When most people think of a cyborg, they may think of a half-human, half-machine hybrid akin to Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Terminator.” Sophia Brueckner would argue a bit differently about what being a cyborg means, as she considers herself to be one. “To me, being a cyborg doesn’t just mean biohacking or body modification. There are other ways we… Read More »
Parents might shake their heads at kids huddled in the corner of a restaurant booth, playing games on their tablets. But actually, the kids might be creating a comfortable space in a chaotic world they are not prepared to manage. A new U-M survey suggests that the more often kids use media devices to modulate their environments, the… Read More »
If your quality of life depended on a surveillance-focused rating system that tracked your behavior, how would you fare? In a newly published study, U-M researcher Muzammil Hussain and his doctoral students analyzed the processes and stakeholders involved in China’s Social Credit System (SCS)—a new punishment/reward program that uses scores to determine whether citizens and organizations are able… Read More »
A Bitcoin boom could make millionaires, but a bust could just as easily destroy the cryptocurrency. So what exactly is Bitcoin and how does it work? LSA researcher Lynette Shaw provides insights about new forms of digital currency—and what actually makes something worth anything. According to Shaw, an assistant professor in the Center for the Study of Complex Systems,… Read More »
Lilia M. Cortina, Timothy R.B. Johnson, and Anna Kirkland are U-M professors who participated on a 21-person committee to change the culture around sexual harassment policies in academia. The report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine finds that academic institutions can do more to prevent sexual harassment, especially in historically male-dominated STEM fields. According to… Read More »
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 »
Four U-M research teams will receive support for projects that apply data science tools to the study of music theory, performance, social media-based music making, and the connection between words and music. The funding is provided under the Data Science for Music Challenge Initiative through the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS). The projects include digital analysis of… Read More »
Undocumented immigrants tend to be careful about public life: They limit contact with authorities, keep close-knit circles, and avoid loitering too long in parks, supermarkets, shows and other public gatherings. Some even avoid driving altogether. But when it comes to their smartphones, they struggle to apply this instinctive caution, according to a study by the U-M School of… Read More »
Concern about Facebook’s power in society – and in politics – has skyrocketed in the wake of revelations that users’ data was used in targeted political ads in advance of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Other tech giants have also sparked concern: Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft have all faced objections from users, the public, and even government agencies. But in a recent article, Amanda Lotz,… Read More »
Aviv Ovadya, chief technologist at the School of Information’s Center for Social Media Responsibility, cautions that technology and social media that can be used to enhance and distort what is real is evolving faster than our ability to understand and control or mitigate it. “I’m from the free and open source culture,” he says. “The goal isn’t to… Read More »
Step into any college auditorium and you are likely to find a sea of students typing away at open, glowing laptops as the professor lectures. But you won’t see that when Susan Dynarski, a professor of education, public policy and economics, is teaching. In a recent article for the “The New York Times,” Dynarski claims she makes a few exceptions,… Read More »
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has more than 36 million followers on Twitter, used political humor and sarcasm to become broadly appealing and refashion his political style, according to a U-M study of his tweets led by Joyojeet Pal, assistant professor of information. The study, published in the International Journal of Communication, shows that Modi tweets under nine broad themes: cricket, opposition… Read More »
The exhibit “Hidden Figures: When the Computer Wore a Skirt: NASA’s Human Computers” will run November 11–25, 2017 in the Duderstadt Gallery on North Campus. This exhibit also features: “Hidden Figures of Michigan: Women in Engineering and the Sciences.” The Exhibit Opening Reception will be held on Wednesday, November 15 from 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm in the… Read More »
Teach-Outs are open to the world and are designed to bring together individuals with wide-ranging perspectives in respectful and deep conversation. These events are an opportunity for diverse learners and a multitude of experts to come together to ask questions of one another and explore new solutions to the pressing concerns of our global community. Check out these… Read More »
Cross-team collaboration is essential — uniting experts from a variety of teams and departments leads to deeper insights, fresher perspectives, and faster innovations. Open to all Michigan IT community members, two upcoming workshops share helpful tools and techniques to improve collaboration: Competing Values in the Workplace (HITS 1000) This workshop explores how the interplay among our competing values… Read More »
ITS communication staff unveiled the Bicentennial IT Historic Timeline at the Michigan IT booth at the MStaff200 bicentennial event, Tuesday, June 27. More than 720 current and retired U-M staff members and their immediate families stopped by the display to interact with the timeline and reminisce about university technology through the years. The team handed out promotional “punch cards” with… Read More »
Recent research from the U-M School of Information (SI) shows that men who hope to get women to respond to them on online dating sites have a better chance if they create profiles that are more like the women they hope to attract, and yet can show they are distinct from other males. “Specifically, she is more likely to… Read More »
Soccer games, family vacations and reports of good grades are OK for social media sharing. Posts with baby photos or references to significant others — not so much. This is what children said when asked what their parents can share about them online, according to research from the School of Information. “You might expect that children don’t want their… Read More »
Parents can toss out the owner’s manual for that new smartphone or tablet—they can get all the digital assistance they need from their teens. According to Jan Van den Bulck, professor of communication studies at U-M, more children are guiding their parents on how to use digital media, especially newer media forms such as smartphones, tablets and apps. But… Read More »
Pauline Jones, director of the U-M International Institute, is passionate about the need for education around some of the most complex topics in the world, like Islam. “Islam is much more than a religion. It’s also a civilization, a variety of cultural traditions and sometimes a basis for political ideologies,” said Jones. “Its diversity, complexity, and geographical expansiveness makes it… Read More »