On May 17th, 2022 Shannon Zheng was selected as an Art in the Legislator winner.

American Peony

American Peony

The Art in the Legislature Program displays and celebrates the work of excellent student artists from Michigan’s 15 public universities each year, and their respective works are displayed in the Anderson House Office Building, or the Binsfeld Senate Building, for one year.

Artist Statement:

When the “Asian culture” simulacrum is prioritized over the reality of racialized violence against Asian-presenting femme bodies, we become the absent referent. To those who read this as a representation of what it means to be Asian-American, this painting suffers, existing in a perpetual hyperreality of scrambling to represent a false racial monolith.

Read press release here

From left to right: State Rep. Greg Markkanen, Bill Azelton, Justin Kasieta, and Sarah Blakely

An Upper Peninsula native on State Rep. Greg Markkanen’s team has won an award for outstanding legislative performance.

Justin Kasieta, a graduate of Marquette Senior High school and currently a junior pursuing an interdisciplinary Bachelor in General Studies degree at the University of Michigan, has been presented with the 2022 Rosenthal Legislative Intern Award.

Justin Kasieta and University of Michigan Regent Sarah Hubbard

Michigan State University’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, as well as the university’s James Madison College, administer the annual award named after Daniel Rosenthal, who was one of MSU’s first Legislative Student Intern Program participants in January of 1977. Undergraduate legislative interns in the Michigan House and Senate regardless of school affiliation are eligible for nomination, and the award recognizes outstanding service and dedication within the role.

“I’m thrilled and honored to be the recipient of the 2022 Rosenthal Legislative Intern Award,” Kasieta said. “I am so grateful for the great team I work with in Rep. Markkanen’s office who helped make this possible.”

Read press release here

Read full story on the Record

The University of Michigan research enterprise contributed $97 million to Michigan’s economy over the past fiscal year, supporting employment across large and small businesses statewide, according to a new report from the Institute for Research on Innovation and Science.

The report details how university research spending impacts the economy, and it provides a geographic snapshot of Michigan-based vendors that have supplied goods and services to support U-M research and scholarship activity.

Michigan-based companies have received more than $517 million since 2017 to supply goods and services in support of U-M research projects. This includes everything from beakers and laboratory supplies to specially designed pediatric treadmills used by kinesiology researchers to improve the walking habits of children born with Down syndrome.

Rebecca Cunningham, vice president for research and the William G. Barsan Collegiate Professor of Emergency Medicine.

“Research led by teams across our three campuses continues to spur tremendous advancements that positively impact society, and as part of this important activity, we all play an essential role in accelerating economic growth and strengthening our workforce,” said Rebecca Cunningham, vice president for research and the William G. Barsan Collegiate Professor of Emergency Medicine.