Tech Town, Wayne State University's business incubator and technology and research park, will share it's success stories at this week's "Clinton Global Initiative" meeting in Chicago. The "Clinton Global Initiative" event, established by President Bill Clinton, focuses on economic recovery in the United States, and works to create jobs and foster innovation. "Tech Town has, on its behalf in the work that we're doing in the city of Detroit, submitted five commitments to the Clinton Global Initiative that we will seek out partnership which will provide anything from physical support or tactical support, financial support or network support to the work we do here," says Leslie Smith, TechTown president and CEO. Over the past 5 years, Smith says Tech Town has enjoyed much success. "Since 2007 we've created over a thousand jobs and find funding - in an environment where folks say that funding is not available - over 85-million dollars."

WDET-FM, 6/6 Craig Fahle talks with Enterprising Health Director Chandra McMillion and Enterprising Health Lead Entrepreneur Yodit Mesfin-Johnson about Friday's Healthy City Summit at Wayne State University. They discuss what to expect at the summit, including the fellowship they will be awarding, and the role of entrepreneurs in improving health in Detroit.

Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker's recall election victory and the vote of two California cities to curb the pensions of city workers may embolden political leaders across the country to take on labor unions, experts said on Wednesday. The Walker victory stands in contrast to the big union triumph in Ohio last November with the defeat of a law that sharply reduced public worker collective bargaining rights in that state. Marick Masters, director of labor studies at Wayne State University, said the difference was that in Ohio the unions went after a law and in Wisconsin they went after a person. "The political battle became highly personalized in Wisconsin," Masters said.

Artisan Knitworks in St. Clair Shores, known for its large selection of hand-spun and hand-dyed yarns, will sponsor the area's first major fiber fair: Third Coast Fiber Arts Festival, Sept. 21-22 at McGregor Memorial Conference Center on the campus of Wayne State University. "All over the country there are hundreds of fiber festivals in the spring, summer and fall, and Michigan is no exception," said Sandra VanBurkleo, owner of Artisan Knitworks, a professor in the history department at Wayne State and knitter and crocheter. "There are five or six in Michigan, but they're all outstate. Most of the fiber artisans live in the Detroit Metro area, so you have to drive a long distance to get to an exhibition, and gas prices make it even more urgent that Detroit have something." A photo of VanBurkleo is included.

Richard Chasdi, an expert in international conflict and terrorism issues and adjunct assistant professor at Wayne State University, commented about the global threat of terrorism after U.S. officials confirmed that a drone strike killed Al Qaeda's second-in-command in Pakistan. While the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi is considered a significant blow to the terror network, it isn't the end of the story. Chasdi compares terrorism to arthritis. "You can't cure it but you can diminish its effects with proper diet and exercise. So this notion of trying to eliminate (terrorism) and to think that once bin Laden was killed that it's the end of the story. . . it's just another turn in a continuously evolving story," he said.

A rare celestial event known as the transit of Venus will take place Tuesday -- and Wayne State University's Department of Physics and Astronomy will be ready for an evening of sky-gazing. The Department is sponsoring a free evening of activities today from 6 to 9 p.m. in honor of the special occurrence, which happens when Venus passes directly between the Earth and Sun. The planet will be visible as a small dot moving across the Sun's surface. Jeff Conn, senior lecturer and associate director of the planetarium says the event happens about every 100-120 years in paired cycles that take place eight years apart from each other. "You might think it might happen more often, the reason it doesn't is … Venus is not quite in the same plane [as the earth] -- and every time Venus is lined up, it is usually a little above or a little below the sun." The last transit of Venus took place in 2004. Before that it hadn't taken place since 1874 and 1882. Conn said the transit is historically significant because it helped astronomers calculate the distance between the Earth and Sun.

Wayne State University has collaborated with an international team of astronomers using data from the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton satellite that has identified a long-sought X-ray "echo" that promises a new way to probe supersized black holes in distant galaxies. Edward Cackett, assistant professor of physics and astronomy in WSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was closely involved in analyzing data, interpreting results and writing the paper recently released on this discovery. He comments about the breakthrough research.

Cheryl Waites was appointed the seventh dean of the School of Social Work at Wayne State University. She has served as interim dean since last October, and joined the School of Social Work in 2007 as associate dean. Prior to coming to Wayne State, she was associate chair of the department of social work at North Carolina State University. Waites holds a master of social work degree from Fordham University in New York and a doctorate in counselor education and psychology theory and research from North Carolina State University. A photo of Waites is included.

Wayne State University Law School announced that Ilana Ben-Ze'ev has been named the school's assistant dean of students. Ben-Ze'ev has practiced business law more than 29 years. Most recently, she was a senior member at Bodman in Detroit working in the real estate finance and banking groups. She chaired Bodman's diversity committee and implemented an interactive diversity training program to align outcomes with the firm's mission statement, and facilitated workshops highlighting gender-based differences in behavior and perceptions. She created a marketing training series addressing areas of focus for younger lawyers as well as a program introducing new and existing attorneys to their peers, promoting connections and developing relationships among members of the firm.

A May survey shows the southeast Michigan economy continues a strong economic recovery, with an index above 50 - which indicates a favorable economic environment - for 27 of the last 28 months, according to Wayne State University. The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) bounced back in May from 62.6 to 66.3; the highest reading in 2012. The three month average is almost the same, at 65, which implies economic stability, researchers said. "This portends extremely well for the labor market in Michigan which for the longest period of time had struggled with a very high unemployment rate; one in excess of the nation," said Nitin Paranjpe, an economist and supply chain management faculty member at Wayne State's business school, who analyzed the survey data. Ken Doherty, a member of the Institute for Supply Management and assistant vice president for procurement and strategic sourcing at Wayne State University, also commented.

The Michigan Senate approved an increase in funding for state universities, community colleges and public schools Tuesday, passing the final piece of the state budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. The House passed the education budget deal on Friday and the rest of the $48.2 billion budget was passed last week by both chambers. The whole package now goes to Gov. Rick Snyder for his signature. Increases for individual universities would range from less than 1 percent at Wayne State University to 8.2 percent for Saginaw Valley State University. Besides tuition and fee restraint, other factors that affect how much each university would receive are how well it compares to its national peers, the number of graduates in high-demand areas, total degree completions and how much research and development it does.

Wayne State University has collaborated with an international team of astronomers using data from the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton satellite that has identified a long-sought X-ray "echo" that promises a new way to probe supersized black holes in distant galaxies. Edward Cackett, assistant professor of physics and astronomy in WSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was closely involved in analyzing data, interpreting results and writing the paper recently released on this discovery. "This is a real breakthrough in the study of black holes at the centers of galaxies," said Cackett. "Just as one can estimate the size of a cavern by listening to sound echoes, here, we can measure the size of the region around the black hole through observing light echoes. This will allow us to map what is happening extremely close to a black hole."

Cyber bullying is taking an emotional toll on the adolescents who experience it, and some resort to becoming bullies themselves, according to research out of Wayne State University. A study released earlier this year found that of 367 students surveyed, 63 said they had been the victim of cyber bullying. About half of those victims said they in turn bullied someone else. "Cyber bullying is increasingly becoming a problem with adolescents," said Jemica Carter, who conducted the research along with Feleta Wilson, in Wayne State's College of Nursing. The goal of the Wayne State study was to examine the physical and psychosocial impact of cyber bullying on adolescents. Carter said students who said they were cyber bullied were more likely to experience sadness, fearfulness and sickness. More than 60 percent of the students in the study, who ranged in age from 10 to 18, reported they knew someone who had been cyber bullied.

Rental apartments from Midtown to Corktown to downtown are filling up because more workers and students are choosing to relocate to Detroit. To date, 445 employees of Detroit companies have participated in the Live Downtown and Live Midtown programs that pay workers to relocate to Detroit or stay in the city. In the Midtown program, the Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System and Wayne State University offer employees either the cash for rent, a $20,000 forgivable loan for new homeowners or up to $5,000 in matching funds for existing homeowners to do exterior improvement projects of $10,000 or more. Midtown's housing dilemma is amplified by the growing number of Wayne State University undergraduate students choosing to live in Detroit, rather than commute from the suburbs. The university's roughly 535 apartment units have a 2 percent vacancy rate, said Tim Michael, chief housing officer at Wayne State University. WSU has no immediate plans for more, though Michael said he "wouldn't rule out" expansion during the next five years. "We want as many students to live in the Midtown area as possible," he said.

The Wayne State University Police Department and the Center for Urban Studies have developed a targeted crime fighting initiative called Midtown CompStat. Wayne State police, representatives from Henry Ford Health System's police authority as well as representatives from the Detroit Police Department, Wayne County Sheriff's Department, AmeriCorps, Detroit Medical Center, corrections, local libraries, private companies and other institutions meet every other week to map crimes that occur and develop strategies to combat them. They are also using technology, such as video surveillance, to improve situational awareness among all of the organizations involved. By any measure, the initiative has been a success. From 2008 to 2011, the rate of robberies and burglaries has decreased by 30 percent; auto theft is down by 53 percent; and larceny is down by 37 percent. In this podcast, Wayne State University Police Chief Tony Holt and Henry Ford Health System Director of Police Authority Nick Radu describe how they worked together to implement the program.

One in five people who get artery-clearing surgery to prevent a stroke are likely too old and sick to live long enough to benefit from the procedure, according to a new study. Guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology recommend that people have at least a five-year life expectancy if they are to get carotid endarterectomy, a surgery to prevent stroke typically recommended for people who have narrowed blood vessels. "This paper may be useful for reinforcing that message to surgeons," said Dr. Seemant Chaturvedi, a professor of neurology and director of the stroke program at Wayne State University who helped write those guidelines.

State House lawmakers completed work on the state's 2012-13 budget Friday, adopting a $1.4-billion spending plan for public universities, $12.9 billion for K-12 education and $294 million for community colleges. The budget passed on a mostly party-line vote of 58-51. Completing work on the omnibus spending bill was made possible when negotiators agreed Thursday evening on a higher education budget which includes an overall 3 percent increase for the state's 15 universities, but ties the amount for each school to performance on various metrics, including graduation rates, research and delivery of science and engineering programs, and restraining tuition hikes. Saginaw Valley State would see the largest increase at 8.2 percent, while Wayne State has the lowest at 0.7 percent. Rep. Joan Bauer, D-Lansing, said the metrics had been rushed through without enough analysis or consultation with stakeholders, and were unlikely to work. The omnibus education budget is slated to be taken up by the state Senate next week.

WSU/DMC physician publishes breakthrough study on benefits over time of "cooling blanket" treatment on oxygen-deprived newborns After more than 10 years of study, investigators in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network led by a pediatric researcher at Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center (DMC) have proven an effective way to significantly reduce death and physical and mental disability caused by reduction in oxygen and blood flow to the brain at birth. Scheduled to publish May 31 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study findings will have a "major impact" on the treatment of brain injury among infants born at term with this condition, according to the investigators who conducted the study. "I don't think there's any doubt that these findings will have a significant impact on the medical treatment of newborns who experience oxygen deprivation at birth," said Dr. Seetha Shankaran, Wayne State University professor of pediatrics and division director of neonatal/perinatal medicine for the DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan and DMC Hutzel Women's Hospital. The study was assembled by Shankaran, the lead investigator, along with senior study author Rosemary D. Higgins, M.D., program scientist for the NICHD Neonatal Research Network (NRN) and 25 other researchers in the NICHD NRN. "This is a very hopeful breakthrough for all of us who work in the field of neonatal medicine," added Shankaran, who has led the wide-ranging study since its start in 2000.

Trade experts say a U.S. Department of Commerce decision Wednesday on trade subsidies could help Michigan-based Whirlpool Corp. but lead to higher-priced clothes washers for consumers. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that South Korean washing machine manufacturers and exporters have illegally received government subsidies ranging from 0.22 percent to 70.58 percent. Last year, Whirlpool accused South Korean and Mexican makers of large residential clothes washers of "dumping" or unfairly selling their appliances below cost. Attila Yaprak, professor of marketing and international business at Wayne State University's School of Business Administration, said many emerging market companies are taking away market share from American and other Western companies. "Companies will do everything they can to recapture or regain losses," he said.

In a speech to the Detroit Regional Chamber's annual Mackinac Policy Conference on Thursday morning, Bill Ford, executive chairman for Ford Motor Co., said trends in transportation, manufacturing and green technology offer an opportunity for Michigan to emerge as a global innovation center. He also announced two initiatives to help young innovators by providing space to create and promote their ideas and inventions. One new initiative is the Motor City Innovation Exchange, a collaboration among Ford's intellectual property licensing group, the new TechShop Detroit workshop, Wayne State University's TechTown and AutoHarvest to help entrepreneurs commercialize their creations. It provides a showroom to display and pitch inventions.