Tag Archives: ORED

UM-Flint professor creates connections through language and research

Kazuko Hiramatsu uses her expertise in linguistics to empower students with a sense of curiosity about langauge that extends past simple grammar.

Kazuko Hiramatsu is a connector. She is connecting her students with a broad understanding of how they fit into the world. She is connecting professors, linguists and administrators with pathways to more mindful teaching practices. And she is also trying to connect all of us to the understanding of how we make and share meaning[…]

UM-Flint professor uses GIS to research foraging in Detroit

Greg Rybarczyk, assistant professor of geography, is researching foraging activity in urban areas.

If the Earth's population exceeds its carrying capacity during the next 100 years, one of the most important questions will be how to support the food needs of the planet. Greg Rybarczyk, associate professor of geography at the University of Michigan-Flint, is currently investigating that query by researching an often overlooked food resource: edible natural[…]

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[…]

Student Research Spotlight: Taylor Culinski

Student researcher Taylor Culinski values the research experience and skills she's gained at UM-Flint.

Most students use their first year in college to take care of the basics, like exploring student clubs or learning how to find their way around campus. For Taylor Culinski, a junior psychology major from Swartz Creek, her first year was the perfect time to begin conducting research alongside her professors. And it was that[…]

Student research spotlight: Nathaniel Cordova

Nathaniel Cordova is gaining valuable experience while making a difference as a student researcher at the University of Michigan-Flint.

While his December 2022 graduation from the University of Michigan-Flint may be getting ever closer, Nathaniel Cordova, a senior psychology major from Davison, is focused on his future. A future that includes pursuing master's–and potentially–doctoral degrees. With that in mind, Cordova asked Thomas Wrobel, professor of psychology, what he could do to become a more[…]

A win-win: Working together to increase the impact

UM-Dearborn student Jacques Jones cuts down small trees and trims overgrown brush in the alley way. Photo by Sarah Tuxbury

A jointly sponsored UM-Dearborn – UM-Flint Collaborative Research Funding Program awarded up to $160,000 for four collaborative research projects. Detroit residents are reclaiming and repurposing underused spaces for neighborhood use. They've removed tires and trash from alleyways, organized meetings to discuss community space needs, helped install rain barrels in alley-facing garage downspouts and more. And[…]

Innovation and entrepreneurial mindsets thrive with MWIN

MWIN teaches faculty and students how their ideas can be brought to market.

The second cohort of the Michigan Wolverine Innovation Network Faculty Innovation Fellows Program recently completed work. In this interdisciplinary initiative offered through the University of Michigan-Flint's Office of Economic Development, faculty innovation fellows from each UM-Flint school and college worked together to solve research problems with real-world applications. The goal of the program is to[…]

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[…]