Celebration is the theme of Wayne State University's 85th annual dance concert, which opened Thursday and runs for one more performance at 7:30 p.m. tonight, letting choreographers and performers showcase their drive, focus and hard work to audiences. The Spring Dance Concert features faculty, guest artists and student choreographers working with the three dance companies on campus. Performances are at the Bonstelle Theatre.

Wayne State University Law School Assistant Professor Kirsten Carlson has been awarded a $250,000 grant for the university from the National Science Foundation. Carlson will use the grant to conduct a two-year research project - "Legal Mobilization, Rights Claims, and Federal Indian Policy Reforms" - that aims to develop a better understanding of how, when and with what success American Indian nations use the political process to change the law. "I will also incorporate the research into several classes, which will train students about legislative advocacy. This is a great opportunity for students interested in advocacy to learn more about legal mobilization, advocacy strategies and the success and failure of advocacy strategies." The project begins officially May 1, but the professor already has developed a legislative database of all identifiable bills related to Indians that were introduced and/or enacted by Congress between 1975 and 2011 - a dataset of 6,968 bills. Wayne Law Dean Jocelyn Benson noted that National Science Foundation grants are prestigious and that Carlson secured the grant on her first application, something that isn't common. "We congratulate Kirsten on being awarded the grant and on her important work in this study to provide more information about how American Indian nations are affected by the law-making process," Benson said.

During an interview on WJR's Paul W. Smith Show, Sandy Baruah, president and CEO of the Detroit Chamber, talked about today's Detroit Policy Conference hosted at the Motor City Casino Hotel. He mentioned that Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson will be a keynote speaker at the event calling him "one of the great imports to Detroit." President Wilson's address was scheduled at 9:30 a.m. this morning. The Detroit Policy Conference brings together key business, community and political leaders to inspire innovative solutions and urban revitalization. Mlive is presenting a live blog of the conference.

During Detroit mayor Mike Duggan's State of the City Address, he noted a worldwide breakthrough three years ago when Dr. Sonia S. Hassan, director of advanced obstetrical care and research with the Perinatology Research Branch, found that vaginal progesterone can significantly reduce the risk of early labor in women diagnosed with short cervixes. "Babies who are born prematurely, earlier than 32 weeks, have a much higher risk of having learning disabilities, having trouble in math and reading, having physical development issues…In the city of Detroit one in six of our babies are now born prematurely, 50 percent higher than the rate of the community around us." Duggan said this spring, Hassan, along with the public health director and partners at the Detroit Medical Center, St. John's and Henry Ford are going to roll out a new initiative called "Make Your Day." The program will reach out to the doctors, the hospitals, and to the pregnant mothers bringing the latest medical procedures. WDET features the complete address.

In his effort to keep Detroit on a fast track to end its historic bankruptcy, the city's emergency manager has put together a plan to encourage key creditors to accept cuts he laid out in federal court filings last week, or else face even deeper losses if they do not cooperate. Kevyn Orr has every incentive to keep the parties in line. If he wins broad agreement with creditors, the city will gain access to some $815 million pledged by foundations and others to ease the bankruptcy blow on city retirees. Even so, his plan for dealing with Detroit's $18 billion of debt may drive a wedge between city workers and retirees and their unions and pension funds. "It remains to be seen if the pensioners are willing to give up $815 million by rejecting this plan to pursue litigation which is not likely to succeed," said Laura Bartell, a law professor at Wayne State University. "That is a very high-risk strategy." Besides, Bartell noted, the loss of the pledged money would force Detroit to propose a new plan that is "far less favorable to the pensioners," and one that Judge Steven Rhodes is apt to approve.

Canton Township will soon become home to a $148 million Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation Institute, President Obama said in an announcement from the White House Tuesday afternoon. The institute is expected to open this spring; one source said a building has been identified in Canton Township to locate the institute, but that a lease has not been signed. The goal of the research institute is to take the innovations made in laboratories with lightweight metals and use them commercially in automobiles, aircraft and other industries. The long-term goal of the institute is to expand the market and create new consumers for lightweight metals and alloys, according to the White House. EWI led a consortium of 60 universities, businesses and organizations, including Wayne State University. Jeff Mason, executive director of the University Research Corridor, said the institute will be a tremendous opportunity in the areas of new materials and lightweight metals, which will be essential to meet the coming federal fuel economy standards. "It's all about powertrain and materials and taking weight out of the vehicles," Mason said. The institute will receive $70 million in federal funds over the next five years. The members of the consortium will contribute an additional $78 million and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. will contribute $10 million.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine is accepting applications for its new master of public health in biostatistics concentration, with classes beginning in fall 2014. The program appeals to students interested in using math to have real world impact in health-related areas. Mathematics, engineering, computer science, physics and biology undergraduates and other students should consider this new program, said Victoria Neale, PhD, MPH, professor and vice chair of public health sciences in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences. "With the high volume of cutting edge research currently underway at WSU and other major academic medical centers, there is a growing need for biostatistical support. This is a high-growth profession, and biostatisticians are in high demand," she said.

More than $26.5 million in renovations are underway at Wayne State University's Student Center. The two-phase project, slated to conclude in July 2015, will feature a number of improvements including a new food court and additional dining venues, new student organization and leadership collaboration spaces, modern meeting and conference facilities, banquet upgrades in the form of a new grand ballroom and two additional Hilberry suites, and new gaming and student recreation destinations. The Student Center will be expanded through the conversion of the exterior colonnade on Gullen Mall to interior space and will feature prominent new entrances, a new atrium addition across from the Undergraduate Library and a sunken garden that will bring daylight to the ground level. "More students are living on campus and in Midtown than ever," said Tim Michael, associate vice president for Business and Auxiliary Operations and chief housing officer. "When completed, our new Student Center will be the crossroads of the campus that the entire campus community needs and deserves."

Peter Hammer, professor of law and director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, was a guest on "Spotlight on the News" with host Chuck Stokes. Hammer talked about Detroit's blueprint for the future as it moves through and exits bankruptcy.

A study in Michigan puts a real value on how public rest areas affect highway safety and reduce fatigue-related crashes. The results may seem obvious to truckers who use rest areas to comply with hours-of-service regulations, but the study breaks ground by putting real numbers to questions about crashes, economic impact and public value. The Michigan Department of Transportation commissioned Wayne State University to do the study and present findings to the Transportation Research Board. Wayne State researchers analyzed specific crash reports marked by law enforcement as "fatigue-related" within 20 miles of more than two-dozen rural rest areas along interstates and two-lane highways. Associate Professor Peter Savolainen of Wayne State's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering says researchers were surprised at the consistency they found. "What we attempted to do was examine how crash trends change with respect to where rest areas are located," Savolainen said. "Crash risk tended to be lowest right near the rest area, and it tended to be highest as you got 20 miles away from it in either direction."

A Michigan-based consortium of businesses, universities and other organizations has won a $140-million competition to become one of the first three manufacturing innovation institutes in the nation, the White House announced Saturday. The federal government will invest $70 million in the U.S. Department of Defense-led Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation Institute to be headquartered in Canton, with at least another $70 million in matching money to come from private or other public sources. It wasn't known when the institute would begin work or how large its presence would be in southeastern Michigan, with many of the consortium's members at facilities around the country. President Barack Obama is expected to formally unveil the award of the Michigan institute - along with another to be based in Chicago, which will concentrate on digital manufacturing and design technologies - during an event in Washington on Tuesday. The Canton-based consortium - called LM3I for short - brings together makers of aluminum, titanium and high-strength steel with universities and labs doing research on new technology. It includes 60 members including Wayne State University, Michigan State University, Michigan Tech, the University of Michigan, ALCOA, Boeing, General Electric, Honda North America and Lockheed Martin.

Debbie Dingell, a Democratic power broker and chairwoman of the Wayne State University Board of Governors, is expected to run for Michigan's 12th Congressional District, now that her husband, U.S. Rep. John Dingell, announced his retirement Monday, political experts said. Debbie Dingell, one of Michigan's longtime representatives on the Democratic National Committee and a former president of the General Motors Foundation, decided in April not to run for the U.S. Senate to replace the retiring Carl Levin, D-Detroit, saying she wanted to avoid a costly primary with U.S. Rep. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township.

According to the Kyiv (Kiev) Post, at least 68 people have been killed since Feb. 18 in clashes. Wayne State University PhD candidate and Kiev national Andrey Kashlev shared his perspective on the events unfolding. Aaron Retish, a professor of history at Wayne State and expert in the Russian region, joined the panel with Kevin Deegan-Krause, an associate professor of political science at WSU and expert in Ukrainian politics.

Carrie Lohr redesigned the Wayne State women's basketball team three seasons ago. "We want to win a national championship," Lohr said earlier this week inside a conference room at the Matthaei Center on the Wayne State campus. The program is humming along but the Warriors, ranked No. 21 in the latest Division II rankings, have unfinished business. She took over a program after the 2010-2011 season that endured seven losing seasons in the last eight. The Warriors were 78-137 overall and 55-93 in the GLIAC. Wayne State (19-5 overall, 16-4 GLIAC) remains on the cusp to record back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. The Warriors are 41-14 the last two seasons and 33-9 in the GLIAC. Their next home game is 1 p.m. Saturday against Grand Valley State (13-11, 11-9) at the Matthaei Center, where they can clinch at least a share of the North Division title with a victory. "We often talk about the opportunities we have here," Lohr said. "This is an untapped program and the sky is the limit. It is about finding players that are excited about watching the program grow."

It's been exactly two weeks since college football teams signed their future players. That includes Wayne State University which had signed its full allotment of scholarships. However, My TV20 reporter Dave Leval shows us why the Warriors have one extra special player on their roster tonight. As part of the Teen Impact Charity Program, which partners sports teams with children facing life-threatening illnesses, Warrior's Head Football Coach Paul Winters and the full team greeted 13-year-old Andre Russaw and invited him to sign his national letter of intent for the class of 2019. Russaw suffers from kidney disease, and this memorable event fulfilled his dreams of joining a football squad. Jon Robinson, Warriors assistant coach, said this is a good time for the team to serve as father figures and big brothers to Russaw.

This week the United States entered into a "unique cooperative effort" with China to reduce carbon emissions as a means to combat climate change. Concerns over protecting the environment and combating climate change have generally been considered Democratic issues, but now some Republicans in Michigan say the issue should be depoliticized. And they say there should be a focus on energy solutions. Nick Schroeck, executive director of Wayne State's Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, joined Craig Fahle and a panel of experts to discuss the topic.

Detroit's creditors and residents this week are expected to get their first official glimpse of the road out of bankruptcy, although fights and tinkering over many of its most contentious elements likely will continue. As early as Wednesday, state-appointed emergency manager Kevyn Orr could file to the bankruptcy court his proposal for restructuring the city's debt. The so-called plan of adjustment, due by March 1, is a blueprint of sorts for Detroit, which is undergoing the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. "The numbers may change dramatically after this plan is filed," said Wayne State University law professor Laura Bartell. "... They'll keep amending it until they feel they've reached what they need." Bartell said the goal is to obtain "the maximum amount of affirmative votes from the creditors." Ideally, you get every creditor group to approve the plan, but if that fails the judge has to implement "a cram-down," or a plan that's not agreed upon by all parties, she said. "A cram-down is not difficult in a Chapter 9, but I'm sure the judge would much prefer this be a consensual plan," she said.

As a physics professor at Wayne State University, Talbert Stein had no time for fiddling around. When he retired 10 years ago, the Huntington Woods resident found he could pursue the things he always wanted to do. Stein, 73, picked up the fiddle after setting it aside for 45 years and rediscovered his passion for music. He recently won a composing music contest sponsored by Fiddler magazine. Not bad for a former professor who took up playing the fiddle again after retiring. "When I entered college to study physics, I put the violin aside," Stein said. "I played since I was 8 years old through Detroit Public Schools and Detroit Cass Tech. I always had a love for music."

Dr. Sonia Hassan, associate dean for maternal, perinatal and child health care at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, is selected among Crain's "Health Care Heroes 2014" as the winner of Advancements in Health Care. Hassan made it her mission to help combat the staggering premature birth rates that affect not only those in Michigan, but everywhere. It's the reason she took the reins as the lead author of a worldwide clinical study on a new method for preventing premature birth and the problems and costs that can follow. Her study showed that the preterm delivery rate can be reduced among at-risk women (those with a short cervix) by 45 percent with the self-application, once-daily dose of a natural gel called progesterone from mid-trimester until term. The treatment is expected to result in 30,000 fewer preterm births per year and save $500 million in U.S. health care costs. The Michigan Department of Community Health in August 2012 deployed a plan based on her study. "I was lucky to have the opportunity to help others clinically with patient care," Hassan said. "But now I consider myself even luckier to have the chance to change the practice of medicine with interventions that can reduce the rate of preterm birth. It is critical to implement this research."

Anthony Holt, Wayne State University chief of police, comments during a report on community policing in the Midtown Detroit area and safety measures employed by the university's police department. On Wayne State's campus, more than 800 high definition cameras are always rolling. Some cameras are hidden, and others can be easily spotted. Officers monitor activities on campus, which helps solve crimes. Holt says the area in and around campus is setting a new trend noting that crime has dropped 45 percent since 2008. In addition, Wayne State's police officers usually respond to calls within 90 seconds.