Multimedia Features | The University Record

April 15, 2015

Robotic groundbreaking

U-M officials broke ground for the new A. Alfred Taubman Wing of the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning’s Art & Architecture building in unique fashion Wednesday — with the ceremonial first shovelful dug by the college’s Kuka robot, normally used for architectural digital fabrication research. View a gallery of photos from the event.

April 14, 2015

Talking trash in Jakarta

Known for their susceptibility to quick and severe flooding, the rivers of Jakarta, Indonesia, also suffer from excessive trash dumping that clogs flood canals and reservoirs, resulting in even more devastating floods. In this video, Frank Sedlar, a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering, discusses a system he developed to better understand how the complex urban environment clashes with its powerful natural forces.

April 13, 2015

Future of health care

A new course at U-M brings more than 250 students from five programs together to learn about the roles of various health professionals. In this video, faculty members from participating schools and colleges explain how the course works and what it hopes to achieve.

April 12, 2015

Embracing Foolishness

Mugali Mederios gets into the beat with U-M’s Vencedores band during Sunday afternoon’s FestiFools parade in downtown Ann Arbor. The annual event features a variety of music and giant puppets, many of which are created in a class taught by Mark Tucker, art director and head puppeteer for the Lloyd Hall Scholars program, and founder and creative director of FestiFools. (Photo by Lon Horwedal, Michigan Photography)

April 9, 2015

Beyond ‘flush and forget’

A group of U-M researchers is working to find out if human urine can be used to fertilize food on a commercial scale. This video explores aspects of a large-scale pilot project that takes a bold approach that could help curtail a host of the unintended consequences of how we handle human waste. Read more about the project.

April 8, 2015

Agave takedown

The 80-year-old American agave plant that spent the summer of 2014 blooming for the first — and last — time in the conservatory at Matthaei Botanical Gardens was cut down and removed Wednesday. The flower stalk grew to more than 28 feet and once it bloomed the parent plant died, but not before sending out hundreds of flower buds.

April 7, 2015

Studying wines in Chile

A group of students from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business spent their spring break in Chile studying the wine industry and how they may help small family wineries export wine to the U.S. This video features highlights of the trip and what was learned.

April 6, 2015

Super plastic

A new “super plastic” that can direct heat away from its source opens up a wide range of possibilities for making more efficient electronic devices. In this video, Kevin Pipe, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Jinsang Kim, associate professor of materials science and engineering, explain how their teams are using hydrogen bonding from two different liquid polymers to regenerate a continuous pathway for heat transfer.

April 5, 2015

Dance for Mother Earth

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President Mark Schlissel talks with LSA student Sarah Ballew and her mother, Elizabeth Ballew of Mount Pleasant, at the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow at Skyline High School on Saturday. Schlissel delivered the welcoming address during the 43rd annual powwow’s grand entrance. View a gallery of photos from this year’s gathering. (Photo by Roger Hart, Michigan Photography)

April 2, 2015

Preparing to be Foolish

From left, Kaitlyn Moore, Jasmine Womack, Mark Tucker and Emily Post work in the FestiFools studio on puppets for this year’s FestiFools parade. (Photo by Sydney Hawkins)