http://wwj.com Tech news from the Great Lakes IT Report. Sat, 7 Nov 2009 14:05:13 EST en-us More than 2,100 people spent this week at a pair of national wind energy events being held this week at Cobo Center. <br /> The American Wind Energy Association held both its inaugural Small and Community Wind Power Conference and Exhibition&nbsp;and its second Wind Power Supply Chain Conference together. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:18:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001364 Six months ago, Wayne State University mathematics graduate student and Ann Arbor resident David Collins had a great business idea, but little knowledge of how to make it a reality. Now Collins, who is also earning a graduate certificate in alternative energy technology at WSU, is well on his way to launching a business that will make heating water with solar power more efficient and viable. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 14:59:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5000950 Midland-based Dow Corning Corp. has acquired two chemical grade silicon manufacturing assets from New York City-based Globe Specialty Metals, in an acquisition valued at approximately $175 million. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:07:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5000993 Scientists at Michigan State University are receiving nearly $3 million from the National Institutes of Health to uncover how several popular plants make medicinal compounds. The funding, part of a larger $6 million award via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will provide scientists the resources to understand exactly which genes are involved in the synthesis of medicinal chemicals. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:10:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5000997 The Salvation Army is pumping up its Online Red Kettle with the introduction of a new Facebook application in an effort to engage all audiences in its annual Red Kettle Campaign. The Online Red Kettle allows people to host their own fundraiser for The Salvation Army by making donations online. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:15:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001033 Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc., the industrial laser maker with dual headquarters in Plymouth and Hamburg, Germany, reported sharply lower sales and profits for the third quarter and fiscal year ended Sept. 30. For the quarter, sales were $90.5 million, down 41 percent from $154.3 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Net income was $5.3 million or 18 cents a share, down 74 percent. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:48:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001170 The Detroit Web site <a href="http://www.guffly.com">Guffly.com</a> has added a new feature -- Top Guffs, which are their top sellers. The feature joins the affrodable featured Daily Guff. The site sells a variety of green products, and since opening in August, the company says Web traffic and sales have continued to grow at a steady rate. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:43:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001100 Automation Alley, Southeast Michigan&rsquo;s largest technology business association, announced today that 22 new members joined the organization in October. Again this month, the majority of&nbsp;new members are in manufacturing. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:05:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5000988 Plante &amp; Moran PLLC has received LEED Gold Certification for Commercial Interiors from the U.S. Green Building Council for its new Grand Rapids office.&nbsp; The Grand Rapids office, 634 Front Ave. NW, Suite 400, received LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use, as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001148 Are Twitter and Facebook the new arsenals of democracy? Wayne State University aims to find out with its national &ldquo;eCitizenship&rdquo; conference beginning&nbsp;Nov. 12-13 to explore the impact of social media on political engagement. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:50:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001175 Detroit-based Carbon Credit Environmental Services, the Detroit Lions and the Greening of Detroit will kick off an effort to make the Lions' 70th annual Thanksgiving Day game carbon neutral Tuesday morning. The project will begin witha tree planting&nbsp;ceremony Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. with a tree planting ceremony in Lafayette Central Park, off of Larned. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:52:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001188 Linden-based Green Bridge Technologies International Inc., said Thursday that its subsidiary, Vapor Technologies, has validated the testing of its 2nd generation &quot;Vapor Augmentation System&quot; for diesel engines. The tests have confirmed a positive impact on fuel economy in diesels. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:54:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001192 Troy-based Medtipster, the company behind the new online healthcare search engine and price comparator Medtipster.com, Thursday announced a new promotion to help Michigan residents save on their prescription costs. Through Medtipster's &quot;Free Everyday Prescription Giveaway,&quot; consumers can visit <a href="http://www.medtipster.com">www.medtipster.com</a> &nbsp;to register for a chance to win a free qualifying generic prescription. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:01:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001209 Ann Arbor-based Stout Systems announced this week the creation of a new Software Development Study Group. Stout Systems business development manager and senior technical staff member Bill Heitzeg and his peers saw a need within the IT community for an organized and practical way to introduce computer programmers to new technologies and new problem solving techniques. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:59:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001201 Michigan State University won two of nine national grants totaling $1.85 million from the Princeton, N.J.-based Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study how electronic games can improve players' health behaviors and outcomes. Researchers seek to discover how interactive video games can be designed to improve physical activity, prevention behaviors and self-management of chronic conditions. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:17:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001051 Entrepreneurial growth companies interested in presenting their business plans at the 2010 InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum in St. Louis, Mo. have just a few days left to submit their applications by the early application deadline of Friday, Nov.&nbsp;13. Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:12:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001025 Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:56:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001197 Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:27:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001075 Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:21:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5001064 More than 500 people gathered this week for the MichBio Expo, the annual celebration of all things life science sponsored by MichBio, the state's life science industry association. The event moves around the state and this year landed in Kalamazoo. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 10:05:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4991618 I&nbsp;cornered MichBio president and CEO&nbsp;Stephen Rapundalo and asked him what, if anything, scares his membership about the health care reform bills now bouncing through Congress. Rapundalo said medical device makers are seriously concerned about a new medical device tax on any FDA-approved device. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 18:41:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994051 Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm Wednesday announced grants totaling $1.04 million to the city of Greenville and the village of Sheridan to support local manufacturing expansions and more than 100 new jobs. State officials also announced an $112,928 grant that will support an expansion into wind energy by agricultural supplier Johnson System Inc. in Marshall. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 18:43:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994058 One of the many mysteries of Alzheimer's disease is how protein-like snippets called amyloid-beta peptides, which clump together to form plaques in the brain, may cause cell death, leading to the disease's devastating symptoms of memory loss and other mental difficulties. A team of University of Michigan researchers has some new ideas about what's going on. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994060 The Pleasant Ridge-based data center provider Liberty Center One Wednesday announced free consultation related to data center and server migration. The company said many businesses are re-examining thier data storage and management strategies, due to everything from outdated infrastructure to inefficient legacy systems to an escalating cost of operations. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 18:54:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994109 DVS, a Grand Rapids media duplication and asset management company, said this week that it had launched a new production company, DVS Creative, to meet customer demand. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 18:57:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994111 705 South Main, Plymouth&rsquo;s premiere business incubator and class A office space, said this week that it is accepting proposals for free office leases. This opportunity is extended to start up ventures that have a great product or service but lack the capital to secure office space. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 18:58:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994113 Troy-based DartAppraisal.com, an independent provider of residential real estate valuations, Wednesday announced an updated version of its DartExpress system to ensure compliance with all Federal Housing Administration mortgagee letters related to valuations. The technology updates come in advance of the FHA policy changes which will take effect Jan. 1. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994115 Holland-based LeanLogistics asks: How fast can you expect a healthy return on your supply chain technology investment?<br /> If you&rsquo;re LeanLogistics customker American Hotel Register, the answer is &ldquo;way fast.&rdquo; Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:02:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994139 The French manufacturing softare firm Dassault Syst&egrave;mes&nbsp;said Wednesday that Kanagawa, Japan-based AES Co. Ltd. has significantly reduced the time it takes to design and build auto parts factories by using Dassault's CATIA virtual design and DELMIA digital manufacturing and production solutions. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:04:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994144 Macomb Township-based Eagle One Media Wednesday announced the release of &quot;Twilight: Unbound - The Stephenie Meyer Story,&quot; a motion comic covering the life of the author of the wildly popular Twilight vampire series. The comic is now available through outlets such as iTunes, Nokia's Ovi Store, and Android's Marketplace; with availability soon on Amazon On-Demand and CinemaNow. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:07:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994147 If you're still sending out corporate Christmas cards, there's a locally based Web site where you can order them.<br /> Livonia-based Kelsey Promo offers a site full of more than 850 holiday and all-occasion cards at <a href="http://www.holidaycardwebsite.com/Default.aspx?WebName=kelseypromo">www.holidaycardwebsite.com/Default.aspx?WebName=kelseypromo</a>. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:09:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994149 Saranac-based Green Bridge Industries Inc. said Tuesday that its Zapfundz fundraising division has received its first purchase order for the Zap Stain Remover Pen from Saint Francis Preparatory School of Fresh Meadows, N.Y. The Zap pens will be sold&nbsp;by the students in order to raise money to fund their community service immersion trips. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:11:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994155 Farmington Hills-based SimilarSales.com says a customer from West Bloomfield Township convinced Fannie Mae that his future home was overvalued by $21,000 by spending $70 on desktop valuation reports. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:12:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994156 Given the changing requirements for success in the work place, it has become even more important for teachers to demonstrate the relevance of lessons learned in the classroom and their relationship to the real world. Always looking for a teachable moment, Mike Blasko, math teacher at Edsel Ford High School in Dearborn, found a perfect example of relevance and relationship from Ford Motor Co. executives. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:16:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994171 Michigan State University will host the Spartan Challenge FIRST Lego League East Lansing Regional Qualifying Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.&nbsp; This is the fourth year that MSU will be hosting the competition. Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:14:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994158 Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:19:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994190 Wed, 4 Nov 2009 19:23:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4994200 A revitalized downtown soon to be full of college students, with four new restaurants and more nightlife on the way?&nbsp;A business-tech park along the shores of the Flint River, in what used to be a Chevrolet plant and what is now a post-industrial wasteland? Institutions of higher learning actually working collaboratively to each other's strengths, most remarkably with the actual assistance of government? Can this possibly be Flint?&nbsp;Yep. Sun, 4 Oct 2009 19:15:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4805549 The phrase 'world class' gets tossed around so much it's almost lost meaning. But if the phrase still means anything, you've got to hand it to Michigan State University, whose sprawling campus, 47,000 sharp students and 5,000 faculty cover every academic discipline worth covering with uniform excellence. Thu, 1 Oct 2009 19:49:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4794068 I have a kid at Western Michigan University, so I have a rough idea that they're involved in some pretty neat high-tech research. But it turns out I knew only enough to make me dangerous, and the Broncos are involved in a whole bunch of stuff that could eventually make our lives much easier, better and more productive. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:55:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4787536 Grand Valley State University is a rapidly growing state university, rising from obscurity to challenging Western Michigan University for the most dominant university in this part of the state. So it makes sense that Grand Valley is getting much more serious about technology transfer, tech company spinouts and job creation. Grand Valley was the first stop on Day Six of the Great Lakes IT Report's 2009 Fall Tech Tour. I also visited the downtown Grand Rapids campus of Ferris State University, where fascinating things are also happening. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:42:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4780218 Like the rest of Michigan's so-called directional schools, Central Michigan University started out as a teacher college. Now the Chippewas are teaching everybody else in the state how to run a business incubator.&nbsp;The CMU Research Corp. incuabtor on the southern edge of the Mt. Pleasant campus is now home to no less than 40 businesses, which they say is tops in the state. Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:39:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4772644 I got even more good tech news from Michigan Technological University over a breakfast at the famous Suomi Restaurant in downtown Houghton on my way out of town Sunday.&nbsp; Over a breakfast of french toast Finnish style, and then in their laboratories, I&nbsp;met with Ryan J. Gilbert and Jeremy Goldman, two assistant professors of biomedical engineering. Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:49:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4765387 If you're looking for hope about the future of Michigan, there's noplace better to start than Michigan Technological <br /> University. That's where my second stop on the Great Lakes IT&nbsp;Report Fall Tech Tour 2009 took place Saturday. Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:14:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4765309 When it comes to the Great Lakes IT Report's annual Fall Tech Tour of university technologies, Detroit-area schools sometimes complain that they get short shrift. So we decided to kick off Fall Tech Tour 2009 with a local stop at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:54:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4751354 Fri, 7 Aug 2009 10:42:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4479328 Jeff Mason, currently senior vice president and chief business development officer for the Michigan Economic Development Corp., has been selected to become the first executive director of Michigan's University Research Corridor effective July 6. The&nbsp;move marks the URC's continued growth in linking and focusing the reserch efforts of Michgian State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. Thu, 28 May 2009 09:34:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=4078747 May in the central Upper Peninsula can still be late winter, and I got a taste of that Saturday when the Great Lakes IT Report's Allegedly Spring Tech Tour 2009 hit Marquette. While snowflakes flew by outside in the 34-degree temperatures, I talked to online entrepreneurs making a serious go of it in the North Woods. Sat, 9 May 2009 21:49:00 EDT http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=3970889 A University of Michigan professor has published an academic paper on a novel technology to turn slow-moving ocean and river currents into energy. The technology, called VIVACE, was covered by the Great Lakes IT Report's Fall 2008 Tech Tour in October.</object> Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:14:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=3092490 Every time a ton of trash disappears into a Michigan landfill, Bill Chynoweth and Jim Schuur feel a pang of regret. Because in that ton of trash is the energy eqivalent of half a ton or more of coal -- and that trash could be gasified in a virtually&nbsp;pollution-free system to produce energy and steam, and reduce the amount of land devoted to trash burial.</object> Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:52:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=3066885