How Michigan planted its flag on Greenland — or tried to

Explorers, circa 1920s, aboard a ship en route to Greenland.

When U-M researcher William Herbert Hobbs traveled to Greenland in the 1920s, he set off on a spree with a map and a pencil, planting Michigan-connected names on practically any feature of the landscape that caught his eye.

  1. Workers in hardhats examine the inner workings of a gigantic telescope. The University of Michigan Department of Astronomy is part of an international consortium of institutions that will take part in the design and construction of ANDES, a powerful instrument set to be used on the largest visible-infrared telescope in the world. The instrument will reveal the nature of atmospheres of planets around nearby stars, rare elements forged in the interiors of stars, the formation of galaxies and even the evolution of the universe itself, according to University of Michigan astronomer Michael Meyer.

    U-M part of consortium to design, construct powerful new instrument to unlock universe’s secrets

    U-M’s Dept. of Astronomy is collaborating on ANDES, a powerful instrument designed to reveal the nature of atmospheres of planets around nearby stars, rare elements forged in the interiors of stars, the formation of galaxies, and even the evolution of the universe itself.

  2. A pile of garbage washes ashore on an otherwise clean beach. A University of Michigan-led summer school for oceanographers in Ghana and Nigeria is part of a project to receive funding from Schmidt Sciences, a philanthropic organization started by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt. The Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School In Nigeria and Ghana, or COESSING, was founded by Brian Arbic, a physical oceanographer and U-M professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

    U-M-led school for oceanographers in Africa receives funding from Schmidt Sciences

    The Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Nigeria and Ghana was founded by Brian Arbic, a physical oceanographer and U-M professor in earth and environmental sciences. Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt are founders of Schmidt Sciences.

  3. Great Lakes researchers at the University of Michigan have been awarded a $6.5 million, five-year federal grant to host a center for the study of links between climate change, harmful algal blooms and human health. Increased precipitation, more powerful storms and warming Great Lakes waters all encourage the proliferation of harmful algal blooms composed of cyanobacteria. This image shows harmful algal bloom, a greenish blob under the surface of a lake.

    U-M lands $6.5M center to study links between Great Lakes algal blooms, human health

    Researchers at U-M have been awarded a five-year federal grant to study links between climate change, harmful algal blooms, and human health. Increased precipitation, more powerful storms, and warming Great Lakes waters encourage the proliferation of algal blooms composed of cyanobacteria.

  4. Detail of a thin piece of a composite film in the Kotov Lab at the North Campus Research Center of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday afternoon, May 24, 2024. The film was created by Jun Lu, a postdoc and an adjunct research investigator with the Michigan Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering and COMPASS. Although the film is made from nanoplates that don't twist light, grooves in the film can cause photons to spin in either a left-handed or right-handed spiral as they pass through the film. The angle of the grooves inside the film determines the direction of the spin. This composite film can twist light into a spiral, thanks to microscopic grooves that cause horizontally and vertically oscillating light waves to pass through the film out of phase. Unlike existing materials that can do this, the film maintains its light-twisting properties when heated up to 250 degrees Celsius. Photo: Brenda Ahearn/University of Michigan, College of Engineering, Communications and Marketing

    Nanoscale engineering brings light-twisting materials to more extreme settings

    Imaging the hot turbulence of aircraft propulsion systems may now be possible with sturdy sheets of composite materials that twist light beams, according to new research led by U-M and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

  5. Saturdays in the D graphic is bright yellow and advertises the program

    Five new courses boost ‘Saturdays in the D’ experience for Detroit students

    This partnership between U-M and the city of Detroit provides free access to high-quality learning experiences for Detroit middle school and high school students, as well as professional development opportunities for adult residents. Programming focuses on science, technology, engineering, and the arts.

  6. Sign on brown brick, inner-city building reads: How are you, really?

    Detroiters’ mental health has held steady since pandemic, survey shows

    While the negative impacts of the pandemic on people’s mental health are well documented, less is known about the persistence of mental health problems after the lockdowns ended and the economy reopened, according to Michigan researchers.

A march toward madness — the NCAA kind

The Dusty May era of the University of Michigan men’s basketball team opened the regular season with a victory at home on Nov. 4, defeating Cleveland State 101-53. It was a great beginning to what is shaping up to be a thrilling season. Enjoy these highlights so far — and let’s forget that loss to MSU for a moment — as the team forges a hopeful path toward the annual March Madness tournament. (Captions were sourced from mgoblue.com.)

  • Close call

    In his return to Columbus Feb. 16, Roddy Gayle Jr. scored nine points and pulled down eight rebounds to beat Ohio State 86-83. With the game tied at 80 with less than two minutes to go, Gayle gave Michigan an 82-80 lead. The Wolverines’ win over the Buckeyes marked its 20th victory of the season, the 32nd time in program history the Wolverines have reached 20-plus wins and the first time since the 2020-21 season. (Image credit: Rick Osentoski, Michigan Photography.)

    Michigan basketball player Roddy Gayle Jr. outperforms an OSU opponent for victory against the Buckeyes in Feb. 2025

  • Take that, Purdue

    Leading by four points with under a minute to play on Feb. 11, Rubin Jones slammed home a missed layup, giving Michigan a 73-67 lead with 39 seconds to go. Despite two three-point baskets from Purdue, Danny Wolf made two free throws to close out the game, securing the win. (Image credit: Andrew Mascharka, Michigan Photography.)

    Michigan basketball player No. 15 Rubin Jones celebrates slamming home a missed layup against Purdue.

  • A point per minute

    The Wolverines defeated Oregon behind five double-figure scorers and 25 points off turnovers in the annual Breast Cancer Awareness game on Feb. 5. Will Tschetter led the way with 17 points in only 17 minutes. (Image credit: Andrew Mascharka, Michigan Photography.)

    Michigan basketball player No. 42 Will Tschetter scores against Oregon.

  • And they called it the streak

    Tre Donaldson led U-M to victory against Penn State on Jan. 27 with 21 points, seven assists, and four steals. Meanwhile, the Wolverines showcased a deep bench, with nine players contributing to the scoring effort. With this victory, Michigan hit 10-0 at home, the program’s longest home winning streak since the 2020-21 season. (Image credit: Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography.)

    Michigan basketball player No. 3, Tre Donaldson, reacts to No. 42, Will Tschetter, in a game agains Penn State.

  • Team highs

    Vladislav Goldin’s 31 points led U-M to an 80-76 win in overtime against Northwestern on Jan. 19. It was his second game with 30 or more points. Goldin led all scorers in the matchup, including a career-high 10 free throw makes on 10-for-12 shooting from the line. (Image credit: Christina Merrill,  Michigan Photography.)

    Vladislav Goldin and Roddy Gayle Jr. celebrate a sweet score against Northwestern.

  • Welcome to the Big Ten, Cali

    Career highs took Michigan to a 94-75 victory against UCLA on Jan. 8. Vladislav Goldin led all scorers for a career-high of 36 points. Tre Donaldson scored 20 points, six three-pointers, and seven assists (a tie for his career best). Donaldson came through in the clutch, hitting two crucial three-pointers while Goldin and Danny Wolf were on the bench with four fouls each. (Image credit: Katelyn Mulcahy, Michigan Photography.)

    Michigan basketball player No. 50 Vladislav Goldin in a victory over UCLA.

  • California, here we come

    On Jan. 4, the Wolverines used a pair of 10-0 runs late in the second half to defeat USC 85-74 at the Galen Center. Danny Wolf led all players with a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double along with seven assists and six blocks. The game marked the start of Michigan’s first trip to the West Coast to battle USC and UCLA as conference opponents. (Image credit: Katelyn Mulcahy, Michigan Photography.)

     

    Michigan basketball player No. 1 Danny Wolf drops a ball in the basket in a victory against USC.

  • Dusting Western Kentucky

    Dec. 29 was a bad day for Western Kentucky, who lost to the Wolverines 112-64. U-M outscored the Hilltoppers 13-6 in the first four minutes and had 72 points by the first media timeout. At the 6:05 mark, Danny Wolf’s three-pointer gave Michigan 19 for the game, tying a program record. (Image credit Andrew Mascharka, Michigan Photography.)

    Michigan basketball team gathers around Coach Dusty May on the sidelines at Crisler Arena.

  • Oh, you’re a holiday

    At the annual Holiday Game at Crisler Dec. 7, the Wolverines defeated Iowa 85-83. The nailbiter was tied 83-83 with 16 seconds to go when Roddy Gayle Jr. drove to the right side of the hoop for an attempted layup. Goaltending was called on a shot block to give Michigan the lead with 4.6 seconds to go. Iowa’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was no good, giving Michigan the win. (Image credit: Jaime Crawford, Michigan Photography.)

    Michigan basketball player Roddy Gayle is surrounded by Iowa basketball players as he seeks to make a basket.