A team led by researchers at the University of Washington has developed system of robotic self-deploying microphones, which lets users control sound in a room, muting certain areas and creating “active zones” in others.
Tag: Computer Science
Scientists Successfully Maneuver Robot Through Living Lung Tissue
Ron Alterovitz, PhD, in the UNC Computer Science Department, and Jason Akulian, MD MPH, in the UNC School of Medicine, have shown that their steerable lung robot can autonomously maneuver the intricacies of the lung, while avoiding important lung structures.
Expert: Three Skills Cybersecurity Professionals Should Have in 2024
In advance of October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Michael Nizich, Ph.D., adjunct associate professor of computer science at New York Institute of Technology and author of the new book, The Cybersecurity Workforce of Tomorrow, is available for interviews/comments on the most critical…
$3M grant funds training to harness power of AI for social, environmental challenges
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is investing $3 million over the next five years in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advancements and Convergence in Computational, Environmental and Social Sciences (AI-ACCESS) program at Washington University in St. Louis.

Two networks, two realities, one big problem
National news coverage from the two largest broadcast outlets, CNN and Fox News, not only reflects growing political polarization in America, but in a recent publication, researchers at Virginia Tech have shown that partisan and inflammatory broadcast coverage has increased over time and can exacerbate growing divides in the new public square of social media.
U.S. Department of Energy Announces $37 Million to Build Research Capacity at Historically Underrepresented Institutions
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $37 million in funding for 52 projects to 44 institutions to build research capacity, infrastructure, and expertise at institutions historically underrepresented in DOE’s Office of Science portfolio, including Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Emerging Research Institutions (ERIs).

Knees up! Computational modeling could improve knee implant alignment
A Texas A&M University doctoral student has collaborated with an innovative surgical navigation and robotics company on motion capture research that can potentially improve implant alignment during knee replacement surgeries.
Psychology graduate explores human preferences when considering autonomous robots as companions, teammates
With the fierce debate broiling over the promise versus perceived dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and autonomous robots, Nicole Moore of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has had a study published in the American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM) that is especially timely.Titled, Stakeholder Preferences for an Autonomous Robot Teammate, Moore’s research focuses on user-held preferences: specifically, which factors in autonomous robot design are the most preferable to their human counterparts, and whether these criteria vary according to the ways the technology is applied.

Learning from superheroes and AI: UW researchers study how a chatbot can teach kids supportive self-talk
Researchers at the University of Washington created a new audio chatbot, Self-Talk with Superhero Zip, aimed to help children speak positively to themselves. This chatbot is “a ‘Sesame Street’ experience for a smart speaker.”

Wildlife crossing guards
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers developed a model framework that identifies ways to ensure wildlife can safely navigate their habitats while not unduly affecting infrastructure.
We are wasting up to 20 percent of our time on computer problems
Even though our computers are now better than 15 years ago, they still malfunction between 11 and 20 per cent of the time, a new study from the University of Copenhagen and Roskilde University concludes.
CSU Students Impress at Systemwide Research Competition
Student researchers from across the CSU presented their work at the 37th Annual CSU Student Research Competition, hosted by San Diego State University.
University of Minnesota to lead $2 million federal grant to study human-centered AI for news recommender systems
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is one of five institutions leading National Science Foundation-funded projects to support artificial intelligence research infrastructure that will help scientists better understand and study AI for applications like news recommendation systems.
How is TikTok affecting our mental health? It’s complicated, new U of M study shows
University of Minnesota Twin Cities computer science researchers found that the nature of TikTok’s algorithm can have both positive and negative outcomes for users’ mental health and sense of belonging on the platform.

Data can now be processed at the speed of light!
How can Marvel movie character Ant-Man produce such strong energy out of his small body? The secret lies in the “transistors” on his suit that amplify weak signals for processing. Transistors that amplify electrical signals in the conventional way lose heat energy and limit the speed of signal transfer, which degrades performance.
Artificial intelligence: ChatGPT statements can influence users’ moral judgements
Human responses to moral dilemmas can be influenced by statements written by the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The findings indicate that users may underestimate the extent to which their own moral judgements can be influenced by the chatbot.
Honey, the 3D print–I mean, dessert–is ready!
Columbia Engineering researchers explore the benefits and drawbacks of 3D-printed food technology, cooking 3D-printed food with lasers as part of the system, how 3D-printed food compares to the “normal” food we eat, and the future landscape of our kitchens.
Saint Louis University Expert Available to Talk AI, Chatbots
Artificial intelligence news has escalated considerably just in the last few months with the roll-out of Microsoft’s Bing Chatbot and the popularity of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT. Saint Louis University’s Flavio Esposito, Ph.D., is available to speak…
Researchers take a step towards turning interactions that normally ruin quantum information into a way of protecting it
Rresearchers at Aalto University in Finland and IAS Tsinghua University in China report a new way to predict how quantum systems, such as groups of particles, behave when they are connected to the external environment. Usually, connecting a system such as a quantum computer to its environment creates decoherence and leaks, which ruin any information about what’s happening inside the system. Now, the researchers developed a technique which turns that problem into its a solution.

How CSU Empowers Women in STEM
UN Women has declared the theme for International Women’s Day on March 8, 2023 “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equity” to celebrate women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education.

UC Irvine alumni Paul and Jo Butterworth pledge $35.5 million to Donald Bren School
University of California, Irvine alumnus Paul Butterworth, co-founder and chief technology officer of enterprise software developer Vantiq Inc., and his wife, Jo Butterworth, also a UCI graduate, have named UCI as a beneficiary of their estate. The gift, valued at approximately $35.5 million, will support the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences.
UTEP Receives $5M NSF Grant to Support High-Potential Computer Science Students
UTEP received a $5 million grant from NSF to provide financial support and professional development experiences to talented students in the field of computer science. The initiative will provide partial scholarships to 26 students at UTEP and to 15 students who start their college education at EPCC.
UTEP-led Alliance Receives $4.8M from Google to Increase Hispanic Participation in Computing Research
The Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions, which The University of Texas at El Paso leads, received a $4.8 million grant from Google to increase the number of Hispanic students who enter and complete graduate programs in computing. The grant also will support efforts to bolster research capacity among faculty and students at CAHSI institutions that align with Google’s research interests.
Two UCI researchers named fellows by the National Academy of Inventors
Irvine, Calif., Dec. 8, 2022 — The National Academy of Inventors has named two University of California, Irvine researchers as fellows for 2022. Philip Felgner, a pioneer in the development of lifesaving mRNA vaccines, and Payam Heydari, a prolific creator of cutting-edge microelectronics technologies, were both recognized for inventions that have made tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.
Study uncovers new threat to security and privacy of Bluetooth devices
Mobile devices that use Bluetooth are vulnerable to a glitch that could allow attackers to track a user’s location, a new study has found.
Prehistoric predator? Artificial intelligence says no
Artificial intelligence has revealed that prehistoric footprints thought to be made by a vicious dinosaur predator were in fact from a timid herbivore.
Forseeing failure
Take a wire paperclip. Now, bend it back and forth in the same spot 15, maybe 20 times. Chances are the paperclip will have broken before you finish. This is due to what’s called metal fatigue, which occurs when a metal component is cyclically stressed until it fails.
Researchers Discover Security Loophole Allowing Attackers to Use WiFi to See Through Walls
A research team based out of the University of Waterloo has developed a drone-powered device that can use WiFi networks to see through walls.
Q&A: UnlockedMaps provides real-time accessibility information for urban rail transit in six metro areas
Researchers at the University of Washington developed UnlockedMaps, a web-based map that allows users to see in real time how accessible rail transit stations are in six metro areas: Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Toronto, New York and the California Bay Area. UnlockedMaps shows which stations are accessible and which ones are experiencing elevator outages.
Mobile network data, an efficient method for assessing the spread of epidemics
IMDEA Networks research team conducts first work studying mobile data to detect COVID-19 hospitalizations and create risk maps.

Study Supported by DOE to Investigate Quantum Computing Advantages
Advancing extreme-scale science is essential to the enhancement of many applications in computational science. Supartha Podder, PhD, of Stony Brook University, who studies quantum advantages in solving computational tasks, received a two-year DOE grant to study the power of quantum witnesses.
Researchers combine data science and machine learning techniques to improve traditional MRI image reconstruction
University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have found a way to improve the performance of traditional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) reconstruction techniques, allowing for faster MRIs without relying on the use of newer deep learning methods.

UCI is ranked among nation’s top 10 public universities for eighth year in a row
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 12, 2022 — The University of California, Irvine has been ranked eighth among the nation’s public universities – and 34th overall, an improvement of two spots – on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 list of “Best Colleges,” released today. This is the eighth consecutive year in which UCI has placed in the top 10.
Rensselaer Researcher To Follow the Trail of Misinformation
On 9/11, lawmakers from both parties unified in their response. Just over 20 years later, Congress is distinctly partisan, clashing on everything from the January 6 insurrection to COVID to climate change. Why? Many blame widespread and widely believed misinformation and disinformation. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Boleslaw Szymanski, Claire and Roland Schmitt Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, is part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers examining the flow of (mis)information in social media.

Rensselaer To Advance Blockchain Tech With $360k Grant
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Oshani Seneviratne, director of health data research at the Institute for Data Exploration and Applications (IDEA), and Lirong Xia, associate professor of computer science, have been awarded $363,343 from the Algorand Foundation. The award is part of an $8 million grant to fund blockchain research through a project led by Vassilis Zikas, associate professor of computer science and security researcher at Purdue University.
Researchers Develop Equations to Prevent the Collapse of Our Globe’s Most Imperiled Ecosystems
News headlines on extreme weather, melting ice caps, and threatened species are daily reminders of our changing environment. The profound scale and intensity of these challenges may leave one to wonder, “What should we do first?” Researchers recently developed formulas that help answer that question, effectively creating a method to triage declining ecosystems by measuring and comparing their distance to tipping points.
Using artificial intelligence to control digital manufacturing
Scientists and engineers are constantly developing new materials with unique properties that can be used for 3D printing, but figuring out how to print with these materials can be a complex, costly conundrum.

New $10M NSF-Funded Institute Will Get to the CORE of Data Science
A new National Science Foundation initiative has created a $10 million dollar institute led by computer and data scientists at University of California San DIego that aims to transform the core fundamentals of the rapidly emerging field of Data Science.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Computer Science and Physics Departments Appoint New Leaders
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s School of Science has appointed two new department heads. Mohammed Zaki now leads the Department of Computer Science and Gyorgy Korniss leads the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy. The departments are ranked third and fourth in the state of New York, respectively, and 24th nationally by College Factual.
Which companies could become Maestros of the Metaverse?
A new study by world leaders in patent data has revealed the companies that are poised to become the “Maestros of the Metaverse”, conducting the most innovations to underpin the 3D virtual reality space of the near future.
FAU Receives State Grant for Cybersecurity, IT Training
FAU was awarded more than $800,000 by the state of Florida as part of a $15.6 million initiative to prepare students and mid-career professionals for jobs in the burgeoning fields of cybersecurity and information technology.

UCI researchers invent a health monitoring wearable that operates without a battery
Irvine, Calif., July 12, 2022 – A new self-powered, wristwatch-style health monitor invented by researchers at the University of California, Irvine can keep track of a wearer’s pulse and wirelessly communicate with a nearby smartphone or tablet – without needing an external power source or a battery. In a paper published recently in the journal Nano Energy, team members in UCI’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering describe their invention, built via 3D printing of nanomaterials on flexible substrates for real-time and wireless monitoring of vital signs.

Eight Columbia Engineering Professors Win NSF CAREER Awards
Eight professors from Columbia Engineering are among this year’s recipients of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Early Career Development (CAREER) awards, one of the most prestigious recognitions for junior researchers. Their areas of expertise will contribute to gains in personalized cancer treatment, the analysis of cellular processes, distributed control in large-scale systems, quantum information theory, understanding multiphase flows, as well as cloud computing and storage operations.
UC San Diego Computer Scientist Plays Major Role in $25M Cancer Grand Challenges Project
University of California San Diego computer scientist Vineet Bafna is part of a team of world-class researchers that has been awarded a five-year, $25 million Cancer Grand Challenges grant to learn how the destructive genetic lesion extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) influences numerous cancers and to identify possible therapies.
Overleaf reaches 10 million users worldwide
Cloud-based software company Overleaf has reached 10 million users in 189 countries around the world, thanks to strong and sustained user growth among university academics, students, research institutions and industry.
Faster Computing Results Without Fear of Errors
Researchers have pioneered a technique that can dramatically accelerate certain types of computer programs automatically, while ensuring program results remain accurate.

A quarter of world’s Internet users rely on infrastructure at high risk of attack
About a quarter of the world’s Internet users live in countries that are more susceptible than previously thought to targeted attacks on their Internet infrastructure. Many of the at-risk countries are located in the Global South.
Experts discuss mass shooting in Buffalo
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Experts at Binghamton University, State University of New York discussed issues surrounding the recent mass shooting in Buffalo. Watch the full talk via YouTube. The tragic, racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., by an 18-year-old has…
Charting a safe course through a highly uncertain environment
An autonomous spacecraft exploring the far-flung regions of the universe descends through the atmosphere of a remote exoplanet. The vehicle, and the researchers who programmed it, don’t know much about this environment.
University of Minnesota student uses TikTok dance videos to solve problems in computer vision and machine learning
What if we used TikTok as a tool to further scientific research? University of Minnesota computer science Ph.D. student Yasamin Jafarian is doing just that, using data from the app to create more realistic 3D digital avatars.