Discovery Canada's "Daily Planet" showcases research at WSU's Ballistics lab

Discovery Channel Canada's "Daily Planet" takes a look inside Wayne State University's Ballistics lab at the Bioengineering Center to see how bullet proof vests protect law enforcement officers. Cynthia Bir, professor of biomedical engineering, is the lead engineer featured in the segment. (cue to 1:50)

February 27, 2012

Dr. Silas Norman talks about love for music with Detroit Free Press

Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley profiles Dr. Silas Norman, Jr., associate dean for admissions, diversity and inclusion, at Wayne State University's School of Medicine. Norman attended Paine College in his native Augusta, Ga., and graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Norman wound up becoming a pharmaceutical representative until 1972, when he entered Wayne State University's medical school. He did his residency at the old Detroit General Hospital and eventually became a member of the WSU medical faculty. He also finds time to pursue his love for music as a member of the Brazeal Dennard Chorale.

February 26, 2012

WSU's TechTown noted on Patch.com for helping launch mymentalspace.com through its Smart Start program

Ever pull up a web page and feel worse after spending time on it? Farmington Hills native Mark Ostach has, and that realization spawned the idea for mymentalspace.com, a website he hopes will soon be in use every day on college campuses, in workplaces and homes. Ostach bootstrapped his business through Tech Town, Wayne State University's Research and Technology Park, and its Smart Start program, which helped connect him with business-building resources.

February 26, 2012

Ford Fund helps 4 colleges aid nonprofits while giving students career experience

The Ford Motor Co. Fund is supporting a program with four colleges and universities to aid local nonprofits while providing career experience to students. The foundation launched a pilot of the Ford Community Corps program last spring at Wayne State University and has since expanded to other institutions. At WSU, five students have filled internships tied to the program for the past three terms. They work during the semester with a nonprofit and get a $2,000 scholarship to the university. "The difference between this and other internships is this is more project-driven," said Farah Harb, internship coordinator in the Career Planning and Placement Office at Wayne State's School of Business Administration.

February 26, 2012

American Black Journal guests credit WSU for exposing them to STEM fields

Guests on a segment of American Black Journal highlighting STEM education and careers mentioned Wayne State University as a place where they were exposed to new possibilities in the fields. "I originally didn't know what engineering was," one of the guests commented. "I know the value of exposing a student can set them on a new course in life. They just need the exposure."

February 26, 2012

'Keep farming laws local'

Kami Pothukuchi, a Wayne State University associate professor and director of the SEED program, is quoted in an article examining state farming laws. Urban farmers and gardeners say a change in the legislation is necessary to insure local control over agriculture ordinances. A City Planning Commission workgroup is currently drafting farming ordinances, while advocating for an exemption from the Michigan Right to Farm Act. Pothukuchi said that a farming ordinance will allow small farmers and gardeners to make better decisions about long-term investments and that property values traditionally rise in areas where community gardening is successful.

February 26, 2012

Past and present collide in Michigan author Jack Driscoll's new story collection

A book review highlights Jack Driscoll's "The World of a Few Minutes Ago," which is the latest work in the Made in Michigan Writers Series from Wayne State University Press. "I've been living in northern Michigan since 1975," he said "I'm an east coast boy by birth. I came to Michigan for what I thought would be a temporary stay to help start the creative writing program at Interlochen, and it turned out to be the single greatest thing in my life."

February 26, 2012

Detroit News, WWJ-AM report Charles Pugh's "Call for Action" forum held at WSU

Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh said he was elated at the turnout of about 400 people last night at Wayne State University's Community Arts Auditorium for a forum on volunteering to help Detroit and Detroiters. He hosted the meeting with WDET-FM (101.9) radio talk-show host Craig Fahle, who has held a series of "Call for Action" shows on how people in the region can help to transform Detroit. Pugh and Fahle plan another meeting for 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the Community House, 380 S. Bates in Birmingham. The second meeting will also promote volunteering in Detroit but it will be a chance for suburbanites to meet Pugh and give him suggestions for improving Detroit and making it more appealing to outsiders, he said.

February 23, 2012

WSU's Lyke Thompson explains Detroiters' voting connections in the Huffington Post

Michigan voters will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in the state's presidential primary, but very few Detroiters will be among them. Turnout for non-general elections in the city is generally low, and Department of Elections Director Daniel Baxter said he expects just 10 to 12 percent of the city's 550,000 registered voters to cast ballots Tuesday. Very few Detroit residents vote Republican -- around 13 or 14 percent in general elections -- according to Wayne State University Professor of Political Science Lyke Thompson. Historically Detroiters long have voted Democratic, with the party having dominated elections since before the Great Depression. "Detroit has had much more connection to the Democratic Party than did the rest of the state," Thompson explained.

February 23, 2012

Should colleges be factories for the 1 percent?

An opinion piece in response to President Obama's recently unveiled Blueprint for College Affordability argues that earnings power is not a good proxy for educational excellence. The letter challenges the notion of "collecting earnings and employment information for colleges and universities, so that students can have an even better sense of the life they'll be able to build once they graduate." "Even if the goal were simply to make the most possible money, it doesn't necessarily follow that students should attend the college with the highest-earning average graduate, the authors wrote. "The surest path is to find the best personal fit. If a student would thrive at Wayne State, that student will probably achieve his or her highest potential - in earnings and in every way - by attending Wayne State."

February 23, 2012

WSU researcher examines effects of Jack pine wildfire remnants

Successful efforts to restore populations of an endangered bird species in northern lower Michigan have cleared the way for researchers to look at the effects of that restoration on the rest of the ecosystem. While habitat restoration helps grow the bird population, Dan Kashian, Wayne State University assistant professor of biological sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and other researchers and wildlife and forest managers have begun to examine how it affects everything else in the forests.

February 23, 2012

A Call to Action with Charles Pugh

Detroit City Council President Charles Pugh and WDET General Manager J. Mikel Ellcessor join The Craig Fahle Show to recap Detroit's "Call to Action" meeting at Wayne State University Wednesday night.

February 23, 2012

Tennessee Williams' "Summer and Smoke" at the Hilberry Theatre

The Hilberry Theatre continues its 49th season with Tennessee Williams' American classic, "Summer and Smoke," opening Friday, Feb. 24. University of Windsor professor Lionel Walsh directs this sultry Southern tale, which spins the story of Alma, a minister's daughter, who cannot resist her attraction to the rakish and inspiring young doctor, John, who lives next door. WDET's Amy Miller welcomes director Walsh along with lead actors, Lorelei Sturm and Andrew Papa to discuss the Hilberry production.

February 23, 2012

Commentary: U.S. must recommit to funding medical research

Our nation's fiscal situation and the failure of the Congressional Budget Super Committee last year could trigger across-the-board multi-billion-dollar cuts to medical research nationally and right here in Michigan, according to guest op-ed writer Dr. Gilbert S. Omenn, former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Omenn writes that this threat to a burgeoning sector of our state economy could not come at a worse time. "Michigan is one of the most prominent states for biomedical research, with cutting-edge work at the University of Michigan, Wayne State University, the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health System, Michigan State University, Van Andel Institute and other institutions."

February 22, 2012

Marc Kruman quoted in Detroit News article profiling Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul

Marc Kruman, director of the Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University, comments in a profile story on Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul and his appearance starting this Saturday in Michigan's primary challenge. Paul has proposed ending the Federal Reserve and withdrawing U.S. forces engaged overseas, says Kruman. "He is raising issues that the other candidates are having to address but he sits on the fringe of the Republican party," Kruman says. "A lot more people now are coming in this direction of advocating strict adherence to the Constitution, and a strict and confident belief that individual liberty is more important than having a nanny state that takes care of us from cradle to grave."

February 22, 2012

CBS Detroit, AnnArbor.com announce Cyber Summit at Wayne State

On Thursday, March 8, the Wayne State University School of Social Work will host a Cyber Summit to highlight its CyberMentoring program as well as provide resources and legislation information to the community. The event will be held in Student Center Building room 289 on WSU's campus from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Guest speakers include Detroit City Council Member Saunteel Jenkins and Kevin Epling, father of bullied teen Matt Epling, who sparked Michigan's Matt's Law.

February 22, 2012

HuffPost Detroit highlights "Michigan in Transition" symposium at WSU's Law School

On March 23, 16 experts from around the country will convene at Wayne State University Law School to discuss how Detroit and other cities in Michigan are experiencing a transformation in the way civic structures operate and allocate resources. The Journal of Law in Society will present its free 2012 symposium titled "Michigan in Transition: The Restructuring of Governance Through Privatization and Corporatization" from 9-5:30 pm in Wayne State University Law School's Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium.

February 22, 2012

Dr. Manish Jain and Craig Fahle explore commentary on President Obama's prenatal testing policy

Dr. Manish Jain, associate chief medical officer for WSU Physicians Group-OBGYN, and Craig Fahle explored Presidential hopeful Senator Rick Santorum's recent comments over President Obama's prenatal testing policy.

February 21, 2012

A. Antonio González-Prendes discusses anger lecture and culture, gender sensitivity on Craig Fahle Show

Anger is the subject of Wayne State University School of Social Work's sixth-annual Dean's Diversity Lecture. "Culture- and Gender-Sensitive Regulation of Anger" is a free lecture with keynote speaker A. Antonio González-Prendes, assistant professor of social work at Wayne State, who joins Craig Fahle in this segment. The event occurs Thursday, March 22, 2-4 p.m. at the Wayne State University Law School's Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium.

February 21, 2012

UM to lead statewide Tech Transfer Talent Network

An article highlighting a new $2.4 million statewide program called the Tech Transfer Talent Network, led by the University of Michigan and funded through a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp, notes that the network is comprised of seven universities, including Wayne State. Each university is collaborating with its regional economic development organization to promote increased access to mentors and partnering businesses. The primary goal of the Tech Transfer Talent Network is to increase the supply of seasoned entrepreneurs and innovators who can lend their expertise to university tech transfer offices.

February 21, 2012