Medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan may have to close their doors after a potentially far-reaching court decision Wednesday declared Compassionate Apothecary in Mt. Pleasant a public nuisance. The unanimous ruling by the three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeals was declared a statewide precedent by Attorney General Bill Schuette, an opponent of the 2008 voter-passed law legalizing marijuana for medical use. The law voters approved allows certified patients to use the drug without facing prosecution, but it doesn\'t spell out a system for delivery, said Robert Sedler, a law professor at Wayne State University. \"The law doesn\'t contemplate dispensaries, rather, it contemplates that the person who uses it, grows it, or their caregiver grows it,\" Sedler said. \"It was really directed at letting people grow their own marijuana. Clearly, the law didn\'t allow for dispensaries.\"

Dr. Philip Cunningham, associate professor of biological sciences at Wayne State University, commented in an article examining the overuse of antibiotics. Experts suggest that doctors be more prudent in prescribing antibiotics because overprescribing can cause antibiotic resistance. \"Physicians are often placed in unpleasant situations when patients demand antibiotics for themselves or their children, even when it is not in their best interests,\" Cunningham said. \"Patients must understand the reasons when antibiotics are not prescribed.\"

Carol Miller, professor of civil engineering, and one of the organizers of \"MIH20bjective: Research Shaping Michigan\'s Water Future,\" a conference at Wayne State University on Sept. 29-30, says scholars in Michigan are making original and impactful contributions to understanding and maximizing the potential of the water resource. The H20 conference is designed to promote collaboration among the three major state universities in the University Research Corridor for developing more national and international water initiatives. Miller\'s research is focused on the interrelationship between water and energy: how to distribute fresh water to people while minimizing energy use, and how to manage the extensive water needs of industry. She also researches the impact of land use on water quality.

NextCat Inc., a Wayne State University startup company, has received a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research award from the National Science Foundation in the amount of $498,830. NextCat is working to advance a biofuel catalyst technology developed at the National Biofuels Energy Laboratory at Wayne State University. The NextCat science team includes Steven Salley, professor of chemical engineering at WSU; Simon Ng, chief technology officer at NextCat and interim associate dean for research in WSU's College of Engineering; and Shuli Yan, research director at NextCat. "This is very exciting news," said Ng. "The new funding will allow NextCat to demonstrate our novel catalyst technology in an industrial facility, getting it one step closer to commercialization." "This award is great news for NextCat," said Gloria Heppner, associate vice president for research at Wayne State University. "Their technology offers an exciting alternative to the current biodiesel fuel production process, and has great potential to make a major impact on our environment and economy."

A study by Dr. Herbert Smitherman, Wayne State University School of Medicine professor, and others, is referenced in an opinion piece about the recent decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services not to fund any new Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) sites in Michigan. Comparing Detroit\'s FQHC funding of FQHCs in other Midwest cities, the study revealed a considerable discrepancy: Wayne County receives $11.10 per low-income resident compared to the $46.41 that St. Paul, Minn.\'s Ramsey County received and the $37.32 that Indianapolis, Ind.\'s Marion County received. We have fewer community health centers than most cities our size.

Lawrence Lemke, professor of geology at Wayne State University, commented on Tuesday's earthquake that could be felt hundreds of miles away from its epicenter in Virginia. Some Detroit area residents said they could feel some shaking yesterday. Lemke said that aftershocks might be felt in Michigan, but only as very gentle shakes, if at all. \"No need for concern,\" he said. \"If you were lucky enough to feel it, then you\'ve got a great story to tell.\"

Dr. Georgia Michalopoulou, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, commented in a story examining how witnesses of tragic events like the fatal fall at the Selfridge Air Show should cope with their experiences. Michalopoulou said adults and children who witnessed the tragedy should be encouraged to talk about it and then return to their normal daily routines. \"Anything like that can disturb the sense of security and safety most people feel,\" she said. \"It\'s important to find support from family and friends and people they can talk to about the event and not isolate themselves.\"

Kevin Piotrowski, faculty adviser to Wayne State University's WAYN student radio station, commented extensively in a piece about the future of college radio. As the listener base for college radio stations has declined over the years, Piotrowski says the answer is digital, and social media platforms, as a means of promoting radio programs. Four years ago, he oversaw the revival of WAYN which was limited to a very low over-the-air frequency. Now WAYN streams exclusively online, which is emerging as a standard for many college radio stations. For those students actually taking broadcast classes, using social media is not something instructors mandate, Piotrowski explains, but he calls such promotion essential for a student\'s success.

Wayne State University was included in the Metro Times College Edition. Several sites were discussed including Midtown businesses, eateries and salons, to name a few.

In a story canvassing various Detroiters about the Virginia earthquake, Wayne State University employee Rasheda Williams recalled the tremors she felt last year after the Canadian quake. When she felt that rumbling, she was up, out of her desk and out of her building in no time. This year, when she felt a small swaying in her office building at Wayne State, she came up out of her chair, but went no further. \"Really, no one else in the building seemed to feel it,\" said Williams.

Wayne State University is noted in an illustrated story about Detroit's changing face. A map shows the influence of institutions like WSU on the Midtown area and surrounding development. Examples cited include: Innovation Institute at Henry Ford: A collaboration of the smart sensors engineering group at Wayne State University, the Henry Ford Health System and the College for Creative Studies developed to design, build and sell better medical products and devices by creating for-profit companies; and, TechTown: The Wayne State University incubator\'s Tech One Building with some 270 tenants, including the newly formed AutoHarvest Foundation, and a build-out is under way at the Tech Two Building on Cass. Hundreds of entrepreneurs have graduated from FastTrac training offered by the Kauffman Foundation.

Venture for America and Blackstone LaunchPad, two groups working to bring more young entrepreneurs to Detroit, will continue their efforts with two events, one this week and one later this fall. Venture for America, the entrepreneurial version of Teach for America, is holding a kick-off ceremony today at TechTown. The New York City-based non-profit will use the event to recruit local start-ups to pair with its new college graduates. Venture for America plans to find 25 start-ups from Detroit, many of which will come from portfolio companies at Detroit Venture Partners and firms at TechTown. Blackstone LaunchPad, Wayne State University\'s student entrepreneur program, will host its Get Launched! Event on Nov. 15 to showcase the student-led start-ups its spinning out of the university. It will also reveal the winner of Hatch Detroit\'s $50,000 contest for the next great Detroit-based retail business idea. The prize is $50,000 cash and a suite of donated professional services.

Ned Staebler, vice president for economic development at Wayne State University, was a guest on the University of Toledo show titled "The Relevant University." Staebler talked about the university's efforts to stimulate economic growth in Detroit and the Midtown area. The Live Midtown initiative and TechTown were highlighted as examples of successful programs to bring residents back to the area and stimulate economic development.

Sunday night the 600-plus members of the faculty union at Central Michigan University voted to strike. The strike was being closely watched by universities across the state because it could foreshadow next year, when faculty contracts at several other Michigan universities -- including Wayne State University and Oakland University -- are set to expire. \"This take-it-or-leave-it attitude is what we\'ve faced all along,\" said Faculty Association President Laura Frey in a statement. \"We\'ve filed unfair labor practice charges against the university citing their refusal to bargain in good faith. This is why the faculty is not where they really want to be -- with their students.\" State Rep. Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck, the chairman of the higher education appropriations subcommittee, said he was \"really disappointed\" in the strike. He said he heard from people Sunday night who said they think professors shouldn\'t be exempt from the pain the rest of Michigan was suffering. \"There\'s not a lot of sympathy for universities out there,\" Genetski said.

Wayne State University biomedical engineering professor Cynthia Bir is highlighted in an ad campaign featuring faculty making a difference in the community and around the world. Bir not only works in the classroom, she also is the lead scientist and host for the Emmy Award-winning ESPN show \"Sport Science.\" The ad appears as a promo on the homepage of www.crainsdetroit.com and directs readers to the Today@Wayne site.

An editorial calls on the state Legislature to amend the Right to Farm Act to allow the city to reasonably regulate farm operations. The law, designed to protect farmers from suburban sprawl, bars local governments from telling farmers what they can and can\'t plant. Further, according to the editorial, Detroit needs to restructure its rules to allow for large-scale urban farming. It must also determine which city-owned land is available for lease to farmers. A recent article in the Wayne State University Law Review is cited which concluded that "urban agriculture is the only private use with the potential for significantly reducing the city\'s maintenance expense\" for vacant land. The article by law professor John Mogk and two students estimated farms in Detroit could generate $200 million in sales and create 5,000 jobs. As Mogk and his students say, \"Urban agriculture is not a panacea for all of Detroit\'s problems, but it does address many of the city\'s problems through a single comprehensive program …\" So why wait?

ebrary ®, a leading provider of e-books and research technology, yesterday announced new publishing partners including Wayne State University Press. The publishers' scholarly monographs and other authoritative materials will be available under a unique mix of models to address libraries' evolving collection strategies and acquisition workflows. Included in the story is information about Wayne State University Press, which was established in 1941. The Press publishes 35 new books and six scholarly journals each year.

An article gives an overview of the inaugural Detroit Revitalization Fellows Program created and funded by Wayne State University and three foundations -- Skillman, Kresge and Hudson Webber. \"We expected about 200 applicants and got 600 from 42 states -- all people who wanted to be part of Detroit,\" said Ahmad Ezzeddine, associate vice president for educational outreach and international programs at WSU. Fellows -- mostly in their mid-20s to late 30s -- hail from cities such as Philadelphia, Seattle, New York and Montreal, as well as Detroit. A photo of Ezzeddine is included.

Efforts to improve traffic safety have been aided by mathematical models that allow researchers to better assess those factors that impact the degree of injury suffered as a result of traffic crashes, a Wayne State University researcher says. Peter Savolainen, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in WSU's College of Engineering, recently conducted a comprehensive state-of-the-practice review of research in that area addressing a variety of methodological issues that can complicate analysis of injury severity data. He believes substantial progress has been made and will continue in the gathering of information that will yield ever more precise knowledge about crash outcomes.

Margaret Williams has been appointed interim dean of Wayne State University\'s School of Business Administration. Williams was chair of the Department of Management and Information Systems. Her appointment is for two years, during which time a search committee will be formed to find a permanent dean.