Multimedia Features | The University Record

June 13, 2022

Solar car No. 16

Delayed by the pandemic, the U-M Solar Car Team unveiled Aevum before an audience of sponsors, automotive and solar industry representatives, and supporters in the ballroom of the Michigan Union on June 10. Aevum is the 16th car made by the Michigan Solar Car Team since its founding in 1989.

Birds of a feather

Two peregrine falcon chicks — named Conor and Norah by U-M staff members actively involved with the management of the nesting box — recently hatched atop the North Quad residential and academic complex. The pair was banded May 20 by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. (Photo courtesy of the Michigan DNR)

Read more about the peregrine falcon chicks

June 7, 2022

Robotics taking off

The College of Engineering’s new undergraduate program in robotics will empower students to practice the full spectrum of robotics, starting this fall following state approval from the Michigan Association of State Universities on June 2. In this video, Elliott Rouse, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, describes how his research combines many different fields and the vision that he has for the robotics department.

Read more about the new undergraduate robotics program

June 1, 2022

Firearms acquisition among Asian Americans

Asian Americans who experienced increased acts of racism at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to acquire firearms and ammunition for self-defense, according to a study by researchers at U-M and Eastern Michigan University. In this video, study co-author Hsing-Fang Hsieh, assistant research scientist in health behavior and health education at the School of Public Health, explains the link between increased acts of racism and increased firearm purchases among Asian Americans.

Ancient grains

U-M’s Kelsey Museum of Archeology contains ancient grains and other food material from the ancient village of Karanis, Egypt, originally excavated in the 1920s. Working with universities from Belgium, U-M researchers will study the material and reassess the notion that the ancient diet was predominantly malnourished. This video explores the Kelsey’s collection and how it fits into this latest research project.

Read more about the ancient grains research

May 19, 2022

Campus culture

A recording of the May 16 community assembly on U-M campus culture and values is now available. The session, “Restoring Trust and Building for the Future,” featured university leaders including President Mary Sue Coleman and members of the Culture Change Values Identification Working Group. In this video, they describe how community input is shaping work to strengthen university culture and identify a set of unifying shared values.

2022 Road Scholars Tour

The annual Michigan Road Scholars Tour resumed this year after a two-year pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. From May 2-6, faculty members from the Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint campuses toured the state, heard directly from community members and discussed a wide range of topics. Stops included Lansing, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Traverse City, Pellston, Sault Ste. Marie, Brimley, Midland, Warren and Detroit.

The 2022 Road Scholars, pictured on the Capitol steps in Lansing, are: front row, from left, Kristi Thomas, LaSonia Forté; second row, Rodney Vergotine, Lawrence Seiford, Wendy Tremaine, Antonios Koumpias, Ambrielle Stoltz-Bango; third row, Randal Singer, Brendan Nieubuurt, Cyril Grum, Michela Arnaboldi, Gabriela Marcu, Prakash Sathe, Paul Reingold; fourth row, Folafoluwa Odetola, Heidi Buchele, Nicole Appleberry. (Photo by Dana Sitzler)

Read more about the 2022 Road Scholars Tour

May 16, 2022

Amplifying history

In 2016, Patricia Hall, professor of music theory at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and returned with copies of a manuscript of music that had arranged by Polish political prisoners in the Auschwitz I men’s orchestra during World War II. An ensemble of undergraduate and graduate students will perform the pieces in concerts throughout May. In this video, Hall describes how the project came about. (Warning: This video contains topics that some viewers may find disturbing, including anti-Semitic and racist imagery.)

Read more about the concerts and how they came about

May 14, 2022

Watch Zelenskyy and higher-ed leaders

U-M faculty, staff and students are invited to watch as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets virtually with U.S. higher-education leaders, including President Mary Sue Coleman, at 11 a.m. May 16. Zelenskyy will discuss how America’s leading research universities can work with Ukrainian officials and educators to help rebuild and transform his country’s decimated higher education sector.

Glimpsing a black hole

This is the first image of Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A* for short), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. It’s the first direct visual evidence of the presence of this black hole. U-M associate research scientist Mark Reynolds was part of a global team that worked to unveil the stunning image. (Photo courtesy of EHT Collaboration)