Multimedia Features | The University Record

May 2, 2023

Addressing wealth inequality

Wealth inequality in the United States is higher than in any other rich country in the world. On one side, immense amounts of wealth are concentrated at the top among relatively few. On the other side, one in 10 U.S. households have no wealth and are actually in debt. U-M researchers Fabian Pfeffer and Kathy Velikov explore the imbalance in this video — and suggest an approach to help level the wealth playing field.

Read more about wealth inequality in the United States

April 29, 2023

Commencement celebration

Exuberant graduates toss their mortarboards in celebration following the 2023 Spring Commencement ceremony at Michigan Stadium on April 29. Cloudy skies and brief sprinkles didn’t dampen the spirits of thousands of graduates, their families and friends, who gathered to celebrate the culmination of students’ academic journeys. (Photo by Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography)

View more images of 2023 Spring Commencement celebration

April 27, 2023

ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards

The 2022 ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award recipients are, from left: Weijing Tang, statistics; Weichao Zhang, molecular, cellular, and developmental biology; Vincent Longo, film, television and media; Özgecan Korkmaz, anthropology; Freida Blostein, epidemiology; Andrew McInnerney, linguistics; and Harsh Agarwal, chemical engineering. Not pictured: Tyler Gardner, astronomy and astrophysics; Robert Graham, biomedical engineering; and Youngrim Kim, communication and media. The ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards recognize exceptional work produced by doctoral students for the high caliber of their scholarship and the significance and interest of their findings. (Photo by Erin Kirkland, Michigan Photography)

From e-waste to jewelry

Students at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, led by Ron Eglash, professor of art and design, harvested electronic waste from household appliances to create jewelry for the African Bead Museum in Detroit. This video explores how the students recovered copper wire from fans and other small appliances, then used it to form jewelry based on African symbols.

Carol Hutchins Stadium

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Alumni Field at Carol Hutchins Stadium was officially dedicated April 22 to honor Hutchins’ 38-year career coaching softball at U-M, where she retired as the winningest coach in NCAA softball history. Hutchins was on hand for the ceremony, addressed the crowd and threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Michigan’s game against Northwestern. The Board of Regents voted March 23 to rename the softball stadium in Hutchins’ honor. This video of the ceremony’s highlights includes thoughts from Hutchins on the honor.

Watch a video about the Carol Hutchins Stadium dedication

April 24, 2023

Studying on sacred ground

Stepping out of the classroom and onto the beaches of Normandy, France, ROTC cadets and midshipmen from U-M embarked on a journey recently to process the reality of World War II’s D-Day. Known as a “staff ride,” the visit helped the students gain a clearer understanding of the complexity of war and the chaotic interaction of human beings and their machines, clashing in a dynamic environment. This video explores what the U-M students learned during the visit.

President Ono’s April message

In his monthly video message to the U-M community, President Santa J. Ono pays tribute to the work of U-M’s Institute for Social Research, the world’s largest academic social science survey and research organization. And in his April “Portrait of a Wolverine” segment, Ono highlights ISR researchers Vincent Hutchings, Nicholas Valentino, Joanne Hsu and Libby Hemphill.

April 20, 2023

Showcasing undergraduate research

LSA freshmen Ali Haidar (left) and Alyssa Bashir present information about their research projects during the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program’s 2023 Spring Research Symposium April 19 at the Michigan League. The annual conference celebrates the partnerships created between first- and second-year undergraduate students and their mentors — U-M faculty and graduate student researchers, and community partners and organizations. (Photo by Erin Kirkland, Michigan Photography)

Stamps Pollution Mural Project

48217 is known as Michigan’s most polluted ZIP code, due to several businesses in the community south of Detroit that emit pollutants into the air. Joe Trumpey, an associate professor in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, School for Environment and Sustainability, and LSA, teamed up with his students and community activist Theresa Landrum to help raise awareness of the pollution issues through a series of murals. They describe the project in this video.

Passing the torch

Mika LaVaque-Manty poses at Hill Auditorium, the site of many ceremonies where he has served as U-M’s chief marshal. LaVaque-Manty, who began volunteering as a faculty marshal in 2002 and has been U-M’s chief marshal since 2008, is preparing for his last commencement. The role has represented an evolution of sorts for LaVaque-Manty, a self-described “anti-ritual guy” who didn’t attend his own college graduation. (Photo by Austin Thomason, Michigan Photography)

Read more about Mika LaVaque-Manty’s role as chief marshal