Opinion | Michigan benefits from university research. Funding cuts hurt state

The authors are presidents of Michigan’s research institutions: Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Michigan State University; Richard J. Koubek, Michigan Technological University; Domenico Grasso, University of Michigan; and Richard A. Bierschbach, Wayne State University.

By: Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Richard J. Koubek, Domenico Grasso and Richard A. Bierschbach

Outlets: Bridge Michigan

Published: September 15, 2026

Words: 820

Last Updated: 3 days ago

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In 1952, a Detroit surgeon needed a machine that could do the work of a human heart. He asked General Motors.

GM engineers, who spent their days moving oil and gasoline, built him a pump for blood. On July 3, at Harper Hospital, it kept a 41-year-old man alive for 50 minutes while the surgeon repaired a damaged heart valve. Henry Opitek lived nearly 29 more years. The pump is now in the Smithsonian. …

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