Leaders & Best: Giving to Michigan

Yueshan Jiang (BFA ​’26) believes in the power of graphic design to change the world. 🌟

As a senior at the Stamps School of Art & Design, Jiang won the 2026 Big Idea Award, honoring her mission to document the diversity of Chinese typography.

Growing up in China, Jiang’s interest in design was encouraged by her grandfather, who worked on hand-engraving steel stencils (刻钢板字) for printing.

🎯 Her goal is to replace ideas based on the red-and-gold and faux-calligraphy of the ​“Chinatown Aesthetic” with a deeper, nuanced understanding.

A newly discovered type of liver cells may hold clues for treating severe liver disease, according to a recent study from the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute. 🔍

The findings reveal a signaling pathway that can protect against metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, affecting 5% to 10% of the U.S. adult population and leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

“It’s pretty exciting because only a couple of other studies have identified this cell population, and not much was really known about what these cells are doing in disease,” said the study’s lead author Xiaoxue Qiu, Ph.D.

Damilola Olukorede, a medicinal chemistry Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship from the PhRMA Foundation to support her cutting-edge research at the intersection of machine learning and antibiotic drug discovery. 🧪

For Olukorede, who came to the United States from Nigeria to pursue her doctoral studies, the award is especially meaningful. 💙

“As an international student, funding opportunities can be very limited,” she said. “Receiving this fellowship was incredibly validating. It made me feel like other scientists reviewed my work and saw real potential in the project.”

Alumnus Courtney Crim’s (MD ’77) early experiences with the University of Michigan Medical School ultimately convinced him to pursue a career as a physician. 🩺

Coming full circle, Crim created a scholarship fund for undergraduate students who have participated in Doctors of Tomorrow, a U-M Medical School program serving students at Cass Tech High School and the School at Marygrove in Detroit.

“I’d tell them that people before you did it, so you can do it, too,” he said. “That’s one of the things that got me through neuroanatomy in medical school. For a brief moment, I thought, ‘How can anyone expect me to learn all this?’ Then I said, ‘People a year ahead of me did it.’ And I thought, ‘If they were able to do it, then I know I can do it.’”

Seth found a sense of home at the Environmental Interpretive Center at University of Michigan-Dearborn.🌱 What place on campus feels like home to you?

Over the last 30 years, the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts program Saturday Morning Physics, has grown into a popular public-facing program that engages and educates the community about science and technology. 🔬

With topics spanning the science of dance, quantum mechanics, and even a live broadcast from outer space with astronaut and physicist Josh Cassada, SMP makes science accessible to audiences of all ages.

Professor of Physics Timothy Chupp reflects: “Physics impacts everything, and SMP is all about how science impacts everyday life.”

With nearly $1.5 million in funding, Michigan Sea Grant recently launched nine new research projects focused on ecological restoration and issues relevant to the Great Lakes. 🌊 These projects will be crucial in helping to address particularly challenging coastal issues in the state.

“Michigan Sea Grant is funding projects that blend community-driven research, outreach, and education, allowing Great Lakes researchers to study these powerful ecosystems and communicate their findings to the individuals that rely on these systems for their livelihood or for recreation,” said Silvia Newell, Michigan Sea Grant director and professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.

Thanks to donor support, students have the chance to experience global learning opportunities. 🌏 This May, 30 BBA students from the Ross School of Business travelled to Hong Kong for a short-term global immersion course made possible by Edwin Wong (BBA ’91) and other generous alumni.

Jala Taylor-Picket (BBA ’26) described how living and learning in Hong Kong reshaped her perspective: “Being in Hong Kong and exploring a culture outside of my own didn’t just open my eyes to the world—it changed how I interact with it. It pushed me to be more curious, more aware, and more intentional about how I understand people and places that are different from what I’m used to.”

At 88 years old, Michigan farmer Marvin Schmidt had been told that life-saving heart surgery was simply too risky. After years of struggling with shortness of breath caused by two failing heart valves and two unsuccessful repair attempts, he turned to Michigan Medicine for a second opinion. Specialists at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center took on his complex case, performing a successful double valve replacement and correcting a congenital heart defect during a surgery that lasted less than two hours. Just days later, Marvin was back on his feet. Today, he and his wife Brenda are once again gardening, caring for their land, and enjoying life outdoors “without holding back.”

Kai Li and Chris felt moved to make a gift to U-M thanks to the wonderful experience their son had in the musical theatre program.