The Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Wednesday voted to invest $6.8 million in university-business partnerships focused on collaboration, commercialization, economic growth and job creation. The goal: partnerships between Michigan universities, including Wayne State, and the private sector focused on collaboration and commercialization of technologies. The board is investing $1.8 million to build a Corporate Relations Network for Michigan's Research Universities; $2.43 million to launch a Tech Transfer Talent Network; and $2.4 million to fund the Michigan Initiative for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Michigan Universities Commercialization Initiative.

In CBS Detroit's "Spotlight" piece new cancer treatment research is featured looking at nanotechnology as opening new avenues of cancer treatment that have minimal, if any, side effects. Wayne State University's Department of Radiation Oncology, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Department of Physics are working with a Kettering University professor to develop cancer treatments that utilize magnetic hyperthermia therapy to eliminate cancer cells without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.

In a column about the need to bring to the table more women leaders in Michigan's efforts to reinvent itself, Rochelle Riley mentions that Forbes magazine convened a roundtable last summer for a major chat called Saving Detroit: The Conversation. Though 15 of the assembled leaders were men, she writes: "I have no quarrel with the Forbes guest list, which included Bing, Techtown Executive Director Randal Charlton, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour, UAW President Bob King, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, United Way Vice President Michael Tenbusch, Detroit Public Schools emergency manager Roy Roberts, Gov. Rick Snyder and GM exec Mark Reuss."

Wayne State University ranked no. 2 among schools with the highest percentage of students with cars on campus according to a U.S. News & World Report survey. Of the 1,376 ranked colleges and universities that U.S. News surveyed in 2011, all students were permitted to have cars at 1,074 schools; 272 did not allow every student to have a car on campus; and the remaining 30 institutions did not provide data on whether all students were allowed to have cars.

Craig Fahle hosted a panel discussion on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder which included Wayne State University Provost Ron Brown, a leading pediatric psychologist who specializes in children and adolescents with chronic illnesses; Sherri Noga, author, psychotherapist and WSU professor of psychiatry and psychology; and Arthur Robin, WSU professor of psychiatry. The discussion focused on the treatment and new drug therapy recommendations for children with ADHD.

Members of a Wayne State University research group at a national surgery meeting today described efforts to develop a faster, less expensive method of identifying infections and determining any antibiotic resistance. "This is the way to tailor your antibiotic treatment to the bacteria… so you don't use antibiotics unnecessarily," said Dr. Amy Riley Spencer, a WSU/Detroit Medical Center doctor who presented the findings at the 2011 annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons in San Francisco. The team is working with Dr. Greg Auner, WSU professor of engineering and microchip technology expert, on a miniaturized version of technology called Ramon spectroscopy that has largely been used in the manufacturing industry to study flaws in metals and other objects.

Nolan Finley, editorial page editor for The Detroit News, wrote about the recent dedication of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University's Law School as an example of how private donors have helped our community. Noting the success of private donors, Finley wrote: "The truth is that their success has helped this community build museums and concert halls, world-class universities, a vast network of charities - and now a center dedicated to protecting the civil liberties of all 100 percent of us." He mentions donors that contributed toward the $5.7 million project, and notes that Eugene Driker, a member of Wayne State's Board of Governors, also makes substantial donations.

Randal Charlton is stepping down as executive director of Wayne State University's TechTown, and general manager Leslie Smith is stepping up to fill the position. Charlton announced his pending retirement earlier this month before the TechTown Board of Directors, who adopted a resolution to appoint Smith as his successor beginning November 1. Charlton led the non-profit from infancy into an internationally-recognized business incubator. To date, TechTown has trained more than 2,200 entrepreneurs, directly invested $700,000 in early-stage businesses and is currently supporting 250 companies.

A report examining the prevalence of strokes among people under 50 years old includes research and commentary from Wayne State University neurologist Dr. Seemant Chaturvedi, who took a look at how often people under the age of 50 were misdiagnosed. \"In our initial study, we found that about one out of seven, 14-percent of the patients, were being misdiagnosed in the emergency room, and one out of seven is a pretty significant number,\" he said. In the U.S., there are about 800,000 strokes a year with 10 percent experienced by those younger than 50.

Freshly minted librarians have more opportunities to work with children and young adults in school and public libraries, according to Library Journal\'s annual Placements & Salaries Survey. \"Based on the reports of the graduates, school library placements continue to be viable,\" says Stephanie Maatta, an assistant professor at the Wayne State University School of Library Information Science, who has written the survey since 2003. \"Those who were already in the school system found it somewhat easier to move into a school library position. For those who were new to [the] field without any teaching experience, [they] felt it was much more difficult to break into the school district.\" A photo of Maatta is included.

In a story about relief efforts in Bangladesh, a Wayne State University local student chapter is noted as one of three such chapters providing assistance. The students focus on improving slum conditions in Bangladesh using funding to build 15 wells, 20 latrines, and three bathrooms and provide sanitation supplies and educational seminars on hygiene for 1,000 households.

Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour joined the presidents of Michigan State University and the University of Michigan to discuss the influence of the University Research Corridor in Michigan's economic development. The discussion aired during Carol Cain's "Michigan Matters" program.

A feature story highlights the growth and development of TechTown and the transition of leadership as Executive Director Randal Charlton steps down. Leslie Smith, general manager and former Michigan Economic Development Corp. director of business acceleration will succeed Charlton as president and CEO expanding the incubator beyond a startup support entity into a regional business development agency. Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour said he hopes that under Smith, TechTown will begin \"graduating\" companies -- growing them beyond startup phase when they can operate without assistance -- allowing the incubator to work with more and more companies. \"Randal certainly did do a terrific job getting it rolling, and Leslie has got the capability of going forward,\" Gilmour said. \"We\'re sad to see Randal go, but I think it\'s a good transition at this time. Under Leslie, we want greater size, scope and greater impact and influence.\"

In a story examining a decline in African Americans' involvement in STEM education and careers, Joseph Francisco, a black chemistry professor at Purdue and past president of the American Chemical Society, spoke about his positive experiences at Wayne State University. After receiving his PhD, Francisco had several job offers, but he chose WSU. "I saw an opportunity at Wayne State to do good science in a supportive place that gave me the flexibility to make a contribution to the community," he said. "To give something back, to a black community."

Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour was the keynote speaker at the 19th Annual American Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC) Build Economic Bridges Banquet held Friday at The Henry Hotel. AACC Executive Director Fay Beydoun said in The Arab American News story, that the organization chose to invite President Gilmour based on his status within Michigan's economy. "Mr. Gilmour is a major player in Michigan's economy, specifically southeast Michigan," she said. "His accomplishments regionally as a top executive with Ford Motor Company as the Chairman of the Community Foundation and an effective board member of the new economic initiative (are noteworthy), and his experience and role complement the mission of the Arab American Chamber of Commerce." In response to his scheduled appearance, some members of the Arab Student Union demonstrated outside the chamber\'s banquet to protest because of Wayne State's decision last year to pull the Helen Thomas Spirit of Diversity Award. According to Matt Lockwood, WSU's director of communications, a task force has been formed and will begin meeting early next month. It will be comprised of people from WSU and the surrounding community and focus on how the university can expand and build upon its lineages with the Arab American community.

Sally Roberts, Wayne State University assistant professor of mathematics education, was awarded a $1.7 million grant to help prepare high school girls for success in math, science, technology and engineering, and boost the number of female students studying those disciplines in college. The National Institute of Health awarded the five-year grant to Roberts, who is planning programming in Metro Detroit targeting high school girls for science and math disciplines, including a summer academy, events for parents and students during the academic year and mentoring from WSU students.

Fox 2 reporter Deena Centofanti's local "Health Works" segment exploring research on premature births being conducted at Wayne State University's Perinatology Research Branch, ran nationally on other Fox network outlets. A discovery made by researchers could save hundreds of thousands of babies from being born too soon across the country. Doctors know that women who have what is known as a \"short\" cervix are at higher risk for delivering a premature birth. A new gel containing progesterone can be rubbed on the cervix and help lower the risk. Dr. Roberto Romero, chief of the program in Perinatal Research and Obstetrics and Professor of Molecular Obstetrics and Genetics at Wayne State; and Dr. Sonia Hassan, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Wayne State University School of Medicine and associate dean for Maternal, Perinatal and Child Health, were featured in the story.

Gerry E. Conti, assistant professor and director of the Human Movement Laboratory, Occupational Therapy, Department of Health Care Sciences for Wayne State University, commented about the benefits when children learn to print and then write in cursive. "When you are doing writing cursively ... what happens is that hand is leaving a very distinct memory of letters in the sensory motor cortex in the brain," Conti said. When typing, Conti said fingers do not know an L from an F, but when the hand is writing individual letters, the physical action sends a message to the brain's cortex. "So the next time you see that word, it triggers that sensory motor memory," Conti said.

Fox 2 reporter Deena Centofanti's local "Health Works" segment exploring research on premature births being conducted at Wayne State University's Perinatology Research Branch, ran nationally on other Fox network outlets. A discovery made by researchers could save hundreds of thousands of babies from being born too soon across the country. Doctors know that women who have what is known as a \"short\" cervix are at higher risk for delivering a premature birth. A new gel containing progesterone can be rubbed on the cervix and help lower the risk. Dr. Roberto Romero, chief of the program in Perinatal Research and Obstetrics, and Dr. Sonia Hassan, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Wayne State University School of Medicine and associate dean for Maternal, Perinatal and Child Health, were featured in the story.

Additional coverage of the opening of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University is provided from this web-based media outlet.