Looking for educational and entertaining screen-time options for kids who are currently at home due to school closures caused by the spread of Covid-19? Wall Street Journal reporter Ellen Gamerman recommends Scratch - a free programming language developed by MIT researchers that allows children to program their own interactive stories, games and animations.
BBC News reporter Corinne Purtill writes that a new study by MIT researchers finds that workers with niche skills often end up earning more than their peers. The researchers found that, “even within roles with the same job title, employees who managed to stake claim to specific job tasks unique to the organisation typically had an advantage in pay.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Steven Rosenberg spotlights MIT startup XtalPi, a pharmaceutical-technology company using AI technologies to identify potential vaccines and treatments for Covid-19. “Since the outbreak, XtalPi has used its platform to study the virus at the molecular level to assess potential mutations that can make the virus more likely to spread or harder to fight off,” writes Rosenberg.
Prof. David Autor speaks with Financial Times reporters Andrew Edgecliff-Johnson and Brendan Greeley about how the spread of coronavirus might impact the global economy. Autor predicts the service industry could be particularly affected, noting that, “it’s not just that people feel less spend-y right now, it’s that they’re terrified to be in those places.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Robert McMillan spotlights MIT’s tradition of releasing admissions decisions on Pi Day. “We love all our ratios equally, and while to some people tau makes more sense mathematically, to everyone pi is more delicious,” says Stuart Schmill, dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services.
TechCrunch reporter Devin Coldewey writes about Glisten, a startup co-founded by alumna Sarah Wooders that uses “computer vision to understand and list the most important aspects of the products in any photo.”
Prof. Lydia Bourouiba speaks with Wired Roxanne Khamsi about her work investigating how pathogens spread. Khamsi explains that Bourouiba has found that “coughs and sneezes, which they call ‘violent expiratory events,’ force out a cloud of air that carries droplets of various sizes much further than they would go otherwise.”
Prof. Yossi Sheffi speaks with WBUR about how the coronavirus pandemic could impact food supply in the U.S. “I don't think this will be a long-term issue. People get their pantries full," says Sheffi, “and the United States food supply chain is pretty robust."
Forbes contributor Frederick Daso spotlights MIT startup Overjet, which is aimed at improving dental care using AI techniques. Daso notes that Overjet “analyzes clinical data to ensure better patient dental health and improve the overall quality of dental care.”
Popular Mechanics reporter Kate Morgan spotlights the MIT Puzzle Hunt, a popular and longstanding competition that has been held at MIT since 1981. “I was looking at engineering schools, and I read an article on the Mystery Hunt and was like, ‘I have to do this,’” says Mark Gottlieb of how the puzzle hunt helped inspire him to attend MIT.
MIT was named to The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education list of the top midsize colleges in the Northeast.
Prof. Regia Barzilay speaks with Kenneth Cukier of The Economist about how she and her colleagues developed a machine learning model that identified a new antibiotic, and how AI techniques could be applied to undercovering treatments for viruses like Covid-19. “My hope is that given the success of the model in the antibacterial space it can be applied to a broader set of diseases,” says Barzilay.
A coloring puzzle designed by graduate student Alex Berke was featured by Guardian reporter Alex Bellos. Bellos writes that Berke’s idea is to “introduce mathematical ideas about symmetry through the process of colouring in. It’s an engaging introduction to the maths of ‘group theory.’”
MIT startup Duality Technologies was named one of the 10 most innovative data science companies of 2020 by Fast Company. “Duality is poised to create what could be a new gold standard for data analytics that keeps data private while still allowing businesses to glean essential insights from it.”
Wall Street Journal reporter Katie Camero spotlights the work of several MIT researchers who are developing new materials and technologies aimed at improving athletic apparel and equipment. “We’ll see more performance gear that passively adapts to environmental conditions while keeping people comfortable,” says Prof. Anette “Peko” Hosoi.