Earth Day roundup: 7 examples of environmental action at UM-Flint

It might be Earth Day on April 22, but the environment is a top priority every day at UM-Flint. Check out some examples of how UM-Flint has celebrated the planet.

A photo of Saginaw St. in summer with flowers.

UM-Flint research team examines Extreme Heat Event risk reduction in Flint

A project from a professor in the Department of Natural Sciences, Dr. Martin Kaufman, and the Office of Economic Development's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Center is tackling the risk of Extreme Heat Events (EHEs) in Flint. The one-year project hopes to set an example of how to examine heat-related risk in urban environments.

UM-Flint Awarded Prestigious LEED Green Building Certification

The University of Michigan-Flint has been awarded LEED Silver status for its Murchie Science Building Expansion. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence. Through design, construction, and operations practices that improve environmental and human health, LEED-certified buildings are helping to make the world more sustainable.

The University of Michigan-Flint Partners with the City of Flint on Sustainability Goals for the Future

United in a common mission of improving sustainability efforts in Flint and the region, the University of Michigan-Flint and the City of Flint joined forces to establish a path forward for the community that will help combat the effects of climate change.

Hand holding up the paper copy of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature at Formar Nature Preserve

UM-Flint Common Read connects community with nature

The 2021-22 Common Read selection was Dr. J. Drew Lanham's The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature.

Using the history of his African American family rooted in the soil and woods of South Carolina, Lanham reflects on the development of selfhood and his intimate connection to and love of place. Lanham is a wildlife ecologist, ornithologist, and writer. He is a leading voice in discussions of the intersections between the environmental and social justice movements and a proponent of building an ethic of care for all people and places.

Lanham visited UM-Flint on April 5 to discuss his work and share his love of nature with the community.

UM-Flint students fish in the Flint River.

Gone fishing: Hamilton Dam removal offers research opportunities for wildlife biology

In conjunction with the Flint Riverfront Restoration Project, Associate Professor Heather Dawson and her students conducted a before-and-after study of the Flint River, documenting how the removal of these barriers affects the local ecology.

Students and professors in lab coats and goggles conducting chemistry experiments in McKinnon Plaza. — *Associate Professor of Chemistry Jessica Tischler works with students Kelly Crowley and Ben Wood to conduct a demonstration in McKinnon Plaza.*

Green Chemistry's creative approach turns hard science into social impact

UM-Flint's Green Chemistry program is helping students prepare for cutting-edge careers in rapidly changing industries like pharmaceutical and plastics manufacturing, hazardous waste management, and environmental remediation.

WPA Federal Writers' Project team begins guide to mid-Michigan

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Writers' Project first assisted in providing jobs for unemployed writers, editors, and research workers during the Great Depression in 1941. In 2021, the WPA Federal Writers' Project is got a fresh purpose in lower mid-Michigan.

In addition to human geography, the guidebook will also cover more natural landscapes of the area, which the writers are exploring in a hands-on manner. One writer is conducting research by kayaking and walking the entire 73 mile length of the Flint River.