STATE UNIVERSITIES
Gift supports EMU special education professionals, researchers
William and Delores Brehm have kept special education and Eastern Michigan University, her alma matter, as an important part of their lives. The longtime supporters of EMU recently donated $3.26 million to support students in special education and music therapy. Their gifts to Eastern total more than $8.5 million, making them the largest individual donors to the university in its history. The Brehms seek to help train special education professionals and researchers who will lead the way in supporting people with disabilities, as well as those who can benefit from music therapy.
PEER INSTITUTIONS
Harvard researchers study potential treatment for muscular dystrophy
In a new study published in Nature Biotechnology, investigators from Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital report that by identifying and mimicking important developmental cues, they have been able to drive cells to grow into muscle fibers, producing millimeter-long fibers capable of contracting in a dish and multiplying in large numbers. This new method of producing muscle cells could offer a better model for studying muscle diseases, such as muscular dystrophy, and for testing potential treatment options.
UC: Parents’ math anxiety can undermine kid’s achievement
If the thought of a math test makes you break out in a cold sweat, Mom or Dad may be partly to blame, according to new research from the University of Chicago. The study appears in Psychological Science. Previous research from the research group has established that when teachers are anxious about math, their students learn less math during the school year. The current study is the first to establish a link between parents’ and children’s math anxiety.
Maryland study says milk tops post-exercise recovery drinks
A recent study conducted by the University of Maryland School of Public Health found milk outperformed top commercial products in aiding post-exercise recovery. Jae Kun Shim, a professor of kinesiology at UMD, conducted a year-long study to test how well a locally-manufactured chocolate milk sports drink aided the post-exercise recovery of muscular endurance compared to other popular sports drinks. The study found the milk outperformed competing products by 13-17 percent. Researchers found the freshest milk from the best cows provided more of what athletes’ bodies needed than artificial commercial drinks, including protein, electrolytes, calcium and vitamin D.
Purdue study details yellow perch recovery in Lake Michigan
Purdue University researchers were surprised to learn in their recent study of yellow perch that the species recovered from overfishing in Lake Michigan to reach reproductive maturity at a later age and larger size much faster than what scientists had believed was possible. Analysis of fish assessment data going back to the early 1970s showed the species reversed a trend of reaching reproductive maturity at an earlier age and smaller size than what had been normal.
