There has been a smattering of innovation news from around the state this week:
—University of Michigan researchers are developing a laser-based system to protect military helicopters from heat-seeking missiles by jamming their sensors, according to a report in Gizmag. Mohammed Islam, a U-M professor of electrical engineering and computer science, is leading the research and soon might be testing a prototype at his spinoff company, Ann Arbor-based Omni Sciences.
—Wayne State University Physician Group, a nonprofit that operates 100-plus medical practices and serves 670,000 patients in Detroit, said today it is using Orion Health’s technology to collect and manage patient data, independent of its own existing electronic health record system. The system will help the Wayne State organization create an exchange of clinical and demographic data between hospitals, medical centers, and its own offices.
—GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder has come under fire from his Democratic opponents for allegedly outsourcing jobs while he was on the board of Gateway, the computer maker, in the 1990s. AnnArbor.com has the gory details here. Last month, Xconomy’s Howard Lovy wrote an in-depth piece on Snyder’s background and experience in the tech industry.
Author: Gregory T. Huang
Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003.
Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
View all posts by Gregory T. Huang