Jeff Horner, an urban planning lecturer at Wayne State University, was interviewed about Detroit and its reputation as being a racially divided region. Horner is interviewed standing in a park bordered by a concrete wall in the city's Eight Mile Wyoming neighborhood. In the 1940s, this part of Detroit was largely African-American, Horner says. In those days, the city was growing, and white residents sought to build houses next to black neighborhoods like this one. But first, developers needed to get financing - usually secured by the Federal Housing Administration. "And the developer who wanted to develop in this area was told no by the FHA," Horner says. "Because it was considered to be too close to an African-American neighborhood. And so the solution that the developer came up with was to build a 6-foot-high wall that runs for about three long city blocks." But the demographics are shifting here, Horner says. Young white people are moving into the city of Detroit, while the racial makeup of the suburbs is changing. "I would venture to say by 2020, there will be more black folks in Detroit suburbs than there are in the city of Detroit," he says. "We're on that path right now to have more suburban blacks in Detroit than in the city."

A Wayne State University research team in the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has developed a novel approach to the design of nanocarriers for treatment of metastatic cancer and inflammatory diseases. Published in the international chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie, the study "Dual-function CXCR4 Antagonist Polyplexes to Deliver Gene Therapy and Inhibit Cancer Cell Invasion" introduces a new type of nanocarriers that have unique dual functionality. "The nanocarriers not only limit metastasis and inflammation, but also deliver additional therapeutic agents with anticancer or anti-inflammatory activity," said associate professor David Oupicky, who heads the research team in the college's department of pharmaceutical sciences. The study is supported in part by a research enhancement grant from WSU's Office of the Vice President for Research and a grant from the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health. A photo of the research team is included.

Could an upside of Detroitification, the purposeful deindustrialization and depopulation of a once-great American city, be spelled Techonomy? David Kirkpatrick, a journalist turned media entrepreneur, thinks it might, and he's teaming with the Detroit Economic Club to find out. "Detroit is literally a green field for innovation," Kirkpatrick, the CEO of New York-based Techonomy Media Corp., said in an interview in advance of Wednesday's "Techonomy" conference at Wayne State University, co-sponsored with the Economic Club. "Detroit could be an incredible laboratory for transformation."

At 7 p.m. Thursday WDET will host a free screening of the new documentary "Detropia" at Wayne State's Community Arts Auditorium. "Detropia," a look at the problems, people and history of the Motor City, was directed by Metro Detroit native Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, the directors of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Jesus Camp." "Detropia" will begin showing at theaters around Metro Detroit on Friday. "Detropia" won the documentary editing award at this year's Sundance Film Festival as well as the Grand Jury prize at the Boston Independent Film Festival.

The Sept. 9 installment of Chuck Stokes' "Spotlight on the News" program focused on midtown's safety record and how its successful plan can make the entire city safer. Guests included Irvin D. Reid, president emeritus of Wayne State University; Anthony Holt, WSU police chief; and Ralph Godbee, Jr., Detroit police chief. The topic, community policing, will also be the theme for the scheduled Forum on Contemporary Issues in Society (FOCIS) event on Sept. 20 and 21. FOCIS will present City Under Siege: A University Forum on the Crime Crisis in Detroit, a two-day symposium taking place at WSU.

Hundreds of experts on the high-tech future of America and its cities will gather in Detroit Wednesday for a conference called Techonomy. The Detroit Economic Club and Wayne State University are hosting Techonomy. The conference will explore how high-value jobs will be created as the American and global economies move toward information and services. And what sustainable advantages Detroit and other American cities will have in a high-tech world. Experts in smarter cities, global competition, and the increasing relevance of do-it-yourself entrepreneurship will speak in the daylong program at Wayne State. There will also be sessions on product development, manufacturing's future, 21st Century skills, the future of mobility and the auto industry, and the particular challenges of post-industrial cities like Detroit.

Gerold Bepler, M.D., president and CEO of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and associate dean of cancer programs at Wayne State University School of Medicine, was selected as a member-elect of the Fleischner Society for Thoracic Imaging and Diagnosis. A photo of Bepler is included.

The Wayne State University Graduate School is hosting world-renowned scientist Lovell A. Jones as the 2012 featured King Chavez Parks Visiting Professor. Jones' lecture is titled: "Health disparities: If we always do what we've always done, we will always get what we've already got - health disparities." The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Wayne State University's Undergraduate Library, in Bernath Auditorium. Jones is director of the Center for Health Equity and Evaluation Research at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He also is a professor in the departments of health disparities research and biochemistry and molecular biology.

Leonard Lipovich's determination to prove genetic matter once deemed "junk" has a place in clinical medicine is bringing the Wayne State University School of Medicine to the forefront of a field occupying genome enthusiasts while also contributing to ENCODE, the global follow-up to The Human Genome Project (HGP). Upon completion in 2003, the HGP produced an almost complete list of the 3 billion pairs of chemical letters in the DNA that embodies the human genetic code, but revealed nothing on how this blueprint works. Five years of concerted effort by more than 440 researchers in 32 labs around the world has changed that. The group, working collaboratively in the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project, has produced the first view of how the human genome actually does its job. Researchers across the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Singapore and Japan performed more than 1,600 sets of experiments on 147 types of tissue with technologies standardized across the consortium. Among them are Wayne State University Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine and Genetics and of Neurology Leonard Lipovich, and his team at WSU's Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics.

"Detroit," which opened at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre in 2010 and is currently in previews Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in New York, will have its Detroit premiere at the Hilberry Theatre in January. The production will be directed by local theater veteran Lavinia Hart. Landing "Detroit" was a huge coup for the Hilberry, the graduate theater company at Wayne State University that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. "Of course, the Hilberry is known for its classical work, and this is a completely contemporary play," says Hilberry artistic director Michael Barnes. "It goes along with the idea that we can celebrate our 50 years but we must also look forward."

This extensive article examines the positive results of the graduate admissions process at the University. With the new systems and technology in place, it takes mere minutes for a prospective student to apply to graduate school. But the process hasn't always been that easy. Back in 2008, applying to WSU was confusing at best. A candidate would submit an application, only to find out that additional (and sometimes duplicate) steps were required for a given college or school. Also, the process might require multiple sessions as the candidate tried to figure out whether specific questions were relevant to his or her situation. To tackle the problem, Kathleen Lueckeman, assistant vice president of enrollment management, teamed up with Rob Thompson, director of academic and core applications in the Computing and Information Technology Department. The two set up a customer relationship management unit to help the university do a better job of communicating with prospects and current students, and built an admissions system in-house to streamline application processing and support data-driven decision-making on campus. A photo of WSU's CRM IT team is included.

Pegi Marshall-Amundsen, Wayne State University assistant professor and head MFA in theatre set design, WSU scenic design graduate students and others, will transform A LOT of Space at the Northeast corner of Canfield and Cass Avenue into an innovative space for theatre companies and performers. This is a project of ArtsCorpsDetroit's Lots of Art and will continue through three phases from Sept. 10-Oct. 22, 2012. The project also is supported by Wayne State University's Office of Economic Development. The goal of Lots of Art is to enhance vacant lots through art, with a parallel aim to affect the social and economic fabric of the city - engendering cohesiveness and pride in neighborhoods and empowering individuals to realize that they have the creative capacity to transform their lives and their environment.

Senior dance major and National Society of Collegiate Scholars member, Megan Drabant, has been working to increase both the number of students interested in taking tap dance classes at Wayne State and the number of tap courses offered in the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance. Drabant says the department's tap dance students range from theatre and dance majors to those studying political science. "Tap is a good form for those with no dance experience," she explains. "There's a strong history behind it. You also learn a lot of rhythmic musicality that helps you in other forms, and it's another skill you can have in your tool belt when you go to an audition." Jeff Rebudal, associate professor and area head of dance at Wayne State, agrees that the benefits of studying tap carry over into other genres. "The challenges of those polyrhythms help a dancer in learning how to move through space," he observes. A performance photo of Drabant, with fellow dance major Craig Fuchs, is included.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) last week announced the selection of 14 new research projects across 11 states that will be part of an expanding portfolio of projects designed to increase DOE's understanding the use of methane hydrates' potential as a future energy supply. Wayne State University received $178,000 to research how to further utilize advanced methane hydrates as a potential energy source.

Most stroke victims (30-50 per 1,000) are over 60 years old, but younger people ignore the symptoms and do not see a doctor within three hours of the first signs, which includes numbness in the face, severe headaches, trouble speaking and loss of balance. Many young stroke victims believe they are just having a bad day. Sometimes, it is much more serious than that. A study by Wayne State University says stroke victims must be seen by a doctor within 41/2 hours of initial troubles. You can reduce the chances of stroke by quitting smoking, cutting your salt intake and exercising 30 minutes a day.

Veteran fundraiser Chacona Johnson is leaving the Detroit Public Schools Foundation at the end of the month to return to higher education development. Johnson, who was a member of the University of Michigan's development and president's offices for 23 years before joining the DPS Foundation in 2009, will join Wayne State University as associate vice president for principal gifts and executive vice president of the Wayne State University Foundation. A photo of Johnson is included.

The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index came in at 45.7 in August, declining from 54.6 in July. The Index dropped for the second consecutive month, falling below 50 for the first time since December 2011. August marks the lowest PMI in 31 months, since January 2010, when the Index was 45.2. "The components of the PMI that are responsible for the declining score are new orders and production, which both had an index value of 41.9," said Timothy Butler, associate professor of supply chain management at Wayne State's business school who analyzed the survey data. The Commodity Price Index value in August suggests sharply rising prices, according to Ken Doherty, assistant vice president for procurement and strategic sourcing at Wayne State University and a member of the Institute for Supply Management. "The Commodity Price Index was below 50 during June and July, indicating declining prices overall, but in August, it increased to 61.3, suggesting a spike in prices," he said.

Wayne State University is playing a role in early efforts to find and extract new energy sources. The research project is one of 14 from 11 states involved in work on methane hydrates. Methane hydrates are structures that look like ice, but have natural gas locked inside. WSU is getting $178,000 from the U.S. Energy Department to work on the two-year project. It's expected to build on what the government calls a "successful, unprecedented" test on Alaska's North Slope that produced a steady flow of gas from methane hydrates. Hydrates are found onshore, including in the Arctic permafrost, and offshore in ocean sediments along most continental shelves worldwide. They see the structures as an untapped resource holding great potential for economic and energy security. WDET aired the story during morning newscasts on Sept. 3.

Although a vast majority of strokes occur in people over age 65 (the risk is 30 to 50 per 1,000 in this age group), 10 percent to 15 percent affect people age 45 and younger (a risk of 1 in 1,000). A study by doctors at the Wayne State University-Detroit Medical Center Stroke Program found that among 57 young stroke victims, one in seven were given a misdiagnosis of vertigo, migraine, alcohol intoxication, seizure, inner ear disorder or other problems - and sent home without proper treatment. "Although young stroke victims benefit the most from early treatment, it must be administered within four and a half hours," said Dr. Seemant Chaturvedi, a neurologist at Wayne State who directs the program and led the study. "After 48 to 72 hours, there are no major interventions available to improve stroke outcome. Symptoms that appear suddenly, even if they seem trivial, warrant a meticulous work-up," he added.

Debbie Dingell, Wayne State University Board of Governors member, wrote a commentary piece about the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.