FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 11, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.

6895

Eastern Michigan to celebrate life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during annual celebration
YPSILANTI Eastern Michigan University will pay tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy during the annual MLK President's Luncheon Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. Lani Guinier, a civil rights attorney and the first tenured African American woman professor at Harvard University Law School, will deliver the keynote before the luncheon starting at 10 a.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. The luncheon will start at 11:45 a.m. in the ballroom where there will be a presentation of the 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Awards. Tickets are $10 for students and $20 for faculty, staff and other community members. MLK Day celebrations run Thursday, Jan. 12 through Tuesday, Jan. 17. Events for the celebration include:

Jan. 12: Storytellers: Health Disparities, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., room 352 of the Student Center Jan. 13: 11th Annual Color of Drums: When Believing is the Last Resort. Doors open at 7 p.m., the show starts at 7:30 p.m. in Pease Auditorium Jan. 13: MLK Lock-In for EMU Students, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., The Rec/IM Jan. 14: "H2E" Student Talent Showcase and Scholarship Competition. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. in Pease Auditorium. Jan. 16: MLK Breakfast, 7:45 a.m., room 300 of the Student Center Jan. 16: Keynote Address, 10 a.m., Student Center Auditorium (with overflow in 310 Student Center) Jan. 16: Close-Up Theater Troupe presentation, 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., Student Center Auditorium - more -

Alpha Phi Alpha March: 6-6:30 p.m., departing from the South entrance of the Student Center Jan. 17, 2011: Book discussion of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s book, "The Strength of Love," 5 p.m., Student Center Auditorium

More activities will be added as the celebration draws closer. Eastern Michigan University has a long and storied tradition of discourse, learning opportunities, creative expression and community building in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. For more information, visit emich.edu/mlk. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 20, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

New EMU bus route sees success in inaugural semester, giving students and staff new parking alternatives
YPSILANTI A new bus route that allows Eastern Michigan University students, faculty and staff to park at Rynearson Stadium and ride for free to campus served more than 32,000 riders during its inaugural semester. The new route, a collaboration between Eastern and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, was adopted to help students get to campus more easily without having to pay a parking fee. Students and others can park their cars in the lot across from Rynearson Stadium, on Hewitt Road, and then take the bus in without paying to park on campus. The route, No. 34 in the AATA System schedule, is called the West Campus Shuttle. Passengers are dropped of at Bowen Field House, Halle Library and the Village Residence Hall. The new route was created to help ease the cost of parking for students, and offer further options for commuters, said Walter Kraft, vice president of communications at Eastern. It underscores our interest in helping students, and were happy with how many people used the new route. In addition to the new route, Eastern also introduced a new bus pass for students, faculty and staff to utilize other AATA routes. More than 500 of the passes, which offer 30-day unlimiteduse, were sold during the fall semester. The passes cost $40, a 30-percent discount off the standard $58 price. The new bus route and pass program are part of Easterns efforts to embrace green initiatives and encourage students to drive less and utilize the AATA bus system. For more information about the Eastern Michigan and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority bus routes, please visit http://www.theride.org. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 20, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern Michigan students test economic skills in the final round of the Fed Challenge
YPSILANTI Students from Eastern Michigan Universitys economics department took on the Federal Reserve as they demonstrated their economic skills during the final round of the Fed Challenge regional competition in Chicago. The Fed Challenge requires a team of three to five students to provide a 20 to 30 minute presentation on the current economic situation, said Raouf Hanna, head of the economics department. This includes an outlook for future economic activity, and based on this, a recommendation for monetary policy is made. Representing Eastern were:

Edward Cruz: an actuarial mathematics major from Manchester, Mich. Gregory Henry: an honors student majoring in finance and economics, from Parma, Ohio. Daniel Routley: a pre-law student majoring in economics with a minor in political science, from Big Rapids, Mich. Peter Torres: an international business major focused on economics with a second major in Japanese Language and Culture. Peter is a graduate of Southgate Anderson High School in Southgate, Mich. Jonathan Williams: a double major in economics and mathematics with a minor in finance. He is from West Chicago, Ill.

Cullen Poasquesi-Hill served as an alternate. while Christy Okpo and Jeff Kennedy were involved with competition preparation. Teams were graded on their knowledge of the Federal Reserve and macroeconomics goals and theory, their presentation and analysis of key measures of economic activity, and their overall team performance.

We finished fourth, however, only six points separated the first and fourth place teams. said David Crary, an economics professor and the teams coach. Based on what we learned from this years competition, we expect to have a significant shot at winning next years regional competition and competing in the national level in Washington DC. Other Michigan schools that participated in the regional competition were Albion College (this years regional winner), Michigan State University, Grand Valley State University and the University of Michigan. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 22, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern Michigan professor receives grant to help with breast cancer awareness in China and Taiwan
Tsu-Win Wu, a nursing professor at Eastern Michigan University, was recently awarded a $134,552 grant that will help increase breast cancer awareness and screening for women in China and Taiwan. The Susan G. Komen for a Cure Foundation awarded the grant. Wus project, Take Care of Yourself and Help Others: Breast Health and Breast Cancer Screening in China and Taiwan, will use trained lay health advisors to work with women in underserved areas. The number of Chinese women with breast cancer has surged by more than 20 percent. The rates are even higher in major cities, said Wu. The increase is mainly due to Westernized lifestyles as well as the cultural stigmas associated with cancer and the lack of breast health knowledge and screening. Wu will lead a staff from the Healthy Asian Americans Project (HAAP) and use the Lay Health Advisors (LHA) model to recruit and train medical professionals. The professionals will provide services to breast cancer survivors and their families as well as enhance coordination and delivery of breast health and breast cancer services. During a 2008 sabbatical study, Wu discovered that 61 percent of Chinese women age 45 and older and 48 percent of Taiwanese women never had a mammogram and/or ultrasound for breast cancer screening. Without cancer screening, more women are being diagnosed in the later stages with a 10-year survival rate of less than 10 percent. Wu said that many women are diagnosed with breast cancer at the late stages and have to face the illness alone. The project has great potential for changing the outlook of effective cancer control in China and Taiwan, said Wu. This project will increase awareness and promote screening among the general public that increases the prognosis of breast cancer and improves the quality of life. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 22, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern Michigan mock trial team on track for a successful, winning season
YPSILANTI Students from Eastern Michigan Universitys mock trial team recently came away with individual honors at the first annual Great Lakes Mock Trial invitational Tournament, held at Easterns campus January 28 29. Eastern students Emily Gillingham, from Pinckney, Mich., Christopher Knight, from West Bloomfield, Mich., and Daniel Routley, from Ann Arbor, Mich. earned outstanding attorney awards. Steven Hurbis, from Ann Arbor, and Gillingham won outstanding witness awards. We did pretty well, said Gillingham, a senior who will be attending Michigan State Universitys law school next fall. Mock trial has definitely helped prepare me for the future. Participating in the tournament were 24 teams from 16 schools. Easterns teams placed third and fifth overall, with records of 6-1-1 and 6-2. Eastern mock trial students are dedicated to achieving a national ranking this year and attending the national championship round, said Mark Maironis, a professor of political science and the tournaments director. They are constantly practicing, rehearsing and critiquing. That is what makes one team better than the others. The upcoming regional tournament is in Cincinnati, Ohio, February 24 25. If the Eastern teams do well, they will travel to Hamilton, Ohio for the Opening Round Championship in March. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 22, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Gently used prom attire being collected for local students in need
YPSILANTI Eastern Michigan University students are collecting prom dresses and other formal wear to help students in local schools who are struggling to purchase clothing for their upcoming proms. Students Emily Gillingham, Courtney Restau, Susan White and Courtney Williams, from the womens and gender studies program, are using their capstone seminar course as a community outreach initiative to help local students in need. The formal wear will be collected from March 5 through March 9, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Student Center across from Chase Bank. A donation box is also located in the Womens Resource Center in room 356 of the Student Center. Students will not be charged for the formal wear; instead they will be encouraged to donate food, personal items and money to womens shelters. After delivery of the formal wear, volunteers will be available to advise students on hair and makeup. We are working with students at local schools who may or may not have the best living situations and wont be able to afford new prom dresses or suits for their proms, said Gillingham. We want to show these students that they can help others, too, though. We are enabling them to do something good in return. For more information, contact Emily Gillingham at egilling@emich.edu. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 29, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

National leaders to discuss activism in urban education

YPSILANTI - The 2012 Porter Lecture Series at Eastern Michigan University will kick off Thursday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m., in Pease Auditorium. This years theme is Counternarratives: Hear the Voices of Civic Activism in Urban Education. The program is presented by the John W. Porter Distinguished Chair in Urban Education. The opening program will feature Michelle Fine, professor for the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY). Fine will explore critical science in revolting times. Fine is a pioneer in youth participatory action research and professor of social psychology, womens studies and urban education at CUNY. Her research includes working with youth and elders from across different racial, ethnic and social classes to investigate dispossession and critical resistance. We hope to begin a discussion that asks hard questions, requires hard thought and demands hard work, so that we can make a positive difference with our actions in and upon the world, said Pamela Smith, series chair and professor in Easterns Department of Teacher Education. Future speakers include:

Derrick Jensen, one of todays most vocal deep green activists and an award-winning author of Thought to Exist in the Wild, will speak Thursday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m., in Pease Auditorium. Suzanne Lacy, an internationally known artist, educator and writer, whose work focuses on social themes and urban issues, will speak Thursday, April 12, at 7:30 p.m., in Pease Auditorium.

The John W. Porter Distinguished Chair in Urban Education is named in honor of John W. Porter, former Eastern Michigan president and former State of Michigan superintendent of public instruction. The Porter Lecture Series provides opportunities for students, faculty and the community to interact with a variety of scholars. For more information, please visit http://www.emich.edu/coe/porterchair. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 19, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

One of Michigan largest Collegiate Job Fairs to bring together students, alumni, employers March 23
Graduating seniors and alumni from area Michigan colleges and universities have a valuable opportunity this month to meet with potential employers at the bi-annual Michigan Collegiate Job Fair. The job fair will be held Friday March 23, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Burton Manor, 27777 Schoolcraft Rd. in Livonia. There is a $10 registration fee. This is an excellent opportunity for all Michigan seniors and alumni to met with prospective employers, said Ebony Jones, a senior corporate relations manager with Eastern Michigan University. Employers will be looking to hire new graduates and alumni for entry-level positions. The fair, which is sponsored by Eastern Michigan University and supported by the Michigan Career Educator & Employer Alliance (MCEEA), is one of the states largest and longest running job fair events focusing on liberal arts, business and technology. There are 134 companies and organizations scheduled to attend the job fair, including: Dow Corning Corporation, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Quicken Loans, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Valassis Communications, Takata Ramsoft Systems as well as many State of Michigan departments and government agencies. Last years fair drew 120 employers as well as more than 680 candidates. We encourage candidates to dress appropriately and to bring their resumes, portfolios and other relevant information, said Jones. For more information, call 734.487.0400 or visit http://www.mcjf.org.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 11, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Expert finds school breakfasts can make a difference

YPSILANTI Everyone knows that a healthy breakfast is the best way to start your day off on the right foot. However, most school-age children arent getting breakfast and Eastern Michigan University professor Alice Jo Rainville is trying to change that. Rainville, an expert in nutrition, is concluding case studies on five school districts in the U.S. that have successfully used the in-school breakfast program. She was awarded a $60,132 grant from the National Food Service Management Institute Applied Research Division to help with the research and data collection. The purpose of this study is to investigate effectiveness of in-classroom breakfast programs and share the outcomes with school nutrition personnel, school administrators, teachers, school staff, parents and researchers, said Rainville. According to Rainvilles research, schools that offer in-classroom breakfast have experienced dramatic increases in student participation, which leads to increased revenue from the breakfasts. Among her findings were: A high school that served 50 breakfasts daily, led to an increase of 950 school breakfasts per day. A K-8 elementary school with in-classroom breakfast program earned $70,412 yearly in excess revenue compared to a similar school that did not offer it ($29,813). A middle school that began an in-classroom breakfast program in 2011 experienced a drop in disciplinary referrals from 377 in 2010 to 171 in 2011. - more -

In-classroom breakfast is important because it increases participation in breakfast, which decreases hunger and helps children focus in the classroom as well as improve school culture and have a positive impact on student behavior. said Rainville. Rainville, who started her study in September 2011, has submitted her abstract to the School Nutrition Association for its national conference this July. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 11, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern Michigan gerontology professor named 2012 National Public Citizen of the Year by NASW
YPSILANTI Elizabeth Schuster, a professor at Eastern Michigan University, has been named the 2012 Public Citizen of the Year by the Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. To receive this recognition at this particular stage of my life is deeply moving, said Schuster. It has provided me with the opportunity to pause and to reflect on my lifes journey and how it is that I came to this very special moment. I will treasure this lovely moment for the rest of my life. Schuster, who holds a doctorate degree in aging, joined Eastern in 1986 as a professor of gerontology and social work. She has been the director of the gerontology program for 23 years and the director of the undergraduate social work program for two years. The undergraduate program is the largest in Michigan, and one of the largest in the country, with more than 700 students. As an advocate for older adults, Schuster has established several programs to enrich and improve the quality of life for older adults, including an intergenerational art program known as the Traveling Young at Art. In addition, she has also created the Elderwise Learning in Retirement and Elderquest programs at Eastern, which create educational opportunities and seek to involve the wisdom and experience of older generations at the University. Working with older adults is the most rewarding, challenging and life changing work there is, said Schuster. What other population teaches us how to adapt, how to cope, how to live a life of dignity, and offers wisdom gleaned from decades of a life well lived? The mission of the NASW-Michigan is to support, promote and advocate the professional social work practice, practitioners and the social work profession, to improve the quality of life for the people of Michigan. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern Michigan to host 2012 TESOL Academy

Eastern Michigan University will play host to a special group of professionals when the 2012 TESOL Academy is held June 22 to 23 at the Student Center. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) members will participate in intensive hands-on workshops led by top leaders in the field. TESOL seeks to advance professional expertise in English language teaching and learning for speakers of other languages worldwide. Registration for the conference is available on a first-come, first-served basis and costs $265 for members and $390 for nonmembers. Registration cost includes conference materials, refreshments and attendance certification. For more information or to register please visit the TESOL Academy 2012 website, call 703.836.7864 or email at deprograms@tesol.org. Easterns world languages program offers a masters degree in TESOL. The program is committed to preparing individuals to teach English in a variety of local and international settings. Currently, graduates of the program teach in more than 20 states across America as well as more than 30 regions and countries across the globe. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern Michigan professor elected to board of national occupational therapy association

Amy Lamb, an assistant professor in the occupational therapy program at Eastern Michigan University, was elected vice president for the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). "I am honored to serve in this capacity," Lamb said. "I look forward to leading the strategic planning of the Association and mobilizing my professional network to move occupational therapy forward." Lamb will serve as vice president through 2015 as an ambassador for occupational therapy across the United States. She will help to bring awareness to the profession through education and policy implementation in her new role. "Our role in wellness and prevention is growing and this is an area I intend to focus a substantial amount of time to," Lamb said. "Occupational therapists have the ability to teach people how to age in place, live well with or without chronic conditions and work with people across the lifespan to live healthy lifestyles." Lamb's interest in her new position was due in large part to the strategic planning duties that would be involved. She has been involved in strategic planning and implementation throughout her career - both in professional and volunteering capacities. Said Lamb: "I have been fortunate to have a wide variety of experiences that have allowed me to use my strategic planning abilities ranging from the clinic to business ownership and development to academia." Lamb has been part of AOTA since 1998 when she became directly impacted by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. She lost her occupational therapy position because of legislation. As a volunteer, she worked on advocacy efforts with AOTA staff and her involvement from then on continued to grow. - more -

Lamb became the chair of the AOTA Political Action Committee in 2007 and has Region IV director of the committee since 2005. She is also the chair of the wellness and prevention subgroup of the presidential health care reform ad hoc committee. "Service has been a key theme in my career," said Lamb. "I am grateful to good mentors who saw something in me before I knew it was there and invited me to network, opened doors and supported me along the way." Lamb's dedication and passion for occupational therapy have driven her career and have helped her become the leader and educator she is today, she says. Her leadership in AOTA has given her insight into the profession that continues to help drive her. "The next AOTA Vice President confidently lead the effort to answer the questions: where will occupational therapy go after 2017?" Lamb said. "What an amazing opportunity to serve the profession and ensure occupational therapy's vitality for future generations." ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 27, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern's Rec/IM club pool opens for Ypsilanti residents

Grab your goggles, Ypsilanti! Eastern Michigan University is inviting Ypsilanti residents to enjoy the club pool at the Rec/IM this summer at a discounted rate due to the closing of the city's Rutherford pool. The club pool will be open to the public until the Rutherford pool is reopened in 2013. The club pool at the Rec/IM is open Monday to Friday, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday noon - 4 p.m. Cost will be $2 per person and kids under age of 16 will be required to have an adult on site with them. "Because the Rutherford pool closed, Ypsilanti residents had limited opportunities to swim in the area," said Michelle Owens, an assistant director at the Rec/IM. "The Rec/IM strives to work with the community and we wanted to be a good neighbor." Learn to Swim classes are also available, for more information about the Learn to Swim program, visit the Rec/IMLearn to Swim website. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 17, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern Michigan Universitys Fashionality to host fifth annual Fashion Week with promises of bold fashion
Lights! Camera! Fashion! The Fifth Annual Fashionality Fashion Week is taking place October 8 11 at Eastern Michigan University with promises of bigger, better and bolder fashion. We want to let our presence be known and we want to uplift our campus community, said Brittni Brown, president of Fashionality. Because of our hard work, dedication and our supporters, we have brought more fashion and art to Eastern every fall. This years theme, V, celebrates the hard work and dedication it takes to make fashion week a success. Fashionality members are students interested in pursuing careers in fashion design, apparel and textile marketing, market, public relations and communications. We are the first university in the state of Michigan that isnt a school of arts, design or fashion to host a full fledge week dedicated to fashion, Brown said. Were a collective group of students and alumni from Eastern that hold a love for all areas of art, not just fashion. We create our fashion week to appeal to a wider audience every year. This years events include: Monday, Oct. 8: Miss Fashionality Pageant, 7:30 p.m., Student Center Auditorium Tuesday, Oct. 9: Designer Showcase, 7 p.m., Student Center Ballroom B Wednesday, Oct. 10: Masquerade Celebration, 7 p.m., Student Center room 300. Guests are encouraged to wear masks and semi-formal attire is required. - more -

Thursday, Oct. 11: V: The Runway Experience runway show, 8 p.m. in the Student Center ballroom. Nearly 60 men and women will model at the show. Tickets can be purchased at the Eastern Michigan ticket box office or emutix.com. Tickets are $5 and proceeds go to the Lupus Foundation of America (Michigan and Ohio Chapters).

This year is exciting because we have worked so hard the past four years to give fashion, art and design a bigger name at Eastern, said Brown. For five years we have helped people develop passions for things they now love. We have been planning for six months to give people a chance to see that hard work does pay off, even for the love of fashion. For more information, visit www.fashionalityemu.com or contact Brittni Brown at FashionalityEMU@gmail.com or 734.383.4285. Fashionalitys mission is to inspire, motivate and stimulate a pattern of success in the creative minds of students at Eastern Michigan University through all aspects of the world of fashion, while promoting academics, healthy living, confidence and self-awareness in the community. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 17, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern Michigan German program to celebrate Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales during annual German-American Day celebration, Oct. 1
The Department of World Languages at Eastern Michigan University will be hosting its 8th Annual German-American Day on Monday, Oct. 1 from 4 to 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center. Easterns celebration is one of many across the nation that will celebrate National German Week October 1 7. German-American Day was established as a way to celebrate and honor the 300th anniversary of German-American immigration and culture in the United States, said Margrit Zinggeler, a professor of German at Eastern. Easterns celebration is a platform for recognizing the many contributions of Germans to the modern world. This years theme, The Grimms Are In: Celebrating 200 Years of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales and their American Adaptations, will be the focus of German-American Day. Since it is the Bicentennial of the first publication of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales this year, the German program is collaborating with Halle Library, Zinggeler said. We will have an exhibit on the Brothers Grimms publications that have been translated into over 160 languages. In 1812, brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first collection of the Kinder- und Hausmrchen (Childrens Household Tales), simply known as the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales. The Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs introduced America to Grimms fairy tales in 1937. American culture and the entertainment industry have been inspired by the stories ever since.

- more -

There will be many activities during the celebration, including: An opportunity to Skype with Dr. Sascha Feuchert, Easterns first honorary professor from the Justus Liebig University in Giessen (where Eastern students attend during their study abroad experience). Why are the Grimms In? presentation by Professor Margrit Zinggeler. What is German Magic in Business? keynote presentation by Fred Hoffman, honorary consul of Germany. Story telling with Eastern students studying German. The event will include games and prizes. An authentic German fairy tale dinner that includes German baked potatoes with green sauce, German roasted chicken, Rapunzel salad, German bread, apple cider, apple strudel with vanilla sauce and coffee.

Our students and professors have organized a unique, interdisciplinary celebration, said Zinggeler. This is always a very student-centered event. The event is open to the public. For more information or to reserve a seat, please contact Margrit Zinggeler at mzinggele@emich.edu. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 3, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

EMU guest scholar to discuss 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in March 1911 was one of the deadliest industrial fires in New York history. The fire killed 146 mostly Jewish girls and young women. Pamela Nadell, a leading scholar of Jewish-American history, will explore the societal issues that arose from the fire during her presentation, The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: Out of Tragedy Comes Social Justice, Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Student Center ballroom. The aftermath saw a coalition of men and women, from different backgrounds, classes, parties and religions come together to change the way that American corporations do business. Nadells lecture will explore the serious questions being asked about womens rights, ethnic assimilation, the role of trade unions, and the function of social activism during this years election cycle. Nadell is the Patrick Clendenen Chair in Womens and Gender History at American University and the 2010 recipient of the Lee Max Friedman Award from the American Jewish Historical Society for distinguished service to the profession. The lecture is made possible by the Association for Jewish Studies Distinguished Lectureship Program. For more information, please contact jewish.studies@emich.edu. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 9, 2012 Contact: Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

Eastern Michigan University receives National Endowment for the Arts award for Open Book project
Eastern Michigan University has received its first National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) award in more than 25 years. Art professors Leslie Atzmon and Ryan Molloy were awarded $35,000 for their two-year project to edit and design an exhibition catalog and run a series of experimental artists book workshops that address the increasing concern about the future of the book. This grant is an essential component of seeing the project through its infancy and into a stage in which it becomes self-sustainable, Atzmon said. We want it to become a yearly summer institute that produces novel thinking and visual work. The project is a continuation of their 2010 Open Book project, and will feature essays on the history and future of books as well as group discussions, and workshops at the Easterns Jean Noble Parsons Center near Traverse City, Mich. We will use funds to run two experimental book design workshops and to design, publish and distribute an art-book quality book, said Atzmon. The book will be a catalog of Open Book, an exhibition that Ryan and I co-curated in 2010, plus the pieces produced in our workshops and seven scholarly essays on the history and future of the book. The purpose of the project is to challenge the simplistic notion that mass produced traditional books are rendered irrelevant and ultimately extinct by mass-reproduced digital books, says Atzmon. The exhibition and work of the participants in the workshop really pushes the boundaries of what can be considered a book, whether physical or digital, said Molloy. The relationship to the digital (book) is more symbolic than before. - more -

The first of two workshops was held in summer 2012 and the projects from the workshop were exhibited in fall 2012. The second of two workshops will be held in summer 2012 with the projects on display in the EMU Ford Gallery during fall 2013. To learn more about the Open Book project, please visit http://www.openbookproject.com. ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 12, 2012 Contact: Debra Johnson djohn144@emich.edu Emily Vontom evontom@emich.edu 734.487.6895

EMU professor receives Michigan Green Chemistry Governor's Award for 2012
A professor at Eastern Michigan University who developed sustainable alternatives within the polymer and coating industries was recognized for his innovations during the Michigan Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference, held October 26 in Detroit. Vijay Mannari, a professor in the College of Technology at Eastern, was presented with the Michigan Green Chemistry Governor's Award for 2012 (Governor's Award) for his research on "Sustainable and advanced coatings materials based on soybean oil." Mannari was selected from more than 50 nominations. The award was within the academic category. "Professor Mannari showed that his technology provides a number of environmental benefits compared to existing alternatives, according to the principles of green chemistry," said Christopher Affeldt, pollution prevention program analyst at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. "The technology can be used widely, including here in Michigan." On behalf of Governor Rick Snyder, Dan Wyant, director of the Department of Environment Quality (DEQ), presented the award to Mannari. The award is given annually by the Governor of Michigan to promote excellence in innovation, economic development and public health risk reduction by businesses and institutions. "I am very honored to have received the Governor's Award and would like to acknowledge the collaborative efforts of my entire research team at Eastern's Coating Research Institute," said Mannari. "The award acknowledges the institute as an innovation leader." The Governor's Award was established in 2009 by the Michigan Green Chemistry Roundtable to recognize innovations in green chemistry as important milestones in celebrating Michigan's success. - more -

Over the past several years, Mannari and his research group have developed soybean, oilbased innovative materials that can replace petroleum-based coatings used in many industrial polymers and coating products. They are working with several leading companies within the polymer and coating industries to help commercialize and bring these safer and sustainable products to consumers. Development of sustainable materials from renewable resources is very important not only for reducing our dependence on petroleum, but also for reducing our carbon footprint, said Mannari. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship have funded the soy-based coatings research at Easterns Coatings Research Institute. Mannari anticipates another grant from the USDA for $490,000 in the near future. I look forward to receiving our new grant that will further the development of more innovative sustainable materials and create opportunities for students and preparing them for future challenges, Mannari said. For more information, please go to Easterns Coatings Research Institute homepage. For a more detailed technical description about Mannaris work, go to Governors Award Winners 2012. ###