Inside Higher Ed reporter Carl Straumshein writes that MIT is launching a pilot program that will provide an alternative path for students to pursue a master’s degree fro the Supply Chain Management program.
Researchers from MIT and Boston Children’s Hospital have “designed a system for converting surgical MRI scans into highly accurate, 3-D-printed models of the heart in a matter of hours,” writes Dana Guth for Boston Magazine. “Using the models could allow surgeons to plan procedures in a way they can touch, feel, and see.”
A new MIT pilot program offers learners an opportunity to earn a new kind of credential for online learning, as well as a new path to an MIT master’s degree in Supply Chain Management, reports Laura Krantz for The Boston Globe. “The most important thing is to democratize access to MIT,” says President L. Rafael Reif.
Eric Convey writes for the Boston Business Journal about MIT’s new pilot for the Supply Chain Management master’s program. "This approach basically inverts the traditional admissions process," said MIT President L. Rafael Reif.
MIT researchers have been awarded a new NSF grant to develop robots that can serve as reading companions for children, reports Lindsey Kratochwill for Popular Science. The study, led by Prof.Cynthia Breazeal, aims to advance the fields of autonomous storytelling and human-robot interaction.
Researchers from MIT’s Camera Culture Group have devised a way for cameras to see through walls and bad weather, reports Vijee Venkatraman for BetaBoston. “It is not meant to be the next camera for consumers — the idea is to help with imaging in dangerous conditions, and to help with non-destructive testing,” writes Venkatraman.
In a new paper, Prof. Andrew Lo argues that the FDA should apply less stringent criteria when approving experimental drugs for terminal diseases that have few treatment options, writes Ed Silverman for The Boston Globe. “For terminal patients with no existing treatments, it seems to make sense to be more lenient,” says Lo.
Davis Schneiderman of The Huffington Post speaks with Prof. Sherry Turkle about her book examining how smartphones and other digital technologies are impacting relationships. “My message of this project is not that you shouldn't enjoy your Twitter, it's just that when you're talking to me, you should put it aside,” says Turkle.
Senior Lecturer Phil Budden writes for Fortune about how the Greek financial crisis also presents an opportunity. Budden recommends that Greece, “shift its focus away from its macroeconomic problems and toward the task of creating an innovation ecosystem.”
In an interview with Elisabeth Gawthrop of The Daily Beast, Prof. Kerry Emanuel weighs in on why tracking hurricanes is more difficult than predicting land-based weather. Emanuel explains that hurricanes and low-pressure systems over land “have completely different physics.”
In a Financial Times article, John Aglionby writes about the impact of social media in Africa, highlighting how MIT researchers have developed a comprehensive map and application for Nairobi’s bus routes. The app allows users to “plot their way across the capital easily.”
Prof. Jaime Peraire, head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, spoke with Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos about how to encourage more Latinos to study science, technology, engineering and math as part of Univision’s Education Week coverage. (This interview is in Spanish.)
MIT researchers have identified the brain circuit that process the “when” and “where” components of memories, reports Robby Berman for Slate. “The newly discovered circuit connects the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex,” writes Berman. “The entorhinal cortex splits each memory into two streams of information: one for location and one for timing.”
Prof. Thomas Levenson speaks with Boston Globe reporter Amy Sutherland ahead of the publication of his new book, “The Hunt for Vulcan” about the books he likes to read and what makes for good science writing. “Science writing should convey information, but in a literary form,” Levenson explains.
Financial Times reporter Simon Kuper writes about Prof. Sherry Turkle’s new book, “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age,” which examines the impact of smartphones on human interaction. Turkle recommends establishing “times and places when it’s socially unacceptable to be online.”