Multimedia Features | The University Record

September 11, 2017

Jerboas and bipedal robots

Researchers from U-M have created a model to quantitatively measure the unpredictability of the movement pattern of the jerboa, a bipedal desert rodent. In this video, Ram Vasudevan, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, and Talia Moore, research fellow in ecology and evolutionary biology, discuss how they used information theory to measure the randomness or unpredictability of this highly evasive animal, and why they believe their model can be applied to bipedal robots as a way to engineer unpredictability in their gait.

September 7, 2017

Taubman Wing opening

Jonathan Massey (second from right), dean of the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, presents a ceremonial brick inscribed with a Block M to Robert Taubman during Friday’s grand opening of the A. Alfred Taubman Wing of the Art & Architecture Building. Looking on are Gayle Taubman Kalisman (left) and William Taubman. All three are children of A. Alfred Taubman, namesake of the addition that provides an additional 36,000 square feet to the existing 72,000 square foot facility. (Photo by Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography)

September 7, 2017

Tooth trouble

The dental health of middle-aged Americans faces a lot of problems right now, and an uncertain future to come, according to new results from the U-M National Poll on Healthy Aging. This video gives an overview of the findings that show one in three Americans between the ages of 50 and 64 say they’re embarrassed by the condition of their teeth, while 40 percent of those polled don’t get regular cleanings or other preventive care that can help prevent dental problems.

September 6, 2017

Kinetic sculpture

A new 14,000-pound, 25-foot-tall kinetic sculpture, “3 Cubes in a Seven Axis Relationship,” was installed recently on North Campus in front of the entrance of G. G. Brown Building on Hayward Avenue. The sculpture is designed by Northern Californian artist Philip Stewart and took two years to complete after being commissioned by College of Engineering in honor of Charles M. Vest, a U-M alumnus, and former provost and engineering dean.

September 4, 2017

Welcome Back to Michigan

New discoveries, good friends, favorite places and amazing knowledge are waiting as we begin the academic year during the University of Michigan’s Bicentennial. This video welcomes faculty, staff and students back to a new year and new adventures.

August 24, 2017

Spirit of Detroit Goes Blue!

The university celebrated its birthday Aug. 26, the day it was founded 200 years ago in Detroit. To mark the occasion, the Spirit of Detroit statue was dressed with a bicentennial T-shirt. This video captures the process of placing the maize and blue garb on the iconic structure at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, where it will remain for the rest of August. U-M will honor its ties to both the city and native peoples during a Sept. 15 festival in downtown Detroit.

August 21, 2017

Antarctic expedition

Melissa Duhaime, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and Rachel Cable, a research technician in her lab, spent time on a Russian research vessel earlier this year as the ship circumnavigated Antarctica. Cable was there for the entire three-month voyage and was joined by Duhaime for about a month. In this video, they discuss the journey and how it fits in to Duhaime’s research into the complex relationships between aquatic microbes, the viruses that infect them, and their environment.

August 13, 2017

Summer Youth Employment Program

U-M Summer Youth Employment Program participant Emory Kimball, pictured here with Administrative Specialist Tanya Milligan, interns in the Office of University Development, where he works on donor lists and social media. Kimball is among 40 area youths are working in departments across campus this summer as part of the program, spearheaded by the university’s Poverty Solutions initiative. (Photo by Austin Thomason, Michigan Photography)

August 6, 2017

D-SIP showcase

Ashley Wilson, an incoming senior at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, presented her fundraising project at the annual Development Summer Internship Showcase, which took place Aug. 4 at Palmer Commons. As an intern at the School of Education, she was one of 27 students who participated in the 11th Development Summer Internship Program in the Office of University Development. Each intern works on a project in a different school, college or unit and earns credit for a course in philanthropy. (Photo by Austin Thomason, Michigan Photography)

July 31, 2017

Make an event zero waste

More than a third of the waste generated on U-M’s Ann Arbor campus can be composted. This video explains how the Zero Waste Program provides assistance and resources for event planners to use recyclable or compostable materials to divert waste from the landfill. The effort supports U-M’s goal to reduce waste sent to landfills by 40 percent by 2025.