Education

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

U-M’s BioBolt has potential to help cure paralysis

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June 22, 2011

Researchers from the University of Michigan have developed a new technology called BioBolt that can use human skin to transmit neural signals and has the potential to help treat or cure paralysis.The BioBolt is a minimally invasive technology that allows a person to send signals through their skin in order to induce a paralyzed limb to move. It resembles a bolt and is about the circumference of a dime, with a thumbnail-sized film of microcircuits attached to the bottom. It is implanted in the skull beneath the skin and the film of microcircuits sits on the brain. The microcircuits act as microphones to listen to the overall pattern of firing neurons and associate them with a specific command from the brain. Those signals are amplified and filtered, then converted to digital signals and transmitted through the skin to a computer."We are sending signals through the skin," says Euisik Yoon, an electrical engineering and computer science professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. "We're using the skin as a conductor."BioBolt could also potentially be used to control epilepsy and diagnose certain diseases, such as Parkinson's. The University of Michigan is pursuing intellectual property protection for the BioBolt and is looking for potential partners to help bring the technology to market. Source: Euisik Yoon, electrical engineering and computer science professor at the University of Michigan College of EngineeringWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

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Nearly $10 million to be invested in cancer treatments at U-M Hospital

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Development News

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June 22, 2011

Nearly $10 million in improvements and new equipment are coming to the University of Michigan Health System, and also bringing about innovation in cancer treatment.Two projects, one at $4.9 million, the other at $4.8 million, will upgrade treatments and treatment facilities in radiation therapy and angiography.The larger project will establish a new MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) system to the Department of Radiation Oncology and require the renovation of 1,800 square feet at the hospital. The MRI machine will replace an 11-year-old CT (computed tomograph) simulator.The MRI as a preferred treatment approach over CT scanning is believed to be a first in the state and possibly in the country, says Ian Demsky, an associate public relations representative for the University of Michigan Health System.The second project will bring in a CTA, computed tomography angiography, technology that lets doctors examine blood vessels with more detail than an MRI or ultrasound. It will require the renovation of two radiology rooms that total about 1,400 square feet. The upgrades will be completed in the coming months.Source: Ian Demsky, spokesperson, University of Michigan Health SystemWriter: Kim North Shine

Center for Automotive Medicine at U-M wants to make driving safer

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Development News

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June 22, 2011

Years of research into automobile crashes will be part of the new Center for Automotive Medicine, or ICAM, a University of Michigan facility that will put medical professionals and auto engineers and their crucial information in close contact.The $800,000 ICAM facility will encourage past and future research into crashes, both from the automotive safety side and the human behavior side, be put into recommendations, informing changes that could save lives and money."In our many years of research, here's what we know is important," says Dr. Stewart Wang, founder and director of ICAM and director of the U-M Burn Center, says in a statement. "The vehicle is important. The restraints are important. But the occupant is the most important," he says. "Our mission is to better understand, treat and prevent crash injuries. And to really understand injuries requires doctors and engineers working together in equal partnership."ICAM is also the creator of www.crashedu.org, and is looked to as a leader in automotive safety research.Source: Ian Demsky, spokesperson, University of Michigan Health SystemWriter: Kim North Shine

Backyard Brains turns $450K grant, sales into new jobs

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Education

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June 15, 2011

Backyard Brains has been busy over the last year, scoring its first sale, two new hires and a $450,000 federal grant.The educational materials provider has now sold nearly 500 teaching kits that shows how the brain works. Its customers range from a few dozen high schools to universities to countries."We're pretty proud that we have real sales and real customers," says Tim Marzullo, executive director of Backyard Brains. Marzullo and his partner Greg Gage, both neuroscientists, started the company as a way to provide a cost-effective product that teaches grade-school students the workings of neurons in the brain. Its Robo Roach allows them to control insects via antennas. Backyard Brains plans to upgrade its educational materials to include software and data analysis. Other plans include a marketing upgrade so it can score sales in the 13 states where it doesn't yet have a presence. Marzullo also plans to expand staffing from four to six people this summer.Source: Tim Marzullo, executive director of Backyard BrainsWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Lycera’s growth spurs move to bigger space in U-M’s NCRC

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Economic Development

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June 15, 2011

Ann Arbor SPARK likes to call Lycera's move from the Michigan Life Science Innovation Center in Plymouth to the University of Michigan's North Campus Research Complex a graduation. What's really driving this newly dubbed "graduation" is really old-fashioned growth. The U-M spin-out is moving on up to 14,000 square feet of office and wet lab space in the old Pfizer campus in northeast Ann Arbor after bursting at the seams at the practically full Michigan Life Science Innovation Center, which is managed by Ann Arbor SPARK."The only space really available with the appropriate lab facilities is at the North Campus Research Complex," says Gary Glick, founder and chief scientific officer of Lycera. "It's really second to none as far as lab facilities."Lycera's scientists are developing oral medicines for treating autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The firm now employs 19 people after adding five jobs over the last year. It plans to add another 8-10 positions over the next year.Lycera is also looking to broker more partnerships similar to the one it recently formed with pharmaceutical giant Merck. "There will be additional partnerships," Glick says, declining to name any potential collaborators beyond a closer working relationship with U-M.Source: Gary Glick, founder and chief scientific officer of LyceraWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

North Campus Research Complex undergoes $13.7 million renovation

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Development News

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June 15, 2011

The opening of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation is leading to $13.7 million in renovations at the North Campus Research Complex at the University of Michigan.The renovations, including taking down walls, creating more collaborative working space, and other changes, will create a workplace for hundreds of researchers.The health care policy institute's mission is to use innovative and interdisciplinary research to enhance the health and well-being of local, national and global populations.The institute is expected to become one of the largest of its kind in the nation, according to the university. It is one of several projects at the North Campus Research Complex, which opened in January on the site of the former Pfizer pharmaceutical campus. There are 600 employees working at the 30-building, 174-acre property. The overall goal of the complex is to pair U-M scientists and faculty with private industry, government and non-profits to solve problems in the fields of human health, energy and advanced technology.The institute is expected to open in coming weeks with 100 researchers, some of whom are already working at the NCRC. Eventually 500 researchers from a wide array of specialties will work there.Source: Mary Masson, senior writer, University of Michigan public relationsWriter: Kim North Shine

Michigan’s Innovation Factory?

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Economic Development

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June 15, 2011

Can state, local, and U-M efforts actively help start-ups "graduate" into successful, full-fledged companies? The combined efforts of SPARK's Michigan Life Science & Innovation Center and U-M's NCRC may be creating a factory pipeline. Excerpt: "Now here’s where it gets interesting. Lycera, a promising U-M drug spinout, will move from the innovation center to the NCRC, where it will occupy 14,000 square feet. Actually, Ann Arbor SPARK used the term “graduate”. Why is this important? The NCRC and MLSIC are not mere acronyms or buildings but rather key components in an emerging system that previously didn’t exist in the state. Think about it. The U-M develops technology and spins out a company. The innovation center nurtures the startup to point where it gets big enough to move into the NCRC. There, the company further develops, attracts more venture capital and collaborates on projects with the university." Read the rest of the story here.

U-M spin-out Brio Device wins Best of Entrepreneur Boot Camp

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Education

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June 8, 2011

The journey to create Brio Device started with University of Michigan researchers working on a post-graduate fellowship in the U-M Medical Innovation Center. The bio-tech start-up's most recent stop comes with winning "Best of Boot Camp" in Ann Arbor SPARK's Entrepreneur's Boot Camp competition.Hannah Hensel, Laura Walz, Douglas Mullen and Dr. Sabina Siddiqui started last year by creating an extensive list of things that needed to be improved in the health-care industry and came up with the SmartAirway, a new tool that improves the efficacy and safety of emergency intubation. "This is something we felt compelled to pursue," Hensel says. "It was there from a clinical need and market size. This is something we can really make some advancement with."Brio Device's team of four is in the early stages of developing a prototype. Hensel expects to have a couple more engineers working on the project within a year and use the prototype to help raise seed capital. Commercialization could come as soon as 2013.Brio Device won "Best of Boot Camp" based on the quality of its elevator pitch and business plan. It won in-kind services from Ann Arbor SPARK and the educational experience of working at Entrepreneur's Boot Camp."It was very worthwhile," Hensel says. "They were prepared for people who were in varying stages of development. They were able to tailor the experience to each start-up."Source: Hannah Hensel, co-founder of Brio DeviceWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

New U-M healthcare policy institute set to attract 500 researchers

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Education

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May 25, 2011

The University of Michigan Health System is launching the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation from the North Campus Research Complex, a move that could attract 500 researchers to the former Pfizer site.The institute will harness innovative, interdisciplinary health services research to improve the health of local, national and global populations. It brings together hundreds of university researchers working on ground-breaking studies tackling issues like support for patients with chronic conditions, insurance design, and preventative care. U-M officials hope that by bringing them together at the North Campus Research Complex more collaborations and potential public-private partnerships will form."It's very entrepreneurial and exciting," says Dr. Thomas Schwenk, professor and chair of the Dept. of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System. "It's not something every university could do or would be willing to do. That says a lot about university leadership."If the institute reaches its goal of bringing 500 researchers to the North Campus Research Complex, it would make it one of the nation's largest concentrations of healthcare policy and services researchers."This has great potential," Schwenk says. "We're all very excited. There are hundreds of investigators from across the university that can come together on this."Source: Dr. Thomas Schwenk, professor and chair of the Dept. of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan Health SystemWriter: Jon ZemkeRead more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Dedicated conservation engineer saves U-M $3.6M in energy costs

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Development News

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May 25, 2011

Faced with ever-declining funding from the state, the University of Michigan is squeezing as much slack as it can from its operating costs. Enter Jim Almashy, energy conservation engineer for U-M's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), who's charged with spotting opportunities for utility cost savings and resource conservation for U-M's largest college, where fall 2010 enrollment exceeded 19,000 students.When Almashy's position was created in 2007, LSA was spending $16 million on utilities each year. "[LSA] felt that number was just going to continue to rise as natural gas costs increased, as electric costs increased," Almashy says, "They recognized that they had to do something, and they had to do it specific to their school because the campus is large and they needed somebody that could just focus on how the buildings operated."Almashy works with the U-M Office of Campus Sustainability's Planet Blue operations teams to look at the occupancy and types of systems in the 30 buildings housing the college's classrooms, auditoriums, offices, and laboratories. By focusing on the energy cost center over the past few years, in 2010 alone, LSA's utility bills fell by $3.6 million over the prior year, while energy and steam usage dropped by 26 percent and 35 percent, respectively. Almashy expects similar savings in 2011.In a college where the Chemistry Building alone eats up about 25% of energy expenditures, the savings has come through experimentation. Efforts were aimed at reducing the use of air conditioning systems deploying water as a coolant, for example. "A lot of the systems we have here use city water, one time down the drain," he notes. Accordingly, about 80 roto vapors, used by scientists to create vacuums for experiments, were replaced with a product using compressed air instead of water to drive the vacuum.The next big focus in the science arena is making sure systems are properly calibrated, Almashy says. In the Chemistry Building alone, there are 423 hoods "where we're bringing in conditioned air, either heated or air conditioned through our fume hoods, and our exhaust systems and exhausting it out the door."His team has also developed four different fan schedules for each college building, bringing potential usage down from 24-7, or 168 hours per week, to about 35 hours. The single fix with the biggest bang for the buck? Over one summer, the college has saved $125,000 by trading in steam-generated air conditioning systems – inexpensive to install but costly to run – in Ruthven Museum and Lorch Hall for rented portable electric chillers. Almashy credits these successes to having the buy-in of university officials, who back his experimentation. "That's a different mindset from what we have done in the past. Before, people said 'The buildings's there, let it run, it'll be fine.' And now they're realizing that you just can't run a facility that way."Sources: Jim Almashy, energy conservation engineer for U-M's College of LSA; U-M Office of the RegistrarWriter: Tanya Muzumdar