2010 – Page 67 of 78

Ann Arbor’s Advanced Photonix wins big Navy contract, adding jobs

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February 17, 2010

Advanced Photonix is gearing up for some growth in 2010 after holding its ground last year.The Ann Arbor-based firm and subsidiary Picometrix have been able to keep its employee count at around 160, with the occasional summer intern (the same since we last checked in). But they plan to hire additional people this year. The company has openings (mostly for people with advanced engineering degrees and expertise) right now."We've added quite a few people over the years," says Rob Risser, CFO of Advanced Photonix.Advanced Photonix specializes in making optimum electronic semiconductor sensors. It recently landed a follow-up order worth $2.4 million from the U.S. Navy. The order includes providing a custom photodiode assembly and optical sensor used for the Navy's Guided Missile Systems.Advanced Photonix's sensors are used by a wide variety of fields, ranging from homeland security's search for WMDs to eye scanners for the healthcare industry. Meanwhile, Picometrix focuses on making sensors for the telecommunications industry, one of the firm's most promising new sectors.Advanced Photonix went public in the late 1980s when it was a California-based firm. It merged with Picometrix (a University of Michigan spin-off) in 2005 and moved its headquarters and most of its operations to the south side of Ann Arbor.Source: Rob Risser, CFO of Advanced PhotonixWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M researchers develop new, tiny energy sensor system

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Economic Development

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February 17, 2010

The University of Michigan may have developed the most sustainable sensor to date.Researchers have created a 9-cubic millimeter solar-powered sensor that can theoretically run for the foreseeable future on renewable energy. The sensor is so small it's practically dwarfed by a penny, making it 1,000 times smaller than comparable commercial counterparts, allowing it to use 2,000 times less power.Part of what makes the sensor so significant is that it spends most of its time in sleep mode. It wakes up occasionally to take measurements, allowing it to conserve energy and only expend what it generates from its minuscule solar panels. The sensor's processor requires about half a volt to operate.Commercial uses range from bio-medical devices to bridge and building sensors. The technology was recently demonstrated by Greg Chen, a computer science and engineering doctoral student at U-M.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M researchers play key part in concussion test

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Healthy Communities

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February 17, 2010

Researchers at the University of Michigan are just about done hitting their heads on the wall when it comes to developing a new test for concussions - something professional sports is particularly interested in.Excerpt:NEW YORK - A simple, inexpensive test of reaction time may help determine on the sidelines whether an athlete has suffered a concussion, according to research released today that will be presented in April at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd annual meeting in Toronto.Research has shown that reaction time is slower after a concussion - even as long as several days after other symptoms have resolved. However, tests currently used to measure reaction time rely on computers and special software. That rules out their use in real-time situations such as games."We view their reliance on computers a limiting factor for use in many clinical settings," Dr. James T. Eckner of the University of Michigan Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Ann Arbor told Reuters Health by email.Read the rest of the story here.

President Obama to speak at U-M commencement

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Community Development

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February 17, 2010

For those who missed the news... Ann Arbor's connections to President Obama's administration (via U-M alum Eugene Kang and Valerie Jarret) are paying off inow that the leader of the free world will give the commencement speech at the University of Michigan this spring.Excerpt:Yes, it's cold now, but soon comes the warmth of spring with fresh flowers, thoughts of love, and college commencements -- and presidential college commencement speeches as well.President Obama will address graduates of the University of Michigan on May 1, school president Mary Sue Coleman announced."President Obama has captured the imagination and enthusiasm of many students with his inspiring words of hope and change," Coleman said.In addition to being a fine school, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor has seen its fair share of presidential historyRead the rest of the story here, how former Ann Arborites helped lobby for it here and the top local firms Obama should visit while in Ann Arbor here.

U-M represents at the Winter Olympics

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Healthy Communities

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February 17, 2010

The Ann Arbor area is famous for its athletics, and not just the revenue sports at the University of Michigan. A number of amateur athletes are making a name for themselves at this year's Olympic games.Excerpt:He was eight years old and had been skating since he was three but after playing ice hockey he had developed bad habits. To improve his skating, White’s parents decided to sign him up for ice dancing lessons. One town over in West Bloomfield, Mich., nine-year-old Meryl Davis was in a similar situation. She, too, had decided to take up ice dancing and was looking for a partner. The choice seemed obvious. The two young skaters had both trained at the Detroit Skating Club for years, and White’s single skating coach at the time, Seth Chafetz, thought to himself, “Why not give it a try?”The way White, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and Davis came together couldn’t be further from a storybook beginning. Their first skating session was so insignificant at the time that Davis said she barely even remembers when she met her partner. “I have absolutely no recollection of it,” she said trying to think back to the introduction. “I can only remember someone asking me to skate with this crazy kid and thinking that I had no idea what I was doing.”Read the rest of the story here and more about Ann Arbor's Olympic prowess here and here.

Accuri takes aim at next big profitable exit in Ann Arbor

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Entrepreneurship

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February 17, 2010

Accuri Cytometers is trying to become the next big entrepreneurial homerun in Ann Arbor, and it's pitch hitting a locally known slugger to make that happen.Excerpt:Jeffrey Williams was looking for some time off, maybe a beach somewhere, with a few good books to read.Instead, he's looking for a three-peat ... and so are his investors. Having led two Ann Arbor biotech companies to successful sales, he hopes to lead another to a profitable exit.Williams, 43, was named the CEO of Ann Arbor-based Accuri Cytometers Inc. on Jan. 29, replacing company co-founder Jennifer Baird in a move that stunned the local high-tech community.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor art gallery feels Haiti quake all the way in Michigan

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Arts and Culture

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February 17, 2010

A Haitian art dealer who now calls Ann Arbor home was a little bit more than shaken when the earthquake hit.Excerpt:Ann Arbor -- Lee Jean-Gilles was with two interior design clients around 5 p.m. Jan. 12 when his wife called to inform him of the terrible earthquake to hit Haiti. Jean-Gilles, a Haiti native and owner of the Pierre Paul Art Gallery in Ann Arbor, canceled the appointment and immediately went home, worried about family members living in Haiti. He tried desperately to reach his brother and sister in Port-au-Prince. "For close to four days I stayed at home, not sleeping, not eating, just watching the news," Jean-Gilles, 49. Finally, he reached his family members. They were safe. Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s entrepreneurs multi-task with a variety of start-ups

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Entrepreneurship

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February 17, 2010

Ann Arbor's entrepreneurs are starting to act like musicians trying to hit the big time by joining as many bands as possible. Only this time replace the word "band" with "start-up".Excerpt:They’re extremist entrepreneurs - that is, an economic antidote of sorts for Michigan’s ailing economy.For many entrepreneurs, starting and managing a new company is supremely stressful and time consuming.But for a few Ann Arbor business leaders, managing two startup companies at the same time is second nature.Read the rest of the story here.

Ypsilanti pushes façade improvement program

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Community Development

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February 17, 2010

Ypsilanti is making another effort to put a better face on its downtown, but this year local officials are taking that cliché literally. They are rallying local stakeholders to make plans to improve building facades in the city's downtown and Depot Town.The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority is hoping to harness part of $400,000 in state money to jump start its façade improvement program. That money could lead to a 50 percent match for stakeholders who make significant improvements to their building's exteriors. Think: bigger windows or restoration of brick façades."We have had a few businesses come and make inquiries," says Tracy Lewis, interim director of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority.If successful, Ypsilanti could rope in between $25,000-$100,000 in state funds. Applications are due later this month and the decision is expected by spring.Source: Tracy Lewis, interim director of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Jon Zemke

Finding the balance between green space and development in downtown Ann Arbor

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Community Development

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February 17, 2010

Could the city known for its plethora of parks not have enough in its core? That's the argument of some in Ann Arbor as calls for increasing green space in the college town's downtown grow louder and more persistent. But where is the line between park and urban development?"Ann Arbor is the one area everyone thinks we don't have enough parks," says Ray Detter, chair of the city's Downtown Area Citizens Advisory Committee and a downtown resident.That argument was made loud and clear when the initial proposals for the Library Lot project were being debated. It's what led to recent suggestions by the city that their 415 W Washington property (an old Dept. of Public Works yard) could become a new green space and arts center. The Library Lot is being groomed for dense, urban development while 415 W Washington, which was once headed in that direction, has been offered up as a potential concession. The two leading proposals for the Library Lot call for a mixed-use development of hotel and commercial space. The415 W Washington parcel includes an early 20th Century industrial building, which is now being proposed as home for a new community art center. Former plans for the surrounding acreage called for a combination of residential development with a touch of green. Now its all community space all the time, with an additional park space proposal.A map of Ann Arbor's downtown shows that it is ringed by significant parks, including West and Wheeler parks, the Huron Riverfront and the University of Michigan's Diag. But the actual city center lacks green space with the exception of Washington Square."I see the Allen Creek Greenway and adjacent park (415 W Washington site) as a counterbalance to the campus green space," Detter says.Detter also maintains that park development should not get in the way of creating more density downtown and attracting more residents to the city's core. He believes there are times when spaces like the Library Lot should be oriented for development rather than additional park space. He prefers the current leading proposals for the Library Lot over proposals for turning the entire space into a park."I find it concerning that if people don't have a park our of their front door then we don't [believe] have enough green space," Detter says.Source: Ray Detter, chair of the city's Downtown Area Citizens Advisory CommitteeWriter: Jon Zemke