University of Michigan News

11/14/2025

Elective MRI scans can do more harm than good, says Matthew Davenport, clinical professor of radiology at Michigan Medicine. There is a scenario where a small anomaly on one of these scans leads to a "cascade of care," where people pursue issues with biopsies or other invasive procedures that can lead to complications and negative results. via ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/reporters-notebook-decided-elective-medical-tests-body-scan/story?id=127294702

11/13/2025

Join the Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society for their Annual Data Science & AI Summit 2025 on 11/17-11/18!

The U-M Data Science and AI Summit is the largest annual data science and AI event on campus. This event brings together the U-M data science and AI research community and their external collaborators to build a research vision and collaboration. It also showcases the breadth and depth of U-M's data science and AI research, aimed at addressing scientific and societal challenges across all domains.

The event is free for all U-M faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Details:

Annual Summit U-M Annual Data Science & AI Summit 2025 November 17, 9:00 AM - November 18, 2025, 4:30 PM Michigan Union 530 S State St Ann Arbor, MI 48109   Registration is FREE for U-M faculty/staff, students, and alumni; $200 for non U-M affiliates   Register Overview Speakers Posters Schedule C...

11/13/2025

James DeVaney, executive director of the Center for Academic Innovation with Michigan Online writes on university-industry partnerships in the AI age.

"A true partnership is something else entirely — it's a shared commitment to learning, discovery and value creation that benefits both sides and, most importantly, the learners we serve." via Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/learning-innovation/2025/10/30/can-we-build-shared-value-through-university

11/12/2025

With the development of color printing processes and new ideas about childhood and education, the 19th century made it possible and profitable to mass-produce games and toys with a focus on practical skills, moral lessons, and entertainment. Enjoy these vintage images, on exhibit through December, at the University of Michigan's William L. Clements Library.
https://michigantoday.umich.edu/galleries/for-all-ages/

11/12/2025

What does it really mean to “return to work”?

For millions of people who started their careers after 2020, that world never existed. Ross School of Business professor Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks says the real challenge isn’t logistics—it’s language and culture.

“We’re stuck in a narrative that emerged after the pandemic, but the data clearly shows we’ve moved on.”

Read our Expert Q&A about the paradox of “returning” to something that’s already changed—and what it means for leaders navigating the hybrid era.

When University of Michigan professor Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks hears the phrase "return to work," he recognizes a paradox: In the post-pandemic era, business leaders seek to "return" to a place that never existed for a large group of people who joined the workforce in the past few years.

11/12/2025

The United States' absence at the COP30 climate change talks in Brazil “will inevitably be felt,” says former U.S. climate negotiator Jennifer Haverkamp, professor from practice of law and public policy at the University of Michigan Law School. via The Hill: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5592116-cop30-brazil-united-nations-un-climate-conference-trump-paris/

11/11/2025

Katherine Gold, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Michigan Medicine, notes that while doctors are getting better at identifying the cause of stillbirth, parents don’t always get the answers they are looking for. “In about a third of cases, we don't have an answer, both for infant deaths and for stillbirths.” via Michigan Public: https://www.michiganpublic.org/section/stateside/2025-11-05/what-grieving-families-need-after-perinatal-loss

11/11/2025

Electrical and Computer Engineering alum Paul Debevec is a Michigan Engineer who revolutionized filmmaking.

Inspired by the opening sequence of Back to the Future, Part 2, Debevec created a computer-generated visualization of his Chevette as an undergrad. The model combined techniques from computer vision and computer graphics.

The passion project set him on a career path that would revolutionize filmmaking, earn him a Lifetime Achievement Emmy and power the incredible visuals in movies like The Matrix, The Hobbit, Avatar, Furious 7 and Blade Runner: 2049.

“This all started with the Chevette Project,” Debevec said in his Emmy acceptance speech in 2022.“So, thanks to my mom for giving me a 1980 Chevette. If she’d given me a cooler car, I wouldn’t have had to put so much effort into trying to make it fly using computer graphics.”

Debevec was honored in 2022 for his pioneering work combining high dynamic range imagery with image-based lighting, which makes it possible to record and reproduce the light of both real and virtual environments to create a seamless transition between the two. His methods are now essential techniques used in computer graphics for VFX and virtual production.

Combining math, computers and film to change the world took vision as well as skill, and Debevec attributes his vision in part to his time as a U-M undergrad.

“Michigan prepared me a lot for embracing the sheer variety of ideas out there, and it’s a place where you can find what you need,” he said. “If you want to do something that might be a little different, Michigan will make it happen.”

11/10/2025

Who really sets the tone on social media—celebrities or their fans?

A new University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts study analyzed more than 8 million Weibo posts and found that when it comes to online nationalism in China, fans lead and stars follow.

Researchers discovered that patriotic messages from fans consistently predicted an increase in celebrity posts with nationalistic themes, while the reverse wasn’t true.

“Fans aren’t passive consumers,” said Ji Yeon Hong, U-M associate professor of political science. “They actively shape what celebrities say online.”

Read more about how fan culture is shaping political expression:

In China's social media universe, celebrities are often assumed to set the tone for millions of adoring followers. But a new study led by the University of Michigan shows the dynamic works the other way around: When it comes to online nationalism, fans are the ones leading—and stars are following.

11/09/2025

11/07/2025

Medicare officials have proposed eliminating coverage for minimally invasive, non-opioid treatment options for chronic pain disorders. Tricia Pendergast, resident in anesthesiology at Michigan Medicine, writes via STAT: https://www.statnews.com/2025/10/31/medicare-coverage-peripheral-nerve-block-procedures/

11/06/2025

Critters consuming species that contain deadly toxins have evolved a suite of clever strategies to keep out of harm’s way.

Research conducted by Matthew Holding, a postdoctoral fellow of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, shows that the ground squirrels' antivenom mix is tailored to match local snakes.

Read more at Knowable Magazine:

Critters consuming species that contain deadly toxins have evolved a suite of clever strategies to keep out of harm’s way