Category Archives: Campus News

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Michigan Medicine researchers make sleep trackers more effective

Michigan Medicine researchers have developed an algorithm to be used with consumer sleep trackers. The algorithm, built by post-doctoral research fellow in neurology Olivia Walch, outperforms expensive medical trackers. The University of Michigan algorithm could be used on consumer wearable devices in the future and would be a more transparent, scientifically rigorous tool.

New innovation center will include focus on AI, data science, cybersecurity

By | October 30, 2019

U-M will anchor the Detroit Center for Innovation, a 14-acre center in downtown Detroit aimed at stimulating entrepreneurial activity, educating students and further diversifying the regional economy. The center will be designed to provide a new talent pipeline to current companies and attract new businesses to the area. In accepting the invitation to be a key partner in… Read More »

App connects Michigan providers with U-M mental health experts

Michigan, like most of the country, is in desperate need of more child psychiatrists.  More than 100,000 Michigan children have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or ADHD. Yet, fewer than 250 psychiatrists are trained to treat children in the state. The shortage means pediatricians and other primary care providers often end up treating adolescent mental health issues. “Primary… Read More »

Gamified childhood: Are digital devices replacing traditional playtime?

By | October 25, 2019

Blocks, books and bikes used to be the staples of childhood. But as more kids grow up with a seemingly endless menu of virtual activities offered through digital media, child development experts worry about the wane of traditional playtime. Jenny Radesky, a pediatrician at U-M’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, who is addressing the topic at the national American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in… Read More »

Could this new technology finally end the battle over the thermostat?

By | October 24, 2019

UM-Dearborn Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Science Mohamed Abouelenien is exploring whether machine learning can help create a customized, responsive climate control system that would automatically detect a person’s level of “thermal comfort” and then make continuous adjustments to their environment. Abouelenien and his collaborator, UM-Flint Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Mihai Burzo, used a thermal camera… Read More »

U-M takes top prize in cloud leadership award at Educause

At this year’s annual Educause conference in Chicago Oct. 14-17, the University of Michigan was honored with the E&I National Cloud Leadership Award for its lead role in the development and strategic guidance of the Unizin Data Platform (UDP). John Johnston, ITS program manager for analytics & data services, accepted the award on behalf of the university. Johnston… Read More »

UMSI gets $1 million grant for research on data curation

By | October 23, 2019

Researchers from the U-M School of Information (UMSI) and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) have received grants totaling nearly $1 million from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Science Foundation to study the impact of data curation on reuse.  Funding agencies increasingly are requiring researchers to share and archive their… Read More »

Colleges need to focus on societal impact of new tech

In a recent article in “The Chronicle of Higher Education”, Shobita Parthasarathy, professor at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, called on colleges to teach future scientists, engineers, and policy makers, to think critically about the societal impact of new technologies. “Colleges must train the next generation of scientists, engineers, and policy makers to think more… Read More »

Center of Academic Innovation investing in Extended Reality technology

The Center of Academic Innovation is leading the University’s investment into Extended Reality, XR, technology. Over the next three years, departments will integrate XR into the residential and online experiences of students, faculty, and community members alike. XR a catch-all term for computer-generated environments and interactions including augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality. This technology is already… Read More »

Blaauw, Sylvester are 2019 Distinguished University Innovators

By | October 4, 2019

Pioneering computer technology that is spurring innovation and disruption across industries has earned David Blaauw and Dennis Sylvester, professors of electrical engineering and computer science, this year’s Distinguished University Innovator Award. The pair will receive the award Oct. 22 at Celebrate Invention, an annual event that recognizes entrepreneurship and inventions from U-M researchers. Blaauw and Sylvester have worked… Read More »

Applications for HITS apprenticeship program now open

The Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) Service Desk is searching for students, recent graduates or other qualified workers to join its entry-level apprenticeship program.  The program is a partnership between Michigan Medicine and Washtenaw Community College (WCC).  Since it began in 2018, the apprenticeship program has had 14 participants and is looking to hire at least four more… Read More »

Virtual medical visits get wary welcome from older adults, poll finds

By | October 3, 2019

A new national poll carried out by the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation with support from AARP and Michigan Medicine suggests that people over 50 aren’t quite ready to fully embrace virtual health visits with their doctors and other providers — also known as telehealth. Only 4 percent of those polled had a video-based telehealth visit with a provider via smartphone or computer… Read More »

University expands online course portfolio with FutureLearn

By | October 1, 2019

The University of Michigan’s mission to share knowledge across the globe and shape the future of learning is further enriched through a new partnership with the U.K.-based social learning platform FutureLearn. With the Sept. 24 announcement of the partnership, U-M is reinforcing its commitment to fostering open, global, diverse, flexible and inclusive learning environments. FutureLearn’s diverse community includes… Read More »

DOD brings AI hackathon to U-M

By | September 26, 2019

The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) partnered with the National Security Innovation Network (NISN) Sept. 20-23 to host a hackathon at the U-M School of Aeronautical Engineering aimed at using AI tools to evaluate maintenance data for military aircraft. The event brought together more than 50 hackers from academic institutions and commercial industry across the greater Detroit metro… Read More »

NSF awards almost $3 million in grants to MIDAS, ITS

The National Science Foundation recently recognized the Michigan Institute for Data Science and Information and Technology Services with grants totaling almost $3 million to support research in data equity, security, and privacy. Data science is an important tool that can help researchers tackle important societal challenges ranging from mobility and health to public safety and education. But data… Read More »