Category Archives: Campus News

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Your kid’s apps are crammed with ads

By | November 2, 2018

Many developers market apps for children as being educational. So Jenny Radesky, a pediatrician at the U-M Medical School who wrote the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for children and media, wanted to check that out. Her team of researchers spent hundreds of hours playing 135 different games. Published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the… Read More »

Computing pioneer to receive honorary U-M doctorate

By | November 2, 2018

Forty years after her paradigm-shifting work in microchip design and education, Lynn Conway will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree at Winter Commencement 2018 on the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. Conway, U-M professor emerita of electrical engineering and computer science, is one of four respected leaders in the fields of engineering, English, business and academic… Read More »

HITS staff-volunteers pitch in to help customers prepare for mandatory Duo two-factor authentication

During a recent Duo “go-live,”nearly a dozen HITS staff-volunteers supplemented regular Service Desk staff – answering customers’ questions and providing support during the set-up and activation process. Beginning October 10, Michigan Medicine began requiring all Michigan Medicine employees to use Duo two-factor authentication to access U-M resources that require Weblogin. This move was intended to provide an additional layer of protection… Read More »

Flint names new disability services coordinator

By | October 29, 2018

As the new disability services coordinator at the University of Michigan-Flint, Harvey “Chip” Evans oversees services that ensure equal opportunity to students with disabilities and helps to promote a welcoming campus environment for any student requiring accommodations. That help can come in a variety of forms, from campus transportation to a test-taking center. It’s technology, though, that has… Read More »

Here and there: Experiences with a remote presence robot

I lugged the inert, soulless body around for a few hours, before my colleague some thousand miles away took control of it. Later, as I was flying to Denver, Colorado, there was a conference keynote in Ann Arbor, Michigan I wanted to attend. I decided to connect to the body I knew was there, waiting for me to… Read More »

Web Platforms Service hires new manager

Mark Montague has been named manager of Web Platforms and Information Systems for ITS Infrastructure Application Operations. Prior to this role, Montague ran his two-person IT consulting and contracting company from 1992–1995, and has a long history with the university that begins in 1992. Some may remember him from his previous work at ITS (1995-1998 and 2006-2010) or… Read More »

The logic of feeling: Teaching computers to identify emotions

By | October 19, 2018

Using machine learning to decode the unpredictable world of human emotion might seem unusual. But computer science and engineering associate professor Emily Mower Provost has discovered a rich trove of data waiting to be analyzed in the ambiguity of human expression. Mower Provost uses machine learning to help measure emotion, mood, and other aspects of human behavior; for… Read More »

Discovering new efficiencies and savings through data center consolidation

Vaccinations, early detection, and new cures have led to incredible medical breakthroughs over the past several decades. Today, advancements in precision health, wearable technology, genetic sequencing, and big data analytics promise to reshape modern medicine even further. A critical, yet often overlooked factor in the advancement of healthcare is the underlying health IT infrastructure. As Michigan Medicine faces… Read More »

CoE’s Todd Austin recognized for outstanding achievements

By | October 12, 2018

Professor of computer science and engineering Todd Austin, a recognized leader in the area of computer architecture research, was recently recognized with the University of Michigan’s Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award, which honors senior faculty who have consistently demonstrated outstanding achievements in the areas of scholarly research or creative endeavors, teaching and mentoring of students and junior faculty, service, and… Read More »

Software companies lead 2018 tech startups at U-M

By | October 11, 2018

The number of startups launched at U-M nearly doubled in fiscal year 2018 to 21 as U-M inventors went to market with a broad array of discoveries. Nine of the 21 startups are software companies. The majority of this year’s startups are also headquartered in southeast Michigan, where they’re creating jobs and helping to diversify the economy. “We… Read More »

U-M tool measures ‘iffy’ news on social media

By | October 11, 2018

As the mid-term election approaches, the U-M Center for Social Media Responsibility offers media and the public a tool to help monitor the prevalence of fake news on social media through a Platform Health Metric called the Iffy Quotient. Housed in the U-M School of Information, the center’s first report confirms from a deep analysis what was suspected… Read More »

A champion for women in computer science

By | October 11, 2018

Rada Mihalcea, professor of computer science and engineering, was selected as the Center for the Education of Women’s 2018 Carol Hollenshead Award recipient for her work to increase the pipeline and retention of women in engineering and computer science. Mihalcea has dedicated substantial effort to developing programs that introduce more women to the world of computing and encourage them to pursue… Read More »

Michigan Online: “Here to Learn” — Together

By | October 10, 2018

Some of Michigan’s most innovative strategies for online learning are based on values held throughout its 200-plus year history. In an interview with “Campus Technology” magazine, James DeVaney, U-M’s associate vice provost for academic innovation, explains why Michigan Online — a relatively recent initiative — brings communities of motivated learners together, both to learn together and to apply their knowledge to solving significant problems.… Read More »

U-M makes waves at Tapia 2018

By | October 5, 2018

Eight U-M students from Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) got the chance to network and celebrate diversity in computing at the 2018 Richard Tapia Conference, which took place in Orlando, Florida September 19–22. This year’s conference theme was “Diversity: Roots of Innovation,” acknowledging the historical role of diversity in STEM innovation and its essential role in innovating the… Read More »

Q&A with LSA CIO Cathy Curley

By | September 20, 2018

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts has worked to unite its LSA Information Technology, Instructional Support Services, Management and Information Systems, and Web Services teams. These four groups have come together to form LSA Technology Services. (Read the Michigan IT News story about the change.) This past spring, Cathy Curley joined LSA as its new Chief Information… Read More »