Wayne State University held a grand-opening ceremony Wednesday for its new $93 million Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio), situated on a formerly abandoned 2.7-acre block in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Mike Brinich, WSU's associate director of communications, says the facility will be the first of its size and kind, due to its holistic approach to studying and eliminating the diseases that Detroiters experience in disproportionately high numbers. At IBio, researchers will initially focus on metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and pediatric asthma.

Experts will discuss how increasing tensions between the U.S. police departments and their communities affect relationships between the police and those they serve, as part of Wayne State University's Arthur L. Johnson Urban Perspectives Lecture Series. noon-1 p.m. Oct. 26. The event will take place noon-1 p.m., Oct. 26 at the Wayne State University Law School Partrich Auditorium.

Wayne State University's new Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio) is aimed at helping fight against health disparities that many suffer from in Detroit. Obesity, cardiovascular disease and other health issues that disproportionally affect city residents will be part of the focus of researchers at the facility. The building is located on more than two acres of land on Woodward Avenue. It features more than 200 thousand square feet of lab and clinical space to help researchers and medical personnel collaborate on finding solutions. The center will work in partnership with the Henry Ford Health System.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Wayne State University officials will unveil the school's Integrative Biosciences Center Wednesday. The research facility will search for ways to eliminate health disparities in the community. Wayne State's spokesperson Mike Brinich says researchers will work toward discoveries that will have an impact on the community. "What that means is all the discoveries they are going to be working towards are going to be for the folks that are living in the community that the building is in," Brinich says. "We want to give researchers not only world class lab space, but more importantly we want to engage more broadly with the communities that we service through prevention, education and partnering." Brinich says residents can participate in the studies through the new clinical wing in the facility.

Sandeep Mittal, M.D. of West Bloomfield Township, was appointed chair of the Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery. He replaced Murali Guthikonda, M.D. The appointment was announced by Jack D. Sobel, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine. In 2006, Mittal joined the WSU Department of Neurosurgery. He is co-director of the Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Multidisciplinary Neuro-Oncology Program. Mittal is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. He received his medical and master of surgery degree from McGill University Faculty of Medicine in 1997.

Wayne State University is dedicating its new $93 million Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio) facility Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. The center is dedicated to studying and eliminating the many health disparities that plague Detroit's residents. Wayne State President M. Roy Wilson will be joined by state and local officials - including Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan - to celebrate the facility's grand opening.

Wayne State University has retired Joique Bell's No. 5 jersey. Bell -- currently a running back for the Detroit Lions -- was on hand at WSU's homecoming game Saturday for a special ceremony. Bell played for WSU from 2006 to 2009, winning the 2009 Harlon Hill Trophy for the most outstanding Division II football player. Bell ranked fourth in Division II history, finishing with 8,055 yards when he graduated. He also became the fourth player in Division II history to have two 2,000-yard rushing seasons. Bell was joined by his mother and step-father for Saturday's halftime ceremony. WSU has only retired two other football jerseys: Tom Adams' No. 29 and Ron Solack's No. 35.

Two Flint ZIP codes - 48503 and 48504 - stand out for the high levels of lead in the blood of their youngest residents. It's not clear why, but most likely, it's a combination of reasons, experts say. Lead pipes and lead solder are common in underground service lines to homes throughout the city, but residents in some neighborhoods have replaced lead pipes in their homes over the years while others have not. Additionally, water moves through the system at different rates, depending on usage and even the size of the pipes. The slower the water moves, the more time it has to pick up lead, increasing exposure. Experts say it is so toxic that no level - none - is safe in the body, especially for children under 6. Its effects last into adulthood, and - just this past week - new research by a Wayne State University researcher suggests the damage from lead exposure to an unborn child may even pass to its grandchildren decades later.

WWJ automotive reporter Jeff Gilbert talked about the fifth annual General Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition being held Oct. 8-11 at the Detroit Marriott. Top business students from around the world will be taking an in-depth look at the supply chain systems that support the automotive industry and high-tech vehicles. The program will introduce students to the issues and challenges involved in producing leading technology vehicles through a case study. They will examine topics such as component purchasing strategy, global vs. domestic sourcing and risk management.

Nearly two dozen civic, community and economic development organizations across metro Detroit will expand their capacity to address critical local and regional issues, as they welcome the 2015-17 Detroit Revitalization Fellows. The 23 fellows from Detroit, across Michigan and around the United States - chosen from more than 650 applicants - will serve two-year appointments at a range of public and nonprofit organizations focused on the revitalization of Detroit and the region. This is the third cohort of the innovative program, which began in 2011 and is a partnership between Wayne State University and a number of local and national foundations. Graig Donnelly, Detroit Revitalization Fellows director and Diana Flora, Kresge Mayor's Fellow, joined "Detroit Today" host Stephen Henderson to discuss the new class of fellows.

"Community Policing: Building Trust, Reducing Violence" will be the topic addressed by experts during the Arthur L. Johnson Urban Perspectives Lecture Series at Wayne State University, Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium from 12-1 p.m. Oct. 26. Increasing tension in the interactions between U.S. police departments and their communities are indicators that the relationships between police and those they serve - particularly those in minority communities - are in serious disrepair. Featured speakers include: Carl S. Taylor, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Sociology, senior fellow in university outreach and engagement, and extension specialist at Michigan State University, has extensive experience in field research aimed at the reduction of violence involving American youth. Through his work with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, Mark Fancher has addressed racial discrimination against public school students of color, racial profiling, attacks on the democratic rights of communities of color and abusive police practices. He has lectured across the country and written extensively on issues such as the U.S. military presence in Africa, political repression in the United States, and the land and resource rights of traditional indigenous communities.

A team of Wayne State University researchers have discovered that mothers with high levels of lead in their blood can affect the fetal cells of their unborn children and also their grandchildren. Douglas Ruden, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the lead researcher of the study, says he found that if a pregnant woman is exposed to lead, the lead passes through the placenta into the baby's bones and other organs. He says the lead can also affect the unborn child's brain, causing developmental problems. "Our results suggest that lead exposure during pregnancy affects the DNA methylation status of the fetal germ cells, which leads to altered DNA methylation in grandchildren's neonatal dried blood spots," Ruden says. He says the changes in DNA can be detected in dried blood spots beyond one generation. Ruden says the study may help to identify genes that may serve as biomarkers for future studies that look at risks for multiple generations.

A jubilant Kym Worthy, who six years ago stood alone in sounding the alarm about abandoned rape kits found in a police warehouse, wasn't alone Tuesday. She stood with nearly 100 black women who pledged to raise more than $600,000 to test kits and pay for the ensuing investigations. The coalition of women's groups, called the African American 490 Challenge, has asked sororities, nonprofits, community groups, service organizations, book clubs and any other bodies to raise money in multiples of $490 - the cost to test a single rape kit. Kim Trent, a member of the Wayne State University Board of Governors and a victim of an unreported sexual assault, said that this is just the beginning. "This is just us coming together to tell the world that the work now starts," Trent said. "We know that there is so much more that needs to be done." Trent challenged the women present and those watching to "go back to your groups. … We have so many people up here, so many different groups and efforts. Go back and humbly ask them to support us. And black men have asked, 'How come we can't be involved?' Look out, brothers. We're coming to you!"

Oakland University and Wayne State University Law School are partnering to allow law students to get their law degree a year quicker. The schools will announce the partnership today that will shorten the time needed to get a bachelor's degree and a law degree from seven years to six. The move will save students a full year of tuition - about $13,350. Under the agreements, students would start at Wayne Law during what would be their senior year at Oakland University. Students would transfer 30 credits from law school courses back to OU to meet bachelor's degree requirements. To apply, OU students must have completed a minimum of 75 credits in an approved undergraduate degree. The bachelor of integrative studies is the first program approved for the partnership. It is expected that the list of majors at OU eligible for the partnership will expand as the program moves forward. Students also must take the Law School Admission Test and meet all other Wayne Law admissions requirements. "We are thrilled to work with Oakland University to offer their students this unique opportunity," Wayne Law Dean Jocelyn Benson said in a news release announcing the move. "Being able to complete their undergraduate and legal education in a shorter time frame will allow these students to get a jump start on their careers and begin making a difference as legal professionals even sooner."

Aristophanes' classic comedy has been reimagined into "Lysistrata: A Woman's Translation" by Drue Robinson. The Bonstelle Theatre is launching their season with this translation, playing Oct. 9 through Oct. 18. "Lysistrata: A Woman's Translation" is the only modern adaption of Aristophanes' classic comedy written entirely in rhyme. Written by, directed by and starring women, the Bonstelle Theatre's production is a fast-paced celebration of womanhood. While remaining true to the themes of the original text, Robinson's look at a classic brings the exploration of rhythm and feminine wiles to a new level.

Academic institutions are increasingly finding ways to protect intellectual property and commercialize research, which may not readily appear to have a business application. They are patenting inventions and starting companies. The University Research Corridor, which boasts that it's among the nation's top academic research clusters, is an alliance of U-M, Michigan State and Wayne State. Combined, the group said, those three universities get about $2.1 billion - or about 95 percent of all the research dollars to Michigan's colleges and universities - in research dollars. In recent years, Wayne State University - which said it has been averaging about 70 innovations a year - has been trying to enhance its commercialization efforts. Last year, it increased its licensing revenue from under $500,000 to about $700,000, and expects that number to climb as it brings more of its faculty's ideas to market. "The whole premise behind academic institutions being able to commercialize technology that emanates from research is to get it out for the public benefit," said Joan Dunbar, associate vice president of technology commercialization. "Since we use a lot of federal funding, we translate the discoveries into meaningful technology. It's less about the money for us and more about making sure we have public benefit for our research enterprise." In addition the university carefully manages the process to try to prevent conflicts of interests and directing academic research, she said. "Some people say academic institutions are hard to work with," she said, noting how the safeguards the universities put in place to protect the integrity of the research can seem to be an obstacle to commercialization. "But, we have to be careful."

Most of the state's 15 public universities have amassed surveillance systems in recent years that include hundreds of cameras across campus. They're inside sporting facilities, classroom buildings and common areas of dorms. Several universities, including CMU, Eastern Michigan University and Saginaw Valley State University, report they are installing more cameras this year. Officials say the cameras help combat crime - and police can cite cases in which footage helped an investigation and led to an arrest and conviction. Campus officials say the cameras are used to keep students safe, not to spy on them. At Eastern and Western Michigan, there are 700 and 900, respectively. At Northern Michigan, 400 cameras record students and others. And at Wayne State, more than 1,000 cameras are stationed around campus.

Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson was ranked #29 in the Crain's Detroit Business "Top 100 Most Connected in Southeast Michigan." The list was released at Crain's Second Annual Detroit Homecoming, Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Working with Relationship Science L.L.C., a relationship/data-mining company based in New York, Crain's examined the most connected folks, measured by reach - number of connections, the strength of those connections and the importance of the people they're connected to.

Air Force veteran and actor Tom Skerritt is visiting Wayne State University to talk about his project to give veterans and military personnel a voice through storytelling. The university said in a news release that Skerritt, whose roles include the films "Alien," ''M.A.S.H." and "Top Gun," will give a lecture on campus Thursday afternoon. He'll talk about the Red Badge Project, which helps military personnel tell their stories. The project's website says it teaches participants about storytelling methods including poetry, song, filmography and documentary production. A military and veteran audience drawn from Wayne State's student body will attend the lecture. Veterans from the general public are also invited.

WDET's Travis Wright spoke with John Wolf, Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance chair, about the new season launching this weekend with "One Man, Two Guvnors" at the Hilberry Theatre. Wolf offered an overview of events and projects scheduled throughout the year.