An article highlights the Blackstone LaunchPad at Wayne State University and profiles alumnus Nilesh Joshi, who won $4,850 from the Warrior Fund to secure a lab at TechTown. His business concept revolves around the sustainable manufacture of certain chemicals with a focus on carotenoids. Ned Staebler, WSU's vice president for economic development, said the LaunchPad is designed to make participants realize that "entrepreneurship is a potential career path." "Whether that means starting your own business or going to work at an entrepreneurial small business. To get away from the mindset that when you graduate college, you are going to get a job at Ford for the next 50 years," he said.

Seventy percent of those elected to term-limited offices cling to the political system after they leave, remaining as politicians or bureaucrats in government or parlaying their Capitol experience into jobs as lobbyists or consultants. Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson, associate professor of political science at Wayne State University, is the author of "The Political and Institutional Effects of Term Limits." Sarbaugh-Thompson found that 72% of term-limited Michigan House members she surveyed between 2000 and 2004 said they planned to make politics their career, compared with 45% of those elected before term limits took effect. A photo and video of Sarbaugh-Thompson are included.

Wayne State University research has found that there are racial disparities when enrolling black and white patients in clinical trials. Researchers examined video of 22 interactions between oncologists and patients in which the doctor discussed enrolling the patient in a clinical trial. Discussions with black patients were shorter and included less information about the risks of participation.

Wayne State University officially broke ground Thursday on a $93 million addition to its life science programs, the Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (MBRB). The 200,000-square-foot building will be constructed around an existing 130,000-square-foot 1927 Albert Kahn structure at 6187 Woodward Ave. that formerly housed a Buick-Pontiac dealership. Wayne State President Allan Gilmour noted that the focus of the MBRB will be on team science. Gilmour said no one knows what discoveries will be made in the new building, but significant ones will be made. "This will be the northern gateway to WSU," Gilmour said. "It will be a stunning introduction to Wayne State and this part of Midtown." The MBRB will provide space for about 500 researchers and staff and 68 principal investigators. Research in the MBRB will be arranged into thematic areas - cardiovascular disease; metabolic disorders such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity; systems biology; biomedical engineering; bioinformatics and computational biology; and translational behavioral science. Sylvie Naar-King, a professor and pediatric obesity researcher at Wayne State's School of Medicine, said the new building will allow better collaboration among researchers that are now in scattered buildings. A photo of the groundbreaking ceremony and maps are included.

Theatre reviewer Robert Delaney lauds Wayne State University's Studio Theatre production of "Broken Glass," which continues through Saturday, Oct. 27. "All of the cast members are quite good, but the performances of the three actors in the principal roles - Michael Fisher, Michael Gingerella and Tiaja Sabrie - easily meet the criteria to be considered of professional quality," Delaney said. He also noted that the production shines in all other respects, with faithful period costumes by Melissa Hall and an innovative set designed by Christa Tausney. (print only)

More than 400 young baseball and softball players participated in the MLB's and Boys & Girls Club of America's "Wanna Play?" event held Friday at Wayne State University. The students tested their skills and received tips from coaches and players, all as the Tigers bring the excitement of baseball and hope to the city.

A Clinton Township woman's $1 million donation to the Wayne State University School of Medicine will promote research in the prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer. Cheryl McKee will donate the money to create the Dorothy Ann McKee Endowed Fund for Ovarian Cancer Research, Prevention and Treatment. Dorothy Ann McKee, known to most as "Doris," is Cheryl McKee's sister, who died at age 57 in 2005 after a nine-year battle with ovarian cancer. "This gift means so much to medical research," said Dr. Valerie Parisi, dean of the Wayne State School of Medicine. "Cheryl's commitment in honor of her loving sister will, in fact, become a precious gift to women all over the world."

WWJ-TV Channel 62 news anchor Syma Chowdhry noted during the early morning newscast that Wayne State University will celebrate the groundbreaking for the Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (MBRB) at 1 p.m. today at 6187 Woodward Avenue. The MBRB will be the university's newest research facility and its largest-ever construction project.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, Wayne State University, in collaboration with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, will host Steps for Success Saturday, a community event that provides local middle and high school students and their families with the information they need to properly prepare for college. The event, funded by the General Motors Foundation, is open to the community and will feature a number of specialized workshops covering topics such as general college preparation, scholarship and financial aid opportunities, and choosing the right college. "This event is an important opportunity to connect with youth in the community, strengthen students' confidence in themselves as college bound, and ensure that more students are prepared for the college application process," said Michelle Hunt Bruner, interim director of WSU's Academic Success Center. Steps for Success Saturday will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Wayne State's General Lectures building.

Wayne State University - with nearly 29,000 students and a record $93 million construction project underway for a 200,000-square-foot Biomedical Research Building -- is facilitating much of the promising revitalization taking place in the city's Midtown area. Two seats on WSU's Board of Governors will be determined in the Nov. 6 election as the 8-year terms of members Tina Abbott and Annetta Miller end. Eight candidates -- two Democrats, two Republicans, two Green Party candidates and two U.S. Taxpayers Party candidates are vying for the two open seats. A Q&A with Board of Governors candidates is included. A rendering of the research building also is included.

Advaita Corporation, a startup company based on technology developed at Wayne State University by Sorin Draghici, professor of computer science in the College of Engineering, received the final installment of a $125,000 award from the Michigan Emerging Technologies Fund program. This comes on the heels of a $2.2 million Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant, "Pathway-Guide: A Novel Tool for the Analysis of Signaling and Metabolic Pathways," awarded to Advaita in 2011 by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health.

Nearly a week since a three-day shooting spree that terrorized motorists in four Michigan counties along the I-96 corridor ended, drivers remain afraid the shooter will strike again and they could be the next victim. A Wayne State University criminal justice professor said there is "probably a good chance" the shooter will strike again. Eric Lambert, chair of the Wayne State University Department of Criminal Justice, said the situation could escalate. The lull in gunfire could be because the shooter has other obligations, including a job or family; because of the high publicity the cases have gotten, or because he was incarcerated on another crime or went into treatment, Lambert said. The gunman, Lambert said, could be randomly shooting at people because he is angry, has a difficult time controlling his impulses or sees violence as a way to solve his problems.

A Wayne State University researcher's take on the current state of brain chemical analysis is the cover story in a recent professional journal, accompanied by a podcast. In "Ultrafast Detection and Quantification of Brain Signaling Molecules with Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes," published in the Oct. 2 issue of Analytical Chemistry, Parastoo Hashemi, assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, examines the use of carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFM) in neurochemical measurements, with an emphasis on the most recent findings and technological advances. The field is more critical than ever, she said, with the increasing number of diagnoses of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, which remain largely untreatable, and with a surge in reports of mood disorders and substance abuse.

The hormone progesterone, administered by injection or vaginally to pregnant women, has been helpful in reducing the chances that a woman who has had one preterm birth will have another. Two previous trials have also found progesterone useful in preventing preterm births among women with a short cervix, another known risk group. But those studies, using the vaginal form of the drug, looked only at women who had a cervical length of less than 20 millimeters - only 2 percent of the population. Scientists have hoped the hormone would benefit even more women, making a significant dent in the number of preterm births each year. Now a new randomized double-blinded trial, published online in The American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, reports that progesterone in its injected form does not work for a much larger risk group: the 10 percent of women with a cervix shorter than 30 millimeters. These women have about the same risk of having a preterm birth - around 25 percent - as those who have already had one. Some researchers, like Dr. Sonia S. Hassan, associate dean for maternal, perinatal and child health at Wayne State University, supports cervical length screening for all pregnant women. "If it's found to be short," she said, "they should receive vaginal progesterone. The injectable form is commonly used for women with a prior preterm birth. I would advise women to speak with their physicians to see if they are candidates for that."

Wayne State University's resident "zombie expert," Chera Kee, assistant professor of film and media studies, discussed the popularity zombies and how cities are capitalizing on the phenomenon. Wolcott Mill Metro Park, the city of Ferndale and Blake's Orchard in Armada Township have joined the zombie craze by debuting new interactive, public events this autumn. "Each year seems to bring a new manifestation of the phenomenon to light," Kee said. "As to the appeal, in my opinion, it has to do with imagining oneself as a body that doesn't have to conform to any of the rules of polite society. You no longer have to work out; you can eat what you want; you don't have to be nice. It is all about letting yourself go and not caring what everyone else thinks."

Celeste Layne, a member of the Detroit Revitalization Fellows Program (DRFP) - a Wayne State University project, is profiled in this story about her efforts to revitalize Detroit's East Side. Layne graduated with a degree in economics from DePaul University in Chicago and a Master's in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania. She now applies this education and experience to a seven-mile stretch of East Jefferson Avenue, which has been targeted as a prime opportunity to show how Detroit neighborhoods can bounce back. As Corridor Revitalization Director of the East Jefferson Corridor Collaborative, she's focused on enlivening communities along East Jefferson between the Grosse Pointe city limits and I-375. The area, she says, is home to vital neighborhoods like Indian Village and Jefferson-Chalmers, with a wealth of historical architecture but not enough stores that serve the needs of community residents. The DRFP is funded by the Kresge Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Hudson-Webber Foundation, the Skillman Foundation and Wayne State University.

This week on "Seeking Change," Christina Shockley talks with Angelique Day about the foster care system. Day grew up in foster care. She now focuses her work on researching and helping children in foster care in the state. Day teaches Social Work at Wayne State University. She also works with Vista Maria, a non-profit treatment agency in Dearborn Heights for neglected and abused children.

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) has received a three-year $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to improve health outcomes for overweight and obese patients in two medically underserved areas in Michigan: Detroit and Grand Rapids. This grant will allow MDCH and partners to develop a team-based approach to care for obese children, students and adults at two university-affiliated nurse-managed primary care clinics: the Wayne State University Campus Health Center and the Grand Valley State University Family Health Center. MDCH's partners on this initiative include WSU College of Nursing, GVSU's Office of the Vice Provost for Health and Kirkhof College of Nursing, Michigan Area Health Education Center, and Michigan Health Council.

This article discusses the appointment of Wayne State University Deputy President Phyllis Vroom and the alignment of responsibilities with President Allan Gilmour. Vroom's 42-year career at Wayne State has been extensive. She was a social work professor, the dean of the School of Social Work and served as an acting provost and acting president of WSU. A sampling of current University projects are highlighted in the piece.

Boys in the United States appear to be entering puberty much earlier than in the past - a trend researchers caution may have important medical, psychosocial, public health and environmental implications, according to a new study. The research, published online in the journal Pediatrics, was presented Oct. 20 at an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) conference. On average, boys now begin puberty at around ages 9 or 10, depending on race or ethnicity - a full six months to two years earlier than ages documented by data several decades ago. The study was conducted through the AAP Pediatric Research in Office Settings, practice-based research network, a system of hundreds of pediatricians nationwide who contribute data to AAP-led scientific studies on children's health. Among the co-authors of the Pediatrics report is Dr. Lynn Smitherman, Wayne State University School of Medicine and the National Medical Association.