Author Archives: News Staff
During the US election, many fake news stories were written, not by politically motivated supporters, but by people looking to make some quick cash. So one way to stop fake news would be to eliminate the financial incentives that make it profitable. “To make any decent money, and a lot of the fake news sites do make decent… Read More »
Does your digital assistant know who it’s talking to? A wearable device prototype could let voice-controlled assistants like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa recognize their owner so they don’t take orders from anyone else. The VAuth device, developed by U-M computer scientists Huan Feng and Kassem Fawaz, uses an accelerometer hidden in a pair of glasses or earphones… Read More »
More than 275 volunteers from U-M and around the community converged on Shapiro Library on January 27 and 28 in an emergency effort to preserve scientific data that is at risk of disappearing from government websites. The effort, called Ann Arbor Data Rescue, was organized by librarians and students at U-M and is part of the national Data Refuge project… Read More »
If you’ve fallen victim to “phantom phone alerts,” the mysterious phenomenon where you think your phone is buzzing but it isn’t, it may be time to take a tech break. Experiencing the nonexistent vibrations could be an indicator that you are too reliant on your cell phone. According to a new study headed by Daniel Kruger, a scientist at U-M’s… Read More »
The loss of her father in 2009 drew a sharp focus on the need for accurate and timely medical records for Patricia Abbott, associate professor of nursing. The experience gave her renewed purpose to continue her research, which explores how massive amounts of data can improve care for patients. Abbott is exploring a variety of innovative Big Data… Read More »
U-M Box By The Numbers New Box Notes Functionality in the Webapp and on the Desktop Box Names Synced with Preferred Name Have You Tried the New Box? See all updates
Streamlining Group Chat Creation in Google Hangouts Gmail Phishing Scam Save Time With New Custom Templates Custom URLs Not Available in New Google Sites Cite Your Sources With Explore in Google Docs See all updates
The annual convention of the Modern Language Association (MLA) is the greatest show on earth for the humanities and for some years now, digital humanities—using computer technology to understand literature and the arts—have been all the rage. They present new ways to approach the work of humanities scholarship, and they’ve already delivered not just new results but new… Read More »
February is right around the corner, and that means so is Enriching Scholarship 2017! The 20th Annual Enriching Scholarship will be held May 1–5. Enriching Scholarship is a great opportunity for Michigan IT staff to share their work and expertise with the greater U-M community. This year’s event is particularly meaningful as it marks not only the 20th anniversary… Read More »
The Skoll Global Threats Fund pioneered the EpiHack, or “epidemiology hackathon,” which design digital tools that allow communities to detect, report, and verify disease outbreaks in real time. Annie Maxwell, the group’s president and an alumna of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, says one particular EpiHack, focusing on avian flu in Thailand, was special. “It was… Read More »
In a recent Educause blog post, Sol Bermann (privacy officer and interim CISO at U-M) examines the concept of autonomy privacy and argues for its importance in higher education. Higher education, Bermann writes, rightfully prides itself as being a place where freedom of expression, intellectual discourse, dissenting views, and social experimentation are not just the norm but expected. The ability… Read More »
Researchers at U-M will use Big Data and mobile technology to learn how to predict when individuals will get diseases, and to unlock the potential of single-cell gene sequencing under three recently funded projects. The Michigan Institute for Data Science awarded the three interdisciplinary projects a combined $3 million under the second round of its Challenge Initiative program. “These… Read More »
Information and Technology Services (ITS) is upgrading the PeopleTools technology behind M-Pathways to version 8.55. This upgrade will bring a new look and feel to navigation within M-Pathways. This change will impact everyone who uses Wolverine Access at the university. The new navigation will be available on February 20 for M-Pathways Student Administration, Faculty Business, and Student Business,… Read More »
Back in December, Yahoo came under renewed scrutiny after disclosing the largest known data breach in history, prompting Verizon Communications to demand better terms for its planned purchase of Yahoo’s internet business. According to Erik Gordon, a professor at the Ross School of Business, renegotiating the deal’s price tag would be the simplest but also least likely scenario… Read More »
Colleen Van Lent, a lecturer at U-M and an instructor at Web Design for Everybody, outlines four common pitfalls that new programmers face: A lack of confidence. Hesitance about putting in the time to learn about and utilize a good editor. Viewing setbacks as failures rather than commonplace events. Seeking out the wrong kind of help with questions. “A… Read More »
Do you know a college student who would be a great candidate for the ITS Summer Intern Program? The application period is now open for 2017 ITS Summer Interns! The application deadline is February 5, 2017. If you know students that might be interested in applying for an ITS internship, direct them to the ITS Summer Internship website,… Read More »
On January 9, Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) opened a new Help Me Now (HMN) walk-up support center in the Towsley Center for Continuing Medical Education, located in Room G2413 (near the lobby just inside the building entrance). HMN staff are available to help with many kinds of common IT-related questions and issues, including: Duo two-factor authentication… Read More »
When faced with potentially life-threatening diseases such as cancer, people often seek information about the disease and support from peers. According to a recent study co-authored Jan Van den Bulck, professor of communication studies, patients found that online resources featuring personal stories from other cancer patients provided them the most comfort. Television entertainment shows and medical dramas, however,… Read More »
On December 6, the LSA Undergraduate Laptop Loan Program team received a Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award (DDLA) for “extraordinary commitment and dedication to diversity at the University of Michigan.” Launched in 2015, the Undergraduate Laptop Loan Program provides a more inclusive learning environment by ensuring that low-income students have access to the same laptop computing capabilities available to… Read More »
New year, new site, new features! Read about some of the improvements based on reader feedback that you’ll find on the NEW Michigan IT News site.