New workshop aims to create common ground during tough talks
A new virtual workshop from Organizational Learning through University Human Resources is available for University of Michigan faculty or staff who would like to connect and create common ground with others during difficult conversations. The first session of “Creating Common Ground for a Kinder, Better Future: Growing the Capacity to Listen and Connect in Politically Charged Times” is planned for Nov. 5. Political or personal values conversations are an important part of civil discourse, especially if each party is willing to listen and connect with mutual respect and a goal to seek common ground. Instructions and a link to join the webinar will be included in the registration confirmation email. Individuals who would like to present this content to their team can sign up to be notified when the next Train-the-Trainer session is scheduled. Read more about the workshop or register.
University reminds campus community about football parking
The 2020 U-M home football season kicked off Oct. 31 with a game against in-state rival Michigan State. Although there will be no fans in Michigan Stadium, the U-M Athletic Department and Division of Public Safety and Security request that all personal and university vehicles be parked at off-site locations away from the stadium area by 10 p.m. each Friday prior to home games. The lots will be closed off during football games. Any vehicles left in the lots after 10 p.m. Fridays before games will be subject to towing. See a full list of lots affected. Remaining home games for the 2020 football season are Nov. 14 vs. Wisconsin, Nov. 28 vs. Penn State and Dec. 5 vs. Maryland.
Mott Poll: More teens participating in protests against racism
Across the country, young people have made the news for their role in protests against racial injustice, from a 4,000-person protest led by three high schoolers in metro Detroit to a youth-led 10,000-person demonstration in Nashville. A new national poll confirms that a growing number of demonstrators taking to the streets to stand up against police brutality and racism are teenagers. One in 12 parents say their teen has attended one of these events this year, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at Michigan Medicine. The nationally-representative poll was based on 1,025 responses from parents of teens ages 13-18. Read more about the poll and the results.
Health care workers struggled with mood, sleep early in pandemic
Whether they switched to working from home in an arrangement that was more flexible than before or tacked on even more hours as an essential employee, health care workers have had a lot to adjust to in 2020. A recent survey of more than 800 people who work in the medical field, showed more than 85 percent of respondents said their mood was worse in March and April than before the pandemic hit. And although the changes to their sleeping patterns differed depending on the group, more than 70 percent of the participants’ sleep patterns changed in some way during those first months of stay-at-home orders. The abrupt transition was important to study as the pandemic continues, said lead author Deirdre Conroy, professor of psychiatry at Michigan Medicine and the clinical director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic. Read more about the survey.
UM-Dearborn annual study recognizes 206 communities in Michigan
If you are looking for entrepreneurial growth and innovation in Michigan, eCities, the annual research project conducted by iLabs, UM-Dearborn’s Center for Innovation Research, has a list of 206 communities to check out. The communities, located in all corners of the state, are recognized with four and five stars for their efforts that influence entrepreneurship, economic development and job growth. The eCities study analyzed publicly available data from 277 communities from 54 counties in Michigan. Researchers focused on the five-year changes in property values, community assets and tax rates, which can demonstrate the growth, investments and cost of doing business within the community. Read more about the study and the communities recognized.
Personal cold plasma ‘air curtain’ design for COVID-19 protection moves forward
The next generation of protective masks — under development at U-M — could harness the power of nonthermal, or cold, plasma into a small headset that both blocks and neutralizes airborne pathogens. Taza Aya, a company founded by Herek Clack, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, has been named an awardee in the Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge, a competition created by Johnson & Johnson Innovation in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. The award comes with $200,000 in funding from BARDA. Read more about this technology.
— Compiled by Jeff Bleiler, The University Record
