Two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grants are helping a Wayne State University researcher keep new non-native invasive species out of the Great Lakes and minimize the impact of those that are already there. Jeffrey Ram, professor of physiology in Wayne State's School of Medicine, received a two-year EPA grant of $520,000 in 2010 to verify the effectiveness of ballast water treatment systems aboard ships bound for the Great Lakes. The project's goal is to develop land-based, nonindigenous systems to assess how well shipboard ballast water treatment systems work, as well as how long they last. A second two-year grant of $500,000 received in August 2011 will be used to test an early warning system in Toledo Harbor (Maumee River and Bay) and western Lake Erie for the entry of invasive species into the Great Lakes. "Invasive species rob people of value, just as surely as outlaws in the Old West robbed banks," Ram said. "I like to think of stopping invasive species from damaging our environment as a way of achieving some environmental justice."

At Wayne State, students in the university's Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) work directly with their instructors, get a taste of the scientific life, and gather some up-close career advice in the process. Last month, the National Institutes of Health announced a five-year grant of more than $3 million to support the IMSD program, which seeks to nurture student interest in scientific careers by providing them with opportunities to participate in behavioral and biomedical research projects. "The laboratory setting is almost like a kitchen," says Joseph Dunbar, WSU's associate vice president for research and the program's director. "They can ask questions, interact … there's not as much of a chasm between students and faculty. They see what's possible, and it gives them confidence to talk about their careers in an intimate fashion."

The following Wayne State University School of Medicine people were named to positions: Dr. Ashok Sarnaik, professor of pediatrics, has been appointed interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics and specialist-in-chief of pediatrics for Detroit Medical Center. Dr. Bonita Stanton, the Elizabeth Schotanus professor and chair of pediatrics, has been named vice dean of research for the school. Dr. John Boltri has been appointed chair of the Wayne State University School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences. Georgia Michalopoulou, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, has been appointed to the executive board of Michigan Women Psychologists.

After rolling up a school-record 69 points in its season-opening victory over Urbana, Wayne State defeated Tiffin 55-0 at Adams Field Saturday.

An article highlights a General Psychiatry Journal published study by scientists at Wayne State University which revealed a new way to diagnose and distinguish children with depression. Dr. David Rosenberg, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Wayne State University and Children\'s Hospital, said he and fellow researchers used a new technique measuring the thickness or size structure of the cortex and were able to distinguish children with depression from those who were healthy and those with obsessive compulsive disorders. With accurate diagnosis and assessment, earlier than later, the prognosis and opportunity for a depressed child to get better is very good.

Robert Rossana, Wayne State University economics professor, commented on President Barack Obama\'s $450 billion plan to boost jobs and help Americans that he outlined on Thursday night. \"The president offered his ideas, now members of Congress need to offer theirs, and then it\'s time to come together and get something done.\" Rossana said it appears Obama\'s speech took plenty of things he\'s talked about before - taxing the rich, temporary tax cuts and spending on construction projects - and re-packaged them as something new, when history shows they don\'t work, he said. \"It\'s kind of pathetic,\" Rossana said.

Arab Americans and Muslims throughout the Detroit area from business to politics have forged ties during the past decade amidst the tensions of 9/11. At the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, membership has grown from 300 businesses to 1,500 in the past decade, with metro Detroit businesses owned by Arab Americans producing $7.7 billion in revenue and more than $500 million in state taxes, according to a 2007 Wayne State University study. Also included in the story is a sidebar about today's panel discussion on how 9/11 affected civil rights, 9:30 a.m., at Bernath Auditorium.

During a 6:23 a.m. news segment, David Strauss, Wayne State University dean of students, talked about the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony scheduled at noon today on Gullen Mall. (Audio not available)

Dr. David Rosenberg, research director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, was interviewed on CNN's HLN about the effects of caffeine on children's nervous systems. Rosenberg cautions parents about self-prescribing drugs and other substances to treat ADHD and similar conditions. He recommends that parents consult their children's pediatricians for proper diagnosis.

Professor Fred Pearson, director of Wayne State University's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, talked with Channel 20 reporter Dave Leval about comparisons between the Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor attack that launched the U.S. into World War II, and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Pearson said though both tragic events were similar in terms of direct attacks on the U.S., distinct differences are clear regarding the aggressors. The 9/11 attack was led by Al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization; and the Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor attack was engineered by a nation - Japan. (Video not available)

Prior to his keynote address during the Damon J. Keith Biennial Lecture at Wayne State University on Sept. 8, Harry Belafonte commented during a press conference that President Barack Obama should do more to help African-Americans. Belafonte says he bears no ill will towards President Obama and is not trying to attack him. But the singer and humanitarian said he is disappointed that the Obama Administration has not done more to help erase poverty or press an agenda that could help people of color.

An article highlighting the compulsive use of smartphone devices and associated dangers cites a study conducted by Wayne State University's School of Medicine and researchers in Sweden which found that the radiation emitted by cell phones disrupted sleep patterns.

Richard Chasdi, professor at Wayne State University's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, comments in an interview exploring terrorist activities and the 9/11 tragedy. He discusses why New York City is one of the prime targets for terrorist plots.

Wayne State University's football team kicked off the 2011 season in record-breaking fashion, scoring a school-best 69 points, on its way to a 69-24 victory over Urbana University on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors have won four consecutive season openers and five of their last six and are 15-4 in their last 19 games at Tom Adams Field. Following the win, Wayne State moved up to No. 17 from No. 21 in the weekly American Football Coaches Association Division II top 25.

Channel 4 reporter Frank Holland examines security on Wayne State University's campus and the ongoing efforts by the WSU Police Department to maintain a safe campus for its students and the Midtown area. Wayne State police officers have been directing traffic, walking the campus, patrolling dorms and other buildings as part of a concerted effort to make students and parents comfortable on campus and in Midtown Detroit, campus police said. \"They hear a lot of negative connotations and we are here to dispel that,\" Wayne State Police Chief Anthony Holt said. \"(Students) are coming into the safest area, not only in the city, but in the entire state here.\" Holt said the campus police\'s response time is 90 seconds. With more than 300 of emergency phone scattered around campus, Holt said a police officer is just a button push away. The phones are also equipped with cameras.

Criminal justice experts and psychologists have long debated the role that mental health problems play in influencing violent behavior in teens and adults. Jennifer Wareham, associated professor of criminal justice at Wayne State University, and her colleague Denise Paquette Boots, associate professor of criminology at The University of Texas at Dallas, looked at how various mental health problems corresponded with violence among participants in a longitudinal study involving inner-city Chicago residents. They found that children identified as having antisocial and oppositional defiant behaviors were significantly more likely to commit violent offenses across adolescence and adulthood.

While grants fuel research at colleges statewide, the three schools that make up the University Research Corridor are the largest recipients of federal research dollars in Michigan. They are concerned Washington\'s newfound austerity will hit their funding for staff and equipment, potentially slowing down development of discoveries, including the treatment for disease, technology to ward off cyberattacks and extension of the battery life of electric vehicles. As part of their effort to lobby Congress, the universities hosted the staffs of the Michigan congressional delegation last month for a three-day tour, touting their research and urging them to keep the work in mind when their bosses make budget decisions. Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour traveled to Washington this year to spread the same message. Julie O\'Connor, WSU director of research communications, commented in the story.

Mike Smith, Wayne State University archivist, was a guest on the Paul W. Smith show with guest host Warren Pierce. The show featured topics revolving around the significance of Labor Day, President Obama's visit to Detroit, and the labor movement. (Audio link is unavailable)

Marick Masters, director of Labor @ Wayne at Wayne State University, commented in a story about the battle in Ohio over State Issue 2 that restricts public employee collective bargaining. A "no" would repeal the law which, among other things, bans strikes by public employees, requires workers to pay at least 15 percent of their health care costs and eliminates binding arbitration for police and firefighters. Masters said that union membership has been declining since American manufacturing was its mightiest in the 1950s.

A boy\'s relationship with his mother changes as he grows up and the way it changes can affect his behavior when he\'s a teen, a new study says. The researchers assessed the level of conflict and warmth between the mothers and sons and other aspects of their lives, including the son\'s temperament and behavior, the mother\'s relationship with her romantic partner, and the quality of the mother\'s parenting. \"These results suggest that successfully adapting to the transitions of childhood and adolescence may require parents and children to maintain relatively high levels of closeness and minimize conflict in their relationships,\" lead author Christopher Trentacosta, assistant professor of psychology at Wayne State University.