Wayne County, MSU collaborate on biotech park

Wayne County , Michigan State University and Diversified Natural Products Inc. have announced plans to develop and construct a biotechnology park in the county. Their idea is to use biological sources to replace everything from fuels to ingredients in polymers and solvents that currently use petrochemicals. A site for the "biorefinery," a first step toward a comprehensive biotech park, has not been announced.

April 4, 2006

New director at MichBio

MichBio, the state's biotechnology and life sciences industry association, has announced Stephen Rapundalo as the new director, succeeding Michael D. Witt. The announcement was made by MichBio chairman Randal Charlton. Rapundalo is a former Pfizer and Parke Davis employee who has worked as a senior research scientist and has global experience in the life sciences.

April 4, 2006

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Ann Slawnik, director of Wayne State's Detroit Orientation Institute (DOI), was interviewed about the spring session programming scheduled for April 25, May 2 and May 9. Slawnik said the DOI venue offers a historical perspective and candid look at Detroit and the metro region and that the sessions are especially beneficial to newcomers or anyone wishing to learn about the city and metro area. The DOI also was featured on WWJ-AM in public service announcements. Details about the upcoming spring sessions and contact information were provided.

April 4, 2006

Want to get moving? You can do it for science

A story about research at Old Dominion University, where participants are paid to ride an exercise bike so that researchers can study the affect on everything from blood pressure to weight loss, mentions a study by professor Barry Franklin at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and David Swain, an exercise science professor at Old Dominion. They found that vigorous exercise lowered the risk of heart disease more than did moderate-intensity exercise. It also more positively affected diastolic blood pressure readings, glucose control and aerobic capacity.

April 3, 2006

Library sponsoring Magic Poetry Band

A calendar item mentions that Poet M.L. Liebler and the Magic Poetry Band will perform from 7-9 p.m. April 11 at the Brighton District Library. Liebler teaches English at Wayne State University is renowned for his humor and activist spirit. The free event will be held for National Poetry Month.

April 3, 2006

More of today's best

Poetry Month Event: Performance poet Sekou Sundiata & Woodstock, Professor Louie & the Crowmatix, and local Detroit poets, will present at Wayne State's David Adamany Undergraduate Library, Monday, April 4.

April 3, 2006

Motor Cities heritage protects auto history

Mike Smith, director of the Walter P. Reuther Library, is identified in a photo with Karl Mark Pall, Macomb County Historic Commission chairman. Smith and Pall were participating in the Motor Cities National Heritage Area Macomb County Stewardship Event, held March 24 at Macomb Community College's Warren campus.

April 3, 2006

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Professor Mel Small discussed the Iraq war on Portland's community radio station.

April 3, 2006

Dean Wu to give lecture on diverse democracy

Wayne State University Law School Dean Frank H. Wu will deliver the Fourth Annual Nancy Cantor Distinguished Lecture on Intellectual Diversity on Wednesday, April 12. Wu's lecture, "Toward a Diverse Democracy: Affirmative Action and Higher Education," will begin at 10 a.m. in the Rackham Graduate School on the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus.

April 3, 2006

Wayne State University Moot Court Team wins Niagara Cup

Wayne State's Moot Court Team of Katharine Orlowski and Jonathan Schulz received first place honors at the Niagara Moot Court Competition March 9 through 11 at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. A photo of the WSU team is included.

April 3, 2006

Jurors to peer into minds of Lay, Skilling

Wayne State University Law School Professor Peter Henning comments about the jurors' role in the Enron trial in determining intent on the part of corporate officers Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling. \"In murders and cocaine cases, you don\'t have people saying, \'Hey, nobody told me this was illegal,\' \" Henning says. "But here you do things like set up special purpose entities and what turns it into a crime is the intent.\"

April 2, 2006

News magnate contemplates another big risk

Ben Burns, a former Detroit News executive editor who heads Wayne State's journalism program, comments about William Dean Singleton's interest in purchasing the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News and several other newspapers. Singleton's MediaNews Group Inc. also bought the Detroit News last August moving into a larger market. Burns says the newspaper had already become tighter, better focused and more surprising. \"As far as I can tell, Dean Singleton is a very sharp guy who wants to do good journalism because he wants his legacy to be that he put out good newspapers.\"

April 2, 2006

College becoming a privilege for the upper crust

Columnist Chad Selweski says academic scholarships are available only for elite students in Michigan and that only the "cream of the crop" can secure scholarships to a quality university. He adds that apparently state funding cuts are the reason for the dwindling pool of scholarship opportunity as well as the fact that there is a large, talented crop of applicants which narrows the opportunity for other high achievers. Selweski points out that this situation exists at "the state's other top colleges, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University.

April 2, 2006

Martha Ceccio wins 1st place award at AAWA spring show

Stanley Rosenthal, associate professor of printmaking at Wayne State, is noted as a juror for this year\'s \"Ann Arbor Women Artists Annual Spring Show.\'\' The show will continue through April 14 at the Ann Arbor District Library.

April 2, 2006

Calendar February 13

A panel of legal experts will discuss the heated debate surrounding the question, "Can the National Security Agency conduct electronic surveillance without a warrant?" at Wayne State University, February 13 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Bernath Auditorium.

April 2, 2006

New Beginnings: Integrating complementary and alternative medicine in end of life care

New Beginnings, a conference thought to be the first of its kind in the nation, researches options for end of life care such as acupuncture, music therapy and guided imagery. Sponsored by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, in cooperation with Wayne State University, the Karmanos Cancer Institute and other organizations, the conference will feature topics ranging from holistic interventions for patients and families to spiritual assessment at end of life.

April 2, 2006

Center Seeks Middle Ground in Solving Michigan's Woes: Center Looks to Bridge Michigan's Partisan Gap

Jack Lessenberry, Wayne State journalism lecturer, is noted as a member of The Center for Michigan's steering committee. The center, founded by Phil Power, was established to close the political divide and get leaders to work together toward improving Michigan's future. Power wants to change Michigan's tax structure, get the state on the road to economic recovery and return civility to Michigan politics.

April 2, 2006

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Wayne State history professor Mel Small talked about his recent book titled "At the Water's Edge" on Ann Arbor's public radio station.

April 2, 2006

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The station reported that Tim Kiska, former columnist with the Detroit News and now a news producer with WWJ, will receive an award from Wayne State during a Journalism Day program Thursday.

April 2, 2006

DMC seeks a new deal

The Detroit Medical Center will be looking for a new academic partner for its orthopedic residency program after it decided this week to end its long-standing relationship with Wayne State University's School of Medicine. On Friday, both Mike Duggan, chief executive officer of the DMC, and Dr. Robert Mentzer Jr., dean of Wayne State's School of Medicine, played down reports of a fallout, saying both institutions need each other. The DMC and WSU couldn't come to an agreement about the orthopedic residency program: Duggan wanted to build a stronger sports medicine component within the program, but some doctors feared it would be at the expense of care for poor people. Detroit News health writer Pat Anstett also points out that this news raises the long-term issue of whether the DMC will end any of the other 64 residency and fellowship programs it runs with WSU.

April 1, 2006