In the News
-
June 3, 2026
New research by Lauren Hart, recent Ph.D. graduate in chemical biology, and Greg Dick, professor and director of the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, shows that harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie produce a greater range of toxic compounds than previously known. “We now know that these toxins can aerosolize and get into the air, so it’s not just the water you are drinking or swimming in, it’s the air that you’re breathing,” Dick said.
Detroit Free Press -
June 3, 2026
American Muslims who lose loved ones to violence are victims of “a soft violence of dehumanization. They’re not allowed to just deal with the grief of such a horrible tragedy in their lives,” said Nancy Khalil, assistant professor of American culture. “They have to face the public and give press conferences in just the right tone and using just the right words so they can convince the world they did not deserve for their loved ones to be killed. They are just like everyone else … they, too, want to live in peace.”
Religion News Service -
June 3, 2026
AI can be “a really powerful tool” to help narrow down the candidate pool, “but it absolutely has to be used carefully, and it absolutely has to be disclosed that you’re using it,” said Sarah Zearfoss, senior assistant dean at the Law School, which recently added an optional AI essay to give students a chance to showcase their AI-prompting skills. “Using AI exclusively is to absolutely forgo the human element of it — the sense of judgment — which is so key to what we do in admissions.”
Inside Higher Ed -
June 3, 2026
“This is so closely aligned with no buffer between the donor and administration. It’s very much tied directly to the president in a way that we haven’t seen … there’s no longer even a concern about the appearance of impropriety,” said Megan Tompkins-Stange, associate professor of public policy, about businessman Michael Dell’s $6.25 billion personal gift to fund Trump Accounts, the new tax-advantaged IRA for kids — and whose company was just awarded a $9.7 billion Pentagon software contract.
Business Insider -
June 3, 2026
A New York City plan to give kindergartners as much as $3,000 toward college would transform how children and families think about their futures, said William Elliott III, professor of social work: “There’s going to be more and more need for us to think about how we redistribute wealth to maintain the meritocracy that we aspire to achieve. It’s going to require programs like this that don’t just think about income as a way out of solving poverty but think about wealth as an important part of shaping kids’ futures.”
The New York Times -
May 27, 2026
Most Americans consume enough protein, but “the problem is the majority of us are getting it from animal sources or highly processed sources,” said Megan Goers, cardiac dietitian at Michigan Medicine. “Think protein bars, protein shakes, protein sodas, where there is research that says that getting at least half of our protein from plant-based protein sources can help with our overall health, especially our cardiovascular health.”
WILX Lansing -
May 27, 2026
“Just as many people look to a cup of coffee in the afternoon for a pick me up, people with multiple sclerosis may seek caffeine to help with fatigue or alcohol to manage pain,” said Anna Kratz, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, whose research shows the benefits of some substances for MS patients. “Insights from studies like this could prompt a person with multiple sclerosis to reflect on what they are putting into their bodies and how it is impacting their symptoms.”
U.S. News & World Report -
May 27, 2026
“On some of the roadways, the speed limit is a ceiling, but it seems like in Metro Detroit, it’s often treated as the bottom line,” said Shan Bao, research associate professor at the U-M Transportation Research Institute, who found that the crash rate for Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties is 50% higher than the U.S. rate.
The Detroit News -
May 27, 2026
“Reality TV is highly edited,” said Chelsea Peterson-Salahuddin, assistant professor of information. “People say it’s a platform for people to tell their stories, but … in a way that … the production company or the network needs it to be produced. A lot of Black women, honestly, (have been) harmed in that process, because their stories sometimes get edited in such a way … where they’re trying to perpetuate a stereotype.
The Grio -
May 27, 2026
With lots of battery projects in the pipeline across the state, local governments must make quick decisions about how to handle them — often with little guidance. “(It’s) quite a quick change for local governments to understand,” said Madeleine Krol, clean energy land use specialist at the Graham Sustainability Institute. “It’s really tricky to know what is a workable battery ordinance, because we’re still at the beginning of big battery deployment. There’s just not a lot to look at and learn from.”
Michigan Public
