Detroit Auto Scene, U.S. Auto Scene, Tech Center News Wayne State University associate professor of Anthropology, Allen Batteau, was one of the organizers and speakers at the Transforming Transportation Summit held April 7 in Detroit. "Transportation is not just about moving people," he said. "It can be transformative. The challenge before us is to think large about what transportation can be." Randal Charlton, TechTown executive director, participated in a panel discussion discussing the aging population as a demographic trend. Charlton said studies show that the last seven and ten years of life for men and women respectively, are without personal transportation. "They need public transportation. It's a huge market and one that entrepreneurs need to think about when they design smart systems. (print edition only)

An item in the "Poli-Bites" column mentions the presentation offered by Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh at Wayne State University's inauguration ceremonies of President Allan Gilmour last Friday. After delivering remarks praising Gilmour, Pugh spotted fellow Councilman James Tate in the back of the room and invited him to come on the stage to help deliver a proclamation honoring Wayne State's president. Tate tried to wave Pugh off, but Pugh insisted. When Tate reached the stage, he quickly whispered to Pugh that he didn\'t have the proclamation with him. Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, who followed Pugh to the podium and quipped that he didn\'t realize the city\'s financial woes were so severe that the ceremonial proclamations couldn\'t be handed out anymore.

Going green is getting mainstream. Thanks to innovators like those honored this week as the Free Press\' 2011 Michigan Green Leaders, Michiganders are seeking a more sustainable lifestyle everywhere from the boardroom to the breakfast table. Chosen by independent judges, this year\'s 16 honorees include the famous and the obscure -- a hospital, two nuns, former Gov. William G. Milliken and John Dingell, the longest-serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Taken together, they show that concern for a more sustainable way of life using less energy and sending less waste to landfills is now broadly shared, said Robin Boyle, chair of Wayne State University\'s Department of Urban Studies and Planning and a Green Leaders judge. \"The way small groups, small teams, unpaid folks, people (are) doing it on their own, is really most impressive,\" Boyle said. Kami Pothukuchi, associate professor at Wayne State University and a leading advocate of local food programs in Detroit, is included among the list of Honorable Mentions.

Carol Miller, chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Wayne State University, is part of a team that\'s halfway through developing software that could one day help cities reduce the amount of energy used to operate their water systems. The software aims to provide easy to understand, real-time information that will enable water system operators to make the most energy-efficient decisions about how best to direct the flow of water at different times of the day. Those decisions are currently made using historical information. The software is being tested at water systems in Detroit and Monroe. If successful, plans call for making the technology available to as many utilities as possible at affordable prices, Miller said.

Wayne State University\'s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies will host a discussion with four former Canadian ambassadors on the historic events taking place throughout the Middle East. \"The Arab World: Changes and Challenges after Tahrir Square\" will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 18, in the DeRoy Auditorium. The Canadian diplomatic panel features Michael Bell, a former ambassador to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel; David Viveash, a former ambassador to Libya and representative to the Palestinian Authority; Michael Molloy, a former ambassador to Jordan; and John Bell, a former Canadian and United Nations diplomat in Cairo, and delegate to the Refugee Working Group in the peace process. Professor Fred Pearson, director of Wayne State's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, comments in the story.

Nick DeNardis, associate director of Web communications at Wayne State University, comments in a story about how universities are designing and optimizing their approach to the admissions process. DeNardis tested the effectiveness of the Wayne State home page\'s \"apply\" button. Using a strategy known as A/B testing, he tested which version of the button led visitors to click through to Wayne State\'s admissions pages. Changes based on the testing led to a 62-percent increase in traffic to the main admissions pages this year over the same period last year.

A calendar item notes the International Children's Day Celebration to be held from 2-6 p.m., Saturday, April 23 at Wayne State University's Community Arts Auditorium. Sixteen groups of children representing different cultures will participate with their unique dances, songs, and performances.

Dellashon DiCresce, from the Center for Peace Conflict Resolution at Wayne State University, will be the featured program speaker at Birmingham Rotary Club at noon on Monday, May 2. DiCresce\'s talk is titled "World Affairs Council - What is It and How Can I Get Involved?"

More than 5,000 people attended entrepreneurial events over the past year and organizers have trained about 1,200 people on what it takes to start a small business and succeed, TechTown Executive Director Randall Charlton says. Nearly a third of people attending Wayne State University's TechTown recruitment events are older than 46. Ten percent are over 56. They, like younger small business hopefuls, are looking for success during a recession that\'s seen thousands of jobs slashed across the Detroit area. \"When you\'re having a much harder time getting into the traditional work force, entrepreneurship becomes an option,\" says Peter Lichtenberg, professor of psychology and director of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State. \"They\'ve been supervisors, project leaders, innovators for their companies,\" he says. \"They come now with tremendous ideas and enthusiasm, and the ability to see that niche market that their business is going to target.\"

University of Nevada, Reno President Milton Glick, who was hailed for overseeing academic and building improvements during his five years at the helm, has died after suffering a stroke, officials said Sunday. He was 73. Early in his career, following two years of postdoctoral studies at Cornell University, Mr. Glick joined the chemistry faculty at Wayne State University, where he remained for 17 years.

The Imagine Cup is the world\'s premier student technology competition sponsored and hosted by Microsoft. This year, 74,000 students from 400 different schools, including Wayne State University, participated in the competition. The top 10 teams competed in the finals held April 9-11 in Redmond, Washington.

During last Friday's inauguration ceremonies Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour promised to run an institution that values thinking and learning, even in a "world that glamorizes ignorance." Gilmour was officially inaugurated as the 11th president of the University before several hundred members of the WSU community. He repeatedly said he wanted to make sure that the university wasn\'t focused only on chasing the fads of the moment in its courses of study. \"Universities don\'t exist just to prepare people for the world of work,\" he said. \"They prepare people for the world.\" The stage was packed with dignitaries who took turns honoring Gilmour, who retired from Ford in 2005 as a high-ranking executive. Politicians who spoke included U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing also spoke, noting that it seemed neither he nor Gilmour knew how to stay retired. \"He has unique skills that make a unique difference here,\" Bing said. WSU Student Senate President Amanda Carnagie also spoke, saying Gilmour \"has a vision, and that vision will make us aim higher.\" Photos of the ceremony are included. http://www.freep.com/article/20110416/NEWS06/104160419/Allan-Gilmour-inaugurated-WSU-president http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2785&DateTime=4%2F16%2F2011+11%3A15%3A06+AM&Term=wayne+state&PlayClip=TRUE http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=2785&DateTime=4%2F15%2F2011+9%3A07%3A02+PM&Term=wayne+state&PlayClip=TRUE http://thesouthend.wayne.edu/index.php/article/2011/04/its_official http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/04/15/allan-gilmour-is-wayne-states-new-president/

During the morning newscast, WWJ morning co-anchor Roberta Jasina noted that inauguration ceremonies will be held today at 3 p.m. honoring Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour.

Wayne State University's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies will host a discussion with four former Canadian ambassadors on the historic events taking place throughout the Middle East. "The Arab World: Changes and Challenges after Tahrir Square" will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 18, in the DeRoy Auditorium. The discussion will last approximately two hours and is co-sponsored by the Canadian Consulate of Detroit, the University of Windsor Political Science Department, and the World Affairs Council of Detroit.

The country\'s three domestic automakers could add as many as 35,000 new jobs by 2015, with virtually all of them landing in Michigan as they continue to consolidate operations, according to Sean McAlinden, senior economist for the Center for Automotive Research. During a speech earlier this week at Wayne State University, McAlinden said that after slashing more than 230,000 U.S. jobs between 2000 and 2009 as they repeatedly restructured, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler now are well positioned to add jobs as the economy recovers. http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110415/GPG03/104150656/1247/gpg03/U-S-automakers-could-adding-jobs http://www.timescolonist.com/business/automakers+expect+hire+sales+recover/4620832/story.html#ixzz1JaeuRxNq

Student and professional art and literature merge in this year\'s 53rd annual \"Patterns\" celebration at St. Clair County Community College. Weekend highlights will include workshops and meet and greets with four visiting artists including Thomas Pyrzewski, an adjunct sculpture instructor at Wayne State University.

Festival organizers announced the lineup for the 32nd annual Detroit Jazz Festival, Friday, Sept. 2 through Monday, Sept. 5, in downtown Detroit. Subtitled \"We Bring You the World,\" the Detroit Jazz Festival will celebrate jazz\'s influence on the world and the world\'s influence on jazz. This year, the Wayne State University Big Band will be performing with Joe Lovano. Through Detroit Jazz Festival 365, the festival collaborates throughout the year with Wayne State University and other partners.

During last Friday's inauguration ceremonies Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour promised to run an institution that values thinking and learning, even in a "world that glamorizes ignorance." Gilmour was officially inaugurated as the 11th president of the University before several hundred members of the WSU community. He repeatedly said he wanted to make sure that the university wasn\'t focused only on chasing the fads of the moment in its courses of study. \"Universities don\'t exist just to prepare people for the world of work,\" he said. \"They prepare people for the world.\" The stage was packed with dignitaries who took turns honoring Gilmour, who retired from Ford in 2005 as a high-ranking executive. Politicians who spoke included U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing also spoke, noting that it seemed neither he nor Gilmour knew how to stay retired. \"He has unique skills that make a unique difference here,\" Bing said. WSU Student Senate President Amanda Carnagie also spoke, saying Gilmour \"has a vision, and that vision will make us aim higher.\" Photos of the ceremony are included.

An article highlighting the Detroit Historical Museum's "Find Your Place in History" promotion notes that all titles from the Wayne State University Press will be on sale for 10 percent off the cover price through the end of April. The local history books are on sale in the Museum Store.

Victor Chukwueke, who suffers from Neurofibromatosis which caused a benign tumor on the right side of his face as a young boy, has been selected as a speaker at the Wayne State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences commencement in May. It's an honor bestowed upon him due to his excellent grades and inspirational story.