Category Archives: Campus News

Got some news to share, or know someone who deserves a shout-out? Let us know! (You must be logged in with your UMICH Level-1 password to access the form.) Subscribe to the Campus News RSS feed.

Organize your course in a consistent pattern

By | August 12, 2020

LSA Learning and Teaching Technology Consultants have shared tips for structuring course material in a way that feels grounding and reliable to students while teaching online.  Consultants write that organizing materials and activities in Canvas can help both online and hybrid classes go more smoothly for both students and instructors. It’s important that students know where to find… Read More »

Mathieu receives 2020 Henry Russel Award

By | August 12, 2020

Johanna Mathieu, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has received a U-M Henry Russel Award for her extraordinary record of accomplishment in scholarly research, as well as excellent record of contributions as a teacher. This award, established in 1925, is considered the University’s highest honor for faculty at the early to mid-career stages of… Read More »

U-M startup unveils new LEDs for high-efficiency, high-performance displays

By | August 12, 2020

Brighter, crisper screens that draw half the power and lasts twice as long are possible with NS Nanotech’s next-gen LEDs. University of Michigan startup NS Nanotech has announced the creation of a smaller, more energy-efficient light-emitting diode that aims to offer brighter, crisper displays for massive signs, mobile phones and other devices. The company, whose technology is based on research… Read More »

Achieving career readiness through gameful learning at UM-Dearborn

By | August 11, 2020

Throughout their time on campus, students learn through not just academics — but through all aspects of their experience. Many times, however, they do not recognize these moments for growth and for developing skillsets that will greatly aid them in the future. Leaders at U-M Dearborn recognized this issue — and filled that need. The Talent Gateway at… Read More »

Study finds facial recognition technology in schools presents problems, recommends ban

By | August 11, 2020

Research reveals inaccuracy, racial inequity and increased surveillance are the touchstones of a flawed technology. Facial recognition technology should be banned for use in schools, according to a new study by the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy that cites the heightened risk of racism and potential for privacy erosion. The study by the Ford School’s… Read More »

UM-Dearborn’s ‘Blue Bytes’ helping students build cybersecurity skills

By | August 10, 2020

Assistant professor of computer science Birhanu Eshete says he didn’t know what kind of response he’d get when fellow professor Di Ma asked if he’d try to get a student organization going to support their burgeoning cybersecurity program. So he started simple, sending out an email inquiry to gauge if there was any interest. Within a couple hours,… Read More »

In memoriam: Frances Allen, the first woman to receive the Turing Award and U-M alumna

By | August 7, 2020

Frances Allen (MA Math 1957), the first woman to win the Turing Award and first female IBM Fellow, died on August 4, 2020. Allen was known for her pioneering contributions to the theory and practice of optimizing compiler techniques that laid the foundation for modern optimizing compilers and automatic parallel execution. Allen intended to be a math teacher… Read More »

Using AI to navigate out of a COVID treatment supply issue

By | August 6, 2020

Researchers fear that the same issues with supply chains that caused toilet paper shortages at the beginning of the pandemic in the United States may result in the same problem with the fine chemicals needed to synthesize COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines. Now, a U-M team of medicinal chemists have used artificial intelligence to find alternative pharmaceutical building blocks… Read More »

Wellman named chair of CSE

By | August 5, 2020

Michael P. Wellman, the Lynn A. Conway Collegiate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, will be recommended to the Board of Regents to become the new chair of the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) division in the College of Engineering. Wellman takes over from Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Peter Chen, who has served as interim chair of CSE… Read More »

Navatek opens Ann Arbor office, partners with U-M to conduct naval research for data-model fusion

By | August 5, 2020

U-M’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) enters partnership with one of the nation’s most innovative research and technology firms, Navatek LLC, to advance research in the area of data-model fusion for future naval platform design and operation. Navatek, a leading contractor focused on technology research for U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Defense… Read More »

Finalists for post-quantum security standards include U-M research

By | August 4, 2020

Quantum computer hold the potential to solve certain computational problems much more quickly than classical computers can. But with the new capabilities come unfortunate drawbacks: several of these problems form the foundation of our current encryption techniques. A large quantum computer could retroactively decrypt almost all internet communication ever recorded. To prepare for this possibility, in 2017 the… Read More »

Options for building remote and hybrid student community

By | July 31, 2020

Course activities need to offer chances for students to interact with each other. One of the keys to successful online and hybrid learning is to create learning communities and collaboration. Simply posting course materials and videos won’t create effective learning experiences alone. Effective online learning starts when students engage with the materials and gain knowledge, but can only… Read More »

Student developer builds commuters a safer, more accurate train app

By | July 31, 2020

CS undergrad Ryan O’Connor led front-end development on a major update to Long Island Rail Road’s TrainTime app, helping the country’s biggest commuter line offer socially distanced service. At a time when taking the train is more stressful than ever, CS undergrad Ryan O’Connor helped roll out a major app update to keep Long Island commuters safe and… Read More »

Sticking the landing on Mars: High-powered computing aims to reduce guesswork

By | July 30, 2020

As the Mars 2020 launch approaches, a separate effort is using simulations to understand landing dynamics for tomorrow’s missions. Future spacecrafts bound for the moon or beyond will benefit from high-powered computer simulations underway at the University of Michigan that model the particulate mayhem set in motion by rocket thruster-powered landings.  During descent, exhaust plumes fluidize surface soil… Read More »

Write clear online assignments

By | July 28, 2020

LSA Learning and Teaching Technology Consultants have shared advice for creating clear online assignments. They emphasize the importance of explaining an assignment’s context and defining its purpose, task, submission format, and success criteria. Read more on the full article.

“Hiding” network latency for fast memory in data centers

By | July 28, 2020

Sharing server memory between applications in large computer clusters is still a major goal for cloud and high-performance computing communities. Through fast networking technology, the memory available throughout the center’s server racks could be managed by schedulers as though it were a single resource, providing a major boost to speed and performance. A service developed by U-M researchers… Read More »