BBC Click spotlights how CSAIL researchers have developed a robot that can automatically sort recycling. “Many paper and plastic cups look the same, but by introducing the ability to squeeze the object and to know whether it is flexible or not we are able to go one step beyond what today’s methods can do, explains Prof. Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL.
Postdoctoral fellow Kazunori Akiyama speaks with Science News reporter Emily Conover about his work translating the data compiled from eight observatories around the world into the first image of a black hole. “I was really happy, really excited,” says Akiyama of his emotions after seeing the first rendering of a black hole.
Profs. Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson speak with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle about their book, which argues that government investment in scientific research can help tackle income inequality. Gruber explains that inequality in America is place-based, noting that “we need a solution that is going to help the rest of the country, not just super-star cities, and we think place-based federal R&D can do that.”
CNBC reporter Kerri Anne Renzulli spotlights how Senior Lecturer Robert Pozen developed a survey to help identify what enables workers to be more productive. “Working longer hours does not necessarily mean higher personal productivity,” explains Pozen. “Working smarter is the key to accomplishing more of your top priorities each day.”
TechCrunch reporter Brian Heater writes that MIT researchers have developed a robot that can recycle materials using sensors that allow it to differentiate between objects. Heater explains that “the system utilizes a Teflon gripper with built in sensors that are capable of determining an object’s makeup based on size and stiffness.”
Haystack research scientist speaks with Lowell Sun reporter Alana Melanson about how scientists at the Haystack Observatory made key contributions to creating the first-ever image of a black hole. “It's enormous volumes of data coming at you very, very fast -- much faster than you can record on a single hard drive,” says Fish of the vast quantities of data processed at Haystack to develop the image.
Writing for Axios, Prof. Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL, argues that technological advancement is needed to allow autonomous vehicles to operate outside well-traversed areas. “AVs still can’t function in many scenarios, including unmapped roads,” writes Rus. “Additional advances in sensor technology, mapping, algorithms for perception and more will move AVs closer to full autonomy anywhere.”
Science News reporter Maria Temming speaks with researchers from the Event Horizon Telescope about their work capturing the first picture of a black hole. Describing how the image was captured, Haystack research scientist Vincent Fish explains that the team was able to “reconstruct images, even though we don’t have 100 percent of the information, is because we know what images look like” in general.
Haystack postdoc Kazunori Akiyama speaks with Gizmodo reporter Ryan Mandelbaum about the effort to capture the first image of a black hole, and notes that in the future, additional observations should shed light on how the region around the black hole is changing. “By accumulating observations over the next year with additional telescopes, we can identify what’s changing the black hole image,” Akiyama explains.
Fortune reporter Chris Morris explores how the Event Horizon Telescope has captured the first image of a black hole. “We’ve demonstrated that the EHT is the observatory to see a black hole on an event horizon scale,” says Haystack postdoc Kazunori Akiyama. “This is the dawn of a new era of black hole astrophysics.”
WBZ-TV’s Ken MacLeod visits MIT’s Haystack Observatory to learn about how scientists there processed enormous quantities of data to develop the first image of a black hole. “My goodness, we just proved that Einstein was right at a scale that no one has dreamed of,” says Haystack’s Michael Hecht. “Most of us still don’t believe it’s possible, even though we have done it.”
MassLive reporter Kristin LaFratta spotlights how researchers from the MIT Haystack Observatory played a key role in processing the first image of a black hole. “This project has been my life ever since the beginning of it. It’s overwhelming,” says Haystack’s Michael Titus. “It’s something that’s been a long time coming.”
Haystack research scientist Vincent Fish speaks with Radio Boston about the significance of capturing the first image of a black hole. “It seemed like it would take forever for us to constitute an array to actually be able to make an image,” recalls Fish of the early days of the project. “Actually making an image, I’m glad to be able to do that.”
Axios reporter Steve LeVine highlights several new studies co-authored by Prof. Daron Acemoglu that examine the negative impacts of automation on the labor market. “So far, we've used our know-how singularly automating at the expense of labor,” says Acemoglu. “If we keep on doing that, we will keep on destroying more jobs without job gains. It's completely our decision."
Boston Globe reporter Martin Finucane spotlights how MIT Haystack Observatory researchers played a “major role in the effort to create the first-ever picture of a black hole.” “I’m very proud,” says Vincent Fish, a research scientist at Haystack. “I’ve spent most of my professional life on this and I’m just really glad we got such great results out of this.”