Ann Arbor, MI — August 28, 2006 — The University of Michigan School of Dentistry has won a prestigious award from Apple Computer for its innovative project that allows dental students to listen to classroom lectures on iPods or other portable listening devices.

The School received a runner-up award in the “Best Mac OS X Automator Workflow” category during Apple’s recent Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.  Trek Glowacki, a programmer in the School’s Department of Dental Informatics, accepted the award during the annual program which attracts thousands from around the world and also gives them an opportunity to learn more about Apple’s various Mac OS X technologies as well as hear company executives discuss future initiatives.

Since it was officially launched last September, U-M dental students with valid passwords have been able to download classroom lectures onto an iPod or an MP3 player.  Glowacki uses Apple’s software to automate the process of recording the lectures, processing them, and making them available for students to retrieve from Apple’s iTunes Web site less than five minutes after a lecture ends.

Although he put together a considerable amount of information about the School’s initiative for conference organizers to consider, Glowacki said that when he left Ann Arbor, “I had no idea our School would be receiving an award.  In fact, when the award was announced, I was in another room and rushed to the main stage to receive it,” he said.

After the awards ceremony ended, Glowacki said he answered questions from educators who also were at the conference and explained the history, development, and growth of the School of Dentistry’s project. 

Glowacki attended last year’s conference and said that what he learned participating in several lectures and workshops “enabled me to apply what I learned and build upon what we were doing here.  To the vast majority of students, the process of recording the lectures and making them available for listening is one that’s largely invisible,” he said.  “It’s comparable to putting your car key in the ignition and turning the key to start the car.  You don’t necessarily know every step of what happens and when, all you know is that you want it to work.”

Dr. Lynn Johnson, the School of Dentistry’s director of Dental Informatics, said, “This award is a highly coveted one that’s presented for truly innovative uses of Apple Computer’s products.  But our efforts were just a part of a much larger effort that involved many others, including the University’s Information Technology Central Services as well as Apple Computer.”

Johnson continues to emphasize that listening to the lectures does not replace the need for being in class.  “Listening to lectures on an iPod is a safety net,” she said.  Students can listen to the lectures on their portable listening devices as frequently as necessary to build on what they have learned in the lectures.  The iPod gives dental students the option to slow down portions of a lecture they need to hear again or to quickly bypass those sections they already understand.

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation's leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.

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