2010 – Page 77 of 78

U-M begins moving staff into old Pfizer campus

By Newsroom

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January 13, 2010

The first wave of University of Michigan employees is getting ready to crash into the old Pfizer campus. The university has selected about 300 staff to move into what is now called the North Campus Research Complex.These will be far from the last to move into the 2 million-square-foot facility at the corner of Huron Parkway and Plymouth Road. The 174-acre property, which features 30 buildings, will become the home to a mix of researchers and staff from both the university and local businesses.The employees, which will make the move this spring, are coming from single-story office buildings at the corner of Huron and Plymouth roads. The campus is expected to eventually house thousands of university personnel and students, including staff from the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research, the Medical School's Institutional Review Board, the Office of Medical Development and Alumni Relations, the development and clinical trials offices for the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Clinical Research Billing.Pfizer occupied this space until it announced it would leave it to consolidate operations elsewhere in 2007. The university bought it last year for $108 million. Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M’s HistoSonics hires 5, takes in $11M in financing

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 13, 2010

Hear that bang? That's Ann Arbor's newest tech biz -HistoSonics- breaking onto the scene. The University of Michigan spin-off launched last month with the help of $11 million in startup financing. "We got the financing and that was the first day of business," says Chris Gibbons, president of HistoSonics.Now the company is about to sign a lease on the west side of the city for its five employees. It plans to make at least one more hire this year and be up to 20 people within 2-3 years. HistoSonics (histo meaning tissue and sonics meaning sound waves) is developing a medical device that uses tightly focused ultrasound pulses to treat prostate disease. The idea is to create a non-invasive, image-guided system that can destroy tissue with robotic precision. A team from the U-M Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Urology discovered the technology. That research team includes Charles Cain, Brian Fowlkes, Tim Hall, Zhen Xu and Dr. William Roberts. Source: Chris Gibbons, president of HistoSonicsWriter: Jon Zemke

NIGHT & DAY: A Good Start

By Jeff Meyers

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Kids and Education

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January 13, 2010

Along with a recap of this week's six FilterD selections, editor Jeff Meyers opens the new year with some good news about local arts and culture organizations.

Mackinac Center: Ann Arbor leads in school insurance cost containment

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 13, 2010

Where money goes in regards to public education is always a hot topic. The libertarian-based Mackinac Center says Ann Arbor Public Schools is sending some of it in a great direction.Excerpt:Van Beek noted that AAPS "is on the forefront of having employees contribute. That kind of system is what a lot of schools would benefit from."Read the rest of the story here.

U-M grad, 22, living the loft lifestyle in downtown Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 13, 2010

Yes townies, U-M college students can become one of you without buying a house in the city. Hopefully the trend will continue.Excerpt:Mark Messmore started college life at the University of Michigan like most of his peers, living on campus in a cinder block dorm room and eating institutional food. But by the time he graduated in 2008, the now 22-year-old Messmore was living the good life in a downtown Ann Arbor loft, with restaurants, coffee and nightlife at his front door.Messmore bought and furnished a 650-square-foot downtown loft in the heart of downtown Ann Arbor, at the corner of Main and Liberty streets. But it wasn’t a trust fund or even the wages of a starting Spanish teacher with the Saline School District that made it possible for the then 20-year-old to buy a downtown loft. "I worked a million hours as an undergraduate," Messmore said. "I've been saving money since I began working at 13 at a diner in Dexter."Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s Andrew W.K. is not your normal rock star

By Newsroom

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Arts and Culture

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January 13, 2010

Andrew W.K.'s last name might be only two letters, but there is a lot more to the locally raised rock star.Excerpt:Andrew W.K. is a rock star, but he's so much more. The Ann Arbor-raised Andrew Wilkes-Krier is a TV personality, a favorite on the college lecture circuit, and the living embodiment of his mantra, "Party Hard." We recently talked to W.K., 30, about his life, career and his hosting gig on "Destroy Build Destroy" (8 p.m. Wednesdays, Cartoon Network).How often do you visit Michigan?I always come back throughout the year. It's of course one of my favorite places to visit, and my family's still there. It's a frequent place I frequent.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor ranked as second smartest college town

By Newsroom

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Healthy Communities

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January 13, 2010

Hear that? That's the sound of Ann Arbor's ego getting bigger as another publication ranks it as one of the smartest places to live in the U.S.Excerpt:In 1902, the Michigan Wolverines football team beat the pants off Stanford, 49-0, in the first Rose Bowl. Unlike with some other football-centric colleges, Ann Arbor has become a bastion of the arts and activism.Read the rest of the story here.

Huffington Post lauds Ann Arbor’s Accio Energy

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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January 13, 2010

The products of innovation coming from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is starting to gain attention on a national scale.Excerpt:I have seen a prototype of their technology in action and it is very impressive - could be an interesting solution to some of wind energy's challenges - particularly for off-shore or near-shore wind.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor DDA moves forward on Near North, Library Lot

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 13, 2010

A lot of people took the holidays off this year. Not the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, as it spent more than half a million dollars on developments in the college town's downtown area.The big ticket item is $500,000 for the Near North project on North Main Street, a few blocks north of downtown. The grant will help get the affordable housing project off the ground. The development would build 40 apartments for entry-level workforce (people who make less than $33,000 annually) and provide permanent supportive housing for people who are homeless or have disabilities. "It's really exciting for us because it helps move more downtown employees into the core area," says Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.The stocking stuffer is a $50,000 grant for the Library Lot project. The DDA is giving the money to the city so it can hire a real-estate consultant to help guide city officials through the six proposals for the site next to the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown branch. The idea is to have a consultant from outside Washtenaw County and not affliated with any of the development teams bring a fresh pair of eyes to the process."It would be a very objective look," Pollay says.The RFP for the consultant is due today. The developers behind the proposals will be making public presentations on them on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week at the Ann Arbor District Library's Downtown Branch. There will also be a Q&A session from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the library.Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Jon Zemke

Ypsilanti City Hall solar project done, co-op next in line

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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January 13, 2010

The solar panels are up on the back of Ypsilanti's City Hall, the wires are connected and now all the project needs to begin generating electricity is finish the paperwork.The grassroots group of solar-power activists behind the project are just waiting for officials from the city and DTE Energy to sign off on the last of the paperwork this month before flipping the switch. The panels are expected to be working and the group's website tracking how much electricity is generated by the end of February. "I need one more piece," says Dave Strenski, a volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel Project.A $36,000 grant and some local fundraising/volunteer efforts were key to making the 12 solar panels a reality. The group of volunteers is now training its focus on expanding the number of solar panels on the roof of the bakery for Ypsilanti Food Co-op. That project is expected to begin this spring and wrap up later in the year. The electricity generation from the existing panels is also expected to increase because of the recent installation of a white roof that will reflect more light onto the panels. Source: Dave Strenski, volunteer with the Ypsilanti Solar Panel ProjectWriter: Jon Zemke