AFTER CLOSURE, PERKINS PATRONS REMINISCE P 2 WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019
SUMMER EDITION
THE LAST PERKINS IN MINNEAPOLIS CLOSED IN JULY
MNDAILY.COM
ADMINISTRATION
Medical School position to bring more inclusivity
RESEARCH
In 2024, the University of Minnesota will help NASA send the first radio telescope to the moon.
The school is conducting a search for its first vice dean of diversity and inclusion. BY FARRAH MINA fmina@mndaily.com
Infinity & beyond
In an effort to advance diversity, the University of Minnesota Medical School announced it will be creating a new administrative position for equity and inclusion. Following the announcement earlier this month, the Medical School is conducting a national search for the position of vice dean of equity and inclusion, which is co-chaired by Michael Goh, vice president of equity and diversity, and Anne Joseph, Wexler professor of medicine and vice chair of the Office of Faculty Affairs and Diversity in the Department of Medicine. Goh and Joseph are currently seeking nominations for search committee members who will “represent the breadth and diversity of constituents and stakeholders inside the medical school and the broader university community,” Joseph said in an email. They aim to have the new vice dean position filled by spring 2020. Many medical schools across the nation struggle to create a diverse student body, and the University’s Medical School is no exception. In the fall of 2018, about 80 percent of students in the school identified as white or unknown, according to data from u See MEDICAL SCHOOL Page 3
A UMN researcher is taking part in a project that will place a radio telescope on the moon. BY KATRINA PROSS kpross@mndaily.com
The University of Minnesota is taking part in a NASA-funded project to prepare for the next moon landing in 2024. The project will place the first radio telescope on the moon, which will allow researchers to learn more about the moon’s environment and conditions. The unmanned radio telescope will be on the near side of the moon, which is the side closest to Earth, but researchers said they hope to one day put a telescope on the far side
STUDENT GROUPS which would allow them to explore how some stars and galaxies began. “It’s been a long-time fantasy to put a radio telescope on the moon, especially on the far side where there is no radio interference from Earth,” said Keith Goetz, a University physics professor leading the project. The project, which was announced earlier this month, is a collaboration between several universities, including the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Minnesota. The researchers said they hope to send their technology to the moon in about two years to prepare and conduct research before humans travel there again.
A&E
Local artists drive the 25th ArtCar and ArtBike Parade u See Page 5
COURTNEY DEUTZ, DAILY
Decorated bikes lead the Minnesota ArtCar and ArtBike Parade on Saturday, July 27 at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis.
u See MOON Page 3
After president’s death, group raises funds for water well The student group launched the campaign to honor Zahra Mohamed, who died in January. BY FARRAH MINA fmina@mndaily.com
To honor the late president of Students Devoted to Marginalized Communities, the University of Minnesota student group launched a fundraising campaign earlier this month to build a water well in Somalia in Zahra Mohamed’s name. Mohamed, who died in January after being struck by a car, founded the student group in the fall of 2018. Her passion for community service and development propelled her to create the student group with a mission to serve minority communities. “Since Zahra was passionate about development, especially in East Africa ... we all thought that a well was the best way to honor her,” said Hibo Wehelie, a friend of Mohamed’s and an SDMC board member. SDMC plans to host a basketball tournament to raise funds to contribute to the building of the well, Wehelie said. It is also taking individual contributions online via a donation link, which is shared on SDMC’s social media platforms. The group hopes to raise the $3,000 necessary for the well. In order to build the well, the student group is working with the American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa, an organization Mohamed was volunteering with. The construction of the well will also correspond to a concept in Islam called sadaqah jariyah, or ongoing charity, which is believed to benefit the deceased after death According to her younger sister, Aliya u See FUNDRAISING Page 8
NEIGHBORHOODS
Local leaders say proposed African market could invigorate Cedar-Riverside Despite backlash, some say the market will curb gentrification and mitigate crime in the area. BY J.D. DUGGAN jduggan@mndaily.com
Despite concerns from some members of the Cedar-Riverside business community, city officials insist a proposed African market will vitalize the neighborhood, following the lead of other Minneapolis public markets. Ward 6 City Council member Abdi Warsame and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced a proposed Cedar-Riverside public market last month. Warsame disputes fears of gentrification and increased crime, which some in the business community have recently raised. The request for proposal, one of the first steps in the city’s development process, will be issued in August. Warsame said he hopes to get ahead of the inevitable further development of Cedar-Riverside.
“The idea is to prevent gentrification and also use the culture of the neighborhood. And use it as an advantage to the community,” Warsame said. “I think it’s very important to be intentional about how you develop things.” The public market is part of a larger vision to turn the area around the namesake crossroads of Cedar and Riverside Avenues into an “Africa Village,” branding the region as a cultural destination, Warsame said. Backed by public marketplace research, he said the market will support neighboring businesses and new entrepreneurs. The vision includes a small business incubator, a commercial kitchen where vendors can rent space, a farmers market and, if housing is part of finalized design, affordable living units. “The businesses will be led by the community; ... the face of the businesses will be African people that live in this area,” Warsame said. Some members of the business community said there was a lack of engagement u See MARKET Page 3
CHRIS MCNAMARA, DAILY
Parking lot A in Cedar Riverside as seen on Thursday, July 25. The lot stands to be renovated for commercial development under Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
VOLUME 119 ISSUE 67