University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
AC-7: Incentives for Developing Courses

IonE Mini Grants are intended to spur new collaborative efforts by providing small amounts of funding, administrative and logistical support and space to interdisciplinary groups of faculty, staff and students from across the University system. Valentine Cadieux, College of Liberal Arts Cadieux will create a platform for building continuity and capacity around publicly engaged teaching and research on food and society at the University. Matteo Convertino, School of Public Health Convertino will identify common epidemiological, social and environmental processes that are physically and functionally responsible for the occurrence of communicable and non-communicable syndemics in socio-ecological systems. Tian He, College of Science and Engineering He will conduct environmental crowd-sensing data in a Chinese metropolitan area, collected for environmental application from roving taxicabs. Kathryn A. Milun, College of Sociology and Anthropology, UMD Milun will develop a business plan and demonstration project to take advantage of a new Minnesota law that enables communities to purchase solar power from solar arrays owned by investors or co-ops. Robert W. Sterner, College of Biological Sciences Sterner will develop the first community-level anaerobic digestion system in the country for use in converting organic solid waste to heat, electricity and compost in a St. Louis Park neighborhood.

IonE Mini Grants help spur new collaborations by providing small amounts of funding (from $500 to $3,000, with average grants of $1,500), administrative support (including organizing and staffing meetings) and space (for meetings, small conferences, new courses, reading groups, etc.) to interdisciplinary groups of faculty, staff and students from across the University of Minnesota system. The grants are meant to encourage collaboration across disciplines, units and campuses.