Latest news with #UofM
CBS News
12 hours ago
- CBS News
Jim Harbaugh added to lawsuit against ex-Michigan assistant coach Matt Weiss
Former University of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was added Friday to a lawsuit against U of M and former assistant football coach Matt Weiss, who is accused of hacking into the computer accounts of college athletes across the U.S. to look for intimate photos. Attorneys claim Harbaugh, who is now head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, and others knew that Weiss was seen viewing private information on a computer in December 2022 but still allowed him to continue working as co-offensive coordinator in a national playoff game roughly a week later. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel and other officials were also added to the lawsuit in federal court in Detroit. "The university's delay in taking meaningful protective action until after a high-stakes game sends a clear message: Student welfare was secondary," said Parker Stinar, who is the lead lawyer in a class-action lawsuit arising from a criminal investigation of Weiss. Messages seeking comment from Manuel and Harbaugh were not immediately returned Friday. In addition to Weiss, another lawsuit named the university's Board of Regents and the software company, Keffer Keffer Development Services, which worked with U of M. Separately, Weiss has been charged with identity theft and unauthorized computer access from 2015 to 2023. The indictment says he got access to the social media, email and cloud storage accounts of more than 2,000 college athletes, as well as more than 1,300 students or alumni from schools across the U.S., to find private images, primarily of women. He has pleaded not guilty. "Had Harbaugh implemented basic oversight of his staff, plaintiffs and the class would have been protected against predators such as Weiss," the updated lawsuit states. "Instead, Weiss was a highly compensated asset that was promoted by and within the football program, from which position he was able to, and did, target female student athletes." The lawsuit says a staff member saw Weiss viewing private information at Schembechler Hall, headquarters for the football team, around Dec. 21, 2022, and reported it before Michigan played Texas Christian University in a playoff game days later on Dec. 31. Weiss was fired a few weeks later in January 2023 during an investigation of his computer use. Earlier this year, after charges were filed, Harbaugh told reporters that he didn't know anything about Weiss' troubles until after the playoff game. He said the allegations were "shocking." Weiss worked for Harbaugh's brother, John, on the coaching staff of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens before joining the Michigan team in 2021. The lawsuit says Weiss's university computer had encryption software that had to be disabled by an external vendor as part of the investigation. Authorities disclosed in April that thousands of intimate photos and videos were found on his electronic devices and cloud storage accounts. Note: The video above previously aired on April 14, 2025.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
University of Michigan and NASA partner with high school students to track solar storms
From left, David Greene of Skyline High School in Ann Arbor, and Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, a research faculty member in climate and space sciences and engineering (CLaSP), help Lillian Cui, Yufei Fu, Hailey Chung, and other students assemble the SunRISE Ground Radio Lab kit at the M-Air outdoor lab on the North Campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on May 17, 2023. | Photo by Brenda Ahearn/ University of Michigan, College of Engineering, Communications and Marketing In coordination with researchers from NASA and the University of Michigan, high school students across the country are playing a key role in building our understanding of solar disturbances carrying potential threats to satellites and the power grid. Utilizing $500 antenna kits designed by U of M, students at 18 schools across eight states and Puerto Rico have been working to monitor solar radio bursts, an earlier indicator of geomagnetic storms, as part of the SunRISE Ground Radio Lab. Launched in August 2023, the collaboration has already yielded results, with a study published in Earth and Space Science Wednesday analyzing the project's early findings. Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, an associate research scientist at U of M who leads the lab, told Michigan Advance that the project began as a program for both undergraduate and graduate students who were tasked with designing and building their own antenna and taking measurements, which they used for scientific analysis. Since the class started in 2021, it's seen a strong turnout of students, Akhavan-Tafti said, starting with five or six students and growing to 21 to 22 students a semester. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Later on, NASA came back to us and said, 'Hey, we know that this program has been very productive. A lot of students speak very highly of it. Is there any chance that you could involve high school students in your project, because, you know, they're at the start of their careers, they're trying to figure out what to do with their lives, and maybe they would be very interested in getting involved?'' Akhavan-Tafti said. However, the antennas students were building cost around $25,000 a unit, with shipping and assembly also presenting concerns. So they put the challenge to the college students, who developed an antenna that is simpler to install with a much smaller $500 price tag. With NASA covering the cost of the antenna kits, and another one of its programs, Radio JOVE, supplying them, the university began reaching out to high schools to see if they would be interested in participating in the lab program, later working with NASA's educational programs to partner with schools across the country. 'When we reached out to high schools originally to start the program, we had two requirements: One is that the school needs to be okay with installing the antenna on campus, and two that they need to be…collecting and uploading data on a regular basis, on a weekly basis, to our data repository,' Akhavan-Tafti said. After receiving the antenna, students work through an online training module introducing students to the field of radio astronomy, explaining what the antennas do and how to assemble them and breaking down what the data collected looks like and how it can be used scientifically. Afterwards, an entire class would often work to install the antenna on campus, with the university offering guidance on how to collect and upload data, Akhavan-Tafti said. The goal of the program is to engage students in science, technology, engineering, arts and math, or STEAM activities, with hopes of helping students realize that it's not rocket science to get involved in the space industry, Akhavan-Tafti explained. 'It's a rapidly growing industry that needs people who are inspired and are ready for the challenge. And why not the next generation?' he said. Alongside tracking low-frequency radio bursts from the sun, the program also held two observation campaigns, capturing data during the previous October 2023 annular solar eclipse and the total solar eclipse in April 2024. While many of the high schools have completely automated their data collection process, the students have also been very helpful in characterizing the data, Akhavan-Tafti said. In addition to sifting through data to separate radio signals from other noise, the students have also been slowly working towards automating the categorization of different types of signals, he said. As students monitor these signals from the ground, NASA has also been working to launch a set of six toaster-sized satellites to observe solar radio emissions from orbit. Akhavan-Tafti explained that these bursts of radio signals are tied to phenomena like solar flares and coronal mass ejections, large bubbles of plasma which carry a magnetic field. When these ejections occur, they often take eight days to reach the earth where they can create geomagnetic storms. However, the radio signals associated with these events travel at the speed of light and arrive at the earth much earlier, Akhavan-Tafti explained, acting as a warning system for geomagnetic storms. While these storms are responsible for auroras, they can also disrupt signals, Akhavan-Tafti noted, pointing to $500 million in lost agricultural harvests in the U.S. last year due to automated tractors that rely on GPS going off track. Additionally, geomagnetic storms can accelerate charged particles to very high speeds, potentially harming satellites and creating health and safety concerns for astronauts, Akahavan-Tafti said. Geomagnetic storms can also create radio blackouts and power outages, according to NASA. For students participating at the college level, they gain experience listening to a customer, designing a system to meet their needs, testing it in multiple environments to ensure it is functional and shipping out their prototype, Akhavan-Tafti explained. For high school students, the online training introduces them to radio astronomy, and exposes them to a number of concepts, including the various types of engineering and resources for getting involved in other science, technology, engineering and math based fields, he said. Students also learn how to work together to assemble their antenna and after completing the project, they receive a certificate from NASA which they can show while applying for university, Akhavan-Tafti said. 'Beyond all of that, the data collection and analysis enables them to apply some of the science and math and engineering that they've learned in the classroom to real world problems to contribute to furthering our understanding of our universe,' Akhavan-Tafti said. Additionally as the space industry grows, this field will be where many students find themselves working, Akhavan-Tafti said, noting his focus is to teach students early on in their careers about the opportunities that are out there. 'They could be the next scientists, they could be the next engineers, they could be the next policy makers, or even entrepreneurs who start their own businesses doing space-related activities. … we want the hardest working and smartest kids to start thinking about space and this space needs them,' he said.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Make equality of care part of health care
Opinion A new report confirms something that Indigenous and African/Black patients have known for generations — racism is present in Manitoba's health-care system and it's harming people. According to the report, released last week, Indigenous and African/Black patients in Manitoba face longer wait times in emergency rooms compared to white patients. Indigenous people are also more likely to leave hospital emergency departments without being seen — often after hours of waiting, pain untreated, anxiety unresolved, dignity unacknowledged. The data and the report's conclusions — compiled by Shared Health, along with the U of M's Ongomiizwin Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, and the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation — are not just vague suggestion of racism. This is not abstract theory. It is measurable, verifiable inequality. And it is unacceptable. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS The emergency department at the Health Sciences Centre. It is worth pausing to reflect on what this report tells us, and why it matters so deeply. For decades, Indigenous people have been telling stories of being ignored, dismissed, or mistreated in hospitals and clinics across the province. Many have shared painful accounts of being assumed to be intoxicated rather than in need of care, or treated with condescension rather than compassion. Families have lost loved ones, only to later learn — or suspect — that their medical concerns had not been taken seriously because of the colour of their skin or the community they come from. The report analyzed the health system's own data and showed that racism is embedded in the way care is delivered. It reveals structural biases that result in unequal outcomes. And while it confirms what many have known, it removes the last excuse for inaction: denial. To its credit, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba is not turning a blind eye. In response to the findings, the college has committed to tangible steps, including mandatory training on anti-racism and cultural safety for all licensed physicians, new accountability frameworks, and systemic changes in how complaints of racism are reviewed and addressed. These are positive and necessary steps. But they are just that — steps. The full journey ahead will require far more from health-care leaders, provincial policymakers, front-line workers, and the public at large. No one can claim ignorance anymore. The numbers are in. The disparities are real. Now it's time to act. That means government — specifically Manitoba Health — must be more than a passive observer. It must build on the college's initiatives with provincewide anti-racism strategies that address hiring, training, retention, and accountability across the entire health system. This includes ensuring emergency departments are better staffed, culturally competent and equipped to deliver equitable care. It also means Indigenous and African/Black health professionals need to be part of the solution — not just as employees within the system but as leaders, policy-makers, and decision-makers. Their voices and lived experience must help shape what reform looks like. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. Public health data must also be disaggregated by race and ethnicity on a regular basis and shared transparently. Only by measuring outcomes can we understand if equity is being achieved. But perhaps most importantly, we must listen to patients — really listen. The voices of those harmed by systemic racism must guide this reform, not be sidelined by it. Indigenous patients who walked out of hospitals without care weren't statistics when they left — they were people in pain who had already lost faith in a system that was supposed to help them. Addressing racism in health care is not a matter of political correctness, it is a matter of human dignity, respect and ultimately life and death. The diagnosis is clear. The harm is evident. Now the healing must begin.
Winnipeg Free Press
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
U of M pool closing adds to training headaches for athletes, swim clubs
The University of Manitoba has permanently closed its pool and must replace it, creating a ripple effect that swimmers say will further limit the number of spaces to train. Joyce Fromson Pool was closed in April because of a leak. Repairs were attempted but were ultimately unsuccessful and the university has made the decision to replace the facility, U of M chief risk officer Raman Dhaliwal said. 'The last time we had a new pool was 60 years ago,' she said. 'Obviously, shutting it down was an inconvenience, but we'll provide regular updates about what the plan is for the pool.' The new pool is slated to open in spring 2026. Dhaliwal didn't say how much the project will cost, but said it'll only replace the existing pool, not any other infrastructure, including the change rooms. The university's swim team will still look for other pools to practice in, Dhaliwal said, but she didn't give details about which facilities. Former Canadian Olympian Kelsey Wog's dream to become an elite-level swimmer started at the pool, named for the director of sport in 2002, a year after her death. Wog started swimming there when she was seven years old. Now 26, she's since retired, after competing in Women's Breaststroke during the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games, to focus on her master's degree at U of M. 'It wasn't a massive aquatic centre, and it wasn't really a place you would think a high-performance athlete would come out of,' Wog told the Free Press. 'I made it special and good for me.' Wog said she's glad the pool is being replaced because it's 'definitely needed,' but she said it'll make training difficult for the university's athletes who will have to leave campus to train at different pools while balancing classes. 'You need stability to be able to know your routine and put forth your best effort every day,' she said. The St. James Seals Swim Club was sharing its space with U of M's team since the April pool closure, said team vice-president Melissa Grenkow. But the more than 60-person team is now also without a pool after its home at St. James Civic Centre shut down Friday for year-long renovations. The team will now train at St. James Assiniboia Centennial Pool and Pan Am Pool, Grenkow said. Bonivital Pool, on Archibald Street, also closed for renovations in May and is expected to reopen in late summer or fall this year, according to the city's website. 'As more pools close and we have to fight for space, we won't be able to have as many kids, and they will miss out on the opportunity to learn to be part of such a great sport,' Grenkow said Monday. The scramble to find temporary spaces for their kids' swimming has left many parents frustrated, she said. Pan Am Pool is already the main training space for the Manitoba Marlins Swim Club and Manta Swim Club. With many teams swimming out of the same space, proper training can't happen because not everyone is at similar skill levels while practising and it can create frustrating traffic jams in the water, Grenkow said. She said it's an oversight for the city to close multiple pools at the same time, and it will eventually impact how competitive Manitoba will be for producing top-quality athletes. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. 'They (the city) would never close this many hockey arenas at the same time. That just wouldn't happen,' she said. Meanwhile the RM of Springfield is building its first indoor community pool with the help of $150,000 in funding from three Manitoba Co-ops — Red River, Beausejour and Pembina — as part of the chain's Community Spaces program. The facility in Dugald, 23 kilometres east of Winnipeg, is being built as part of a new assisted-living space in the town, and is expected to open in fall 2026. Wog said the U of M construction could provide an opportunity to increase the pool size in line with competition-ready facilities, such as Pan Am Pool. Olympic-sized pools are 50 metres long with 10 lanes, while U of M's is just 25 metres with six lanes. 'There's no room for growth,' she said. 'If we can do that, I think it'll open up a lot of opportunity for the pool in terms of competitions and inviting other clubs to compete and train. That would be really special.'
Winnipeg Free Press
14-06-2025
- Science
- Winnipeg Free Press
Promising alternatives highlighted in U of M study of cropping systems
Opinion The 2021 drought was one of the worst in Prairies history, but it was serendipitous in one way. It coincided with University of Manitoba research designed to better understand how different cropping systems perform under warmer and drier conditions, which many scientists predict will be our future. A dry 2020 growing season, followed by winter precipitation that was one-third of normal set the stage for the yield-crippling event of 2021. Manitoba crop yields plummeted by a range of 22 to 37 per cent and by as much as 70 per cent in some municipalities, according to a provincial government report. JEFF MACINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES The U of M research suggests the crops and farming practices of today will become less profitable under such scenarios. But it also found some promising alternatives. While farmers look to the amount of rain and the available soil moisture as key determinants of yields, researchers are increasingly focused on the role of atmospheric dryness, which is the air's ability to soak up more moisture as temperatures rise. Research I cited last week cited blames 'atmospheric evaporative demand' for increasing the intensity of drought globally by more than 40 per cent over the past four decades. The Manitoba study considered a similar metric: 'vapour pressure deficit,' which is also proving to be an important indicator of drought stress. That deficit during this two-year study was well above the long-term average. 'The main objective of this study was to compare cropping systems that incorporated … diversity, intercropping, cover cropping and heat tolerance with a 'business-as-usual' rotation,' the research team consisting of S.K. Curtis, M.H. Entz, K.A. Stanley, D.J. Cattani and K.D. Schneider reports in the Canadian Journal of Plant Science. The research team tested a range of cropping systems, including one typical for this region: wheat-canola-wheat-soybean. They also looked at a warm-season blend of crops, which some believe will expand in acreage under a rising temperature scenario. That included corn-sunflowers-dry beans-canola. Another system focused on increasing biodiversity by growing nine crops in a combination that included intercropping (growing two annual crops in the same field), cover crops (crops sown after the annual crops are harvested) and a green-fallow crop to provide nutrients. This system increased the breadth of crops grown and the length of growing time as well as producing much of its own nitrogen, which reduces cost and risk. There was also a trial featuring Kernza, a type of perennial wheat that can be harvested annually for grain, and an organic rotation. The business-as-usual cropping system yielded 71 per cent of the biodiverse plots and only 59 per cent of the warm-season system. Economically, the net returns from the business-as-usual and the biodiverse scenarios were about the same, except the biodiverse system used 50 per cent less nitrogen fertilizer, one of the greenhouse gas emissions culprits. The warm-season blend of crops performed the best economically, but its production was less stable than the biodiverse rotation due to herbicide-resistant weeds. In addition to yield and economics, the researchers measured water use efficiency, yield stability and the number of days the soil contained 'living roots,' which is a measure of soil health. 'The biodiverse rotation represents an agroecological approach to crop production with the highest levels of diversity and stability,' the paper says. But even though that system gave equivalent returns economically, it's harder to do, requiring more time, equipment and knowledge. Those barriers are hard to overcome. Surveys show farm planting decisions are driven by the potential for yield and economic returns, more than a focus on stability. There's a reason why they call farming a gamble. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. That implies the go-to adaptation strategy for many will be to incorporate more warm-season crops into farming systems, even though there could be higher degrees of yield variability. So why should consumers care? Thinking back to the 2021 drought, although farmers suffered significant yield losses, the economic pain was muted by higher commodity prices for the crop they harvested and government compensation. However, those production shortfalls were a contributing factor to food price inflation of more than 10 per cent in the years that followed. Laura Rance is executive editor, production content lead for Glacier FarmMedia. She can be reached at lrance@ Laura RanceColumnist Laura Rance is editorial director at Farm Business Communications. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
