Education

Coverage of schools from kindergarten through higher education, including trade and online training, and childcare.

Ypsi study from 1960 says preschool pays off

By Newsroom

●

August 17, 2011

It was called the Perry Preschool Project, and it found that toddlers who attended preschool, even part time, go on to greater academic and job success in life than those that didn't.Excerpt:"You might not think of soft skills as skills at all. They involve things like being able to pay attention and focus, being curious and open to new experiences, and being able to control your temper and not get frustrated.All these soft skills are very important in getting a job. And Heckman discovered that you don't get them in high school, or in middle school, or even in elementary school. You get them in preschool."Read/listen to the rest of the story here.

Latest in Education

In Ann Arbor, historic preservation and rehabilitation has its rewards

By Tanya Muzumdar

●

Arts & Culture

●

August 10, 2011

Vintage home and commercial property owners in Ann Arbor who go to the extent of jimmying off asbestos siding to reveal original clapboards and replacing decayed trim with historically accurate replicas don't go unnoticed. Every February a vanful of preservation buffs makes the rounds of the icy streets, looking to spotlight exemplary historic properties. For the last 23 years, the Ann Arbor Historic District Commission has presented awards to citizens and businesses for rehabs and projects deserving special merit, as well as preservation of properties they've owned and maintained for 10 years. Mayor John Hieftje presents the certificates at a city council meeting every June. "We try to recognize people, some of whom are not getting any financial benefits out of it. They're just doing it because they believe in it," says Susan Wineberg, chair of the awards committee. The nine-member group is a mix of residents city-wide, some of whom are historic district commission members. To be eligible, a property must be at least 50 years old. Among those honored in 2011 with a rehabilitation award was the Linder House, a bright aqua-hued co-op at 711 Catherine Street that's owned by the Inter Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan. "The ICC is doing a great job... they seem to have a project every year," Wineberg says. The rehab included remilling of new wood trim to match the old, and historically accurate replacement windows and roof. "Usually things are not that much of a 100-percent overhaul, but that was a really major overhaul."An adaptive re-use of the garage home base of Old House Gardens, an internationally-known antique flower bulb purveyor at 536 Third Street, also got the nod with a special merit award. After abandoning the search for a historic farm to use for his business, owner Scott Kunst remade the upper level of his barn-like garage into new office space. "Here's a local business guy who's really made good and is staying in Ann Arbor and reusing what he has," Wineberg notes.Source: Susan Wineberg, Ann Arbor Historic District Commission awards committee chairWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

U-M’s Venture Accelerator signs 3 new start-ups, to hit capacity by year-end

By Newsroom

●

Education

●

August 10, 2011

The Venture Accelerator at the University of Michigan's North Campus Research Complex is filling up fast. Three more start-ups have signed leases, bringing the incubator to 60-percent capacity."By the end of the year we will be at capacity," says Jim O'Connell, director of the University of Michigan Venture Accelerator. "Since it's an accelerator we won't have 100 percent usage. It will be at 85-90 percent capacity." He adds that a consistent rotation of growing start-ups receiving incubation services will keep the accelerator filled.U-M opened the Venture Accelerator in the North Campus Research Complex, formerly Pfizer's Ann Arbor campus, seven months ago with the idea of providing space, services and mentoring for start-ups commercializing university technology and research. Those start-ups include life sciences, clean-tech, software and other technology ventures with anywhere from 3-15 employees. When the accelerator is full it will provide space for up to 15 emerging companies.Among the new start-ups are Wolverine Energy Solutions and Technology (an alternative energy and defense firm), Reveal Design Automation (a software start-up) and Edington Associates (a consulting company). "We have 4-5 other leases in the works that should put us at capacity by December," O'Connell says.Source: Jim O'Connell, director of the University of Michigan Venture Accelerator University of MichiganWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

U-M’s East Quad, North Hall are next up for renovations

By Tanya Muzumdar

●

Development News

●

August 3, 2011

The University of Michigan is putting $116 million greenbacks into what it terms "a deep renovation" of the East Quadrangle dormitory, also home to the university's Residential College. The 300,000-square-foot residence hall housing 860 students was built in 1941 and last received additions and updates in 1969.Upgrades include new plumbing, HVAC, and fire detection systems, high speed internet access, and a rehab of the bathrooms and dining facilities. The Residential College will also get more suitable space. Over the years the college has been making do with space not originally intended for academic use; bedrooms morphed into offices and the majority of classrooms are housed in the basement, according to documents from the U-M Board of Regents.Housing and College of Literature, Science, and the Arts funds and investment proceeds will cover project costs.Troy, Mich.-based Integrated Design Solutions LLC has been commissioned to do the design work, which has just begun. A construction schedule will be established once the design is approved.Another recently approved project, albeit on a much smaller scale, is a $1.6 million renovation of North Hall, headquarters of the university's Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Funding comes from investment proceeds.Improved plumbing and HVAC systems, an ADA-accessible main entryway, and a unisex lavatory are slated for the circa-1899 building.Detroit-based SmithGroup is the designer. Construction is expected to be complete by the winter of 2012.Source: University of Michigan Board of RegentsWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

LectureTools adds 7 jobs in prep for product launch this fall

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

August 3, 2011

If the mother of invention is necessity, then it might also be the surrogate parent of start-ups. LectureTools, a University of Michigan spin-out that is reinventing educational materials, makes a good argument for it.The 1-year-old start-up got its start late in 2009 when a small group of graduate students approached U-M Prof. Perry Samson, co-founder of Weather Underground, about reinventing the software program for educational materials, such as course packs, handouts and quizzes. That grass roots movement turned into $650,000 in National Science Foundation grants that allowed U-M students and Samson to redesign the software from the ground up."It's more efficient," says Jason Aubrey, sales and marketing director and co-founder of LectureTools. "The design is much better and the usability is a lot nicer."The Ann Arbor-based firm plans to debut its product this fall at U-M, thanks to the work of a team of 10 employees and several interns, up from the company's three original founders. LectureTools is working with the university's Office of Tech Transfer and another company to fully integrate the program with U-M's infrastructure and begin marketing it beyond Ann Arbor."For the first time students will be able to have their notes, textbook and other materials on one platform and it will be searchable," Aubrey says.Source: Jason Aubrey, sales and marketing director and co-founder of LectureToolsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

U-M’s Planet Blue to launch Sustainability Ambassadors program

By Tanya Muzumdar

●

Development News

●

July 27, 2011

Come the bronze and gold colors of fall, the U-M campus will be getting another green sweeping - this time by way of the Planet Blue Sustainability Ambassadors, a pilot seminar that mixes students and staff in the classroom and on field projects around campus.Experts in such fields as psychology, conservation behavior, organizational change, and educational programs will be brought in to work with the class of 25 students and 10 staff, which will meet over a full year. Although similar programs exist at other campuses nationwide, the involvement of staff members in class is a unique set-up, says Mike Shriberg, education director for the Graham Sustainability Institute and a lecturer in U-M's College of Literature, Science, and Arts (LSA). "The program here that's grounded in the classroom seminar and has staff members who are serving a similar role in their home departments, whether they work in the hospital, in athletics, in the housing department, or in LSA, are also going to be receiving information and participating with the same experts in the classroom," he says. "We don't know of other scenarios where students and staff are actually in the classroom learning together in this way."The course is open to students via a competitive application process; applications are due August 15, says Program Coordinator Lydia McMullen-Laird, a U-M undergraduate public policy major. All admitted must live in university housing. "For me, a natural way for the university to move forward in terms of sustainability was to integrate it into housing...that's such a big part of campus life for so many students, and there wasn't really a set program in place in housing," says McMullen-Laird. That need kicked off the course proposal process. McMullen-Laird was part of the team from the Student Sustainability Initiative that wrote the proposal.On the project end, students will start off doing an environmental behavior audit of their residence hall, looking for opportunities such as promoting locally grown food and reducing electricity and water usage, Shriberg describes.Ambassadors will then work with residence hall leaders on implementing programs along the lines of, for instance, an educational program on energy conservation or a documentary about the world's water crisis, Shriberg says. Fluidity is a given, as each residence hall has unique needs. "We also expect with this being a new program that students will come in and use their own creativity and ideas."Sources: Mike Shriberg, education director for U-M's Graham Sustainability Institute and LSA lecturer; Lydia McMullen-Laird, program coordinatorWriter: Tanya Muzumdar

Vortex Hydro Energy harnesses river power, adds jobs

By Newsroom

●

Education

●

July 27, 2011

Vortex Hydro Energy has one alternative-energy-generating prototype out of the water and is preparing to sink another one soon.The University of Michigan spin-out is developing a device that harnesses the power in river currents through a physical phenomenon of vortex-induced vibration. Water current flows around cylinders, inducing transverse motion, which is then turned into electricity. It doesn't have propellers or other traditional water-harnessing technology. The six-year-old start-up tested a prototype of its technology in the St. Clair River last year."It went pretty well," says Gus Simiao, CEO of Vortex Hydro Energy. "We're in the process of developing our next generator. We're shooting to put it in the water sometime next year."Vortex Hydro Energy is aiming to commercialize this technology by 2014. It has recently hired two employees to push it closer to that goal, expanding its team to five people. The Ann Arbor-based firm conducts its research at the U-M Marine Hydrodynamics Lab and has also recently taken up office space in Dexter.Source: Gus Simiao, CEO of Vortex Hydro EnergyWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Is clean-burning coal possible? U-M to find out

By Newsroom

●

Education

●

July 27, 2011

Clean tech may not yet be an economic force of nature, but it is clearly the way of the future. To wit, U-M, along with seven other universities, has landed a grant to look into how to achieve clean burning coal.Excerpt:"The U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday that it has awarded two grants to the University of Michigan to underwrite $1.2 million in research on the use of coal-based fuels in clean-burning advanced turbines."Read more here.

U-M biz, engineering schools create graduate entrepreneurship program

By Newsroom

●

Education

●

July 27, 2011

The University of Michigan is creating one more synergy to help spin out more of its research into successful companies by having the university's College of Engineering and Stephen M Ross School of Business partner to offer a masters degree in entrepreneurship."This will provide not only an entrepreneurial mindset but will enable more tech transfer from the university to the private sector," says Doug Neal, managing director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the U-M College of Engineering.The university already has a strong pipeline for turning cutting-edge technology into promising start-ups. Last year, almost 300 discoveries made at U-M went through the university's Office of Technology Transfer. That led to 153 patent applications and 10 spin-out companies. On top of that, 50 student-run companies have utilized the TechArb student business accelerator.U-M officials would like to strengthen this pipeline with the new dual-school degree. The hope is that the new course of study will continue to create more synergies between the engineering and business schools, thus inspiring more entrepreneurs to spin out U-M technologies into companies."There has always been a close relationship between the College of Engineering and the Ross School of Business," Neal says. "We have had a number of partnerships in the past."Source: Doug Neal, managing director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan College of EngineeringWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

RetroSense starts pre-clinical trials, to add positions

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

July 27, 2011

Business is moving at RetroSense Therapeutics; the Ann Arbor-based start-up is beginning pre-clinical trials and adding to its staff.The 1.5-year-old company is developing a novel gene therapy to restore vision in retinal degenerative diseases, using technology licensed from Wayne State University. To do this, the start-up is extracting a new gene from blue-green algae that helps make cells more photo sensitive. The company plans to apply this gene to human cells to regenerate photo receptors in the retina.RetroSense Therapeutics recently received a six-figure investment from the Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund, along with additional funding from outside private investors. That has allowed the company to add one job, expanding its team to three people. Another hire or two is in the works for later on in the year.The new-found capital has also allowed RetroSense Therapeutics to begin its pre-clinical trials in earnest. The start-up hopes to finish pre-clinical work by 2013 and commercialize its technology within five years."[The Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund money] helps us see [pre-clinical trials] all the way through," says Sean Ainsworth, CEO of RetroSense Therapeutics. "We have been raising some additional capital."Source: Sean Ainsworth, CEO of RetroSense TherapeuticsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.