Gore links climate change to world's weather woes

Former Vice President Al Gore linked climate change to a rash of environmental catastrophes Thursday, from floods in Pakistan to drought in Texas and rampant algae blooms sucking oxygen from Lake Erie. The fallout from a warming planet is being felt around the world, Gore said in a speech at Wayne State University during the annual meeting of the International Joint Commission. Things will get worse unless people reject a campaign of denial orchestrated by the fossil fuel industry and make significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

October 14, 2011

EPA vows to help fund cleanup of 6 toxic waterways in Michigan

Six toxic areas in Michigan, including the St. Clair River, will get special attention from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for funding to finish long-term cleanups there in the next two years. The six are among nine areas that will get funding, Lisa Jackson, administrator of the agency, said yesterday at Wayne State University. Jackson\'s appearance at Wayne State coincides with the events of Great Lakes Week - a gathering in Detroit of environmental groups from around the region. The week\'s events include meetings of the International Joint Commission and the Great Lakes Commission.

October 13, 2011

Conference features Al Gore

Former Vice President Al Gore's appearance at Wayne State University's Community Arts Auditorium today was noted. Gore will be speaking at 1:15 p.m. as part of the Great Lakes Week conference.

October 13, 2011

Retinal degeneration treatment firm raising funds ahead of clinical trials

A Michigan company developing a treatment to help restore vision in patients with retinal degeneration hopes to have its lead candidate in clinical trials in 2012. RetroSense Therapeutics is targeting patients with blindness from retinal pigmentosa and advanced dry age-related macular degeneration for its new therapy derived from genes in blue-green algae. RetroSense's approach was pioneered Dr. Zhuo-Hua Pan at Wayne State University and Dr. Alex Dizhoor at Salus University, and was spun off into RetroSense in 2009. So far, the technology has shown improved light sensitivity in tests on small animals.

October 13, 2011

Repatriation Tax Holiday push shows Congress turning deaf ear to Occupy Wall Street

Linda Beale, a Wayne State University law professor who blogs about tax policy, commented in an article examining the push for a repatriation tax holiday -- a huge, temporary reduction in the tax rate on money brought back to the U.S. from offshore tax havens. \"This is one of those things where if you\'re on the side supporting a repatriation tax holiday, that means that you\'re supporting a corporatist agenda that redistributes money upward to the rich,\" she said. \"There\'s no two ways about it.\"

October 13, 2011

Wayne State University and General Motors spark students interest in manufacturing

Students from sixteen universities spanning the U.S. gathered in Detroit in late September to explore issues pertaining to buying advanced technology components for electric vehicles. The General Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition challenged students with sourcing components for the Chevrolet Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle that is being rolled out for national sale this year. Timothy Butler, associate professor of supply chain management at WSU's School of Business Administration who helped plan the event, said it was "one of the most fantastic projects I've worked on since I've been at Wayne State." John Taylor, associate professor and director of supply chain programs at WSU's business school, said he is grateful for the supporters that made it possible for Wayne State to "show young, talented supply chain professionals the many positive opportunities that Detroit and the automotive industry have to offer.

October 13, 2011

Touché! En Garde Detroit is a hit

A feature story spotlights En Garde Detroit, a fencing club that is staffed by coaches from Wayne State University and the University of Detroit Mercy fencing teams. The free program is completely mobile moving around the city and into schools to teach the sport.

October 12, 2011

Economic development pieces came together for Whole Foods store in Detroit

The story of how Whole Foods decided to open a store in Detroit started years ago. Like any other economic development, the right pieces had to fit together at the right time, those involved in the deal said during a panel discussion hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers at Wayne State University on Tuesday. Whole Foods plans to open in spring 2013.

October 12, 2011

Joseph Hayes: Troy Burrell making mark for Wayne State Warriors

There are several college football teams in the state that are playing outstanding football. But one that has gone mostly overlooked is the Wayne State University Warriors. Playing out of NCAA Division II, the Warriors are having one of their best seasons in school history, and helping lead the way is Port Huron\'s own Troy Burrell. The redshirt senior wide receiver has been at his best throughout the season, while displaying the same big-play potential he showed at Port Huron High School. The No. 6 ranked Warriors return to action Saturday at Ashland University.

October 12, 2011

TechTown signs on with Export-Import Bank to help entrepreneurs increase exports

TechTown, the Wayne State University-affiliated business incubator, announced today that it has formed a relationship with the Export-Import Bank of the United States that will allow local entrepreneurs to access services and funding sources to boost their exports. "We are focusing on job creation," TechTown general manager Leslie Smith said in a press release. "This program will help our client companies open new markets and obtain the financial support they need to leverage those market opportunities."

October 12, 2011

Innovation Institute debuts at Henry Ford Hospital

A $12-million Detroit project aimed at shaping the future of medicine - the Innovation Institute at Henry Ford Hospital - officially opened its doors Wednesday. The Institute, located on the campus of Henry Ford Hospital, is a partnership that includes Henry Ford Medical Group, the College for Creative Studies, the Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems program at Wayne State University and The Henry Ford.

October 12, 2011

Detroit's rebound feels real this time

In a column about Detroit's rebound, Daniel Howes writes: "Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies are reinvesting in Midtown, bolstering a critical mass of smarts, young people and spending power that is attracting talent and driving demand for downtown housing and new retail investment." He adds, "Remember this feeling, Detroit - it\'s what happens when things get done the right way."

October 11, 2011

Norma Goldman: She taught Latin, kept it alive

Norma Goldman, a lifelong educator who taught Latin at Wayne State University for more than 45 years, regarded it as the backbone of all languages and authored one of the textbooks used to teach freshman Latin at the school: \"Latin via Ovid.\" Mrs. Goldman died Oct. 1 after a yearlong struggle with cancer. She was 89. After graduating in 1943 from what was then Wayne University with bachelor\'s and master\'s degrees in English, Greek and Latin, as well as a teaching certificate, she married, a year later, Bernard Goldman, a professor of art history at the university. After retiring from Wayne State University in 1991, she continued teaching on a voluntary basis as one of the founders of the WSU \"Society of Active Retirees, \"an educational program for senior citizens. A public memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. today at Wayne State University's Community Arts Auditorium.

October 11, 2011

Chamber set for Building Bridges dinner

Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour and John Moran, managing director of Overseas Private Investment, will discuss Michigan\'s economic future in the global economy at the American Arab Chamber of Commerce\'s 19th annual Building Bridges banquet. The event will be Oct. 21 at the Henry Hotel, 300 Town Center Drive, Dearborn.

October 10, 2011

Health care people

Dr. Sonia Hassan has been appointed associate dean for maternal, perinatal and child health at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. She has served as the director of the Center for Advanced Obstetrical Care and Research at the Perinatology Research Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The National Institutes of Health center is housed at the school and the Detroit Medical Center.

October 10, 2011

Heated debate over same sex marriage takes stage at UT

A heated debate took center stage at the University of Tennessee on Monday night featuring two of the nation\'s leading and opposing voices on same sex marriage. John Corvino, professor at Wayne State University and the author of many books supporting same sex marriage, and Maggie Gallaher, who has been featured on CNN, MSNBC and other media outlets speaking out against same sex marriage. \"Well, I think that we have enough marriage to share in our society. It is good for people to have a special someone to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer and so on, and I think that\'s true whether you\'re gay or straight,\" said Corvino.

October 10, 2011

Stakes high as UAW workers prepare to vote on Ford contract

Jobs for Michigan, the reputation of UAW President Bob King and Ford\'s ability to compete with U.S. rivals are all at stake this week as the union works to persuade 41,000 Ford workers to vote in favor of a tentative agreement. If ratified, Ford\'s contract would deliver $1.3 billion in investments at eight Michigan plants, including $500 million in Flat Rock to build the next-generation Ford Fusion. \"They are bringing work back to American plants, and they are putting billions into refurbishing American plants,\" said Mike Smith, a labor historian at the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University. \"And reinvesting in that Flat Rock plant, I think, is a very, very positive win for the UAW and Michigan.\"

October 10, 2011

Detroit Public Television's Premiere Night

An overview of Detroit Public Television\'s PBS Premiere Night and Benefactor Dinner notes that Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour received the organization's Visionary Award for establishing DPTV\'s new Midtown Studio on the WSU campus.

October 10, 2011

In brief

Three Detroit schools are among 63 across the state awarded grants to help fight childhood obesity. The grants are part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan\'s Building Healthy Communities school program. Blue Cross first offered the program in 2009. Grants have been awarded to 63 schools across the state to help children incorporate exercise and healthy eating into their lifestyles. Blue Cross has partnered with Wayne State University\'s College of Education Center for School Health and the Michigan Fitness Foundation.

October 10, 2011

Week on the web

A review of last week notes that Presidents Allan Gilmour of Wayne State University, Mary Sue Coleman of University of Michigan and Lou Anna Simon of Michigan State University told the Detroit Economic Club that government involvement in the operations of state universities would be counterproductive.

October 9, 2011