Board of Regents to meet at Ruthven Building on Sept. 19
The Board of Regents is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Sept. 19 in University Hall in the Alexander G. Ruthven Building. Members of the public also will be able to watch a livestream of the meeting at umich.edu/watch/, but those wishing to make comments during the meeting must attend in person. An agenda will be posted at noon Sept. 16 at regents.umich.edu/meetings/agendas/. Those wishing to sign up to speak at the meeting, or who wish to submit written or video comments must do so between 9 a.m. Sept. 12 and 5 p.m. Sept. 16. To sign up or learn more about the public comments policy, go to regents.umich.edu/meetings/public-comments/. People with disabilities who need assistance should contact the Office of the Vice President and Secretary of the University in advance at 734-763-8194. For more information, go to regents.umich.edu.
Research targets billion-dollar problem of counterfeit electronics
In early 2023, a mechanic at a Portuguese airline discovered something a little unusual while performing maintenance on a jet engine. A replacement damper designed to quiet mechanical vibrations was already showing signs of wear — despite the maintenance log showing the component had just recently been installed. The airline learned that documentation provided with the replacement part had been faked — the part was a counterfeit. The discovery set off a wave of similar discoveries that would ripple through the airline industry over the coming months. Hafiz Malik, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UM-Dearborn, said the airline scandal is hardly an isolated incident. Malik says there are countless similar instance in both the black and gray markets fueling a lucrative worldwide trade in counterfeit electronic components that are not just a costly headache for companies and consumers, but also are a huge safety and cybersecurity issue for all stakeholders. Funded by a $1 million National Science Foundation grant, Malik and Alireza Mohammadi, professor of electrical and computer engineering, are creating a novel digital fingerprinting system to solve a massive safety challenge in the transportation sector. Read more about their work.
Registration open for ceremony honoring international education awardees
The public is invited to register for an event honoring this year’s recipients of the President’s Award for Distinguished Service in International Education — Andrew Lawlor, retired director of Global MBA Projects and lecturer in entrepreneurship and strategy at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, and Emily Wang, assistant director of the Office of International Affairs at UM-Dearborn. The event, hosted by Valeria Bertacco, vice provost for engaged learning, is set for the morning of Sept. 20 on Central Campus. Details will be shared with registrants the week of the event. The event also will be livestreamed at youtu.be/PJC84C-LDVE.
Study: Most states have higher child, adolescent firearm mortality rates
Injury-related mortality rates, including firearm-related deaths, among children and adolescents increased in almost every state between 2018-22, according to a U-M study. Researchers from the U-M Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention analyzed mortality data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wide-ranging Outline Data for Epidemiologic Research and found that nearly 90% of states saw an increase in mortality rates among children and adolescents overall during the study period. North Dakota’s numbers show the largest increase among states at 65% and Rhode Island saw the largest decrease at 20%. The researchers noted that while mortality rates for children ages 1 to 9 increased, the majority of the overall rate increase was among those ages 10 to 19 years old. The data also showed that six states saw decreases in injury-related mortality rates and three states reported decreases of more than 10%. Read more about this research.
Traditional infrastructure design can worsen extreme flooding events
Much of the nation’s stormwater infrastructure, designed decades to a century ago to prevent floods, can exacerbate flooding during the severe weather events that are increasing around the globe, new research led by U-M demonstrates. The problem lies in traditional planning’s failure to recognize flood connectivity: how surface runoff from driveways, lawns and streets — and the flows in river channels and pipes — are all interlinked. The result is interactions, often unanticipated, between different stormwater systems that can make flooding worse. The study is based on record-breaking rainfall that hit metro Detroit on Aug. 11, 2014, resulting in flooding across the region. The disaster closed highways, stranded drivers and caused power outages and property damage to more than 100,000 homes, with a cost of $1.8 billion. Researchers analyzed data from that event, particularly from the city of Warren, and placed their findings in the context of current U.S. stormwater design standards and flood warning practices to develop policy recommendations. Read more about this research.
— Compiled by James Iseler, The University Record
