Wayne State University is going smaller in a bigger way. The University is using a $200,000 federal grant to develop an undergraduate program in nanoengineering. The field is a branch of nanotechnology, which involves manipulating matter at the molecular level. The program aims to prepare students for work in the emerging field and meet growing demands of advanced manufacturing and high-tech industries. The program includes laboratory and research work. The money comes from the National Science Foundation. Scientists and engineers say nanoscale materials and mechanisms can be lighter and stronger than their larger counterparts. They also are being developed for uses in the military, medicine, agriculture, aeronautics and information technology.

A state election panel will have to decide who really won the Detroit mayoral primary after Wayne County election officials on Tuesday refused to certify new election results, which would have invalidated about 20,000 votes and handed the primary win to Benny Napoleon instead of Mike Duggan. The county board was debating whether to invalidate more than 20,000 write-in votes that were not recorded at polling locations using hash marks, which would cause the result of the Aug. 6 primary to be flipped - with Napoleon receiving more votes than write-in candidate Duggan. Jocelyn Benson, interim dean of Wayne State University's Law School, said there is no language in state law that requires the recording of hash marks for write-in votes to be counted. "Nothing in the law says these ballots - if properly cast - should, as a result of an error in tallying, not ultimately be counted," she said. Further, the Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that a vote for a write-in candidate should count when the voter's intent is clear. Benson said the Wayne County board is proceeding properly by handing off the issue to the state. Benson also appeared on a WXYZ-TV segment.

Wayne State University has received a $200,000 Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education Grant from the National Science Foundation to develop an undergraduate certificate program geared toward training the next generation of nanoengineers. To aid in this initiative, researchers at Wayne State University are developing an undergraduate certificate program geared toward training the next generation of nanoengineers. The grant will prepare students for flexible employment opportunities and provide them with the necessary experience in cutting-edge technologies, said Guangzhao Mao, professor of chemical engineering in Wayne State's College of Engineering. "This new certificate program will help prepare students to gain experience in the field of nanoengineering, ultimately training them on emerging technologies," Mao said. "The program will aid in meeting the growing demands of Michigan's manufacturing economy and also other high-tech industries that are settling in the state."

Kim Trent, member of Wayne State University's Board of Governors, joined a panel on a segment of "Live in the D" hosted by WDIV's Guy Gordon. The discussion touched on a number of topics including Detroit's bankruptcy filing; Wayne County jail construction project; media coverage of Detroit Tiger Prince Fielder's divorce filing; and privacy rights versus the paparazzi.

Macomb Community College has added several new technology-related programs for the 2013-14 school year. Among the programs is a new electric vehicle development technology certificate. Piloted last year, this new certificate prepares individuals for careers in the automotive sector, including development technician, electrical test technician and manufacturing technician, as well as in the communications, solar, wind turbine and smart grid industries. The certificate can be applied toward completing an associate of applied science degree in manufacturing technology at Macomb, and the associate degree transfers toward a bachelor of science in electrical transportation technology at Wayne State University.

Crain's Detroit Business reports that former Wayne State University President Jay Noren will return to the WSU School of Medicine as a professor in the fall semester. Noren, president of the university from 2008-10, is currently the provost at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi. Noren received academic tenure as a part of his contract as president, and is considered to be returning to the faculty after an unpaid leave of absence, said Debbie Dingell, chairman of the WSU board of governors. He will be teaching in the master's of public health program and will coordinate with the School of Business Administration to establish a new joint administrative medicine program that will be managed by both schools.

In the first "Great Lakes Now Connect: Beaches" segment, Donna R. Kashian, Wayne State University assistant professor of Biological Sciences, comments about the environmental hazards found in the Detroit River and other Michigan waterways. During another segment titled "Great Lakes Now Connect: Investing in Nature," Kashian discusses the contaminants found in the Great Lakes and how it affects the health of the citizens through the fish they eat. Seg. 1 (cue to 22-minute mark - located above pause button) Seg. 2 (click "Interviews")

The Los Angeles based magazine Cultural Weekly published an all-Detroit edition under a general theme of: Detroit may be bankrupt but its spirit and creativity are thriving. One of the features includes prominent Detroiters answering the question: Why does Detroit matter? "Detroit isn't a city on the verge of collapse," said Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson. "It's a city on the verge of transformation. Students who study here can take part in the reinvention of the American city. It's an unprecedented opportunity." Comments were also shared by Matt Seeger, College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts dean, and WSU Professor of Jazz Studies and Detroit Jazz Festival Creative Director, Christopher Collins.

The Wayne State University Police force is gaining a new officer: a drug-detecting K9 named Clyde. The 110-pound, 23-month-old Rottweiler is anything but a mascot. Trained to protect his handler, the new addition to the force will be used to detect drugs during traffic stops. He also will help other departments with little or no K9 staffing, WSU Police Chief Anthony Holt said: "There's a shortage of dogs in the area. This will greatly assist us ... and also we'll be able to share with other law enforcement officers in the area our use of the K9." Holt added that a dog like Clyde would typically cost the department about $15,000. Clyde is the department's second K9, with an officer already trained in explosives. The department intends to add a second explosives-trained dog using grant money by year-end, Holt said.

Wayne State University, the Ernie Harwell Estate and Ernie Harwell Foundation announced June 6 the establishment of the Harwell Field Project, an outreach effort to build a baseball stadium in recognition of Ernie and Lula "Lulu" Harwell - Ernie's wife of 62 years. The goal of the effort is a two-phase project that will see the construction of a 500-seat grandstand, press box, team clubhouse and foyer to feature, display and recognize the achievements and contributions of the Harwells, according to Wayne State University Athletic Director Rob Fournier. The groups have already begun collecting donations for the project - from private and public donors, according to Fournier, who said the project has been in the works for three years. "You look at where our stadium is located - so close to (the old Tigers Stadium) and Comerica Park - and this all makes sense," said Fournier. "Mr. Harwell was a historian of the game, so we want to bring some of that history to life."

Late last month, Wayne State University broke ground on a new Advanced Technology Education Center (ATEC) in Warren. The 40,000-square-foot facility will offer programs focused primarily on engineering, computer science, supply chain management, and advanced manufacturing complementary to industries already located in Warren. Ahmad Ezzeddine, associate vice president for educational outreach and international programs, says Wayne State also wanted the ATEC to be close to Macomb Community College to supplement the courses it offers. "We have a good partnership with them," he explains. "We plan to have joint programs so students will have a clear pathway to enroll at Wayne State. Students can be dually enrolled, working towards an undergraduate degree." Eventually, Ezzeddine says, the ATEC will have the capacity to serve about 800 students per semester.

Wayne State University's College of Nursing is listed among the top nursing schools in urban areas.

Wayne State Professor and Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering Joe Hummer, noted as one of the world's top experts on intersection innovation, was interviewed about the concept of the "super circle," which involves adding one stop light to a roundabout to control the number of vehicles entering during rush hours. Super circles are big in Australia, but Maryland and Florida are the only locales in the U.S. that have any, Hummer said. Raleigh-area planners asked Hummer to examine the idea there. "We didn't think a roundabout was possible, and now it will be," he said. "There's really lots of those (intersections) out there - one-lane streets or two-lane streets, the moderate volume." Hummer acknowledged that American drivers generally haven't adapted to roundabouts, but he said he expects that will change as more drivers get used to them.

An executive appointments brief notes that Dr. M. Roy Wilson, formerly deputy director of strategic scientific planning and program coordination for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, has been appointed President of Wayne State University.

Wayne State University Law Professor John Mogk is quoted in this Detroit News editorial about the key to Detroit's revival. Mogk said to move on from the past, the election this fall is going to be integral to the city's future. Commenting about the Detroit Future City plan, which focuses on the city's healthier neighborhoods, with the goal of more densely consolidating the population so that services can be delivered more efficiently, Mogk said it's a very reasonable plan. He said the 10 square miles of downtown and Midtown are experiencing a revival, but it's the 130 other square miles where the greatest problems exist. To attract a broader middle class, Mogk says the city must invest in city services, job growth and economic development. If successful, Detroit has the potential "to become a real leader and regain the world's respect," Mogk says. The whole world is watching Detroit, he says, to see how it grapples with the problems of urban decay.

Jeanne Theoharis, author of "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks," mentions during an appearance at the 2013 Harlem Book Fair that part of Rosa Parks papers are located at Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library. Included in the collections are some of Parks personal newspaper clippings from the 1960's and 1970's.

In late February, cash-strapped Detroit received a $1 million check from the local school system that wasn't deposited. The routine payment wound up in a city hall desk drawer, where it was found a month later. This is the way Detroit did business as it slid toward bankruptcy, which it entered July 18. The move exposed $18 billion of long-term obligations in a city plagued by unreliable buses, broken street lights and long waits for police and ambulances. Bankruptcy may pay for better services by reducing Detroit's daily costs as much as 40 percent, said John Mogk, a law professor specializing in urban policy at Wayne State University. "You're talking about $300 million or $400 million that would not go toward past obligations, but could be put into new investments or services for the city," Mogk said. "It opens up new opportunities for the city to try to improve living conditions in the city and try to stimulate economic growth."

August is National Immunization Awareness Month and physicians are traveling the state to raise awareness about troubling new numbers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that show outbreaks on the rise as childhood immunization rates in Michigan decline. "Immunizations are one of the biggest successes of modern medicine," said Dr. Gary Sarafa, associate professor of family medicine at Wayne State University and Board Member of the Oakland County Medical Society. "Groups like Rotary International have used immunizations to help eradicate polio around the world. Parents should research quality information and speak with their primary care physician about any concerns or questions they have about immunizing their children."

Three Wayne State University student ventures are one step closer to realizing their entrepreneurial goals after undergoing a rigorous mentoring program and being awarded pre-seed capital from Blackstone LaunchPad's Warrior Fund Competition. Sponsored by Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Lakeland Ventures Development, Detroit Venture Partners, Bizdom and NextEnergy, the competition is designed to prepare the students to pitch, secure and effectively use venture capital. Student ventures are awarded up to $5,000 after convincing a panel of educators, industry leaders and venture capitalists that the businesses are supported by a viable business plan.

April Vallerand, a Wayne State University professor of nursing, will be able to obtain funds to extend her three-year study on intervention for improving function of African Americans who experience cancer pain, now that she has been appointed to the first WSU College of Nursing Alumni Endowed Professorship. Her study is funded by a $1.1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, and Vallerand intends to extend the Power Over Pain project to a fourth year. "I am so honored to receive this professorship. We work to help both the patient and caregiver increase their perceived control over pain, which is key to managing both pain and being able to do the daily activities. If you know what to do to control your pain, and are confident that what you do will make a difference, you can improve how you feel and what you are able to do," Vallerand said.