The Wayne Briefs column notes that Alexey A. Petrov of Livonia , physics professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a $400,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Development Award to do research and work with Detroit area high schools to develop a program in computational science. A photo of Petrov accompanies the item.

In a letter to the editor, Michael Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, takes issue with a Jan. 26 Free Press article reporting on alleged waste and inefficiency at Michigan's public universities. The article was based on a report from the state auditor general's office. Boulus points out that the article "ignored the fact that the final analysis by the audit reports for each university ended with the same overarching finding: 'We concluded that the university was generally effective and efficient in its use of resources allocated to support academic and related programs.'" In the letter, Boulus adds, "To pick a handful of relatively small findings in terms of overall dollars and efficiencies and expand them into a general condemnation of university use of tax and tuition dollars is sensationalism." He calls for more investment in the state's public universities.

The Ford Explorer has won top federal crash-test scores for front and side impact - the first time it has done so in both categories at the same time. The newly-achieved 5-star rating in frontal crashes means passengers' chances of serious injury in a head-on collision at 35 mph are 10 percent or lower. Albert King, chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at WSU, said the Explorer gained a star on its frontal crash rating and its improvement was dramatic. "It's down to the range where you only have to worry about mild concussions," he said.

Wayne State is mentioned in this editorial about the shortage of nurses in Michigan . The Enquirer writes the following: "We're glad to hear that Michigan State University has joined a new trend in nurse training by providing a condensed curriculum for people who hold college degrees in other fields and now want to become nurses. MSU joins University of Detroit Mercy , Wayne State University , Grand Valley State University , Northern Michigan University , Oakland University and the University of Michigan in offering fast-track nurse training."

The Wayne State University Transportation Research group determined the state's 79.7 percent use rate by observational and interview surveys.

Guest columnist John Telford writes about author-lecturer Wayne Walter Dyer's recently established $1-million scholarship fund for needy students at his alma mater, Wayne State University . Telford writes that Dyer decided to endow his Wayne State fund as a way to give back to a city and university that took a chance on him 43 years ago. Dyer was accepted at WSU on a provisional basis four years after leaving Denby High School in the 12th grade to join the Navy. "I realize now that the university gave me a big break by admitting me back in the early '60's," Dyer said. He went on to earn three degrees at Wayne State . A photo of Dyer is included.

An editorial about tuition increases by state universities in Michigan mentions that Wayne State, Michigan State and the University of Michigan have announced rates at least 12 percent higher than the previous year. The editors site a report by an Ohio University professor that suggests many schools are top-heavy with "non-teaching employees" and that professors' inflation-adjusted salaries are 50 percent higher than they were in 1980, while a "typical full professor (at U-M) teaches no more than five hours a week for 32 weeks a year." The report suggests that more state aid go directly to students rather than to universities.

A story about the fading auto industry in Michigan includes a comment by Michael Leslie, labor program specialist in the Labor Studies Center here. He pointed out that auto jobs are more scarce than ever and those that remain require advanced education and training. When people ask him for help getting jobs in the auto plants, he says, "I honestly don't know where you go."

An article about seasonal affective disorder, its causes and possible remedies, includes information from Dr. Alireza Amirsadri, psychiatrist and SAD specialist at the WSU School of Medicine. Anti-depressants work in 50-60 percent of people with the disorder, and light therapy is effective with up to 70 percent of patients, Amirsadri points out. Special fluorescent lights or counseling are other options, he and other experts agree.

Detroit's far northern suburbs are becoming a haven for high-income professionals, bringing shopping malls, coffee shops, gourmet grocers and luxury cars with them. Younger professionals with are moving to northern Macomb County communities from southern Macomb and Oakland County, but seniors with fixed incomes are staying in southern Macomb county, said Jason Booza, director of the Michigan Metropolitan Information Center at Wayne State University.

Last summer 15 state universities completed another round of tuition increases. The biggest, Michigan State , U of M and Wayne State all announced increases of at least 12 percent.

At 79, Victoria Bodek can\'t get behind the upscale retailers, fancy eateries and luxury homes sweeping across Macomb County . \"Everywhere you look there is a strip mall,\" Bodek lamented. \"I think it\'s a mess. It reminds me of Las Vegas . That\'s progress, I guess.\" She favors the simpler way of life in Roseville , where she raised her three children on her husband\'s modest salary as a gas linesman. But Macomb County is changing. The southern end -- where Bodek lives -- remains predominantly older and blue-collar. But the influx of two-income families in the north is fueling a retail revolution along Hall Road , a bustling assortment of malls, coffee shops, gourmet grocers and luxury car dealers. The income gap is increasing as relatively young professionals with families move north of Hall Road from Oakland County and southern Macomb , while seniors with fixed incomes stay in the south end where they feel more comfortable, said Jason Booza, director of the Michigan Metropolitan Information Center at Wayne State University .

--- Wayne State University is listed as 10th among Detroit 's largest employers with 5,078 employees reported in 2005. Detroit Public Schools led the category 17,151 employees. --- Wayne State 's School of Business Administration (SBA) is grouped alphabetically among Detroit area graduate business degree programs. It is noted that Wayne State offers a MBA; online MBA; MBA-J.D. dual; and M.S. degrees in accounting and taxation.

Jason Booza, director of the Michigan Metropolitan Information Center at Wayne State , is cited in an article about the changing economic makeup of Macomb County . He points out that seniors on fixed incomes are staying in the south end of the county, while young professionals with families and two incomes are moving to the northern half. The story also circulated widely on the AP wire and was picked up by newspapers in other states.

The "Detroit Briefs" column includes an item mentioning that Richard M. Gabrys has been appointed interim dean in the WSU School of Business Administration. Brief background on Gabrys is included.

Wayne State University Law School 's Moot Court program sent its two National Teams to the 56th Annual National Moot Court Competition for Region 6 at the University of Northern Kentucky , Nov. 17-19. Both teams had their briefs ranked in the top ten, and the team of Peter G. Bissett, Adele E. Ice and Karen E. Liska were finalists for the region. As finalists, the three students secured a place at the National Competition in New York from Jan. 30 through Feb. 2. A photo of WSU's finalists is included.

Millions of dollars from a city program intended to fix up ratty-looking storefronts in advance of the Super Bowl have instead been spent on some of the most prestigious and best-kept buildings in downtown Detroit . Meanwhile, many decrepit storefronts along Woodward Avenue and surrounding streets near Ford Field remain in disrepair even though that was the initial target area. \"You want to take very scarce, very precious redevelopment funds and make sure they\'re used to get the greatest public benefit,\" said George Galster, an urban affairs professor at Wayne State University . \"It certainly doesn\'t help to provide additional improvements to buildings that are already in good condition.\"

Architecture is more than just buildings. On the literary front, we should be grateful for the delightful new book \"American City: Detroit Architecture 1845-2005,\" a survey of 50 great Detroit buildings published by Wayne State University Press ($60).With photographs by William Zbaren and text by Robert Sharoff, this large-format book is a love letter to the city from its Chicago-based creators, who came for a visit and found themselves enthralled.

Women and African-Americans are under-represented in lung cancer clinical trials, clinicians report in the Journal of Cancer. \'\'The lack of participation by minorities and women shut them out of the next generation of potentially life-saving treatment,\'\' warned Dr. Wei Du in comments to Reuters.' It also makes it all the more difficult for clinicians to translate treatment benefits and risks found in a clinical trial to these under-represented patient populations,\'\' the researcher added. Du, from Wayne State University in Detroit , and colleagues reviewed the medical records of 427 lung cancer patients who were eligible to participate in lung cancer clinical trials at Detroit \'s Karmanos Cancer Institute between 1994 and 1996. The group comprised 175 African-Americans and 252 from other races and 59 percent were male.

The Edgar and Marion Beck Foundation, a non-profit, is accepting donations for items valued over $50 to be auctioned with the proceeds going to a Wayne State University 's Neurological Research Program.