Michigan's high school juniors will be required to take the SAT college assessment exam instead of the ACT next spring, prompting concern from some educators about whether schools - and students - will be ready for the switch. The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals said in a statement Wednesday it's worried that the move announced by the state Department of Education raises more questions than it answers. Michigan has used the ACT as its free college assessment exam since 2007. LaJoyce Brown, interim senior director of undergraduate admissions and orientation at Wayne State University, said the switch will require some adjustments for students and universities. Wayne State hosts annual workshops to educate high school counselors, teachers and administrators about the ACT. "This will be a big transition for most students in the state of Michigan; so much effort has gone into ACT prep," Brown said. "However, I am pleased to know that the College Board will assist with this transition by providing free test prep materials for students and professional development for post-secondary enrollment professionals on using the data from the redesigned SAT that will launch in 2016." She said Wayne State already accepts SAT scores for admissions and merit scholarship purposes, for students who submit them. "This will definitely be a big year in education for the state of Michigan," she said.

Wayne State University is considering moving its business school from the Midtown campus to downtown Detroit, possibly partnering with the Ilitch organization or redevelopment impresario Dan Gilbert. The Ilitches are exploring possibilities of developing a site for WSU's School of Business Administration in the 45-block district, between Midtown and downtown, that will become their new entertainment and residential district. The Ilitch organization is seeking at least $200 million in new development in what it is calling the District Detroit. "As longtime neighbors and partners in Detroit's revitalization, we're excited to be discussing new opportunities to collaborate with Wayne State in the District Detroit," said Doug Kuiper, a spokesman for Ilitch Holdings Inc. "We have been proud to support the university over many years, as it is a very important institution in our community. We look forward to publicly sharing additional details as our conversations evolve."

One fast food meal on display at a Waterford chiropractic clinic is celebrating its two year anniversary. Two years ago Dr. Jaqueline Vaughn bought the meal and put it on the reception desk without a cover. She notes there are no bugs, "there is no smelling, no decay." Yafan Zhang, professor of food science at Wayne State University, says a preservative called calcium probinate keeps the food looking near-edible for a long time. He said the non-toxic substance is used in a range of products to keep them fresh, including bread, cakes and processed meat. The product is safe to use and eat. Although it can sometimes cause inflammation of the stomach, it is fine unless it is eaten every day.

Reflecting a sustained economic upswing, the Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) surpassed November's PMI of 56.8 to record a strong year-end finish of 64.2 for December. During the last six months the PMI has finished near or above 55. A PMI value above 50 generally suggests economic growth. "Contributing factors that lead to December's increase include a number of indices," said Timothy Butler, associate professor of supply chain management at Wayne State's School of Business, who interpreted this month's results. "Specifically, increases in the Production Index, New Orders Index, Employment Index and the Finished Goods Index lead the economic growth for the month." The positive outlook toward the economy is expected to continue as 83 percent of this month's respondents believe the economy will remain stable, while 17 percent indicated they expect Southeast Michigan economy to become more stable over the next six months.

The benefits and uses of zinc have been studied for hundreds of years because of the important role it plays in our world. The International Zinc Association describes zinc as a natural element essential to humans, animals and plants. The discovery of the essential nature of zinc to human growth has ties to Michigan, in fact, metro Detroit, where Wayne State University School of Medicine professor Ananda Prasad, M.D., Ph. D., was the first to study the idea that because "plants do not grow without sufficient zinc, perhaps people do not either."

You know how to use selfie and hashtag in your conversation. But do you know how to use caterwaul and obambulate? The Wayne State University Word Warriors wants us to start reusing some words that have been dropped from everyday language. For the seventh year in a row, the group compiled submissions from their web site at wordwarriors.wayne.edu into a list of words everyone should start using. "The English language has more words in its lexicon than any other," Jerry Herron, dean of WSU's Irvin D. Reid Honors College and a member of the website's editorial board, said. "By making use of the repertoire available to us, we expand our ability to communicate clearly and help make our world a more interesting place. Bringing these words back into everyday conversation is just another way of broadening our horizons."

In a first, researchers have documented that cold temperatures may encourage 'unhealthy' white fat to change into "healthy" brown fat. The study indicated that about 30 percent of cells that appear to be white fat can rapidly turn on the brown fat following cold stress. "Fat cells can adopt a range of metabolic phenotypes, depending on physiological conditions and location in the body," said James G. Granneman, a researcher involved in the work from the Center for Integrative Metabolic and Endocrine Research at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

Crain's Detroit Business has selected Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson as a "Newsmaker of the Year 2014." Crain's writer Tom Henderson cites some of President Wilson's accomplishments including various leadership appointments in the university's research and tech transfer operations; an 8.5 million grant from Mike and Marian Ilitch to develop innovative surgery technologies; a $25 million gift to the College of Engineering from James Anderson, and his wife, Patricia; and the announcement of a $750 million fundraising campaign in August.

Lake Superior State University recently issued its annual list of words and phrases to be banished from the English Language. They included "skill set", "swag", and "foodie". Today, Wayne State University presents its own list of words that should be brought back into our everyday conversation. Chris Williams is a Wayne State Word Warrior. He tells WDET's Pat Batcheller that as new words enter the lexicon, older ones fall out.

Brain development during pregnancy is key for future health, which is why it gets checked so thoroughly during prenatal examinations. But neuroscientists have become increasingly interested in how the activity of the brain becomes progressively integrated and synchronized during development to support human experience, something developmental neuroscientist and assistant professor at Wayne State University calls "bringing us closer to the blueprints of the brain." These "blueprints" are not easy to read, however, as they are encased within a tiny skull and float within the mother's body, protected and nurtured from the outside world, making them a difficult subject for scientific study. Thomason, a fMRI specialist, describes how it involves "more than 30 hours of work before we have the kind and quality of data that most folks using functional MRI postnatally start with". "It is a lot of extra work," she says, "but for very good reason."

Drivers over the age of 45 are significantly more likely to lose control of their cars while trying to send a text than their younger counterparts, the results of new research suggest. Scientists have warned that older drivers are up to four times more likely to swerve out of their lane while trying to send a message on their phone than drivers aged between 18 and 24 are. Indeed, 100 percent of those study participants aged from 45 to 59 swerved out of their lane when the scientists asked them to try and send a text while driving, while just 25 percent of youngsters did the same. According to the team, who are based at Wayne State University, while older drivers are generally considered to be the most competent and safest road users, when it comes to technology, they lag behind younger generations in terms of being able to use devices without thinking. "There is a perception that more-experienced drivers can text and drive more safely because they can manage distractions better than less-experienced drivers," noted Doreen Head, assistant professor of occupational therapy, at Wayne State University. "Not only are adults sending the wrong message because they are telling young people to do as they say, not as they do, but they are also putting themselves and others in harm's way."

A follow up opinion piece discusses a scientific study paid for by the Tribune that found that cameras located at major intersections throughout Chicago have reduced dangerous "T-bone" crashes by 15 percent at those locations. But it also calculated a 22 percent increase in rear-end accidents involving injuries, typically caused when a driver slams on the brakes to avoid running the red. The Tribune's researchers concluded that Chicago's red light cameras haven't reduced injury-related crashes overall. "They need to reimagine the entire program and do it well," says Joseph Hummer, chair of the civil and environmental engineering department at Wayne State University. "Do it right this time."

Sweet Lorraine's Fabulous Mac n' Cheez has been a Detroit staple for the past 30 years, and now they are getting ready to expand. Right now, they have four locations in Troy, East Lansing, Auburn Hills and in the Ren Cen in downtown Detroit. Now, they are getting ready to open a new location in Midtown, right on the campus of Wayne State University in the old Medill Bookstore location, at Cass and Warren avenues.

Imagine not being able to take a shower or wash your clothes. Imagine having to walk for miles, just to get water for yourself and your family - and not even knowing if that water is safe to drink. That's the reality for millions of people around the world, and it's the reality one local group of Wayne State University students are trying to change. Abess Makki started the group National Student Water Association after hearing relatives in west Africa describe their difficulties getting clean water. Thanks to social media, Abess' group has grown beyond just Wayne State University. Student ambassadors are now also at Michigan State, University of Michigan, Harvard and Yale. The group is trying to raise money and awareness, but ultimately they're trying to come up with some innovative solutions.

Wayne State University Law School Professor Peter Hammer was honored by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan on Monday, Dec. 15, at the organization's celebration of the Bill of Rights ratification. The celebration took place at the Swords Into Plowshares Gallery and Peace Center in Detroit. Hammer is a member of the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Michigan and director of the Detroit Equity Action Lab at the law school's Keith Center. The professor, who joined Wayne Law's faculty in 2003, has become a leading voice on the economic and social issues impacting the city of Detroit. He sits on the Population Health Council of the Detroit-Wayne County Health Authority, as well as serving on the Advisory Board of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Housing Project Partnership of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion.

Some Beech Elementary second-graders were studying character traits last week - Chinese characters, that is. As part of a lesson in Chinese, teacher Xu Sha had the kids match up cards showing Chinese characters with their pronunciation in English. It was all part of the new Confucius Classrooms in the Redford Union School District. One is located at Beech and the other at MacGowan Elementary as part of an outreach program of Wayne State University's Confucius Institute. Xu teaches English at Huazhon University of Science and Technology and is here as part of an exchange program between her university and Wayne State for this school year. Wayne State's Confucius Institute aims to further cultural understanding and to foster economic ties between China and the United States.

Michigan Radio senior political analyst Jack Lessenberry will be the guest speaker for the Temple B'Nai Israel's second event in its 2014-15 Arts & Lecture Series. Lessenberry, who is also the head of the journalism program at Wayne State University, will discuss state and national politics in a lecture titled "The Elections are Over; Detroit's Bankruptcy is Finished. What Lies Ahead?" at 4 p.m. Jan. 24 at the temple. Lessenberry, 62, has been covering politics, economics and government for nearly 40 years. He will offer a unique overview of what to expect from Lansing, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere in the year ahead.

Using an innovative technique combining genetic analysis and mathematical modeling with some basic sleuthing, researchers have identified previously undescribed microlesions in brain tissue from epileptic patients. The millimeter-sized abnormalities may explain why areas of the brain that appear normal can produce severe seizures in many children and adults with epilepsy. The findings, by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Wayne State University and Montana State University, are reported in the journal Brain. Dr. William Kupsky of Wayne State University School of Medicine is a co-author of the study.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may have provided health care insurance to an estimated 20 million Americans who lacked coverage, but it has not eased the demand on the nation's emergency departments. In fact, since the law's passage, reliance upon the nation's emergency rooms for non-emergency care has increased. That's the finding of a study published online in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine by a second-year medical student at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and his colleagues. In "Access to care issues and the role of EDs in the wake of the Affordable Care Act," lead author Alexander Janke notes that Americans who received public insurance under the Affordable Care Act now use the emergency room more frequently than before they were insured. The overwhelming reason: Many urban and rural areas of the nation lack primary health care providers, so the emergency department becomes the only source of health care. "Of course, we are not the first to highlight the significance of the general problem of lack of access to primary care," said Janke. "Part of the challenge is political: We need more resources in communities with many un- and underinsured, as in Detroit.

Allandra Bulger and Michael Forsyth both are part of the Detroit Revitalization Fellows, a two-year leadership program of Wayne State University that matches mid-career urban professionals with partner organizations in the city. Forsyth is a member of the inaugural cohort, which began in 2011. Bulger is in the second group of fellows, which began in 2013. The next cohort of urban leaders will begin its two-year fellowship period next summer. Forsyth is a partner in the Detroit City Distillery, which opened in Eastern Market at the end of this summer. Bulger is a writer, rapper, and emcee. She is part of the Detroit hip hop community and involved with an emerging group of women artists in the scene. The Detroit Revitalization Fellows matches mid-career urban leaders with organizations at the forefront of civic, community and economic development in the city and region. Revitalization Fellows work full time at these organizations for two years while engaging in intensive leadership development. This Wayne State University program aims to strengthen the city's talent pool while building the capacity of local organizations to take on innovative projects.