News From U-M
Five U-M faculty members awarded Guggenheim Fellowships
Five U-M faculty were recently awarded prestigious Guggenheim Fellowships by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The fellowships went to 180 individuals, from a pool of 3000 applicants, for distinguished achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment. The U-M fellows are Arun Agrawal, professor and associate dean for research, School of Natural Resources and Environment; Jeffrey Gardner Heath, professor of linguistics; Mark Mizruchi, professor of sociology and business; Endi Poskovic, artist and associate professor of art and design; and Jennifer Ellen Robertson, professor of anthropology. Read More about their projects
Art & Design students, faculty travel to Madagascar, help to build much-needed water pump
In the summer of 2010, a group of fourteen undergrads and four graduate students led by School of Art & Design professor Joe Trumpey visited Madagascar for a course called EcoExplorers. During the trip, Stephanie Starch worked with Chris Parker on designing a treadle water pump for the small village of Ranobe. Little did she know how a new environment would change her design problems and solutions. [Read more...]
U-M video series wins Emmy Award
The School of Art & Design's ongoing video series, PLAY, received an Emmy Award as a top program in the arts and entertainment category. The award from the Michigan Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences was presented at the annual Emmy Awards ceremony this month. The PLAY series features short pieces by and about the School of Art & Design community. "Our unique paired websites—one primarily for administrative and news purposes, the other (PLAY) for showcasing the creative work of the A&D community—allows us to effectively transmit to the public the dynamic and diverse character of the school and enter successfully into the media culture represented by the Emmys," said Bryan Rogers, dean of U-M School of Art & Design.
Animated drawing pad wins U-M toy competition
An electronic doodle pad that animates your drawings is the winner of a toy design competition organized by the College of Engineering’s Center for Entrepreneurship. The Scribble grew out of a December focus group in which student designers asked third-graders what they wanted from Santa Claus. “Many wanted interactive touch screen devices such as iPods or Nintendo DS’s,” says Ryan Thurmer, an undergraduate student in the School of Art & Design who was part of the winning team. “Using this information, we reflected on vivid memories of creating flip books as children. We knew we wanted to re-create those experiences and memories, but in a more environmentally friendly and technological way, without the use of paper.” [Read more...]
MbusinessLink: The Toy Man Cometh
Joshua Pokempner, a U-M alum and former architect-turned-toymaker as founder of gamebook publisher Giddy Up!, is co-sponsor of an interdisciplinary toy-design competition in conjunction with the Center for Entrepreneurship and the School of Art & Design. Ten student teams with the most creative design proposals will receive up to $200 each in funding to build a toy prototype. MbusinessLink reports that early next year, Pokempner and other members of a selection panel will pick the top three winners and award $5,000 in prize money. [Read more...]
Michigan Solar Car Team finishes third in Australian race
For the fourth time in U-M Solar Car Team history, the students placed third in a biennial 1,880-mile race across Australia. Infinium crossed the finish line in Adelaide Wednesday evening (EDT), after competing for five days in the Global Green Challenge, formerly known as the World Solar Challenge. Tokai University of Japan won the race. Michigan fought hard with four-time champion team Nuon of the Netherlands for second place. On day four, the teams leap-frogged six times. But Infinium received a 10-minute penalty when the students had to push it up a tough hill toward the end of the race. That solidified Nuon’s lead. [Read more...]
U-M hosts week-long exploration of role of body in making art
In the latest incarnation of innovative arts exploration, the University of Michigan's Arts on Earth presents "Arts & Bodies," a week-long series of performances, talks and happenings that aim to provoke a rethinking of the vital connection among the arts, education and societal values. The series of programs begins Nov. 1. All events are free and open to the public. "With the many economic problems affecting people, we think it's timely to explore ways the arts can help us gain some perspective," said Theresa Reid, executive director of Arts on Earth, a university-wide initiative in creative work and learning directed by the deans of arts and engineering on U-M's North Campus. [Read more...]
University among top schools in nation for Fulbright scholars, students
Seven U-M faculty scholars and 28 U-M students have been awarded Fulbright Fellowships for 2009-10. Among the faculty scholar winners, U-M’s Ann Arbor campus led the country in the U.S. State Department-funded Fulbright awards, along with Michigan State University and the University of Oregon, each receiving seven awards. UM-Flint also produced a Fulbright Scholar. U-M faculty scholars are: Alina Clej, Language and Literature; Janet Hart, Anthropology; Alejandro Herrero-Olaizola, Language and Literature; Kelly Ann Kowatch, Seminar Program; Diane Larsen-Freeman, TEFL/Applied Linguistics; Mary Jo Kietzman, Language and Literature; Carl Rodemer, Art; and Albert Shih, Engineering. [Read more...]