Forbes reporter Eva Amsen writes about a new study by researchers from the Media Lab that explores how to credit art developed by AI systems. The researches found that “credit for AI-generated art all depends on how we think and talk about the role of AI.”
In an article for Next Avenue that highlights scientists over age 65 who are making “enormous contributions to their fields of expertise,” Diane Estabrook features Prof. Sallie “Penny” Chisholm and her research investigating Prochlorococcus. “The earth operates on solar energy, so understanding Prochlorococcus’ design could help us design artificial photosynthetic machines,” says Chisholm.
CNBC reporter Charlie Wood features tProf. Connor Coley's work developing a new system that could be used to help automate molecule manufacturing. “It tries to understand, based on those patterns, what kind of transformations should work for new molecules it’s never seen before,” says Coley.
Danielle Geathers, president of the MIT Undergraduate Association, joins Kelly Clarkson to discuss her goals for her presidency. Geathers highlights the Talented Ten Mentorship program, which aims to help increase matriculation of Black women by pairing “Black women in high school with Black women at MIT.” Clarkson applauded her work, noting “that’s amazing mentorship…You can dream big when you see that someone has made it there.”
Graduate student David Berardo has demonstrated how science enthusiasts can measure the speed of light at home using a bar of chocolate and the microwave, reports Caroline Delbert for Popular Mechanics. After microwaving the chocolate for about 20 seconds, “what you’ll see is a specific pattern of melting that shows the wavelength of the microwaves that power your oven.”
7 News spotlights how MIT researchers have developed a new wearable sensor that can be used to help people with ALS communicate. “The wearable technology, known as Comfortable Decoders, recognizes tiny facial movements that can help patients communicate simple statements, like ‘I’m hungry’ or ‘I love you.’”
Senior lecturer Edward Golding speaks with Bloomberg’s Caroline Hyde, Romaine Bostick and Joe Weisenthal about a new study he co-authored, which finds that Black Americans pay more for their homes.
Writing for Scientific American, Rebecca Boyle highlights how Prof. Dava Newman and graduate student Cody Paige are developing next-generation spacesuits from advanced materials. Boyle writes that Newman explains “future space suits have to be lightweight, easy to move in, and better at protecting astronauts from hazards such as micrometeorites and radiation.”
IEEE Spectrum reporter Daniel Dern spotlights the work of alumna Merryl Gross, an information architect and senior UX designer for a company that develops web-based software that helps nurses and doctors manage the care of patients with dialysis and other conditions. Gross explains that user design is basically, “applying human psychology to the design of made objects.”
A new study co-authored by MIT researchers finds that the economic damage from Covid-19 is more widespread nationwide than mortality impacts, reports Roni Caryn Rabin and Gina Kolata for The New York Times. “Health crises concentrated in one part of the country and one age group may have substantial economic spillovers that are felt throughout the rest of the country and on other age groups,” the authors wrote.
STAT reporter Elizabeth Cooney spotlights a new working paper by Profs. Martin Bazant and John Bush that explores the risk of airborne transmission of Covid-19. “Depending on ventilation, mask use, air filtration, and other variables, any indoor space may carry either low or high risk of transmission,” Bazant explains.
Boston Globe reporter Mark Feeney spotlights how the MIT Museum is offering a virtual installment of “The Polaroid Project, Part II.” The show, which also includes a display of cameras, documents and other objects, features a “stellar array of photographers. Among them are Ansel Adams, Chuck Close, Marie Cosindas, Elsa Dorfman, Gisèle Freund, Philippe Halsman, David Hockney, [and] the actor Dennis Hopper.”
In an article for the Cambridge Chronicle, Maya Johnson describes MIT’s efforts to mitigate Covid-19 transmission on campus. “Our main goal is to know where the virus is and make sure that we can prevent our community from getting the virus,” says Suzanne Blake, director of MIT Emergency Management. “Public health and safety is our number one priority for students.”
MIT has been named to the number two spot on U.S. News & World Report’s list of the best global universities, reports Abigail Hess for CNBC.
Writing for WBUR, Prof. Charles Stewart III argues that “whether an actual constitutional crisis emerges in the days following the election will depend on the careful, serious counting of every single vote that has been cast. As citizens, we need to be focused on that process, and not on distractions and delays of a desperate candidate.”