En Garde

The University of Minnesota Fencing Club dates back to 1904. Students are welcome to join practices four days a week in Cooke Hall. Don’t expect to become Inigo Montoya immediately. but do expect to have fun.

Ethan Rutherford's North Sun is the U

Ethan Rutherford (M.F.A. ’09) woke up on October 7 to the news his novel North Sun: Or, The Voyage of the Whaleship Esther had been nominated for a National Book Award. He didn’t win, but the nomination launched quite a voyage, which he tells us about.

What was it like hearing the news about becoming a National Book Award finalist?

It was such a lovely surprise, and the feeling of stunned happiness has yet to go away.

Which University professors had an influence on you?

I was lucky enough to have Charles Baxter, Julie Schumacher, and Maria Fitzgerald as teachers and I still dream of those classes—such a gift, to be in the classroom with these fantastic writers who taught us the art of reading and thinking and paying attention, and who urged us to take our own work seriously. Other memories that swim to the surface: meeting Matt Burgess, who is an amazing writer and has become a lifelong friend, the first day of classes. And hanging out in the tiny creative writing office with Kathleen Glasgow, who was very quiet and modest about being the best writer in the building, although that secret has been out now for a while.

What was your inspiration to write North Sun: Or, The Voyage of the Whaleship Esther?

I was shocked by the cruelty and callousness of the American whale hunt, particularly at the twilight of the industry, as ships pushed farther north into the ice, and thought perhaps that moment in history might shine a slanted light on our own methods of and attitudes toward resource extraction.

When did you decide you wanted the book to be accompanied with a playlist of original music?

I sketched the idea for North Sun while I was at the U. But I couldn’t figure out how to write it. Peter Murray is an old friend of mine and a wonderful musician. When the book was complete, I sent Peter a copy and asked if he would consider composing music in conversation with the work. And what he came up with was so beautiful. It’s a lovely suite of tunes that captures the mood and emotion of the text. The collaboration was essentially me saying: I love your work, do what you think is right. And he did. He’s incredible.

How important is music to you when you write and edit?

I don’t feel like I understand any sort of writing project until I understand how it moves on the page, and how it moves has so much to do with the music that pushes from line to line: diction, grammar, clumping, tension and release. Much of the revision process with North Sun was just reading the work aloud to make sure the pauses did their work, and the paragraphs were humming to one another. It’s hard to explain, but that’s the process for me. I think of the writing I do as music, just made by someone who is too embarrassed to sing.

You’ve said that you became a vegetarian during the research for this book. Still the case?

Yes, though I do eat shellfish now, though, honestly, likely not for much longer. It was the strangest thing. I suddenly just could not eat meat—but of course that makes sense to me now.

What are you working on now?

I’m in the early stages of another novel, which means just sitting down each day and putting one word after another and asking the work: What is it you are most interested in becoming?

Agreement With M Physicians and Fairview

Over the past three decades, the University’s partnership with M Physicians and Fairview has played a vital role in caring for Minnesotans, training much of the state’s health-care workforce, and advancing medical research. In late January, an agreement was reached that brings clarity and stability to this relationship for the next 10 years. The agreement also affirms and supports the University’s critical role in medical education, research discovery and clinical care—and is an important milestone toward forging a new path to improve the health of all Minnesotans. Learn more: mnhealthcareleader.umn.edu/mediation-updates.

Hat Trick for a Dairy-Judging Dynasty

The University of Minnesota’s dairy judging team scored its third title in a row at World Dairy Expo. The U defeated 15 other schools in the 104th National Intercollegiate Dairy Cattle Judging Contest. The U outdistanced the runner-up university, Virginia Tech, by 85 points. The U has won five of the last 10 contests and is coached by recently retired dairy genetics professor Les Hansen, along with Isaac Haagen, assistant professor of dairy cattle production and well-being, and Eric and Gabriella Houdek, who are both alums.

Chronic Wasting Disease: the Video Game

Ask Thomas Seiler why he created Cofactor, an educational video game about chronic wasting disease (CWD), and his answer is simple: “prions are endlessly fascinating.”

Will his curiosity for the infectious proteins be infectious to others? Seiler, who does outreach and communications for the University of Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach, is in the process of finding out. Cofactor is being rolled out in 25 secondary schools in Minnesota as part of a pilot program.

It took Seiler and colleague Marc Schwabenlander, a researcher at the center, 13 months to conceive and develop the interactive game. “I’ve always had an interest in using video games in pedagogy,” Seiler says.

The game can be played in a 45-minute class period. It presents players with various roles, including hunter, scientist, natural resource manager, butcher, or even a deer. “The storyline in the game changes as you take different paths,” he says. One of the scenarios asks players to identify animal lymph nodes and select among different tissue types to check for CWD.

CWD is a neurological disease in deer, elk, and moose that destroys their nervous system if they come in contact with an infected animal’s bodily fluids. Once CWD enters its host, it binds to proteins already inside the body. Seiler says understanding CWD has broad implications.

“If you cherish wildlife, or if you have concerns about water quality or sustainable food practices, CWD will impact you,” he says. “And if you’ve loved somebody with Alzheimer’s or other human-protein misfolding diseases, you’ll find it relevant.”

Seiler aims to spend 2026 perfecting the game and offering it to more schools in the fall. “We want to have an iteration to release to any Minnesota classroom that wishes to play it.”

Alums in the Minnesota Statehouse

The University of Minnesota has a proud tradition of public service. Nowhere is our impact as pronounced as in the Minnesota Legislature. Fifty-three alumni currently serve in the statehouse, or one in four legislators: 20 senators and 33 representatives. Nine alums are stepping down after this session: Sen. Jim Carlson, Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, Sen. Gary Dahms, Sen. Steve Drazkowski, Rep. Erin Koegel, Sen. Sandy Pappas, Sen. Ann Rest, Rep. Paul Torkelson, and Sen. Melissa Wiklund.

Carlson has put his engineering degree to good use as a sturdy voice for safe roads and bridges. Cwodzinski has authored legislation to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Dahms was instrumental in increasing funding for rural nursing homes. Drazkowski has been one of the strongest voices for fiscal responsibility. Koegel has passed significant transporation legislation. Pappas helped pass statewide earned sick and safe time. Rest has long been considered one of the state’s top thinkers on taxation. Torkelson passed significant highway legislation and advocated for farmers. And Wiklund helped strengthen access to health care for children.

If you liked these stories, Minnesota Alumni magazine publishes four times a year highlighting U of M alumni and University activities. Early access to stories and a print subscription are benefits of being an Alumni Association member. Join here to receive a printed copy at home.