Category Archives: Computer Science
Can Computers – and People Learn To Think From the Bottom Up? – Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence
Tufts University biologist Michael Levin and Columbia University neuroscientist Rafael Yuste have an ambitious project in hand: To explain how evolution hacked its way to intelligence from the bottom up, that is, from nothing. They base their thesis on computer science:
This is intelligence in action: the ability to reach a particular goal or solve a problem by undertaking new steps in the face of changing circumstances. Its evident not just in intelligent people and mammals and birds and cephalopods, but also cells and tissues, individual neurons and networks of neurons, viruses, ribosomes and RNA fragments, down to motor proteins and molecular networks. Across all these scales, living things solve problems and achieve goals by flexibly navigating different spaces metabolic, physiological, genetic, cognitive, behavioural.
But how did intelligence emerge in biology? The question has preoccupied scientists since Charles Darwin, but it remains unanswered. The processes of intelligence are so intricate, so multilayered and baroque, no wonder some people might be tempted by stories about a top-down Creator. But we know evolution must have been able to come up with intelligence on its own, from the bottom up.
Can that really work? The big problem for evolution is assembling a lot of components in a particular pattern. The probability of correct assembly drops exponentially as the pattern grows. Richard Dawkins proposed in his book The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design (1986) that maybe evolution can produce things that look intelligently designed if, instead of assembling all components in one fell swoop, they can be assembled piecemeal.
Piecemeal assembly reduces the problem to a series of linear choices. Ever since the early pre-Socratic philosophers proposed materialism and the evolution of modern organisms through variation and selection, thinkers have puzzled over how variation and selection alone could produce highly complex and specified organisms that include independent problem-solving intelligence.
The only realm in which we see complex specified artifacts such as the James Webb Space Telescope created on a regular basis is intelligent design by humans. That has led many thinkers throughout the millennia to conclude that organisms are also the product of intelligent design.
But, in Modular cognition, Levin and Juste disagree. They take the same approach as Dawkins. They claim that, if evolution can proceed by piecemeal variation on individual modules, the plasticity observed in stem cells, tadpoles, and mental cognition will arise.
They go one step further and propose that the higher order modules can emerge from the lower level variations of modules. The process envisioned is similar to the way in which words can vary and form sentences that can in turn vary to form paragraphs, and so on. They call this process modular cognition.
In doing so, they make a very important implicit assumption. They assume that, as we move to higher and higher levels of modularity, intermediary steps do not become dramatically harder, or even impossible, to find. That is a key assumption, and worth keeping in mind as we proceed.
Lets try out the authors idea with word ladder puzzles. In word ladder puzzles, one word is transformed into another word by varying one letter at a time. The catch is that each intermediary step must also be a valid word. This rule is analogous to the common sense assumption in evolutionary biology that if one type of creature is to evolve into another type of creature, each intermediary typoe must survive and reproduce.
So lets try to turn a cat into a dog with modular variation.
Pretty easy, huh? That makes the idea that modular cognition can explain the origin of creative intelligence from monad to man plausible.
But things get wobbly when we must tackle longer words equivalent, perhaps, to more complex organisms. For example, there is no word ladder from electrical to transcends.
We run into the same problem with sentences. Turning The cat chases the dog. into The dog chases the cat. by modifying one letter at a time, while maintaining a meaningful sentence (which is equivalent in biology to keeping the organism alive) becomes much more difficult. What does the cot chases the cog mean? Beats me.
How about if we can swap out whole words in a sentence? This does result in a direct path:
Unfortunately, the solution of swapping words creates new problems. One problem is that, to swap out words, we now need a variation mechanism that uses a dictionary to store and look up words that actually mean something in the context, as opposed to mere strings of letters.
Another problem is that the number of options for swapping each word now grows exponentially. Thus the probability of hitting coherent sentences likewise drops exponentially. So, weve solved one problem only at the expense of introducing two new and much more difficult problems.
What weve just seen that new problems are introduced by trying to solve the original problem at a higher level is known as the vertical no free lunch theorem (VNFLT). The VNFLT was first invented by Dr. William Dembski and Dr. Robert J. Marks,
They prove in The Search for a Search that, as we try to solve a problem at higher and higher levels as the Modular cognition authors propose the difficulty increases exponentially instead of decreasing. So we see that the key assumption made by the authors is false.
Modular cognition will not work as a theory of intelligent design. It is yet one more proposalthat is unable to climb the steep ladder of the VNFLT.
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To what extent does life simply invent itself as it goes along? The evidence may surprise us. It does not seem that all life arose simply by common descent. But maybe it cant just invent itself without an inventor either. Human inventions illustrate the point. (Eric Holloway)
and
Can AI really evolve into superintelligence all by itself? We cant just turn a big computer over to evolution and go away and hope for great things. Perpetual Innovation Machines tend to wind down because there is no universally good search. Computers are powerful because they have limitations.
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‘Hope that the war will end’: Ukrainian, Russian students in Czech Republic speak on worries, hopes – NSM.today
Protests take place in Czech Republic to support Ukrainians after Russia invaded it. Junior computer science major Emily Hannon said that she has seen the community in Prague come together to support Ukrainians through protests and by giving humanitarian aid.
Oleksandr Korotetskyis brother and mother caught a train to evacuate from Ukraine on Saturday morning, but his father stayed in the country.
Korotetskyis brother will meet him in Czech Republic, where he is studying, while his mother wants to go back to her husband. Korotetskyi said that his mother does not want to leave his father alone in a warzone.
I think it is a high probability that I will never be able to hear him again because he will die, Korotetskyi said. So he is at the private house, our private house, with cat, and he feels scared because cat will die without care.
After Russia launched an invasion on Ukraine Feb. 24, Ukrainian cities have been shelled, and civilians have evacuated. Ukrainian and Russian students in Czech Republic, which has Poland and Slovakia between it and Ukraine, worry for their families, civilians and international relations, but some also have hope.
Korotetskyi said that a few days before, his family went out to find food, and apartments blew up next to them. He said that every day, Western countries provide Ukraine with military support such as ammunition or weapons.
But firstly, we must take care about people, civil people, people that do not want war, people that are victims of this war like my brother. He is 14 years old, and he had almost died three times, Korotetskyi said.
He has to work to provide the necessities for himself and his brother. He said that in Czech Republic, he is surprised by the support Ukraine is receiving. He said the university has provided students with support such as offering some financial support for those in need and some free food.
More than 2 million Ukrainians have left the country since Russia's invasion, according to a U.N. refugee agency tracker. These people represent about 5% of Ukraine's population.
Junior computer science major Emily Hannon, who is studying abroad in Czech Technical University, attends a protest in front of the Russian embassy to show support for Ukraine after Russia invaded the country. She said that she has also seen vandalism on parts of the embassy.
UCF junior computer science major Emily Hannon, who is studying abroad in Czech Technical University, said she has seen the community in Prague come together to support Ukrainians. For example, Hannon said that the owners of a wine store collected items and rented a truck to take aid to refugees themselves.
"Like, the whole community of Prague was giving them stuff. Their whole store was full of things to send to Ukraine, then outside there were piles of bags, Hannon said. There was a line out the door when we were there."
Hannon is also helping organize humanitarian aidand said that as an American, she is doing everything in her power to help people.
I think a lot of people in the U.S. don't exactly realize the reality of like what's happening because it's so far away, Hannon said.
Hannon said that she has attended protests, seen graffiti, seen some vandalism at the Russian embassy and also gave a speech herself. She said that at the first protest she attended, the group moved from Vclavsk Nmstto (Wenceslas Square) to the Russian embassy.
There was a moment of silence there was a moment of unsilence, Hannon said. So, they basically decided to make as much noise as possible so that the people in the embassy would be really bothered by us.
Pavlo is also studying in Czech Republic and has family in Crimea, an autonomous republic right south of Ukraine. Pavlo will only be referred to by his first name for the safety of his family.
Pavlo said that he has been depressed and devastated about the war with civilians being exterminated and cities being destroyed. He said that he contacts his family every day but cant really say that they are safe.
Nobody is safe now in Ukraine because of whats going on, Pavlo said.
Pavlo said that his family is staying in Crimea because that is their home, but he wanted them to leave. He said that it is not possible to give anything to his family because they are in an uncontrolled territory, so he sent money to charity and donated plasma to be used in Ukraine. He said it is what he can do because they are suffering while he is safe in Prague.
I hope that the war will end, and I will be able to meet my family and hug them, he said. As more people talk about, the more it makes - it affects the government to do something against.
Russian families are also financially suffering from sanctions from Western countries, said Alexey Ivanov, who requested a pseudonym for his and his familys safety in Russia. He said his family has a business whose target audience is other businesses in Russia, so they have not been affected yet.
As soon as other businesses will suffer the consequences, ours will, I guess, die because its impossible to survive in this economical sphere anymore, Ivanov said.
Ivanov said he does not know how to help his family except possibly encourage them to leave the country, but he said that his university is also supporting Russian students because they are cut off from supplies from Russia.
I am looking for a job here so I can send them money, but the main problem is that the international bank transfers are banned, Ivanov said.
He said that he thinks the majority of Russian society doesnt care about politics. He said that older generations tend to be indifferent if they are told that everything is OK while younger generations are against current policies.
Ivanov said that Russia needs time to grow in its understanding of international politics and said that it is important for more Russians to understand politics because the current regime is based on the support of the society.
Despite this, Ivanov said he is optimistic that the government will change.
We are running out, not only of Western goods, but we are also running out of food, Ivanov said. So as long as people starving, as long as they hate the government, I guess we still have a chance to change and hope for the best.
Junior computer science major Emily Hannon, who is studying abroad at Czech Technical University, attends a benefit concert atVclavsk Nmstto (Wenceslas Square) to support Ukrainians after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Korotetskyi said that both his mother and father lost their jobs, so there is no family income. He said he thinks that some western countries could prevent wars, but the problem is that the United Nations does not work.
I feel sorry that in the 21st century, the only way to solve conflicts is the war, Korotetskyi said. But I think it is a problem of the world that the United Nations does not work, that no global mechanisms of security work. I even don't know what to think about.
"Im just really disappointed about the whole world security system."
Korotetskyi said that people must provide humanitarian aid while victims of war must evacuate to a safe place. He said he thinks that Russia will not stop until the end.
I just want people to stay in love and dont kill each one because of some stupid ideas, some of geopolitics and of some history. We have to build history, but by ourselves, and stay in peace, Korotetskyi said. I never really understood the true meaning of the word peace until it touched my family, so I wish everyone merely the peace."
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Three Watson faculty promoted to distinguished ranks | Binghamton News – Binghamton
Three Binghamton University faculty all from the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science have been promoted to the ranks of distinguished faculty, including two to distinguished professor and one to distinguished service professor.
Promotion to distinguished professor is the highest faculty rank that SUNY awards, and it is reserved for those who have achieved national or international prominence and an exemplary reputation within their discipline. Distinguished service professors are recognized for their distinctive contributions and outstanding service to the University community, department and school in support of the Universitys multi-faceted teaching, research and service mission.
The three professors join 35 other active Binghamton faculty holding the distinguished, distinguished teaching or distinguished service titles.
We are immensely proud of what these professors have accomplished, said Watson College Dean and Distinguished Professor Krishnaswami Hari Srihari. The appointment to distinguished rank is bestowed upon faculty who epitomize the excellence of SUNY. This achievement recognizes their significant contributions to Binghamton University, Watson College and the wider academic community. They are leaders on our campus for students, faculty and staff, and they inspire all of us to shape our world for the better. I am honored to serve our college alongside them.
Here are brief synopses of their careers, their thoughts about achieving distinguished rank and thoughts from President Harvey Stenger on their promotions.
Mohammad T. Khasawneh
Khasawnehs research is focused on the novel application of systems engineering to transform healthcare systems into high-performance environments that produce better patient outcomes at lower costs. His work is applied in ways that lead to optimal healthcare, including more efficient use of hospital resources; better outpatient scheduling; streamlined patient flow; improved patient satisfaction; reduced hospital-acquired conditions (e.g., infections and patient falls) through predictive analytics; and improved clinical, operational and financial performance using advanced data science methods.
His scholarly activities have been published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at leading conferences and yielded patents. His excellence as an academician in health systems engineering has resulted in many invited presentations and keynote addresses. He has published over 65 high-impact journal articles, 119 fully refereed conference publications, 101 conference abstracts and presentations, and 51 technical reports and white papers.
Through research partnerships with more than 15 hospital systems and healthcare organizations, he has generated over $15 million in external funding and over $40 million in in-kind software/equipment grants to improve teaching and instructional laboratories.
Working with experts across the globe, his research continues to address the growing societal need both nationally and globally for transformed healthcare systems that embrace patient-centered care, optimized operations, quality, safety and equity at lower costs.
He is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellors Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, the SUNY Chancellors Award for Excellence in Teaching, the University Award for Excellence in International Education and the University Award for Outstanding Graduate Director.
I am truly very honored and humbled to have received this promotion to the highest faculty rank in SUNY, Khasawneh said. I owe this significant milestone to my amazing family, the inspirational leaders that I know and work with, our world-class faculty and staff team, my incredibly dedicated students and alumni, and my collaborators here and around the world. In my view, being in academia is one of the most noble lines of work in todays world, not only because it gives you the opportunity to impact others, but also to literally change their lives. To me, this promotion is the ultimate badge of responsibility to continue my journey of making an impact on the lives of our students. Again, working with such great teams and colleagues at the department, college, university levels, and beyond has definitely made this a humbling experience and I am deeply grateful to have received this promotion.
Stenger hailed Khasawneh as a path-breaking scholar in the areas of healthcare systems engineering, operations management and data science who has changed the face of healthcare systems, and thus the quality of life for those both providing and accessing healthcare. He has pioneered the way society thinks of healthcare systems, making them more efficient and effective.
Weiyi Meng
Meng has an extraordinary record as a teacher, researcher, scholar and leader in academia. Over the years, his service to his profession; colleagues in academia, on-campus and across the SUNY system; and to the field of computer science is remarkable.
Mengs service-focused philosophy is based on being a good citizen and making a positive impact. Building on his intellectual capital as an outstanding academician, he has helped to organize and run over 100 conferences all over the globe. In addition, he serves on the editorial boards of prestigious archival/peer reviewed publications.
Over the past few decades, Meng has served his profession by reviewing research proposals for national and international organizations, he has given more than 60 invited talks and he has served as the program chair or the general chair for many conferences.
In addition to growing and leading one of the largest academic departments on campus, Mengs commitment to service includes mentoring, strategic planning to building consensus, team-building and recognizing the excellence of his colleagues. As an excellent supportive and proactive leader, he has restructured his department and works effectively with all stakeholders, including graduate and undergraduate students, staff and faculty.
Meng has been at the vanguard of establishing and growing partnerships with leading institutions in other countries, and he was the pioneer in instituting collaborative academic programs with international universities.
Professor Mengs service crosses a variety of dimensions through his scholarship, his conference participation, as department chair and as an international ambassador, Stenger said. His service has benefited all whom he comes into contact with, and, in fulfilling our mission, positively impacts students.
Meng said he is honored and humbled to receive this SUNY recognition: It has been a great pleasure being part of Binghamton University and contributing to the betterment of this organization for the past 30 years. Whatever accomplishments I have achieved are also the result of tremendous support I received from my colleagues in the Computer Science Department, Watson College and the campus community.
Kaiming Ye
Ye is one of the worlds leading scientists in advanced biomanufacturing. He is a fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He is chair-elect of the Council of Chairs of Biomedical Engineering.
Ye pioneered human islet organoid development from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). His group is the first one that demonstrated the feasibility of generating functional human islets from PSCs. His work in 3D tissue bioprinting was featured in the February 2015 issue of Prism (ASEE). He also is one of the pioneers who designed fluorescence resonance energy transfer nanosensors for continuous glucose monitoring. His recent work on cancer immunotherapy led to the development of a new cancer immunotherapeutic vaccine. Ye has secured more than $42.67 million in grants (as PI or co-PI).
He has published one book as well as more than 90 high-impact, peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters and reports. He has chaired and co-chaired more than 10 international and national conferences and delivered more than 45 keynote, plenary and invited speeches in international and national conferences, and graduate seminars at more than 50 universities. As chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department at Binghamton, he has led its growth in rankings, research expenditures, and undergraduate and graduate programs.
This is an honor to the University, Watson and our department, Ye said. I am lucky to be a professor surrounded by talented students and excellent staff, faculty and visionary academic leaders here at Binghamton.
Stenger noted that the breadth of Professor Yes research is impressive, and its innovative nature has earned for him an international reputation in not one but several areas. He has made important discoveries that have elevated the standards of scholarship in his field and made important contributions to other areas as well, notably medicine.
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Three Watson faculty promoted to distinguished ranks | Binghamton News - Binghamton
Building an Organization to Win With Data – CDOTrends
What type of skills should organizations strengthen to enhance their data analysis capabilities? As organizations in Asia and elsewhere turn to data insights and build strong data cultures to gain an edge over their competitors, training has emerged as an increasingly pertinent topic.
And as we noted last year, citizen scientists working on scores of projects can achieve a cumulative victory on a massive front, allowing organizations to win big at data by starting small. But which skills should organizations train their employees in or hire for: Programming, business analytics, or statistics?
A matter of practical knowledge
For at least one practising data scientist with a Bachelor of Science on Reddit, proper training in statistics trumps computer science, or so he believed. Until he took up a Master of Science in Statistics and had his worldview completely flipped around.
Much of what we're learning is completely useless for private sector data science, from my experience. So much pointless math for the sake of math. Incredibly tedious computations. Complicated proofs of irrelevant theorems what's the point?
There's basically no working with data. How can you train in statistics without working with real data? There's no real-world value to any of this. My skills as a data scientist [and] applied statistician are not improving, the poster wrote.
The post attracted close to 200 comments, with many adding thoughtful comments and sharing their own experiences. Defending the role of statistics, some respondents argued that training in statistics offers intellectual enrichment and laid a deep foundation that helped them understand the nitty-gritty of machine learning.
Ultimately, courses that favor practical knowledge over theory are probably the most desirable for citizen data scientists. Viewed that way, then perhaps an introductory workshop that leverages data from the organization might have a far bigger impact than sending them away for week-long courses on deeply theoretical topics.
People skills matter
Effective communication is vital, too. Apart from analyzing the data, the findings and insights must be clearly and fluently communicated across the organization to make an impact. Doing this well entails getting both technical and non-technical audiences to understand the implications. Crucially, they must then coax disparate employees into taking collective action.
On the ground, this means identifying and empowering employees with strong people skills and good data execution expertise. The former might also mean being able to say no to ideas that just dont make sense, or which are destined to fail.
The gripe of a poster on another Reddit thread summed this up perfectly: I don't care if you have 300 million data points recording people's eye color and favorite ice cream flavor, you still can't use eye color to predict ice cream flavor with any good accuracy because the inputs are fundamentally not very predictive of the outputs.
Finding success with data
For organizations to succeed with data, there is also no shying away from the need to build organization-wide competency with data.
The Harvard Business Review (HBR) noted that leading companies ensure that as many stakeholders as possible have the data-centric skills and resources they need, instead of keeping this expertise within the domain of specialists.
What type of skills should organizations strengthen to enhance their data analysis capabilities? As organizations in Asia and elsewhere turn to data insights and build strong data cultures to gain an edge over their competitors, training has emerged as an increasingly pertinent topic.
And as we noted last year, citizen scientists working on scores of projects can achieve a cumulative victory on a massive front, allowing organizations to win big at data by starting small. But which skills should organizations train their employees in or hire for: Programming, business analytics, or statistics?
A matter of practical knowledge
For at least one practising data scientist with a Bachelor of Science on Reddit, proper training in statistics trumps computer science, or so he believed. Until he took up a Master of Science in Statistics and had his worldview completely flipped around.
Much of what we're learning is completely useless for private sector data science, from my experience. So much pointless math for the sake of math. Incredibly tedious computations. Complicated proofs of irrelevant theorems what's the point?
There's basically no working with data. How can you train in statistics without working with real data? There's no real-world value to any of this. My skills as a data scientist [and] applied statistician are not improving, the poster wrote.
The post attracted close to 200 comments, with many adding thoughtful comments and sharing their own experiences. Defending the role of statistics, some respondents argued that training in statistics offers intellectual enrichment and laid a deep foundation that helped them understand the nitty-gritty of machine learning.
Ultimately, courses that favor practical knowledge over theory are probably the most desirable for citizen data scientists. Viewed that way, then perhaps an introductory workshop that leverages data from the organization might have a far bigger impact than sending them away for week-long courses on deeply theoretical topics.
People skills matter
Effective communication is vital, too. Apart from analyzing the data, the findings and insights must be clearly and fluently communicated across the organization to make an impact. Doing this well entails getting both technical and non-technical audiences to understand the implications. Crucially, they must then coax disparate employees into taking collective action.
On the ground, this means identifying and empowering employees with strong people skills and good data execution expertise. The former might also mean being able to say no to ideas that just dont make sense, or which are destined to fail.
The gripe of a poster on another Reddit thread summed this up perfectly: I don't care if you have 300 million data points recording people's eye color and favorite ice cream flavor, you still can't use eye color to predict ice cream flavor with any good accuracy because the inputs are fundamentally not very predictive of the outputs.
Finding success with data
For organizations to succeed with data, there is no shying away from the need to build organization-wide competency with data.
The Harvard Business Review (HBR) noted that leading companies ensure that as many stakeholders as possible have the data-centric skills and resources they need, instead of keeping this expertise within the domain of specialists.
[The] leaders view the use of data and analytics as deeply embedded to how they operate, rather than keeping it siloed and restricted to a few employees, it said.
This means making data accessible to not just citizen data scientists and business leaders, but also the frontline staff. They also acquire data from customers and suppliers, with almost nine out of 10 (89%) sharing their data back.
As part of their data democratization efforts, the leaders are also twice as likely to enable remote access to data and store a significant fraction of their data in the cloud, noted the HBR report.
There you have it. Apart from equipping workers with relevant, practical skills to manage data and appointing the right leaders to push the organizations data initiatives, data democratization and a cloud-centric approach to data are vital foundations to succeeding with data.
The rewards are worth it. According to the report, top performers in machine learning can have more than twice the impact in half the time compared to the average company. And one suspects that this gap will only grow larger, not smaller, over time.
Paul Mah is the editor of DSAITrends. A former system administrator, programmer, and IT lecturer, he enjoys writing both code and prose. You can reach him at [emailprotected].
Image credit: iStockphoto/Christian Horz
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From Introvert to IEEE Influencer – IEEE Spectrum
There are currently about 440 fission reactors operating worldwide, which together can generate about 400 gigawatts of power with zero carbon emissions. Yet these fission plants, for all their value, have considerable downsides. The enriched uranium fuel they use must be kept secure. Devastating accidents, like the one at Fukushima in Japan, can leave areas uninhabitable. Fission waste by-products need to be disposed of safely, and they remain radioactive for thousands of years. Consequently, governments, universities, and companies have long looked to fusion to remedy these ills.
Among those interested parties is NASA. The space agency has significant energy needs for deep-space travel, including probes and crewed missions to the moon and Mars. For more than 60 years, photovoltaic cells, fuel cells, or radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) have provided power to spacecraft. RTGs, which rely on the heat produced when nonfissile plutonium-238 decays, have demonstrated excellent longevityboth Voyager probes use such generators and remain operational nearly 45 years after their launch, for example. But these generators convert heat to electricity at roughly 7.5 percent efficiency. And modern spacecraft need more power than an RTG of reasonable size can provide.
One promising alternative is lattice confinement fusion (LCF), a type of fusion in which the nuclear fuel is bound in a metal lattice. The confinement encourages positively charged nuclei to fuse because the high electron density of the conductive metal reduces the likelihood that two nuclei will repel each other as they get closer together.
The deuterated erbium (chemical symbol ErD3) is placed into thumb-size vials, as shown in this set of samples from a 20 June 2018 experiment. Here, the vials are arrayed pre-experiment, with wipes on top of the metal to keep the metal in position during the experiment. The metal has begun to crack and break apart, indicating it is fully saturated.NASA
The vials are placed upside down to align the metal with the gamma ray beam. Gamma rays have turned the clear glass amber.NASA
We and other scientists and engineers at NASA Glenn Research Center, in Cleveland, are investigating whether this approach could one day provide enough power to operate small robotic probes on the surface of Mars, for example. LCF would eliminate the need for fissile materials such as enriched uranium, which can be costly to obtain and difficult to handle safely. LCF promises to be less expensive, smaller, and safer than other strategies for harnessing nuclear fusion. And as the technology matures, it could also find uses here on Earth, such as for small power plants for individual buildings, which would reduce fossil-fuel dependency and increase grid resiliency.
Physicists have long thought that fusion should be able to provide clean nuclear power. After all, the sun generates power this way. But the sun has a tremendous size advantage. At nearly 1.4 million kilometers in diameter, with a plasma core 150 times as dense as liquid water and heated to 15 million C, the sun uses heat and gravity to force particles together and keep its fusion furnace stoked.
On Earth, we lack the ability to produce energy this way. A fusion reactor needs to reach a critical level of fuel-particle density, confinement time, and plasma temperature (called the Lawson Criteria after creator John Lawson) to achieve a net-positive energy output. And so far, nobody has done that.
Fusion reactors commonly utilize two different hydrogen isotopes: deuterium (one proton and one neutron) and tritium (one proton and two neutrons). These are fused into helium nuclei (two protons and two neutrons)also called alpha particleswith an unbound neutron left over.
Existing fusion reactors rely on the resulting alpha particlesand the energy released in the process of their creationto further heat the plasma. The plasma will then drive more nuclear reactions with the end goal of providing a net power gain. But there are limits. Even in the hottest plasmas that reactors can create, alpha particles will mostly skip past additional deuterium nuclei without transferring much energy. For a fusion reactor to be successful, it needs to create as many direct hits between alpha particles and deuterium nuclei as possible.
In the 1950s, scientists created various magnetic-confinement fusion devices, the most well known of which were Andrei Sakharovs tokamak and Lyman Spitzers stellarator. Setting aside differences in design particulars, each attempts the near-impossible: Heat a gas enough for it to become a plasma and magnetically squeeze it enough to ignite fusionall without letting the plasma escape.
Inertial-confinement fusion devices followed in the 1970s. They used lasers and ion beams either to compress the surface of a target in a direct-drive implosion or to energize an interior target container in an indirect-drive implosion. Unlike magnetically confined reactions, which can last for seconds or even minutes (and perhaps one day, indefinitely), inertial-confinement fusion reactions last less than a microsecond before the target disassembles, thus ending the reaction.
Both types of devices can create fusion, but so far they are incapable of generating enough energy to offset whats needed to initiate and maintain the nuclear reactions. In other words, more energy goes in than comes out. Hybrid approaches, collectively called magneto-inertial fusion, face the same issues.
Current fusion reactors also require copious amounts of tritium as one part of their fuel mixture. The most reliable source of tritium is a fission reactor, which somewhat defeats the purpose of using fusion.
The fundamental problem of these techniques is that the atomic nuclei in the reactor need to be energetic enoughmeaning hot enoughto overcome the Coulomb barrier, the natural tendency for the positively charged nuclei to repel one another. Because of the Coulomb barrier, fusing atomic nuclei have a very small fusion cross section, meaning the probability that two particles will fuse is low. You can increase the cross section by raising the plasma temperature to 100 million C, but that requires increasingly heroic efforts to confine the plasma. As it stands, after billions of dollars of investment and decades of research, these approaches, which well call hot fusion, still have a long way to go.
The barriers to hot fusion here on Earth are indeed tremendous. As you can imagine, theyd be even more overwhelming on a spacecraft, which cant carry a tokamak or stellarator onboard. Fission reactors are being considered as an alternativeNASA successfully tested the Kilopower fission reactor at the Nevada National Security Site in 2018 using a uranium-235 core about the size of a paper towel roll. The Kilopower reactor could produce up to 10 kilowatts of electric power. The downside is that it required highly enriched uranium, which would have brought additional launch safety and security concerns. This fuel also costs a lot.
But fusion could still work, even if the conventional hot-fusion approaches are nonstarters. LCF technology could be compact enough, light enough, and simple enough to serve for spacecraft.
How does LCF work? Remember that we earlier mentioned deuterium, the isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron in its nucleus. Deuterided metalserbium and titanium, in our experimentshave been saturated with either deuterium or deuterium atoms stripped of their electrons (deuterons). This is possible because the metal naturally exists in a regularly spaced lattice structure, which creates equally regular slots in between the metal atoms for deuterons to nest.
In a tokamak or a stellarator, the hot plasma is limited to a density of 1014 deuterons per cubic centimeter. Inertial-confinement fusion devices can momentarily reach densities of 1026 deuterons per cubic centimeter. It turns out that metals like erbium can indefinitely hold deuterons at a density of nearly 1023 per cubic centimeterfar higher than the density that can be attained in a magnetic-confinement device, and only three orders of magnitude below that attained in an inertial-confinement device. Crucially, these metals can hold that many ions at room temperature.
The deuteron-saturated metal forms a plasma with neutral charge. The metal lattice confines and electron-screens the deuterons, keeping each of them from seeing adjacent deuterons (which are all positively charged). This screening increases the chances of more direct hits, which further promotes the fusion reaction. Without the electron screening, two deuterons would be much more likely to repel each other.
Using a metal lattice that has screened a dense, cold plasma of deuterons, we can jump-start the fusion process using what is called a Dynamitron electron-beam accelerator. The electron beam hits a tantalum target and produces gamma rays, which then irradiate thumb-size vials containing titanium deuteride or erbium deuteride.
When a gamma ray of sufficient energyabout 2.2 megaelectron volts (MeV)strikes one of the deuterons in the metal lattice, the deuteron breaks apart into its constituent proton and neutron. The released neutron may collide with another deuteron, accelerating it much as a pool cue accelerates a ball when striking it. This second, energetic deuteron then goes through one of two processes: screened fusion or a stripping reaction.
In screened fusion, which we have observed in our experiments, the energetic deuteron fuses with another deuteron in the lattice. The fusion reaction will result in either a helium-3 nucleus and a leftover neutron or a hydrogen-3 nucleus and a leftover proton. These fusion products may fuse with other deuterons, creating an alpha particle, or with another helium-3 or hydrogen-3 nucleus. Each of these nuclear reactions releases energy, helping to drive more instances of fusion.
In a stripping reaction, an atom like the titanium or erbium in our experiments strips the proton or neutron from the deuteron and captures that proton or neutron. Erbium, titanium, and other heavier atoms preferentially absorb the neutron because the proton is repulsed by the positively charged nucleus (called an Oppenheimer-Phillips reaction). It is theoretically possible, although we havent observed it, that the electron screening might allow the proton to be captured, transforming erbium into thulium or titanium into vanadium. Both kinds of stripping reactions would produce useful energy.
As it stands, after billions of dollars of investment and decades of research, these approaches, which well call hot fusion, still have a long way to go.
To be sure that we were actually producing fusion in our vials of erbium deuteride and titanium deuteride, we used neutron spectroscopy. This technique detects the neutrons that result from fusion reactions. When deuteron-deuteron fusion produces a helium-3 nucleus and a neutron, that neutron has an energy of 2.45 MeV. So when we detected 2.45 MeV neutrons, we knew fusion had occurred. Thats when we published our initial results in Physical Review C.
Electron screening makes it seem as though the deuterons are fusing at a temperature of 11 million C. In reality, the metal lattice remains much cooler than that, although it heats up somewhat from room temperature as the deuterons fuse.
Rich Martin [left], a research engineer, and coauthor Bruce Steinetz, principal investigator for the LCF projects precursor experiment, examine samples after a run. NASA
Overall, in LCF, most of the heating occurs in regions just tens of micrometers across. This is far more efficient than in magnetic- or inertial-confinement fusion reactors, which heat up the entire fuel amount to very high temperatures. LCF isnt cold fusionit still requires energetic deuterons and can use neutrons to heat them. However, LCF also removes many of the technologic and engineering barriers that have prevented other fusion schemes from being successful.
Although the neutron recoil technique weve been using is the most efficient means to transfer energy to cold deuterons, producing neutrons from a Dynamitron is energy intensive. There are other, lower energy methods of producing neutrons including using an isotopic neutron source, like americium-beryllium or californium-252, to initiate the reactions. We also need to make the reaction self-sustaining, which may be possible using neutron reflectors to bounce neutrons back into the latticecarbon and beryllium are examples of common neutron reflectors. Another option is to couple a fusion neutron source with fission fuel to take advantage of the best of both worlds. Regardless, theres more development of the process required to increase the efficiency of these lattice-confined nuclear reactions.
Weve also triggered nuclear reactions by pumping deuterium gas through a thin wall of a palladium-silver alloy tubing, and by electrolytically loading palladium with deuterium. In the latter experiment, weve detected fast neutrons. The electrolytic setup is now using the same neutron-spectroscopy detection method we mentioned above to measure the energy of those neutrons. The energy measurements we get will inform us about the kinds of nuclear reaction that produce them.
Were not alone in these endeavors. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in California, with funding from Google Research, achieved favorable results with a similar electron-screened fusion setup. Researchers at the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, in Maryland have likewise gotten promising initial results using an electrochemical approach to LCF. There are also upcoming conferences: the American Nuclear Societys Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space conference in Cleveland in May and the International Conference on Cold Fusion 24, focused on solid-state energy, in Mountain View, Calif., in July.
Any practical application of LCF will require efficient, self-sustaining reactions. Our work represents just the first step toward realizing that goal. If the reaction rates can be significantly boosted, LCF may open an entirely new door for generating clean nuclear energy, both for space missions and for the many people who could use it here on Earth.
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End of the office? 1 in 3 wont consider a new job unless they can work remotely – Study Finds
NEW YORK The pandemic has fundamentally changed the American workweek, a new study reveals. In fact, only one in 15 remote workers expects to be back in an office for five days a week.
In a recent survey of 2,000 fully remote or hybrid-remote employees, more than a third (35%) say they wouldnt even consider a new job unless it includes the option to work remotely.
More than three-quarters have found simple pleasures in working from the comfort of their home. That includes more frequent coffee or snack breaks (54%), extra time with family (51%), the casual dress code (50%), and more comfortable seating (50%).
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Rippling, the survey also finds that more workers still prefer some time in an office. In all, 39 percent preferring a hybrid work environment, compared to 24 percent who prefer working completely remote.
While employees in tech or computer science are the most excited for a hybrid role (50%) however, arts and entertainment employees would rather be completely in-office (54%).
Despite the benefits and comforts of remote work that many respondents cited, it does come with challenges. The remote environment has made it more challenging for people to communicate with their co-workers and manager (48%), have their work recognized by their peers (44%), and maintain a work-life balance (44%).
These challenges can be particularly apparent when workers leave or start new roles remotely. This is important for employers in a tight market to consider, because eight in 10 remote workers believe they can predict whether theyll like a new job based on the onboarding process.
Respondents identified some problems theyve faced while starting and onboarding with a new job from afar. Seven in 10 find it a hassle to obtain the necessary software and office equipment, and the same amount say getting to know their co-workers and manager is now more difficult.
Employees whove transitioned to a new team within the same company have also faced difficulties, including staying in touch with their former colleagues and manager (70%).
For the foreseeable future, companies will need to find ways to support a distributed workforce, but its still a heavy lift for many organizations. For example, oftentimes companies struggle to onboard a remote employee, whether its sending them a computer or enrolling them in the proper benefits, says Ripplings VP of Human Resources Christine Maxwell in a statement. This survey makes clear that companies need to adapt and find modern solutions to support their workforce.
The Great Resignation has brought on great expectations for people in the workforce, with seven in 10 employees revealing they expect reimbursement for certain expenses. More than a third expect to be reimbursed for office furniture, and half would expect the company to pay for additional software that facilitates remote working.
Companies must continue to adjust to this new normal and catch up to the new needs within a business. Its a struggle for companies to simply collect a laptop when a remote employee departs the company. That didnt exist when everyone was in the office five days a week, adds Maxwell.
Today businesses can automatically store, ship and retrieve employee computers with a click of a button. There are dozens of different problems that you can easily automate, and taken together, improve the experience for your employees and make a significant impact on the business.
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End of the office? 1 in 3 wont consider a new job unless they can work remotely - Study Finds
Expert: Amplify voices of women in science to inspire the next generation – Conservation International
Editors note: After a decade at Conservation International, Shyla Raghav will be leaving the organization this month to join the founding team of CO2 a climate-focused unit at TIME.
History is full of women who changed the world through science, technology, engineering and math from the chemist who helped discover the double helix structure of DNA to the computer scientist who snapped the first picture of a black hole.
Trouble is, we often dont know their names (by the way, that was Rosalind Franklin and Katie Bouman, respectively).
But a movement is building to make women in STEM more visible literally. Last week,the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, kicked off their #IfThenSheCan exhibit, displaying more than 120 bright orange, life-sized sculptures of prominent women in STEM throughout the citys National Mall. And Conservation Internationals climate lead Shyla Raghav was among them.
Conservation News spoke to Raghav about her passion for protecting the planet, how she stays optimistic about Earths future and her advice for the next generation of women scientists.
Question: How did you get your start in science?
Answer: There was a very distinct moment when I decided there was nothing I would rather do than protect the environment. I remember watching nature shows as a child while living in Australia. Images of the rainforest being destroyedas animals scurried away brought tears to my eyes. It seemed such a gross injustice to harm nature in that way. I couldnt imagine dedicating my life to anything other than trying to confront this issue.
Eventually, I decided to pursue a dual degree in ecology and international relations at the University of California-Irvine. During my time there, I found ways to apply what I was learning to real world problems by engaging in campus advocacy. Withhelp from the Green Campus program, we convinced the university to create a fully sustainable dorm with energy saving appliance and use sustainable biogas for university buses. These experiences showed me that you dont need to wait to startmaking a difference for the environment.
Q: Clearly you managed to stay busy in college what did you do after graduating?
A: After college, I got my masters degree in environmental management at Yales School of Forestry. That sparked my interest in taking a global approach to conservation by understanding the different ways countries aretrying to address climate change. After graduating, I moved to the Caribbean to manage a World Bank project aimed at helping small island nations adapt to climate impacts.
Living in Belize and Dominica changed my life; I was no longer just reading about the devastating impacts of climate change from wildfires to hurricanes I was witnessing them firsthand. Under threat from rising sea levels and increasinglyfrequent storms, Caribbean coastal communities are forced to consider that many ways climate change will affect their futures. For example, how can fishers make a living if the fish they depend on migrate to warmer waters? Where will island residentslive if the sea reaches their homes? How will they honor their ancestors if their burial grounds are submerged? Growing up in the United States, I had never felt these issues so viscerally.
Q: How do you stay hopeful when youre surrounded by this type of devastation on a regular basis?
A: It can be tough, but I ground myself in meditation. Being mindful is what allows me to work on climate change by balancing acceptance for that which I cannot control, with persistence to create a better and more just future. Itshow I draw strength to continue to show up for the planet.
I also find it invigorating to surround myself with other women who are working to change the field of science. In 2019, I was chosen as an ambassador for the If/Then program a group of 125 women in STEM who aim to serve as role models for young girls, helping them imagine the ways they can change the world. Currently, women are underrepresented in science, though weve made gains from 8 percentof women STEM workers in 1970 to 27 percent in 2019 in the U.S.
It can be really helpful to have representation in all sorts of industries from astronauts to geologists to computer scientists. For me, it was Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican diplomat who has led national and international climate negotiations,including efforts that culminated in the landmark 2015 Paris agreement.
Q: What other advice do you have for aspiring women scientists?
A: Find trusted mentors, whether they be teachers or professionals in the field youre interested in. Many women in the sciences including myself suffer from imposter syndrome, which means we doubt our own abilitiesor feel like frauds despite our accomplishments. Fortunately, my mentors saw potential where I didnt see it myself. However, mentors rarely fall into your lap. My advice is dont be afraid to ask for help and always approach yourwork with curiosity and an open mindset.
For anyone pursuing a career in the climate world, I would highly recommend living abroad. It gave me a much deeper understanding of the injustices inherent in the climate crisis and a greater confidence to speak with authority as well asthe commitment to raise my voice for communities that are on the frontlines of climate change. And lastly, dont be afraid to fail in fact, failure is a gateway to growth.
Kiley Price is the staff writer and news editor at Conservation International. Want to read more stories like this? Sign up for email updateshere.Donate to Conservation Internationalhere.
Cover image:A few Conservation International staff membersat the IF/THEN exhibit, celebrating Shyla Raghav t in Washington, DC. Left to right: Blanca Gonzalez, Kyle Innes, Emily Welp, Alexa Mehos, Shyla Raghav, Anna Hedlund, Olivia Reed ( Olivia Reed)
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The tech industry controls CS conference funding. What are the dangers? – Freedom to Tinker
Research about the influence of computing technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), on society relies heavily upon the financial support of the very companies that produce those technologies. Corporations like Google, Microsoft, and IBM spend millions of dollars each year to sponsor labs, professorships, PhD programs, and conferences in fields like computer science (CS) and AI ethics at some of the worlds top institutions. Industry is the main consumer of academic CS research, and 84% percent of CS professors receive at least some industry funding. All of these factors contribute to the significant influence tech firms wield over the kinds of questions that are and arent asked about their products, and which information is and isnt made available about their social impact.
As consciousness about these conflicts of interest builds, we are seeing growing calls from scholars in and around CS to disentangle the discipline from Big Techs corporate agenda. However, given the extent to which much of CS academia relies on funding from major tech corporations, this is much easier said than done. As I argue below, a more achievable yet valuable goal might be to introduce better safeguards in spaces like conferences to mitigate undue corporate influence over essential research.
I will make my case in two parts. First, in todays post, I will:
In my second post, I will follow up with my recommendations for steps that can be taken to minimize the potential chilling or agenda-setting effects brought on by corporate funding on CS research.
A short survey of concerns about Big Techs influence
Relying on large companies and the resources they control can create significant limitations for the kinds of CS research that are proposed, funded and published. The tech industry plays a large hand in deciding what is and isnt worthy of examination, or how issues are framed. For instance, a tech company might have a very different definition of privacy from that which is used by consumer rights advocates. But if the company is determining the parameters for the kinds of research it wishes to sponsor, it can choose to fund proposals that align with or uphold its own interpretation.
The scope of what is reasonable to study is therefore shaped by what is of value to tech companies. There is little incentive for these corporations to fund academic research about issues that they consider more marginal or which dont relate to their priorities.
A 2020 study on artificial intelligence research found that with respect to AI, firms have increased corporate research significantly, in the form of both company-level publications as well as collaborations with elite universities. This trend was illustrated in an analysis by Birhane et al. of top-cited papers published at premier machine learning conferences, which revealed substantive and increasing corporate presence in that research. In 2018-19, nearly 80% of the annotated papers had some sort of corporate ties, by either author affiliation or funding. Moreover, the analysis found that corporate presence is more pronounced in the conference papers that end up receiving the most citations.
Birhane et al. write, the top stated values of ML such as performance, generalization, and efficiency may not only enable and facilitate the realization of Big Techs objectives, but also suppress values such as beneficence, justice, and inclusion.
One of the most vocal critics of Big Techs capture of CS academia is Meredith Whittaker, a former Google employee-turned Senior Advisor on AI at the Federal Trade Commission. She argues that tech companies, hoping to muffle critics and fend off mounting regulatory pressure, are eager to shape the narrative around their technologies social impact by funding favorable research. This has led to widespread corporate sponsorship of labs, faculty positions, graduate programs, and conferencesall of which are reliant on these companies for not only funding, but often also access to data and computing resources. This industry capture of tech researchwherein corporations are strategically funding research or public campaigns in a way that serves their own agendahas been described by scholars like Thao Phan et al. as philanthrocapitalism.
Furthermore, as Whittaker argues, the tech industrys dominance in CS research threatens to deprive frontline communities, policymakers, and the public of vital knowledge about the costs and consequences of AI and the industry responsible for itright at the time that this work is most needed. Recognizing this threat, other ex-Googlers like Timnit Gebru and Alex Hanna have taken the initiative to launch the Distributed AI Research Institute, in an effort to create space for independent, community-rooted AI research free from Big Techs pervasive influence.
I do wish to make clear that receiving funding from an organization that doesnt completely align with ones values does not necessarily mean ones research is compromised. Corporate funding of AI research is not inherently bad, and academics who do not accept Big Tech money can still produce ethically questionable research. Furthermore, individuals who accept Big Tech funding can still be critical of the corporations products and their influence on society.
However, I agree with academics like Moshe Y. Vardi who argue that we must grapple with the contradictions inherent in accepting funding for research such as AI ethics from companies whose interests may run counter to the public good. In a recent article, Vardi, who is the senior editor of Communications of the ACM(1), urged his colleagues to think more critically about their fields relationship to surveillance-capitalism corporations, writing: The biggest problem that computing faces today is not that AI technology is unethicalthough machine bias is a serious issuebut that AI technology is used by large and powerful corporations to support a business model that is, arguably, unethical.
Analysis: FAGMA companies dominate conference sponsorship
One way to begin to address these conflicts of interest is by reflecting on the conditions of knowledge creation and exchangein spaces such as academic conferencesand thinking critically and openly about the compromises and tradeoffs inherent in accepting funding from the industry that controls the subject of ones study. In the field of computer science, conferences are the primary venue for sharing ones research with others in the discipline. Therefore, sponsoring these gatherings gives firms valuable influence over and insight into whats happening at the cutting edge of topics like machine learning and human-computer interaction.
In an effort to get a better understanding of who the major players are in this realm, I reviewed the websites for the top 25 CS conferences (based on H-5 index and impact score) to compile information about all of the organizations that have financially supported them between 2019 and 2021. I found that a majority of the most frequent and most generous sponsors, often donating tens of thousands of dollars per conference, were powerful technology companies.
This spreadsheet contains sponsorship data for the top 25 most frequent sponsors (2). Of the 10 sponsors who supported the largest numbers of different conferences in the past three years, five are FAGMA companies (Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Apple)six if you count DeepMind, a subsidiary of Googles parent company Alphabet. No non-profit organizations, government science funding agencies, or sponsors from outside the U.S. or China appeared among the top 10.
Overall, among the most frequent and most generous supporters of the top 25 CS conferences, the only non-tech/non-corporate donor was the National Science Foundation, which sponsored five different conferences (11 total gatherings) with donations typically ranging between $15,000 and $25,000.
In addition to having their company name and logo listed on conference promotional materials, top sponsors (who often give upwards of $50,000) receive perks such as opportunities to sponsor prizes or students grants, complimentary registrations and private meeting rooms, access to databases of conference registrants interested in recruitment opportunities, virtual booths or priority exhibition spaces, advertising opportunities and press support, and access to attendee metrics on exhibitor dashboards. A Hero Sponsor who gave $50,000 or more to the 2021 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), for example, would have received 34 different benefits which cumulatively create opportunities for continuous access to and influence on attendees throughout the event.
It is difficult to get an accurate estimate of exactly how much money each company donates to these conferences, as these numbers are not consistently reported to the public. Some conferences only publish a list of supporters with no details about how much each one gave. Others assign sponsorship levels such as Platinum or Diamond, but the monetary value associated with each level varies by conference and year. When dollar amounts are provided, they often represent a potential range of several thousand dollarsfor instance, a Platinum Sponsor of the 2021 SIGMOD/PODS conference might have given anywhere between $16,000 and $31,999. Furthermore, it is difficult gain insight into how exactly these funds are used.
Given the extent of financial entanglement between Big Tech and academia, it might be unrealistic to expect CS scholars to completely resist accepting any industry fundinginstead, it may be more practicable to make a concerted effort to establish higher standards for and greater transparency regarding sponsorship.
In Part 2 of this article, I will recommend steps that can be taken to minimize the potential chilling or agenda-setting effects brought on by corporate funding on CS research.
(1) Six of the top 25 CS conferences in the world are organized by ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery. Between 2019 and 2021, many of those conferences were largely funded by American tech companies like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, IBM, and Microsoft, and Chinese ones like Alibaba, Baidu, ByteDance, and Huawei.
(2) I have compiled a conference sponsorship database that includes extensive data that is not included in this spreadsheet. If you are interested in reviewing it, or in collaborating on further data collection, I would be happy to share it privately.
Many, many thanks to Prof. Arvind Narayanan and Karen Rouse for their thoughtful guidance on and support with this piece.
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The tech industry controls CS conference funding. What are the dangers? - Freedom to Tinker
Quantum Week 2022 Participation Opportunities for Research and Innovations in Quantum Computing and Engineering – PR Newswire
Participation opportunities are available for a limited time. Authorsare invited to submit contributionsfor technical papers, tutorials, workshops, panels, posters, and Birds-of-a-Feather sessions. The submission schedule is available at IEEE Quantum Week Submission Deadlines.
IEEE Quantum Week 2022 features the following topics:
Papers accepted by IEEE Quantum Week will be submitted to the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, and the best papers will be invited to the journalsIEEE Transactions on Quantum Engineering(TQE)andACM Transactions on Quantum Computing(TQC).
IEEE Quantum Week is bridging the gap between the science of quantum computing and the development of industry surrounding it. Over 1100 attendees from 50 countries and 230+ companies convened for the 2021 event that delivered more than 270 hours of programming on quantum computing and engineering.
VisitIEEE Quantum Week 2022for all event news including sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities.
IEEE Quantum Week 2022 is co-sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society, IEEE Communications Society, IEEE Council of Superconductivity, IEEE Future Directions Committee, and IEEE Photonics Society.
About the IEEE Computer SocietyTheIEEE Computer Societyis the world's home for computer science, engineering, and technology. A global leader in providing access to computer science research, analysis, and information, the IEEE Computer Society offers a comprehensive array of unmatched products, services, and opportunities for individuals at all stages of their professional career. Known as the premier organization that empowers the people who drive technology, the IEEE Computer Society offers international conferences, peer-reviewed publications, a unique digital library, and training programs.
About the IEEE Communications SocietyTheIEEE Communications Societypromotes technological innovation and fosters creation and sharing of information among the global technical community. The Society provides services to members for their technical and professional advancement and forums for technical exchanges among professionals in academia, industry, and public institutions.
About the IEEE Council on SuperconductivityTheIEEE Council on Superconductivityand its activities and programs cover the science and technology of superconductors and their applications, including materials and their applications for electronics, magnetics, and power systems, where the superconductor properties are central to the application.
About the IEEE Future Directions Quantum InitiativeIEEE Quantumis an IEEE Future Directions initiative launched in 2019 that serves as IEEE's leading community for all projects and activities on quantum technologies. IEEE Quantum is supported by leadership and representation across IEEE Societies and OUs. The initiative addresses the current landscape of quantum technologies, identifies challenges and opportunities, leverages and collaborates with existing initiatives, and engages the quantum community at large.
About the IEEE Photonics SocietyTheIEEE Photonics Societyforms the hub of a vibrant technical community of more than 100,000 professionals dedicated to transforming breakthroughs in quantum physics into the devices, systems, and products to revolutionize our daily lives. From ubiquitous and inexpensive global communications via fiber optics, to lasers for medical and other applications, to flat-screen displays, to photovoltaic devices for solar energy, to LEDs for energy-efficient illumination, there are myriad examples of the Society's impact on the world around us.
SOURCE IEEE Computer Society
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Meteorites that helped form earth may have formed in the outer solar system – EurekAlert
image:An artist's illustration of the asteroid belt view more
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Our Solar System is believed to have formed from a cloud of gas and dust, the so-called solar nebula, which began to condense on itself gravitationally ~ 4.6 billion years ago. As this cloud contracted, it began to spin and shaped itself into a disk revolving about the highest gravity mass at its centre, which would become our Sun. Our solar system inherited all of its chemical composition from an earlier star or stars which exploded as supernovae. Our Sun scavenged a general sample of this material as it formed, but the residual material in the disk began to migrate based on its propensity to freeze at a given temperature. As the Sun grew dense enough to initiate nuclear fusion reactions and become a star, it scavenged a general sample of this material as it formed, but the residuals in the disk formed solid materials to form planetary bodies based on its propensity to freeze at a given temperature. As the Sun irradiated the surrounding disk, it created a heat gradient in the early solar system. For this reason, the inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are mostly rock (mostly composed of heavier elements, such as iron, magnesium and silicon), while the outer planets are largely composed of lighter elements, especially hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen.
Earth is believed to have formed partly from carbonaceous meteorites, which are thought to come from outer main-belt asteroids. Telescopic observations of outer main-belt asteroids reveal a common 3.1 m reflectance feature that suggests their outer layers host either water ices or ammoniated clays, or both, which are only stable at very low temperatures. Interestingly, though several lines of evidence suggest carbonaceous meteorites are derived from such asteroids, the meteorites recovered on Earth generally lack this feature. The asteroid belt thus poses many questions for astronomers and planetary scientists.
A new study led by researchers at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at Tokyo Institute of Technology suggests these asteroidal materials may have formed very far out in the early Solar System then been transported into the inner Solar System by chaotic mixing processes. In this study, a combination of asteroid observations using the Japanese AKARI space telescope and theoretical modelling of chemical reactions in asteroids suggests that the surface minerals present on outer main-belt asteroids, especially ammonia (NH3)-bearing clays, form from starting materials containing NH3 and CO2 ice that are stable only at very low temperature, and under water-rich conditions. Based on these results, this new study proposes that outer main-belt asteroids formed in distant orbits and differentiated to form different minerals in water-rich mantles and rock-dominated cores.
To understand the source of the discrepancies in the measured spectra of carbonaceous meteorites and asteroids, using computer simulations, the team modelled the chemical evolution of several plausible primitive mixtures designed to simulate primitive asteroidal materials. They then used these computer models to produce simulated reflectance spectra for comparison to the telescopically obtained ones.
Their models indicated that in order to match the asteroid spectra, the starting material had to contain a significant amount of water and ammonia, a relatively low abundance of CO2, and react at temperatures below 70, suggesting the asteroids formed much further out than their present locations in the early solar system. In contrast, the lack of the 3.1 mm feature in meteorites can be attributed to reaction possibly deeper inside asteroids where temperatures reached higher values thus, recovered meteorites may sample deeper portions of asteroids.
If true, this study suggests that Earth's formation and unique properties result from peculiar aspects of the Solar System's formation. There will be several opportunities to test this model, for example, this study provides predictions for what the analysis of Hayabusa 2 returned samples will find. This distant origin of asteroids, if correct, predicts that there will be ammoniated salts and minerals in Hayabusa 2's returned samples. A further check on this model will be provided by the analyses of returned materials from NASA's OSIRIS-Rex mission.
This study also examined whether the physical and chemical conditions in outer main-belt asteroids should be able to form the observed minerals. The cold and distant origin of asteroids proposed suggests there should be a significant similarity between asteroids and comets and raises questions about how each of these types of bodies formed.
This study suggests the materials that formed the Earth may have formed very far out in the early Solar System and then been brought in during the especially turbulent early history of the solar system. Recent observations of protoplanetary disks by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have found many ringed structures, which are believed to be direct observations of planetesimal formation. As lead author Hiroyuki Kurokawa summarises the work, "Whether our solar system's formation is a typical outcome remains to be determined, but numerous measurements suggest we may be able to place our cosmic history in context soon."
Reference
H. Kurokawa1*, T. Shibuya2, Y. Sekine1, B. L. Ehlmann3,4, F. Usui5,6, S. Kikuchi2, and M. Yoda1,7, Distant Formation and Differentiation of Outer Main Belt Asteroids and Carbonaceous Chondrite Parent Bodies, AGU Advances, DOI: 10.1029/2021AV000568
More information
Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) stands at the forefront of research and higher education as the leading university for science and technology in Japan. Tokyo Tech researchers excel in fields ranging from materials science to biology, computer science, and physics. Founded in 1881, Tokyo Tech hosts over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students per year, who develop into scientific leaders and some of the most sought-after engineers in industry. Embodying the Japanese philosophy of "monotsukuri," meaning "technical ingenuity and innovation," the Tokyo Tech community strives to contribute to society through high-impact research.
The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) is one of Japan's ambitious World Premiere International research centers, whose aim is to achieve progress in broadly inter-disciplinary scientific areas by inspiring the world's greatest minds to come to Japan and collaborate on the most challenging scientific problems. ELSI's primary aim is to address the origin and co-evolution of the Earth and life.
The World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) was launched in 2007 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to help build globally visible research centers in Japan. These institutes promote high research standards and outstanding research environments that attract frontline researchers from around the world. These centers are highly autonomous, allowing them to revolutionize conventional modes of research operation and administration in Japan.
Observational study
Not applicable
Distant Formation and Differentiation of Outer Main Belt Asteroids and Carbonaceous Chondrite Parent Bodies
16-Dec-2021
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.
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Meteorites that helped form earth may have formed in the outer solar system - EurekAlert