In the News

Shedding light on solar energy

MiLife MiTimes Thursday, May 01, 2008

It's almost time to bring out the sun chairs and the kiddie pools. It's going to be fun in the sun for the next handful of months. However, while you're all getting tan and barbecuing, maybe it's time to think about the sun in another light, so to speak. And if you live in Ann Arbor, this might be an easy option.

Solar power is being pushed by the city's website by giving a potential home buyers options for this technology.

Excerpt:

Ann Arbor residents and potential home buyers can now receive a free solar analysis by visiting the City�s Website, selecting �My Property Information�, and clicking on the �Solar Potential� tab.

Part of Mayor Hieftje�s 2005 Green Energy Challenge, which includes a goal of 5,000 solar roof installations by 2015, Ann Arbor Energy Commissioners and UM students assessed over 21,000 Ann Arbor roofs for their solar potential.

Read the entire article here.

Livonia orthopedic firm acquires more bones

Crain's Detroit Business Thursday, April 24, 2008

One orthopedic firm grabs another. The Livonia-base Michigan Orthopedic Services moseys on over to Ann Arbor and acquires Koch's Orthotic Prosthetic Service, Inc.

Terms weren't announced.

In addition to Livionia, and now Ann Arbor, MOS has locations in Flint, Eastpointe, Midland, Saginaw, and Southgate.

Excerpt:

Detroit-based Huron Capital Partners L.L.C. is expected to announce today that one of its portfolio companies, Livonia-based Michigan Orthopedic Services L.L.C., has acquired an Ann Arbor company, Koch's Orthotic Prosthetic Service Inc.

Read the entire article here.

Rail study between Howell and Ann Arbor leaves the station

The Ann Arbor News Thursday, April 24, 2008

The commuter line between Howell and Ann Arbor is inching closer and closer. A study, important to the life of the project, is gearing up now that the Livingston County Board of Commissioners has approved a $15,000 contribution that will go toward the $150,000 cost of the study.

If the rail-line goes forth, it's estimated that 1,700 passengers will use it every day, while their fares will cover half of the anticipated $4.8 million annual price tag.

Excerpt:

R.L. Banks & Associates Inc., a national railroad consulting company that has offices in Cheboygan, will assess the proposed budget, station plans, ridership estimates and other data gathered by the coalition. The consultant will provide a draft business plan and 10-year budget that are expected to be finished within 60 days.

Read the entire article here.

iTunes now carries UM lectures

Detroit Free Press Thursday, April 17, 2008

If you missed that lecture, just go to iTunes. The University of Michigan joins 40 other university who participate in iTunes U - a branch of the apple creation that offers lectures (audio and video) to audiences across the globe through iTunes Store free of charge.

Stanford, a participating school, has reported 1.8 million downloads since spring 2005. Wow, that's either a lot of class skipping, or a lot of interested people.

Topics are across the board, from art to business to the environment.

Excerpt:

A wide variety of material is going up � lectures from a Saturday morning physics class, teaching material from dental courses, university news releases, even a complete archive of speeches by U-M President Mary Sue Coleman going back to her inauguration in 2003.

Audio and video material can be downloaded, all of it free, although some selected class lectures will be password-protected for registered members only. Not all classes and departments at U-M will participate; downloads will only be available from professors who record their offerings and decide to post them online.

Read the entire article here.

Michigan's blather, Michgan's poetry

New York Times Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thomas Lynch, local writer and funeral home director, watched the University of Michigan's symphony orchestra play Carnegie Hall. The music, he says, was moving and the night was brilliant, but Michigan's issues - good and bad - didn't stray from his mind.

Excerpt:

By comparison, the perseverance of our governor, Jennifer Granholm, gets little notice. Her efforts to diversify the economy, double the number of college graduates and restore our cities are not nearly as engaging as the soap opera that has been playing out in Detroit. The Government Performance Project at the Pew Center for the States graded Michigan�s management with a B-plus this year; only three states scored better.

As she has put it: �We need to capitalize on our natural advantages ... Wind. Woods. Water. Work force. Even waste. If we do this right, Michigan can be the alternative energy capital of North America, and create thousands and thousands of jobs.� Her faith in the future is contagious. So is despair. Sometimes we vote our hopes, sometimes our fears.

Read the entire article here.

Ann Arbor charged up for battery business

Ann Arbor Business Review Thursday, April 03, 2008

Battery development is charging ahead of the pack in the Ann Arbor region. A number of local companies, including the university, are developing new, improved, and innovated batteries, turning the area into a development hub.

The focus is mainly on car battery technologies to alleviate dependence on gasoline. These batteries, essentially, split the duty, allowing cars to go dozens of more miles before tapping into the gas tank.

Excerpt:

Adding to the local battery technology boom is University of Michigan professor Ann Marie Sastry, whose startup company Sakti3 will "commercialize a manufacturing process in Ann Arbor for the development of high-power batteries that will withstand the rigors of automotive use, primarily in electric vehicles," according to a news release.

Sastry has been publicly quiet about the details concerning her company. But Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Michael Finney indicated that "she's got investors who are willing to help her grow her business." State tax credits were awarded based on projections that the company would eventually employ 112.

Meanwhile, the Ann Arbor division of A123Systems is helping GM develop the battery for the much-hyped plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt, a vehicle that GM says will travel 40 miles on a single electrical charge.

A123Systems owns Ann Arbor-based T/J Technologies, which was co-founded by U-M professors Levi and Maria Thompson. Maria Thompson is now president of the Ann Arbor division of A123Systems.

Levi Thompson, director of U-M's hydrogen energy technology laboratory, said the university's intellectual property and innovative strength has driven the growth of local companies focusing on alternative energy and battery technology.

Read the entire article here.

Connecting the dots... with transit

The Ann Arbor News Thursday, March 27, 2008

Transit talk is gearing up and growing legs - or, more appropriately, wheels. Planners in Washtenaw County held a town hall meeting on transit outlining a vision of connected dots. The issue is money of course. Their plan would require nearly $7 million more a year on top of what is currently available.

Numerous ideas that are being bandied about southeast Michigan with a buzz that parallels landing on the moon. Projects in the works are commuter connections between Ann Arbor and Detriot, Washtenaw County and Livingston County, as well as talk of a privately funded light-rail up Detroit's spine - Woodward.

Money, of course, is turning out to be the issue with all of them.

Excerpt:

Someday soon, Washtenaw County traffic planners would like to see transit connections between cities and villages, door-to-door service on demand throughout the county, expanded service in urban areas and more park-and-ride lots, among other projects.

Terri Blackmore, executive director of the Washtenaw Area Transport Study, outlined the county's transit plan Monday (March 24) night during a "Transit Town Hall" meeting at Washtenaw Community College. About 80 people attended the meeting, hosted by Blackmore and Rep. Pam Byrnes, D-Lyndon Township.

Read the entire article here.

Keepin' tabs on the artists

The Yspilanti Courier Thursday, March 27, 2008

Stand up and be counted if you're an artist in Washtenaw County. Well, actually, it's more like sit down, fill out a survey, and be counted. Between April 1 and May 17 the Washtenaw County Arts Alliance will launch an Artists' Census. The census will become part of the Arts Alliance's cultural plan for the county. They are urging everyone to participate. Who knows, maybe you'll find out you're an artist - and you just never knew it.

Excerpt:

"Artists are the creative DNA of Washtenaw County, and provide the spark that makes our region such a great place to live," Tamara Real, Director of the Arts Alliance, said in a press release.

Real said the census would aid in building "visibility and credibility" of several artists in the community.

"It's easy to know how many arts organizations are in the country, but individual artists are often over looked."

Read the entire article here.

Ann Arbor's own March Madness

The Ann Arbor News Thursday, March 27, 2008

March Madness is in full effect. Ford Field is getting ready for the Sweet 16, college basketball fans are checking and double checking their brackets, and televisions everywhere are saturated with college basketball programming. So, the Ann Arbor News has chimed in with it's own little bracket of 64. Check out the contest between the 64 great things Ann Arbor has to offer.

Who would be your champion? Download the bracket and see if you're surprised.

Excerpt:

Could Blimpy Burger actually top a world-class hospital - the University of Michigan Medical Center? Or can a steak joint - Knight's - make an improbable run?

We bracketed 64 great things about Ann Arbor and played it out. And just like the NCAA basketball tournament, which gets under way today, ours had upsets, a run by an upstart and a great champion.

Read the entire article here.

14 Michigan hospitals on top

Mlive.com Thursday, March 20, 2008

Go to the head of the class, if you're a Michigan hospital. The last two years have been pretty good when it comes to healthcare on the peninsula. Last year Michigan hit 16, top in the nation. This year, they dipped a bit to 14 and tied Ohio for the lead. Still, not bad. Bravo!

Excerpt:

Michigan again ranks at the top nationally with the most top-rated hospitals.

Fourteen Michigan hospitals are listed in the annual Thomson Healthcare Top 100 Hospitals, formerly the Solucient 100. Michigan tied with Ohio for the most hospitals on the list, which annually ranks hospitals based on several benchmarks, including clinical outcomes, patient safety, financial performance and efficiency.

Read the entire article here.

More commuter train cha-cha-chat

The Daily Press & Argus Thursday, March 20, 2008

WALLY, the name of the commuter train line between Washtenaw and Livingston counties, is nearly here. The line, along with an new interchange at I-96 and Latson Road, has been approved by two SEMCOG committees and the third should be no different.

Of course, cash is still a big question. As long as it falls into place, look for WALLY in 2010.

Excerpt:

The commuter rail project, known as the WALLY train for Washtenaw and Livingston Line, has a projected price tag of $12.6 million from 2006 through 2010, and another $11.4 million from 2011-2015.

The SEMCOG plan shows a $6 million contribution from the state�s Michigan Transportation Fund, collected from gas taxes, from now until 2010, as well as some federal money. More than $3.4 million is slated in the category of private funding.

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has taken a more active role than its Livingston County counterpart in the WALLY project, which would have several stops between Howell and Ann Arbor.

Read the entire article here.

World's 50 most innovated companies - Michigan snatches two

MiLife MiTimes Thursday, March 13, 2008

Fast Company hit the streets to find some of the most inventive, innovated and intriguing companies around. Two of Michigan's own were tacked to the list. Google, of course, made tops. Herman Miller fell in at 26th.

Excerpt:

Fast Company slotted Zeeland-based Herman Miller at 26th in its "World's 50 Most Innovative Companies" in the March issue out now. Google, with its AdWords outfit based in Ann Arbor, earned the top spot among the league of global superstars that also included Facebook, Apple, Disney, Nike and HP.

Read the entire article here.

MORE bang for your talented buck

Detroit Free Press Thursday, March 13, 2008

Michigan gets a bad rep for jobs and talent. But, truth be told, according to MORE, they are both still here. What they do is pair up the young and the talented with smaller companies that have 500-800 employees. MORE removes the veil of names that dominate the job market to expose smaller, growing organizations.

Excerpt:

"We want to introduce the companies to faculty who do research in areas related to their business, to opportunities to sponsor student research projects, rent subsidized lab space and just build up a relationship. ...

"This should give the smaller companies visibility to students and to faculty and should result in them naturally knowing where to go to find the perfect students for their internships and job openings. MORE is a first step, and we'll go from there."

Read the entire article here.

Berkley jumps on board green boat

Daily Tribune Thursday, March 13, 2008

Going green probably had a different meaning 20 years ago. But these days it's an effort, and not an allusion to getting sick. Berkley has joined 21 cities statewide, and an even larger number across the nation, in making steps toward going green. In addition to that, Berkley is hoping to make their community more "walkable" and less dependent on vehicles.

Excerpt:

Like other communities, Berkley has joined the Sierra Club's "Cool Cities" effort aimed at reducing pollution from carbon-based fuels and other sources.

Cities such as Warren, Flint, Ann Arbor, Ferndale and Royal Oak are also part of the green effort.

Read the entire article here.

What's the score here in Michigan?

The Great Lakes IT Report Thursday, March 06, 2008

The self-proclaimed Ann Arbor "think-and-do" tank, Center for Michigan, has been keeping score here in the Mitten. Various research sources were compiled and edited by Michigan State University economist Charles Ballard to roll out "The 2008 Michigan Scorecard: Benchmarks for Michigan's Transformation." And founder of the tank Phil Powers kept the grading simple.

It's possible Ebert may have had a hand - or thumb in this.

Excerpt:

It tracks 36 measures of Michigan's competitive standing in three areas: Workforce and Talent; Economy and Quality of Life; and Accountable Government.

The ratings couldn't be simpler -- thumbs up, so-so or thumbs down. The verdict: ten "thumbs-up," seven "so-so," and 19 "thumbs-down" grades.

Read the entire article here.

Ann Arbor : In the News