News from other Michigan public universities and U-M peer institutions across the nation.
STATE UNIVERSITIES
Ingredient safety center coming to MSU
The food, beverage and consumer products industries, in association with the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Michigan State University, announced April 7 the establishment of the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety at MSU. An independent, academic, science-based center, it will serve as a reliable and unbiased source for information, research, training and analysis on the safe use of chemical ingredients in consumer packaged goods including foods, beverages, cosmetics and household consumer products.
New Wayne State president shares plans
Wayne State University inaugurated President M. Roy Wilson April 4. Wilson said prior to his inauguration that “being part of a city that’s … in transition is a once in a lifetime experience.” He said the investment in the new Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research Building will reap benefits for the university and the community. He previously served as deputy director for strategic scientific planning and program coordination at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health.
PEER INSTITUTIONS
Harvard University scientists study ALS treatment
Harvard stem cell scientists have discovered that a recently approved medication for epilepsy might be a meaningful treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a uniformly fatal neurodegenerative disorder. The researchers are now collaborating with Massachusetts General Hospital to design an initial clinical trial testing the safety of the treatment in patients.
UC Berkley College of Chemistry joins research hub
The University of California, Berkley, College of Chemistry has launched a new collaborative research center, the California Research Alliance by BASF. It is a multidisciplinary effort focused on innovation and technology transfer. Along with Berkeley and the chemical company BASF, alliance academic partners include UCLA and Stanford University. The center will focus on inorganic materials and techniques for the electronic industry. One of the challenges researchers will confront is the need to reduce feature size in semiconductor computer chips for ever-smaller electronic devices.
Grant to support UChicago Medicine vocabulary programs
The PNC Foundation has selected the University of Chicago Medicine Thirty Million Words program to be part of a $19-million initiative supporting early childhood language development. The multiyear grant was announced April 1 during PNC’s Grow Up Great 10th Anniversary celebration at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. Thirty Million Words combines education, behavioral strategies and technology to help narrow the language gap between children from low-income and wealthier households.
New Purdue center will focus on open digital innovation
A new Discovery Park center affiliated with Purdue University’s Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship will focus on equipping future systems designers, managers and leaders with new guidelines and database tools to solve complex problems in areas such as health care, regional development, financial services and smart manufacturing. The Research Center for Open Digital Innovation at Purdue will build on the university’s strengths in computational systems and modeling, technology, engineering, the sciences and entrepreneurship.
