Multimedia Features | The University Record

October 30, 2013

Water-bottle greenhouse

Plastic water bottles — Jessica Fabisiak discovered them just about everywhere — on classroom desks and overflowing from campus trash bins. Bothered by the waste, the UM-Dearborn graduate student stumbled upon a greenhouse constructed of plastic water bottles. “I thought to myself, ‘I should try this,’” she said. She undertook the project during a sustainability internship with UM-Dearborn’s Environmental Interpretive Center. Photo by Alex Piazza, UM-Dearborn.

October 29, 2013

High-tech Halloween

Looking for a Halloween activity with a 21st-century twist? How about a 3-D jack-o’-lantern that comes from the pumpkin patch by way of the UM3D lab. This video documents the creation of a seasonal decoration in a new and interesting way.

October 28, 2013

Purifying water with plasma

John Foster, associate professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences, is working on a method to purify water with the fourth state of matter — plasma. In this video, Foster describes how his new technology, which produces reactive radicals that can attack organic contaminants such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals, could help solve a problem not currently being addressed in conventional treatment methods that rely on filtration and chlorine.

October 24, 2013

James T. Neubacher Award

Regent Julia Darlow presents the annual James T. Neubacher Award to Dr. John F. Greden, founding executive director of the U-M Comprehensive Depression Center and Rachel Upjohn Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. The founding chair of the National Network of Depression Centers, Greden is recognized as a giant in the field of depression research, treatment and education. The Council for Disability Concerns established the award in memory of alumnus Neubacher, a Detroit Free Press columnist and advocate for equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities. Photo by Scott Soderberg, Michigan Photography.

October 23, 2013

TEDxUMDearborn

Matthew Richmond, founder of The Paper Dolls, shows off some of the creations he constructed from recycled materials during TEDxUMDearborn, an inaugural event in which speakers ranging from entrepreneurs and CEOs to artists and writers shared their stories in an effort to encourage change. Photo courtesy of @tedxumdearborn.

October 22, 2013

Celebrating inventions

John Springmann, right, a graduate student in aerospace engineering, explains the Radio Aurora Explorer — or RAX — satellite to Hafiz Malik, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UM-Dearborn, during Wednesday’s Celebrate Invention event. The annual reception at the Michigan League recognizes the accomplishments of faculty and researchers engaged in the technology transfer process. Photo by Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.

October 22, 2013

ID Day at the museum

ID Day, sponsored by the Ruthven Museums, always brings out the science sleuths. More than 650 visitors, many of them parents with young children, attended the event recently, bringing a variety of offerings for identification by resident experts. Jen-Pan Huang, a doctoral student in ecology and evolutionary biology, and Mark O’Brien, collections manager for the Museum of Zoology’s Insect Division, entertain and inform at the insect station, where the Hercules Beetles were a big hit. Photo by Diarmaid Ó Foighil, Museum of Zoology.

October 21, 2013

Law School Olympics

Fricket players tests their Frisbee-tossing skills in the game, also known as sticks-’n’-cups, during the first Law School Olympics, which took place recently in the Law Quad. No athletic skills were required, just a desire for fun and camaraderie. Watch a slideshow of images from the festivities. Photo by Isabel Gao.

October 20, 2013

Unmanned ground vehicles

Driving unmanned ground robots with a joystick can be hard and even dangerous in some cases, such as when using the vehicles for remote exploration inside a nuclear reactor. But a new high-tech control method using augmented reality makes driving simpler and safe. In this video, Steve Vozar, a graduate student research assistant in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, explains how the process works.

October 17, 2013

Sibande on campus

Sophie, a character created by South African artist Mary Sibande, is featured in various art forms across campus. The black maid, dressed in elaborate costumes, is designed to ignite thought-provoking discussion about gender, class and race in post-colonial South Africa. View a slideshow of Sophie sculptures. (Photo courtesy of Gallery MOMO)