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April 2011 | Home

Last words

Richard Bailey

The final column from Professor Richard Bailey (1939 - 2011).
 

Before the G.P.A.

For U-M's first 50 years or so, grades were unknown. But the push for a rigorous letter-grade system came from an unlikely source.

Most commented
Alumni

Michigan's national poets

A new anthology of US poets laureate gathers the best poems of some of America's best poets. Among them: four geniuses who taught at U-M.

Lillian Gish

Lillian Gish

One of Hollywood's greatest actors also ranked among its most powerful women.

Ideas

Downward spiral

The economic damage of auto job losses is much worse than previously measured, says a U-M study. A Q-and-A on the layoff ripple effect.

Faculty

 The secret life of dust

What do dust storms have in common with the prospects of finding life on Mars, and a multi-billion dollar problem for the electronics industry? U-M professor Nilton Renno has the answers.

 

On Campus

Snyder to speak at U-M commencement

Michigan's new governor will speak to Michigan's class of 2011 at Michigan Stadium on April 30. Several prominent figures will receive honorary degrees, including Stephen Ross, William Clay Ford, Jr., and Spike Lee.

Research News

'We've all been taught that this doesn't happen'

In a surprise discovery that overturns a century-old tenet of physics, U-M professor Stephen Rand and his team found that a light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than previously expected. The discovery could lead to a revolution in solar power.

By the people

painting of a house

A splendid exhibit of folk art at the U-M Museum of Art.

U-M in the News

Media coverage of the University of Michigan

U-M rated among the top schools for Return on Investment by Businessweek; Could Michigan's economy rebound faster than the rest of the country's? Football player Vada Murray remembered; U-M's entrepreneurial spirit; and more.

Health

Older and stronger

Older adults don't have to accept the loss of strength and muscle as they age. A U-M study finds that, contrary to common belief, even people in their 70s and 80s can build "significant strength improvement" with simple exercises.

Students

Driving for number one

U-M's solar car team unveiled its latest vehicle, the Quantum, this month. After six (count 'em) consecutive national titles, the team this year is pushing to win the World Solar Challenge in Australia in October.

Research News

Turning toilet water into energy and drinking water

U-M professor Lutgarde Raskin and her collaborators have developed what's called an "anaerobic membrane bioreactor" that could make it possible to turn municipal wastewater into energy.

Health

Someone to lean on

A new program at U-M aims to help patients with depression manage their symptoms by making someone who cares about them an important part of their treatment.

Environment

Invasive mussels causing massive ecological changes in Great Lakes

The blitzkrieg advance of two closely related species of mussels—the zebra and quagga—is stripping the lakes of their life-supporting algae, resulting in a remarkable ecological transformation and threatening the multibillion-dollar U.S. commercial and recreational Great Lakes fisheries.