Category Archives: Campus News

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New device mimics brain-like computing

By | December 20, 2018

A new electronic device developed at U-M can directly model the behaviors of a synapse, which is a connection between two neurons. “Neuroscientists have argued that competition and cooperation behaviors among synapses are very important. Our new memristive devices allow us to implement a faithful model of these behaviors in a solid-state system,” said Wei Lu, U-M professor… Read More »

Florian Schaub publishes book on privacy in computing

By | December 18, 2018

Florian Schaub, an assistant professor in the School of Information, is the co-author of the book Privacy in Mobile and Pervasive Computing, which has just been released. Schaub and his co-author dissect and discuss the privacy implications of mobile and pervasive computing technology. They not only look at how technology affects our expectations of (and ability to enjoy) privacy, but they… Read More »

U-M hits online enrollment milestone

By | December 18, 2018

In the four years since U-M announced a centralized effort to promote digital learning and two years after President Schlissel announced Academic Innovation as a major initiative, the university has experienced more than 7 million enrollments in online learning opportunities that involved people in 190 countries. In addition, there has been impressive participation from faculty, staff, students and… Read More »

Parents, kids talk more about using tech than content

By | December 12, 2018

A recently published study led by former U-M researcher Sarah Domoff found that parents spend more time talking with kids about the mechanics of using their mobile devices than they do about what their kids watch and download on those devices. Domoff, now an assistant professor at Central Michigan University, said the findings revealed some concerning trends in how… Read More »

The web really isn’t worldwide – every country has different access

By | December 7, 2018

What the internet looks like to users in the U.S. can be quite different from the online experience of people in other countries. Some of those variations are due to government censorship, but private companies – many based in the U.S. – are also building obstacles to users from around the world who want to freely explore the… Read More »

Taking on the limits of computing power

By | December 6, 2018

The emerging field of genomic analysis is on the cusp of revolutionizing the understanding of diseases and the methods for their treatment and prevention. However, current DNA analysis is restricted to using limited data due to the large time and cost for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), restricting progress. As biochemical sequencing is getting faster and cheaper, the bottleneck… Read More »

Precision Health Award for measuring moods via novel tech approach

By | December 5, 2018

Computer Science And Engineering Professor Emily Mower Provost and collaborators on the Prechter Bipolar Research team were one of 10 recipients of the Michigan Precision Health Investigators Award. Mower Provost and her team propose novel technology, data collection, and computational models that will provide objective assessments of an individual’s behavior and social environment based on analyses of comprehensive… Read More »

Most patients wary, unaware of benefits of using health portals

By | December 4, 2018

Two-thirds of patients who visited a doctor in 2017 did not use a health portal that could help improve their health in the long run, according to a new study by U-M. Health portals—secure online websites that give patients 24-hour access to health information—can enhance patients’ engagement in their own health, said lead author Denise Anthony, professor of… Read More »

U-M approves graduate certificate in computational neuroscience

By | December 3, 2018

The new Graduate Certificate in Computational Neuroscience will help bridge the gap between experimentally focused studies and quantitative modeling and analysis, giving graduate students a chance to broaden their skill sets in the diversifying field of brain science. “The broad, practical training provided in this certificate program will help prepare both quantitatively focused and lab-based students for the… Read More »

Changing the conversation: Seniors and technology

By | December 3, 2018

Stereotypes of seniors confused by and struggling with technology might be amusing, but not necessarily accurate, says School of Information researcher Robin Brewer, an SI presidential postdoctoral fellow. Technology isn’t necessarily befuddling for older adults in and of itself, says Brewer. Most of the challenges are because of changes in abilities that make traditional devices and systems tougher for… Read More »

U-M hosts new data center for educational research collaboration

By | November 30, 2018

The launch of a new research collaboration and a data center at the University of Michigan marks the start of a unique collaboration between U-M, Michigan State University, the Michigan Department of Education and the Center for Educational Performance and Information. The new Michigan Education Research Institute and Michigan Education Data Center will facilitate research projects in education,… Read More »

U-M awarded $270k grant to support women in STEM

By | November 28, 2018

The Clare Boothe Luce Program of the Henry Luce Foundation awarded a $270,000 grant to U-M. The funding will support women PhD students through the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering (MICDE). The program  encourages women “to enter, study, graduate and teach” in science, and the funding will support women PhD students who make use of computational… Read More »

Hey, Alexa, stop listening to everything I say

By | November 27, 2018

Smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home that can give you the weather forecast, play your favorite tunes, or control the lights in your house are a hot ticket item for the holidays. But not for everyone. Recent research from the U-M School of Information looked at privacy perceptions, concerns, and privacy-seeking behaviors with smart speakers. Florian… Read More »

Why everyone should know programming

By | November 26, 2018

Putting a bandage on a cut doesn’t mean you want to be a doctor. But in the world of computer science, people assume that everybody with an interest in programming wants to become a computer scientist. It is precisely this thought that Charles “Dr. Chuck” Severance, clinical associate professor at the School of Information, is trying to change. Speaking… Read More »

Should ethics be part of the computer science curriculum? 

By | November 23, 2018

As technology becomes ever more integrated into our daily lives, there’s a growing push for people in the computer and data science world to think about the social impact of tech. H. V. Jagadish, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at U-M, joined Michigan Radio’s Stateside program to talk about the moral questions companies should ask when… Read More »

AR improves driverless vehicle testing at Mcity

By | November 21, 2018

Augmented reality technology can accelerate testing of connected and automated vehicles by 1,000 to 100,000 times, and reduce additional testing costs — beyond the price of physical vehicles—to almost zero, according to a new white paper published by Mcity in November. This unique testing methodology is outlined in a new white paper authored by Henry Liu, professor of… Read More »

Can language courses be just as good (or better) online?

By | November 16, 2018

For a long time, language instruction has been among those subjects that conventional wisdom held was a tough one to put online. But things are changing as Dearborn faculty are exploring the promise of creating hybrid language courses that pair class time with digital learning. UM-Dearborn instructional designer Alfonso Sintjago is a big believer in digital education, but he’ll be the first… Read More »

Dearborn professor achieves “holy grail” of software engineering

By | November 15, 2018

Cleaning up messy legacy software is a bane of companies big and small, but it’s long been considered an unclimbable mountain. Now, UM-Dearborn faculty member Marouane Kessentini might have found a solution. His software refactoring tool—which helps automate the process of cleaning up messy legacy code—was impressive enough that U-M’s Office of Technology Transfer named if one of eight… Read More »