N e Vs Wednesday, May 15, 1996 - The Michigan Daily -3 *AATA to add technology, Mcard services to buses by 1997 Summer pilot program to test viability of new system By Matthew Smart Daily StaffkRportr You can use your Mcard to pay for *ood, check out library books and enter University buildings. Soon you will be able to catch a ride on Ann Arbor buses with it. The University and the Ann Arbor Transit Authority have reached an agreement that will allow students, faculty and staff to use the University's smart card to pay fares on city buses by early 1997. "We've been talking with (the AATA) for months," said Robert tussell, University assistant director of financial operations. According to AATA spokesperson Liz Margolis, up to ten buses will be equipped with special card readers by the middle of June as part of a pilot program this summer. "It will test the viability of the readers on the buses," she said. Passengers will be able to insert their Mcards in the readers and have bus fare deducted from the CashChip. The Meard CashChip can hold up to S50. The summer pilot program will allow Mcard holders to use their cards on two bus routes near the medical campus. All AATA routes are expected to accept the Mcard around spring of 1997, Margolis said. A similar smart card will also be available for other riders. Shuttle buses used during the Ann Arbor art fair will also be outfitted with Mcard readers, Russell said. These buses will link outlying parking areas to the center of the city. Special- edition Mcards will be available to vis- itors who are not affiliated with the University. Margolis said the Mcard agreement is part of the larger Intelligent Transportation System, a project fund- ed mostly through federal and state grants. The project aims to replace com- munication equipment, revise fare col- lection systems, provide instantly updated information to riders and dri- vers, and implement new safety mea- sures on AATA buses. Using the Mcard and other smart cards to collect bus fares is the first step. AATA also will add onboard computers to monitor sensors attached to vehicle parts, keep track of passen- ger statistics and communicate with a dispatcher's computer. Eventually a bus will be able to locate itself within two meters using global positioning satellite technology. It will then be able to check its location against a map of the current route to tell if it is ahead of or behind schedule. Margolis said the new fare collec- tion system will be more convenient and cameras added to buses will increase security. Margolis said AATA studied differ- ent types of smart cards and decided the University's Mcard had the neces- sary aspects needed for its project. "We decided we wanted a card that matched the specifications of the Meard," Margolis said. "And we want- ""n""D"MI"N"CAP/"ly An Ann Arbor city bus displays advertising for the Mcard yesterday. Some buses will be equipped with Mcard readers this summer as part of a pilot program. ed one card in Ann Arbor." Mall and use AATA buses. Currently, Russell said the new agreement students, faculty and staff only need to will not affect people who work at show their Mcard to get service to and WvrnPTnwnrc -nr-nr Rri-wnnd rnmrm U' prof. receives Mellon Foundation grant By Laurie Mayk sibility," said William Bowen, Mellon The grant will "make it possible for Daily Editor in Chief Foundation president. "Other people will all universities to have some specializa- Technology is being targeted as a be recruited to lead projects under this tion" by jump-starting programs that vehicle to increase cost-effectiveness in umbrella, but he will be responsible will later sustain themselves, he said. higher education, in a project headed for the shape of the umbrella:" Whitaker said the opportunities are by former University Provost and busi- Bowen said Whitaker will be especially attractive in foreign language ness economics Prof. Gilbert Whitaker. involved in departments, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation selecting pro- i where satellite recently named Whitaker as a senior jects in the He has'the and video classes advisor to the foundation and estab- future that may increase the *shed a three-year, $485,000 grant to demonstrate overall leadership number of stu- fund his research in developing cost- both economic . .E dents who have effective applications of electronic and pedagogic resp onsi i y access to the pro- technologies in higher education. effectiveness. gram and there- "(Researchers should) think up Although - William Bowen fore build up the front of whether or not the technology technology is Mellon Foundation president enrollment and they are proposing is not only educa- often consid- strength of the tionally effective, but cost-effective," ered a means to departments. Whitaker said. expand educational opportunities and Edward Snyder, a business profes- Whitaker said his role is an organi- access, its potential to provide cost- sor at the University, said technology ational one. He said the grant money effective programs is often overlooked, is encouraging higher education to will compensate him for his time and Whitaker said. become less geographically centered, the time of the students he plans to "We are at a moment where careful allowing broader access to educational recruit to work with him, in seeking thought needs to be taken in ... what facilities. out and encouraging others to apply works educationally and what the eco- "This theme of distributing work for grants with the foundation. nomics of the project look like," with new technology is a theme that's "He has the overall leadership respon- Bowen said. getting a lot of play now," Snyder said. Business school aims to increase minority faculty CONCEPTUAL PREPARATION Success on the MCAT demands more than reviewing facts & formulas from your courses, and it is much more than taking practice tests. Mastering the MCAT requires that you fully understand how to apply fundamental science principles to various, novel problem situations. For this reason, the EXCEL MCAT Program emphasizes a conceptual approach to Physics Chemistry, Biology, and Organic. This way, we connect & integrate your previous coursework, and provide you strategies for incorporating new information from MCAT passages. Furthermore, our program improves your Verbal Reasoning and Writing scores by helping you understand what the exam is looking for. The MCAT definitely has its own agenda. Classes for the Aug. MCAT start: Tue., May 21st& on., June 3rd COMPREHENSIVE MCAT PREPARATION 1100 South University Test Preparation 996-1500 By Katie Wang Daily News Editor The University's Business School unveiled its plans last week to increase the number of minority faculty mem- bers in the school. With the assistance of a $300,000 grant from the General Electric Fund, the school and General Electric are teaming up to launch a "Faculty of the Future Program." "One of our greatest challenges over the next five years is to increase *iversity in the Ph.D. program and among faculty," said Business School Dean B. Joseph White. "We are well positioned to meet that chal- lenge. With the support from the GE Fund, we can become a valuable source of talented minority faculty members for business schools across the country." According to an internal report conducted by the Business School, minorities comprise 10 percent of the school's faculty. The report defines faculty as associate professors, tenured professors, or professors who are on the "tenure track." Under the Faculty of the Future Program, the school plans to work with other academic institutions, including Morehouse College and Navajo Community College, to devel- op an Undergraduate Research and Teaching Program. "Business faculty at each of these institutions will mentor selected undergraduates, including them in research projects and classroom pre- sentations," said Business Prof Edwin Miller. The Business School is also plan- ning to create a Junior Faculty Coupon Program that will give minority Business School graduates an early boost in their teaching careers. The coupons will provide junior faculty members with several years of guaran- teed fuinding for summer research. The S300,000 grant will be payable over three years. Both the University and the Business School have also decided to contribute funds to the pro- gram.