Research tour brings Capitol Hill staffers to U-M campus

Sean Morrison, associate professor of internal medicine, explains to Capitol Hill staffers his work with microarray analysis of genes. The tour was part of a three-day visit organized by U-M, Wayne State University and Michigan State University. (Photo by Bill Wood, U-M Photo Services)

While August means vacations for many, this past month it meant a busy time for 12 Capitol Hill staffers who came to Ann Arbor as part of a three-day research tour organized by the Washington offices of U-M, Wayne State and Michigan State Universities.

The staffers—all of whom work for members of the Michigan congressional delegation—came to see some of the federal research done on each of the campuses. After beginning the tour at Wayne State, day two was a 24-hour blitz through Ann Arbor, seeing examples of cutting edge social, biomedical and physical science research that is taking place on campus.

The tour gave the congressional staffers an overview of the kinds of cutting-edge research being done at U-M and the other schools. It also demonstrated that U-M research is often collaborative on-campus and with other schools, including Wayne State, Michigan State and Michigan Technological University on numerous research projects.

The staff also saw first-hand the fruits of the federal research dollars their bosses vote for each year and left with a better appreciation for each of the three research campuses.