Insights talk investigates data gleaned from police body camera footage
September 28, 2026
ANN ARBOR — In the not-too-distant past, police use of body cameras was a rarity. Now, it’s practically ubiquitous; the technology has spread fast and far, giving police and those that monitor them an important tool for evaluating police conduct.But more than providing evidence for or...
New Approaches, New Understanding: U-M Researchers Rethink How We Prevent Suicide
September 17, 2026
September marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month; University of Michigan researchers are using new methods that go beyond the numbers to shape understanding and prevention.Every September, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month asks Americans to talk more openly about a leading cause of death that...
What ‘praising addiction’ looks like
September 16, 2026
EXPERT Q&A ANN ARBOR—What if, instead of shaming people for their addictions, we embraced the idea that we are all addicts? That’s the question Elizabeth Roberts, medical ethnographer at the University of Michigan, asked after spending years living in working class neighborhoods in...
RCGD Celebrates Rich Gonzalez’s Legacy of Leadership
September 16, 2026
This week, the Research Center for Group Dynamics (RCGD) gathered for its inaugural monthly community lunch with a special event to recognize Rich Gonzalez’s remarkable 11-year tenure leading the center. Incoming director Shinobu Kitayama opened the gathering honoring RCGD’s storied...
U-M piano students fight stage fright with VR
September 3, 2026
ANN ARBOR—As you walk onto the stage to perform a piano solo, you hear the echo of your shoes on the stage floor. You shield your eyes from the bright lights and take your seat at the grand piano. Your nerves spike as the buzz of the audience falls to a…
#Nature isn’t one-size-fits-all, U-M study finds
August 3, 2026
Analysis of nearly 400,000 social media posts reveals that city parks, forests and other natural spaces inspire different emotions, activities and social connectionsPeople often talk about “getting out into nature” as if all green spaces offer the same experience.But a new University of...
Clearing the air: Public prefers ‘natural’ approaches to curbing climate change
August 15, 2026
Public support for climate solutions isn’t just about whether the technique works—it’s also about whether people perceive it as a natural process.That key takeaway of research from the University of Michigan and other institutions offers big implications for how policymakers,...
University of Michigan Launches 25-Year Follow-Up to Landmark National Survey of American Life
August 19, 2026
Researchers seek to reconnect with original participants to study cognitive aging and health among AmericansANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan is launching an ambitious 25-year follow-up to the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), one of the most significant studies of the...
University of Michigan Researchers Use Virtual Reality to Help Piano Students Conquer Stage Fright
August 18, 2026
Piano Lab Pro premieres August 27 at the School of Music, Theatre & DanceANN ARBOR, Mich. — Can performing music in a virtual setting—complete with a stage, a spotlight, and a shuffling crowd—help performers learn to cope with stage fright? A collaborative team at the...
Shinobu Kitayama Named New Director of the Research Center for Group Dynamics
July 15, 2026
The Institute for Social Research has announced that Shinobu Kitayama will serve as the next director of the Research Center for Group Dynamics (RCGD), one of the nation’s premier research centers for the study of social and behavioral science.Kitayama, the Robert B. Zajonc Collegiate...
