Category Archives: Campus News

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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 »

Flint ITS FY19 annual report highlights successes

By | September 26, 2019

Flint Information Technology Services recently issued its annual report for FY19. (The entire report (PDF) is available online.) The report provides bios of ITS professional staff as well as updates on the organization’s nine operational areas. Below are highlights of the report: Classroom Services: A number of changes were made to loaner laptop carts including the purchase of… Read More »

User feedback key to Problem Roulette study app expansion

By | September 25, 2019

Problem Roulette, a digital study tool developed at the Center for Academic Innovation, offers students access to practice questions from previous exams in a points-free environment. Since its launch in 2016, more than 11,600 students have completed more than 2 million problem attempts using the tool. Problem Roulette is now available in 12 active courses across seven subject… Read More »

Technology supports Virtual Care at Michigan Medicine

What exactly is “virtual care?” Perhaps you envision someone sitting at home on the couch, clutching a box of tissues in one hand and FaceTime/Skype chatting with their doctor in the other? Or a parent on the phone with the pediatrician’s office, hoping to find out why their child’s fever isn’t responding to over-the-counter medications? Although these are… Read More »

New portal for faculty, staff textbook adoption coming

By | September 24, 2019

U-M faculty, instructors and staff will soon transition to a new online textbook and course material selection platform designed to personalize the process and promote more affordable alternatives for students. The site, operated by Barnes & Noble College (BNC), will launch Oct. 2 and replace the textbook data entry pages on Wolverine Access. The platform, developed with significant… Read More »

HITS publishes Year in Review

This month marks a special milestone: three years since Health Information Technology & Services formed. To commemorate the anniversary, HITS published a Year in Review, an interactive website highlighting some of the organization’s major accomplishments and inspiring staff. “As we look back at the past year with pride, I want to thank our staff for their enthusiasm, support, and dedication,”… Read More »

Ross School of Business announces new fintech initiative

By | September 18, 2019

A new Fintech Initiative at the Ross School of Business aims to develop students’ knowledge in financial technology. In an email sent to Business students, Business Dean Scott DeRue wrote that the initiative will support the development of educational offerings at the school. “Students will learn how the domains of finance and technology are coming together and dramatically… Read More »

Provost announces XR initiative to spur collaboration, innovation

By | September 17, 2019

U-M will advance its work in extended reality, or XR, through a major campuswide initiative announced Sept. 16 by Provost Martin Philbert. The three-year funded commitment led by the Center for Academic Innovation will leverage emerging XR technologies to strengthen the quality of a Michigan education, cultivate an interdisciplinary scholarly community of practice, and enhance a nationwide network… Read More »

U-M experts wary of digital monitoring of mental health to help stop gun violence

By | September 16, 2019

A lack of evidence that mental illness is to blame for the U.S.’s spate of mass shootings has not deterred the Trump administration from considering proposed solutions to gun violence based on that belief. A recent one, called SAFEHOME, would use “real-time data analytics” and information gleaned from personal digital devices to identify individuals who might become violent. … Read More »

Tool promotes internal funding opportunities for research, scholarship

By | September 13, 2019

A new tool curated by the Office of the Vice President for Research promotes internal funding opportunities from across campus so faculty can generate support to advance research and scholarship. Research Commons, which launched this month, provides a unique shopping experience for researchers to identify internal funding opportunities in one space without having to navigate multiple websites. “We… Read More »