Writing for Forbes, research affiliate Thomas Davenport spotlights the virtual MIT Chief Data Officer and Information Quality Symposium. “The conference was a rich collection of voices and perspectives, and reminded me that the chief data officer function—while still evolving—is here to stay.
Prof. Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL, speaks with Forbes contributor Nancy Wang about how to encourage more girls to pursue careers in STEM. “We need to educate all students – male and female – equally on the opportunities available in these fields, give them the chance to shine, and ensure that we’re creating inclusive environments for them to work in,” says Rus.
Fortune’s Aaron Pressman writes about this year’s New Space Age Conference at MIT and how it has changed since the first iteration in 2016. SpaceX, rather than Boeing, “was the big incumbent” and “too much money may have flowed into too many startups all chasing the same few satellite opportunities,” writes Pressman.
Rachel Crowell highlights the 2018 gala of the National Museum of Mathematics. The fundraiser featured a keynote speech from MIT graduate student and former NFL player John Urschel.
In an article for Forbes, Moira Vetter spotlights MIT Solve’s focus on social innovators. “[W]hile the world’s challenges are not always investment-worthy to VCs, they are costly to the countries and communities that incur the cost of those challenges,” says Vetter. “The world needs a few less high-tech gadgets and a few more incentivized Solvers.”
WGBH reporter Gabrielle Emanuel speaks with Research Affiliate Catherine D’Ignazio about how she launched the Make the Breast Pump Not Suck Hackathon as a graduate student at MIT, and how the hackathon inspired new innovations in the breast pump industry. “In no other space of technology would the technology provide for such a terrible experience,” says D’Ignazio of the state of the breast pump.
MIT hosted the 2018 USA Memory Championship for the first time at Kresge Auditorium. The contestants competed in four events, which required the memorization of a variety of topics, including “the periodic table, who’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the life stories of four people,” reports Margeaux Sippell for The Boston Globe.
Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray writes about Technology Review’s EmTech Next conference, which examined how technology and AI will impact the future of work. Prof. David Mindell noted that while AI could impact the types of jobs available in the future, machines will always need human assistance. “When robots succeed,” said Mindell, “they’re never alone.”
MIT’s Course 2.007 Design and Manufacturing I hosted its annual robotic competition with a Willy Wonka-themed course. The event, which involves five “sudden death” rounds, is about “more than just taking home first place,” says WBZ’s Lisa Hughes. “I cannot even explain…how much opportunity this class has given us,” a student shares.
Kerri Corrado of 7 News Boston reported live from this year’s Course 2.007 robot competition, where students put their homemade robots to the test on a Willy Wonka-themed course. The competition “gets the students into the design process, the manufacturing process, the building process and gets their ideas to reality,” said mechanical engineering student John Taylor Novak.
Katie Kindelan of Good Morning America reports on the “Make the Breast Pump Not Suck” hackathon at the Media Lab, which examined physical, socioeconomic and cultural factors affecting new mothers. “We really thought, ‘How do we attack this problem from all angles, not just technology and design but also policy and access,’” explains researcher Alexis Hope.
Writing for Slate, Sloan alumna Kate Krontiris highlights the issues facing women who breastfeed and previews a hackathon taking place this weekend at the MIT Media Lab. “We are convening hundreds of engineers and designers, doulas and doctors, midwives and mamas to make the breast pump not suck as well as hack other barriers to breastfeeding."
Mouse on Mars, a music duo featuring former MIT guest lecturer Jan St. Werner, premiered their new album “Dimensional People” through a spatial installation that allowed guests to hear “more or less of certain instruments depending on their location,” writes Terence Cawley for The Boston Globe. The premiere was part of Dissolve Music @ MIT, a conference and sound festival organized by Prof. Ian Condry, St. Werner and DJ Rekha.
Writing for Forbes, Charlie Fink writes about the AR in Action (ARiA) conference, which was held at the MIT Media Lab, and how the event focuses on new ideas rather than products. Fink notes that the conference, “is filled with the innovators and thinkers who are poised to create the next wave of groundbreaking products destined to disrupt the status quo.”
In an article for HuffPost, Alvaro Fernandez writes about Solve’s 2017 Global Challenge, which is dedicated to brain health. Fernandez writes that, “through the Brain Health Challenge, we are seeking to unearth and support innovative solutions to improving brain health and fitness for all.”