Microsoft corporation opens new tech center

Gov. Rick Snyder - at the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for Microsoft's new technology center - mentioned the participation of Wayne State University students in job and internship programs at the new facility.

February 1, 2011

UM Launch Pad model expands to help startups

The University of Miami\'s Launch Pad concept, which supports entrepreneurial efforts, is expanding as part of President Barack Obama\'s efforts to foster U.S. innovation. The Blackstone Charitable Foundation is donating $5 million to expand the Launch Pad model to five distressed areas. In April, the foundation donated $2 million to expand the concept to Wayne State University and Walsh College.

February 1, 2011

National Children's Study

Dr. William Lyman, professor of pediatrics and director of the Children's Research Center of Michigan, was interviewed on "The Craig Fahle Show" about the National Children's Study. (cue to 1:04:25)

February 1, 2011

Goodfellows surpass $1.3M campaign goal

The Old Newsboys\' Goodfellow Fund of Detroit has exceeded its 2010 fundraising goal of $1.3 million, the group announced today. Volunteers raised about $32,000 over the target for its 2010 fundraising campaign, which ended Jan. 31. In addition to gifts for children, the fund awards scholarships through Wayne State University.

February 1, 2011

The healthiest foods on the planet that you may not have tried

Tonia Reinhard, Wayne State University professor and president of the Michigan Dietetic Association, suggests some food choices that are loaded with health benefits such as Bilberries, Noni, Goji Berry, Bitter Melon, Jicama, Enoki and Trout. (Subscription only)

February 1, 2011

PROFILE: Detroit - Accelerated education

Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour is featured in a story about metro Detroit's universities and how they are helping the region to reinvent itself. Extensive background information about Wayne State is provided in areas such as enrollment diversity, research and degree and certificate programs. "Our role first and foremost is to educate students and conduct research, but we're also an institution of place," says Gilmour. "Beyond doing everything we can for our students and for knowledge, we're focused on rebuilding the midtown of the city and working on initiatives to bring even more people back into the area." Speaking of Detroit and the Midtown area, Gilmour says, "We are internationalists, and we can't see any reason why we're not going to be successful leaders in this world once again." Sky Magazine reaches 5.3 million readers every month. (Article is featured on pages 126-128; other WSU mentions are on pages 96, 108, 103, 115)

February 1, 2011

Cynthia Bir: One cool science mom

Cynthia Bir, biomedical engineering professor and researcher at Wayne State University, is featured in a "Parent Pipeline" story examining her life as a parent and scientist. The Plymouth mother of four has won an Emmy for her research work on the ESPN series Sport Science and worked with athletes on the History Channel\'s Stan Lee\'s Superhumans and even a Dancing with the Stars episode. Photos of Bir at work and with her family are included.

February 1, 2011

'1-8-7' co-star hosts gallery screening of classic African-American film

Lisa Alexander, Wayne State University Africana Studies professor, comments about "Nothing but a Man," a film selected for the National Film Registry Library of Congress featuring a soundtrack of Motown classics by acts such as Stevie Wonder, Mary Wells and the Miracles. James McDaniel, who plays Sgt. Jesse Longford on ABC\'s police drama \"Detroit 1-8-7,\" will host a film screening of the film at the N\'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art on Saturday. The film also tackles gender dynamics, unions and class issues rarely touched in films about African-American life during the 1960s, says Alexander, who showed the film in one of her classes.

February 1, 2011

The Union apartments bring modern living options to WSU campus

The Union at Midtown apartments, located on Cass Ave. between Hancock and Warren, has already sold out sold out its 484 sq. ft. studios, three-bedroom apartments and four-bedroom apartments for the Fall 2011 opening, according to general manager Jackie Carson. Though the all-inclusive apartments have received much interest from Wayne State\'s student population, Carson says the new rental allowance for WSU, DMC and Henry Ford employees has also brought new potential residents through the door. The Union at Midtown is a joint project from several local developers.

February 1, 2011

TechTown's NextCAT lands $250K in VC from Automation Alley

NextCAT has secured $250,000 in seed capital from Automation Alley, which will help pay for a pilot test of its bio-diesel catalyst technology in the first half of this year. That test should prove the viability of a major scale up of production of the catalyst, which was developed at the National Biofuels Energy Lab at Wayne State University.

February 1, 2011

Mackinac Art Museum hosts art, photo contests

The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum is hosting contemporary art and photography contests with cash prizes at stake. One of the events is the July 15-Oct. 9 Contemporary Art Exhibition. Robert J. Wilbert, professor emeritus in the Department of Art & Art History at Wayne State University, will choose the pieces.

February 1, 2011

First snow enters Michigan; totals could reach 15 inches

Round-up reports about the region's first snow storm of the year mention expected closures of area schools and institutions. The Free Press reported that downtown hotels were filling up quickly as workers and major employers including the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University sought places for workers to stay for the night and avoid the expected gridlock. In addition to closures, the university has banned parking on Anthony Wayne Drive from W. Warren to W. Palmer.

February 1, 2011

Southeast Michigan PMI Dropped In January

The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) dropped to 55.5 from 56.3, indicating that Metro Detroit\'s economy grew at a slightly slower rate in January. This latest PMI value reveals a growing economy each of the last 12 months, indicating that the \"Great Recession\" of the past three years is finally over. Administered jointly by faculty from the School of Business Administration at Wayne State University and the local chapter of the Institute for Supply Management, the index takes into account factors such as production, new orders, inventories of raw materials and finished goods, employment, vendor deliveries and commodity prices.

February 1, 2011

Health systems' storm plans: Reschedule appointments, close if it's not urgent - or stay open and hunker down

At Wayne State University's School of Medicine, Matt Lockwood, director of communications, said patients have been contacted to reschedule some appointments with the Wayne State University Physician Group for today or later this week due to the winter storm. Lockwood said most campus buildings have been equipped with emergency backup generators in case power is lost. \"Buildings without generators will go down for the duration of an outage,\" so building managers are \"encouraging everyone to take steps to protect valuable assets such as research, inventories and data,\" he said. \"The goal is to prevent losses and ensure health and safety, Lockwood said.

February 1, 2011

For Detroit business, no lull before the storm - not even for mice

At Wayne State University, about 15,000 laboratory animals will need food, water and dosing Wednesday, regardless of weather, according to Paul Schwikert, director of the division of laboratory animal resources. \"We would be interrupting a study if they didn\'t get food or water or dosed daily,\" he said. \"Our workers know this job is 365 (days a year). Tomorrow will be just another day - probably not a fun one, but we\'ll get through it.\" The animal resources division has a 95 percent to 100 percent attendance rate year-round, he said.

February 1, 2011

Quicken Loans hires Detroit talent for TV commercials

Quicken Loans is using Detroit's own pool of creative talent from Wayne State University to launch a new round of national television commercials. Marc Ruiz, WSU assistant professor of Media Arts and Studies, directed the commercials and brought with him a team of students from the campus to assist with production. "I work on a vast array of projects so when possible, I bring 15-20 of my best and brightest students and former students to the site with me," Ruiz said. "The best possible training is the one that's 'on the job.' It's exciting to see a local company using the young, creative talent and energy in its own backyard." The new commercials will appear on TV channels nationwide by mid-February.

January 31, 2011

Detroit, Where public employment booms

Wayne State University is mentioned among Detroit's largest employers in an article examining Detroit's budget woes, deficit, areas of improvement and potential areas of revival.

January 31, 2011

Law professor Peter Henning on WWJ

Law professor Peter Henning did a live telephone interview with Jayne Bower regarding the guilty plea in federal court today of Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers on a charge of conspiring to commit bribery. Henning discussed what sentence the judge might set in the case and whether Conyers would have to step down from her council seat.

January 30, 2011

Freedom Riders look back after 50 years

In a piece about the Freedom Riders activism in the 1960's, Dr. Silas Norman Jr., associate dean for admissions, diversity and inclusion at Wayne State University\'s College of Medicine, comments extensively. During the summer of 1964, he was a 23-year-old graduate student at the University of Wisconsin who went to Selma, Ala., to be part of a five-member Selma Literacy Project designed to prepare people to vote. Shortly after settling in Selma, Norman became Alabama state director for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. \"We are living through a time when people literally gave their lives for the right to vote,\" he said. \"Now, seeing the kind of apathy and lack of involvement in politics, it\'s puzzling. In order to gain political power, you have a voice. Voting is your voice. Things changed in this country because we got a voice through voting. We just have to keep trying to tell the story.\"

January 30, 2011

On the move

Wayne State University appointed longtime Canadian educator Carolyn Shields to be dean of the school\'s College of Education, succeeding interim dean Steven Illmer, effective July 1. She had been a professor in the department of educational organization and leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

January 30, 2011