University of Minnesota researchers have received a major grant that will amplify efforts to develop new treatments for complex and debilitating brain disorders.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Multi-Axial Subassemblage Testing (MAST) Lab can test how structures and building components hold up against the strain of enormous natural forces, from simulated earthquakes to tornadoes to soil pressure.

The U’s Visible Heart Laboratory features a living, beating pig heart that has been removed from its original body for researchers to better study how it functions. Brian Herman, Ph.D., the U’s vice president for research, recently visited the lab to learn more about its work.

At the U and beyond, citizen science continues to evolve to fit the new tools available to it, calling upon volunteers from across the world.