On January 9, Health Information Technology & Services (HITS) opened a new Help Me Now (HMN) walk-up support center in the Towsley Center for Continuing Medical Education, located in Room G2413 (near the lobby just inside the building entrance). HMN staff are available to help with many kinds of common IT-related questions and issues, including: Duo two-factor authentication… Read More »
When faced with potentially life-threatening diseases such as cancer, people often seek information about the disease and support from peers. According to a recent study co-authored Jan Van den Bulck, professor of communication studies, patients found that online resources featuring personal stories from other cancer patients provided them the most comfort. Television entertainment shows and medical dramas, however,… Read More »
On December 6, the LSA Undergraduate Laptop Loan Program team received a Distinguished Diversity Leaders Award (DDLA) for “extraordinary commitment and dedication to diversity at the University of Michigan.” Launched in 2015, the Undergraduate Laptop Loan Program provides a more inclusive learning environment by ensuring that low-income students have access to the same laptop computing capabilities available to… Read More »
The Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad (WESO) is starting up and many schools across Washtenaw county that participate could use a hand. WESO will feature an iCompute event this year that covers basic computing concepts and creating a simple program. “I have coached teams for the past three years,” says Kelly Doonan-Reed (ITS) and member of the Women in Information Technology… Read More »
Want to find purpose in your life? Sleep better, eat better, lose weight, increase energy, decrease stress? Well, now there’s an app for that. JOOL Health is a new Ann Arbor-based digital health solution company led by CEO and founder Vic Strecher, professor at the School of Public Health and director for Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship. JOOL integrates the science of… Read More »
Know a Michigan IT staff person or team who deserves a shout-out? Nominations for the President’s Staff Innovation Award are being accepted through February 28. Currently in its fifth year, the President’s Staff Innovation Award recognizes individual staff members or teams whose big ideas and “outside The Cube” thinking help make U-M a better, more inclusive community. Two prizes… Read More »
One day, it might be possible to spot illness the same way we track exercise habits and sleep patterns: with wearable sensors. A new study compared baseline normal readings on 60 people, then looked for deviations to see if changes might be tied to new environmental conditions, illness, or other factors that can impact health. Because most people… Read More »
On campuses today almost every educational interaction leaves digital traces. Assignments and feedback are given through online portals; debates and discussions happen via learning management systems as well as in classrooms, cafes, and dorm rooms. Those and other digital crumbs allows universities to examine the processes, practices, and goals of higher education in ways that were largely impossible a… Read More »
Neurable, a U-M startup that developed brain-computer interface technology based on breakthrough neuroscience, has raised $2 million in seed funding to bring its software platform to market. The technology enables real-time control of software and connected devices using only the power of the user’s brain. Neurable has roots at U-M’s Direct Brain Interface Laboratory, where Ramses Alcaide, co-founder and CEO… Read More »
In an effort to meet increased requests from the university community, SafeRide recently launched a mobile application. During fall and winter terms, you may request a ride through the TapRide mobile application: Download for Android or for iTunes. Select “University of Michigan SafeRide” from with the app. Login with your UMICH username and password to request a ride and… Read More »
Education is the key to preparing young people to achieve their dreams and contribute to society. However, student debt now stands at about $1.3 trillion with the average family owing over $48,000, making it increasingly difficult for middle and low-income families to invest in their futures. Scott DeRue, dean of the business school, examines how revamping a flawed… Read More »
An ongoing battle between New York City and Uber over rider data points to a broader struggle between ride-sharing services and local governments hungry for more information about the movement of their citizens. Companies like Uber and Lyft say requirements to release rider data is an invasion of privacy, while government regulators say it’s an issue of ensuring passenger safety. Gautam Hans, a fellow at… Read More »
Given the concern with electronic hacking this past election, old-fashioned paper ballots might seem more reliable. But after listening to computer science Professor J. Alex Halderman and doctoral student Matt Bernhard discuss the recent US election at the Chaos Communications Congress, even paper ballots might not provide much reassurance about election outcomes. Although their analysis of recounts in Michigan… Read More »
Researchers at U-M and Peking University analyzed 427 million messages from nearly 4 million smartphone users in 212 countries and regions to see if emoji use was universal or differed based on user location and culture. They discovered the most popular emoji worldwide is… face with tears of joy, which accounted for over 15% of total symbols seen in the study.… Read More »
Although rare, armed robberies and violent incidents have occurred during the exchange of online transactions. While the overwhelming majority of online transactions occur without incident, the Division of Public Safety and Security is committed to providing a secure environment for U-M community members and recently established a “Safe Exchange Zone” in the front lobby of the U-M Police Department… Read More »
A U-M alum is striving to take the turbulence out of getting passengers to their planes on time. Caryn Seidman-Becker is CEO of CLEAR, which helps airline passengers at participating airports confirm their identity through biometric scanning of either their fingertip or iris. Customers sign up with CLEAR in advance and have their identification digitally authenticated. Then they… Read More »
There is a transformation happening in U.S. television as more companies distribute content over the internet and more viewers move away from live, network-scheduled viewing. Internets streaming services offer many popular channels currently available from cable and satellite services. Bundled channel packages streamed over the internet “are meant to compete with cable or satellite, and some have called them ‘skinny… Read More »
Computer science and engineering students at U-M partnered with visually impaired high school student India West to develop technologies that may help other blind and visually impaired people navigate the world around them. David Chesney, a lecturer in electrical engineering and computer science, leads the effort, which is featured in this video. Read more about the project.
Melissa Levine, the lead copyright officer at the U-M Library and ex officio member of the library’s open access committee, co-authored an article advocating open access publishing as a way to speed up scientific discoveries and advances in technology. “If published research and data were freely accessible and reusable by researchers of diverse interests, urgently needed solutions could be… Read More »
A group of researchers including Josh Ackerman, an assistant professor of psychology at U-M, believe you might be “accidentally” breaking your phone, on purpose, to justify getting a new one. It’s a phenomenon called the “upgrade effect” and according to the study, that’s exactly what we’re doing.The study found that even when people think they aren’t being careless or deliberate… Read More »