Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies, including updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Cinemark Bringing College Football Playoff Games to Big Screen
Texas-based Cinemark Holdings Inc., which operates several movie theaters in the metro Detroit area and across the country, is teaming up with ESPN to bring the College Football Playoffs to the silver screen.
Fans can catch the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl featuring the University of Michigan and the University of Georgia and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic that pits the University of Alabama against the University of Cincinnati at select U.S. theaters. The Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor Cinemark is the only theater in the region carrying the games.
“We are thrilled to offer an incredible opportunity for college football fans to gather and cheer on their teams in our immersive auditoriums with larger-than-life screens and surround sound,” says Justin McDaniel, senior vice president of global content at Cinemark. “This collaboration with ESPN brings together the best in college football and exhibition for a one-of-a-kind viewing experience that will make people feel like they are part of the on-field action.”
The winners of the two games will go head-to-head for the College Football Playoff National Championship Jan. 10 at 8 p.m., which also will be shown in the Cinemark theaters.
Fans can reserve their seat when they purchase a $10 concessions package here or on the Cinemark mobile app.
Barton Malow Becomes First Michigan Contractor to Join One Gigawatt Club
Barton Malow Co. in Southfield has become the first Michigan construction company to enter the One Gigawatt Club, solidifying itself as a leader in Michigan’s renewable wind energy market.
Entering the One Gigawatt Club signifies Barton Malow’s capacity to produce one gigawatt of renewable wind energy through wind turbine installations. According to the U.S Department of Energy, one gigawatt of power equals 110-million LED bulbs.
“Renewables are a win-win for both the economy and the climate,” says Matt Lentini, vice president of energy at Barton Malow. “We’re proud to be able to say that we’re a major contributor to the clean power sector here in Michigan, and we look forward to expanding our renewable energy portfolio throughout the country.”
Since entering the wind market with the construction of Stoney Corners Wind Farm in McBain, Mich. in 2008, Barton Malow has invested significant time and resources to help ensure a cleaner, more sustainable future through renewable energy, including:
- More than 1.75 million direct man-hours.
- 23 projects throughout both Michigan peninsulas.
- Work on 499 turbines from eight different manufacturers.
Barton Malow runs its entire Southfield headquarters office on 100 percent Michigan-made wind and solar power.
Lawrence Tech to Lead Kern Foundation’s Effort to Boost Engineering Research
Lawrence Technological University in Southfield is the lead institution on a three-year, $734,000 grant from the Wisconsin-based Kern Family Foundation to improve the participation of undergraduate students in engineering research with an entrepreneurial focus.
The grant, titled “An Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM)-Driven Framework for Undergraduate Research,” aims to introduce more than 2,000 engineering undergraduates to research, and create a system to make it easier and more efficient for faculty to engage students in research activities that can be shared with institutions around the country.
Participating with LTU in the grant will be Baylor University, Georgia Institute of Technology, the Oregon Institute of Technology, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The principal investigator on the project is Liping Liu, associate dean of graduate studies and research in the College of Engineering at LTU. The LTU Co-PI is John Peponis, senior lecturer and project engineer in the LTU Department of Biomedical Engineering.
As a member of the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), LTU describes EM as being comprised of “three C’s — curiosity, connections, and creating value.” This project aims to equip students with the skills and mindset necessary to translate research breakthroughs into high-impact innovation. KEEN believes that in traditional academic research, students are focused on proficiency in the specific skills needed to execute the research — which can result in a failure to connect their work to a larger context, and missed opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and value creation. This project also aims to prepare faculty to be entrepreneurially minded research mentors.
Liu says the grant will establish collaboration between small universities focused on undergraduate education and larger universities with leading research infrastructures, with the aim of creating a systematic, efficient, and sustainable training system for both students and faculty to explicitly embed EM into the research experience.
“There are many challenges getting undergraduate students involved in research,” Liu says. “Many of them don’t hear about opportunities. Many of them have no idea they can pursue it. And when they do, they find out late in their curriculum, junior or senior year. We want to let them know earlier, freshman or sophomore year, that there are opportunities to participate in impactful research.”
