By Sheryl James
Ex-gymnast, engineer, corporate exec, and former head of Focus Hope, Keith Cooley is now one of Michigan's leaders in the creation of a new economy.
Bo's Lasting Lessons
Bo Schembechler was much more than a football coach. He was a great leader, one who taught future CEOs, coaches, and military officers what value-driven leadership is all about. Before his death, Bo passed his secrets to writer John U. Bacon. The result: a new book with all the insight and power of the legendary coach.
Plus: Listen to an interview with author John U. Bacon (mp3 
)
Plain soap as effective as antibacterial, but without the risk
Antibacterial soaps show no health benefits over plain soaps and, in fact, may render some common antibiotics less effective, says U-M's Allison Aiello. The study is the first comprehensive comparison of regular and anti-bacterial soaps.
University Research Corridor creates 68,803 Michigan jobs
An independent assessment of the economic role of the three URC institutions—U-M, Michigan State University and Wayne State University—found the URC adds a whopping $12.8 billion contribution to the state economy. It produces all the state's M.D.s and D.O.s, more than half its science and engineering degrees, and nearly half of all medical-related degrees.
Favors on Wall Street help ensure good ratings
Favors given by executives to Wall Street analysts to secure better stock ratings is all in a day's work for corporate leaders. The study finds that 63 percent of analysts received benefits from corporate executives. It's "not as blatant as bribery," says U-M's James Westphal, "but it is more than socializing."
Computing breakthrough could elevate computer security to unprecedented levels
By using pulses of light to dramatically accelerate quantum computers, University of Michigan researchers have made strides in technology that could foil national and personal security threats. It's a leap that could lead to tougher protections of information and quicker deciphering of hackers' encryption codes.
Round Goby Rising: Invasive fish's ballet a hazard for ballasts
Round gobies are voracious bottom dwellers from the seas of Eastern Europe. They're wreaking havoc in the Great Lakes, which they invaded aboard the ballast tanks of oceangoing freighters. But scientists have been puzzled. If the fish live in the watery depths, how do they get picked up by ships on the surface? Now U-M's David Jude has found an answer: at night during mating season, round gobies perform a mass synchronized-swimming routine, rising toward the surface where they're easily sucked into ballast tanks.
Most seniors now have prescription drug benefit
More than 90 percent of Americans age 65 and older now have prescription drug coverage, compared to more than 75 percent who were covered in 2004. And poor seniors are as likely to have coverage as the rich. Despite widespread complaints that the Medicare Part D plan, passed in 2006, is complex and confusing, the evidence suggests that seniors are able to make good choices, and to get the coverage they need.