Sanjay Gupta, U-M to host health communication ‘hackathon’
Neurosurgeon and CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta and his wife, Rebecca, have teamed up with the University of Michigan to support an effort to bring new ideas and tools to health communication. The new effort will kick off with an all-weekend “hackathon” from March 23-25, where participants will hack, or rapidly develop, new potential solutions to specific problems in health communication. Teams will present their prototypes to judges, competing for a chance to develop their ideas further with the help of U-M mentors. Students and professionals can find more information apply for a spot in the hackathon at guptahacks.org.
Registration open for U-M Women of Color Task Force Career Conference
The U-M Women of Color Task Force will host its 36th annual Career Conference on March 2. This conference is open to all U-M staff, faculty, students and the public, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Conference attendees may choose from nearly 20 workshop sessions designed to support their professional and personal development This year’s featured keynote speaker is April Ryan, American Urban Radio Networks Washington, D.C., bureau chief, who will discuss free speech and the greater good. The keynote address is free and open to the public and will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Hill Auditorium. Conference information, including registration details, fees, event schedule and workshop descriptions, is available online at cew.umich.edu/WCTF36. The conference sponsors include University Human Resources, Michigan Medicine Human Resources, the Office of the Provost, and the Center for the Education of Women. TIAA will be the Platinum Plus corporate sponsor.
REMINDER: Deadline nears for Research Faculty Award nominations
Nominations are due Feb. 14 for the annual Research Faculty Awards, established by the U-M Office of Research to recognize the achievements of research faculty at all levels. For detailed nomination guidelines and a list of recipients from previous years, go to myumi.ch/Jm5Yl.
Applications sought for Center for World Performance Studies fellowships
The application period is open for the 2018-19 Center for World Performance Studies Faculty Fellowships. Grant awards range from $5,000-$7,500 and are available to individual faculty members to pursue research projects by traveling to various sites, domestically and internationally. The center encourages inventive ideas, especially those that involve thematic support for World Performance Studies, including ethnography and performance as research. The center was established to serve the needs of faculty and students with an interest in performance studies, expressly through a global lens. For more information, contact CWPS Program Specialist Ingrid Racine at iracine@umich.edu.
North Campus is test site for hybrid transportation system
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand transportation system is being piloted at U-M with a limited test deployment on North Campus. RITMO, which stands for Reinventing Public Urban Transportation and Mobility, offers aspects of Uber-style ride sharing and fixed-route buses for a more convenient, efficient and less costly transportation system. In the pilot program, about 100 test riders are using a custom-built smartphone app to hail free rides between pre-set stops in an area bordered by Plymouth, Fuller and Green roads. Riders are shuttled by professional drivers in a six-vehicle fleet of shared shuttle vans. The test is being conducted Monday-Friday evenings from 7-11 p.m. The pilot is set to run for several weeks. The next phase will include all of North Campus and several surrounding neighborhoods, as well as Central Campus and at Michigan Medicine.
Nominations, volunteers sought for faculty governance bodies
Eligible faculty members are invited to serve on Senate Assembly committees for a three-year term beginning with the 2018-19 academic year. Committees advise and consult with the university vice presidents on various matters. New volunteers will be placed on committees by the end of April, and those who are interested must fill out a form at myumi.ch/aKNdW. To nominate members for the Police Department Oversight Committee, which considers grievances against police officers or the department, visit myumi.ch/L39ZG. Senate Assembly also will elect new members to the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, the executive arm of U-M’s faculty governance system. SACUA members serve three-year terms. To nominate candidates, visit facultysenate.umich.edu.
— Compiled by Safiya Merchant, The University Record
