• Pictured is an artist's conception of the James Webb Space Telescope. Image credit: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez

    James Webb Space Telescope more than three quarters through its journey

    More than two weeks after the James Webb Space Telescope’s launch on Christmas Day, the telescope has traveled more than 700,000 miles from Earth. JWST has successfully deployed its secondary mirror, a key element of the telescope’s optics. Next, JWST will unfold its primary mirror segments.

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  • Coronavirus
    Concept illustration depicting mask use and political divide. Image credit: iStock

    U-M economic expert, others find views on politics, science have driven public response to pandemic

    FACULTY Q&A Political persuasion and trust in science have weighed heavily on mask use and compliance with shelter-in-place policies in the U.S. during the pandemic, according to studies co-authored by a University of Michigan doctoral student in economics. David Van Dijcke and his co-authors found higher support of former President Donald Trump led to lower Read more

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  • A newspaper rack showing a USA Today headline "Pro-Trump Mob Storms U.S. Capital". Image credit: @little_plant, Unsplash.com

    Jan. 6 riot still leaves stain on American democracy

    FACULTY Q&A Nearly a year after thousands of former President Trump supporters stunned the nation by violently storming the U.S. Capitol, concern remains about the current state of American politics, a University of Michigan political expert says. Michael Traugott, professor emeritus of communication studies and political science and research professor emeritus at the Center for Read more

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  • Image credit: Ted Eytan

    Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol: U-M experts can discuss

    EXPERTS ADVISORY University of Michigan experts are available to provide perspectives on a number of issues that have resulted in the year since the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and discuss steps to discourage similar uprisings in the future. Javed Ali, associate professor of practice at the Ford School of Public Policy, can Read more

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  • Planet Blue / Sustainability
    Promotional image of the Netflix movie "Don't Look Up".

    ‘Don’t look up’: Real-world scientists comment on new movie’s climate message

    EXPERTS ADVISORY In the new Netflix movie “Don’t Look Up,” two actors playing fictional Michigan State University astronomers discover a comet on a collision course with Earth and struggle to convince people to take them seriously. The film is a satire about society’s inability to cope with climate change. Below, several real-world scientists from the Read more

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  • Planet Blue / Sustainability
    Cal-Wood fire from Broomfield Colorado October 17th 2020. Image credit: iStock

    Colorado fires: U-Michigan expert available to discuss

    EXPERT ADVISORY Wind-driven grass fires in Colorado burned hundreds of homes and forced thousands to evacuate Thursday in a region that had seen a nearly snow-free December following a dry, mild fall. A University of Michigan expert is available to comment. Jonathan Overpeck is an interdisciplinary climate scientist and dean of the U-M School for Read more

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  • Midwest Quantum Collaboratory logo

    U-M forms collaboration to advance quantum science and technology

    The University of Michigan has formed a collaboration with Michigan State University and Purdue University to study quantum science and technology, drawing together expertise and resources to advance the field. The three universities are partnering to form the Midwest Quantum Collaboratory, or MQC, to “find grand new challenges we can work on jointly, based on Read more

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  • Two solar panels, coated with two different snow-and-ice-repelling coatings and alternating with uncoated panels, shed ice and snow during a test conducted at a solar farm in Fairbanks, Alaska. The left-most coated panel uses a formula made of PVC plastic and plant-based oil. The right-most coated panel uses a formula made of PDMS rubber and silicon-based oil. Image credit: Christopher Pike, University of Alaska

    Spray-on coating could make solar panels snow-resistant

    In an advance that could dramatically improve the productivity of solar panels in cold climates, a University of Michigan-led team has demonstrated an inexpensive, clear coating that reduced snow and ice accumulation on solar panels, enabling them to generate up to 85% more energy in early testing. The coating is made chiefly of PVC or Read more

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  • Planet Blue / Sustainability
    The steel handle of a control blade left shadow corrosion on a Zircaloy channel wall. Image courtesy: General Electric

    Nuclear ‘shadow corrosion’ reproduced in the lab, paving way to longer fuel life

    Solutions to a 55-year-old problem in boiling water reactors—which represent a third of nuclear power reactors in the United States—are on the way now that the problem has been emulated with ion beams. “Shadow corrosion” affects zirconium alloy (Zircaloy) fuel rods and fuel channels, creating images of nearby parts on their surface. The damage is Read more

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  • Emerging Issues: Opiod Epidemic

    Prescription drug misuse later in life greatly increases risk for substance use disorder

    Nearly half of people in a large U.S. study reported misusing prescription drugs between ages 18-50, which made them more likely to develop substance use disorder symptoms as adults––especially those whose misuse peaked later in life. The new study from University of Michigan School of Nursing researchers recommends screening for prescription drug misuse and substance Read more

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  • Academic Innovation
    Michelle Aebersold guides a student during a simulation exercise with the Oculus Rift.

    New learning tool: Click a button and dive under the skin of chemotherapy patients

    A team of faculty from the University of Michigan Center of Academic Innovation, School of Nursing and College of Pharmacy designed an innovative way to teach nursing and pharmacy students about the intricacies of chemotherapy. Led by Michelle Aebersold, clinical professor of nursing, the group created Under the Skin, a virtual reality experience that guides Read more

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  • Biosciences
    U-M researcher Jennifer Landino extracts cytoplasm from frog eggs to study how the cortical proteins Rho and F-actin behave as they move across the cell membrane, preparing the cell to divide. Here, Rho is shown in cyan and F-actin is shown in magenta. Image credit: Jennifer Landino, A. Miller lab

    U-M researchers create artificial cell cortex, a system to study how cells divide

    Animal cells are bound by a structure called a cell cortex—and this structure, researchers say, is a bit like a tent. A tent is constructed of a shell with a zippered opening that controls what can go into and out of the tent. This shell is held up by a system of poles. Similarly, an Read more

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  • Alejandro Francisco Azocar, Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Research Assistant puts the finishing connections together before testing an open-source robotic leg designed by Elliott Rouse, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and his research group in the G. G. Brown Building on May 28, 2019. Image credit: Robert Coelius, Michigan Engineering

    U-M, Humotech partner to bring open-source bionic leg to research labs

    The open-source, artificially intelligent prosthetic leg designed by researchers at the University of Michigan will be brought to the research market by Humotech, a Pittsburgh-based assistive technology company. The goal of the collaboration is to speed the development of control software for robotic prosthetic legs, which have the potential to provide the power and natural Read more

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