News Staff

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Author Archives: News Staff

Mcity Open House

By | May 29, 2017

Thursday, June 8, 4pm – 8pm; NC90 Parking Lot Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (map) Come and explore the future of mobility with vehicle technology displays, walking tours, and the opportunity to volunteer in connected vehicle research. Please NO pets or bicycles. Parking and shuttle to Mcity will be available at North Campus Parking Lot # 90, accessible from Baxter… Read More »

Fauber receives Research Technical Staff Recognition Award

By | May 26, 2017

Kudos to Bennet Fauber for receiving U-M Office of Research’s Research Technical Staff Recognition Award for the computing support and training he provided to researchers collecting and analyzing data on the function and structure of the human brain. Fauber is a senior applications programmer-analyst for Advanced Research Computing-Technology Services. The Research Technical Staff Recognition Award recognizes staff members who… Read More »

Large scale memory swapping

By | May 25, 2017

Operators of large computer clusters have long searched for an efficient way to share server memory to speed up application performance. Now, U-M engineers led by Mosharaf Chowdhury, assistant professor of computer science and engineering, have developed open-source software that lets servers instantly “swap” memory from other servers in the cluster when they run out, instead of writing to slower storage media… Read More »

M-Write adds automated text analysis

By | May 22, 2017

M-Write, a program built on the premise that students learn complex material by writing, will expand in fall 2017 to add automated text analysis (ATA) to its digital toolkit. M-Write was created by U-M professor of English Anne Gere, director of the Sweetland Center for Writing, and Ginger Shultz, assistant professor of chemistry. M-Write helps students develop their conceptual… Read More »

Apple acquires “dark data” startup Lattice

By | May 19, 2017

Apple has acquired data mining and machine learning company Lattice, co-founded by Michael Cafarella, a professor of computer science at U-M, and Chris Re, a professor of computer science at Stanford. (Cafarella was the co-creator of Hadoop, a widely used big data processing technology.) According to the Lattice website, the startup was born out of a Stanford research… Read More »

Greener computers

By | May 17, 2017

U-M chemists, led by Stephen Maldonado, associate professor of chemistry, have developed a greener, cheaper way to make single-crystalline semiconductor films, components at the heart of all of our electric gadgetry. Single-crystalline films of inorganic semiconductors are the bedrock of nearly all electronics, including smartphones, computers and solar panels. The fastest integrated circuits feature transistors consisting of germanium films… Read More »

U-M presents at human-computer interaction conference

By | May 16, 2017

Challenges of ridesharing among low income populations, personalization of health improvement technology, and possible explanations for why we aren’t overwhelmed with choice when shopping online are among the research papers School of Information faculty, alumni, and current students shared at the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Human-Computer Interaction Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, May… Read More »

Mythbusters: “Slow” universities vs. “fast” edtech companies

By | May 15, 2017

James DeVaney, associate vice provost for academic innovation, thinks the myth that universities are slow to embrace change and edtech companies are always agile is limiting the collective potential of the wide range of actors seeking positive change in higher education. He believes that examining the difference between partnerships and vendor relationships is the key to moving past this paradigm and… Read More »

Computer use can affect child speech development

By | May 11, 2017

Growing evidence suggests that screen time may have some negative consequences for young children’s development. In a new study of nearly 900 children between six months and two years old, researchers found that those who spent more time using handheld devices were more likely to have delays in expressive speech, compared to children who didn’t use the devices… Read More »

REMINDER: Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day May 17

By | May 11, 2017

Have you placed your pre-order for Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day yet? If not, don’t worry. We’re still taking advance product reservations through 9 a.m. on Monday, May 15. If you prefer, visit either store between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Appreciation Day, Wednesday May 17, to shop for one-day discounts on select Apple products—on top of… Read More »

Use template to easily create digital signs

By | May 10, 2017

Want a pre-designed sign layout to get your digital signage up and running quickly? Use a pre-built ITS “Simple Sign.” The ITS Simple Sign App allows you to quickly deploy a fully functional digital sign. The sign includes six basic, customizable elements: U-M logo Scrolling RSS feed from Michigan News Date/time Background image 30-second rotation of announcements and events… Read More »

The aces of Spade

By | May 10, 2017

Growing up in Los Angeles, U-M student Jake Fleshner and his brother liked to visit a local deli, and then nearby stores before heading home. These local businesses often attracted similar customers, so why weren’t they promoting each other to their customer bases? That question eventually led to creating Spade America—a mobile app that lets consumers scan discounts as… Read More »

Kids need guidance on digital privacy

By | May 9, 2017

A new U-M study suggests that when it comes to digital privacy, children often do not see the negative consequences of someone tracking items belonging to someone else. Lead author Susan Gelman, professor of psychology and linguistics, says digital privacy is of growing concern, given the increasing use of technological devices that track object locations, revealing personal information regarding… Read More »

Tableau Clinic May 11

By | May 9, 2017

Thursday, May 11, 2pm – 4pm; Wolverine Tower, Suite 18 (map). HITS and Information Quest invite the campus and health system Tableau community to the first ever Tableau Clinic. This two-hour event will be held Thursday, May 11, 2-4 PM at Wolverine Tower Suite 18, and will be an opportunity to interact with Tableau experts and users across U-M. Tables… Read More »

UNIZIN Innovation Summit report

By | May 9, 2017

Sean DeMonner, John Johnston, and Zhen Qian from ITS Teaching & Learning represented U-M at the annual Unizin Innovation Summit April 19–20 in Denver. The Unizin Innovation Summit is a two-day conference for members of the consortium to present their work on the implementation of Unizin services, and to discuss issues around the developing the next generation digital… Read More »