Mary Kramer, Crain's Detroit Business publisher wrote about a study by Wayne State University professors Sudip Datta and Mai Iskandar-Datta regarding women in the workplace. The Dattas, a husband-and-wife couple in the School of Business Administration, conducted research of nearly 1,600 CFOs in U.S. publicly traded companies between 1994 and 2007. Collecting information on education and controlling for that and industry and company performance variables, they found CFOs -- men and women -- were hired at comparable salaries. But within five years, there was a 5 percent compensation gap. Why? Two factors, said Sudip Datta. "They take women for granted." Women were viewed as less likely to jump ship and move to other opportunities, probably for family reasons. Second, women were less likely than men to negotiate better compensation packages over the years. Their study, with co-author Abhijit Guha, was published in the May issue of the Harvard Business Review.

Angelina Jolie says she had a double mastectomy this year, after learning that she had a high genetic risk of breast cancer. The actress says her doctor told her she had an 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer, and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, because she carries the BRCA-1 gene. Dr. Shelly Seward is a gynecologic oncologist at Wayne State's School of Medicine. She told WDET's Pat Batcheller the gene is rare, but a woman who has it does have a higher risk of cancer.

The Third Annual International Children's Festival activities will take place at Wayne State University from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 19, with participation from about 20 groups from various countries/cultures. In line with the highly successful inaugurating event of last year, the goals of this year's event, organized by Turkish-American Society of Michigan (TASM), Niagara Foundation and Balkan American Community Center (BACC), include fostering communal exchange, promoting cultural understanding among Michiganders with diverse backgrounds, particularly children, promoting peace and fellowship, and contributing to the vibrancy of the city of Detroit.

In a feature piece about career aspirations for college students, two Wayne State students expressed their goals. Musamma Chowdhury: "I am extremely passionate about education and becoming a Pharmacist. Since the Pharmacy program is seven years long, in four years I hope to see myself as a responsible college student at Wayne State University who is working toward her Pharmacy degree. I am excited to spend the next few years at Wayne State University learning and mastering toward my degree." Rahima Uddin: "In four years, I see myself as a happy, successful and independent woman. I will continue my study at Wayne State University; I am determined to excel in the medical field and pursue my dream of becoming a dentist."

In the future, when machines run our lives, we'll need a way to keep tabs on all those helper bots. Two Wayne State University researchers have come up with a solution. In a paper titled "LOBOT: Low-Cost, Self-Contained Localization of Small-Sized Ground Robotic Vehicles," computer scientists Guoxing Zhan and Weisong Shi lay out a technique for ground robots to share location information. First, a robot minion has to figure out where it is. To accomplish this, the LOBOT system uses a GPS receiver, a 3-axis accelerometer, a magnetic field sensor, and multiple motor rotation sensors. Because the GPS sensor is extremely energy-intensive, it only infrequently checks the absolute position of the machine. The magnetic field sensors, accelerometer, and motor rotation sensors keep the location information up-to-date by helping to calculate the robot's change in position relative to its previously determined GPS location. Together, these processes give a good approximation of the robot's absolute location.

Wayne State University has received a gift of $4.4 million from the Evangeline L. Dumesnil Trust to provide scholarships for music students. "I am excited and grateful that the Evangeline L. Dumesnil Scholarship will become an enduring source of support and recognition for our outstanding music students," said Matthew Seeger, dean of the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. "Our music students have committed themselves to developing and sharing their talent and creativity, and the Dumesnil Scholarship will help ensure their education is not a financial burden." For 22 years, the Evangeline L. Dumesnil Trust has awarded scholarships to Wayne State students with outstanding musical talent and academic excellence. Nearly 350 students have been recognized as Dumesnil Scholars, and the scholarship has provided more than $1.7 million in tuition support.

Underrepresented minorities comprise approximately 30 percent of the United States population, but only 10 percent are college educated in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Native Americans and Aboriginal Canadians are the least represented minority group in higher education and are poorly represented in STEM fields at all levels. A Wayne State University study recently funded by the American Association for the Advancement of Science aims to change these statistics. According to Maria Pontes Ferreira, assistant professor of Nutrition and Food Science in Wayne State's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the study, targeting underrepresented minorities will help increase trainee numbers in STEM programs and change the face of STEM. While attracting and retaining Native Americans has remained elusive due to a perceived lack of cultural relevance and/or support for STEM, Ferreira believes there is a way to break down this barrier. "Native youth are taught to respect elders, and many elders are 'keepers of traditional knowledge' which interfaces with science," said Ferreira. "Linking elders to postsecondary STEM education for Natives will improve perceptions of STEM as culturally relevant and culturally supportive of Natives, and impact Native student interest, pursuit and endurance in STEM careers."

A "Discover Good Food" segment explores the campus food evolution occurring at various eateries in and around Wayne State University's residence halls. Susan Schmidt, general manager of AVI food systems, talked with host Steve Stewart about the various menu items and food services offered on campus.

A Wayne State University researcher understands that the three most important things about real estate also apply to small ground robotic vehicles: location, location, location. In a paper recently published in IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, Weisong Shi, associate professor of computer science in the College of Engineering, describes his development of a technique called LOBOT that provides accurate, real-time, 3D positions in both indoor and outdoor environments. The project was supported in part by the Wayne State Career Development Chair award, which gives Shi an opportunity to explore other areas after receiving tenure at WSU. Scientists believe small ground robotic vehicles have great potential for use in situations that are either uncomfortable or too tedious for humans. "Our goal has been to solve a problem by building a robot that leverages a number of existing technologies that can be used to address the problem of location, which is the key to many possible applications" Shi says. "Because of the increasing number of things robots will be needed to do in the next five to 10 years, it is very important to develop a cheaper, low-powered approach that can address that problem as accurately as possible."

A request for proposals is currently open through the end of the month for development plans for a mixed-use project on Canfield between Cass and Woodward. The RFP was issued by Wayne State University, which owns the land and is considering this site as phase two of its South University Village District (phase one was the Studio One apartments development with ground-floor retail, named "Development of the Year" for 2008 by Crain's Detroit Business). "We want to add density and vibrancy to the neighborhood," says Ned Staebler, vice president for economic development at Wayne State University. "Cass and Canfield is the epicenter of the residential community blooming in Midtown." With all of the retail stores, galleries and restaurants recently opened and scheduled to open in the immediate vicinity, Staebler says that this area is the right scale for walkability. "The next logical step is to add more to it." While an open RFP seems like a non-traditional approach to such a potentially major development, Staebler believes it encourages more creativity. "We have done the RFP process in the past. For something like this where it's going to be very visible and it's purely for university use we think we'll get a better result if we open it up and let a lot of visions come forward from the private sector."

Detroit's population has fallen to 700,000 - less than half of what it was in the 1950s. The glut of foreclosures and vacant lots has sapped the tax base, and the official unemployment rate of 10.2 percent masks a deeper long-term job crisis. "Detroit is on the rebound downtown," says John Mogk who teaches law and urban policy at Wayne State University. "And it is reinventing itself downtown. And that's filtering out to some of the neighborhoods that are immediately adjacent to downtown. But that represents a very small part, in the case of Detroit, of a very large geographic area." He says development can only happen on a large scale if the city can clear out big parcels of land for rebuilding. "…We need some large, existing corporations to come in and be willing to locate new facilities in the city, because there is just so much land area that needs to be returned to productive use," he says.

Fifteen students will get hands-on experience with the practice of public interest law this summer, with the support of the 2013 Public Interest Law Fellowships (PILF). Wayne State University Law School created the fellowships in 2009 to help students gain experience before graduation, and to help the nonprofit and government organizations where the students lend their efforts. PILF funds will be distributed as stipends to help students with their summer living expenses. Assistant Professor Brandon Hofmeister directs the PILF program, which offers crucial work experience and networking opportunities for law students, as well as serving public interest, he said. "Wayne State University Law School is a public, urban law school and is committed to broadly serving the public interest," Hofmeister said. "The PILF program helps our outstanding students to give voice and legal expertise to people and causes that are often underserved by the legal community."

Those who suffer from allergies may be in for some problems in Metro Detroit, experts say, as warmer temperatures have lengthened the allergy season. With the spring weather starting in March instead of April and running through October, the pollen from trees and grass is giving kids and adults problems and sending many of them to doctor's offices. "It seems to be starting earlier," said Dr. Adam Folbe, an assistant professor for the department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Wayne State University School of Medicine, who treats ear, nose and throat issues. "For the people who you traditionally think of with allergies to trees, grass and flowers, it's usually early spring and it goes through until September or October until that first frost." Folbe said his patient count is slightly higher this spring.

Channel 7's Chuck Stokes featured "Spotlight on the News" discussion on Blackstone Launch Pad. Funded by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, the Blackstone LaunchPad opened in September 2010 offering career guidance, resources, and advice to entrepreneurs, innovators, and inventors at Wayne State University. William H. Volz, executive director of BLP@WSU and professor of business law and ethics, was one of the featured guests.

Sixto Rodriguez flew under the radar when he received a philosophy degree from Wayne State University in 1981, but now the folk singer, songwriter and subject of last year's Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man is quite a bit more famous. The Detroit college honored Rodriguez, a city native, with a Doctor of Humane Letters, according to The Associated Press. Wayne State celebrated Rodriguez for his "musical genius and commitment to social justice" during its commencement ceremonies at Ford Field.

Wayne State University senior Eric Johnson has earned the 2013 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Men's Golf "Athlete of the Year" award. Johnson posted the lowest stroke average among the GLIAC's men's golfers this season. Wayne State University rookie Alex LeSerra was named the conference's "Freshman of the Year" while Wayne State University head coach Mike Horn was tabbed as the GLIAC "Coach of the Year". Horn collected his fourth GLIAC "Coach of the Year" honors. He was the 2007 GCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year, and is in his 12th season at Wayne State University. He has led the Warriors to the NCAA Super Regional in nine of the last 10 years, including seven straight. Horn guided the 2010-11 squad to a second-place finish at the GLIAC Championship and a seventh-place in the NCAA Super Regional. Johnson went on to represent WSU at the NCAA D-II Championship. Wayne State qualified for the first time in program history as a team for the NCAA Championship in 2009 after winning the Super Regional title under Horn's guidance.

The Detroit musician who's suddenly become one of Wayne State University's more prominent alumni wished the class of 2013 good luck Thursday as he received an honorary degree from the school. In a short speech thanking the University, musician Sixto Rodriguez wished the graduating students from Wayne State University good luck. "Well done," Rodriguez told students at commencement Thursday at Detroit's Ford Field. "Or as we say in Spanish, 'bien hecho.'" Rodriguez, who garnered international fame this year after starring in the Oscar-winning documentary "Searching for Sugar Man," was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the ceremony for his "musical genius and commitment to social justice." University President Allan Gilmour praised Rodriguez's talent after the ceremony. "It's amazing what he's done, first of all, and it's amazing what the students have done," said Gilmour, who said the artist would be a good ambassador for the university. Also receiving an honorary law degree was local businessman and community leader Walter E. Douglas. Gilmour, who is retiring as president after his contract expires next month, said his final graduation ceremony was bittersweet. "This is a great job and I've had the honor of doing it for three years now," he said. "The two things I'll miss the most is convocation at the beginning of the year and commencement at the end. You see the students come in and going out." More than 3,500 Wayne State students celebrated their graduation, with the ceremony divided into two sessions.

Charles Watkins, 69-year-old retired military veteran and Inkster resident, will be receiving his degree in psychology today during Wayne State University's commencement ceremonies. Watkins says his 12 children are proud of him and have supported him all the way during the last three decades as he worked, attended classes and battled serious health issues. He attributes the delay in getting his degree to multiple strokes and a kidney transplant that slowed him down. But he says he's not done yet, and is planning to pursue further studies.

The Michigan Area Health Education Center, Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Detroit Public Schools have teamed up to offer high school students a chance to learn about medical careers this summer. The Detroit Pre-Medical Scholars Program, which will run from Monday, July 15 through Friday, Aug. 23, 2013, seeks to broaden students' understanding of careers in medicine, increase the number of students pursuing careers as physicians, and help students prepare to study on a collegiate level. The Michigan Area Health Education Center (MI-AHEC), a program of Wayne State University that seeks to improve access to primary care in underserved communities, is collaborating with the School of Medicine to help administer the Detroit Pre-Medical Scholars Program. "The Wayne State University School of Medicine is proud of our partnership with MI-AHEC and the Detroit Public Schools," said Dr. De'Andrea Wiggins, director of diversity and inclusion for the WSU School of Medicine. "We are excited about providing students with access to the information, tools, and resources they need to succeed and giving them opportunities to shadow, work with, and learn from health care professionals. We hope the students selected will be inspired to work toward a career of service in the medical field as a result of their participation in this program."

Wayne State University's EcoCAR 2 team is in the third year of a three year challenge to turn a Chevy Malibu into a more eco-friendly car by changing the engine and other key components. General Motors donated the car for this competition sponsored by GM and the Department of Energy. The 40 or so students and grad students involved are studying mechanical and electrical engineering. They have spent countless hours getting hands on experience converting the car from a gas only vehicle to a plug-in hybrid. Wayne State is one of 15 universities across the country competing in this challenge. Students must use cars that are on the road today, and the finished product has to be something an ordinary consumer would buy. When this project is finished, the engine will run on E-85, a mostly plant-based fuel, and the car will have a battery pack and electric motor so it can go 30 to 40 miles without burning any fuel at all.