President to discuss priorities at annual Leadership Breakfast
President Mark Schlissel will discuss his vision and priorities for the university to university leaders during the annual President’s Leadership Breakfast on Oct. 3. The event, held in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business’ Roberston Auditorium and Lobby, will be livestreamed on the Gateway at umich.edu/watch. The program will get underway at 8:30 a.m.
Nominations sought for Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award
Nominations will be accepted through Oct. 4 for the Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award, which honors staff members who are extraordinarily committed to fostering diversity at the university. As many as 10 awards for individuals and five awards for teams will be presented. Recipients will receive written recognition and money for professional development activities or training, with award amounts of $1,000 for individuals and $2,500 for teams. The winners will be celebrated at a ceremony in December. The Office of the Provost and University Human Resources co-sponsor the award. For more information, contact Jennifer Wade at the Office for Institutional Equity at 734-763-0235, or visit the DDLA website.
Researchers look at impact of Detroit’s unofficial pathways
As neighborhood and city planners design ways to reuse vacant land in cities like Detroit, a U-M researcher is urging them to look at the footpaths of people who already live there — literally. In what’s believed to be the first comprehensive study of unofficial footpaths in a large urban area, U-M’s Joshua Newell, associate professor of environment and sustainability, and colleague Alec Foster of Illinois State University mapped 5,680 unofficial footpaths in the city of Detroit — that’s 157 linear miles of trails. They discovered a 70 percent decline in the total length of footpaths on Detroit’s far east side between 2010 and 2016, with almost half of the lost footpaths on publicly owned land. In all, 758 Detroit footpaths were lost over the six years, and 99 new ones were created. The study’s findings are featured in the September issue of the journal Landscape and Urban Planning. Read more about this research at myumi.ch/nbwYo.
U-M researcher teams up with Apple on noise study
Richard Neitzel, associate professor of environmental health sciences and global public health, has teamed up with Apple to study how noise exposure can impact hearing over time. The Apple Hearing Study will measure participants’ level of sound exposure, with researchers harnessing the technology and ubiquity of Apple products. The study will examine how music exposure and noise in the general environment affect a person’s hearing. The data will be shared with the World Health Organization. Anyone interested in contributing to the research can do so through an Apple app called the Research app, which will be available for download later this fall. The Apple Hearing Study is one of three new medical studies that will be available on the Research app.
U-M Flint responds to opioid crisis
UM-Flint is responding to the opioid crisis through academic programs. The university developed Michigan’s only online Bachelor of Science in substance use treatment and intervention. The program launched in 2017 and is part of the social work department. The degree focuses on techniques that are used to provide substance use treatment and prepares students for the Certified Alcohol and Other Drug exam so they can become substance use counselors in Michigan. The social work department also offers a substance abuse treatment minor that is designed to complement fields such as public health, political science, business and social work.
— Compiled by Ann Zaniewski, University Record
