Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Arianne Cohen profiles graduate student Joy Buolamwini, who founded the algorithmic Justice League in an effort to make people more aware of the biases embedded in AI systems. “We’re using facial analysis as an exemplar to show how we can include more inclusive training data in the first place,” says Buolamwini of her work.
A study by MIT researchers finds that children from lower-income families benefited more from summer reading programs, reports Andrew Grant for The Boston Globe. Of the children who participated in the study about half, “improved their test scores and most of those that did came from lower-income families.”
A study by MIT researchers finds that an irregular sleep schedules lowers happiness, healthiness, and calmness, according UPI. The study, says MIT research affiliate Akane Sano, demonstrates “the importance of sleep regularity, in addition to sleep duration, and that regular sleep is associated with improved well-being."
In a wide-ranging interview recorded for Bloomberg’s “Masters in Business” podcast, Prof. Daron Acemoglu speaks with Bloomberg View columnist Barry Ritholtz about a wide range of topics including his doctoral thesis, economic institutions and income inequality.
Wall Street Journal reporter Jason Bordoff writes that MIT researchers have produced a map of the Nairobi bus system using GPS data collected from riders’ mobile phones. “With these networks now mapped, users can access the system more easily and efficiently, and local officials can plan bus and train routes around it,” writes Bordoff.
This CNN video highlights the new programmable backpack unveiled during the grand opening of the AFFOA headquarters in Cambridge. MIT alumnus Tairan Wang, COO of AFFOA, explains that the backpack is made with a programmable fabric that allows users to share information. The technology addresses how people initially connect, Wang explains.
MIT researchers have developed a computer chip that uses beams of light to mimic neurons, reports Matthew Hutson for Science. Hutson explains that, “such ‘optical neural networks’ could make any application of so-called deep learning—from virtual assistants to language translators—many times faster and more efficient.”
The launch of the AFFOA headquarters featured demos of two new smart fabrics, including a programmable backpack and fabric that uses LED lights to stream information to the wearer, writes Donna Goodison for the Boston Herald. Prof. Yoel Fink, AFFOA’s CEO, explains that, “the way to changing what fabrics are involves changing what fibers are.”
Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray writes that at the launch of the AFFOA headquarters, researchers unveiled smart fabrics that can send messages, tune in audio signals and more. Bray writes that Prof. Yoel Fink, CEO of AFFOA, explained that “because the new fibers can process data like a computer…engineers will be able to develop an endless array of ways to use it.”
Zeninjor Enwemeka reports for WBUR on the opening of the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) headquarters, during which the center’s first fabric products were unveiled. Enwemeka explains the, “big idea here is to develop fabrics that provide services. The folks at AFFOA think fabrics are the next software.”
Graduate student Shriya Srinivasan speaks with Ira Flatow of PRI’s Science Friday about the surgical technique she and her colleagues developed to make prosthetic limbs feel more natural. Srinivasan explains that the technique allows patients to have, “finer prosthetic control — and be able to modulate position, velocity, and stiffness of prosthetic devices, which is a significant improvement to the clinical standard.”
Graduate student Erik Duhaime writes for Forbes about his research with Prof. Evan Apfelbaum on political polarization over taxes. Duhaime and Apfelbaum found that, “giving people personalized taxpayer receipts significantly reduced polarization over taxes, even if it didn’t make everyone suddenly thrilled about paying them.”
During a panel discussion held during Times Higher Education’s (THE) World Reputation Forum, Provost Martin Schmidt spoke about the need for universities to relay the value and importance of their work to the public, writes Jon Marcus for THE. “It’s on us to basically frame that in a way that is comprehensible and digestible,” Schmidt explained.
Writing for The New York Times, Prof. Christopher Warshaw discusses his research, which shows there is not one state where the majority of residents support the American Health Care Act. “Across all the states that voted for President Trump last year, we estimate that support for the A.H.C.A. is rarely over 35 percent."
Financial Times reporter John Thornhill writes about Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson and Principal Research Scientist Andrew McAfee’s latest book, “Machine, Platform, Crowd.” Thornhill writes that the book is “a clear and crisply written account of machine intelligence, big data and the sharing economy.”