science wire

Computer Science - 13.12.2011

SDSC Welcomes ’Gordon’ Supercomputer as a Research Powerhouse
When it officially comes online in early January, Gordon , a unique new supercomputer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), will help researchers tackle the most vexing data-intensive challen

Physics - Computer Science - 13.12.2011

Trillion-frame-per-second video
By using optical equipment in a totally unexpected way, MIT researchers have created an imaging system that makes light look slow.

Computer Science - 09.12.2011

Human-Computer Interaction with a Different Touch
Talk by Hans Gellersen December 15th, 15:15, Room BC410 Touch input and two-handed interaction were intensively studied in the mid 80's but it's taken 20 years for these ideas to emerge in the mainstream, with the advent of multi-touch interfaces.

Computer Science - 09.12.2011

Algorithm marchers put their best feet forward

Environment - Computer Science - 06.12.2011

A Better Way to ID Extreme Weather Events in Climate Models
You'd think that spotting a category 5 hurricane would never be difficult. But when the hurricane is in a global climate model that spans several decades, it becomes a fleeting wisp among mountains of data.

Physics - Computer Science - 05.12.2011

Pair of black holes ‘weigh in’ at 10 billion suns, the most massive yet
AUSTIN, Texas — A team of astronomers including Karl Gebhardt and graduate student Jeremy Murphy of The University of Texas at Austin have discovered the most massive black holes to date - two

Physics - Computer Science - 05.12.2011

Record massive black holes discovered lurking in monster galaxies
University of California, Berkeley, astronomers have discovered the largest black holes to date - two monsters with masses equivalent to 10 billion suns that are threatening to consume anything, even light, within a region five times the size of our solar system.

Computer Science - 04.12.2011

Design could help Facebook members limit security leaks
Town Hall Forum video posted Board executive committee reaffirms, ratifies earlier decisions Students host fundraiser to benefit abused children Penn State, PA Coalition Against Rape join to fight child sexual abuse Penn State Town Hall Forum provides open discussion UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.

Computer Science - Administration - 02.12.2011

Alan Turing pardon petition launched
A University of Leeds academic is supporting an e-petition calling on the Government to posthumously pardon the mathematician and computer pioneer Alan Turing for his conviction of gross indecency.

Computer Science - 01.12.2011

Garden watering advice in your pocket: new app launched
1 Dec 2011 University of Melbourne researchers have launched a new iPhone app that factors in local rainfall information and plant type to help gardeners remember how much to water and when.

Computer Science - Administration - 30.11.2011

Grassroots effort helps shape future IT community at Stanford
More than 300 information technology professionals at Stanford gathered on campus earlier this month for an "unconference" to share information face-to-face, to raise awareness around common IT issues and to lead discussions on a theme.

Computer Science - Physics - 30.11.2011

Princeton's new computing research center builds research capacity
by Catherine Zandonella After several years of planning and more than a year of construction, Princeton University's High-Performance Computing Research Center opened its doors this week.

Electroengineering - Computer Science - 30.11.2011

A Social Robot in a Fur Cap

Computer Science - 30.11.2011

Scientists striving to put a human face on the robot generation
Scientists at Plymouth University are studying the social interaction between humans and a specially-designed robot, in a project that could pave the way for a generation of more life-like androids.

Computer Science - 30.11.2011

At a crossroads
New research predicts which cars are likeliest to run lights at intersections. In 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2.3 million automobile crashes occurred at intersections across the United States, resulting in some 7,000 deaths. More than 700 of those fatalities were due to drivers running red lights.

Physics - Computer Science - 29.11.2011

Big Success with Tiny Cristals
Tiny crystals exhibit unexpected properties. Researchers from the Vienna University of Technology and the S.N. Bose National Centre Kolkata can now explain why.

Life Sciences - Computer Science - 28.11.2011

New database for vital model organism launched
An important novel component of this project is the construction of intuitive tools to allow the research community to involve itself in database curation, and ensure that the scientific information published in their papers is visible to the entire biological research community." —Steve Oliver, Professor of Systems Biology & Biochemistry, who is spearheading the initiative A new database promises to be an invaluable resource to scientists who use a unique single-celled fungus to study human diseases.

Computer Science - 28.11.2011

E-Reading with Grandma
Facebook, Twitter, e-readers, video games, and the seemingly endless "next generations" of smartphones.

Computer Science - Microtechnics - 28.11.2011

EPFL robots will soon appear in school classrooms
EPFL scientists have developed an educational robot designed to introduce children to technology in schools.

Computer Science - Electroengineering - 25.11.2011

Computer Science - 24.11.2011

Marc-Antoine Nuessli Public Thesis Defence
Marc-Antoine Nuessli's thesis entitled "Dual Eye-Tracking Methods for the Study of Remote Collaborative Problem Solving" on December 21th, 2011, at 17h00, room BC 410 We have the pleasure to invite you to the public defense of Marc-Antoine Nuessli's thesis entitled "Dual Eye-Tracking Methods for the Study of Remote Collaborative Problem Solving" The talk will take place at 17h00 on Dec.

Electroengineering - Computer Science - 23.11.2011

All-optical silicon chips enabling faster computing
There has been enormous progress in recent years toward the development of photonic chips - devices that use light beams instead of electrons to carry out their computational tasks. Now, researchers at MIT have filled in a crucial piece of the puzzle that could enable the creation of photonic chips on the standard silicon material that forms the basis for most of today's electronics.

Computer Science - Electroengineering - 22.11.2011

Structured English brings robots closer to everyday users
Move over, Jetsons. A humanoid robot named Mae is traipsing around Cornell's Autonomous Systems Lab, guided by plain-English instructions and sometimes even appearing to get frustrated. Mae understands and executes English commands, thanks to algorithms and a software toolkit called Linear Temporal Logic Mission Planning (LTLMoP) being developed in the lab of Hadas Kress-Gazit, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Computer Science - Electroengineering - 21.11.2011

Kilobots are leaving the nest
Swarm of tiny, collaborative robots will be made available to researchers, educators, and enthusiasts : Michael Patrick Rutter , (617) 496-3815 Photo courtesy of Michael Rubenstein. The Kilobots are coming. Computer scientists and engineers at Harvard University have developed and licensed technology that will make it easy to test collective algorithms on hundreds, or even thousands, of tiny robots.

Computer Science - Chemistry - 18.11.2011

New Stanford software takes Folding@home’s biological research to supercomputers
Stanford researchers, who made impossible protein-folding simulations routine with Folding@home, bring the technology to supercomputing.

Computer Science - Sport - 18.11.2011

Helping computers make faster decisions
Industrial and systems engineering professor Jeff Linderoth is working on a way to help computers make yes/no decisions faster by enhancing the standard algorithm computers use to solve a class of problems called integer programs.

Computer Science - 18.11.2011

Moderate noise level can help learning
Sverker Sikström belongs to a group of cognitive science researchers who are conducting basic research on working memory and learning. Sometimes the step from basic research to application is not all that long. In the spring he will be launching a new app to help people who have difficulty concentrating.

Computer Science - Economics / Business - 17.11.2011

Analyzing massive datasets is subject of major international conference
Seattle is host this week to the major international meeting about high-performance computing, giving UW scientists and computer specialists an opportunity to see over the horizon at developments that will influence how research is conducted for years to come.

Computer Science - 17.11.2011

New Center for Cloud Computing Will Impact Mobile Computing and Internet Security
AUSTIN, Texas — As part of its research efforts to help create safer and faster computing, the Department of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin has partnered with SunGard Ava

Mathematics - Computer Science - 17.11.2011

Probing Question: Why are statistics important in modern life?
By Melissa Beattie-Moss Research/Penn State Quick! Think of professions that will be the jobs of the next decade. Statistician probably didn't leap to mind - but odds are it soon will. Number nerds, take heed: statistical skills are in increasingly high demand and being applied to an incredibly diverse set of exciting problems, said Penn State Professor of Statistics Naomi Altman.

Computer Science - 16.11.2011

$50,000 to Solve the Most Complicated Puzzle Ever Attempted
Every few years the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) holds a public competition to stretch the outer limits of what technology can do.

Computer Science - 16.11.2011

SDSC’s Trestles Debuts on ‘Graph500’ List
Trestles , a new supercomputer using flash-based memory and launched earlier this year by the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego, has made this year's Graph500 list, a new ranking that measures how well supercomputers handle data-intensive challenges.

Computer Science - Administration - 14.11.2011

SDSC’s Gordon Ranks Among Top 50 Fastest Supercomputers in the World
Gordon , a unique data-intensive supercomputer using flash-based memory that will enter production in January at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego, made its debut as the 48th fastest supercomputer in the world, according to the latest Top500 list.

Health - Computer Science - 14.11.2011

Burns app could save lives at the touch of a button
A former soldier has developed an app which could save the lives of burns victims, both in combat and in hospitals around the world.

Computer Science - 09.11.2011

Engineering Breakthrough Improves Software Reliability and Security
Anyone who uses multithreaded computer programs—and that's all of us, as these are the programs that power nearly all software applications including Office, Windows, MacOS, and Google Chrome Br

Physics - Computer Science - 08.11.2011

Space Shuttle Data Helps Researchers Develop Better Model for Forecasting Solar Power Production
The space shuttle program may have ended, but data the space craft collected over the past three decades are still helping advance science.

Life Sciences - Computer Science - 08.11.2011

Galaxy DNA-analysis software is now available in the cloud
Galaxy - an open-source, Web-based platform for data-intensive biomedical and genetic research - is now available as a cloud computing resource. A team of researchers including Anton Nekrutenko, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State; Kateryna Makova, an associate professor of biology at Penn State; and James Taylor from Emory University, developed the new technology that will help scientists and biomedical researchers to harness such tools as DNA-sequencing and analysis software, as well as storage capacity for large quantities of scientific data.

Life Sciences - Computer Science - 07.11.2011

Easily ’Re-programmable cells’ could be key in creation of new life forms
PA 345/11 Scientists at The University of Nottingham are leading an ambitious research project to develop an in vivo biological cell-equivalent of a computer operating system.

Linguistics / Literature - Computer Science - 04.11.2011

Alumnus gives £1.4 million for Fitzwilliam College Library & IT Centre
Fitzwilliam College has announced a gift of £1.4 million from alumnus Ken Olisa and his wife, Julia.

Computer Science - Economics / Business - 03.11.2011

New network will promote 'SAVI' uses of technology
Imagine a Blue Jays game where fans, reporters and pundits are sharing their insight and commentary using a variety of media (videos, audio and pictures).

Computer Science - Chemistry - 03.11.2011

Supercomputers Accelerate Development of Advanced Materials
NERSC : Linda Vu, (510) 495-2402, LVu [a] lbl (p) gov New materials are crucial to building a clean energy economy-for everything from batteries to photovoltaics to lighter weight vehicles-but today the development cycle is too slow: around18 years from conception to commercialization.

Computer Science - 03.11.2011

Lamont-Doherty Scientists Predict Faster Retreat for Antarctica Glacier
The retreat of Antarctica's fast-flowing Thwaites Glacier is expected to speed up within 20 years, once the glacier detaches from an underwater ridge that is currently holding it back, says a new study in Geophysical Research Letters. Thwaites Glacier, which drains into west Antarctica's Amundsen Sea, is being closely watched for its potential to raise global sea levels as the planet warms.

Computer Science - Earth Sciences - 02.11.2011

UW-Madison home to weather-predicting supercomputer
A new supercomputer designed to run weather prediction models is now the most powerful computer of its kind on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, where researchers will help make those models more accurate. The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration approached UW-Madison's Space Science and Engineering Center with a $1 million grant to design and install the Supercomputer for Satellite Simulations and Data Assimilation Studies (known as S4).

Agronomy / Food Science - Computer Science - 01.11.2011

Crowdsourcing nutrition in a snap
Counting calories in photos, PlateMate proves the wisdom of the (well-managed) crowd Americans spend upwards of $40 billion a year on dieting advice and self-help books, but the first step in any healthy eating strategy is basic awareness-what's on the plate. If keeping a food diary seems like too much effort, despair not: computer scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have devised a tool that lets you snap a photo of your meal and let the crowd do the rest.

Environment - Computer Science - 01.11.2011

Hackers Take on the Planet
The two top entries in the first Stockholm Green Hackathon, held over the weekend of October 21st and 22nd in the R1 Reactor Hall, show gamers and Web users how everyday activities contribute to carbon dioxide emissions. Bringing together more than 30 participants, the Green Hackathon was designed to put creative minds to work spotlighting solutions to environmental threats.

Computer Science - Health - 01.11.2011

New algorithm could substantially speed up MRI scans
Faster scans could reduce the time patients spend in the machine from 45 to 15 minutes. CAMBRIDGE, Mass.

Computer Science - Linguistics / Literature - 01.11.2011

It’s All About the Hair
It's not every day that computer science students get invited to a Hollywood premiere to recognize the work they have done.

Environment - Computer Science - 31.10.2011

NASA Launches JPL-Built Earth Science Experiment
October 31, 2011 An experiment developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., to test technology for future NASA Earth science missions was aboard one of five small "CubeSat" research satellites that hitched a ride to orbit Oct. 28 with NASA's newest Earth-observing satellite, the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project, or NPP.

Computer Science - Health - 26.10.2011

Your phone as counselor: monitoring mental health from your pocket
Your smartphone knows where you go and how fast, while its microphone hears your voice. Soon, your phone may use these capabilities to measure the stress in your life and help you deal with it.

Life Sciences - Computer Science - 25.10.2011

Fall 2011 SEAS newsletter is now available
Dive down into the genetic rabbit hole, learn about cool research, and discover other news around Oxford Street Dean's Note: Down the Genetic Rabbit Hole "While we cannot-and should not-stop technolo