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.

Mingyan Liu named 2018 Distinguished University Innovator

Mingyan Liu, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, was awarded the Distinguished University Innovator Award for her work in helping develop a new approach to enhance cybersecurity. She and her colleagues achieved this by using technology that predicts with up to 90 percent accuracy the likelihood that a company will be exploited by cyber criminals within the next… Read More »

Effects of cellphones at summer camp

Recent studies have shown that the use of cellphones has been beneficial and detrimental to summer camps for both the campers and the staff.  “As a society, we spend a tremendous amount of time on screens and with digital media, but we don’t understand the full impact that it is having on children,” states lead author Ashley DeHudy, M.D.,… Read More »

Videoconferencing improves liver disease care

U-M gastroenterologist Grace L. Su believes providing the option of videoconferencing for liver disease patients who are unable to make multiple office visits to specialists improves the provided care. Su and her team determined in a study that patients of primary care physicians who used video consultations with liver disease specialists had a 54 percent higher survival rate than… Read More »

Online portal creates central hub for U-M digital learning

By | May 31, 2018

As U-M continues to expand its digital learning portfolio, the Office of Academic Innovation announces a new gateway for one-stop access to online courses and learning experiences created by Michigan faculty and instructional teams. Called Michigan Online, the portal brings together more than 120 massive open online courses (MOOCs), teach-outs, specializations, MasterTrack certificates, XSeries, MicroMasters and professional certificate programs… Read More »

$783k raised to support gaming outreach to Mott, others

More than 1,500 gamers from all over the world participated in person and online in a momentous weekend fundraising event held at the EMU Convocation Center in April. Their purpose: raise money to provide entertainment devices for kids at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, and other hospitalized children across the United States. The event was hosted by Gamers for… Read More »

U-M shares teach-out concept with other universities

By | May 29, 2018

In 1965, U-M created the first ever teach-in to protest the Vietnam War through a series of debates, presentations, and seminars. The idea spread and, using Michigan’s example, more than 35 universities followed suit within a week. Last year, U-M once again led the way when the Office of Academic Innovation launched the U-M Teach-out Series as a… Read More »

HITS lends a hand to successful Patient Experience Expo 2018

Michigan Medicine recently hosted a week-long celebration of patients and their families. A number of events throughout the week brought together faculty, staff, students, patients, and their families to honor, discuss, and engage in all aspects of the patient experience. The Patient Experience Expo, held on April 24, was especially festive, and HITS was there to join in… Read More »

Academic Innovation adds director for online and hybrid programs

In March 2018, U-M announced the intent to design three new online and hybrid programs: one in data science, a first in public health, and a first MasterTrack Certificate program. Sarah Dysart will be the new director for Online and Hybrid Programs at the Office of Academic Innovation. Dysart plans to work with other faculty on their online… Read More »

Ross students create productivity app

Recent graduates Shayan Shafii, Reid Ovis, Aklavya Kashyap, Tristan Neeb, and Sean Dew developed a productivity app that pairs with Amazon’s Alexa to help people set and achieve their goals. These goals could be daily, weekly, or monthly in the context of physical, mental, or social capabilities. Named “Iris,” the app aggregates statistical insights regarding productive activity versus counterproductive behaviors. The ultimate… Read More »

Dearborn students help kids with autism stay safe online

Sean Croskey, Luke Pacheco, Aristotelis Papaioannou, and Dominic Retli, seniors at UM-Dearborn, developed a Nintendo-esque video game, with direction from UM-Ann Arbor emerging technologies librarian Patricia Anderson, that helps kids with disabilities better detect online predators. The goal of the game is to find a missing prince or princess by interacting with other characters, making decisions through the… Read More »

Will Alexa ruin your kids?

Google and Amazon both recently announced that their voice assistants will respond to requests that end in “please.” Parents are worried that because their children are commanding information from these devices, they are not learning manners. To counter this anxiety, Google’s Assistant will now have a “Pretty Please” feature reminding kids to “say the magic word” before responding.… Read More »

Scaling homegrown education technology

The Office of Academic Innovation launched an edtech accelerator that’s building and scaling digital pedagogy within and beyond the university. Previously, the issue with edtech was that it did not extend beyond the initial department it was used for, but the Office of Academic Innovation is providing the infrastructure to support and scale it. This process involves software… Read More »

New Computer Showcase at Shapiro hosts grand opening May 30

  This year’s Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day is also the Grand Opening of the new Computer Showcase Central Campus location in the Shapiro Library. Join us at either location 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30 for one-day-only incentive offers and discount pricing on an expanded selection of our most popular products. Advance product reservations are… Read More »

Social media privacy: Should kids have a say?

  Is it an invasion of your child’s privacy to take their picture and post it on social media? Sarita Schoenebeck, assistant professor at the School of Information, is an expert on how families use technology. She suggests that parents should respect their children and keep their feelings in mind before posting their pictures. A survey of 331… Read More »

Staff Innovation Award winner creates tech hub to support educational outreach

By | May 9, 2018

Adam Skoczylas, program manager for the Center for Educational Outreach, was named the individual winner of the 2018 President’s Staff Innovation Awards. Skoczylas received the award for his leadership in the creation of Youth Hub as well as the redevelopment of Children on Campus program registry, including a shared database of these programs. Youth Hub is a technology infrastructure… Read More »

Research projects use IT to explore physical performance and health

By | May 9, 2018

The U-M Exercise and Sport Science Initiative awarded $800,000 in funding to six teams as part of its second round of pilot grants. The winning projects include: Sensor technology and complex analytics to assess, monitor and predict injury in elite baseball pitchers A data-driven, non-invasive approach for monitoring hydration status in athletes A projection-based augmented reality system for… Read More »

Michigan Medicine awarded $440,000 for health IT contributions

Michigan Medicine received $440,000 in invoice credit from its electronic health record vendor for taking steps to support continuous improvements in patient outcomes, quality of care, workflow efficiency, and financial performance. Epic recently awarded Michigan Medicine with Magna Cum Laude status in its Honor Roll Program. The recognition program is based on achieving continuous improvements in patient outcomes,… Read More »