Student startups are sizzling at the University of Michigan. That's why various university officials have collaborated to create a permanent business incubator designed specifically for student-led companies and some other startups affiliated with the university.

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Brazilian sugar producers say sugar-based fuel is more environmentally sound than electricity or corn ethanol as an alternative for powering cars. But the odds are long for a change. "The main problem with corn-based ethanol is that it competes with agriculture, and that's a huge social problem," said Anna Stefanopoulou, director of the University of Michigan Auto Research Center.

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Dangerous debris near rocket launches could be tracked in real time by combining tricks from particle colliders, moon landings and vulture tracking, a new study finds. "For manned missions, this is very important. I'm surprised it's not been done yet," comments Nilton Renno of the University of Michigan, who studies how rocket plumes from Mars landers affect the Martian surface. "It will improve our confidence in the assessment of potential damage, not just for the space shuttle but for any other future spacecraft."

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The world's largest cruise ship is making its first transatlantic crossing from Finland to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where it will make its U.S. debut. Though colossal, the ship relies on the same physical principles as its smaller brethren to stay afloat. How does such a huge ship float? "It's just like any other ship. It has to displace an equal amount of water to how much it weighs," said Matthew Collette, assistant professor of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. If it didn't, the ship would sink.

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Researchers from U-M and Ford are working together to turn your hybrid car into a math equation. "Once we have developed a mathematical model of the power system and what Ford engineers are trying to optimize, we can tell them what the optimal efficiency is," says Jessy Grizzle, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the U-M who is working on the project with U-M PhD student Daniel Opila.

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Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Jerry Lynch is the lead investigator of a project exploring new technologies to enhance the field of structural health monitoring. The vast majority of the nation's spans currently lack any monitoring system. Funded in part by a nearly $9 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Technology Innovation Program, what some are calling a "smart bridge" system will make it possible to detect problems before they occur by alerting inspectors to structural deficiencies through a wireless relay system connected to the Internet.

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Ford has tapped U-M to help bring cloud computing and social networking to Sync. The goal is to figure out "what's next" for in-car connectivity and the company's wildly successful automotive communications and entertainment system. "What excites me about this project is that it gives our students the opportunity to unleash their creativity using cutting-edge technologies that connect the vehicle and the cloud," said Dr. Jason Flinn, an associate professor at U-M.

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For the fourth time in the U-M Solar Car Team's history, the students placed third in a biennial 1,880-mile race across Australia. The U-M car Infinium crossed the finish line in Adelaide Wednesday evening Eastern time to complete the Global Green Challenge.

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Ford Motor Co. has partnered with the Michigan Engineering's department of electrical engineering and computer science to create software for future generations of its Sync system. The joint research project, dubbed "American Journey 2.0," offers students the opportunity to develop, beta test and program open-source applications based around the concept of in-car connectivity.

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U-M's MPowered Entrepreneurship, an engineering student group, is challenging students campuswide to think like an entrepreneur with its annual "1,000 Pitches" competition. In its second year, the competition, running through Nov. 20, asks students to pitch new products and business ideas through a one- to three-minute video uploaded to the 1,000 Pitches Web site.

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Winning five out of the last nine biannual national championships has made the U-M Solar Car Team the most successful solar car team in North America. As one of the most heavily funded student organizations on campus, with a budget of approximately $2.6 million, the Solar Car Team brings together students from a variety of disciplines, including engineering, business, art, economics, education and history.

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The World Solar Challenge covers some 1,880 miles of mostly outback Australia, from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south. The route along the paved Stuart Highway takes in tropical rain forests, savannas and desert, but hot sun is a frequent traveling companion. And that's a good thing when your cars are powered by sunlight. The average speed (in traffic) is 64 miles per hour, according to the Michigan Engineering Forum, but the cars are capable of going much faster. The Infinium, U-M's solar car, is currently in third place in the race.

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From the Roomba to breakthroughs in cancer research, a Senate panel heard testimony Wednesday promoting the value of NASA. Lennard Fisk, a professor of space science at the University of Michigan, said that the space program touches the lives of every American.

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How Shepherd Intelligent Systems got its start is the way University of Michigan officials anticipate a lot of future start-ups will launch. The 5-month-old U-M spin-off began as the project of U-M engineering student Jahan Khanna. He was creating software that gives riders the real-time position of university buses and realized it had broad commercial potential. So, with the help of TechArb, Jahan teamed up with U-M MBA student Adrian Fortino to start the firm, which now employs four people in downtown.

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Classroom computers are shrinking. More local students are using "netbooks" at school. The small computers are much lighter and cheaper than traditional laptop computers.

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Ford and U-M are working together on a new project to accelerate the development of future hybrid vehicles. Jessy Grizzle, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at U-M said, "I envision hybrids of the future featuring multiple modes or offering customers the ability to customize their driving experience."

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If former U-M president James Duderstadt has his way, your education--even after 12 years of school, four of college and the likely prospect of graduate school--is just getting started. Duderstadt, a nuclear engineer, maintains an office on North Campus in the building that bears his name. He rose into a leadership position because he wanted to get things done--and he stepped down when the job was finished.

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The 2007 inspection report released last week finding the Ambassador Bridge in "fair condition" was mostly unremarkable, save for a few descriptions of the "poor condition" of certain sections outside of the primary structural parts. Sherif El-Tawil, professor of structures and materials engineering at U-M, thinks the "overall fair" rating was generous.

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R. Paul Drake, professor of applied physics and atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences, spoke with Science magazine about new research that may help scientists further understand the processes involved with black holes.

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Meet Jerome Lynch, one of PopSci's annual Brilliant 10--a selection of the brightest young researchers in the country. They're helping to keep us healthy, prevent disasters, and make green energy cheaper than coal. Lucky for us, our future is in their capable hands. They call Lynch "The Bridge Whisperer" because his bridge sensors can catch structural flaws invisible to human eyes.

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The U.S. government has made it clear that developing a domestic auto-battery industry--for advanced batteries to power next-generation electric cars--is a priority. That has states scrambling to be sure they get a piece of the action.

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The University of Michigan says it will start offering Segway personal transporters for tours of its science-oriented North Campus. The College of Engineering acted on student advice and bought 10 of the battery-powered self-balancing two-wheeled scooters made by Bedford, N.H.-based Segway Inc. to allow visitors to see the campus more quickly.

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Civil engineer faculty member Victor Li designed a bendable concrete that repairs its own cracks.

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Aileen Huang-Saad, Biomedical Engineering won 1st place in the 2008 Teaching with Sakai Innovation Awards.

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In hopes of spurring more innovation from faculty and researchers, the University is launching the Michigan Venture Center, a "one-stop hub for University of Michigan technology," according to Jim O'Connell' the associate director for business formation at the University's Office of Technology Transfer.

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Tech and science-oriented North Campus - College student affairs director Jeanne Murabito says the Segways will allow visitors to see the sprawling campus more quickly and visit more places.

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The University of Michigan says it will start offering Segway personal transporters for tours of its tech and science-oriented North Campus.

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The University of Michigan College of Engineering says it acted on student advice and bought 10 of the battery-powered self-balancing two-wheeled scooters made by Bedford, N.H.-based Segway Inc.

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The University of Michigan says it will start offering Segway personal transporters for tours of its tech and science-oriented North Campus.

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Ford Motor Co. announced a new collaboration Monday with two Michigan universities aimed at improving its in-vehicle connectivity system, Sync.

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A California company Tuesday will announce an iPhone application and car receiver that will enable users to lock, unlock and remotely start their car with the phone rather than the car's key fob.

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A new air quality lab on wheels will be making the rounds of southeastern Michigan to study the effects of small pollution particles that can kill or sicken people and livestock.

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A 2-year-old Ann Arbor startup that has developed a moldable, custom-fitted mouth guard is trying to market the product and its value propositions to a high-school and college athletic equipment industry crowded with competitors.

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Thick bands wrap around your ribs, tightening and squeezing the air from your lungs. Cords coil around your neck and arms, gripping, suffocating. Nausea and dizziness wash over you. Cold beads of sweat wet your forehead. Your vision narrows, then everything goes black. You have just had a heart attack. Omolola ("Lola") Eniola-Adefeso, a chemical engineer at U-M, discusses heart disease.

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The University of Michigan recently reached a remarkable milestone given the difficult economic climate in which it was achieved. In fiscal year 2009, U-M exceeded $1 billion of research spending. Amazingly, the volume of research at U-M has doubled in the span of 10 years.

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Today's list of 21 nominees for the 5th annual Deals of the Year award shows the ongoing business successes in the Ann Arbor region in seven key sectors.

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Infinium, the University of Michigan's solar-powered car sponsored by Delta, will compete against top international team cars this October in an 1,800-mile race across the Australian Outback. Competitors in this world championship race, the Global Green Challenge, are fueled by sunlight alone. (Page 129)

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The conclusion of AEI's two-part series looks at how industry, academia, and professional groups are working together to close the "knowledge gap" in vehicle electrification.

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Listen up, airlines: You need to fix the problem of leaving people stranded on miserable, smelly airplanes with little food, water or patience--and you can. Lots of your peers say so. Assistant Professor Amy Cohn is quoted.

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Funding from the Department of Energy for nanotechnology research in the energy sector has risen nearly 40 percent, to an estimated $337 million so far in 2009 from $245 million in 2008.

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For years, schools have mandated policies barring cellphones from the classroom in hopes of avoiding disruptions to a student's learning environment. The Inkster Public School District is working with Sprint and GoKnow Learning, Inc., a U-M spinoff that focuses on helping K-12 adopt mobile learning, to transform the device once considered a nuisance into a powerful learning tool.

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In the past, America's airlines could count on some major business organizations to help them fend off a proposed "Passengers' Bill of Rights."

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Airline passengers who were trapped on tarmacs "like sardines in a can" had their opportunity to air their grievances Tuesday at an unofficial Capitol Hill hearing that shared some of the characteristics of those flights.

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