The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Wednesday, February 5, 2014 - 3A

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, February 5, 2014 - 3A

M-TRAC
From Page 1A
Jay Ellis, program director for
M-TRAC Transportation. "It's
quick feedback and expertise
as to how to commercialize
their ideas, and it keeps it in
this region."
MihaelaBanu, research asso-
ciate professor of mechanical
engineering, and Engineering
Prof. Jack Hu, vice president
of research, earned a grant for
their pitch to replace the glass
in fiberglass car frames with
bamboo fiber sheets. Accord-
ing to the project abstract,
the "most effective approach"
to improving fuel efficiency
is "reducing vehicle weight."
Bamboo frames would offer a
30-percent weight reduction at
a low price.

Rackham student Muham-
mad Faisal and Engineer-
ing Prof. David Wentzloff's
idea also earned a grant to
digitize cars' embedded pro-
cessors, and specifically the
clocks within them. The duo's
research claims the increasing
number of hardware proces-
sors in vehicles weighs them
down, increases their costs
and requires manufacturers to
constantly alter designs to keep
pace with technology.
In the project's abstract,
Wentzloff said "there's a need
for lower power, small form
factor and low cost electron-
ics."
Meredith VanKoevering,
entrepreneurial program man-
ager at the Center for Entre-
preneurship, said the new
M-TRAC Transportation grant
will increase future opportu-

nities for faculty to engage in
transnational research.
"It's the first time the (pro-
cess) has ever been tried
outside of the life sciences
projects," VanKoevering wrote
in an e-mail. "It's a highly
successful model to commer-
cialization, so the hope is to
replicate it in many other ver-
ticals once we prove its success
in the transportation industry."
The Michigan Economic
Development Corporation
helped the University create
the transportation branch of
M-TRAC. Paula Sorrell, man-
aging director of entrepre-
neurship and innovation for
the corporation, sat on the
M-TRAC Transportation Over-
sight Committee and said the
partnership also has important
implications for transportation
throughout the state of Michi-

gan.
"Advanced transportation
is important to the state for a
number of reasons and helps
us leverage numerous state
assets," Sorrell said. "U of M
has been a great partner in this
and really worked hard to help
move it forward."
University alum Alan Amici,
head of Chrysler Group LLC's
Uconnect Systems and Servic-
es, also sat on the board, and
said it was a great opportunity
to stay connected to the school.
"Not only does it give me a
chance to keep current with
the unique research areas that
can apply to the automotive
industry, but also allows me to
express my interest in technol-
ogy and share my experiences
with present and future gradu-
ates," he wrote in a statement.

Microsoft picks
company insider
to lead tech giant

EYE verted into signals that wirelessly sort through the many impulses to make out figures and light.
EE Ptransmit it to this device that we that are stimulated when recipi- Although the bionic eye does not
From Page lA implant on the retina." ents turn their head in different offer a full cure, Jayasundera said
After the surgery, patients directions. it is a step in the right direction.
said. "That video camera basi- undergo one to three months of Though the retinal prosthesis "This is already the Argus II,"
cally sends the information into training to adapt to their new does not provide 20/20 vision, Jayasundera said. "In time there
a video processing unit that you vision. Jayasundera said this it creates an abstract, rudimen- will be more development of
wear on a belt. The image is con- training helps the brain learn to tary vision that permits patients these types of devices."
for Michigan campaign includes have said to the deans that 'We Michael Boulus said he recogniz-
AID a $1 billion goal earmarked for need everybody here to know that es the need to increase funding.
From Page 1A student aid. this is our number one priority."' "We're one of the worst-fund-
During preparations for the The decrease in state-funded, ed states in the nation," Boulus
sity has taken measures to make campaign, University Provost need-based grants at the Uni- said. "(PCSUM's) task is very sim-
up for the loss in state-funded Martha Pollack asked develop- versity is a result of years of state ple. We'd like to see a long-term
grants like the MCS. Despite the ment organizers to double the budget cuts for higher education, investment in support for higher
decrease in state-funded, need- $545 million raised for finan- which have affected every public education to make us a top-10
based scholarships, the Univer- cial aid in the University's most university in the state. state in university support."
sity has increased the funding recent campaign, the Michigan While higher education fund- State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann
of average need-based grants Difference, which concluded in ing has decreased nationwide Arbor) said increasing state
through the reallocation of insti- 2008. during the economic recession, financial support for higher edu-
tutional and federal funds. "I just have to say, we swal- Michigan has reduced funds cation in areas such as funding
"Since UM is committed to lowed hard," said Jerry May, more than most states, cutting for need-based grants will have
meeting the full need of all resi- vice president for development, a third of its higher education a large effect on college students.
dent students, when the MCS in a November interview. "We funding between 2008 and 2012. "It's important for the indi-
award was reduced, UM covered thought, well, we might be able However, organizations such viduals," he said. "We have
this loss of funds," Fowler said. to get to $800 million with a lot as the Presidents Council, State young people who are bright
"Therefore fewer funds were of hard work and some really big Universities of Michigan - a non- and hardworking coming up in
available to improve student aid gifts - like $25 or $50 million profit, higher education advocacy the state of Michigan, and hav-
packages for all students." gifts for scholarships - but the organization - are working to ing great public universities that
As part of this commitment, provost made the case that we reverse the trend. are affordable are crucial for the
the University's $4 billion Victors needed to work harder ... They PCSUM Executive Director individuals."
CSG was another main concern of sev- the proposal. the administration if careful revi-
From Pae1Aeral CSG representatives as they "I think the language is a bit sions to the wording were made.
rom age expressed concern regarding the more rhetoric, and it doesn't really "We need to focus on what the
overall severity of the resolution's solve the problem," Mays said. "I problem is, how we solve it and
said. tone, saying it was worded too think the University of Michigan where CSG can go in between
However, Rackham student strongly. and students both know that there to make sure that problem is
Samuel Molnar, another co- Members cited portions of the is an issue of racism within the solved," he said.
author of the resolution, dis- proposal describing the racial cli- campus, but I think it goes too close CSG will be revising the reso-
agreed, adding that affirmative mate on campus as "The New Jim to criticize that the University of lution at Saturday's Resolutions
action should not be removed Crow," as well as aggressive accu- Michigan itself supports racism." Committee meeting.
from the resolution. sations of racism directed toward He suggested changing the In other business, council-
"I think the student body as a the University, among others. repetition of "demand" to a less members postponed a vote on the
whole, though, is behind affirma- LSA senior Chris Mays, an LSA confrontational one, such as resolution amending the State-
tive action. I think that is goingto representative, said changes to "urge." ment of Rights and Responsibili-
stay," he said. the language of the resolution are Mays said CSG would see ties, a vote that was expected to
The language of the resolution crucial to clearing up the goals of much greater cooperation from take place Tuesday.
STEREOTYPES "I'm not saying these crime ing of the hypersexualization of tion in the small discussions and
SroPageS alerts aren't true, but you do see a Black men and realize there are the insightful input show there is
From Page lA lot that is present - even here on many incorrect beliefs pertaining a strong desire to change the neg-
campus," Tavernier said. to sexual violence. She added that ative stereotypes of Black men on
of HEADS said. LSA sophomore Anna Forrin- she hopes people will understand campus.
Tavernier said there are many ger-Beal, a SAPAC volunteer, said that sexual violence is something Telling the Untold Truth
negative stereotypes associated the series of events will benefit that affects every type of commu- marked the first time HEADS
with Black male sexuality at the the University by de-stigmatizing nity. organized a sexual awareness
University, especially pertaining the issue of sexual assault and "It's unfortunate that it's true, event, and Tavernier said there
to recent crime alerts. He said forcingstudents to act out against but it also means that we can also is a good chance that it won't be
he believes most of the sexual it. provide a really strongly united the last.
and physical assault descriptions Before the event, Forringer- front against it," Forringer-Beal "it will definitely create a
depict Black men and people of Beal said she hoped people would said. stronger sense of community
color as the aggressors. leave with a better understand- She said the strong coopera- here at the University," he said.
I Tth 1IwTmaesr ose hill to

Satya Nadella to
oversee push into
cloud computing
LOS ANGELES (AP) - As
longtime Microsoft insider Satya
Nadella takes the company's
helm, he is declaring a new focus
on a "mobile-first, cloud-first
world." So far, he only has the
latter half of the formula figured
out
Microsoft and its new CEO
are trying to catch rivals such
as Apple, Google and Amazon,
which are each building their
own thriving ecosystems for
mobile devices. At the same time,
the company wants to expand
its burgeoning business as a
providerofsoftware and services
over the Internet
Nadella, head of Microsoft's
cloud computing business,
was named Tuesday to be
Steve Balmer's immediate
replacement. He is only the third
chief executive in Microsoft's
38-year history.
The 22-year Microsoft veteran
has enlisted the help of company
founder and first CEO Bill
Gates, who is leaving his role as
chairman to serve a more hands-
on role as an adviser at Nadella's
request. Gates will spend a third
of his time working on products
and technology.
Nadella, 46, led the company's
small but growing cloud
computing unit, in which
customers pay Microsoft to
house data and run applications
on distant servers connected to
the Internet. Those services are
a departure from Microsoft's
traditional business of making
software for installation directly
onto personal computers.
In addition to growing that
business, one of Nadella's first
tasks as CEO will be to complete
Microsoft Inc.'s $7.3 billion
purchase of Nokia's phone
business and patent rights - part
ofa plan to boost Windows Phone
software in a market dominated
by iPhones and Android devices.
"Going forward, it's a
mobile-first, cloud-first
world," Nadella said Tuesday
in a video accompanying the
announcement.
He said he would capitalize
on Microsoft's experience
making the industry's leading
productivity software package,
Office.
"We need to be able to pick
the unique contribution that we
want to make," he said. "That's
where our heritage of having
been the productivity company
is what we want to get focused
on."
Gates will remain on the
company's board. The new
chairman will be board member
John Thompson, who led the
search for a new CEO after
Balmer said in August that he
planned to step down.
Thompson said Nadella was
the board's "first and unanimous
choice."
Nadella has "the right
background to lead the company
in this era," Gates said ina video
message. "There's a challenge in
mobile computing. There's an
opportunity in the cloud."
The new CEO has been
an executive in some of the

company's fastest-growing
and most profitable businesses,
including its Office and server
and toolssbusiness. In three years
as server and tools president, he
helped grow that business into
one with $20 billion in annual
revenue - about a quarter of
Microsoft's total revenue in the
most recent fiscal year.
For the past seven months,
he was the executive vice
president who led Microsoft's
cloud computing offerings.
Nadella's new cloud enterprise
group has also been growing
strongly, more than doubling
customers in the latest quarter,
although it remains a small part
of Microsoft's current business.
Analysts hope that Nadella
can maintain the company's
momentum in cloud computing
and business software while
minimizing the effects of
unprofitable forays into
consumer hardware. It's a
transition IBM Corp. succeeded
in making in the 1990s, but that
companies such as Hewlett
Packard Co. and Dell Inc. have
struggled with.
Microsoft shares fell 13 cents
Tuesday to close at $36.35.
Nadella's appointment comes
at a time of turmoil for Microsoft.
Founded in 1975 byrGates
and Paul Allen, the company
has always made software that
powered computers made by
others - first with its MS-DOS
system, then with Windows
and its Office productivity
suite starting in the late 1980s.
Microsoft's coffers swelled as
more individuals and businesses
bought personal computers.
But Microsoft has been late
adapting to changes in the
technology industry as PC sales
declined. It allowed Google to
dominate online search and
advertising, and it watched as
iPhones, iPads and Android
devicesgrew. Microsoft'sattempts
to manufacture its own devices
have been marred by problems,
from itssquickly aborted Kin line of
phones to its still-unprofitable line
of Surface tablets.
Analysts see hope in some of
the businesses Nadella had a key
role in creating.
Microsoft's cloud computing
offering, Azure, and its push
to have consumers buy Office
software as a $100-a-year Office
365 subscription are seen as the
biggest drivers of Microsoft's
growth in the next couple of
years. Both businesses saw the
number of customers more than
double in the last three months
of the year, compared with a year
earlier.
Nadella is a technologist,
fulfilling the requirement that
Gates set out at the company's
November shareholder meeting,
where the Microsoft chairman
said the company's new leader
must have "a lot of comfort
in leading a highly technical
organization."
Born in Hyderabad, India, in
1967, Nadella joined Microsoft
in 1992 after being a member
of the technology staff at Sun
Microsystems.
Partly because of his insider
status and the fact that both Gates
and Ballmer will remain among
Microsoft's largest shareholders
and company directors, analysts
are not expecting a quick pivot in
the company's strategy.




p.ClL VV rLUIansgender0F Jp t hroom useIll
1-~c~crn~n' JWMedic1ine T7 SCHOOL OF NURSING
prevent LI aiiene bathroom use SCHOOL OF MEDICINE WW NIVI8SITY of WASHINGTON

Ongoing debate in
multiple states to
challenge existing
legislation
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A
Utah lawmaker has proposed
a bill that would prevent
transgender students from using
bathroomfacilitiesof their choice,
joining a debate playing out in a
handful of other states sparked
by a California law that broke new
ground on transgender rights.
Republican Rep. Michael
Kennedy says his plan would
pre-emptively block Utah from
allowing transgendered students
to choose between the girls' or
boys'restrooms, locker rooms and
sports teams, depending on the
gender they identify with.
A law that provides those
protections for public school
students in California took effect
Jan. 1 over the objections of those
who said it would violate the
privacy of most students and lead

to false gender identity claims.
Supporters of the California
legislation say it will reduce
discrimination against
transgender students.
But Kennedy disagrees. "For
these individuals," he said,
sharing a restroom or showers in
the locker room is "probably not
going to be the best way to use the
facilities" because it could make
the transgender child and other
students uncomfortable.
Rather than allowing
transgender students to use
facilities set aside for the gender
they identify with, Kennedy's
proposal would require schools to
provide additional bathrooms for
transgender students who desire
one or whose families request one.
Utah education officials say the
issue hasn't come up often, but
this is how they have typically
handled such cases.
Critics say Kennedy's
measure violates civil liberties of
transgender students and points
them out as different.
Sara Jade Woodhouse, a
transgender Utah woman and
adjunct film professor at Salt

Lake Community College,
says they rule would further
relegate transgender students to
secondary status.
"It's basically hanging a sign
around someone's neck that
says, 'I'm not like you.' And that
is so damaging to a person's self-
worth," Woodhouse said. "Really,
it's kind of frightening what it
actually could mean."
Brandie Balken, the executive
director of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender advocacy group
Equality Utah, said the measure
would step on parents' role in
negotiating what's best for their
children.
"It's a misguided solution at
best," she said Tuesday.
Similar debates are taking
shape elsewhere.. A proposed
referendum aims to overturn
the current California policy.
Maine's . Supreme Judicial
Court recently found school
officials there violated state
anti-discrimination law when
they required a 16-year-old
transgender student to use a staff
restroom instead of the girls'
room. And national attention

turned to a Texas high school
in November after officials said
a transgender boy couldn't take
a yearbook photo in a tuxedo,
a decision they eventually
reversed.
Gay rights have been at
the forefront of Utah politics
in recent weeks. Same-sex
marriage was legalized briefly
in December, leading to more
than 1,000 weddings. A court
challenge blocked the practice
and a judge is expected to rule
on the matter this spring. And
Republican state Sen. Stephen
Urquhart has proposed a bill
that would ban housing and job
discrimination based on gender
identity and sexual orientation.
Kennedy's proposal stands
little chance of becoming law
this year. The Utah Senate and
House have agreed to hold off
on bills dealing with religious
liberties and LGBTQ issues this
session, Senate President Wayne
Niederhauser said Tuesday. They
don't want to risk interfering
with the state's pending court
case over its gay marriage ban,
Niederhauser said.
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