Board of Regents to meet in person Feb. 17; livestream available
The University of Michigan Board of Regents will meet at 3 p.m. Feb. 17, in the Richard L. Postma Family Clubhouse at the U-M Golf Course, 500 E. Stadium Blvd. Members of the public will also be able to watch a livestream of the meetings at umich.edu/watch/. Seating for the public in the meeting room will be reduced, and masks will be required for everyone attending. An agenda will be posted at noon Feb. 14 at regents.umich.edu/meetings/agendas/. Members of the public wishing to make comments during the meeting must attend in person. To offer public comment at the meeting, sign up before 9 a.m. Feb. 16 at regents.umich.edu/meetings/public-comments/form. 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.
Fourth SACUA seat to open; UM-Dearborn faculty may apply
Faculty members from UM-Dearborn are now eligible to run for one of four available seats on the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs after Vice Chair J. Caitlin Finlayson announced she will step down April 30, a year before her term was set to expire. Finlayson, a professor of English literature at UM-Dearborn, said she is leaving the nine-member executive arm of the university’s central faculty governance system to pursue an upcoming sabbatical/research leave. Three other members’ regular terms will expire April 30. The Senate Assembly will elect SACUA members March 21. Nominations must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Feb. 14 at facultysenateoffice@umich.edu. For more information about SACUA, visit the SACUA page on the Faculty Senate Office website at facultysenate.umich.edu/sacua/.
Call for submissions: Pilot grants to support firearm injury prevention work
The Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention, based in the Office of the Vice President for Research, has initiated its inaugural round of pilot grants to generate knowledge and advance innovative solutions that reduce firearm injury. The institute, a presidential initiative, anticipates funding five to eight one-year projects in 2022 that have the potential to advance firearm injury prevention science, research or scholarship. Award amounts are expected to range between $5,000 and $50,000 per award. Faculty members and researchers from all schools, colleges and departments at the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses are encouraged to apply. Submissions are due April 18. More information and the application tool are at myumi.ch/pZVk1.
Six teams awarded Anti-Racist Digital Research Initiative funds
Six teams from across the university have received mini-grants of up to $5,000 through the Anti-Racist Digital Research Initiative pilot program. The initiative supports early-stage digital scholarship projects that advance anti-racism and social justice in the humanities, arts and humanistic social sciences. Recipients were selected from a competitive pool of more than 30 applications. Details about the recipients and their projects can be found online. The program is made possible through a partnership with the U-M Library, LSA Technology Services and the National Center for Institutional Diversity’s Anti-Racism Collaborative.
MIDAS Challenge Grant funds study of single cells
Research led by a team of scientists from across the university makes the analysis of individual cells possible, unlocking potential advancements in biology research and a variety of other disciplines. The study team, led by Jun Li and his colleagues at the Michigan Center for Single-Cell Genomic Analytics, used seed money from a Michigan Institute for Data Science Challenge Grant to generate more than $30 million in external funding and $7 million from the U-M Biosciences Initiative, to continue and expand their work. Being able to hone in on individual cells allows for a better understanding and identification of how the human body regulates growth, as well as the causes and efficacy of treatments for irregular growths, such as in cancer. Read more about this research online.
Maternity care workers expressed anguish early in pandemic
In general, the challenges of being a health care provider and the risks for potential COVID-19 infection are acknowledged, but it’s less clear how COVID risk mitigation strategies in hospitals impact maternity health care workers. To that end, researchers from the School of Nursing and the Obstetrics Initiative at Michigan Medicine asked nurses, physicians and midwives across Michigan, “How has COVID-19 impacted your work?” The answers showed deeper levels of anguish and fear than was anticipated and have implications for mental health and worker retention, said researcher Lisa Kane Low, a midwife and professor of nursing. Five major themes emerged: provider health; patient care impact; burdens of personal protective equipment; decreased support during labor with visitor restrictions; and ethical challenges. Read the study online in the Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing.
— Compiled by James Iseler and Ann Zaniewski, The University Record
