Marcus Wohlsen of Wired reports on ScratchJr, a new iPad application created by MIT researchers to teach kids how to code. “We wanted to make sure young people aren’t just using tablet for browsing and consuming,” says Prof. Mitchel Resnick.
Forbes reporter Jay McGregor writes that researchers at MIT have developed a new vision-correcting display that automatically adjusts for people with visual impairments. “The idea is that the technology will predict how the users’ eyes will distort whatever is on screen and correct it beforehand,” McGregor explains.
“The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has released a new iPad app that aims to help 5-7 year-old children take their first steps in programming,” writes Stuart Dredge for The Guardian. “ScratchJr is a free app based on MIT’s existing Scratch programming language.”
The Associated Press reports that MOXIE, an MIT device designed to turn carbon dioxide in the Martian atmosphere into oxygen, will be included on NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. MOXIE will “make about three-quarters of an ounce of oxygen an hour," Dr. Michael Hecht explains.
The Guardian highlights new MIT findings on the impact of climate change and ozone pollution on global food supply. The Guardian reports that as the effect of ozone pollution on crops varies, “pollution-control measures could play a major role in determining outcomes."
Marcelo Gleiser writes for NPR about different theories on furthering our understanding of the universe, including Professor Max Tegmark’s book “Our Mathematical Universe.” “According to Tegmark, math is not just the tool we invent to describe both physical reality and pure rational constructions, but the very essence of nature,” writes Gleiser.
Joe Lazauskas writes for Forbes about MIT being named the top school for students looking to enter information technology fields. “MIT boasted the only perfect score in U.S. News & World Report rankings,” writes Lazauskas.
In a piece for USA Today about College Factual’s list of the top computer science schools in the U.S., Madison Mills writes about MIT being named the top destination for computer science majors. “MIT is in Cambridge, Mass. and offers a breathtaking campus in a mid-size city,” writes Mills.
Professor Marin Soljacic was one of three winners of the prestigious Blavatnik National Awards, reports Nature. Soljacic received the award for his work on electromagnetic phenomena, including wireless charging of batteries.
BBC News reports on a new vision-correcting display developed by MIT researchers that automatically corrects to allow individuals with vision problems to use the technology without glasses. The technology operates by altering the light from individual pictures on the display based on a person’s prescription.
Dr. Andrew Lippman of the MIT Media Lab writes for The Boston Globe about the importance of developing policies that allow open and affordable Internet access. Lippman outlines five principles that he argues adhering to will help to achieve this goal.
The New Yorker features a slideshow of images, currently on display at the Michael Hoppen Gallery, by the late Professor Harold Edgerton. Edgerton invented the strobe-flash in the 1930s, which allowed photographers to capture pictures at very high speeds.
Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Danielle Muoio writes about the FingerReader, a ring developed by researchers from the MIT Media Lab to help people with visual impairment read. “The ring’s webcam takes pictures of a group of words and then funnels the images into a companion app on a computer, which then reads the text out loud,” Muoio reports.
Eliene Augenbraun of CBS News examines MIT findings on the impact of climate change and pollution on crops. Prof. Colette Heald says the study explored climate and ozone effects “because we thought this was an important contrast to draw, and because these effects are better quantified.”
Jane Porter writes for Fortune about WiTricity, an MIT spinout focused on the development of wireless power-transfer technology. By using vibrational frequencies, electricity can be transferred over distances of up to four feet.