Broad Institute research affiliate Theresa Oei, who is also a cheerleader for the Patriots, speaks with Boston Globe reporter Steve Annear about her passion for science and for dance. Oei, who currently works in Prof. Feng Zhang’s lab developing genome editing techniques, explains that while she has enjoyed cheerleading, “in the end, I see science as my vocation.”
An algorithm developed by MIT researchers helps extract the correct answer from a large group of people even when the majority of people answer incorrectly, writes Erin Ross for Nature. While previous assumptions viewed the average opinion of a crowd as correct, the algorithm identifies “specialists with special knowledge, like doctors,” explains Prof. Dražen Prelec.
In an article for Slate, Prof. Kevin Esvelt argues for the importance of keeping scientific research open and publically accessible, in particular when it comes to gene editing. “Scientific journals, funders, policymakers, and intellectual property holders should change the incentives to ensure that all proposed gene drive experiments are open and responsive,” writes Esvelt.
Scientific American reporter Simon Makin writes that MIT researchers have developed a new approach to extract correct answers from a crowd. “The new method performed better than majority or confidence-based methods alone, reducing errors by between 21 and 35 percent,” Makin explains.
MIT researchers have developed a sensor capable of detecting single protein molecules, reports Brooks Hays for UPI. The sensor could be used “to aid efforts to better understand disease and develop drugs. The array could even help scientists engineer human cells to produce therapeutic proteins.”
Wall Street Journal reporter David Harrison writes that a study by Prof. Daron Acemoglu shows that aging populations have not had a negative effect on economic growth. The researchers found that investments in robotics “make it easier for firms to replace departing workers even when there are fewer younger workers to take the retirees’ place.”
Writing for the Financial Times, John Thornhill highlights President L. Rafael Reif’s comments on empowering innovators and The Engine, MIT’s venture aimed at supporting startups focused on “tough” tech. Thornhill writes that “MIT should be applauded for its ambition. Innovation needs to become more innovative.”
In a video for Wired, Prof. Alex “Sandy” Pentland and Principal Research Scientist Kent Larson describe the collaborative interdisciplinary environment of the MIT Media Lab. Pentland explains that people “have to become more innovative to deal with big challenges like pollution and global warming.”
In this video, Wired spotlights how Prof. Michael Strano and his team developed spinach plants that can detect explosives in groundwater. Strano explains that in the future he thinks people will be “surprised about what you can do with a living plant.”
Appearing on WCVB-TV’s Chronicle, Provost Marty Schmidt explains why Kendall Square is a hub for innovation, highlighting how the region brings together organizations working on everything from computer science and biotech to brain and cognitive sciences. Schmidt explains that Kendall Square’s innovation ecosystem means research “coming out of MIT (can) be immediately translated to impact.”
Researchers at MIT and Stanford found that assuring online learners that they belong in a course increased persistence and course completion rates for people in less developed countries, writes Carl Straumsheim for Inside Higher Ed. The findings suggest that something “as simple as a one-time, 10-minute exercise can double persistence and completion rates” for at-risk learners.
Mike LaCrosse of WBZ-TV News spotlights Broad Institute research affiliate Theresa Oei and her work both in the lab and on the field as a cheerleader for the Patriots. Oei says she enjoys sharing her love of science with children, adding that “leaving the path to science open is really important, and showing that it can be a lot of fun.”
Cynthia Graber writes for The Boston Globe Magazine that MIT researchers developed a robot to collect sewage samples, in an effort to gain a better understanding of public health problems. The samples can pinpoint harmful environmental factors as well as “neighborhoods with high rates of infectious diseases or even obesity, levels of illegal drug use, and pollutants.”
Speaking with Ellie Bothwell of Times Higher Education, President L. Rafael Reif emphasizes MIT’s “commitment to tackling big, important problems for humanity – climate change, clean energy, cybersecurity, human health – with colleagues of every identity and background.”
Prof. Iyad Rahwan speaks with the AP about the moral dilemmas posed by driverless cars. "There is a real risk that if we don't understand those psychological barriers and address them through regulation and public outreach, we may undermine the entire enterprise," Rahwan explains. “It would stifle what I think will be a very good thing for humanity."