New U-M Business Engagement Center opens

After months of planning and bustling, behind-the-scenes activity, the University of Michigan will officially open the doors to its new Business Engagement Center this week More >

Experts available on Myanmar, Southeast Asia, cyclone formation

The University of Michigan has several experts who can comment on the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, the former Burma More >

Kelsey Museum receives federal grant

The Kelsey Museum has received a federal grant to help finance the preservation of a series of dramatic paintings in its permanent collection. The paintings depict a famous fresco cycle at the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii, Italy More >

Brain-training to improve memory boosts fluid intelligence

Brain-training efforts designed to improve working memory can also boost scores in general problem-solving ability and improve fluid intelligence, according to new University of Michigan research More >

New insights into cause of diabetes emerge from U-M research

University of Michigan researchers have new clues to what goes awry at the cellular level in type 2 diabetes.

Their results, published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), challenge conventional views of how the disease is initiated and may lead to development of drugs to treat aging-related diseases, as well as diabetes More >

Spring Commencement

Diag commencement a first; Woodruff shares life lessons, hope

ABC News anchor and special correspondent Bob Woodruff, who was seriously injured while reporting from Iraq, drew upon his professional and personal experiences as he offered messages of hope to the graduating class of 2008. More >

ABC News anchor and special correspondent Bob Woodruff's
address (QuickTime)
Text of Woodruff's prepared remarks

U-M President Mary Sue Coleman's remarks (QuickTime)
Text of President Coleman's prepared remarks

Student speaker Andres Ramos' remarks (QuickTime)

Entire commencement ceremony
(without student procession) (Windows Media)

Download the free QuickTime Player

Download the free Windows Media Player

Michigan plans for boom from energy/green breakthroughs

The state's top energy researchers, policy-makers and business innovators will come together on Earth Day April 22 to review plans for making Michigan a national leader in emerging green energy technologies.

Michigan's University Research Corridor (URC) and WWJ Newsradio 950 will bring together Michigan's key go-to people in energy innovation, including leading researchers from Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan for "Carbon Culture at the Crossroads: Embracing a Green Michigan." More >

Dalai Lama delivers U-M Wege Lecture

The Dalai Lama made his long-awaited return to the University of Michigan this weekend, delivering a special Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability at Crisler Arena on Sunday afternoon More >



Streaming video of the lecture:
http://ummedia12.rs.itd.umich.edu/snre/wege2008.wmv

U-M undergrad students present their findings at research symposium

The University of Michigan has been in the forefront of a movement to engage undergraduates in cutting edge research as soon as they arrive on campus More >

Michigan on iTunes U now available

The University of Michigan hosts a vast array of lectures, debates, performances and events each year—if only a person could get to all of them. Now there is a way to catch a special guest speaker or take in a compelling lecture from anywhere in the world More >

One large organic shade-grown coffee, please—with extra bats

If you get a chance to sip some shade-grown Mexican organic coffee, please pause a moment to thank the bats that helped make it possible.

At Mexican organic coffee plantations, where pesticides are banned, bats and birds work night and day to control insect pests that might otherwise munch the crop More >

Rising prison population an undeclared national crisis

Nearly a month after a published study on increasing U.S. prison population revealed more than 1 in 100 American adults are behind bars, two University of Michigan professors are aiming to elevate the public debate on prison reform More >

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U-M researchers involved in oldest European human fossil find

University of Michigan researcher Josep M. Pares is part of a team that has discovered the oldest known remains of human ancestors in Western Europe More >

U-M invention could block aquatic invaders

University of Michigan researchers are investigating a radical new design for cargo ships that would eliminate ballast tanks, the water-filled compartments that enable non-native creatures to sneak into the Great Lakes from overseas More >

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Weight a minute: Obese people want fair treatment from employers

Why do some people deserve protection from discrimination through the law while we don't think it's appropriate for others? More >

Growing old with style

An exhibit with "aging" in the title is bound to deal with the tribulations of geriatrics. Sure enough, in "Aging with Attitude," there are the familiar images: An elderly person resting in a wheelchair More >

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Power of caricature

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At a time when there was not radio, TV, cinema or the Internet, newspapers and journals carried exclusively the news of the day. With a single, provocative illustrated caricature aimed at the status quo, a defiant chord was struck More >

Sensors for bat-inspired spy plane under development

A six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time More >

Achievement gaps within racial groups identified for first time

A University of Michigan study finds that when it comes to achievement gaps within racial groups, catching up over time is common.

In the first known study to analyze reading and math achievement within racial groups during elementary school, researchers found high achievers within all groups and that a substantial proportion of children catch up to the high achievers in their groups over time More >

Urban kids who feel safe look to future, avoid danger

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New research shows that urban middle school students who felt safe in their neighborhoods were better able to resist instant gratification, and in turn engaged in fewer violent and other risky behaviors More >

U-M researchers release most detailed global study of genetic variation

University of Michigan scientists and their colleagues at the National Institute on Aging have produced the largest and most detailed worldwide study of human genetic variation, a treasure trove offering new insights into early migrations out of Africa and across the globe More >

Michigan laser beam believed to set record for intensity

If you could hold a giant magnifying glass in space and focus all the sunlight shining toward Earth onto one grain of sand, that concentrated ray would approach the intensity of a new laser beam made in a University of Michigan laboratory More >

Do co-workers engage or estrange after hour

It's true what they say. Business and pleasure really don't mix—at least not for Americans, according to a University of Michigan study.

"Compared to counterparts in other countries, U.S. co-workers are less likely to extend professional ties into a variety of settings beyond the workplace, even though factors that typically constrain social interaction with co-workers after hours—marriage, kids, time spent working—have remained constant or weakened," said Aleksandra Kacperczyk, a doctoral student at the U-M Ross School of Business More >

U-M researchers identify cells that cause nervous system disease

Two teams of University of Michigan researchers have tracked down the cells responsible for neurofibromatosis type1, a disfiguring, incurable condition and one of the most common hereditary disorders.

"We now know what cells to target. And that's a big step toward new therapies," said Sean Morrison, director of the U-M Center for Stem Cell Biology and leader of one of the research teams. The other group was headed by Yuan Zhu of the U-M Medical School More >

Seeing our spouses more negatively might be a positive

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While our relationships with children and best friends tend to become less negative as we age, we’re more likely to see our spouses as irritating and demanding More >

U-M begins landmark study of toddlers with autism

Autism researchers at the University of Michigan, the University of California-Davis and the University of Washington have been awarded a $15.3 million grant to determine the impact of intervening with toddlers age 2 and younger as part of the NIH Autism Centers of Excellence Networks More >

Energy bill experts at the University of Michigan

The University of Michigan has several experts available to discuss aspects of a federal energy measure that gained final approval Dec. 18.

The measure requires increases in vehicle fuel economy, boosts ethanol production and mandates improved energy efficiency for appliances and buildings More >

U-M faculty members available for interviews about elections

The University of Michigan has several distinguished faculty members available for interviews to discuss elections in Michigan and nationwide More >

Nano-sized voltmeter measures electric fields deep within cells

A wireless, nano-scale voltmeter developed at the University of Michigan is overturning conventional wisdom about the physical environment inside cells. It may someday help researchers tackle such tricky medical issues as why cancer cells grow out of control and how damaged nerves might be mended More >

U-M experts available to discuss federal water bill projects

The University of Michigan has experts available to discuss various aspects of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, federal legislation that would provide millions of dollars for projects in the Great Lakes region More >