Michigan Minds

Mar 20 2025 290 ep. 16 mins 36
Michigan Minds Podcast artwork

Michigan Minds brings to life the wide-ranging faculty expertise at the University of Michigan. This series features quick yet informative analysis that provides unique perspectives on today’s top issues. U-M faculty are among the world’s leading researchers and teachers across all disciplines. Michigan Minds taps that thought leadership and shares this expertise with the world. It is produced by Michigan News, a division of the Office of the Vice President for Communications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Oliver Haimson talks about the changing social media landscape

Mar 20 2025 21 mins  
Welcome to the Michigan Minds Podcast, where we explore the wealth of knowledge from faculty experts at the University of Michigan. I'm Jared Wadley, a lead public relations representative for Michigan News. Today I'm speaking to Oliver Haimson about the changing social media landscape. He's an assistant professor in the School of Information and the Digital Studies Institute. Oliv

Teaming up with Polish and Ukrainian scientists on plant DNA research

Feb 17 2025 20 mins  
When Russia invaded Ukraine, civilian lives, as well as lives of the scientists who live in the country, were upended. When an international grant was launched to support Ukrainian scientists, Andrzej Wierzbicki, a U-M professor of cellular, molecular and developmental biology, who is Polish, saw the funding opportunity as a way to help support the country that neighbors his own.&n

Fixing a broken healthcare system can help heal ailments, stem frustrations

Jan 16 2025 16 mins  
In this episode of Michigan Minds, Pamela Herd, social policy professor at the University of Michigan, discusses issues of healthcare access and affordability in light of the slaying of an industry CEO, efforts of a university lab in boosting access and breaking down walls to social safety net programs, and finding common ground within a polarized electorate.Here's an excerpt of th

Finding the metals necessary for the energy transition

Dec 18 2024 19 mins  
To combat climate change, the world needs to pivot away from fossil fuels.But building battery electric vehicles and infrastructure for renewable energy will require enormous amounts of minerals and resources, which can only be obtained in the quantities needed through mining. Low and low-to-middle income countries are also looking to boost their access to electricity, which will n

When tightwads and spendthrifts can agree on spending

Nov 21 2024 19 mins  
Scott Rick is an associate professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business. His research speaks to how consumers perceive and experience inflation, how they choose what gifts to buy, and how they experience in-store and online shopping environments. He is particularly interested in understanding the behavior of extreme “tightwads” and “spendthrifts.” Hosted on Acast.

Validation and verification for elections

Oct 11 2024 25 mins  
In this episode of the Michigan Minds podcast, J. Alex Halderman—Bredt Family Professor of Engineering and director of the Center for Computer Security and Society—discusses weak points in the U.S. electoral system and how to fix them, as well as the results of investigations following the 2020 election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tony Reames talks about the energy transition for disadvantaged communities

Sep 16 2024 18 mins  
Tony Reames, an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Environment and Sustainability, just returned to campus from two years at the U.S. Department of Energy working on energy justice.The Tishman professor of environmental justice and director of the SEAS Detroit Sustainability Clinic joined us on the Michigan Minds Podcast to share his thoughts on how energy

When will cars drive themselves?

Jun 19 2024 17 mins  
In this episode of the Michigan Minds podcast, Henry Liu—director of Mcity and the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation, and a professor of civil and environmental engineering at U-M's College of Engineering—gives an overview on the state of autonomous vehicles, whether you're wondering what the hold-up is for cars that no longer need driver's wheels, or eyeing off

One medicinal chemist's mission to bring better medicine to sick and dying species

Jun 05 2024 16 mins  
In this episode of the Michigan Minds podcast, Timothy Cernak, associate professor of medicinal chemistry in the College of Pharmacy and associate professor of chemistry in the the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, makes the case for growing the field of conservation medicine and calls on pharmacists and medicinal chemists to "be on the front line of species conservatio

Geoff Chatas says campus becomes "living lab" for environmental stewardship

Apr 25 2024 19 mins  
Last January, president Santa J. Ono set the university on a path to imagine what aspirations the University of Michigan could achieve in the next 10 years. Vision 2034 is the outcome of the yearlong strategic visioning process that engaged more than 25,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and local community members. U-M's vision to be the defining public univers