Studying samples from sewers, wiping down classrooms and buses, and taking measurements of air. Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health are performing these tasks to determine how much coronavirus is present in the environment on campus, and whether that has any relationship on COVID-19 infection rates within the university community.

As the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in the U.S. and around the world, dozens of University of Michigan experts across a wide variety of disciplines are conducting research and using their expertise to address COVID-19 and its impact on public health, the economy, the environment, education and more.

The World Health Organization called countries to "pull out all the stops" and warned "this is not a drill," as new coronavirus infections surpass the 100,000 threshold worldwide. As the outbreak unfolds, nearly three dozen University of Michigan experts can discuss its societal, economic and public health impacts.

Faculty Q&A As students head back to campuses across the country, many colleges and universities are using mobile phone and web apps to help them manage the pandemic. But programs to alert students when they have come in contact with a person infected with COVID-19, that monitor quarantine compliance and check symptoms have popped up Read more

University of Michigan dining halls are set to resume full lunch and dinner service, with an eye toward making composting portable. Typically, U-M dining halls offer reusable ware for on-site dining. But this semester, all meals will be served in takeout containers, and most of those containers will be fully compostable. These measures aim to Read more

Even the most advanced cars and other vehicles hide a rat’s nest of electronics—hundreds of processors and millions of lines of code that were designed separately but now must work together under the hood for years at a time. Keeping such a hodge-podge of systems updated and free of security vulnerabilities is exceedingly difficult, according Read more

A team of scientists has nailed down the temperature at the peak of the last ice age, a time known as the Last Glacial Maximum, to about 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Their findings allow climate scientists to better understand the relationship between today’s rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide—a major greenhouse gas—and average global temperature. The Read more

Discussions of the growing plastic waste problem often focus on reducing the volume of single-use plastic packaging items such as bags, bottles, tubs and films. But a new University of Michigan study shows that two-thirds of the plastic put into use in the United States in 2017 was used for other purposes, including electronics, furniture Read more

For developing technology that’s helping to democratize the justice system while decreasing the spread of COVID-19, University of Michigan law professor J.J. Prescott has earned this year’s Distinguished University Innovator Award. Prescott will receive the award Sept. 21 at the 20th Celebrate Invention, an annual event that recognizes entrepreneurship and inventions from University of Michigan Read more

Gathering 2020 Census data was always going to be complicated, as the U.S. Commerce Department varied its criteria and reduced the budget for in-person contact in the lead-up to the count. When the pandemic struck in March, just before the official launch, all operations had to be retooled. Against that backdrop, only 5% of local Read more

Erik Gordon is one of the University of Michigan’s most quoted professors in mainstream media, but his path to this status was not a traditional one. Hear how Erik’s meandering career path has led him to a faculty position at one of the most prestigious business schools in the country.

University of Michigan professor and director of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at U-M talks about Joe Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate.