Archive for August, 2008

The National Wildlife Federation is looking for a regional outreach coordinator in Ann Arbor, according to a post on the Treehugger.com job site. The ideal candidate would help “push the envelope on grassroots engagement.” [Source]

TCMnet reports on the Michigan Robotics and Autonomous Technologies Conference, held Monday at UM. The item notes that UM’s College of Engineering has formed a new Ground Robotics Research Center, with 5,000-square-feet of lab space, and a new engineering master’s degree in unmanned ground vehicles and robotics. [Source]

Angela Dillard, a UM professor of Afro-American and African studies, is quoted in a Seattle Times article about Obama and race. She and others note that rather than representing an anti-racist movement, Obama simply doesn’t focus on race. “It’s an odd paradox that this will shrink even further any kind of public space to talk about race. That shouldn’t be possible, but it is.” [Source]

NBC’s Adam Abrahamson posts this report from the Beijing Olympics: “The National Indoor Stadium was rocking. “Jia you! Jia you!” rang out the cries, rocketing across the arena the way “Go! Blue!” roars around Michigan Stadium on a football Saturday in Ann Arbor.” [Source]

Ann Arborite Ruth Gretzinger is among the gardeners featured in a Freep article about an increase in home gardens, in part to offset high food prices. “Every little bit helps. The other night, I made myself a BLT with my own lettuce and tomatoes and that was pretty nice.” [Source]

Science Daily has a story about a needleless hepatitis B vaccine developed at UM’s Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences and licensed to Ann Arbor-based NanoBio Corp.  The vaccine holds special promise for impoverished nations where the need to refrigerate current vaccines and to keep needles sterile is cost-prohibitive. [Source]

The Web site Serious Eats joins the throngs who are fascinated by Michael Phelps’ diet. [Source]

On MittenLit, bloggers Bill and Ben Castanier preview this coming Sunday’s Kerrytown BookFest in Ann Arbor. [Source]

ZeroPaid reports that a UM student has challenged “the anti-investigative activities of Media Sentry, the anti-piracy company employed by the RIAA in its fight against illegal file-sharing. The complaint was filed with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth and is the third challenge to Media Sentry’s practices in Michigan. [Source] (An article in the upcoming Chronicle of Higher Education explores how colleges are tiring of the RIAA anti-piracy campaign.) [Source]

The Toledo Blade’s article on Cleveland public transit interviews Doug Kelbaugh, former dean of UM’s college of architecture and urban planning: “Transit systems are behind the times and inadequate. This country is so invested in the automobile and the road, we’re not going to be able to instantly provide transit.” For an historical perspective, the article quotes Ted Ligibel, an EMU prof and  ”prominent Toledo historian.” [Source]

Local firm EDF Ventures is apparently taking on an online site called The Funded, described as “a site that lets entrepreneurs rate venture capitalists.” According to today’s post on VentureBeat.com, EDF has taken legal action against an entrepreneur who left a negative comment about them on the site. [Source]

Freep business columnist Tom Walsh has extensive comments from Ann Arbor-based Domino’s Pizza CEO David Brandon about the Kwame Kilpatrick scandal: “Detroit needs and deserves a mayor who is fully engaged in the business of the city and who is able to lead with credibility and authority. We currently don’t have such a mayor.” Brandon is also chairman of Detroit Renaissance, a group of business leaders working to revitalize the city. [Source]

Conde Nast’s Portfolio magazine has an article on how universities are teaching entrepreneurs to market “green tech” businesses. One example they cite is Potentia, a startup founded by UM PhD students and helped along by UM’s Zell-Lurie Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies. [Source]

In the Detroit News, UM prof David Moran, who has previously worked for the state Appellate Defender Office, is quoted again in an article about the legal proceedings against Kwame Kilpatrick: “For a higher court to overturn, you have to show the district judge was way out of line. It can be hard to do.” [Source]

Brian Robb’s East-Cross.com blog promotes this weekend’s Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, noting in particular its first-ever Guitar Hero World Championship. And if you’ve never heard of Guitar Hero, be prepared for a smack-down: “I mean, I don’t want to use the played-out cliche ‘Do you live under a rock?’, but seriously, do you live under a rock or something? My sister won’t even let her kids watch television or eat processed sugar, but even they know how to shred.” The festival, now in its 30th year, runs from Aug. 15-17. [Source]

Michigan Football Saturdays posts the 2008 Michigan Football Fall Media Guide in its entirety, being considerate to parcel it into multiple downloads with an indication of how large each file size is. [Source]

The Associated Press reports on a UM study looking at weight and health risks. AP describes the findings as the first national study that “bolsters the argument that you can be hefty but still healthy, or at least healthier than has been believed.” UM researcher MaryFran Sowers is quoted in the report. (Update: Katie Couric cites this study on tonight’s CBS Evening News, but doesn’t mention the UM connection.)  [Source]

Research by UM psychologist Richard Price is part of a Newsweek article on the health effects of a tough economy. After studying more than 700 laid-off workers for two years, Price found that “stress-related complaints such as insomnia and headaches tend to follow, lingering even after victims find new job.” [Source]

A New York Times article quotes UM law prof Samuel Gross for an article that looks at the effectiveness of expert witnesses in court cases: “To put it bluntly, in many professions, service as an expert witness is not considered honest work,” Gross wrote in the Wisconsin Law Review. “The contempt of lawyers and judges for experts is famous. They regularly describe expert witnesses as prostitutes.” [Source]

In Crain’s Detroit Business, Dee Edington, director of the UM Health Management Research Center in Ann Arbor, evaluates the effectiveness of employee wellness programs. [Source]

The New York Post does a feature on Bonobos, “a new clothing line built on the notion that men, especially young ones with athletic builds, need pants that fit better.” One of the firm’s founders is Brian Spaly –  the article notes that he’s an Ann Arbor native and “self-proclaimed metrosexual.” [Source]

Gibran Nicholas, chairman and CEO of the CMPS Institute in Ann Arbor, is quoted in an Investment News article about whether it’s wise to pay off your mortgage. Says Nicholas: “I would encourage them not to [prepay their mortgage] especially in a liquidity crunch.” [Source]

The Freep, WDIV-Local 4 and The Ann Arbor News report on a home invasion near UM’s central campus. The Freep’s story says that  ”two masked men walked in an unlocked door and robbed residents,” while The News reports that the masked men “kicked open the door” then “bound and robbed at gunpoint.” The incident happened in the 1300 block of South State, near the UM athletic complex.  [Source] [Source]

The Elevating a Generation blog posts a video about Kaioen, an Ann Arbor “spiritual community of faith” led by Jeremy Falk. The video “showcases stories from some of the people on their streets that they are reaching out to.” The group’s Web site is Kaioen.com. [Source]

Mother’s Kitchen weighs in on the hype surrounding so-called “green” products: “Lately, I’ve been on a quest to convince people if they really care about the environment, it might be better to quit buying so much stuff.” [Source]

UM law profs David Moran and Bridget McCormack are setting up the Michigan Innocence Clinic, described in a Freep article as “a student law clinic to challenge what they believe are wrongful convictions of innocent people.” Its Web site is www.innocencenetwork.org. [Source]

The Freep runs a feature article on Adaptive Materials, an Ann Arbor alternative energy firm. [Source]