Erika Fry writes for Fortune about the spread of infectious diseases, highlighting a study by researchers from MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering that examines how infectious diseases could spread worldwide through air transportation. The researchers developed a metric to rank and predict which U.S. airports would be the most influential spreaders of a disease.
The MIT Alumni Association’s Slice of MIT blog features highlights of MIT President L. Rafael Reif’s Ice Bucket Challenge. “MIT President L. Rafael Reif is the Institute’s 17th president, but he is almost surely the first MIT president to publicly dump a bucket of near-freezing water over his head,” writes Jay London.
New York Times reporter Neil Irwin writes about Professor David Autor’s new paper, which asserts that robots will not replace humans in the labor market. “Many of the middle-skill jobs that persist in the future will combine routine technical tasks with the set of non-routine tasks in which workers hold comparative advantage,” Autor explains.
Reuters reports on Professor David Autor’s new paper on how automation and computers are impacting the labor market. "I expect that a significant stratum of middle skill, non-college jobs combining specific vocational skills with foundational middle skills - literacy, numeracy, adaptability, problem-solving and common sense - will persist in coming decades," Autor explains.
Katie Collins writes for Wired that MIT researchers have developed a new algorithm that will allow delivery drones to monitor their own health. “Drones will be able to keep an eye on their ability to do the job by predicting fuel levels and checking on the condition of propellers, cameras and other sensors,” writes Collins.
Neel V. Patel writes for Popular Science about the online game Eyewire developed by MIT researchers. The game has allowed neuroscientists to gather data that is helping them to map the eye’s neural network.
Bloomberg News reports on Professor David Autor’s presentation on the U.S. labor market at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, where he presented research demonstrating that robots are not replacing as many human workers as some fear. “Challenges to substituting machines for workers in tasks requiring flexibility, judgment, and common sense remain immense,” Autor explains.
Freakonomics speaks with MIT Professor Eran Ben-Joseph about his book, “Rethinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking,” which offers solutions to the parking lot.
Writing for Scientific American, Curtis Brainard reports on the Women in Science Writing Solutions Summit, held at MIT in June. “Indeed, the Women’s in Science Writing summit at MIT shone a light on not one gender gap that needs to be closed, but many,” writes Brainard.
Melissa Malamut of Boston Magazine writes that MIT chemical engineers have developed a new treatment for bone injuries. The researchers developed an implantable tissue scaffold coated with bone growth factors that helps the body quickly form new bone.
BetaBoston reporter Nidhi Subbaraman writes that MIT researchers are developing new techniques to make future delivery drones more functional and efficient. “We have broken the large problem into lots of small problems,” says Ali-akbar Agha-mohammadi.
The Wall Street Journal interviews Professor Sara Seager about her research and her search for extraterrestrial life. "We haven't been able to find the true Earth twin yet because it's so very hard to find. It's like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack," says Seager.
Professor Andrew Lo and MIT alumnus Tom Rutledge write for The Boston Globe about the benefits that Boston’s colleges and universities could bring to a potential Olympic bid. “The convergence of a great urban undertaking, a gathering of global elites, and Greater Boston’s amazing universities has truly Olympic potential to enrich the lives of people around the world,” Lo and Rutledge write.
New Scientist writes that MIT researchers have developed a new system that allows users to ‘see’ in the dark and through smoke. The system operates through a smartphone, which emits inaudible chirps and then listens for their echo.
Professor Renee Richardson Gosline writes about the Market Basket strike and the role social media has played. Social media, Richardson argues, has increased consumer influence and involvement in the crisis.