Discover Rackham
Postcard from the Field: Thailand
Sunset on the Mekong River, looking towards Laos. Nong Khai, Thailand, June 2015. My research is on Thai migrant workers in Israeli agriculture. I spent the summer doing research on the background of these workers and studying their language in Isaan (Northeast...
Announcing the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society’s Newest Members
This year, ten U-M researchers, scholars, and students will be among the newest inductees into the Edward Alexander Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. Named for Edward Alexander Bouchet, the first African-American to earn a doctorate in an American university (Physics),...
Student Spotlight: Yasmin Cole-Lewis
Attending a conference can be a transformative experience for graduate students. That is the case for Yasmin Cole-Lewis, on many levels. While a conference she attended last year provided great research and networking opportunities, it was a casual conversation with...
To Be a Scientist
A few weeks after arriving in Ann Arbor for graduate school, nearly four years ago, the strangest thing happened to me. I was walking to the public library downtown to return a mystery novel, book in hand, when I was approached by a kid. He and his friend had been...
Thinking Harder About Student Mental Health
We have to do a better job dealing with mental health in the academy. We really, really have to. The most recent information suggests that almost half of Michigan students, at the graduate and undergraduate level, have felt overwhelming anxiety or severe sadness or...
Student Spotlight: Brandon Govindarajoo
Since he was a high school student, Brandon has continued to be involved in organizations that support first generation and minority students in science. Now, he’s working with students in the same capacity and focusing on retention, tutoring, and mentoring. “I would...
Move Yourself to U-Move
Most graduate students I know have that thing they do they when get stuck on a problem. Some get outside, some cook, some nap-- I grab the U-Move schedule and see what classes are happening. Fast-forward a few hours to the end of yoga class: I'm lying on my mat,...
A list of things from Fall 2015 that make graduate life better
During my last two years of undergrad, whenever I mentioned I was applying to graduate school, the most consistent response I got was a comment or joke about how I’d essentially be living in lab, even from friends who didn’t know much about graduate school in biology....
Student Spotlight: Marc Henry de Frahan
“My research focuses on creating very tiny stars,” says Marc. Tiny stars might sound like a Disney World ride, but the complex science behind the mass production of inertial confinement fusion is nothing but groundbreaking. Falling under the category of fusion energy,...
So Let’s Talk Data Collection: When Everything Doesn’t Go as Planned
On paper, my plan for data collection is very streamlined and very direct- after all, I had to justify my process to my committee and get it approved. I am recruiting patients for my data collection from my own clinical practice, since this is what inspired my...