Elaine Didier

The following is a list of achievements by businesses and individuals in the Ann Arbor area:

• Elaine Didier, director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Michigan School of Information on Oct. 15. This award recognizes and honors alumni who have at least 25 years of professional service in the information professions and have made outstanding contributions to the field. Didier received her AMLS from Michigan in 1971 and her Ph.D. in 1982. Since 2005 she has been director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, located in Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.

• Ann Arbor SPARK celebrated the conclusion of its 18th Boot Camp program with participant investor pitches and a reception on Nov. 16. During the Boot Camp Celebration, WriteSteps was selected as the “Best of Boot Camp” winner, based on the quality of its investor pitch and business plan and will receive $5,000 in business consulting services. WriteSteps addresses provides elementary school teachers with techniques and strategies to meet National Common Core Standards Initiatives by delivering comprehensive, easy-to-use lesson modules tailored for each grade level. Also at the Boot Camp celebration, Tyler Paxton of Are You a Human (AYaH) was awarded “Best Pitch” by the judges. AYaH is creating and marketing a human authentication applet for use on websites. The next scheduled Ann Arbor SPARK Boot Camp is May 5 and 6, 2011. Application submission opens Jan. 11, 2011. Boot Camp participants that receive early decision admission receive complimentary Entrepreneur Education programs prior to the spring 2011 Boot Camp. For more information, visit www.AnnArborUSA.org.

• A team of 14 autonomous robots built by University of Michigan students has won an international competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and its Australian counterpart. U-M's team of more than 20 students, mostly from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, won a $750,000 grant for finishing in first place out of five teams in the final round of the contest. MAGIC, which stands for Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge, initially involved 23 teams. The competition took place in stages over more than two years. For more information, photos and video of the competition, visit the U-M Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science website.

• With the recent release of statistics showing that the unemployment rate in the state of Michigan ranks second highest in the nation at 13.1 percent, the Cleary University board of trustees recently approved an Unemployed Worker Payment Plan as a pilot program for the 2011 winter and spring terms. The program, open to unemployed new students and unemployed continuing students who have accumulated at least 90 credits, will defer tuition payments in excess of student loans and Pell Grants for a period of six months after the student completes his or her degree. The program will also guarantee employment, meaning that the monthly payment is forgiven for each month the student remains unemployed after degree completion. Cleary is a business university with campusus in Ann Arbor and Howell. To learn more about the payment plan, visit www.cleary.edu/unemployed.

• Ali I. Fattom has joined NanoBio Corp. as senior vice president of vaccine research and development. NanoBio is a privately held biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Ann Arbor.

• NSF International Strategic Registrations Ltd. has appointed William Niedzwiecki to president and general manager. NSF International Strategic Registrations offers a portfolio of management systems registration solutions to meet the demands of the global marketplace. NSF-ISR’s parent company, NSF International, is an independent, not-for-profit organization headquartered in Ann Arbor.

• Three University of Michigan researchers are among the winners of an international grant competition from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. The grants are designed to attract leading scientists from around the world to Russian educational institutions. The U-M scientists are Ronald Inglehart, a research scientist at the U-M Institute for Social Research and the Lowenstein Professor of Political Science; Alexey Kondrashov, the Andrei R. Skovoroda Collegiate Professor and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology; and Gerard Mourou, A.D. Moore Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the U-M College of Engineering. The grant awards partner the winning scientists with specific Russian educational institutions and are meant to facilitate international research partnerships.

• The Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation recently announced the launch of a new website designed to reconnect alumni of the Ann Arbor Public Schools with their former classmates and academic roots: www.annarboralumni.org.

• Nonprofit Enterprise at Work Inc. of Ann Arbor and Detroit has appointed Michael R. Tyson as NEW’s next president and CEO. His appointment follows an extensive search conducted by DHR International consultants in Birmingham, Mich. and is effective Nov. 18. Tyson succeeds Neel Hajra, who left NEW to join the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

• Paesano Restaurant in Ann Arbor is partnering with Gift of Life Michigan and its Donor Drive 2010 to raise awareness of the need for organ donation. The restaurant will stage a drive for its employees and customers to enroll as many organ donors as possible. In addition, Paesano will give away special gifts as part of the program. Starting Dec. 8 and running through Dec. 17, Gift of Life will sign up donors during lunch at the restaurant from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.paesanosannarbor.com.

• Four conservation groups have announced a new partnership to benefit the River Raisin: Legacy Land Conservancy of Ann Arbor, Raisin Valley Land Trust in Adrian, Stewardship Network of Ann Arbor and the River Raisin Watershed Council of Adrian. Initial partnership efforts will focus on the headwaters of the River Raisin in Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee and Washtenaw counties.

• Ann Arbor-based Domino's Pizza opened its first store in Vietnam on Nov. 19 in Ho Chi Minh City.

• E-mail items for People, Achievements and Paparazzi to business@annarbor.com . Sign up for the weekly Business Review email newsletter here.