News from other Michigan public universities and U-M peer institutions across the nation.
STATE UNIVERSITIES
Grand Valley State University hosts chemistry educators
Grand Valley State University hosted the largest gathering of chemical educators in the world as more than 1,300 gathered for the 2014 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education Aug. 3-7. With a conference theme of Greener on the Grand, it drew college and high school chemistry faculty from 45 states and 16 countries for plenary sessions, workshops and symposia. It was sponsored by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society.
Michigan Tech wins $5M to reform middle school science
The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, based in Midland, has funded the Michigan Science Teaching and Assessment Reform program to develop a model for reforming middle-school STEM education. Directed by Michigan Technological University faculty, it will include a new curriculum supported by updated teacher education and teacher professional development strategies. The $5 million, three-year grant program focuses on integrating the sciences, using a problem-based approach, cutting across the traditional disciplines of biology, physics, chemistry and earth science to emphasize core ideas and show how science can be used to address society’s needs.
Oakland University conference focuses on credit analysis
Called the only event of its kind, the third International Conference on Credit Analysis and Risk Management Aug. 21-22 on Oakland University’s campus will feature presentations by business and academic experts on credit analysis at the global level, along with new and existing models and methods for credit risk management, credit analysis and relationship lending. The conference features keynote speakers from Citibank, Comerica, Ford Motor Credit and the University of Michigan.
PEER INSTITUTIONS
Minnesota wins $20M grant to study bio-based plastics
The University of Minnesota’s Center for Sustainable Polymers recently announced it has been awarded a $20 million grant over five years from the National Science Foundation, focused on discoveries of the next generation of bio-based plastics. The Center for Sustainable Polymers draws top researchers from the University of Minnesota, Cornell University, and the University of California, Berkeley, along with more than 30 companies from across the nation.
University of Pennsylvania wins stroke study grant
The National Institutes of Health have awarded University of Pennsylvania researchers a five-year, $2.8 million grant to further research on techniques for monitoring blood flow in the brain following strokes. The grant is part of the agency’s Bioengineering Research Partnership program, which supports interdisciplinary approaches to solving health-related problems through the development of new technologies.
