Legacy Fall 2023 | University of Michigan-Dearborn

Legacy: The University of Michigan-Dearborn magazine, Fall 2023

FEATURES

Quan Neloms' School of Hip Hop

A UM-Dearborn lecturer's after-school project is helping young Detroiters find their voices. READ THE COVER STORY.

Additional Feature Stories

A student stocks shelves at the UM-Dearborn Student Food Pantry

A culture of support

These days, getting students to the graduation stage means providing support that goes beyond academics. At UM-Dearborn, expanded mental health services, a food and clothing pantry, and a new individualized wraparound program are making all the difference.

Two students record an interview inside a spacious recording studio with long gray drapes and a professional TV camera sitting in the background

Practice-based learning takes center stage

While lectures, exams and essays aren’t disappearing from the university experience, UM-Dearborn is adding more project-based learning to make education more interesting and effective.

ALUMNI

Five lessons learned with Maurice Taylor

The ’08 CASL alum talks about breaking cycles, capitalizing on challenges and the importance of becoming an inspiration to others. READ THE STORY.

Jim Scapa stands for a portrait in the brightly lit lobby of his technology company Altair.

A new scholarship is fueling diversity in STEM programs

The tech company Altair, founded by alum Jim Scapa, is supporting CECS students from underrepresented groups.

Sadaf Lodhi, wearing a colorful skirt, stands for a formal portrait in a brightly lit room

Sadaf Lodhi is building a culture of sex positivity

The OB-GYN-turned-sex coach is helping women cultivate thriving intimate relationships.

Wafa Dinaro stands for a formal portrait in Detroit's Fisher building, with the colorful art deco murals in the background

Small businesses are too big to fail

Wafa Dinaro created a pandemic lifeline for neighborhood businesses.

UM-Dearborn alum Kristen Dage stands for a formal portrait in the Natural Sciences Building atrium at UM-Dearborn, with windows and artifact display cases in the background.

Kristen Dage explores how the universe works

Dage was one of the 24 internationally selected researchers for the postdoctoral NASA Hubble Fellowship Program.

NEWS

News

Photo of Brendan West, College of Business senior, playing with Team USA.

From maize and blue to red, white and blue

Team USA invited Dearborn Wolverine men’s ice hockey player Brendan West to join their roster. West calls what happened next a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Assitant Professor stands for a portrait in a hallway corridor with his hands in his pockets

Cybersecurity researcher Birhanu Eshete scores prestigious NSF CAREER award

Eshete’s project could have wide-ranging implications for one of artificial intelligence’s most stubborn problems.

A collage graphic showing young people of different ethnicities, surrounded by symbols representing DNA

UM-Dearborn students are helping make medical studies more diverse

The All of Us research program is aiming to address the chronic lack of racial and ethnic diversity in health studies — and fast track precision medicine.

A young woman looks at her phone with a confused look on her face, while illustrations of her parents loom in the background with speech bubbles indicating how their life was easier at her age.

Everything vs. Gen Z

Sociology Professor Pamela Aronson, who’s spoken to media outlets like BBC, Salon and Vox about the pandemic’s effect on the transition to adulthood, shares research and advice on how more established adults can help Generation Z create pathways to success.

Chancellor Grasso on the past — and his next — five years

Fresh off his reappointment by the U-M Board of Regents, the UM-Dearborn Chancellor talks candidly about what we’ve accomplished and where we’re headed next.

International student boom

The university welcomed its biggest class of international students in 2022-23. What’s behind the surge — and is it a sign of things to come? READ THE STORY.

Features

Wearing a white lab coat and protective equipment, Assistant Professor poses for a portrait while working in his cancer research lab

Eye on Research

Learn about Assistant Professor Jie Fan's breakthrough cancer research and more top projects from UM-Dearborn faculty.

Viewed from behind, Professor Taehyun Shim and doctoral student Syed Adil Ahmed review a transportation simulation on a computer screen

A new-look program is preparing students for a paradigm shift in the auto industry

Launching in Fall 2023, the revamped Automotive and Mobility Systems Engineering master’s program is built for an industry being transformed by electrification and autonomy.

The women's basketball team playing Aquinas College on the new hardwood floor at the UM-Dearborn Fieldhouse

News from around campus

The Fieldhouse got a new hardwood floor, campus made big strides in its sustainability efforts, and new students get free season tickets to U-M football games.

Class notes

These Dearborn Wolverines achieved big things in 2022-23.

A fall scene on the UM-Dearborn campus with sunlight peaking through a grove of trees with red leaves.

In memoriam

We remember members of the UM-Dearborn community who we lost this year.

© 2023 University of Michigan-Dearborn. Legacy is published by the Office of External Relations.