http://wwj.com Tech news from the Great Lakes IT Report. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:41:41 EST en-us After a year of job losses they called &quot;nothing short of mind-boggling,&quot; University of Michigan economists are calling for more modest job losses in 2010 and actual job gains in the state by the second half of 2011.&nbsp; Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:27:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5092641 How can Michigan grow its economy? A Kalamazoo economist counted the ways -- eight of them -- Friday at the University of Michigan's 37th Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics. Timothy J. Bartik, senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, outlined four strategies for cutting marginal business costs and four strategies for improving workers' skills. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:40:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5093625 Lansing-based Arialink Thursday announced that it had completed acquisition and integration of network assets and customers of a Lansing based telecommunication provider formerly operating as Waypoint. The principal asset was a 100 mile fiber optic network located in and around Lansing. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:11:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087242 Okemos-based TechSmith Corp., the provider of screen capture and recording softwrae, Thursday announced the availability of the latest release of its Jing product effective Dec. 8. The new version offers customers a new simple, fast and fun way to add screen-captured images and videos to Twitter, or any online conversation, just by sharing a link. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:19:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087304 General Electric Corp. Thursday announced the appointment of Vic Bhagat, 44, as site leader of GE&rsquo;s Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center -- a state-of-the-art IT and research and development center now open in Van Buren Township. The center has 20 employees now, but growth to 1,100 employees is planned over the next few years. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:59:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087183 Picometrix LLC, a subsidiary of Ann Arbor-based Advanced Photonix Inc. (NYSE Amex: API), announced this week that it had been awarded United States Patent No. 7,078,741 for enhanced responsivity photodiodes and No. 7,468,503 for planar photodiodes. These technologies can be used individually or in combination and are deployed in the company's high-speed optical receiver product offerings. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:56:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087175 With the severe national recession of the past two years finally behind us, the pace of economic recovery will be slow and unemployment will remain high for quite some time, say economists at the University of Michigan in their annual forecast for the year ahead. They say the federal government's various maneuvers helped transform an economy in free fall to one growing slowly. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:03:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087218 Belleville-based Active On-Demand has deployed the second major full truckload upgrade to its leading APT transportation management software-as-a-service application. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:05:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087223 Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool Corp. said its appliances will be featured in a new line of high-quality, affordable, sustainable kit homes. The American Sustainability Initiative -- or AmeriSus, for short -- will launch in January with a goal of placing 12,000 affordable sustainable homes throughout 15 states over the next two years. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:07:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087227 Grand Rapids-based Adtegrity.com (Pink Sheets: ADTY), a provider of Internet advertising networks and services, Thursday announced that its net income fell to $86,967 for the third quarter ended Sept. 30 from $196,717 in the same quarter a year earlier. Net revenue was $3.18 million, down from $8.58 million a year earlier. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:09:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087232 You can help raise funds for the Hiller ALS Center at the Wayne State University School of Medicine while enjoying a tasty pasta recipe created by one of the school&rsquo;s faculty members -- available for sale at Hiller's markets. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:24:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087321 The Beru business unit of Auburn Hills-based BorgWarner Inc. said Wednesday that it is developing new sensors for powertrains and exhaust systems, including temperature, motion and smart sensors with intelligent electronics.<br /> Designed to exacting tolerances, these ultra-precise sensors provide customized measurements to reduce emissions and optimize engine performance. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:43:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087378 &nbsp;Ann Arbor Spark celebrated the conclusion of its 16th Entrepreneur Boot Camp program with participant investor pitches and a reception on Wednesday, Nov. 18. At the Ann Arbor Spark Boot Camp Celebration, Current Motor Co., an Ann Arbor electric&nbsp;vehicle company,&nbsp;was selected as the &quot;Best of Boot Camp&quot; winner, based on the quality of its investor pitch and business plan. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:54:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087404 Eastern Michigan University&rsquo;s School of Technology Studies has signed two separate articulation agreements with two community colleges,&nbsp;Lansing Community College and Macomb Community College. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087419 Only 27 of 52 evaluated 2010-model vehicles have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety&rsquo;s &ldquo;Top Safety Pick&rdquo; this year, AutoTech Daily reported Thursday. IIHS says the number is down in part because of its new roof strength test designed to assess how well a vehicle would protect its occupants during a rollover accident. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:05:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087454 A new Web site -- <a target="_blank" href="http://www.semflu.org">www.semflu.org</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;-- has been created to offer the public a single source of information on H1N1 public immunization clinics for seven southeast Michigan counties as well as the City of Detroit. The counties included in the Web site are Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:10:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087459 We've all read studies about the health benefits of having a life partner. The same thing is true at the molecular level, where amino acids known as cysteines are much more vulnerable to damage when single than when paired up with other cysteines. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan, along with colleagues in Belgium, have discovered a new antioxidant system to protect the single cysteines. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:24:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087520 Saranac-based Green Bridge Industries Inc. (Pink Sheets: GRBG) reported a 306 percent increase in total assets for the quarter ending Sept. 30 vs. the previous quarter ending June 30. The Company reported $1,205,886 in total assets for the quarter ending Sept. 30 as compared to $296,760 in the prior quarter, which was attributed to an aggressive merger and acquisition campaign. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:13:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087261 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:38:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087361 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:50:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087399 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5087331 Keeping track of personal medical information can be a daunting task, especially during an emergency. Most people don&rsquo;t have a portable record of their important health details, which are essential during a routine doctor&rsquo;s visit or crisis. Bob Hammill, president and founder of a Macomb Township startup, The Smart Med Card, is providing USB devices as a first-step alternative to portable electronic medical records. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:28:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5079581 Detroit Metropolitan Airport will further reduce its consumption of fossil fuels by producing its own wind energy at two locations on opposite ends of the facility. The Wayne County Airport Authority Board approved a contract with Michigan-based Southern Exposure Renewable Energy Co. to install five wind turbines at the airport entrance on Rogell Drive and at the South Cell Phone Lot on Eureka Road. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:41:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5079624 Detroit-based Asterand plc, the provider of human tissue and human tissue-based services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies engaged in drug discovery research, Wednesday announces it has signed an agreement to acquire BioSeek Inc. South San Francisco, Calif.-based BioSeek is a pioneer in the application of predictive human biology to drug discovery. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5079658 State officials this week announced that Lt. Gov. John D. Cherry Jr. this week secured&nbsp;commitments from two&nbsp;Israeli companies,&nbsp;EPC Ltd. Onsite Wastewater Solutions and EMFCY, while on a trade mission to Israel. EPC is in small-scale water treatment plants, while EMFCY&nbsp;technology involves energy generation directly from wastewater through microbial fuel cells.&nbsp; Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:08:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5080003 The Oak Park hybrid truck drivetrain developer Azure Dynamics Corp.&nbsp;Wednesday announced the filing of a preliminary short form prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada in connection with a proposed offering of common shares. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:18:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5080035 Editor's Note: Bill Wagner, co-founder of Ann Arbor-based SRT&nbsp;Solutions, is offering us his impressions while attending the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2009 this week in Los Angeles. His Day Two report follows... Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:32:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5080122 E-Government initiatives aimed at modernizing federal information systems are fraught with risk, according to a new study sponsored by Islandia, N.Y.-based CA Inc. (Nasdaq: CA) and conducted by the Traverse City research organization The Ponemon Institute. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:55:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5079700 Santa Claus is looking forward to the time-honored traditions of visiting with children at Livonia's Laurel Park Place and receiving letters at the North Pole, but he is also giving his communications a high-tech update. Santa can now send children mobile phone text messages that he &ldquo;cant w8 2 visit them xmas eve&rdquo; and tell them about his preparations for the big night via Web video. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:38:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5079895 Michigan State University will direct nearly $8 million in federal stimulus funds meant to cover a shortfall in state appropriations this year toward assisting more than 8,000 MSU students who lost their own state support. Michigan lawmakers this year failed to renew funding for the Michigan Promise Scholarship program, which provided up to $120 million in grants for approximately 100,000 Michigan students. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:04:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5079763 The more prominent and financially successful a corporation becomes, the more likely it is to break the law, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University scholar that challenges previous research. MSU&rsquo;s Yuri Mishina and colleagues argue that unrealistically high pressure on thriving companies increases the pressure for success on firms, and therefore the likelihood of illegal behavior. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:37:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5079585 Comcast Corp. Wednesday added 15 new high definition&nbsp; channels to its HD lineup in Flint and the surrounding areas -- the first wave of an extensive HD expansion made possible by the company&rsquo;s ongoing digital network enhancement. As part of its &ldquo;World of More&rdquo; digital upgrade, Comcast is digitizing channels 13 and 23 through 70 on the local lineup in the Flint area to digital. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:09:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5079768 Nearly 40 mid-Michigan workers have gained new skills and employment in information technology, thanks to a partnership between Michigan State University, work force development agencies and area technology businesses. MSU&nbsp; enlisted the Prima Civitas Foundation and local Michigan Works! agencies to develop initiatives focused on talent development to drive regional economic&nbsp;development. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:26:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5080088 Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool Corp., the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, today announced the release of the company's first global, comprehensive sustainability report. The report provides an overview of the company's efforts to make a sustainable difference in the world.<br /> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:58:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5080229 Auburn Hills-based Plex Systems Inc. Wednesday announced results of the efforts of its inaugural Community Advisory Board. Marking a full year of working together, this team of clients developed an effective process to ensure that members of the Plex Systems&rsquo; community get maximum ROI from their use of Plex Online. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:55:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5080226 Detroit-based Caraco Pharmaceutical Laboratories Ltd. (NYSE Amex: CPD) has launched Nicardipine Hydrochloride Injection immediately following Sun Pharma's final approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration. Nicardipine Hydrochloride Injection is indicated for the short-term treatment of hypertension when oral therapy is not feasible or not desirable. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:53:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5080196 Detroit-area high school junior and seniors will hone their entrepreneurship skills and learn to turn hobbies into profitable ventures at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation Regional BizFest competition. The Detroit BizFest is part of a&nbsp;series of entrepreneurial training camps in partnership with Ford Motor Co. Fund and Community Services, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Co. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:48:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5080191 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:40:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5080138 Your Great Lakes IT Report is once again backing Adopt-A-Family for the Christmas season. The most important gift you give this holiday season could be a beautiful Christmas for a local family. Volunteers of America Michigan matches families in need&nbsp;with individuals or group sponsors to &quot;adopt&quot; them for the holidays. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:55:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5065097 The Michigan Council of Women in Technology drew close to 500 IT and prominent business leaders to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn on Nov. 7 for the organization&rsquo;s annual Signature Event. The fundraiser brought in more than $211,000 in gross&nbsp;proceeds for scholarships, research grants, technology camps and robotics programs for girls and women in Michigan. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:44:00 EST http://wwj.com/content_page.php?contentType=4&contentId=5044814 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