Accessibility is a priority at the University of Michigan and in Information and Technology Services (ITS). Becoming more accessible as an institution will mean a fundamental shift in approach to how we plan, design, develop, create, and instruct.
Catch up on the latest feature updates and changes to the U-M Box and Google services.
The U-M Tableau Symposium hosted by the Information Quest team on August 27 was a great success. Tableau representatives opened the symposium with some background on how Tableau got started and delved into a few example cases which highlighted the ways U-M, and more specifically Michigan Medicine, can leverage the platform’s capabilities. The keynote speaker gave a brief… Read More »
State of the Map US 2018, the OpenStreetMap user conference, will be held in Detroit, MI on 5-7 October this year! OpenStreetMap is the wikipedia of maps, an open, collaboratively edited map used for everything from international disaster response to autonomous vehicles. You can see the data in Apple Maps, Snapchat, Uber, Lyft, and dozens of other tools we use every day. State of the Map is particularly… Read More »
The University of Michigan is part of an NSF-supported 17-university coalition dedicated to creating next-generation computing power to support high-energy physics research. Led by Princeton University, the Institute for Research and Innovation in Software for High Energy Physics (IRIS-HEP) will focus on developing software and expertise to enable a new era of discovery at the Large Hadron Collider… Read More »
Quantum materials are a type of substance that could be many times more efficient at conducting electricity through smartphones than the commonly used conductor silicon—if only researchers can crack how the stuff works. U-M physicist Lu Li has gotten one step closer with detailing the conductive properties of a novel quantum material called ytterbium dodecaboride that works as both… Read More »
Read about Ravi’s initial priorities and his belief that Michigan IT staff are critical in supporting U-M’s core competencies—creating, sharing, and preserving knowledge.
In the past months you may have noticed pop-up messages from websites informing you of an update in their privacy policy or asking if you understand that the company is using cookies to collect data about you. The increased disclosure is likely the result of a new law in Europe in effect since May 25: the General Data Protection… Read More »
When most people think of a cyborg, they may think of a half-human, half-machine hybrid akin to Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Terminator.” Sophia Brueckner would argue a bit differently about what being a cyborg means, as she considers herself to be one. “To me, being a cyborg doesn’t just mean biohacking or body modification. There are other ways we… Read More »
Parents might shake their heads at kids huddled in the corner of a restaurant booth, playing games on their tablets. But actually, the kids might be creating a comfortable space in a chaotic world they are not prepared to manage. A new U-M survey suggests that the more often kids use media devices to modulate their environments, the… Read More »
Ever wonder what the people on the other end of a Hangouts session are really looking at on their screens? With a little help from machine learning, you might be able to take a peek over their shoulders. Based on research published by Daniel Genkin, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the College of Engineering,… Read More »
Today, the breakneck pace of biomedical discovery is outstripping clinicians’ ability to incorporate this new knowledge into practice. Charles Friedman, of the U-M Medical School, and his colleagues recently wrote about a possible way technology offers a solution for moving research out of journals and into the clinic faster. Their approach focuses on harnessing the power of technology to… Read More »
Esri, the global leader in spatial analytics, presented LSA IT with Esri’s Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award on July 11 at the annual Esri User Conference. Selected from over 300,000 eligible candidates, LSA IT received the award for its innovative application of mapping, data analytics, and thought leadership in higher-education research and teaching. The SAG Awards are meant… Read More »
Forvo.com offers word pronunciations with playable audio, often with variations for regional dialect and different languages.
If you’re worried about the impact of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in your unit, take a deep breath and relax. The university has got your back. Sol Bermann, university privacy officer and interim chief information security officer, and David Grimm, associate general counsel, reassured attendees at a July 26 GDPR open forum that—with the help of… Read More »
On August 23, 2018, the College of LSA announced the creation of LSA Technology Services, a new organization that unites the LSA Information Technology, Instructional Support Services, Management and Information Systems, and Web Service teams into a single, cohesive unit. Andrew D. Martin, dean of LSA, and Cathy Curley, chief information officer of LSA, made the announcement. “This… Read More »
Please join us to celebrate the completion of the Campus WiFi Upgrade and WiFi on the Diag projects. Because of these projects, WiFi was upgraded in over 250 buildings on the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor campus and made WiFi available on the Diag for the first time. All are welcome to attend! Steps of Hatcher Graduate Library 913… Read More »
Now you can get the security benefits of two-factor for Weblogin with fewer login prompts. The Duo Remember Me time was extended from 12 hours to seven days on August 25. Remember to select the checkbox if you want Duo to remember you. You’ll see the Remember Me checkbox when you log in to a U-M site or… Read More »
A friendly challenge ITS issued to HITS this summer became a huge win for local school children! The goal was donate 100 backpacks filled with school supplies. The challenge results far exceeded the goal, resulting in 160 fully loaded backpacks for local grade and middle school students. HITS had an amazing first year with the Backpack Challenge, surpassing… Read More »
Online harassment usually originates from deviants operating in dark corners of the internet. But research shows that, more and more, anyone online is capable of becoming a troll. Efforts to curb this behavior have not been effective because they approach the problem with the wrong tools, says Sarita Schoenebeck, assistant professor of information at the School of Information (UMSI).… Read More »