Education

Silicon Valley firm hosts gamer summer camp in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

●

August 4, 2010

Most kids go to camp to play sports or escape into the wilderness. Kids in Ann Arbor go to camp to capitalize on their nerdiness thanks to iD Tech, a Silicon Valley firm looking to cultivate the next generation of video game creators.Excerpt:Remember this: In a world where computers run everything, nerds rule.So you might think the 31 kids glued to glowing screens last week at the Ann Arbor summer camp run by iD Tech, a company out of California's Silicon Valley, were just a bunch of campers who prefer computers to campfires. But you would be wrong.These are future masters of the universe, acquiring sophisticated programming skills in video-game design with Flash and Maya animation and other programs that most adults who design games don't get under their belts until they hit college or the professional world.The campers wore their nerdiness with a cheerful swagger."Oh yeah, I'm definitely a nerd," said Alex Eichner, 15, a camper from Alexandria, Va. "No doubt about it."The week-long program was one of seven iD Tech sponsored this summer at the University of Michigan, as well as at other universities around the country. The last U-M session begins Sunday and winds up Aug. 8.Read the rest of the story here.

Latest in Education

Technology, problem solving focus of Ypsilanti New Tech High School

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

July 28, 2010

In the real world, people don't work in one spot on one subject for an hour and then turn in a homework assignment. They work together to solve real-life problems. So how do you better prepare students for the real world? You design a school to emulate it.That's the idea behind the New Tech family of schools, one of which will be opening in the Ypsilanti Public school district this September. Ypsilanti New Tech High School at Ardis, in a former elementary school, will help students learn by working on projects that solve problems that integrate subject matter, explains Cory McElmeel, Interim Dean of Instructional Services.The basis of New Tech is engaging students in context. When presented with a program, they create a know and a need-to-know list, including what they yet need to learn to complete the project. Everything is based on the required Michigan curriculum.However, it's not done in typical one-class-per-hour fashion. Longer classes integrate subject matter: Biolit will be a combination of biology and English language arts, perhaps studying literature about ecology or genetics. Other combinations are Geoart (geometry and three-dimensional art), and Historytech, combining American history and geography with technology and communications. Double-sized classrooms will accommodate two teachers apiece, one for each of the integrated subjects.New Tech will also help students prepare for college; graduates are required to earn college credit and complete an internship. College freshmen often see a drop in grades as they get used to their new freedoms, and "part of New Tech is to get students to understand those freedoms," McElmeel says.Among the updates that had to be done was remodeling bathrooms to high-school size and installing lockers and windows to ready the school for its fall opening. A science lab will be built next year. Wireless Internet and additional electrical outlets were installed for MacBook computers, refurbished from previous teacher use, that each student will use. Interactive whiteboards were also brought over from now-closed schools, saving money."Having a laptop is key for students," McElmeel explains, enabling students to congregate and move around to solve a problem. "That desktop becomes a barrier between the students. Laptops can be moved aside."Enrollment is capped at 125 and includes a range of students, not just those who happen to be technologically minded. "It works for all the gamut of students," McElmeel says. "This program, because it's built on a need-to-know curriculum and working in groups, it works for any type of student."Ypsilanti New Tech was supported by grant funds, including a $450,000 grant from the Ann Arbor Community Foundation for new software and professional development. The facility update came from leftover bond funds."We do feel very lucky in Ypsilanti," he says of receiving the funding. "It's key to us. We would not have been able to bring this awesome program to our district."Ardis, at Ellsworth Road near Hewitt Road in Ypsilanti Township, was closed by the district in 2005 as part of a budget-cutting move.Source: Cory McElmeel, interim dean of instructional services for Ypsilanti New Tech High School at ArdisWriter: Kristin Lukowski

Tech Brewery’s uwemp plans to add 10-15 jobs

By Newsroom

●

Economic Development

●

July 21, 2010

Ann Arbor-based Tech Brewery isn't just a place for local techies/entrepreneurs to congregate and create. It's now a place for techies/entrepreneurs from across Metro Detroit.One-year-old uwemp is a prime example of Tech Brewery's growing reach across southeast Michigan. The firm's CEO is out of Bloomfield Hills, but he choose to set up shop for his start-up in Ann Arbor because of infrastructure like the Tech Brewery."My view is that technology is what it's all about and I want to be near the people who know about technology," says Jordan Wolfe, CEO of uwemp. "Plus, Ann Arbor SPARK helped a lot, too."The main product from ewemp is Confidence-Based Learning, a web-based learning engine that uses a Google Analytics-style method that gives educators a better handle on how their students are and are not learning. The program can show when a student is beginning to catch on to a lesson, when the student masters it, and even when he or she wanders off. The idea is to provide educators with the pertinent information to best reach their students. The Michigan Microloan Fund program gave uwemp a five-figure loan earlier this summer. It plans to use that money to create the Beta version of its software and begin testing it with its first customers. The company hopes to hire 10-15 employees over the next year. It currently employs two people full-time and another three independent contractors.Source: Jordan Wolfe, CEO of uwempWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor SPARK’s Shifting Gears program fosters executive talent

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

July 14, 2010

Michigan's economic reinvention isn't solely dependent on entrepreneurs and financiers; traditional business people will also play a critical role, and it's one that Ann Arbor SPARK's Shifting Gears program is gearing up to fill.The small business accelerator plans to start the Shifting Gears program this fall. The intensive four-month program provides professional career coaching for executive talent seeking opportunities in entrepreneurial and emerging businesses. The idea is to help these business people transition from southeast Michigan's corporate boardrooms to start-ups' coffee shop meetings by retaining and redeploying the executive talent being shed by local big businesses."That (transition) doesn't happen automatically," says Amy Cell, vice president for talent enhancement and executive talent for Ann Arbor SPARK. "It's like learning a new language."Management talent often has a tough time making the transition because it is used to the risk-averse mega corporate culture that emphasizes company politics. Small businesses often need management talent that is nimble, can wear multiple hats, is more willing to take risks, and is ready to take responsibility for those decisions."There are so many different elements to it," Cell says. "It's a paradigm shift."Shifting Gears is broken up into three distinct phases that combine class work and real-world learning. The first helps participants transition into small businesses with in-class sessions and workshops on small business foundations. The second consists of a three-day intensive practice simulation, followed by an 80-hour pro-bono practicum project with a small business. The final provides a launch pad for joining a small business with special networking opportunities, practice interviews, and career advice from a mentor that has extensive contacts with innovative, growing companies.Ann Arbor SPARK will hold free information sessions on the program on Aug. 3, 11, 16, and 25, and Sept. 1 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the SPARK East Incubator in downtown Ypsilanti. The deadline for applications is Sept. 3. For information, click here.Source: Amy Cell, vice president for talent enhancement and executive talent for Ann Arbor SPARKWriter: Jon Zemke

Michigan Islamic Academy co-founder Dawud Tauhidi passes

By Newsroom

●

In The News

●

May 26, 2010

Dawud Tauhidi, one of Ann Arbor's most prominent members of the Muslim community, has passed away. Coincidentally, his passing takes place right after the city of Ann Arbor approved plans for a major expansion of the Michigan Islamic Academy, which he helped co-found.Excerpt:It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of a great leader in the world of Islamic academia. After two years of battling, cancer ultimately took his life. Brother Dawud Tauhidi is succeeded by his five wonderful children and, of course, hundreds of children whom he taught or was acting principal for.After becoming Muslim in 1972, Atauhidi wasted no time in learning Arabic and Islamic studies. It soon became clear that his heart's passion lay in the field of academia. Thus, Dawud Tauhidi founded the Tarbiyah Project and he co-founded the Michigan Islamic Academy in Ann Arbor, MI. Later he became the principal and director of Crescent Academy International in Canton for several years. Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s Project Green creates building internships galore

By Newsroom

●

Arts and Culture

●

May 19, 2010

Project Green intended to become a center for green building education in Ann Arbor, but it has also turned into a place for landing an internship in this emerging field.The think tank, run by JS Vig Construction, employs one person from the Taylor-based firm and a handful of interns from the University of Michigan. That staff hosts tours and seminars centered on sustainable building at 157 E Hoover St. in the shadow of Michigan Stadium. It central location just south of downtown has made it convenient for both participants and interns."Essentially, it's on the campus," says Joe Vig, CEO of JS Vig Construction. "It's walkable to Central Campus." That in itself is an environmentally friendly attribute and one that helps facilitate the internship program, which Vig expects to expand later this year.So far 600 people have utilized Project Green's green building resources since it opened in late 2008. Those people include local building owners, architects and engineers, among others. They have participated in classes, seminars and tours that specialize in everything from LEED certification to building retrofits.Vig sees the later as a significant growth area in Michigan, a state that is fighting to rightsize itself and reinvent its economy. Put simply, there will be more demand for cheap existing building stock than creating expensive new construction."There is very little new construction and you have a lot of existing building stock," Vig says. "The average building is 30 years old and not very energy efficient."Source: Joe Vig, CEO of JS Vig ConstructionWriter: Jon Zemke

Pioneer HS gets ready for summer construction

By Newsroom

●

Community Development

●

May 5, 2010

When the students leave Pioneer High School in mid June look for the construction workers to move in to improve the back half of high school on the city's west side.The $1.7 million project will create a student courtyard behind the school in an open area that currently serves as the home to more than a dozen portable classrooms. It will also improve the school's tunnel system, expand its culinary arts classroom space, add space for special education and do away with the 16 portable classrooms.Those portable classroom have been a fixture at the high school for more than 25 years as the Ann Arbor Public Schools District has worked to deal with its growth. The removal of the units will once bring all of Pioneer's classroom teaching back into the main building."There are a lot of them," says Amy Osinski, spokeswoman for Ann Arbor Public Schools. "It's like portable city."Most of the work will be done in time for the next school year in late August. The student courtyard construction will probably continue through early fall before opening before the weather turns cold in October.The project is paid for by money raised in a 2004 bond proposal that calls for improving Pioneer High School. The school opened in the early 1950s on a huge parcel of land bordered by Seventh Street, Stadium Boulevard, Main Street and Scio Church Street. It has been renovated and added on a number of times since then. It has been 20 years since the last major renovation. The opening of Skyline High School allowed the school district to redevelop Pioneer High School.Source: Amy Osinski, spokeswoman for Ann Arbor Public SchoolsWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor green lights Michigan Islamic Academy expansion

By Newsroom

●

Development News

●

May 5, 2010

The Ann Arbor City Council has given the go ahead to the expansion plans for the Michigan Islamic Academy on Monday night.The religious Pre-K through 12 school on the city's northeast side plans to double its space at its facility on Plymouth Road. The 23-year-old school will grow to 20,000 square feet so it can accommodate its growing student population. A construction start date hasn't yet been set.The Michigan Islamic Academy currently houses 204 students in its 10,000 square feet of classrooms and a temporary trailer. However, the space lacks some basic school needs, such as a cafeteria.The new plans call for building an addition that will stand three stories tall. It will have space for eight additional classrooms and a cafeteria. The current school only has eight classrooms. The $1.5 million project is set to begin work this summer and wrap it up within nine months.Source: Tarek Nahlawi, the program manager for the Michigan Islamic AcademyWriter: Jon Zemke

Q&A: How to get into U-M’s Ross School of Business

By Newsroom

●

Entrepreneurship

●

April 28, 2010

Getting into University of Michigan's Ross School of Business is one of the most sought after tickets in the nation. Here is some inside information on how to score one, thaks the U.S. News & World Report.Excerpt:We posed questions to admissions officials at the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Stephen M. Ross School of Business regarding the application process, what they look for in applicants and what sets their school apart. These are their responses:1. What can applicants do to set themselves apart from their peers? They really don't need to do much to set themselves apart other than tell their unique stories—through their résumés, their essays, their interviews, and their recommendation letters. No two applicants, even if they live and work in the same place, will have the same stories to tell. Differentiation shouldn't be a goal; telling one's own story well should.2. What do you look for in the application essays? What do the essays tell you about a candidate?We look for several things in the essays: Do they have clear and compelling reasons for wanting to get an M.B.A. now? Do they have a clear sense of their goals and why they've set those goals? Can they communicate well?The essays tell us whether an applicant has taken the time to think about where they've been, what they hope to achieve and why. Essays tell us whether an applicant understands what an M.B.A. is about, whether our program is a good fit for them, and whether they'll be a good fit for our program.Read the rest of the story here.

TorranceLearning grows to 7 people in downtown Chelsea

By Newsroom

●

Entrepreneurship

●

April 21, 2010

Megan Torrance likes to say her start-up, TorranceLearning, started with her and the spare bedroom in her house in 2006.Today her training company employs seven people in downtown Chelsea after hiring three people last year. Her firm is now shopping for bigger office space in downtown Chelsea to help accommodate yet more expected growth."It's a great walkable community," Torrance says. "It's great to walk into stores and be recognized."Torrance spent 15 years specializing in process consulting or change management. It always revolved around some sort of training. Torrance decided to turn that into her own company as a way of spending less time on the road and more time making money for herself. She is seeing more companies spending money on training now that the economy is starting to expand a little. The big argument is that it costs much less to hire a company like TorranceLearning than building up an in-house department."The telephone is ringing again," Torrance says. "It's ringing from places it hasn't rung before."Source: Megan Torrance, president of TorranceLearning Writer: Jon Zemke