Because of the vibrations caused by their operation, today’s 3-D printers operate very slowly, often taking hours to complete a small object. A new software algorithm developed at U-M allows printers to deliver high-quality results at speeds up to two times faster than those in common use, with no added hardware costs. According to Chinedum Okwudire, associate professor of mechanical… Read More »
John Walsh (HITS), Martin Sager (ITS), and Kris Steinoff (ITS), are co-facilitating a new Community of Practice which aims to bring together people who are using DevOps practices or are interested in learning more. DevOps is a software engineering practice that aims at unifying software development (Dev) and software operation (Ops). The group intends to have regular meetings with… Read More »
An army of U-M scientists and engineers is part of an effort, known broadly as precision health, that aims to help doctors customize treatments to individual patients’ genetic makeup, lifestyle, and risk factors, and predict outcomes with significantly higher accuracy. One major branch of precision health is the development of big-data tools to customize treatments. Experts envision a… Read More »
The rise of artificial intelligence threatens to eliminate white-collar and “creative class” jobs once considered impossible to automate, including real estate brokers, insurance claims adjusters, lawyers, and business managers. In a recent article, Kentaro Toyama, associate professor of technology and global development at the School of Information, examines if anything good could come of mass unemployment, or whether it… Read More »
A new report found that the amount of time young children in the United States spend with mobile screens has tripled in just four years. Jenny Radesky, an assistant professor of developmental behavioral pediatrics at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, wrote a commentary in the new report and offers some screen time tips for parents. According to Radesky, infants and young… Read More »
A security-token necklace, ear buds, or eyeglasses developed at U-M could eliminate vulnerabilities in voice authentication—the practice of logging in to a device or service with your voice alone. “Increasingly, voice is being used as a security feature but it actually has huge holes in it,” said Kang Shin, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at U-M.… Read More »
Hiring a professional captioning service to help students with hearing disabilities get information presented in class or at events requires a lot of advance planning and can be costly. Automatic speech recognition programs, while quick and convenient, have unusually high error rates. However, a program called Scribe, developed by Walter Lasecki, assistant professor of information and of computer science… Read More »
Throughout 2017, U-M has celebrated its Bicentennial in many ways. One particularly novel tribute is MGoView. Developed over 15 months at the School of Information, this multifaceted app offers a virtual tour—or augments a physical tour—of 30 sites on the U-M campus. Those on site can use the phone’s camera to view locations and find icons. Offsite, photos… Read More »
Information comes from data, and the data revolution on campus is real. We all feel it as we support our incredibly creative and industrious faculty and students across the University of Michigan.
The university’s third annual Diversity Summit is November 6–10, with a number of central and unit-sponsored events. Be sure to attend these activities.
Over 400 visitors attended the 5th Annual North Campus Research Complex (NCRC) Expo on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. Two teams from Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) were on hand to showcase tech support and research support tools. The Help Me Now walk-up support team talked about the on-demand support they provide for IT products and services, including… Read More »
A contingent of U-M faculty and staff will make their mark at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference this year, including VPIT-CIO Kelli Trosvig. She is one of ten representatives from the university who will present at the event, which takes place October 31–November 3 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Trosvig will co-host a session on Supporting Innovation and Collaboration… Read More »
Learn how members of the U-M IT community are employing technology to empower the leaders and best! Register now for the Michigan IT Symposium, where you’ll learn new skills, connect with other IT professionals, and hear from campus leaders and innovators. Details at a Glance When: November 20 (3:30–5:30 p.m.) & November 21 (8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.) Where: Michigan League, Central Campus (Parking… Read More »
A 2008 study estimated that it would take 244 hours a year for the typical American internet user to read the privacy policies of all websites he or she visits—and that was before smartphones with dozens of apps, cloud services, and smart home technologies. If you’re like most people, you don’t read them. Florian Schaub, assistant professor of information at… Read More »
Cliff Lampe, an associate professor of information, says there’s a definite connection between social media and how news organizations cover disasters. For example, after Hurricane Irma hit the U.S. Virgin Islands on Sept. 6, stranded islanders flocked to social media to reach families and friends. Facebook groups quickly formed with residents posting photos, updates, and requests for assistance. As… Read More »
Association of American University members want more institutions to follow U-M’s example when it comes data transparency of their Ph.D. programs. U-M makes publicly available data on admissions, enrollment, funding, time to degree completion and completion rates, along with the results of a basic doctoral exit survey and job placement information. Chief academic officers representing AAU campuses at their annual… Read More »
Social media have changed how colleges interact and communicate with the world. Every post paints a picture of what a college is like, who makes up its community, and what’s important to them. It’s a 24/7 job that didn’t even exist a few years ago. For Nikki Sunstrum, U-M’s director of social media, that means constant monitoring of what’s happening… Read More »
Michigan IT needs to be one step ahead, which can be challenging because our researchers are moving so quickly. One of the ways we do this is through innovative thinking.
Ranjit Aiyagari, M.D. was recently named chief medical information officer for Michigan Medicine. Aiyagari oversees the Office of Clinical Informatics and works closely with the organization’s chief information and chief clinical officers to bridge the gap between provider-facing technology systems and the strategic goals of the clinical enterprise. Aiyagari recently discussed his role and how it differs from —… Read More »
An interview with the co-facilitators of the Contact Centers Community of Practice: Lisa Callihan (Customer Experience Manager, LSA IT) and Jennifer Herron (IT Business Planning Lead, ITS Infrastructure). What were the initial goals of the Contact Centers Community of Practice? The initial goals of this community were to: Bring together disconnected contact centers from across our 3 campuses Keep track of… Read More »