Michigan IT Symposium: Call for proposals
Proposals for conference sessions are now being accepted for the Michigan IT Symposium. Apply by Friday, August 18, with a brief application on the CIO website.
Author Archives: News Staff
Gaming vs. gamification in the classroom
Used in conjunction with books and lectures, sophisticated educational games designed for college classrooms can offer active learning that some instructors say is hard to replicate in a traditional classroom. Still, not every professor who believes well-designed games are valuable in education uses video games in courses. Barry Fishman, a professor in the School of Information and the School… Read More »
U-M invests in advanced transportation technologies
An optimal travel planning search engine and a cognitive computing solution for autonomous driving were among the seven technologies that will receive $600,000 from U-M’s Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization Statewide Innovation Hub to continue their advancement into the commercial market. The advanced transportation innovation hub is part of a statewide initiative, in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s… Read More »
The promise of learning data interoperability
Students and instructors use multiple systems and applications every day that collect vast amounts of data about learners. However, much of the information produced by the current learning data ecosystem is poorly understood and poorly utilized. In a recent article for Educause, Sean DeMonner, executive director of teaching and learning for ITS, and two colleagues from the University of… Read More »
Better writing through automation
This fall, U-M will test whether an automated text analysis tool can help integrate more writing into large introductory science courses without imposing significant new time constraints. The tool is the latest addition to M-Write, a program run by the Gayle Morris Sweetland Center for Writing. Anne R. Gere, professor of English language and literature who serves as director of the… Read More »
Social media “faux friendships” could harm health
As people spend more time on social media, the lack of true friendship or in-person connections could be harming their health. Robert Pasick—a psychologist, author, and adjunct professor at the Ross School of Business—says the lack of authentic, in-person connections can lead to health problems, or even early death. According to Pasick, social media sites, like Facebook, are giving… Read More »
Michigan IT News wants YOU!
Michigan IT News is published by and for the U-M IT community to provide updates, answer questions, and spark conversation about how to improve IT services and invest in technologies that support U-M’s current and future needs. We are guided by a dedicated group of Michigan IT staff who make sure we keep focused on the issues, interests, and developments that… Read More »
Register for free diversity, equity, and inclusion courses
Courses to support U-M’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative are available now at no cost to teams or departments. Many of the courses are located at the Administrative Services Building in Learning and Professional Development (LPD). Browse the courses below and talk to your supervisor about registering—space is limited. Learn more and see upcoming sessions at hr.umich.edu/diversity. Business… Read More »
Halderman testifies in Senate’s Russia probe
J. Alex Halderman (second from right), professor of electrical engineering and computer science, testified before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence at a June 21 hearing titled “Russian Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election.” It focused on the federal government’s role in safeguarding U.S. elections from outside interference. Halderman emphasized that “our highly computerized election infrastructure is vulnerable… Read More »
Data and your online identity
John Cheney-Lippold, assistant professor of American culture at U-M and author of the book We Are Data: Algorithms and the Making of Our Digital Selves, helps explain the difference between data that is trying to sell you a product, and data that truly knows who you are as a person. “I think we should take the idea of U.S. privacy… Read More »
Mcity uses AR to help test automated vehicles
A research team in U-M’s Mcity Michigan Traffic Lab led by Professor Henry Liu has developed an augmented reality (AR) system that enables engineers and researchers to evaluate challenging and dangerous scenarios in a safe environment. The traffic lab controls all of the signalling and tracks the vehicles on the facility. It collects and archives data from those… Read More »
Visit the Michigan IT booth at MStaff200
The Bicentennial IT Historic Timeline showcases the rich history of technology innovation at U-M.
Upcoming teach-outs address how tech affects our lives
Two of the four new teach-outs scheduled for August and September will focus on technological advances that have changed the way we live: The evolution of the Internet and impact on our lives and society. Privacy and identity in a Big Data era. President Mark Schlissel launched the series in March as part of an Academic Innovation Initiative.… Read More »
Free Microsoft Azure workshop July 12
U-M College of Engineering, in partnership with the M Cloud and the Microsoft Azure Education teams, will hold a free, hands-on, cloud computing workshop July 12. Register today to learn about Azure cloud services and how they can help provide more efficiency for dev/test, production, and backup of your applications and services. Whether your focus is big data, big… Read More »
U-M participates with Help Desk Institute
Lisa Callihan (LSA IT customer experience manager) presented at the HDI 2017 (Help Desk Institute) conference on May 11 in Washington D.C. Her presentation, Implementing a Major Incident Process, focused on the work she did in creating and implementing the ITS Significant Incident process used today. HDI is the professional association and certification body for the technical service and… Read More »
Can Alexa turn your kid into a brat?
Experts at the crossroads of pediatrics, psychology, and AI say there’s a lot we don’t know about how virtual assistants might affect young, developing minds. Jenny Radesky, a U-M pediatrician who studies how digital media shapes children, says research around how kids understand digital assistants is limited, and studies that do exist on children and robots suggest children see… Read More »
Social media enhances LSA bicentennial event
As part of the bicentennial celebration, LSA has organized several events, including a staff scavenger hunt that began May 8 during the LSA Staff Spring Fling.
Good boy! Domesticating AI to protect humans
U-M computer science professor Igor Markov believes an attack by artificial intelligence on humans would sort of be like when the Black Plague hit Europe in the 14th century, killing up to 50 percent of a populatioin that had no idea what was happening or why. “This would be illustrative of what you might expect if a superintelligent AI would… Read More »
Take a tech trek through Ann Arbor June 16
Want to learn more about the Ann Arbor technology scene? Register for the free Ann Arbor Tech Trek on June 16 to visit your choice of more than 70 companies in a self-guided, four-hour open house. For one day, technology companies open their doors to the public to showcase their latest innovations. At each participating company, you can expect… Read More »
U-M wins NCWIT NEXT Award
The College of Engineering’s Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) division received a NCWIT Extension Services Transformation (NEXT) Award for excellence in efforts to attract undergraduate women to the field of computing. Sponsored by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and Google, NEXT Awards honor academic departments that show improved outcomes in increasing women’s meaningful participation in computing education. CSE’s… Read More »