In his debut performance on the presidential stage, Mitt Romney not only held his own against President Barack Obama, but also won the night, according to several Michigan political experts. Although Romney didn't hit any home runs, he debated respectably and held his own in every point, said Lyke Thompson, a political science professor at Wayne State University. Meanwhile, Obama landed some strong points against Romney. "They were like two fighters going straight at each other, through round after round of a hard-fought debate," Thompson said.

The Engineering Society of Detroit will offer tours of the Wayne State University Chemistry Building, the 2012 ESD Construction & Design Award Winner, on Monday, Oct. 22 from 5 to 6 p.m. Throughout the Chemistry Building's design and construction, emphasis was placed on ensuring at least a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating through high energy and environmental performance. LEED, a certificate program administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, offers points for buildings meeting standards in sustainable building design and construction. The expansion achieved design objectives in both safety and environmental sustainability, allowing the university to make a long-term investment in safe translational research and energy conservation.

Matt Seeger, professor of communication and dean of Wayne State's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, spoke on the Paul W. Smith Show, with guest hosts Mary Kramer of Crain's Detroit Business and Daniel Howes of The Detroit News, about this week's Presidential debates. "These debates are about information and substance but they're also about style," Seeger said. "We want to see these two people next to one another, we want to compare their styles, we want to see how they perform under stress." Seeger referred to the Commission on Presidential Debates' "Debate Watch" suggestions, such as turning off the TV after the candidates' portion of the coverage is over, to be able to discuss impressions with fellow viewers before being exposed to the opinions of pundits.

The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index for September is at 50.6, up nearly five points from the August PMI of 45.7 and indicating a resumption of growth in the Southeast Michigan economy after three declining months. "Employment, which had been growing, has basically leveled off," said Nitin Paranjpe, a supply chain faculty member at Wayne State University's School of Business Administration who analyzed the purchasing report from the Southeast Michigan chapter of the Institute of Supply Management. "Since employment is a lagging indicator, the growth in new orders and production activity should lead to a resumption of growth in employment in the future," he said. The Commodity Prices Index tempered slightly from 61.3 to 60.3. "Commodity price index slowed somewhat, though prices still remain at high levels similar to the trend seen in 2011, when they stayed high for 11 straight months," said Ken Doherty, assistant vice president for procurement and strategic sourcing at Wayne State University and a member of the Institute for Supply Management.

Wayne State University is at a record level of research funding for various programs through the National Institutes of Health. In the federal government's fiscal year, which ended Sunday, Wayne State received nearly 200 awards totaling $64.9 million for research grants, training grants and fellowships, according to NIH program data. The 2012 NIH data do not yet include the category of research and development contracts, which officials said the agency is still compiling. However, the Web database USAspending.gov, maintained by the federal Office of Management and Budget, reports a separate 21 R&D contract and delivery order awards to Wayne State during fiscal 2012 - for an overall funding total of more than $88.5 million. That's up from $76.6 million in fiscal 2011 and just under $80 million in total funding in 2010 across all spending categories. In fact, it's more than any of the past 20 budget years, according to NIH data. The previous high was $88.2 million in fiscal 2003. Wayne State's largest single program in that budget is the Perinatology Research Branch, staffed by Wayne State physicians at Hutzel in the Detroit Medical Center and funded under a 10-year, $167 million contract that began in 2002 and lapses Oct. 31. Wayne State applied for the new contract Aug. 8 and is awaiting word from the NIH, which also has received other bidders. Matt Lockwood, director of communications for Wayne State, said the university will not discuss the Perinatology Branch program while the application review is pending.

The Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University in partnership with the University of Michigan received a $2.7 million grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging to continue the work of the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research. The center is one of only seven across the country established to improve the health of older minorities through education, scholarship and research participation. This is the center's fourth five-year renewal, which will allow it to continue its work through 2017. Peter Lichtenberg is co-director of the center's administrative core. "For 15 years, we have partnered with older adults to promote healthier aging," Lichtenberg said. "With this grant, we continue strengthening scholarship and focusing on the health and education needs of Detroit's elders. It takes time to make a difference that will last."

David Martin, research associate with Wayne State University's Center for Urban Studies, comments in parts one and two of a Detroit Free Press series on the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) and its supervision of parolees and probationers. The Free Press investigation concluded that convicts who should have been behind bars or closely monitored were left on the streets unchecked. A total of 88 parolees and probationers were suspected, arrested or convicted in 95 murders between Jan. 1, 2010, and Aug. 31. The number nearly doubled from 2010 to 2011 -- from 21 to 38. In the first eight months of this year, 36 killings have been attributed to ex-cons under MDOC supervision, according to department critical incident reports. Martin has been critical of the way offenders are supervised. He said too much of it is done by phone, and officials have told him some agents don't go into Detroit neighborhoods because it is dangerous. "I don't see enough field supervision going on in the city of Detroit," Martin said.

Images of a real jetliner crash is included in this CNN story. It's an intentional crash for the new Discovery Channel program Curiosity, which airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. In this case, university scientists and international investigators will get a rare second-by-second look at just what happens -- to the jet and to its occupants -- when something goes terribly wrong midflight. This study could improve aviation safety, just as automotive crash-test dummies have for decades led to safer cars and fewer fatalities on the road. Scientists plan to mine the test results for at least a decade, writing reports and sharing the information with government regulators and industry representatives to make the 2.8 billion flights taken worldwide each year a bit safer. Cindy Bir, professor of biomedical engineering at Wayne State University, is interviewed during the segment.

Lyke Thompson, director of Wayne State University's Center for Urban Studies and political science professor, was a guest on "Spotlight on the News," hosted by Chuck Stokes. Thompson talked about Detroit's mayoral race and Mike Duggan's possible run in the November 2013 election.

Wayne State University professor and biomedical engineering researcher Cynthia Bir specializes in impacts. But her latest project undoubtedly produced the biggest bang of her career. Back in April, teamed with an international team of researchers, pilots and aircraft safety experts, Bir crashed a full-size passenger airplane into the remote desert along the U.S.-Mexico border, all in the name of science. The project was part of the Discovery Channel's newest series, called Curiosity. This groundbreaking experiment looks at what actually happens during a plane crash and the science behind passengers' best chance for survival. Crash test dummies as well as sensors throughout the plane will reveal just what types of forces are unleashed in a typical plane crash. Video footage from inside the remote-controlled plane will enable viewers to see what happens at the moment of impact. Bir said she was approached for the project "about four years ago actually" by a production company called Dragonfly. Good Morning America aired a feature story of the test and interview with Bir.

The Wayne State University School of Social Work presents the 25th annual Edith Harris Endowed Memorial Lecture, "Understanding and Responding to Cyberbullying in a Cyberworld," delivered by Faye Mishna on Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Community Arts Auditorium. Mishna is dean and professor at the University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, where she holds the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family. She is cross-appointed to the Department of Psychiatry. Mishna worked in children's mental health for more than 20 years, was clinical director of an agency serving children with learning disabilities, and maintains a small private practice in psychotherapy and consultation.

Images of a real jetliner crash is included in this USA Today story. It's an intentional crash for the new Discovery Channel program Curiosity, which airs Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. In this case, university scientists and international investigators will get a rare second-by-second look at just what happens -- to the jet and to its occupants -- when something goes terribly wrong midflight. This study could improve aviation safety, just as automotive crash-test dummies have for decades led to safer cars and fewer fatalities on the road. Scientists plan to mine the test results for at least a decade, writing reports and sharing the information with government regulators and industry representatives to make the 2.8 billion flights taken worldwide each year a bit safer. Cindy Bir, professor of biomedical engineering at Wayne State University, set up three $150,000 crash-test dummies with 32 sensors on each. Upright dummies near the front and in the back both suffered severe stress to their lower backs, but the braced occupant didn't, she says. "Between the lower-spine issue and the vulnerability of sitting upright and having debris flying around, I think the brace position is still the way to go to prevent injuries," Bir says.

Poco Kernsmith, associate professor of social work, talked with Craig Fahle about the three-year study that will look at the factors that lead to teen dating violence. The belief is that the research can then help prevent teen violence, create intervention protocols and changes in school policies.

The Hilberry Theatre opened its 50th-anniversary season with "The Mousetrap" running on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 13, 2012. A Wednesday performance will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Broadway World says "The Mousetrap" is definitely worth a trip to The Hilberry Theatre. "It is a grand production that lives up to the long-running play and a cast that should not be missed." (New Monitor print only)

Cynthia Bir, a Bio-mechanist at Wayne State University, is part of a scientific team working on research to improve the safety of passenger planes. Their work is highlighted in a documentary which aims to show the second-by-second events that take place when a plane crash lands. The documentary recreates a common type of crash - a serious, but survivable, 'forced landing' - in order to study the crashworthiness of the aircraft's airframe and cabin, examine the impact of crashes on the human body and look for possible means of increasing passenger survivability. "We crash cars all the time, we don't do that with planes to see if we can make them safer, which is what makes this such a unique opportunity," Bir said.

An article profiles Bill Harris, distinguished literary critic, essayist, poet and professor at Wayne State University, who on Sunday, Oct. 7, will read from his latest book, "Blues and Jazz" at Harlem's Dwyer Cultural Center. Last year, Harris was the recipient of the prestigious Kresge Eminent Artist Award, a $50,000 prize given annually to an outstanding artist who has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the arts in metropolitan Detroit.

Tickets are still available for the Free Press and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition's Shining Light Regional Cooperation Awards ceremony. The ceremony takes place Oct. 11, and the deadline to reserve a spot is Friday. Four individuals will be recognized for their contributions to regional cooperation, progress and understanding in southeast Michigan. Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour will receive The Neal Shine Award for Exemplary Regional Leadership for decades of community service and stepping into the breach when WSU was looking for new leadership. The breakfast event starts at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Ford Conference & Event Center in Dearborn.

Cleveland Elementary in Livonia is one of 20 Michigan elementary schools awarded a Healthy School Transformation package valued at $30,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to support an increase in physical fitness levels and healthy eating in students. The grant is part of the 2012-2013 Building Healthy Communities Program, a partnership between Blue Cross, the Center for School Health at Wayne State University and the Michigan Fitness Foundation. As part of its commitment of creating a healthier Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield is awarding $600,000 to support healthy eating and physical activity programs in 20 elementary schools during the 2012-2013 school year. The program will be implemented by Wayne State University's Center for School Health and is to include programming developed by the Michigan Fitness Foundation.

A lot can be learned from volunteers sweating side by side, boarding up abandoned houses with one common goal. A volunteer project held Aug. 25 to board up 100 vacant houses near Osborn High School in Detroit in one day proved that people will show up in droves to make the streets safer for children and families. And now, a second 100 Houses project is in the works for Oct. 27 in the neighborhood around Cody High on the city's west side. Ramona Washington, researcher-program director of the AmeriCorps Urban Safety Project at Wayne State University's Center for Urban Studies, said residents get to see good intentions in action through the 100 Houses projects and the one-house-per-week board-ups that her group tackles near Wayne State. "When the residents can see it, they can feel it," said Washington.

As part of its commitment of creating a healthier Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is awarding $600,000 to support healthy eating and physical activity programs in 20 elementary schools during the 2012-2013 school year. The program will be implemented by Wayne State University's Center for School Health and will include programming developed by the Michigan Fitness Foundation. Dr. Nate McCaughtry, director of the WSU's Center for School Health, states: "We are very excited to join this partnership and the take the lead in promoting the health and well-being of so many of our children, many of whom reside in Michigan's most underserved communities."