.

Lefevre, a Grafton, N.D., native and UND graduate, is an adjunct professor of physics and electrical engineering with the university. He was awarded UND's honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 2007.

Johnson, also a Grafton native who earned degrees from UND, was named vice president for research and economic development in mid-2009. She previously served as director of the Beltsville Area for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service.

TRIO honors students, alumni

Students and alumni of UND's TRIO programs were recognized at a Feb. 10 luncheon celebrating National TRIO Day.

Federal TRIO programs, which have assisted more than 2 million students since 1965, are outreach and student services programs meant to support individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who are getting a college education.

Several students and alumni of UND's TRIO programs were awarded at the luncheon.

Paul Johnson received the Outstanding TRIO/Student Support Services Award; Kathy Langowski received the Outstanding UND TRIO Alumni Award; and Mark Thompson, director of career services at UND, was given the Friend of TRIO Award.

UND student wins scholarship

A UND student is one of 20 college students across the country who will receive $2,500 to put toward their tuition.

Kyle Alexander Ricco was one of the national winners in technology and payment services company Higher One's annual "One Scholarship" competition, which had more than 400 applicants competing for a total of $50,000 in scholarships.

Scholarship candidates were asked to consider how they have overcome obstacles to achieve educational success and live Higher One's philosophy of "there is a way." Applicants submitted short videos, which were evaluated based on creativity, originality, quality and impact of the student's story.

UND announces robotics awards

A team from Bismarck's Miller Elementary School took the top honors at the sixth annual Lego robotics tournament on the UND campus earlier this month.

The FIRST Lego League competition brought 30 teams of North Dakota and Minnesota students ages 9 to 14 to the UND campus.

The winning Bismarck team, called the ECMgineers, now is qualified to compete at the national tournament in St. Louis this April.

During this year's competition, student teams explored the world of biomedical engineering to discover ways to repair injuries, overcome genetic predispositions and maximize the body's potential.

UND faculty, community leaders and engineering students assisted the competitors and served as judges and referees. Here are the first-place award winners:

- Champion: ECMgineers, Miller Elementary School.

- Robot performance: Super Simle Sliders, Simle Elementary School, Bismarck.

- Robot design: Brilliant Bricks, Tri-County Public School, Karlstad, Minn.

- Project presentation: Crusaders, REACH Robotics, Moorhead.

- Teamwork: B Cubed/Bio Bot Babe, Hankinson Area Kids, Hankinson, N.D.

- Team spirit: Lego Geeks, Precepts Co-op, Grand Forks.

- Outstanding volunteer: Jesse Sorum, UND electrical engineering student.

- Adult coach/mentor: Kristi Jean, B Cubed/Bio Bot Babes, Hankinson.

n Young adult mentor: Paul Nordvik, Lego Geeks, UND mechanical engineering student.

- Judges award: Chronic Fusion, Cheney Middle School, West Fargo.

n Rising star award: Adams Edmore, Adams Edmore High School, Edmore, N.D.

UMC students win Ag Arama honors

The University of Minnesota-Crookston held its 36th annual Ag Arama last month, an event that included student contests in agronomy, animal science, horticulture and natural resources.

Here are the first-place winning UMC students who competed in novice and experienced divisions:

Ashley Wright (Western horse novice); Casey Arndt (Western horse experienced); Denise Thompson (English horse novice); Elsa Lunden (English horse experienced); Megan Ramsey (sheep novice); Kelsey Folkert (sheep experienced); Kayla Erickson (swine novice); Mark Mitteness (swine experienced); Laura Wilson (beef novice); Mike Johnson (beef experienced); Kimberly Nelson (dairy novice); Matthew Green (dairy experienced); Philip Piko (ag industry show contest); Samantha Lahman (lamb lead contest); Jon Borge (crops and agronomy sweepstakes); Kelsey Folkert (animal science sweepstakes and round robin contest); and Isaiah Ulmer (alumni animal science round robin).