It's start-up theater! A group of young stage artists have decided to put off their move to bigger, more theatrically-inclined cities like New York in order to build a performance troupe here. Challenging the conventions of local of theater and the mass migration of their peers, The New Theater Project hopes to attract Ann Arbor audiences to the fringe.
Recycle. Buy a Prius. Now what? It's not easy being green. But it's what all the cool cities are doing. For our next Speaker Series Event Concentrate features green-minded professionals who'll talk about the practices and policies that can assist and hinder our community's ability to establish a more sustainable future. Find out what you can do to go green. Sign up now for our September 30th event.
Over the last five months, solar power has supplied Ypsilanti's City Hall with on average 2.6 percent of its energy needs, a number that Dave Strenski hopes is a starting point.July and August both saw greater than 2 percent of city hall's power usage come from solar, and it was actually at a higher percentage in April and May. Less overall power was used during the spring months because the demand for air conditioning was lower."Hopefully, we'll see the on the graph in the next couple of months that it's 3 or 4 percent more solar, because we use less DTE power," Strenski says.The new solar panels, installed earlier this year in an awning on the south side of the building, were part of a grass roots project, Solar Ypsi. Strenski heads up the group and first thought of the project years ago.There haven't been any issues or problems yet with Ypsilanti's solar panels, and other municipalities have been contacting him to learn about the project and how it can be replicated. Daily, weekly, and monthly usage is compiled and can be seen here. Red bars indicate that the majority of the building's power comes from DTE Energy, but a little sliver of yellow indicates what is generated by the solar panels. Strenski hopes that little sliver can become a larger band when the weather cools down.Also, as part of the DTE SolarCurrents program, the city recently received a check for $5,900, not bad considering a state grant paid for the panels. He says that money will be reinvested in other green technology for the city. And down the road, those panels will hopefully save even more money: "It's good to do for the city, for its own economic benefit," he says.Solar Ypsi is still hoping to install solar panels on the bakery of the Ypsilanti Food Co-op later this month; the co-op already generates an impressive amount of solar energy. Next month, Strenski is participating in the National Solar Tour to demo the systems of both the city hall and the co-op to anyone interested in that technology.Source: Dave Strenski, volunteer with Solar YpsiWriter: Kristin Lukowski
Downtown Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti are among the cities around the world making parks out of parking spots later this month.Park(ing) Day encourages people to make a mini-park out of a metered spot for one day -- Sept. 17 this year -- to celebrate public spaces with friends. It's being organized and promoted in Michigan by Sean Mann, founder and program coordinator of Let's Save Michigan, a project of the Michigan Municipal League.Mann points out that with graduates fleeing the state, oftentimes what they're looking for is a better quality of life above jobs -- and that quality of life includes public places. "It's a fun way to highlight bringing people together, to show they can create those places," he says of the day. "Our whole campaign is about moving Michigan forward."Park(ing) Day has taken off in Grand Rapids and other big cities across the nation and world. Some other communities in Michigan, including Pontiac, Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City, will likely be participating in this quirky day of awareness. There's still plenty of time to sign up, and parking spots don't have to be made elaborate. A couple of lawn chairs and a potted plant will do.The day, taking place at the end of summer, also allows for one last (hopefully) warm-weather celebration before Michigan gets cold and dark. Click here to learn more or to sign up.Source: Sean Mann, Let's Save Michigan founder and program coordinatorWriter: Kristin Lukowski
Several years ago, architect Warren Samberg purchased an old Victorian student rental house on Packard and saw the large parking lot to the rear of the Ann Arbor property as an opportunity.Students are now living in a LEED-certified building constructed behind the Victorian. The new addition is approximately 3,000 square feet and holds two, six-bedroom apartments in two stories above covered parking."I'm an architect, so I believe in the idea that if you're going to build, it should be environmentally friendly," he says. Plus, most students have grown up reducing, reusing, and recycling. "It's part of their everyday life to live a greener lifestyle. They already understand what a green building is. Most support living that way."The Victorian, like other old houses around town, is inefficient energy-wise, but Samberg replaced the steam boiler system with geothermal heat, since he was already digging a well for the new building. "The idea was if I'm digging all these wells, I might as well dig a few more wells to supply the existing house as well," he says. "It made sense to do this all at the same time."And since the addition is new construction, built by Bloom General Contracting, he was able to add extra insulation and use a light-colored roof to reflect the sun. He'll probably add new windows and blown-in insulation to the old house down the road, he says. "Over the years, I want to continuously improve the existing old house."It also makes financial sense as a landlord to build buildings with high energy efficiency, he points out. And, rent is competitive with similar buildings around campus. "I'm not charging more just because it's a green building," he says. "Many of the green elements of the building are not any more costly than a project that doesn't have green products."The addition was completed about a month ago and tenants moved in for fall semester. "So far, the feedback's been great," he says. "They like living there."Source: Warren Samberg, owner of 523 PackardWriter: Kristin Lukowski
The University of Michigan's Frankel Commercialization Fund is investing in Ambiq Micro, a U-M spin-off that specializes in making tiny, energy-efficient microprocessors.The student-led fund did not disclose the amount of the investment, but the Ann Arbor-based start-up expects to use the money to hire 4-6 people over the next year. More importantly, it will seek and attract customers for its technology."It’s a very important part of the sales process," says Scott Hanson, CEO and founder of Ambiq Micro. "It establishes credibility."The 9-month-old firm is developing energy-efficient micro-processors that dramatically extend the battery life of wireless devices. They can be utilized in several different applications, ranging from smart credit cards to sensors that control temperature to medical devices. Hanson expects to have the first engineering samples ready by next year and to launch the product by 2012.Ambiq Micro started with three founders and now has two employees and 3-4 independent contractors. It recently made its second hire. The Frankel Commercialization Fund, based at the U-M Ross School of Business, is the country's first student-led pre-seed investment fund, not to be confused with the school's venture capital fund: the Wolverine Venture Fund.Source: Scott Hanson, CEO and founder of Ambiq MicroWriter: Jon Zemke
A University of Michigan research team is making CT scans more readable with less radiation, and it has a $1.9 million grant to help them.U-M's 10-person team is working with about half-a-dozen researchers at General Electric to find a way to administer CT scans that both use less radiation and reveal more information about a patient, such as finding tumors or blood clots by creating higher-definition images.U-M Dept of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Prof. Jeff Fessler is leading the team at U-M. He expects the research to make serious headway toward accomplishing this and actually get the improvements to the market in the near future."I hope to see something move out of the laboratory and into the clinic within 1-2 years," Fessler says.Source: Jeff Fessler, professor at the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke
Students from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and other corners of the university are gearing up to play a bigger role in the retooling of the Motor City's economy with Revitalization & Business: Focus Detroit.The student-led program doesn't want volunteer interest level to stop at participating in a clean-up day or mentoring a child. The goal is to get more students to open businesses and plant stakes in a city in desperate need of more educated and entrepreneurial young people."We want to showcase Detroit from another perspective," says Matt Naegle, a U-M student and member of the executive committee for Revitalization & Business: Focus Detroit. "Not the here are all the problems perspective, but here are all the opportunities point of view."The group has already recruited a core group of student volunteers, most of whom are leaders in other campus organizations. The hope is to harness those connections to raise attendance at bi-weekly meetings this fall, culminating with a conference on all the opportunities Detroit offers in January. The group is aiming to have 150 students participating."We plan on promoting it heavily," Naegle says.Source: Matt Naegle, member of the executive committee for Revitalization & Business: Focus DetroitWriter: Jon Zemke
Digitizing medical records is doubtless a growth industry; the extent of its sprawl can be seen in the likes of Therapy Charts.The downtown Ann Arbor-based firm creates medical record software for clinical psychologists, social workers, and mental health counselors. It started with three people in 2008, now employs nine, and expects to hire a few technicians next year.Lisa Farmer founded Therapy Charts after working in hospital mental health departments and observing that medical record technology was aimed at big institutions and not sole practitioners or small health-care co-operatives. Her team created its own software and now has 100 clients today, including Madonna University. Madonna uses the program for its training clinic. "We see this as a way for universities to get their electronic records right," Farmer says.Farmer sees more universities wanting her company's product and expects to use them as the springboard for more growth over the next year.Source: Lisa Farmer, founder of Therapy ChartsWriter: Jon Zemke
TorranceLearning has a new face or two in its office, and a new office in downtown Chelsea.The consulting-and-education firm has recently hired a new person and moved into bigger digs, in Chelsea's iconic Clock Tower complex. The 4-year-old firm now employs eight people and expects to add a couple more within the next year as it continues to attract clients. TorranceLearning recently landed the likes of Be The Match bone marrow program and has a host of others nearly ready to sign on."We're close to signing a couple of significant contracts," says Megan Torrance, president and CEO of TorranceLearning. "If we land them all we will be able to hire 2-4 people. We now have the space to do it."The new office for TorranceLearning, which specializes in training for companies and non-profits, is three times as big as the company's old offices. It now has elbow room for everyone and a few niche things, such as a brain-storming pit and voice-over booth in an open work space. Source: Megan Torrance, president and CEO of TorranceLearningWriter: Jon Zemke
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