Shankar Vedantam of NPR reports on Dr. Boris Katz’s new research examining how errors in written English can reveal clues about other languages. “By analyzing the patterns of mistakes that native speakers of two languages make in English, the computer can say, look, these two languages might actually be related to one another,” Vedantam explains.
In a piece for the Washington Post about infant mortality rates, Christopher Ingraham highlights a new study co-authored by Professor Heidi Williams examining why the U.S. infant mortality rate is so high. The researchers found that the higher mortality rates are due, “entirely, or almost entirely, to high mortality among less advantaged groups."
Professor Chris Knittel writes for WBUR that the People’s Climate March held in New York City may have played to the wrong audience. “Real change will only come about when politicians and others see real consequences for their positions, or lack thereof, on climate change,” Knittel writes.
Lauren Leamanczyk reports for CBS Boston on organjet.com, a website created by Professor Sridhar Tayur that helps patients determine where waiting times for organ transplants are shorter. Tayur says that the system can cut years off the time a patient spends on the list.
“MIT researchers have developed a football-size underwater robot that they say could soon help protect America's ports,” writes Brooks Hays for UPI. While the robot was designed to inspect the water tanks of nuclear reactors, researchers say it could be used to check ships for hidden contraband.
Writing for Forbes, Joe McKendrick highlights Dr. Andrew McAfee and Dr. George Westerman’s new book “Leading Digital: Turning Technology into Business Transformation.” The book offers advice for how manufacturers, service companies and government agencies can master digital technology.
The Boston Globe writes about Professor Sangeeta Bhatia's commitment to mentoring her students. “It's heartening to know that, tucked away in labs all over our region, solution-driven scientists like Sangeeta Bhatia are tinkering and building — and encouraging others to do the same.”
“Mrs. Stratton became a leading force for the humanities, bringing art onto the campus, launching a lecture series, and holding court each week at her Memorial Drive residence in what those invited came to think of as an elegant salon,” writes Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard of the life and legacy of Catherine Stratton, wife of former MIT President Julius Stratton.
In a piece for Forbes, Dan Woods writes about Dr. Marshall Van Alstyne’s work identifying the three stages of a company’s digital transformation.
In a piece for The Boston Globe, Jennifer Smith writes about the Math Prize for Girls competition held at MIT over the weekend. “Now in its sixth year, the Math Prize for Girls competition is aimed at deflating gender stereotypes that organizers say dissuade young women from entering technology-based fields,” writes Smith.
Professor Max Tegmark weighs in on the importance of Hugh Everett’s theory of the multiverse and his work developing the concept of mutually-assured destruction in a New Scientist article by Rowan Hooper. Everett “wrote arguably the first ever serious report on just how devastating a nuclear war would be for the US," says Tegmark.
Raghu Dhara of The Harvard Crimson writes that a new study by researchers from MIT, Harvard and Tsinghua University found that online courses are just as effective as traditional university courses. The study found that “the ‘learning gain’ of a group of MOOC students was comparable to that achieved by students enrolled in the same course at MIT,” explains Dhara.
MIT alumnus Robert R. Morris writes about his work developing a crowdsourcing application to help individuals cope with depression. Users can post descriptions of their troubles and within minutes, “a crowd of helpers sends you anonymous feedback. The responses are often very short, but guided by techniques used in many modern therapies,” Morris explains.
Boston.com reporter Adam Vaccaro writes about the Market Basket forum held at MIT. “The forum provided a preview of how we can expect academics across a variety of fields to approach Market Basket as a teaching opportunity,” writes Vaccaro.
Boston Globe reporter Matt Rocheleau writes about “All Doors Open,” the 15 minutes of reflection being held today for members of the MIT community to pause and reflect upon the community’s recent losses. “We’re asking everyone at MIT to do something we [often] don’t do here, to stop,” says Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart.