A feature story covers the $3 million gift to Wayne State by Troy businessman and philanthropist Marvin Danto. The gift is earmarked for a new Engineering Development Center that will accommodate educational programs, research and development in the fields of biotech, nano-science and alternative energy technology. Groundbreaking for the $27.3 million center is expected later this year. "I see the people of Michigan as the direct beneficiaries of this new engineering center," said Danto, who studied engineering at Wayne State . President Irvin D. Reid observed that "world events are highlighting the importance of our research in alternative and sustainable energy at our College of Engineering , at NextEnergy and at our research and technology park, TechTown." Ralph Kummler, dean of the College of Engineering , pointed out that "our vision keeps our graduates on the leading edge of the workforce in Michigan and the world." A photo of Danto accompanies the article.

Wayne State University's Technology Commercialization Office honored more than 100 faculty members and staff inventors March 23 for their ingenuity that has led to inventions, new intellectual property, licenses with industry and start-up companies. "These innovative researchers are a part of an impressive national effort at hundreds of universities to make our world a better place through discoveries which benefit society and make our economy stronger and more diversified," said Fred Reinhart, assistant vice president for research and technology commercialization. Sean Wu, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering , was honored with the Invention of the Year Award. Wu holds eight U.S. patents and is chief technical officer for SenSound, LLC, which uses specialized software to pinpoint the exact source of noise in a wide range of products, from automobiles to washing machines.

Nearly 200 people packed NextEnergy Center in TechTown last Wednesday for the Michigan Clean Fleet Conference. The event spotlighted technologies, fuels and funding for cleaner air and transportation cost savings. NextEnergy CEO Jim Croce said the gathering was a response to air quality problems in Michigan .

"It would be a dream for a trial lawyer to defend this case and say, 'Whose fault was this, the person who swallowed the pills, or someone down the line?'" said David Moran, associate dean at the Law School . He was referring to a case in which a Harbor Springs man is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal drug overdose of a woman last fall. The defendant allegedly admitted to supplying the victim with methadone. To get a conviction, the state would have to prove that the accused knew that death would likely result from providing the drugs.

The robotic team from the Saginaw Career Complex took home a top award from the Detroit Regional competition at Wayne State University . The team won the Xerox Creativity Award for design of its robot, The Phoenix.

In a letter to the editor, WSU mathematics professor Steven Kahn takes issue with the state of Michigan 's MEAP exam. "The MEAP is driving a curriculum that is not coherent, is a mile wide and an inch deep, and diminishes core subjects at the expense of marginal ones," he charges. "The result will be a continuation of the tragic under-preparedness of our students for college."

This article mentions that Jeffrey A. Brown, M.D, of Wayne State University is a co-investigator for a technique known as "cortical stimulation" that helps stroke survivors regain partial use of a weakened hand. The technique uses electric pulses, in conjunction with aggressive rehabilitation, to a part of the brain that controls motor function. The study was published in the journal Neurosurgery.

An op-ed piece by Berl Falbaum and Maurice Kelman accuses the media of hypocrisy for trumpeting "the public's right to know" while being selective in what information the release themselves. Falbaum is identified as a former political reporter who teaches journalism part time, including First Amendment law, at Wayne State University .

For the first time in school history, both the Wayne State men's and women's swim teams won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference league championship. The Warriors came in sixth at the men's NCAA Division II championships, their best finish ever. A photo of team member Nick Markou, who was named honorable mention All-America, accompanies the story.

A sports roundup article includes a brief write-up on Wayne State 's double victory in baseball last weekend over Gannon. Derek Ranck hit a grand slam for the Warriors and Anthony Bass struck out 11 in five innings in a 15-1 victory in the opener. WSU rallied from a 7-1 deficit in the second game for a 12-7 win.

President Irvin D. Reid was interviewed during the above-mentioned Michigan Clean Fleet Conference.

Scientists from Wayne State University and the University of Michigan said access to embryonic stem cells is crucial to a realm of experimentation that will change the future of medicine. The researchers said thousands of embryos are discarded at fertility clinics because they aren\'t suitable for implantation to create a pregnancy or because they are left over. Discarding those embryos wastes stem cells scientists could use, they argued.

Rob Fournier, director of athletics, sees a parallel between his Wayne State University Champs Life Skills program and organized labor. "I was reading a mission statement for organized labor and it talks about the economic and social justice," Fournier says. "And I think one of the ways everyone can create economic and social justice is by doing their part." Fournier created Champs Life Skills last year, which included 400 student athletes volunteering over 3,000 hours of community service to make Detroit a better place for everyone. The WSU student-athletes also participate in programs such as clothing drives, soup kitchens, Motor City Makeover, Make A Wish and Shoes for the Homeless.

John Mogk, professor of urban development and international trade at Wayne State University\'s law school, discusses a legal case involving the Detroit International Bridge Co. - owner of the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor - and the City of Detroit. The Detroit International Bridge Co. recently expanded its existing truck plaza, razing the newly acquired homes, paving over the land and installing 11 fuel pumps and 18 toll booths to help service the 13,000 trucks that roll across the Detroit River each day. The company was in such a rush to develop the property it didn\'t wait to obtain the requisite zoning permits from the city. Neither, apparently, did it bother to actually buy all the land it took control of. The city responded to the permit problem by hitting the company with 37 citations for zoning violations and issuing a cease-work order. When the company ignored the citations and the order, the issue wound up in Wayne Circuit Court, where lawyers for the company argued that their client isn\'t bound by the city\'s zoning laws. The privately owned bridge company, they contended, is actually an instrument of the federal government, and, as such, doesn\'t have to abide by local land-use ordinances. Mogk says the case has major implications for land that is privately owned and zoned by the city in and around the bridge facility. \"The major ramification would be at the neighborhood level. To the extent that the bridge company prevails, it might suggest it is free to continue to expand its holdings with impunity, without the city having any control of the expansion.\"

The Detroit Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment is this weekend. A panel discussion will feature Russell Simmons, Three 6 Mafia, Doug E. Fresh and a host of others. The free summit is at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bonstelle Theatre and is open to the public.

NextEnergy Corp. is featured as a 45,000-square-foot site near the Wayne State University campus that is quickly becoming an international center for research in the development of alternative energy sources. Another important point about NextEnergy is its potential to help create a significant number of skilled jobs. Some estimates are as high as 72,000 in the next decade. By developing renewable fuels in the transportation industry, as well as creating new supply-chain options, there will be plenty of room for Michigan\'s economy to grow, experts say. The brainchild of former Gov. John Engler, NextEnergy started out as a $50-million project that studied the development of hydrogen fuel cells. Founded in 2002, NextEnergy is dedicated to the commercialization of alternative energy technologies to help boost Michigan\'s economic competitiveness, energy security and environment.

Just five years ago, public colleges and universities enjoyed their highest per-student levels of state and local government support in at least 25 years. By 2005, thanks to stagnant budgets and exploding demand, that figure had plummeted to a 25-year low. According to a report released today by State Higher Education Officers, state and local support amounted to $5,833 per student nationwide in 2005 - down from the $7,121 spent in 2001. However, overall, higher education appropriations grew by 3.5 percent last year and, despite the cutbacks early in the decade, are up about 7 percent since 2001 to nearly $59 billion. Yet compared to 2001, public colleges are accommodating 14 percent more students.

It\'s not that Donte Pryor, a seventh-grader at Hope of Detroit Academy, isn\'t trying to do better, it\'s just that he needs extra help. An A student in math, he\'s struggling with English. \"But since I\'ve been coming to Youthville, I\'ve not only brought up my English Language Arts grade, I\'ve actually brought them all up,\" he said as he worked on a Powerpoint project. I found Donte at Youthville Detroit, a state-of-the-art youth center on the city\'s North End. Over his shoulder peered Pavan Parasu, 19, a Wayne State University freshman. Parasu is one of about 20 WSU honors students who are volunteer tutors at Youthville. \"A lot of other students at Wayne are from the suburbs and aren\'t engaged with the city\'s issues, like education,\" said Parasu, a Big Rapids native and premed student. \"I\'m not doing this for my major. I want to get involved.\" WSU\'s Honors Youthville Detroit Team started in October when Nancy Galster, the special initiatives coordinator for Wayne State \'s Honors Program, wanted to connect her students with the newly opened facility less than a mile from campus. For Galster, the mentoring program is having the desired effect. \"I\'ve read their journals,\" she said. \"It hasn\'t been automatic magic. They\'ve had to work to forge relationships, but it\'s been a very successful venture for my students.\"

Jessica Hauser wants to be able to buy organic food in her hometown of Detroit . But, since the Cass Corridor Food Co-op effectively shut down in 2004 because of financial troubles, that hasn\'t been possible for the 20-year-old Wayne State University student. Now she\'s volunteering her time and working with the co-op\'s board to revive the store, with the goal of reopening in April. \"I had seen other co-ops be successful, and it doesn\'t make sense to me that there\'s no successful co-op in the city of Detroit when it\'s one of the most unhealthy cities in the country,\" Hauser said Monday. \"I just have a lot of high hopes for the co-op.\" Co-ops are member-owned stores where members decide the types of food for sale -- often those not available at traditional grocery stores -- and get discounts on their goods. Begun in 1970 out of a church in the Cass Corridor, the co-op moved around the area over the years until settling at its artistically rich building on Charlotte , just west of Cass, with murals of food on the exterior.

Wayne State University Law School and the Izumi Family Fund will be hosting the 12th annual Conference of Asian Pacific American Law Faculty (CAPALF) at the law school on Friday and Saturday, April 7-8. Background information about the event is provided.