Joseph Dunbar, associate vice president for research and director of Wayne State University's Initiative for Maximizing Student Development program, contributed an article encouraging high school students to explore science and research areas. He writes that Wayne State University has a long tradition of offering research opportunities to underrepresented students who may never have considered a career in research. "WSU's Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD), established in 1978 as the Minority Biomedical Research Support program with support from the National Institutes of Health, provides undergraduate and graduate students with a more personalized experience to foster career development while enhancing persistence and success in science majors. The program provides undergraduates with opportunities to maximize academic and research skills, and helps graduate students gain experience in teaching, mentoring and course development. The IMSD program allows students to be more proactive, and paves the pathway for noteworthy careers." (See pg. 6)

A Wayne State University researcher has successfully tested a technique that can lead to more effective use of nanoparticles as a drug delivery system. Joshua Reineke, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, examined how a biodegradable polymer particle called polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) breaks down in live tissue. He believes the potential impact of his work is broad, as nanoparticles increasingly have been developed as carriers of drug treatments for numerous diseases and as imaging agents; they also are used in numerous consumer products. The kinetics of nanoparticle biodegradation is an important factor that can control how and where a drug is released, impacting treatment efficacy as well as potential toxicity to nontarget tissues from nanoparticle exposure. "If nanoparticles given to a patient release a drug before particles can ever get to target tissue, then we get high toxicity and low effect," Reineke said. "Conversely, if particles are drawn to a tissue but don't release the drug until long afterward, then we also don't get the therapeutic effect."

"The Glory Years of the Detroit Tigers: 1920-1050, by William M. Anderson (Wayne State University Press) received a gold award in the Sports/Fitness/Recreation category of the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards contest. The awards ceremony to honor the medalists will take place on May 29th in New York, on the eve of the BookExpo America convention.

When the producers of PBS series "Constitution USA" were fishing for an expert to help them with the legal issues snarled around the invasion of Asian carp, they reeled in Wayne State University Law School Associate Professor of Law Noah Hall. "Pete Sagal (of NPR's 'Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me!' fame) is the show's host," Hall said. "His field producer tracked me down because he had heard about the Asian carp issue and my involvement and commentary in the media. The producer met me in Michigan, and I gave him some background on the issue. A few months later, the crew invited me to travel with them to Peoria, Ill., to film the segment on the Illinois River with the Asian carp jumping all around." So Hall, an expert on environmental and water law who speaks and publishes widely on related topics, including those surrounding Asian carp, set sail with a film crew aboard an Illinois Natural History Survey boat last fall on the Illinois River, where Asian carp have "taken over," he said, and discussed the invasive fish - which can grow to 100 pounds and four feet long - amid a background of large, leaping carp.

With its national advertising campaign well under way, Pure Michigan on Monday kicked off its spring and summer regional marketing blitz, primarily targeting Great Lakes states. The television and radio ads feature 34 private sector partners and will air in key regional markets, including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri, and statewide through June. The advertising budget for the spring and summer campaign is $4.83 million and includes $1.5 million committed by partners. In total, private sector partners, including five national partners, are contributing $5.5 million in 2013 to help air Pure Michigan ads nationally, regionally and in-state. Jeffrey Stoltman, associate professor of marketing at Wayne State University, said the partnerships were bound to happen as it grew in popularity. Stoltman lauded the Pure Michigan effort but said its creators must be wary of brand wear out. "Is it becoming so big and all-encompassing that it's not as effective a hook?" he said. "I think it could be approaching that point."

Elder Law of Michigan has scheduled two events for the 5th Annual Joe D. Sutton Call to Justice Awards, honoring individuals and organizations that help adults in need and work towards health, safety, fairness and justice for vulnerable people. Peter Lichtenberg, director of the Institute of Gerontology and the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute at Wayne State University, will receive the Leadership Award. Lichtenberg is the founding director of the Wayne State University Lifespan Alliance. He also has written several books on aging and served as chair of the Michigan Dementia Coalition and president of the Adult Development and Aging Section of the American Psychological Association.

A series of explosions rocked Damascus last Sunday morning, re-igniting Syrian claims that Israel has launched attacks inside the country. While a Syrian official called the explosions "a declaration of war" by Israel, the Israeli government has not taken responsibility for the attacks. Craig Fahle spoke with Saeed Khan, lecturer in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Wayne State University, about the growing tensions between Syria and Israel and what the attacks could mean for Syria's on-going civil war.

Jeffrey Williams' life lessons in perseverance began when he was 5 months old and entered foster care. Adopted at 6, put out of the house at 17, he said he "couch-surfed" or slept on the couches of various friends while working at burger joints because he couldn't afford his own home. But Williams never relinquished his dream to attend college. "My grades were poor, but Wayne State University accepted me into their alternative college program, and I ran with it because it was my only opportunity," said Williams, 22, of Detroit. On Thursday, Williams will graduate with a bachelor's degree in media arts and studies from Wayne State, where he also is a running back on the Warriors football team. Emily Morman, 22, graduates next week from Wayne State with a degree in journalism. She said she was accepted into a summer internship program with the New York Times. "I'm hoping to learn a lot and try it out to see if living in a big city like New York is for me," said Morman. "Then I'll figure it out from there." She described her college experience as "fantastic." "One of the major advantages of attending Wayne State was the diversity," she said. "I met a number of different people and participated in numerous cultural events and made some really good friends." Morman said one of the greatest challenges of college life was learning to be independent. Wayne State will hold two commencement ceremonies Thursday at Ford Field at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Nearly 3,500 graduates are expected to attend.

Last Wednesday, Wayne State University rededicated the McGregor Memorial Conference Center Reflecting Pool designed by famed architect Minoru Yamasaki, best known for his work on the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Yamasaki designed four buildings for Wayne State. Here's how he described his vision of the campus in a proposal, according to the university's Walter P. Reuther Library: "An island of urban delight -- a lovely system of courts linking the buildings, all on a walking scale. The McGregor Memorial Conference Center was completed in 1958. The pools were drained because of a damaged foundation in the late '90s and were renovated through $1.8 in funds allocated by WSU last year. Photos are provided courtesy of Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra returns to Carnegie Hall for the first time in 17 years as part of the Spring for Music Festival. It symbolizes the DSO's successful comeback from a devastating 2011 labor dispute. Since then, the orchestra has rebuilt its donor base and expanded its outreach. Look for future DSO musicians popping up in unexpected places throughout the city today as the Music Learning Alliance kicks off its With1Note campaign, aimed at filling the gaps in music education in Detroit. A new website, with1note.com and toll-free phone line, 855-GO-1-NOTE, will guide metro Detroiters of all ages to free or subsidized music education programs. The alliance is a consortium of the community's leading cultural and music organizations, including the Detroit Children's Choir, DSO, Michigan State's Community Music School, Sphinx and Wayne State's Department of Music. Included among the locations for "Pop up Concerts" is at 2 p.m. today on the lawn of Old Main at Wayne State University.

Royal Oak residents Christine Center and Boma Pollyn have been chosen as student speakers for Wayne State University's 2013 graduation commencements on May 9, at Ford Field. Both are graduating with bachelor degrees - Center with a bachelor of science in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise and sport science and Pollyn with a bachelor of science in biological sciences and food and nutrition sciences - and were very active within the Wayne State community as well Detroit.

Wayne State Warriors Steve Conway, Sean McCarthy, Mickey Mohner and Nick Thomas are winners of the National Football Foundation Honor Society award. Requirements for the award include having at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale and being a starter or significant contributor on the field.

More than 3,500 students will participate in two Wayne State University spring commencement ceremonies May 9 at Ford Field. The ceremonies will be one of the last major university events for President Allan Gilmour, who will retire in June. Gilmour stepped in to lead WSU in 2010 on an interim basis and was unanimously voted in as the institution's 11th president in January 2011. Receiving honorary doctoral degrees will be famed Detroit folk singer Sixto Rodriguez and local businessman and community leader Walter E. Douglas. Rodriguez, who earned a bachelor's in philosophy from WSU in 1981, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his musical genius and commitment to social justice. Deadline Detroit features a video clip of Rodriguez.

The search for the next Wayne State University president is down to a pool of six candidates. WSU's Board of Governors hopes to make a decision on who will replace President Allan Gilmour by the end of the month, said Governor Gary Pollard, the head of the search. "We are making really good progress," Pollard told the Free Press today. "We have a great pool." A large search committee composed of faculty, staff, board members and community members has been meeting for several months to vet the 50 applications the school received for the post. That committee has completed its work, Pollard said, and now the board is doing the interviews and interacting with the candidates. Pollard declined to name the candidates or to discuss if any of them were from outside of academia. State law allows WSU, and other state universities, to conduct the search in secret, except for the formal hiring of the next president. During Wednesday's board meeting, Taz Ahmed, president of WSU's Student Senate, presented Gilmour with a resolution honoring him for his work at WSU, including helping to make Midtown Detroit a place where students feel safe and comfortable.

Wayne State University staged a rededication ceremony Wednesday -- the reflecting pools that were designed by renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki. The pools are once again filled with water, which, combined with the simple white surfaces, rocks, sculpture and the neighboring McGregor Memorial Conference Center, give the spot on the north end of campus a Zen-like peacefulness. The funds comes from donor gifts as well as campus enhancement and beautification funds. WSU alumna Carol Jonson also created an endowed fund to help support the upkeep of the pool and the surrounding sculpture court. "The McGregor Building and its reflecting pools are a distinct part of an already beautiful campus," WSU President Allan Gilmour said in a statement. "Investing in this project is a wonderful way to honor the legacy of a great architect and the history of Wayne State at the same time." A gallery of historic images is included.

Wayne State University today announced an initiative to increase and diversify microtechnology research at its multimillion dollar Nano Fabrication Core Facility (nFab). The cleanroom lab, which was originally built to focus on automotive applications, has recently been home to a broader set of nano technology research and development by WSU faculty and students. WSU has re-launched the lab and opened it to researchers, students and companies throughout the region, who would otherwise not have access to the rare microfabrication environment with a valuation exceeding approximately $12 million. "The lab initially focused on the automotive industry but has widened its scope to include biosensors, targeted drug delivery and medical devices," said nFab director and WSU Department of Chemistry professor David Coleman. "Microfabrication is now used in many research fields, from biological micro-electromechanical systems to nano-electrochemechanical systems and from flat-panel displays to solar cells and more. There's really no limit to how this lab can assist researchers looking to discover and create new things."

A local group of Wayne State University medical students come to Covenant House Michigan on a weekly basis to provide tutoring and mentoring. Their help makes it possible for the young people to finish their high school diploma, complete a GED or begin college without having to feel like they are on their own once they walk out of the classroom. Tutor Shawn Stewart sees the experience of working in the city as a way to learn how to relate to a broader range of patients in his future work. "When I started at Wayne State, I knew that I wanted to be involved with the community and to actually get a feel for how the city runs and operates," Stewart said. "I've wanted the chance to be able to see the type of people and the experience that this city has had to endure."

Jocelyn Benson, Wayne State University Law School interim dean, wrote an op-ed celebrating Law Day 2013. She notes that Wayne Law strives to address challenges of access and fairness in our legal system through various mechanisms including Wayne Law's Free Legal Aid Clinic which provides legal counsel for people in need while training its students to serve the public good. At the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, scholars engage in groundbreaking research and programming to develop new solutions to addressing Metro Detroit's inequalities. And over 11,000 Wayne Law alums are spread throughout Michigan and the world, working to improve access to the law in a variety of ways. Benson concludes: "Ensuring access to justice for all is a goal we must strive for every day, not just on Law Day."

During the morning newscast, it is noted that Detroit folk singer Sixto Rodriguez, who earned a bachelor's in philosophy from Wayne State University in 1981, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the University's upcoming commencement for his musical genius and commitment to social justice. Rodriguez, the star of the Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man, has remained politically involved and connected to the Detroit community, living humbly in the city, running for Detroit City Council and working to improve conditions for the inner-city working class.

Jeff Horner, a lecturer in Wayne State University's Department of Urban Studies and Planning, commented in a story about the 6 foot tall wall standing in Detroit's Birwood Street. Neighbors say the wall was built in the late 1930's with a simple aim: to separate homes planned for middle-class whites from blacks who had already built small houses or owned land with plans to build. It goes by different names. For some, it's simply "The Wall." Others call it "Detroit's Wailing Wall." Many like "Birwood Wall," because it refers to the street and sounds like the "Berlin Wall." It's still a half-mile long, interrupted only by two streets, much as a developer envisioned it in the early 1940s. It couldn't separate people on its own - people and policies would see to that - but it was enough to satisfy the Federal Housing Administration to approve and back loans. A lot of white housing developments started spreading north and "pushing up against this black enclave on the far edge of the city," says Horner. By 1940, the gap had closed. A developer of a proposed all-white subdivision managed to hammer out a compromise with federal housing officials: The loans and mortgage guarantees would come in exchange for constructing a wall. "This is the closest thing Detroit has to the segregated fountains or to the white-only swimming pools of the Deep South," Horner says.