Electrical engineering and computer science (EECS)

Michael Stonebraker, a principal investigator at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and an adjunct professor at MIT, has won the A.M. Turning Award for his work with database management systems, reports Nidhi Subbaraman for BetaBoston. “This is every computer scientist’s lifetime dream, and it came true for me,” said Stonebraker.

Steven Rosenbaum highlights PhD student Abe Davis’ TED talk in a piece for Forbes. Rosenbaum writes that Davis “has co-created the world’s most improbable audio instrument.”

Professor Emeritus Jack Ruina, a noted expert on strategic arms control who served as MIT’s vice president for special laboratories and was the first director of MIT’s Security Studies Program, passed away Feb. 4, reports Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard. Prof. Emeritus George Rathjens said that “there wasn’t a better faculty member that I knew in the universe.”

Chris Neiger of BBC News reports on software being developed by Professor Brian Williams aimed at helping drivers arrive at their destinations on time. “The lab’s planning algorithms would give motorists an initial travel plan, which would adapt to externalities along the way,” writes Neiger.

Sarah Hedgecock writes for Forbes about how researchers have made major advances in mapping the human epigenome. Prof. Manolis Kellis explains that the new findings allow researchers to “ go from a static picture of the genome, which is effectively the book of life, to a dynamic picture of a genome.”

A team of researchers has published a map of the human epigenome, which could be useful in better understanding how to treat disease, writes Amanda Schupak for CBS News. Prof. Manolis Kellis explains that the findings provide “a reference for studying the molecular basis of human disease, by revealing the control regions that harbor genetic variants associated with different disorders." 

Marcus Woo writes for Wired about how researchers have published a number of articles providing new information on the human epigenome, which controls which genes get switched on or off. “It is giving us a view of the living, breathing genome in motion, as opposed to a static picture of DNA,” explains Prof. Manolis Kellis. 

Rachel Feltman of The Washington Post reports that a team led by Professor Manolis Kellis has released the most complete map of the human epigenome to date. “The researchers tied specific cell changes to 58 different biological traits,” writes Feltman. “Sometimes the epigenomic changes of a cell reveal possible clues about disease.”

Work on mapping the human epigenome, led by Professor Manolis Kellis, could reveal the origins of diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s, reports Carolyn Johnson for The Boston Globe. “The research was one major piece of a $240 million National Institutes of Health program that funded 88 grants over 10 years,” Johnson explains. 

For the first time, researchers have mapped the epigenome, identifying the switches that can turn individual genes on or off, reports Sharon Beagley for Reuters. Says Prof. Manolis Kellis of the need to understand the epigenome, "The only way you can deliver on the promise of precision medicine is by including the epigenome.” 

Researchers have mapped the epigenome, shedding light on how genes are controlled, which could be useful in understanding disease, reports Gina Kolata for The New York Times. “We now have an unprecedented view of the living human genome,” says Prof. Manolis Kellis. 

Dennis Keohane writes for BetaBoston about Start6, an IAP offering from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) aimed at teaching students about entrepreneurship. “The course exposed the students not just to one way of thinking but a multitude of different ways to think about starting a business,” says EECS Dept. Head Anantha Chandrakasan. 

Rachel Feltman writes for The Washington Post about how MIT researchers have developed new technology that can amplify microscopic movements invisible to the human eye. “MIT researchers recently published a study in which they extracted intelligible audio by analyzing the movements of a nearby bag of chips,” Feltman writes.

Heidi Legg writes for BetaBoston about the Women in Innovation and Entrepreneurship networking reception held last week as part of EECS’s entrepreneurship course, Start6. “The world would be a better place with more women entrepreneurs,” said Prof. Cynthia Breazeal. 

In an article examining graphene, John Colapinto of The New Yorker highlights Prof. Tomas Palacios’ work integrating graphene into everyday objects. “Rather than using graphene to improve existing applications, as Tour’s lab mostly does, Palacios is trying to build devices for a future world,” writes Colapinto.