Category Archives: Computer Science
MIT system sees the inner structure of the body during physical rehab – MIT News
A growing number of people are living with conditions that could benefit from physical rehabilitation but there arent enough physical therapists (PTs) to go around. The growing need for PTs is racing alongside population growth, and aging, as well as higher rates of severe ailments, are contributing to the problem.
An upsurge in sensor-based techniques, such as on-body motion sensors, has provided some autonomy and precision for patients who could benefit from robotic systems to supplement human therapists. Still, the minimalist watches and rings that are currently available largely rely on motion data, which lack more holistic data a physical therapist pieces together, including muscle engagement and tension, in addition to movement.
This muscle-motion language barrier recently prompted the creation of an unsupervised physical rehabilitation system, MuscleRehab, by researchers from MITs Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Massachusetts General Hospital. There are three ingredients: motion tracking that captures motion activity, an imaging technique called electrical impedance tomography (EIT) that measures what the muscles are up to, and a virtual reality (VR) headset and tracking suit that lets a patient watch themselves perform alongside a physical therapist.
Patients put on the sleek ninja-esque all-black tracking suit and then perform various exercises such as lunges, knee bends, dead lifts, leg raises, knee extensions, squats, fire hydrants, and bridges that measure activity of quadriceps, sartorius, hamstrings, and abductors.VR captures 3D movement data.
In the virtual environment, patients are given two conditions. In both cases, their avatar performs alongside a physical therapist. In the first situation, just the motion tracking data is overlaid onto their patient avatar. In the second situation, the patient puts on the EIT sensing straps, and then they have all the information of the motion and muscle engagement.
With these two conditions, the team compared the exercise accuracy and handed the results to a professional therapist, who explained which muscle groups were supposed to be engaged during each of the exercises. By visualizing both muscle engagement and motion data during these unsupervised exercises instead of just motion alone, the overall accuracy of exercises improved by 15 percent.
The team then did a cross-comparison of how much time during the exercises the correct muscle group got triggered between the two conditions. In the condition where they show the muscle engagement data in real-time, that's the feedback. By monitoring and recording the most engagement data, the PTs reported a much better understanding of the quality of the patient's exercise, and that it helped to better evaluate their current regime and exercise based on those stats.
We wanted our sensing scenario to not be limited to a clinical setting, to better enable data-driven unsupervised rehabilitation for athletes in injury recovery, patients currently in physical therapy, or those with physical limiting ailments, to ultimately see if we can assist with not only recovery, but perhaps prevention, says Junyi Zhu, MIT PhD student in electrical engineering and computer science, CSAIL affiliate, and lead author on a new paper about MuscleRehab. By actively measuring deep muscle engagement, we can observe if the data is abnormal compared to a patient's baseline, to provide insight into the potential muscle trajectory.
Current sensing technologies focus mostly on tracking behaviors and heart rates, but Zhu was interested in finding a better way than electromyography (EMG) to sense the engagement (blood flow, stretching, contracting) of different layers of the muscles. EMG only captures muscle activity right beneath the skin, unless its done invasively.
Zhu has been digging into the realm of personal health-sensing devices for some time now. Hed been inspired by using EIT, which measures electrical conductivity of muscles, for his project in 2021 that used the noninvasive imaging technique to create a toolkit for designing and fabricating health and motion sensing devices. To his knowledge, EIT, which is usually used for monitoring lung function, detecting chest tumors, and diagnosing pulmonary embolism, hadnt been done before.
With MuscleRehab, the EIT sensing board serves as the brains behind the system. Its accompanied by two straps filled with electrodes that are slipped onto a users upper thigh to capture 3D volumetric data. The motion capturing process uses 39 markers and a number of cameras that sense very high frame rates per second. The EIT sensing data shows actively triggered muscles highlighted on the display, and a given muscle becomes darker with more engagement.
Currently, MuscleRehab focuses on the upper thigh and the major muscle groups inside, but down the line theyd like to expand to the glutes. The team is also exploring potential avenues in using EIT in radiotherapy in collaboration with Piotr Zygmanski, medical physicist at the Brigham and Womens Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Associate Professor of Radiation at Harvard Medical School.
We are exploring utilization of electrical fields and currents for detection of radiation as well as for imaging of the of dielectric properties of patient anatomy during radiotherapy treatment, or as a result of the treatment, says Zygmanski. Radiation induces currents inside tissues and cells and other media for instance, detectors in addition to making direct damage at the molecular level (DNA damage). We have found the EIT instrumentation developed by the MIT team to be particularly suitable for exploring such novel applications of EIT in radiotherapy. We are hoping that with the customization of the electronic parameters of the EIT system we can achieve these goals.
This work advances EIT, a sensing approach conventionally used in clinical settings, with an ingenious and unique combination with virtual reality, says Yang Zhang, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, who was not involved in the paper. The enabled application that facilitates rehabilitation potentially has a wide impact across society to help patients conduct physical rehabilitation safely and effectively at home. Such tools to eliminate the need for clinical resources and personnel have long been needed for the lack of workforce in healthcare.
The papers MIT co-authors are graduate students Yuxuan Lei and Gila Schein, MIT undergraduate student Aashini Shah, and MIT Professor Stefanie Mueller, all CSAIL affiliates. Other authors are Hamid Ghaednia, instructor at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of Harvard Medical School and co-director of Center for Physical Artificial Intelligence at Mass General Hospital; Joseph Schwab, chief of the Orthopaedic Spine Center, director of spine oncology, co-director of the Stephan L. Harris Chordoma Center, and associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School; as well as Casper Harteveld, associate dean and professor at Northeastern University. They will present the paper at The ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology later this month.
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MIT system sees the inner structure of the body during physical rehab - MIT News
What Is Computer Science? Experts Explain Their Field
Youve been interested in computers for as long as you can remember. So, when you embarked on the hunt for a new career, its no surprise that careers related to computer science jumped out as a possibility.
Working with technology all day sounds like a dream job, but you need more details before you commit to a career concentrationwhat is computer science, what skills do you need to succeed and what sort of education does it take to snag a job in this field?
We consulted the experts to learn all the ins and outs of computer science. This article will answer your questions so you can make an informed decision about a career in computer science.
Computers are a vital part of our daily lives, and computer science is behind what drives every piece of that technology.
Computers are pretty simple machines at their core, explains Brian Gill, CEO at Gillware Data Recovery. The programs computer scientists write are what allow humans to capture the computing power of these dumb machines for useful purposes like designing a better airplane, analyzing DNA or playing Angry Birds.
So what exactly is a computer scientist? A more fitting title for a computer science professional would be problem-solver, according to software engineer Kevin Hayen. Our job is to give the computer instructions on how to do repetitive tasks to solve a real-world problem. Computer science professionals solve those problems by writing code, creating algorithms and putting their creativity to work.
Computer science may appear mysterious or even magical to the inexperienced. But in reality, its a field filled with hard-working programmers who use many skills and tools to make computers function. Much of the field is applied to creating software, but computer science also related to the design and engineering of hardware components as well.
Computer scientists manage everything from operating systems to apps and search engines, and theyve been doing so for decades. One of the first academic-credit computer science courses was offered at Columbia University in 1946.1 The first computer languages were born in the 50s, personal computers began hitting the market in the 70s, and by the 90s, Google was on the scene.2
Computer science, called computing in the early days, has developed quickly over the years, thanks to help from talented computer scientists who changed the field.
The past 2550 years have seen a significant amount of development in the field, says Brandon Na, Principal Consultant at Seattle Organic SEO. There have been so many changes that, honestly, it might show you the trajectory for the next 10, 25 or more years.
Changes are indeed coming to the computer science industry. The technology field is known for its fast growth, and computer scientists must constantly adapt to stay on top of new developments. The field is always expanding in new territories, such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and health sciences, says Cyber Intelligence Agent Jonathan Racicot.
Computer science may be expanding, but people outside the industry still believe plenty of misconceptions about what the field is really like. Our experts are setting the record straight on some of the most common myths surrounding this technical career.
Many people picture a stereotypical nerd when they think of a computer scientist, but you dont have to be an eccentric genius to succeed in this career.
Computer science is no longer the guarded realm of hardcore nerds spending their nights writing line of code after line of code, Racicot says. Artists and entrepreneurs alike can make computer science come to life with the right training and dedication to the field.
When you think about what a computer science professional does all day, are you picturing lots of math, coding or other technical work? Think again. There are plenty of soft skills involved and required in this line of work also, including an emphasis on creativity.
Perhaps the most common myth of computer science is that it is not creative work, says data scientist Matt Townley. Computer scientists finish every day having created something that did not exist before.
In addition to having the necessary tech skills, youll need your fair share of communication skills, attention to detail, and a knack for problem-solving to thrive in the computer science field.
Computer scientists often have to fend off friends, family and random acquaintances asking for help fixing their technology woes.
Just because Ive been a programmer for 30 years and am an expert in software architecture does not mean I want to troubleshoot a friend or family members Windows ME problem, Gill says.
Its easy for those unfamiliar with the technology field to lump all of its workers together as all-knowing computer experts, but thats just not the case. Yes, computer science professionals work with computers and because of this may have a better-than-average understanding of how to troubleshoot hardware problems. But that doesnt mean their work is the same as the person who comes to fix your printer or wireless router.
Now that you know a bit more about computer science as an industry, its time to learn what that could mean for your career. We used real-time job analysis software to find the most sought-after job titles for associate and bachelor computer science degree holders.
Learn even more about these and other computer science job titles in our article, What Can You Do with a Computer Science Degree?
Youll need the right blend of hard and soft skills if you want to land job titles like these. Take a look at these technical and transferrable skills that will come in handy in a computer science career, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
You may have a natural talent for computer science, but earning a degree can help make you a more desired employee in the workforce. We used real-time job analysis software to examine more than 1 million computer science-related job postings from the past year. The data helped us identify the preferred education level employers are seeking.
Analysis of the in-demand jobs discussed above revealed that nearly 90 percent of employers are looking for candidates with at least a Bachelors degree.1 This shows how important a formal education is in the field, but the learning doesnt stop there. In order to keep up with the ever-evolving industry, its imperative for computer science professionals to continue learning and keeping a pulse on new trends and technologies in the field.
Now that you know more about what computer science is and have a better understanding of some of the common myths and misconceptions about this field, you may be more prepared for a career in computer science than you realize.
Find out if youre a natural fit for the field in our article, 6 Computer Science Skills You Didnt Know You Already Had.
1IBM, Icons of Progress, The Origins of Computer Science [accessed March, 2020] https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/ibm100/us/en/icons/compsci/2LiveScience, History of Computers: A Brief Timeline, [accessed March, 2020] https://www.livescience.com/20718-computer-history.html3Burning-Glass.com (analysis of 1,195,953 computer science job postings, February 1, 2019 January 31, 2020)4Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Employment Statistics, [accessed March, 2020] http://www.bls.gov/oes/. Information represents national, averaged data for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Google is a registered trademark of Google, Inc.Python is a registered trademark of The Python Software Foundation.Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation.
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Conference aims to make trust and safety hot topics in computer science – The Stanford Daily
A woman with dyed hair and a branded TikTok jacket chatted with a man dressed like an academic in the palm-shaded Alumni Center pavilion Friday morning. Stanfords first annual Trust and Safety Research Conference was a gathering of all kinds.
Online trust and safety is an interdisciplinary field, and the two-day conference brought together experts in computer science, law, and the social sciences to unify their work on online harm and distrust an unprecedented effort for the field, participants said.
Across Thursday and Friday, attendees dropped in on panels and research presentations taking place on the first floor of the Alumni Center and networked outside in the courtyard. Popular presentation topics included improved tools for online moderation, the spread of misinformation and how organizations and companies can design and implement tailored policies for online safety.
The conference was hosted by the Stanford Internet Observatory and the Trust and Safety Foundation. Early bird tickets ran attendees from academic and civil society $100, with the entry fee hiked to $500 for attendees from the industry.
Public content moderation expert and law assistant professor Evelyn Douek described the goal of the conference as a way to connect those working on internet safety across academia, industry and policy for the first time.
Community building is really important, Douek said. Actually getting people from lots of different disciplines in a room, meeting each other, building those bridges.
In Thursdays introduction to the Journal of Online Trust and Safetys research presentation, communication professor Jeff Hancock described how he co-founded the publication with other Stanford researchers in the field to fill that gap between those studying online safety from different disciplines. Alongside the Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO), the researchers aim to understand and prevent potential harm from happening online.
Added SIO director and cybersecurity expert Alex Stamos in an interview, One of our goals at SIO is to make [online] trust and safety a legitimate academic topic.
In the past two years, the threat of internet-enabled violence and public mistrust has become difficult to ignore. Several mass shootings were preceded by hateful screeds posted on the online forum 8chan. Online misinformation has been linked to COVID vaccine hesitancy, and conspiracy theories fueled the organization of last years Capitol insurrection on forums and social media sites.
Security wasnt seen by CS academics as a real field, Stamos said. But these days security is seen as one of the absolute hottest parts of computer science. We need to have the same kind of transition in trust and safety, but we dont have fifteen years.
Panelists emphasized that a one-size-fits-all framework for online safety simply cannot exist; the internet is too big, run and used by too many people.
It would be impossible to create a single governing force to regulate online content and behavior, said Del Harvey, vice president of trust and safety at Twitter, on a panel.
I keep hearing this: What we need to do is make it so that the companies arent making the decisions, and instead this benevolent entity that we create, that will have all the information that is informed by all the things that are right and just and good in the world will [enforce online safety], Harvey said. However, Harvey added, We are nowhere near the utopian world where that can exist.
To panelist Mike Masnick, a blogger and tech policy expert, the recent deplatforming of hate forum Kiwifarms by infrastructure provider Cloudflare demonstrated how important decisions about online safety are often left in the hands of a few small companies.
The reality was that the situation was up to [Cloudflare], Masnick said. And a decision to do nothing meant that people were going to get harmed.
Some participants said there may be no single system that can prevent the harms of the internet, but they expressed hope that actors in the internet ecosystem can take steps to prevent harm and preserve public trust.
The fact of the matter is that there is no perfect decision, Douek said. Every decision is still going to involve harm. There needs to be trust that youve thought about those decisions.
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Conference aims to make trust and safety hot topics in computer science - The Stanford Daily
Schools get creative with computer science teaching as Ohios state standards try to keep with the times – Dayton Daily News
Nearly all schools have computer-based classes, but many dont offer even foundational classes on programming, let alone advanced computing.
A 2022 study by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition found that 53.4% of Ohio high school students attend a school that offers foundational computer science classes such as basic programming. However, only 22% of urban school districts offered foundational computer science courses compared to 57% of suburban schools.
In 2019, Ohio was ranked 37th among all 50 states in the number of college computer science graduates, as a percentage of total college graduates at all levels (Kentucky was ranked 1st), and 44th in growth in number of computer science graduates over five years, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Ohio updates curriculum
Ohio recently invested heavily in changing this. Last month, the Ohio State Board of Education approved an updated Model Curriculum for Computer Science. The 400 pages of guidance for local districts recommends students as early as kindergarten learning to protect passwords and understand the basics of artificial intelligence, and high schoolers using cybersecurity concepts like cluster computing and quantum key distribution.
The change represents a dramatic update from previous educational standards, initiated by the state last year. Ohio currently has over 20,000 open computer science positions, said Bryan Stewart, workforce director at the Montgomery County Educational Service Center. As Ohio prepares to welcome tech manufacturing giants like Intel, that gap may get worse.
Thats a question that we play with when we look at the future of Ohios workforce, Stewart said. We have to ask ourselves, Will Dayton, will the Miami Valley be a haven for startups? Will we see tech companies born out of the minds of our kids? If we want that to be a reality, if we want venture capital to speed into Ohio, you cant do that unless you teach kids about computer science.
Stebbins High School in the Mad River School District takes a different approach. Many classes through the schools Career Technology Program incorporate computer science in a tangential way, such as engineering and robotics, or graphic design and digital media. Students learn to work with several systems, such as SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and Adobe Photoshop, said Career Tech Director and Assistant Principal Jeff Berk.
We also have career tech courses at our middle school, Berk said, adding that the state of Ohio supports career tech education. We are able to stay up to industry standards within all of our programs, and making sure our students are prepared, and what theyre going to see (in the workplace), they had the chance to see it here.
In recent years, Mad River discontinued a cybersecurity career path based on lack of enrollment and student interest, Berk said, in favor of a Teacher Academy. However, juniors and seniors can also participate in the Tech Prep program, where students do hands-on IT work throughout the building, troubleshooting everything from printers to student laptops.
Obstacles to improvement
Improving computer science education faces several hurdles. One issue governments have grappled with is that the field evolves so quickly that its difficult for educators to keep up, even at the local level.
I think we do the best we can. But computer science changes so quickly. Its not like math where algebra is the same now as it was 100 years ago, Schultz said. Now weve got standard things like quantum computing and artificial intelligence and machine learning, things that werent even spoken of five years ago. So its tough for schools, tough for anybody with a limited budget, to try and stay on top of that.
The State Committee on Computer Science, formed by this years state budget, outlined 10 recommendations in August that, if implemented, would help make Ohio a national leader in computer science education and workforce pipeline, state officials said. Among these include a commitment by the state to fund computer science courses at 1% of the K-12 funding formula, about $94 million today, in future years, as well as making a single credit computer science course a high school graduation requirement.
Funding is important because hardware that educators have access to sometimes lags behind what is used in the industry, Berk said.
A lot of times in education, the access to technology that students have sometimes is outdated, he said. Thats one of the major challenges. Especially in high school, when they go out into to the workforce, that theyre having that opportunity to work with machines and computers that are going to be at the same level
Finding teachers is also huge problem, as often individuals who are qualified to teach the next generation about computer science have no financial incentive to do so.
The majority of them realize that they can go out and find a job in the industry and make double what they would make as a teacher, said Schultz.
Minorities, girls lag
To address teacher shortages, the state committee recommended Teach CS grants that fund training for teachers to obtain computer science licensure, and establishing an Office of Computer Science to support the over 600 Ohio school districts in implementing their own computer science programs.
Stebbins Teacher Academy was created both to address the teacher shortage in the general K-12 sphere and supply a program that matched students interests, Berk said.
Were doing what we can do to help supply the region with the workers that we need for all the different professions, he said.
The states Model Curriculum also includes provisions for equitable access to computer science education. Schools in lower-income neighborhoods and schools with large numbers of minority students often offer only rudimentary user skills rather than problem-solving and computational thinking, according to the curriculum.
Among students who took the Advanced Placement Computer Science exam in 2020, only 6% of students were Black or African American, 16% were Hispanic or Latino and 0.5% were Native American, according to data from the College Board, which administers AP tests.
Female students are also underrepresented in high school computer science classes, accounting for just 34% of AP Computer Science Principles participants and 25% of AP Computer Science A participants, per College Board data. During the 2020-21 school year, female students accounted for only 27% of over 3,700 AP Computer Science exams taken in Ohio.
In order to reach female and minority students, the state board recommends using examples that are equally relevant to both males and females, and tying problems to students everyday lives.
Particularly for young learners and beginners, visual, block-based programming languages help address language and syntax barriers, according to state documents.
Getting more girls and minority students into coding is useful, not just for creating a diverse workforce, but for addressing the huge need for computer-savvy people in todays industry. After-school programs like Girls Who Code also are working to bridge this gap, but the model curriculum aims to tackle these problems inside the classroom.
Private sector companies, the industry side of things, they really want to see a more diverse workforce. But theyre never going to have them unless we start earlier and try to start breaking down some of these barriers or perceptions, Stewart said.
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Computer Takeover Won’t Happen, Say a Scientist and Philosopher – Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence
Scientist and entrepreneur Jobst Landgrebe and philosopher Barry Smith published a book last month that directly challenges the claim AI is becoming capable of human type thought and will run our world whether we like it or not. Heres what critics are saying about Why Machines will Never Rule the World: Artificial Intelligence without Fear (Routledge, 2022)
Its a highly impressive piece of work that makes a new and vital contribution to the literature on AI and AGI. The rigor and depth with which the authors make their case is compelling, and the range of disciplinary and scientific knowledge they draw upon is particularly remarkable and truly novel.
Shannon Vallor, Baillie Gifford Chair, Edinburgh Futures Institute, The University of Edinburgh
The alluring nightmare in which machines take over running the planet and humans are reduced to drudges is not just far off or improbable: the authors argue that it is mathematically impossible. While drawing on a remarkable array of disciplines for their evidence, the argument of Landgrebe and Smith is in essence simple. Compulsory reading for those who fear the worst, but also for those inadvertently trying to bring it about.
Peter M. Simons, Professor, Department of Philosophy, Trinity College Dublin
University of Miami philosophy prof Berit Brogaard reminds us that a year ago Elon Musk was telling us that AI will surpass us in five years. Ray Kurzweil has been saying similar things for what seems like decades
A key factor they note is that where computers must be explicit and specific, most human language is not like that and doesnt need to be. In fact, its more informative if it isnt
From the Abstract at Taylor and Francis:
In supporting their claim, the authors, Jobst Landgrebe and Barry Smith, marshal evidence from mathematics, physics, computer science, philosophy, linguistics, and biology, setting up their book around three central questions: What are the essential marks of human intelligence? What is it that researchers try to do when they attempt to achieve artificial intelligence (AI)? And why, after more than 50 years, are our most common interactions with AI, for example with our banks computers, still so unsatisfactory?
They see a bright future for computers but not at the expense of humanity.
Drs. Landgrebe and Smith will be speaking at the National Association of Scholars Restoring the Sciences webinar series, with J. Scott Turner, author Purpose and Desire (2017) moderating.
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Community Education Initiative catalyzes learning in more than 600 communities – Apple
October 4, 2022
UPDATE
Apple expands its Community Education Initiative, accelerating learning opportunities in more than 600 communities
With a focus on equity, Apple now works with more than 150 educational partners around the world to provide access to coding, creativity, and workforce opportunities
Several weeks ago, California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) welcomed more than 300 elementary and middle school students from across Los Angeles to its Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) lab for a STEAM Max experience. The event gave participants from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn new science and technology skills including app design. That same week, the university kicked off after-school coding clubs at six elementary and middle schools, and began hosting a regular Saturday STEM Exploration Day where activities are coached by CSUDH computer science majors.
CSUDH is part of Apples Community Education Initiative (CEI), which launched in 2019 to bring coding, creativity, and career opportunities to learners of all ages, and to communities that are traditionally underrepresented in technology. Since then, the company has rapidly expanded this work to learners across 99 countries and regions, and all 50 states, building on years of collaboration with educators and communities.
Through CEI, Apple teams up with with schools, educational institutions, and community-based organizations to provide Apple hardware, scholarships, financial support, educator resources, and access to teams of Apple experts who work side by side with educators to enhance student learning with technology. Apple collaborates with each partner organization to customize and enhance programming to support the communitys goals, bringing together Apples unique combination of hardware, software, and professional learning resources to transform students in-school and extracurricular educational experiences.
In the two years since CSUDH first teamed up with Apple, the university has brought new STEAM experiences to nearly 2,000 students and teachers across greater Los Angeles and expects to reach another 4,000 learners across 40 schools with programming this year. The university also helps educators obtain their certification in computer science instruction to ensure California has enough teachers for coding and IT workforce training classes.
What astonishes me the most is what weve been able to accomplish in such a short period of time because of this unique partnership with Apple, said Dr. Kamal Hamdan, director of CSUDHs CISE lab. Thousands of students who would have never had access to this type of learning have gone though one of our programs, and you cant put a dollar amount on those experiences. Its a testament to the fact that when two organizations with like-minded values put their hearts and their heads toward a common goal, the sky is the limit in terms of how many lives we can change.
CSUDHs ambitious growth plans are reflective of the ongoing expansion of Apples CEI work, as the company brings new programming and learning opportunities to more partners and learners across the US and globally. Apple kicked off its CEI programming with educators from nearly 70 educational institutions in Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Columbus, Ohio; Houston; Nashville, Tennessee; and Northern California. Three years later, Apple now has CEI partners in 29 states, plus the District of Columbia. Through virtual and in-person programming, more than 150 partners have reached learners in nearly 600 communities across 99 countries and regions, and all 50 US states.
CEI is rooted in Apples four-decade history in education and its commitment to advancing equity and access through education. CEI partners serve communities that have historically been under-resourced, and the initiative is designed to create opportunities for learners who may not otherwise have access to technology or workforce resources. The work aligns with Apples Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, which in part aims to expand opportunities for communities of color through education. Through CEI, Apple works with K-12 schools to advance in-school learning, organizations that provide out-of-school programming such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Kode With Klossy and minority-serving institutions, including dozens of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
We believe education is a powerful force for equity, helping learners discover the tools they need to lift up their communities and shape the future, said Lisa Jackson, Apples vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. Were thrilled to continue to expand our Community Education Initiative so that students of all ages have access to world-class learning opportunities, regardless of their zip code.
Oklahoma City University (OCU) in partnership with the Cherokee Nation, the Choctaw Nation, and the Chickasaw Nation is among Apples new CEI partners. Together, Apple, OCU, and the tribal governments have launched a new effort to provide educational opportunities to Native American youth and other young people who live on tribal reservations in Oklahoma, with the dual goals of preserving tribal languages and cultures, and enabling employment pathways so that young people can pursue their future while living in their tribal communities. The partnership kicks off later this month with a teacher academy for educators working in schools within the reservations of the Cherokee Nation, Choctaw Nation, and Chickasaw Nation, to support their work to integrate creativity and coding concepts in the classroom.
Im in awe of the relationship this university has developed with Apple and the impact it will have on our tribal nation partners, said Kenneth Evans, OCUs president. Together, we have the tools, technology, strategic infrastructure, and preservation initiatives that are creating paths to opportunity for future generations. From coding to more broad technical skills, were helping young people prepare for in-demand jobs while still honoring the heritage, language, and traditions of the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw nations. As these programs expand, so too will their reach, enriching communities and preserving legacies for years to come.
Since launching CEI four years ago, Apple has maintained a focus on supporting teachers and educators by providing cutting-edge professional learning opportunities in their communities, and expanding programming to dozens of new organizations from coast to coast. New partners include Arizona State University; Arts New Orleans; the Center for Black Educator Development in Philadelphia; Education Service Center Region 13 in Austin; the Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges; Harry S Truman College in Chicago; Henry Ford College in metro Detroit; Locally Grown Community Forge in Pittsburgh; Miami Dade College; Rutgers 4-H Computers Pathways Program in Newark, New Jersey; The New York Public Library TechConnect; University of Colorado Denver; University of Massachusetts Amhersts Center for Youth Engagement; Wayne State University College of Engineering in Detroit; and more.
To learn more about Apples commitment to education and work with partners across the globe, visit apple.com/education-initiative.
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Community Education Initiative catalyzes learning in more than 600 communities - Apple
Are coding bootcamps worth it? – IT PRO
It was only until recently that, for many, software development seemed like an out-of-reach career reserved only for the most intelligent whizzkids everyone knew at school. But with the proliferation of self-paced online courses, free tutorials, and software development bootcamps plus wildly contentious government promotion a career in programming has become less intimidating to a wider pool of individuals.
Bootcamps have arguably become the most popular route for prospective programmers to reskill themselves towards a high-paying, secure career path. However, that popularity has given rise to organisations, of varying degrees of trustworthiness, selling the dream of becoming job-ready in often unrealistically short time frames. The harsh reality is that many come across as little more than grifters trying to spin a quick profit.
Indeed, it can be difficult to wade through and verify the scores of organisations claiming to deliver a new career within weeks. It can also be equally difficult to understand which one will equip students with the most employable skills. Not all programming bootcamps are the same, though, and there are some gems out there, with hallmarks including large numbers of positive reviews and commendations from well-known companies.
The debate between hiring programmers whove undertaken three or four-year computer science degrees, against those whove completed a 12-week development bootcamp, has been simmering away for years. Senior engineers and IT recruiters, who are the only ones standing in the way of prospective developers and their dream jobs, reveal what bootcamps really offer and whether they're worth the money in today's job market.
Its the age-old argument: academic knowledge vs hands-on experience two hugely valuable qualities in any profession but ones rarely taught together.As far as coding bootcamps versus computer science degrees go, experts echo this sentiment.They agreea computer science degree offers a holistic understanding of programming, but cant offer students the same level of hands-on experience as a bootcamp can.
Among them is Mark Chaffey, CEO at hackajob a platform for companies to hire software developers and assess them based on their overall competency. He adds, however, that going down a self-taught, or bootcamp route, doesnt necessarily mean you cant learn the theory at a later date. Some even raise the prospect of those at university potentially wasting time by learning material in the first year of a degree thats later irrelevant towards the end of the programme.
A computer science graduate will learn more of the theory required to be a software engineer, whereas a bootcamp graduate will have more hands-on experience, he says. Wed always suggest that bootcamp engineers study computer science theory in their spare time, as this will really help them to upskill overall.
Sam Rowlands, co-founder and community director at Distributed a company that manages flexible teams of software and web developers tells IT Pro that unless you have a degree from a top university, graduates will face the same struggles as those coming from bootcamps. Experience reigns supreme, and without a solid portfolio of work, aspiring developers will need to undertake internships and other schemes to get the experience they need.
Graduates can, of course, tick the I have a degree box, he says. Although the saturation of degrees means each one is becoming less impactful to prospective employers, [the university courses] should guarantee that students will leave with a relatively good understanding of coding fundamentals.
Through bootcamps, attendees should leave knowing syntax and the basics of writing code, with some portfolio pieces too. They should also know how to ask the right questions to find the answers they need.
From an employers perspective, there are drawbacks to both routes and both types of graduates will have to spend their own time developing the key employable skills needed to be successful in the job market. But there can be a lingering doubt over how a degree-less candidate will be seen among the stack of applicants for any given developmentjob.
For some, a candidates mettle is only really tested in the interview when the stakes are high. A good application can be clad with all the degrees under the sun, but how they perform on the day, and how well they can demonstrate their suitability for the role, will be the ultimate determining factor.
On the flip side, some corners of the industry accept software development bootcamps can produce highly skilled programmers, depending on the quality of the course, and providing the individual has internalised its content. As Nick Sewell, UK head of software development at Expleo says, bootcamps are still relatively new and, as such, there's a lot of misinformation around them, and the programmers they produce. Often, its thought that bootcamp graduates lack the sameapproach to problem-solving and programming as computer science graduates, for example.
Coding bootcamps can be perceived in different ways, he says. However, as they become more popular, businesses are starting to recognise that job candidates coming through coding bootcamps successfully often show a practical approach to solving problems in a fast-moving environment. This can mirror a real work environment.
Smaller companies and startups are more likely to be receptive to hiring those from alternative backgrounds, whereas large companies often still prefer those with CS degrees, he adds. The bootcamp route will also naturally be more favourable for junior roles rather than more senior positions where experience will really be the key differentiator between candidates.
Higher than average salaries in tech, against many other industries, naturally leads us to question whether a short-term coding bootcamp can really offer the same financial prospects as a dedicated multi-year degree. While its one of the most marketable aspects of bootcamp programmes, the financial prospects of these graduates are slightly worse at least in the early stages of their careers.
Computer science graduates can expect better salaries, assuming the level of experience is broadly similar, Sewell says. They have the practical skills that can be applied immediately to the job rather than needing training to get up to speed which comes at a cost to the employer.
This conclusion, of course, will depend on the bootcamp, the employer, the specific position, and each roles requirements. Experts tell IT Pro, for instance, theyve seen some bootcamp graduates secure better offers than their counterparts with degrees, although its certainly a rarity.
The prevailing advice is that prospective programmers should focus less on the total compensation, especially when looking for their first job. Instead, they should find a company with which they can develop their skills in a way that sets their career up for life. The money will come, but having the right first job can make a huge difference in the long term.
The phrase if something looks too good to be true, it probably is rings true in most scenarios in life. When aspiring developers are served, for example, a targeted advert through social media promising a high-paying career in as little as 12 weeks or even eight weeks that same scepticism can take hold.
The truth is bootcamp graduates can expect to be job-ready, at least for a junior developer position, and that employers certainly are open to hiring them. What might not be communicated well enough, though, is how much additional learning they will need to do on the job compared to their university-graduated peers.
Its likely that if a company hires two junior developers, one from a bootcamp and another plucked straight from university, the latter will progress quicker thanks to their existing theoretical understanding, experts say. Similarly, if its a case of the same two candidates vying for the same junior role, then a computer science graduate with a robust GitHub portfolio will in most cases be seen as the safer choice. However, that doesnt mean bootcamp-trained developers are at a significant disadvantage. There are plenty of employers that realise the value such individuals can add, and, as bootcamps become more popular, the quality of their graduates may be perceived more favourably in time.
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Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Computer Science job with DURHAM UNIVERSITY | 311174 – Times Higher Education
Department of Computer Science
Grade 7:-37,474 per annumFixed Term-Full TimeContracted Hours per Week:35Closing Date :15-Oct-2022, 6:59:00 AM
Durham University
Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.
The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.
Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breathtaking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. The University provides a range of benefits including pension and childcare benefits and the Universitys Relocation Manager can assist with potential schooling requirements.
Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.
The Department
The Department of Computer Scienceis one of the very bestin the UK with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. Ranked20th in the UK in REF2021, theDepartment of Computer Scienceisproud of the emphasis we place on equality, diversity and inclusion and are working hard to make our department the no.1 University in the UK for women to study Computer Science.
The Role
Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate inComputer Visionwith a particular emphasis onMachine Learning.The research project,entitled Natural Intelligence for Robotic monitoring of Habitats, aims to serve the European Green Deal via monitoring the natural habitats of N2000N with robots able to effectively move in dunes, grasslands, forests, and alpine terrains. The European project is 8 partners strong and it is led by the University of Pisa. It is a project aligned with the transformative policies contained in the European Green Deal, a robust scientific and technology answer to the global warming and pollution problems, affecting millions of flora and fauna species. NI ambition is to introduce disruptive technology and play a role in developing intelligent techniques for environmental monitoring, at present carried out with only human resources. Durham University leads the work package on computational botany, to develop algorithms for detection and identification of typical and invasive species in the studied habitats.
The successful applicant will be expected to:
Responsibilities:
This post is fixed term, available from 1st November 2022 until the end of March 2024. There is the potential for an extension to the end of June 2024, dependent on an upcoming decision by the funding body.
The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.
Successful applicants will, ideally, be in post by 1st November 2022.
How to Apply
For informal enquiries please contact Professor Paolo Remagnino (paolo.remagnino@durham.ac.uk). All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.
We prefer to receive applications online via the Durham University Vacancies Site. https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/. As part of the application process, you should provide details of 3 (preferably academic/research) referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference.
Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University.
What to Submit
All applicants are asked to submit:
Next Steps
The assessment for the post will include an interview. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment in October 2022.
The Requirements
Essential:
Qualifications
Experience
Skills
Desirable:
Experience
Skills
DBS Requirement:Not Applicable.
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S.C. 4-H joins in weeklong celebration of the power of youth – Clemson News
October 6, 2022October 6, 2022
Its often been said knowledge is power, and South Carolina 4-H Youth Development believes in the power of young people and brings opportunity to glean that knowledge directly to kids from all backgrounds.
The week of Oct. 2-8 marked National 4-H Week in the U.S. to highlight the remarkable 4H youth in communities around the country and showcase the incredible experiences that 4H offers young people as the nations larget youth development organization.
In South Carolina, Clemson University Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development uses a learn-by-doing approach to help youth gain the knowledge and skills to be responsible, productive and contributing members of society.
South Carolina 4-H Assistant Director Ashley Burns said the week was a time to recognize the more than 6 million young people nationwide that 4-H is empowering with skills for a lifetime.
This years theme of Opportunity for All, Burns said. 4-H is a place for youth of many backgrounds to come together and find their spark. Our members are developing skills that will help them lead for a lifetime. We celebrate our passionate parents, tireless volunteers, and dedicated professionals who create a space for young people to belong and succeed all year long.
And the success of those young people is really the key to it all.
At S.C. 4-H State Congress this summer, for example, Maggie Thomas of Dorchester County, told her tale of spending more than a decade in 4-H after her family began a club in a rural community in St. George, S.C.
As the outgoing State 4-H Teen Council President, Thomas, who has been accepted into nursing school this fall at Anderson University, told the future young leaders in the organization that her 4-H experience has taught her the value of moments big and small.
Everyone is always so anxious to race to the end, to find the happily-ever-after, but 4-H helped me to realize that its not always about the happy ending, sometimes its about the story that takes you there, Thomas said.
Thomas challenged her fellow 4-Hers to become the authors of your own stories.
Life is a moment that we only get once, and I hope you choose to live it to the absolute fullest, she said.
And when it comes to celebrating 4-H successes in South Carolina, one would be remiss not to mention the 4-H Pinckney Leadership Program celebrating its fifth anniversary albeit 1 year late due to the pandemic.
Since 2016, the 4-H Pinckney Leadership Program has been dedicated to equipping middle and high school students to influence the state of South Carolina as better leaders, positive role models and engaged citizens.
The late Sen. Clementa Pinckney, of course, was among nine African Americans killed by white supremacist Dylan Roof during Bible study at the Charleston AME church where he was the senior pastor. While his life came to an end on June 17, 2015, Pinckneys passion for leadership lives on though the namesake program.
And while it was not able to formally celebrate its fifth anniversary last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pinckney Program did hold three events this summer two at Clemson Universitys Hendrix Center and another in Aiken to recognize its success.
And the programs success is not just a buzzword. It has served more than 2,000 youth in South Carolina and, this year, had four valedictorians at high schools across the state. But perhaps its most significant impact has been driving young people to be leaders in their communities.
The 4-H program has impacted my plans for the future by encouraging me to continue being a voice for those around me, said DeQuae Craft, a student at Dreher High School in Columbia. I want to go into some type of public work where I can bring about change. When we went to Washington, D.C., we met with House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, who was ready to offer an internship to any of us upon graduation to see firsthand how being a leader and bringing about change works for a huge politician on a day-to-day basis. I plan to take him up on this opportunity! Thanks to 4-H for helping me to make such a connection.
And no showcase of the experiences 4-H offers young people would be complete without mention of the recently announced $5 million grant from Google.org to the National 4-H Council, aimed at expanding computer science skills and education to underserved youth across the country
To date, we have served over 3,000 youth with our computer science (CS) programs, Burns said. We look forward to making the most of this investment by continuing and expanding CS programming efforts and engaging with the new National 4-H Summit, Clover and PYD Academy experiences.
As for the National 4-H Week celebration itself, the week featured daily themes on the weekdays: from Make it happen Monday where youth were asked to complete a random act of kindness to Find your spark Friday, where 4-Hers were encouraged to talk about their favorite project area.
More information on S.C. 4-H Youth Development and ways to get involved are available here: https://www.clemson.edu/extension/4h/.
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S.C. 4-H joins in weeklong celebration of the power of youth - Clemson News
Science Needs the Right Attitude | News – NREL
For Nalinrat Guba, Every Discovery Starts With Curiosity
"Science" was a class you probably took in school, but the subject matter you studied was not the only thing you learned. Your science classes helped you develop a mindset, a way of problem-solving, that you can still tap into today in any line of work.
People with various academic and experiential backgrounds collaborate with the researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). They have opportunities to work with people like Nalinrat Guba, whose scientist mindset is complemented by those of an artist, athlete, and caretaker. These perspectives make her a versatile and impactful member of NREL's Computational Science Center, where clients come to achieve their goals leveraging computational science, high-performance computing, applied mathematics, and advanced computer science, visualization, and data.
A famous quote attributed to Pablo Picasso goes: "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." As a ballet student, Guba knows that rules are the foundation from which creativity blossoms. Many hours of plis at the bar preceded her ability to do leaps and splits.
The same is true for her growth as a scientist. When she was studying statistics as an undergraduate student in the early 1980s, "We did a lot of number crunching and learning statistical theory," she explained, adding, "Our statistics studies included these new ideas called programming languages, but there was no such thing as software engineering yet." But the mysteries around the computing world unlocked her imagination and led her to a graduate degree in computer information systems and artificial intelligence (AI). "I was obsessed with the field," she exclaimed, noting that her studies ignited an intellectual curiosity that launched her into the world of big data and machine learning.
Guba has experienced the scientific transformations brought on by the digital age, and she sees where the wave of ingenuity is heading. As a research data systems engineer at NREL, she is helping clients solve not just today's problems but tomorrow's problems too. That is where her creativity shines.
Her work in data analysis and computational science combines areas such as cloud computing, database technologies, real-time data streaming, and software quality assurance, among many others. Her crosscutting work can be found in the Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium's Catalyst Property Database (CPD) project, an online library of catalyst property data that aims to make it faster and cheaper to identify the right catalyst formula for specific biofuel production processes. The CPD currently includes density functional theory-computed adsorption energies for surface intermediates in catalytic reactions. For this project, NREL researchers and NREL's Data, Analysis, and Visualization (DAV) group worked together to design a database system and a web application that enable researchers to reduce the time required to perform literature searches for data on previously computed catalytic pathways and intermediates. By providing data in a central, searchable location, it also enables accelerated discovery of catalyst descriptor and property correlations that are a common bottleneck in applying predictive approaches to catalyst research and development.
"I think about how to improve data systems by analyzing data to understand why it is designed a certain way and consider alternatives," Guba said. "I really enjoy designing new solutions that are useful for our funders and partners."
Guba knows data management best practices and leaves room for the creative sparkwhether it comes from within, from her team members, or her client. Hers is not a cookie-cutter approach to work, but that is what makes it so enjoyable for her.
"I love learning, and I learn something new with every project," she said, "which is probably why I can say that every project feels like a favorite project in some way."
When Guba swims laps in the pool, she switches between strokes to work different muscles and change her view. She does not spend too much time looking in the same direction. If your data project is the pool, Guba's job is to help you figure out what combination of strokes will get you to your goal.
"I love the challenge of figuring out that puzzle," she said. "You know where you want to get to, so it's a matter of figuring out how and in what way that is efficient and makes sense for you."
In NREL's Computational Science Center, you will find Guba thinking of different ways to manage data as part of the data team in the DAV group.
If anyone needs help with data management, analysis, and visualization, they call in her team of experts to strategize and execute data collection, storage, and management. Complementary teams focused on data analysis and visualizations can help you interpret data and bring it into an immersive three-dimensional space to find hidden insights.
"I've worked on several projects that all dealt with data management differently," Guba said. "Our team's approaches to data management solutions range from using relational database management systems for scientific data to using data repositories as document hubs for energy materials networks. I helped expand a data streaming platform to support larger data sets and real-time data collection for lab equipment and devices; enabling data scalability and redundancy is a common challenge we help solve by building different infrastructures based on unique needs."
The DAV team also utilized the data streaming platform to collect and distribute metrics and jobs data from NREL's high-performance computer, Eagle, in real time. These data sets are used in several energy analysis projects. The Artificial Intelligence for Data Center Operations (AIOps) project uses high-performance-computer data collected via NREL's data streaming platform for data analytics and machine learning to create new solutions to maximize data center efficiency and resiliency. This project is a partnership between Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and NREL's Computational Science Center.
"Our success can be attributed to the diverse expertise of team members, who are data scientists, data engineers, visualization experts, and systems engineers," Guba remarked.
External data access requirements presented a unique challenge for the data team in how to securely publish NREL data streams to HPE scientists for their models. The team explored several options and was able to determine the most efficient way to synchronize NREL data from its streaming platform to HPE internal processes.
Guba loves the inquiry process behind her work as a data scientist. It is something she first noticed as a cultural phenomenon when she immigrated to the United States for her master's program.
"In Thailand, where I grew up, you were considered a good student if you accepted everything you were taught, but [in the United States] it is almost the opposite," Guba noted. "You are a good student if you start thinking and questioning, to voice your opinion, to disagree. I really value that mentality, even now as a professional."
Challenging each other to find the best solutions is an ideal that drew Guba to NREL and has bonded her to her team.
"I always wanted to work at NREL," she said. "I'm working with all these smart people, all day long. I'm so thankful I work with people from whom I can learnmy co-workers, team members, and managers at every level."
As a mom, Guba was never afraid of admitting to her kids that she did not know everything. But that did not keep her from trying to find answers. In the fast-paced world of AI advancements, Guba knows there is a degree of uncertainty and inaccuracy that needs to be addressed.
"We want to move quickly to keep up with the technology," Guba said, "but we also realize that there are several aspects of the AI technology that we don't yet understand and that still need to be explored in order for us to utilize it to its full potential."
A part of that work is creating data systems that mitigate influential factors like unconscious bias.
"As a human being, you have unconscious bias, whether it be the influence of your culture or upbringing," Guba said. "It is difficult to really stop and recognize that. But if you don't think about it, that is unconscious bias. The same thing exists when I work with a system. It's easy to overlook the fact that your results might be biased."
This industry-wide challenge is one Guba is actively pursuing as part of NREL's larger mission to integrate energy justice principles into its solutions, including leading research to address bias in clean energy innovation.
"It's exciting to be at the forefront of this important work, to create a clean energy future for everyone," she said. "If I can be a part of the solution in some way, make even a small differenceit doesn't have to be big or publicthat is deeply gratifying."
Guba is one of many NRELians working on interdisciplinary teams across the energy sector. Learn more about the collaboration opportunities inside NREL's Computational Science Center.
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