Every day, University of Michigan faculty, students, staff, and alumni make lasting contributions to transform lives on campus and throughout our state. This is Michigan tells some of those stories of impact — from opening a bookstore to blend culture and community in Flint, to providing science kits to Michigan students as they learned remotely, to making music education accessible to children in Detroit, and so much more.
Explore some of the stories shared in 2021:
Generations Connect: U-M Students Establish Strong Ties, Fight Loneliness
In an effort to fight loneliness and bring generations together, U-M alumna Emily Lerner founded Perfect Pair in 2020 — an organization that matches seniors at assisted living facilities with college students who have similar interests. So far, Perfect Pair has made 52 matches with 100 college student volunteers in seven partner communities in Ann Arbor, Farmington Hills, Northville, and Saline.
Black-Owned Bookstore Blends Culture and Community in Flint
After falling in love with reading at UM-Flint, alumna Egypt Otis decided to open the Comma Bookstore & Social Hub in downtown Flint, which features the works of writers and artists of color throughout her store to empower and inspire the community while also contributing to the local economy.
It is one of the only 6 percent of Black-owned independent bookstores in the country.
Science for Tomorrow: U-M Museum of Natural History Aids Teachers During a Hybrid School Year
Over the past decade, hundreds of Michigan middle schoolers from communities that are underrepresented in STEM fields have visited the research labs of the U-M Museum of Natural History as part of the Science for Tomorrow program. Through the program, these students get to meet with real scientists to discover how science and research work in real life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most schools required that classes be taught online, so the education staff at the museum decided to bring hands-on science into students’ homes. Museum staff assembled more than 1,200 science kits, with enough materials to conduct two experiments each. The kits, which met state curriculum objectives, included safety glasses, beakers, thermometers, rulers, rubber gloves, and other elements needed for the experiments. Teachers received lesson plans, worksheets, and videos or slide presentations.
Giving Music: Alum Shares Violin and Life Lessons
In 2010, U-M alumna Clara Hardie co-founded the nonprofit Detroit Youth Volume to make classical music training utilizing the Suzuki method more accessible to children from all backgrounds. She provides scholarships to those who need them to cover instruments, music and materials, transportation support for parents (in the form of a monthly gas gift card), and tickets to local performances. Detroit Youth Volume’s students also work with local artists who are using music to build community. They have collaborated with hip-hop artists, jazz artists, and electronic music artists and vocalists, releasing four albums in the past four years. In order to create even more opportunities, Hardie is now coaching other music teachers in tangible ways they can expand their studios’ diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity pedagogy. “We use violin lessons to show kids that they can succeed if they keep going, collaborate, use their creativity, and are provided with a supportive environment that intentionally removes some of the barriers they run up against on a daily basis,” she explains.
Virtual Care: The Alternative to a Doctor’s Office Visit Gains in Popularity During Pandemic
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many people were concerned about their access to health care. Michigan Medicine was able to respond to the rapidly growing interest in telehealth visits by streamlining operations and quickly training more providers. In addition to expanding telemedicine programs, U-M is also researching ways to improve virtual care and make it more accessible to all.
