New Yorker reporter Julian Lucas spotlights Prof. Emeritus Tim Berners-Lee’s role in the creation of the world wide web and his current focus on online data protection and regulation. The creation of the web “took companies giving up their patent rights, it took individuals giving up their time and energy, it took bright people giving up their ideas for the sake of a common idea,” says Berners-Lee.
Writing for The Guardian, Prof. Emeritus Tim Berners-Lee describes his original concept for the world wide web as a platform for everyone, and his current efforts aimed at online data protection and regulation. “I gave the world wide web away for free because I thought that it would only work if it worked for everyone,” explains Berners-Lee. “Today, I believe that to be truer than ever. Regulation and global governance are technically feasible, but reliant on political willpower. If we are able to muster it, we have the chance to restore the web as a tool for collaboration, creativity and compassion across cultural borders. We can re-empower individuals, and take the web back. It’s not too late.”
A number of MIT faculty and alumni – including Prof. Daniela Rus, Prof. Regina Barzilay, Research Affiliate Haddad Habib, Research Scientist Lex Fridman, Marc Raibert PhD '77, former Postdoc Rana El Kaliouby and Ray Kurzweil '70 – have been named key figures “at the forefront of Boston’s AI revolution,” reports Wyndham Lewis for Boston Magazine. These researchers are “driving progress and reshaping the way we live,” writes Lewis.
Johanna Mayer and Katie Hafner from Scientific American’s “The Lost Women of Science podcast spotlight the late former Prof. Mária Telkes and her work focused on the development of solar energy. “Dr. Mária Telkes died in 1995, at age 94,” says Mayer. “But her legacy lives on. Today, the number of people installing solar panels in their homes is consistently rising – and in a recent Pew study, 39% of homeowners surveyed said they were seriously considering going solar.”
“The Sun Queen,” a new documentary on PBS, will highlight the life of the late former MIT Prof. Mária Telkes and her work in developing solar energy. Telkes is known for her “work on the 1948 Dover Sun House, a solar-heated model home created by an all-female team,” reports Erin Blakemore for The Washington Post.
Rebekah Huang, a seven-year-old from Belmont who participated in a program sponsored by the Lemelson-MIT program aimed at teaching children about innovation, took second place for her age group at a global invention competition for her device that keeps chairs from tipping over, reports Diana Bravo for The Boston Globe. “You can buy special types of chairs that don’t tip over easily, but my suction holder string can be put around any chair you already have at home,” says Huang. “So my invention is much more convenient.”
In an article for Commonwealth, Prof. Michael Cima and Prof. Fiona Murray spotlight the importance of invention and innovation, noting that “there is an immediate need for actions that will further the nation’s growth in productivity and inclusive prosperity, a measure of the extent to which all sectors of our population are empowered to contribute to the economy and share in its benefits.” Cima and Murray write that: “The power of inclusion is illustrated by the backgrounds and inspirations of the winners of the Lemelson-MIT Prize over 25 years.”
Stephanie Couch has been named the new executive director of the Lemelson-MIT program, reports Curt Woodward for The Boston Globe. Woodward notes that Couch “comes to MIT from California State University at East Bay, where she specialized in advancing science, technology, engineering, and math education.”
Washington Post reporter Nia-Malika Henderson highlights several projects being presented at this year’s White House Science Fair, including the search-and-rescue vehicle developed by Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam students Katelyn Sweeney and Olivia Van Amsterdam.