In the News
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August 26, 2020
“If the fate of American democracy is on the ballot in November, so too is the future of the planet. It is one more way that the stakes could not be higher in this election,” wrote David Uhlmann, director of the Environmental Law and Policy Program at the Law School. “If climate action is not a top priority … no other accomplishment will matter in the long run.”
The Atlantic -
August 26, 2020
“MOOCs were new in 2011 and everyone said they were going to democratize education,” said Tawanna Dillahunt, associate professor of information, and electrical engineering and computer science, who found that 9 percent of students enrolled in massive online open courses said they couldn’t afford a traditional college education, while most enrollees already had college educations and wanted to learn something new.
NBC News -
August 26, 2020
“If Russia or other attackers can break into a state’s election management system, they can spread malicious software to voting machines throughout that jurisdiction, and potentially change all of the digital records. That’s the threat that really keeps me up at night,” said J. Alex Halderman, professor of electrical engineering and computer science.
Public Radio International -
August 26, 2020
Lisa Nakamura, professor of American culture, English language and literature, and film, television and media, and director of the Digital Studies Institute, says getting “canceled” because of controversial online remarks might be happening more often due to the pandemic: “I really believe that post-COVID, everyone’s on the internet so much that they’re having to revise how important it is what you say online because no one’s doing anything else.”
CBS News -
August 19, 2020
While most K-12 school districts will institute some form of remote learning this fall, much of the technology that connects students and teachers isn’t optimized for people with disabilities, says Liz Kolb, clinical associate professor of education: “It’s still not the same as having a teacher or a support person sitting next to you and working through things together with you, or helping you turn the pages of a book.”
Marketplace -
August 19, 2020
Earl Lewis, founding director of the Center for Social Solutions, and Alford Young, the center’s associate director, say Black gun owners are perceived differently than whites who own firearms. “There is a general discomfort with armed Black people,” said Young. “I’ve had several conversations with Black police officers who say the last thing I’m going to do is pull my gun out in plain clothes. Without that uniform on, they become victims of being perceived as a threatening Black person with a gun.”
Detroit Free Press -
August 19, 2020
“I think the core problem that bothers many of us is it’s unclear why this change was made. The system as we knew it worked very well and did inform us in the height of the pandemic. We see no real reason to change it and certainly no good appears to have come from it,” said Vineet Chopra, associate professor of internal medicine, on the Trump administration’s decision to change how hospitals report COVID-19 data.
CNN -
August 19, 2020
“The safest communities are not those with the most police or metal detectors or surveillance technology. Quite the opposite. They’re the ones with the most resources. They’re the ones with excellent schools and excellent amenities and intergenerational wealth,” said Amanda Alexander, senior research scholar at the Law School and founder/executive at the Detroit Justice Center.
WDET Radio (Detroit) -
August 19, 2020
“While some research suggests that kids may be low in some nutrients as a result of picky eating, overall most of them do just fine — they aren’t underweight or suffering from reduced growth or any serious negative health consequences,” said Megan Pesch, assistant professor of pediatrics. “It’s OK to not force kids to eat something they don’t want to.”
The Washington Post -
August 12, 2020
“Biodiversity of the Amazon does not end where the eyes meet. It’s not just the beautiful plants and the exotic animals. There’s so much more life there and I think it has to be taken into consideration when we talk about conservation of the Amazon,” said Rosa Vásquez Espinoza, doctoral student in chemical biology, who is studying the medicinal properties of microbes flowing in a sacred boiling river in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest.
Science Friday
