Ann Arbor

U-M fuses business and art to create new graduate degree

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December 10, 2008

Students at the University of Michigan pursuing their masters of fine arts don’t traditionally mix with MBA students. That’s about to change now that the university has created a new program that combines the two programs.U-M students in either the Ross School of Business or the School of Art & Design will have the option of receiving a dual degree from both schools by participating in the new four-year program. The idea is to create graduates who have mastered the fundamentals of business but have also developed their creative side (or vice-versa) so they can go after the innovating jobs of the 21st Century."Business students must learn to be innovative in responding to challenges, and creative in solving problems," says Valerie Suslow, associate dean of the Ross School of Business. "Learning design principles and understanding the evolution of creative work gives business students insight into marketing, product design and organizational behavior."The university plans to start the program in the fall of 2009 and is taking applications for it now.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

SRT Solutions doubles HQ space in Ann Arbor, adds 8 people

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Economic Development

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December 10, 2008

SRT Solutions is doubling the office space in its Ann Arbor headquarters now that it has nearly doubled its staff over the last six months.The software firm has taken on more and more work from General Motors and the University of Michigan. That has led to eight new employees in the last half year, bring the company's total headcount to 18. The local start-up plans to continue expanding its staff at the same rate as it grows its client list. That means at least two more people early next year and as many as five new hires by the end of 2009."We just hired a sales person," says Dianne Marsh, co-founder of SRT Solutions. "Before we got all of our sales through word of mouth."Marsh and Bill Wagner founded SRT Solutions from their homes in 2000. They moved into downtown office space last year. SRT Solutions helps businesses get software projects done on time and right the first time. Among its products are custom technology analysis, proof of concept development and software development. Source: Dianne Marsh, co-founder of SRT SolutionsWriter: Jon Zemke

Local life sciences industry puts on strong showing at MichBio Expo

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Innovation News

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December 10, 2008

Michigan's life sciences industry recently flexed its muscles with the 4th-annual MichBio Expo.Five hundred bioscience professionals and dozens of exhibitors attended the event in Novi. Sixteen companies presented their products and business plans to an audience of venture capitalists and angel investors. It's things like these that makes Stephen Rapundalo, president and CEO of MichBio, think there is a direct correlation between things like the expo and local business creation. "The expo is absolutely critical for fostering business opportunities for a variety of companies," Rapundalo says. "It's also a great networking opportunity where a lot of businesses emerge." At first this year's expo didn't look like it was going to be as successful as previous ones. The economy and dour mood in business left Rapundalo and other organizers thinking it might not hit the just under 500 average. But those doubts proved to be misguided when the more than 500 attendees showed up. "There was a mad rush at the last minute," Rapundalo says. A number of local businesses and entrepreneurs received awards. John D. Schwartz, CEO of AI Medical Devices, won the first Innovator of the Year Award. Ann Arbor's Accuri Cytometers took home the Good to Great Award for making the biggest leap forward in business.A number of local students and teachers also took part in the expo's lectures and demonstrations. Next year's expo is set to take place in Kalamazoo.Source: Stephen Rapundalo, president and CEO of MichBioWriter: Jon Zemke

GM to send 50 engineers to U-M to develop electric car technology

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Education

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December 10, 2008

The University of Michigan and General Motors have long been bastions of innovation, often by working together. Now the two institutions are ratcheting up their cooperation as GM sends more of its engineers to U-M to develop the next generation of electric cars."This is a big problem," says Ann Marie Sastry, director of the Energy Systems Engineering Program at the University of Michigan. "Electrification of the vehicle is a paradigm change. It affects every system in the vehicle."Which means scores of automotive engineers are going to have relearn how to do their jobs. It’s an even bigger priority at GM, which is betting a lot of its future success on game-changing vehicles like the plug-in Chevrolet Volt. For now GM will send 50 of its top engineers to U-M to complete their master degree in engineering while working full-time at the auto-maker. They will specialize in energy systems engineering. The whole process is expected to take 4.5 years."We need a methodology to retrain our workforce," says Bob Kruse, executive director of global vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries for GM.Not that GM has been slouch in that department. Sastry points out that GM’s continuing education programs are routinely the benchmark for the corporate world with firm’s like Microsoft taking meticulous notes on them.The first cohort of engineers will start in January. A second cohort of a size to be determined will begin next fall. Both Sastry and Kruse see many more of GM’s engineers going into the program for the foreseeable future."The only vector is up," Sastry says. "I think this will not only grow but there will be imitators."Source: Ann Marie Sastry, director of the Energy Systems Engineering Program at the University of Michigan and Bob Kruse, executive director of global vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries for GMWriter: Jon Zemke

Could Monroe St by U-M Law Quad become pedestrian only?

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Development News

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December 10, 2008

It looks like Monroe Street is preparing to go on a vacation sometime soon.Vacation is a fancy word planners use to describe when they close a street and make it exclusively for pedestrians. The University of Michigan is looking at doing this with Monroe between State and Oakland streets between the Law Quad and the half block where it is expanding."The idea is to create a strong psychological and physical connection between the law school facilities," says Jim Kosteva, director of community relations for the University of Michigan.U-M is currently renovating its historic Law Quad and building an extension to it on the southeast corner of State and Monroe called South Hall. Kosteva adds that closing that section of the street would make it safer for pedestrians.A final decision has not been made and firm date hasn't been released to move forward with the plans. The earliest anything could happen would be in 2011 when the project is done."We would be looking at something closer to that time frame," Kosteva says.Source: Jim Kosteva, director of community relations for the University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

AATA ridership up, creates new bus route to Amtrak station

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Development News

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December 10, 2008

Ridership and routes are up at the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority.AATA’s go!pass initiative is up 20 percent while the authority has added a bus route connecting downtown to the city’s Amtrak station.Route 17 connects the Amtrak station on Depot Street with the Blake Transit Center in downtown. AATA created the line because of increased Amtrak ridership for the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter train line set to open in October, 2010. There is also a lack of parking at the train station. The new bus line will make trips every 30 minutes and help passengers connect to local institutions like the Gandy Dancer and Kerry Town.The line also promises to benefit go!pass users. The year-long bus passes for AATA are subsidized by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority as way of allowing more people to utilize downtown while easing congestion and parking problems.Between November 2006 and October 2007, go!pass users took 365,556 rides on AATA buses. The next year it jumped to 437,062 rides, its biggest increase since 2001. The DDA’s getDowntown Program started the go!pass in 2000. The go!pass is available to people who work downtown. So far 429 downtown businesses and organizations have purchased 5,691 go!passes.Source: Ann Arbor Transportation Authority and Nancy Shore, director of getDowntownWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M Museum of Art nearly done with restoration, expansion

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Development News

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December 10, 2008

Work is wrapping up on the University of Michigan’s newly expanded Museum of Art while plans are being made for a grand opening next spring.The museum stood at 41,000 square feet at the corner of State and South University streets before work started. Now it stands at 94,000 square feet of state-of-the-art museum space thanks to a $41.9 million restoration and expansion.The new version of Alumni Memorial Hall, designed by Allied Works Architecture, includes room for displays, research, exhibitions, educational programs, classrooms, a cafe and a 225-seat auditorium. The new space will serve as display space for the museum’s 150-year-old collection and serve as a meeting space for the arts community. The idea is to make the building the heart of the arts culture for the university.The museum will hold a week of special events as part of a grand opening celebration in late march. The events will include display of the museum’s 18,000 works, new artwork and local projects. It will culminate with a 24-hour public opening starting at 6 p.m. March 28.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

From the Diag down Liberty

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General

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December 10, 2008

No two walks through Ann Arbor’s city center are the same. Excerpt: Outside Hatcher Library, a guy decked out completely in black and dark gray – from his patent leather dress shoes, to his overcoat, to his fedora, to a black knit face covering – stood silently, paging every once in a while through a USA Today newspaper. It was the day after Black Friday, and The Chronicle was beginning an afternoon walk from the UM Diag westward along the Liberty Street corridor. Outdoor performance was the common thread of the walk. The theme started with that apparent performance art piece, continued to a standard bell-ringing number at a Salvation Army kettle, was punctuated by the “Michael Jackson guy” in the alley adjacent to the Michigan Theater, and finished with news of an appearance next Saturday at Downtown Home & Garden by Santa and Mrs. Claus. Read the rest of the story here.

Valet parking coming to Maynard structure in downtown Ann Arbor

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Development News

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December 10, 2008

Public parking in downtown Ann Arbor is about to become a little more luxurious now that the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority intends to start offering valet services at the Maynard parking structure.The idea is make parking more efficient for downtown patrons during peak times. That means it will be offered between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the large structure near Borders. It's set to begin on Monday.Motorists will be able to drop off their car at the Thompson Street entrance. From there it will be deposited in one of the structure's upper levels. Users can set up a time to pick it up or call Republic Parking (which manages the garage) at (734) 945-9147. The valets will bring it down within 15 minutes. The service will cost $5 plus standard parking fees. This new service will serve as a pilot program for extending the service throughout downtown. For information, contact Joe Morehouse at jmorehouse@a2dda.org or at (734) 994-6697.Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development AuthorityWriter: Jon Zemke

The office cubicle turns 40: Much-maligned workspace was born in Ann Arbor

By Newsroom

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General

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December 10, 2008

The cubicle isn't exactly an example of innovation today, but it was when it was invented in Ann Arbor 40 years ago. Excerpt: Forty years ago, in an odd-shaped building on South State Street between Interstate 94 and the University of Michigan campus, a team of researchers and designers came up with an idea that seems simple now. However their idea - now known simply as the office cubicle -- transformed the way millions of people around the country do their daily business. Called "Action Office," the team from the Herman Miller furniture company developed a system of mobile office furniture that led the business world away from simple rows of desks toward more flexible work spaces. Completed in Ann Arbor in 1968 by a team led by Robert Propst, the Action Office was created to meet the needs of many different individuals and types of businesses, and to move away from the standard configurations that were prevalent at the time. As Propst wrote in his 1968 book describing the system: "The renewed rise of individuality as a value and the great diversity in what one may be required to do in an office does not allow a continuation of sterile uniformity ..." Read the rest of the story here.