From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Daniel Howes is business columnist and associate business editor of The Detroit News.

As the 2010 North American International Auto Show gets ready to open in Detroit, Howes talks about the state of the automotive industry around the world, but particularly in North America. And he discusses what automakers hope show attendees will take away from their visit to this year’s show.

“The situation for automakers is certainly more optimistic than it was a year ago at this time,” Howes says. “They want consumers to know that they’re building world-class automobiles despite their recent troubles on the business side.”

Howes also talks about the overall Michigan economy and where he sees it going in 2010 and the challenges and opportunities facing the newspaper journalism industry. And he weighs in on the higher education funding issue.

“The less that Michigan finds its way clear to support higher education, the more other people are going to prey upon Michigan’s lack of direction in this regard,” Howes says.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Show 22:15 – 12.8 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Garth Motschenbacher is director of employer relations at MSU’s College of Engineering, and he leads the college’s Center for Spartan Engineering.

The center is a resource that connects engineering students to individualized learning opportunities. The goal of the center is to offer experiences that lead to the development of professional “Spartan” engineers.

Motschenbacher describes Spartan Engineers and tells how they’re different from other engineers. He talks about the experiential learning that goes into forming Spartan engineers. “MSU engineering students apply their education outside the classroom well before graduation to test what they’re learning in the real world,” says Motschenbacher. “And they’re ready to hit the ground running when they’re hired.”

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Conversation 12:18 – 7.0 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: MSU’s College of Engineering is set to lead the way toward more environmentally responsible and economical ways to power transportation and industry with the opening of the new Energy & Automotive Research Laboratories.

In the $10 million, 29,000-square-foot research complex, researchers will identify ways to realize greater fuel efficiency, determine how to collect waste heat and convert it to electricity, and work to develop new biobased fuels.

“Energy is one of the single most important issues facing us today,” says Eann Patterson, chairperson of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Patterson talks about the mission of the lab and some of the projects that will develop at the facility.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Conversation 11:50 – 6.8 mb mp3

From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Daniel Howes is a columnist and associate business editor at The Detroit News.

From the Mackinac Policy Conference at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Daniel shares his insights on the leadership quagmire in Lansing, the state of the American automotive industry, the role Michigan’s research universities can play in reshaping Michigan’s economy, and the changes taking place in the newspaper business.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Show 24:47 – 14.2 mb mp3

From MSU Today: Daniel Howes is business columnist and associate business editor of The Detroit News. From 1999 to January 2003, he was based in Germany as The News’ European correspondent and automotive columnist; altogether, he has reported from some 20 countries on three continents. Before heading to Europe, Howes was the paper’s senior automotive writer and an investigative and projects reporter on the newspaper’s business desk.

He came to Detroit in 1993 from The Roanoke Times in Virginia, where he covered business, politics and higher education. Howes is the winner of many journalism awards, including multiple International Wheel Awards for column writing and a four-time winner of Northwestern University’s Medill award for general markets coverage. He is a regular contributor to NewsTalk 760-WJR in Detroit, and appears often on radio and television in the United States and overseas.

A native of Canton, Ohio, he holds a bachelor’s degree in history from The College of Wooster and a master’s in international affairs from Columbia University.

Daniel talks about the troubled automotive industry and Michigan economy. He’s concerned about the lack of a solid energy policy at the federal level. He talks about the state and future of the newspaper business, including the impact of bloggers. And Howes expresses his strong support for MSU’s study abroad program.

We caught up with Daniel at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Mackinac Policy Conference at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Hosted by Russ White.

Hear the Show 25 Minutes 14mb mp3

We discuss the future of the American auto industry with two seasoned observers of the motown scene with Rick Haglund, senior business writer and columnist for the Booth Newspaper chain and Sean McAlinden chief economist and vice president for research at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. Our guests make sense of the recent General Motors workforce reduction announcements, talk about the growth of foreign auto production on U.S. soil and discuss what public / private partnerships can do to re-vitalize the Michigan economy. Hosted by Bill Castanier and Scott Westerman.

What Sean is reading: Freakinomics – by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
What Rick is reading: A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age – by Daniel Pink.

Hear the Show 43 Minutes 20mb mp3