Michigan Research Videos

Research Stories from the University of Michigan

University of Michigan researchers Jeff Sakamoto and Neil Dasgupta are at the helm of a pioneering effort to supercharge the electric vehicle industry. Backed by a $11 million Department of Energy grant, their team is partnering with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and others to forge new paths in advanced battery fuel cell development and manufacturing, aiming to revolutionize efficiency and spur widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

This video was produced by Eric Shaw and Connor Titsworth in the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Michigan.

By implementing human-guided, interactive, multi-robot technology, Dr. Mania Aghaei Meibodi and her colleagues at the University of Michigan are working together to enhance standard 3D printing practices for construction, making the process more efficient, accurate and cost effective. Their innovative approach to 3D printing methods has strong potential to sustainably transform the future of the industry.

Video produced by Connor Titsworth and Eric Shaw in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first available therapeutic treatment for a rare, life-threatening genetic disorder. TAK-755, commercially known as Adzynma, was developed over the past two decades in the laboratory of U-M researcher David Ginsburg. This marks the seventh U-M invention that has secured FDA approval within the last five years, signaling a strong universitywide commitment to translating research and discovery for the betterment of society.

Video created by Eric Shaw and Connor Titsworth in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of Michigan.

The University of Michigan reported a record $1.86 billion in research volume during fiscal year 2023, which led to critical advancements in diverse areas ranging from artificial intelligence and global infectious disease to microelectronics and social justice.

Video created by Eric Shaw, the director of digital marketing and communications in the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Michigan.

University of Michigan researcher Vasileios Tzoumas is using his aerospace engineering and science expertise to mentor students from Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program to develop the next generation of drone technology. The goal is to meet societal needs by developing morphable drones that are efficient during takeoff, maneuvering, and landing, resilient against the elements of nature, and agile in cluttered and dynamic environments.

Researchers at the University of Michigan designed software that uses machine learning to help the City of Flint bring clarity to lead service line inventory and replacement. Innovation Partnerships collaborated with researchers, Eric Schwartz and Jacob Abernethy, to launch BlueConduit, a startup that has already helped dozens of communities nationwide save millions of dollars, locate and fix lead service lines faster, and protect the health and safety of residents.

The Provider Empowerment Program, led by Toko Oshio at the University of Michigan-Flint and Jeff Kupperman, supports child care providers throughout Flint by addressing serious challenges and unmet needs of families impacted by the water crisis. Their efforts have helped connect license-exempt and Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) child care providers with important support mechanisms and resources, while working to address government policies that inhibit participation in the child care subsidy system.

Communities across the western United States face an existential crisis. As forests become drier and thicker with vegetation, and development encroaches further into forested areas, wildfires grow larger, more frequent and more damaging. Professors Paige Fischer and Steve Yaffee, along with their colleagues at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, are working with practitioners across the west to address this growing concern.

Extremist groups are especially adept at hiding in plain sight by using language that differs only slightly from acceptable speech or employing thinly-veiled phrases that mask nefarious intent. Professor Libby Hemphill is developing a culturally sensitive adaptive language model to detect and effectively model the evolution of online extremist rhetoric in an effort to help advocacy groups view and anticipate this progression.

How can improved transportation systems better prepare communities for rare, but catastrophic events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, improve quality of life and mitigate economic losses? Professor Siqian Shen is working with researchers across the University of Michigan, using computational science to answer those critical questions.

How will fluctuating water levels across the Great Lakes impact the growth of cities, people moving to the region, changes in water supply and the overall economy? Professor Drew Gronewold is working with researchers across the University of Michigan to answer those critical questions.

Bone stress injuries are a common setback facing many endurance athletes, including long-distance runners. Ken Kozloff and his colleagues at the University of Michigan are studying these painful injuries so they can better identify prevention measures to be adopted by people across all ages and abilities.

Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed more than 600 low-income residents across Ypsilanti about the impact of COVID-19. Their work is giving voice to the needs of those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, ensuring that local health and economic responses attend to issues of equity.

A significant challenge facing a wide variety of disciplines is the ability to reproduce research results. Researchers across the University of Michigan are working together to develop best practices that promote reproducible data science.

Data science is an important tool that can help researchers tackle challenges ranging from mobility and health to public safety and education. But having access to information comes with great responsibility, so researchers at the University of Michigan are working to ensure data science is not misused to disproportionately harm underrepresented groups.

About 23 percent of children between the ages of 2 and 5 have cavities, but oral treatment can be costly and traumatic for some adolescents. Dr. Margherita Fontana at the University of Michigan is leading a clinical trial to test whether a quick, painless solution applied to cavities can prevent further damage and infection.