Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have uncovered “a major advancement in the development of ‘error correction,’ the process of fighting the subatomic deterioration that makes most quantum computers today unhelpful for more than research purposes,” reports Derek Robertson for Politico.
Former Postdoc Rana el Kaliouby speaks with Boston Globe reporter Janelle Nanos about her work focused on infusing emotional intelligence into AI. “I’m an optimist, but I’m a realist as well, and I can see where this can go wrong,” says Kaliouby. “I think one of the biggest concerns around AI is bias and how we’re building bias into these models and then deploying them at scale everywhere around the world.”
Tech reporters Tina Zhang and Russel Ismael spotlight MIT’s Winterfest celebration, which brought the MIT community together to enjoy tasty treats and revelry. Graduate student Josh Marchant noted that the festivities were “a fun way to destress.” President Sally Kornbluth said that Winterfest is a “wonderful MIT tradition to mark the end of the fall semester and kick off the winter season by gathering with colleagues and friends for a well-deserved break.” Events like this, observed Kornbluth, “where we can be together as a community, are always important, but they are especially meaningful in difficult times.”
Michael Mehling, deputy director of the Center for Energy and Environment Policy Research, speaks with E&E News reporter Benjamin Storrow about the impact of global climate deals on climate change. “The history of the Paris Agreement suggests that global climate deals do make a dent in emissions,” Mehling says. “But the impact can be subtle and felt over time.”
Prof. Manolis Kellis speaks with Brian Bergstein of The Boston Globe’s “Say More” podcast about the potential influence of artificial intelligence on biological advances and medicine. “I would say there is no way to answer biological questions without computational science nowadays,” says Kellis. “The genome and all of the technologies that it enabled transformed biology into an information-based discipline.”
Writing for The Hill, Prof. Caitlin Talmadge and Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Institute make the case that America’s aims for the war in Ukraine should not be “strategic defeat” of Russia. “The goals, rather, should be stability in Europe and the sustainability of a strong Ukraine, both of which are best served by ending the war sooner rather than later,” they write.
Erika Debenedictis PhD '20 speaks with Nature reporter Rachel Pells about her experience building her own tools to use in her scientific research. “Inventions come from going out on a limb,” says Debenedictis. “The first version might be duct-taped together, but then you make another one, and another one, and the hope is that eventually the pay-off is greater than the pain of putting it together.”
Lecturer Guadalupe Hayes-Mota '08, SM '16, MBA '16 writes for the National Academy of Engineering to discuss the importance of a “well-functioning healthcare supply chain.” “A connected supply chain represents a paradigm shift, offering the potential to revolutionize how drugs are developed, produced, and delivered to patients,” writes Hayes-Mota. “Embracing this approach can enhance drug delivery efficiency, ensure patient satisfaction, and ultimately contribute to a healthier and more prosperous global community.”
Brian Deese, an MIT Innovation Fellow, speaks with CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin about the state of the U.S. economy. “Perceptions of the economy have gotten increasingly polarized along political lines, and so when you look at that polling around sentiment and the economy one of the things it reflects is that increasing polarization that we are seeing everywhere and reflected in that data,” says Deese. “But number two, we do know historically that as economic data improves it leads to improved sentiment and in general, the incumbents benefit from that.”
Prof. Manolis Kellis speaks with USA Today reporter Josh Peter about the potential impact of AI in developing undetectable performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). "The most feasible approach would be using generative AI to alter existing PEDs that trigger drug tests in a way that makes those drugs undetectable by current testing technology,” Kellis notes.
Dynamic Labs, co-founded by Itai Turbahn '11 and Yoni Goldberg '09, MEng '10, offers “tech for crypto and non-crypto companies alike to create seamless login experiences backed by digital wallets,” reports Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez for Fortune. “The firm’s wallet-based business is twofold,” explains Quiroz-Gutierrez. “It offers a customizable all-in-one service that can either push the crypto wallet technology to the background for less savvy users or put it front and center for Web3 natives.”
Prof. Zeynep Ton speaks with Marketplace host Meghan McCarty Carino about the impact of automation, such as self-service kiosks or chatbot customer service agents, on retail shopping. When thinking about self checkout stations and chatbots, Ton recommends companies evaluate whether the technologies can “improve value for the customer? And would this improve productivity for employees and make their jobs better so that they can serve the customers much better too.”
MIT has been named to the Wall Street Journal and College Pulse list of the 2024 top midsize colleges in the Northeast, reports Gerard Yates for The Wall Street Journal. Rankings are based on three factors: Student outcomes, the learning environment and the diversity of a school’s students and faculty, Yates explains.
Gizmodo reporter George Dvorsky spotlights the Venus Life Finder mission, developed by researchers from MIT and Rocket Lab, which will be launching no earlier than December 2024. “The mission will send a small probe, equipped with a single science instrument, to analyze organic molecules and potential signs of life in the Venusian atmosphere,” writes Dvorsky.
Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have successfully linked together two molecules in special quantum states, reports Pandora Dewan for Newsweek. “The discovery may lead to more robust quantum computing and support new research techniques,” writes Dewan.