Mapping for the future
Advanced GIS students from U-M Dearborn are working to map and increase Dearborn’s tree canopy, understand flood hazards, and streamline multimodal route planning.
Tag Archives: community service
U-M students create online resource for families to create art projects at home
During the fall semester, U-M students in Melanie Manos‘ Detroit Connections: In the Classroom course were faced with a challenging question: How could they connect kids with creative activities and art education while so many K-12 students were studying remotely? Under Manos’ guidance, the class addressed this question through Art Connects Kids, a website brimming with original, kid-friendly art projects for families to do… Read More »
Voting counts: How U-M grad students answered the question ‘Did you get my ballot?’
This election year in Michigan has seen a huge increase in absentee ballot requests. As a result, clerk’s offices are spending a lot of time answering phone calls from voters checking on the status of their ballot. School of Information graduate students Lauren Trimble, Joshua Tooker, and Michael Payne worked this summer on a pilot project to streamline… Read More »
K-12 online learning platform from U-M sees dramatic rise in use
The Collabrify Roadmap Platform, a set of free, customizable digital learning tools developed by the Center for Digital Curricula at the College of Engineering, provides K-12 teachers with scheduling templates that can be customized to include all the activities that would normally take place in their classrooms. Created last summer as a supplemental tool to make educational resources… Read More »
Trade in your tech…for the kids!
Join Computer Showcase in support of the largest student-run non-profit on the U-M campus this spring. When you trade in your old tech at the Showcase through March 28, you get instant store credit toward a new tech purchase, and we donate an additional 10% of your trade-in value to Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan! Please… Read More »
U-M, Coursera offer Chinese learners nearly free access to online courses amid coronavirus outbreak
In response to the coronavirus epidemic that has restricted millions of Chinese people to their homes and towns, U-M and online learning platform Coursera are offering three popular online data science specializations to learners in China for $1 a month. The specializations are Python for Everybody, the most popular specialization on Coursera; Python 3 Programming; and Applied Data Science with Python.… Read More »
Halderman honored for public engagement efforts
J. Alex Halderman, director of the Center for Computer Security and Society in the College of Engineering, will receive the President’s Award for National and State Leadership, which honors individuals who provide sustained, dedicated, and influential leadership and service in major national or state capacities. Halderman, professor of computer science and engineering, focuses his research on computer security… Read More »
SI students help improve Ann Arbor voter experience
The Line Tracking Project, a partnership between three UMSI students and the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Office, used several years of student research on voter wait times to develop a new public website that allows voters to check wait times at their local polling place and access additional tools to facilitate the voting process. The project recently won… Read More »
Register to attend the Data for Public Good Symposium Feb. 25
Do you have experience working alongside community partners in data analysis or program evaluation? Do you want to connect with others who are using their skills for public good? You are invited to attend the 3rd annual Data for Public Good Symposium on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, Weiser Hall, 10th floor. Hosted by the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS),… Read More »
Introducing the 2020 Scholar Sprints!
Are you (or one of your colleagues) working on an instructional, research, or outreach project that would benefit from two intense days of collaboration with U-M Library specialists? Are you available to join us on May 7-8, 2020? If your answer is yes and yes, we invite you to apply to U-M Library’s 2020 Scholar Sprints. Scholar Sprints offer… Read More »
BackPac helps encourage volunteerism among those who can’t put down the phone
Packy, a furry, fun mascot is the symbol of the BackPac app created by U-M students to encourage others, particularly their peers, to spend some time volunteering in the community—especially during the holidays when the needs are great. “The number of volunteers has significantly gone down in the last decade,” said Gaurav Dhir, co-founder of BackPac and a… Read More »
MCWT names ITS’s Diane Jones “Woman of the Year in Technology”
The Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation named Diane Jones its “Woman of the Year in Technology.” Jones is executive director of administration for Information and Technology Services and the Office of the CIO. The award recognizes women in Michigan leading or driving change for other women in information technology careers or fields of study. Jones has… Read More »
Watch: Unlocking Big Data
Data science is an important tool that can help researchers tackle challenges ranging from mobility and health to public safety and education. But having access to information comes with great responsibility, so researchers at the University of Michigan are working to ensure data science is not misused to disproportionately harm underrepresented groups.
App connects Michigan providers with U-M mental health experts
Michigan, like most of the country, is in desperate need of more child psychiatrists. More than 100,000 Michigan children have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or ADHD. Yet, fewer than 250 psychiatrists are trained to treat children in the state. The shortage means pediatricians and other primary care providers often end up treating adolescent mental health issues. “Primary… Read More »
Volunteer for the annual Hour of Code event
Get ready to inspire the next generation of tech professionals! The Women in IT Community of Practice (WiTCOP) is looking for staff members to volunteer with the annual Hour of Code, December 9-13, 2019.
Colleges need to focus on societal impact of new tech
In a recent article in “The Chronicle of Higher Education”, Shobita Parthasarathy, professor at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, called on colleges to teach future scientists, engineers, and policy makers, to think critically about the societal impact of new technologies. “Colleges must train the next generation of scientists, engineers, and policy makers to think more… Read More »
Rematch 2019! ITS v. HITS Backpack Challenge Fundraiser
For several years, ITS has hosted a “backpack challenge” to deliver fully stocked backpacks to local organizations that serve families in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area that struggle economically. Last year, for the first time, ITS invited their colleagues from HITS to a backpack challenge to see which group could raise the most supplies and cash. The 2018 goal… Read More »
UMSI students help make civic tools work for Detroit residents
The City of Detroit has a lot of data to share. The challenge is making this data accessible to residents. So, the city partnered with Data Driven Detroit to solve the problem. Together, they formed a user testing group, CUTgroup Detroit, and enlisted the School of Information (UMSI) to contribute the user testing acumen necessary to ensure the voices of Detroit… Read More »
A2 Data Dive March 23
Date: Sat, 03/23/2019, noon to 5:30 p.m. Location: North Quad 2255 An afternoon-long data “hackathon” that brings together novice and experienced data scientists to help local non-profits become more effective. The A2 Data Dive will start at noon with an introduction and lunch. Participants will then break out in teams and work together on the data for the rest… Read More »
U-M part of network to build public interest technology field
The University of Michigan has joined the Public Interest Technology University Network, a new partnership of 21 colleges and universities dedicated to building the nascent field of public interest technology and growing a new generation of civic-minded technologists. Started by the Ford Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, and New America, the network represents a powerful alignment across sectors as part… Read More »