Friday, January 21, 2022

10:00am – 11:30pm

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The future of mobility is dynamic – new advancements are happening every day. Increasing funding and emphasis on electric vehicles will have a direct impact on the State’s economy by expanding much needed educational infrastructure to engage, reskill/upskill and educate more students at all levels, while also supporting innovation in essential areas: advancing the state-of-the-art for range and charging; transforming the capabilities for future battery packs through research on new materials, manufacturing methodologies; etc. The University of Michigan has a robust track record of collaboration and partnership that lead to high value outcomes. A strategic investment is critical for positioning the State of Michigan as the leader in EV related research and workforce development, and ensuring the State’s competitiveness and leadership position in the future of mobility for the near- and long-term.

The Challenge We Face

Almost fifty years ago Michigan’s auto industry faced a serious challenge, as demand increased for smaller, imported vehicles. It hasn’t been easy and it has taken a long time, but with research and innovation, strategic partnerships, engineering and talent, today’s auto industry is strong. Michigan is now facing another inflection point, a key moment in time. Vehicle electrification represents another generational shift in the mobility industry. Michigan’s existing auto industry is vulnerable. The state is at a critical crossroads that will need to educate nearly 15 percent of the workforce, re-purpose our manufacturing sector while enhancing our research infrastructure.

Panelists

Jeff Sakamoto
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering

As a materials scientist and engineer with an interest in synthesis, processing, and functionalization of ceramics and hydrogels, his research is highly interdisciplinary guided by the fields of energy storage/conversion and biomedicine.

Greg Less
Director of the University of Michigan Battery Lab

Greg Less is the Senior Laboratory Manager at the UMEI Battery Fabrication and Characterization User Facility, responsible for the day-to-day operation of the laboratory. Less received a doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining UMEI, he was a research scientist with battery companies T/J Technologies and A123 Systems.

Wolverine Caucus members are University of Michigan alumni including legislators, lobbyists, staff, and advisors working in and around the State of Michigan government. They meet with U-M experts on timely, relevant public policy subjects during the legislative session. Our mission is to provide diverse forums at which U-M friends can meet one another, enjoy fellowship, exchange views and learn from the world-class talents of U-M faculty and administrators.

Friday, April 30th, 2021

10:00am – 11:30am

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Overview of the short-term and long-term changes in the Great Lakes water level variability, including pathways through which climate change impacts the major components of the Great Lakes water balance. Outlining a long-term conservation-based public policy argument for certain and specified uses of Great Lakes water during periods of high water levels in the Great Lakes.

Panelists

Drew Gronewold
Associate Professor, UM School for Environment and Sustainability

Dr. Andrew Gronewold, P.E., is an Associate Professor with the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) at the University of Michigan. He also holds adjunct faculty appointments in the University of Michigan’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Gronewold conducts research through a range of hydrological science projects that explore methods for quantifying and communicating uncertainties arising within long-term hydrological monitoring networks and data, and incorporating those uncertainties into models and risk-based water resources management decisions. Much of his recent research has focused on monitoring, analyzing, and forecasting the long-term water budget and water levels of the Laurentian Great Lakes.

Dr. Gronewold completed his undergraduate research at Cornell University in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and he conducted his graduate research at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment with Drs. Ken Reckhow and Robert Wolpert. Prior to joining the University of Michigan, Dr. Gronewold was the lead hydrologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, where his team advanced research on the Great Lakes hydrologic cycle and on historical and future water levels. In addition to his research career and academic training, Dr. Gronewold spent several years in the environmental consulting field as a professionally licensed engineer. For his contributions to hydrologic science, Dr. Gronewold received the NOAA Bronze Medal (in both 2016 and 2019), the highest honor bestowed by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Dr. Gronewold was also honored as a Department of Commerce Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Ambassador, specifically for his innovative solutions to regional water resources management problems.

Jon Allan
Academic and Research Program Officer Sr., UM School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and former Director of the Michigan’s Office of the Great Lakes

Jon W. Allan joined the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2019. His work focuses on the enterprise of sustainability across Michigan and the Great Lakes region related to the intersection of ecological, economic, social and cultural value. He seeks to understand and influence the rate at which the region is adopting and implementing the principles of a sustainable and just society.

Jon was previously the President and Founder of the Jon W. Allan Group, a private consultancy specializing in strategic insight for freshwater and the Great Lakes, energy and environmental policy and natural resource governance..

What is the Wolverine Caucus?
Wolverine Caucus members are University of Michigan alumni including legislators, lobbyists, staff, and advisors working in and around State of Michigan government. They meet with U-M experts on timely, relevant public policy subjects during the legislative session. Our mission is to provide diverse forums at which U-M friends can meet one another, enjoy fellowship, exchange views and learn from the world- class talents of U-M faculty and administrators.

Read More Here

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

9:30am – 11:00am

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Discussion on the critical periods from pregnancy through early childhood is an especially sensitive time for mitigating the multi-generational effects of inequity, trauma, and adversity and promoting mental health. A collaboration across the University of Michigan and the State of Michigan communities to outline a portfolio of research, treatment, training, and advocacy initiatives.

Panelists

Vanessa Dalton
Vanessa Dalton, M.D., M.P.H. Reproductive health services and family planning

Dr. Dalton’s research interests include family planning and contraception, access to care, healthcare utilization, and human rights. She is Associate Chair of Research in U-M’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the director of the Program on Women’s Health Care Effectiveness Research (PWHER), and Co-Director of the Ryan Residency Training Program. She previously served as Director of the International Family Planning Fellowship in Ghana. Dr. Dalton provides research support and mentorship to numerous faculty, fellows, and students involved in domestic and global health research.

Maria Muzik MD, MSc
Associate Professor, UM Department of Psychiatry and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Co-Director, Women and Infants Mental Health Program (WIMHP)

Dr. Muzik has held a faculty appointment at the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry since 2006. Her expertise is in women’s mental health, focusing on pregnancy and postpartum, and she conducts cutting-edge research, directs patient care services, and oversees educational programming in these areas.

Amy Zaagman
Executive Director, Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health

Amy Zaagman is the Executive Director of the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health, an organization of diverse partners comprised of hospital systems, statewide organizations, local public health advocates and individuals with an interest in shaping and influencing state policy that promotes the health and well-being of women, children and families in Michigan since 1983.

Lynette Beiry
Strategic Director, Zero to Thrive

Lynette Biery , PA-C, MSc Lynette Biery is the Director of the Bureau of Family Health Services , with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services where she provides administrative direction and oversight of the Division of Immunization, the Division of Maternal and Infant Health, and the Division of Child and Adolescent Health. She also serves as the Maternal Child Health Director for Michigan. Lynette has extensive experience in clinical care delivery, research, evaluation, program management and administration. She was Project Manager at the MSU Institute for Health Policy where she worked on a variety of research, policy analysis, and quality improvement projects for both public and private sector organizations, covering a range of maternal child health issues.

What is the Wolverine Caucus?
Wolverine Caucus members are University of Michigan alumni including legislators, lobbyists, staff, and advisors working in and around State of Michigan government. They meet with U-M experts on timely, relevant public policy subjects during the legislative session. Our mission is to provide diverse forums at which U-M friends can meet one another, enjoy fellowship, exchange views and learn from the world- class talents of U-M faculty and administrators.

View Recording here