Tag Archives: Education

UM-Flint professor researches equitable STEM access through donk racing

Shirl Donaldson, UM-Flint assistant professor, is traeling to donk car races across the country to research how the sport could provide a STEM pathway to underrepresented minorities.

Big rims. Low profile tires. Modified suspension. Lots of chrome. Decked-out or classically refinished interiors. Lots of horsepower. This may seem like a misplaced Back to the Bricks article, but it's not. This is a story about research, informal learning and access to STEM for underrepresented minorities. Shirl Donaldson is an assistant professor at the[…]

Young Sharks: Entrepreneurship lessons empower kids to create and innovate

The Junior Sharks (sixth to eighth grade) and Young Sharks (third to fifth grade) programs align economic and innovation lessons with state education benchmarks.

The University of Michigan-Flint's Office of Economic Development (OED) recently completed the 2022 Young Sharks Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation program for area third through fifth graders. The program combines professional development workshops for elementary and middle school teachers, a series of innovation and entrepreneurship lessons for students with an applied learning assignment and a business[…]

Professors offer autism spectrum disorder training for police

Assistant Professors Melissa Sreckovic (left) and Christine Kenney (right) worked with Director of Public Safety Ray Hall (center) to conduct a pilot training session with the UM-Flint Department of Public Safety.

Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD, is a neurodevelopmental disability that affects communication, social interaction, and behavior. The CDC estimates there are over 5 million adults living in the United States who have ASD and a 2016 study shows that 1 in every 54 children aged eight has autism. Autistic people often[…]