Communications
Director
of the Research Office, cited
these statistics, noting how
helpful the federal funding has
been to the University.
“We’re
the
number
one
public
research
university
in the country in terms of
research expenditures, at 1.55
billion dollars a year,” Piazza
said. “About 55% of that stems
from the federal government,
so
the
partnerships
we’ve
created
with
the
federal
government have really been
great over the years for us.”
Associate Vice President of
Research in Social Sciences and
Humanities Stephanie Rowley
highlighted the importance
of federal funding as well,
bringing attention especially
to research in the humanities.
Rowley wrote in an email how
essential National Endowment
of Humanities’ support is for
humanities faculty members.
“I’d like to emphasize the
potential for faculty in the
humanities
to
be
affected
given the shutdown of the
NEH,” Rowley wrote. “Our
humanities
faculty
rely
on
NEH
for
fellowships
that
support
humanities
scholarship.
Support
from
the federal government helps
our researchers here at the
University of Michigan spur
advancements in a variety of
areas ranging from the arts
and humanities to medicine
and mobility.”
Vice President of Research
Jack Hu said the largest source
of
federal
funding
comes
from the National Institutes
of Health, which is operating
normally during the shutdown.
According to Hu, the current
situation is not dire, as ongoing
research
projects
are
not
being immediately affected.
However,
because
of
the
shutdown, researchers cannot
send in project proposals, and
proposals submitted earlier
are not being reviewed, he
said.
“From the 22nd until earlier
last week, many faculty and
students were not here so the
impact
of
the
government
shutdown on research was
not very significant,” Hu said.
However, due to the shutdown,
we could not submit proposals
to the NSF and those agencies
that are impacted by the
government shutdown. Also,
proposals that went in earlier
are not being reviewed.”
This,
Hu
said,
could
have long-term effects that
might halt future research,
leaving research faculty in
uncertainty.
The
delay
of
proposals,
proposal review may have
a longer term impact,” Hu
said. “As the shutdown drags
on, then there will be gaps
for
research
faculty
who
are
expecting
support
or
anticipating
support
from
those agencies, and they will
not know until the government
reopens and proposal reviews
restart.”
Bradford
Orr,
Associate
Vice President of Research
in
Natural
Sciences
and
Engineering,
echoed
Hu’s
comments. He said as of yet,
no researcher has approached
him
with
serious
funding
problems,
but
rather
with
grant deadline or review panel
issues.
“There
have
been
researchers that have come
and said to me that they have
been impacted in the sense that
there was a review panel that
was supposed to take place but
now it’s not going to take place,
or that a deadline for a grant is
likely to be changed, or is likely
to be postponed,” Orr said.
“There’s no one that’s come to
me and said I haven’t received
my money and therefore am
not able to pay for this and this
bill. We’re not at that spot yet.”
Orr noted this pause in
research proposal acceptance
and review panels will delay
the start times of research
projects. Mostly, Orr said, this
will cause inconvenience, but
if the shutdown continues,
there could be more serious
issues.
“What’s going to happen
for sure is that the start time
and review time of proposals
is going to be drawn out,” Orr
said. “That will happen, it’s
happening now. And that can
be dealt with, it’s inconvenient.
But where it becomes serious is
where payments to grants that
already exist aren’t made and
therefore bills such as salaries
couldn’t be paid.”
LSA junior Yara El-Tawil
works at the Rogel Cancer
Center on the University’s
medical campus. El-Tawil said
while her research project
is not being affected by the
shutdown, she is concerned
by what she’s heard about the
shutdown affecting research
grants.
“I
don’t
like
that
the
government is holding funding
hostage from people who need
it, especially because right
now climate change and all
the research that’s being done
right now is really important,”
El-Tawil said. “For people
whose job it is to do research
or any type of work that is
funded by the government
agency, it’s completely unfair
for them since the government
doesn’t want to keep moving.”
Hu said he was confident
in the University’s ability to
fund research in the short-
term, but if the shutdown
carries on, there will be bigger
consequences.
“Overall, I think Michigan’s
financial position is strong,”
Hu said. “Our research funding
is strong. So in the short term,
we managed well. But if the
shutdown continues, drags on,
then we will be impacted much
more.”
advice
about
the
interviewing
process for jobs. He focused on
how interviewers may ask personal
questions at times, and those
questions can sometimes negatively
affect the interviewees and have
unintended consequences. Thus,
when students get interviewed, they
have the right to politely decline to
answer overly personal questions.
Powell also discussed the negative
impact personal schemas can have
in the job application process and
how professors like himself are
hoping to address these issues at the
University.
“Schemas and lack of critical mass
can lead to people, on one hand, not
evaluating candidates fairly, and on
another hand, can set the candidates
in situations where they can’t show
off their full chops because they’re
not comfortable with the situation.
… This can lead to a lower success
rate,” Powell said. “So we are trying
to work to get around and give these
talks so people understand.”
Engineering
senior
Janera
Martinez said she was pleased
with the University’s focus on its
challenges with diversity.
“I think what really surprised me
was to know that at such a high level
of the University, they really care
about the diversity issue, especially
in a field that it is not represented as
much with minorities and women,”
Martinez said. “So that was really
eye-opening for me because I
thought, not that the University
was ignoring it, but more just
wasn’t really aware, so to hear that
aerospace was involved with that
was really encouraging for me.”
The lecture first focused on how
everyone has implicit biases and
how those biases can impact their
actions in regards to interviewing
and hiring people for jobs. For
instance, according to Powell, white
applicants receive 50 percent more
callbacks for interviews than Black
applicants.
Engineering
senior
Judson
commented on how he’s noticed
the presence of these biases in his
various organizations and sectors on
campus.
“Like the professor said, this
department is very male-dominated
and you see that in the kids who get
elected in certain job interviews and
leadership positions on teams I’ve
been a part of, but it seems like it’s
getting better, which is promising,”
Judson said.
When discussing what she learned
about the job application process
from the lecture, Martinez said she
realized the value of learning about
how to approach personal questions
during interviews.
“I think a big thing that I
hadn’t thought about before was
the answering of those personal
questions,” Martinez said. “I never
really thought about the fact that
I really had a right to be like, ‘Oh I
don’t want to answer that question,’
or that it was a formal disadvantage
that someone may go through.”
Engineering graduate student
Shashank Kedia said the lecture was
important for international students
like him, but also students in general,
in regards to being more mindful of
others and their preferences.
“Personally, I am also someone
not from the U.S.,” Kedia said.
LECTURE
From Page 1
aren’t
necessarily
well-known
among
students.
LSA
junior
Sumrah Jilani was surprised
to learn the University offered
degrees students could complete
partially online.
“It is surprising to find that
out, mostly for the fact that it’s
specifically online,” Jilani said.
“I think it would make sense
if just the general coursework
was considered to be at a higher
standard, but to be honest, I didn’t
even know U of M had an online
program.”
Each of the eligible schools
were scored out of a total 200
points and rankings were based
on freshman retention rate and
graduation rate. The University
topped the ranking list with a
freshman retention rate of 97
percent and a graduation rate of 92
percent, beating out number two
University of California, Berkeley,
who had the same freshman
retention rate but a graduation
rate of 91 percent. It was noted by
the individuals in charge of the
ranking that no school evaluated
was offered any sort of special
treatment and the data collection
process would allow anyone who
conducted the study to come to
the same conclusion.
Nishitha Malugari, an LSA and
Business junior, is also pursuing
the pre-med path at the University
and explained why she continued
on with the pre-med program
after her freshman year.
“I’ve known from high school
that I wanted to pursue medicine,
and even though the classes I took
freshman year were difficult, I
still greatly enjoyed what I was
learning,” Malugari wrote in an
email interview with The Daily.
“I also had great experiences
working in my research lab and
volunteering
in
the
hospital.
I knew I could see myself as a
physician one day and knew that
the pre-med route is right for me.”
Steven
Clark,
director
of
the U-M Program in Biology,
also spoke about the first-year
retention rate and how the biology
program in particular encourages
students to carry through the
major by offering many resources.
“Our
introductory
courses
have a lot of opportunities for
students to get help,” Clark said.
“We’ve developed active learning
modules, we’ve got undergraduate
teaching assistants, we’re working
with the Science Learning Center
so there is drop in tutoring and
study groups for the students.
We have a lot of material that
gets them familiar with good
study habits and to put in the
kind of time to help them do well
and that’s kind of what keeps the
students in the major.”
Jilani reflected on her own
experience with the pre-med track
at the University. Though she has
not taken any online courses, she
explained while courses can be
demanding, some of them have
helped her to learn a lot and bring
her closer to her goal of becoming
a physician.
“So far my experiences have
mostly been good,” Jilani said. “I
won’t lie; most pre-med classes are
definitely a lot of work, and can be
extremely challenging. However,
one of my favorite classes I’ve
taken is organic chemistry. ... I
think having a genuine interest
in the subject material definitely
helped me do a lot better, but the
big factors were just making sure I
dedicated a lot of time to studying
and I would work a lot with other
people in the class to study and
solidify the material together.”
and
evolutionary
biology,
and molecular, cellular, and
developmental biology.
Rackham then approached
the
Business
School
to
develop a business-oriented
bridge program in 2016 after
continual
and
successful
bridge programs had been
formed for other departments.
All of the bridge programs
aim
to support a diverse
student
body
in
doctoral
education,
and
Graduate
Coordinator Ashley Stauffer
discussed how they are aiming
for the same goals in the
Business School program.
“The main mission of the
program is to expand the pool
of Ross PhD applicants who
bring
diverse
experiences
and ways of thinking about
research, and who come from
diverse educational, cultural,
geographic,
and
familial
backgrounds,” Stauffer said
in an email to The Daily.
“Another goal of the program
is to provide additional paths
to the PhD program at Ross
for students who have strong
potential for the degree, but
would benefit from additional
academic
and
professional
preparation.”
As
the
program
grows,
Brian Jones, director of Ph.D.
and research administration at
the University, said in an email
to The Daily they plan to keep
the student pool small with
only three students in order to
sustain an individualized plan
for each participant.
“This is an important new
program for us, but the intent
is to keep the program small,
admitting up to three students
each year, so that we can focus
our time and resources to make
sure all students succeed,”
Jones
said.
“Working
to
provide research experience
and appropriate quantitative
skills to fully prepare bridge
participants for PhD studies,
we hope that graduates of the
program will then choose to
pursue a PhD, and even apply
and matriculate into the Ross
PhD program.”
Ayala champions the bridge
program’s mission and said
he feels very supported by the
program and the experience
he’s gotten so far.
“The doctoral students and
candidates in the department
have been very gracious and
share valuable insights from
their recent experiences in the
program … Exposure to the
academic research process and
the doctoral experience will
be highly beneficial for Bridge
participants who choose to
pursue careers in academia,”
Ayala wrote in an email to The
Daily.
Many of the bridge programs
have had immense success,
with a high percentage of
participants
enrolling
in
doctoral programs, according
to
Rackham.
Jones
added
he has high hopes for the
program, and stresses the
advantage of sustaining it.
“Our desire is to grow
the number and diversity of
backgrounds of prospective
students for our, and perhaps
other top business schools’
PhD programs, by providing
an
additional
pathway
for
students
to
prepare
themselves for the rigors of a
PhD program,” Jones wrote.
“We hope that students who
complete the program will
join and excel in the Ross
PhD program, and add to our
success in placing graduates in
tenure track faculty positions
at top tier business schools.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Friday, January 11, 2019 — 3A
Read more online at
michigandaily.com
BRIDGE
From Page 1
RANKING
From Page 1
SHUTDOWN
From Page 1
If the shutdown
continues...
then we will be
impacted much
more.
CONCE RTO COMPETITION
Maria Fernanda Castillo on flute, Liz Ames on piano and Danielle Gonzalez on percussion play Concerto for Flute by Eduardo Gamboa in the School
of Music, Theatre, and Dance’s Concerto Competition in Hill Auditorium Thursday afternoon.
MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily
said. “They were yelling, they
were using lights and other
things to interfere with this
work.”
Councilmember
Jeff
Hayner, D-Ward 1, opposed
the measure. He said that
because most of the program
takes place in Wards 1 and
2, he had heard a lot about it
from his constituents.
“I don’t feel that with
a good conscience I can
empower or encourage the
city to engage with residents
in
a
way
that
somehow
interferes with their right to
protest,” Hayner said, adding,
“I’m not gonna sic the city on
these residents.”
The measure was voted
down 6-5. Wendy Welch,
director of communications
for the Humane Society of
Huron Valley, said it was
fortunate
the
resolution
failed.
“Had it been passed, it
would have made protesting
the cull illegal,” Welch said.
“And whether someone is
pro- or anti-cull, what an
appalling assault on folks’
Constitutional right to free
speech.”
Wondrash
would
not
comment on how the protests
affected the ongoing deer
cull.
“The cull just began on
Jan. 2, so it’s still underway
and we’re not going to be
talking about any logistical
details related to the cull,”
Wondrash said. “If there is
any impact, that would be
included in White Buffalo’s
final report to City Council
after the deer program is over
and when the assessment is
done.”
Hilgendorf said the city
would be better off directing
its resources to other issues,
like
crosswalk
safety
or
affordable housing.
“There are so many more
important issues that need the
city’s attention,” Hilgendorf
said. “Even if the ongoing cull
costs do not make you flinch,
when you have men with
guns in parks all over the city
and on campus it’s going to
cause a lot of controversy and
demand a lot attention. There
is no room for error.”
The city also relies on
nonlethal
methods
of
population
control.
In
November,
White
Buffalo
neutered six female deer in
Wards 1 and 2, removing their
ovaries and releasing them
back into the wild with ear
tags. A total of 78 deer have
been sterilized to date.
Taylor said he thought
sterilization could function
as a compromise between
critics and supporters of the
deer management program.
“I think sterilization is
really the only method that
reduces deer population and
does not result in the violent
death of deer,” Taylor said.
Read more online at
michigandaily.com
DEER
From Page 2
This is an
important new
program for us.