Short news items from around the University of Michigan.

College of Engineering professor Kamal Sarabandi has received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which recognizes individuals for excellence and service to the country in professional, cultural and civic roles.

Law student Rana Thabata has been awarded a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, a program that provides financial support to immigrants and children of immigrants.

Irina Bondarenko, a statistician lead for the biostatistics department in the School of Public Health, grew up in Ukraine and has created works of art inspired by her homeland.

Frederick Stearns had never purchased a musical instrument, but a small guitar caught his eye. It was called a quirten and dated to 1807.

A U-M study found that while middle school and high school students tended to express uncertain attitudes toward evolution, those attitudes solidified as they aged.

With more than 105,000 applicants, U-M again set a record for application volume, with a growing number of prospective first-year and transfer students looking to enroll for the fall 2024 term.

The recipients of U-M’s 2023 presidential awards for public engagement — Aaron Dworkin and Christian Sandvig — have made far-reaching impacts through their work in music and computer algorithm auditing.

After finishing runner-up seven times, the U-M debate team has finally clinched its first national championship, defeating the University of Kansas at the 2024 National Debate Tournament in Atlanta.

The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs has elected Rebekah Modrak of the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design as chair and Heather O’Malley of the Medical School as vice chair for the upcoming school year.