Forum

President Philomena V. Mantella, Provost Jennifer Drake, Laurence José, professor of writing and co-leader of the Digital Literacy Initiative, and other leaders were interviewed by multiple media outlets for stories about the next stage for the Blue Dot Innovation Lab. 

Joe Little, associate professor of marketing, was interviewed by WalletHub for a story about "loud budgeting" as an effective strategy to save money.

Don Zinman, professor of political science, was interviewed by the Detroit News for a story about the race between Bill Huizenga and Sean McCann to represent Michigan's Fourth Congressional District.

Santos Ramos, associate professor of interdisciplinary studies, was interviewed by WOOD-TV for a story about the board game, Almost Lotería, he created to teach Latino history.

Andrew Booth, associate professor and chair of physician assistant studies, received the Ron L. Nelson Award of Achievement from the Michigan Academy of Physician Associates at the organization's fall conference in Traverse City. It is MAPA’s most prestigious honor, presented to someone whose influence on the PA profession in Michigan has been broad and significant.

Lisa M. Perhamus, professor of interdisciplinary studies and director of the Padnos/Sarosik Center for Civil Discourse, gave a presentation, "When Fears Rise, Trust Goes Local: Fostering Social Trust in an Age of Insularity," before the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids.

Al Steinman, Allen and Helen Hunting Research Professor at the Annis Water Resources Institute, received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, through the University of Michigan, for "Lake Michigan Long-term Ecological Research Program: Lake Michigan Field Station Support 2026."

Elizabeth Stolle, professor of literacy, educational foundations, and technology, was a co-author of a book, Critical Friendship as a Self-Study Research Tool, published by Springer.

Andrew Booth, associate professor and chair of physician assistant studies, accepts the Nelson Award of Achievement from the Michigan Academy of Physician Associates, the organization's highest honor, during a conference in Traverse City.

Christopher Gillespie, SAP systems administrator, received the Best Research in Progress Award at the 21st International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems and Technology for a project, "Integration is Key: Designing AI-based Teaching Assistants for ERP Education." 

Communication and media studies faculty Valerie Peterson and Corey Anton gave a presentation, "Surviving and Thriving in the 21st Century: Exploring Connections between Media Ecology, General Semantics, and Constructive Living," at the Media Ecology Association Annual Convention in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Asli Akbulut, professor of management, and Ocean Ada Bailey, a Forest Hills Northern High School student and innovation associate, gave a presentation, "Beyond the Chatbot: Trust and Learning with Artificial Intelligence in ERP Education," at the MBAA International Conference in Chicago. The presentation featured findings from their research on ADA, an AI-powered learning assistant developed to support ERP education.

Michael P. Lombardo, emeritus professor of biology, and Patrick A. Thorpe, professor of biology, were co-authors of an article, "Divergent population trajectories despite similar response to temperature in a widespread aerial insectivore," published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.