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Girls Club to Host John Leguizamo of Critical Thinking – uschess.org

Our girls club programming continues with a special edition on February 11th at 4:30 PM EST on the acclaimed film, Critical Thinking. The film, which released on September 2020, is based on the true story of the 1998 National High School Championship team, MiamiJackson.The event will feature lead actor, comedian and producer John Leguizamo. Executive Producer Carla Berkowitz and former US Junior and High School Champion FM Marcel Martinez will also appear. Marcel was board one for Miami-Jackson in 1998, and was memorably depicted byJeffry Batista in the film.

Sign up for the girls club here: https://forms.gle/1bS1yxs1ixwvPWyd7

Check out the Critical Thinking trailer and find the full movie on Apple, Amazon, YouTube, among other platforms.

The weekly club for US Chess members (renew here)has been meeting since March, and guests have included 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov, 8-time US Women's Champion Irina Krush, IM and chess personalityAnna Rudolf,author WIM Sabrina Chevannes and most recently, the Botez sisters.

Find out more about US Chess Women and our work. Sign up for the Critical Thinking event here,and forthe general girls club mailing list here.We also have adult women chess classes.

Flyer photo by John Daly.

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Learn more chess strategies and improve your knowledge to win with Legal Attack – Yahoo Finance

TipRanks

Lets talk about risk and the big picture. Its an appropriate time, as the big risk presented by the COVID-19 pandemic is finally receding thanks to the ongoing vaccination program. COVID is leaving behind an economy that was forced into shutdown one year ago while in the midst of a great expansion, boosted by the deregulation policies. While the new Biden Administration is busy reversing many Trump policies, at least for now the economy is rebounding. And this brings us to risk. A time of economic growth and rebound is a forgiving time to move toward risk investments, as general economic growth tends to lift everything. Two strategists from JPMorgan have recently chimed in, promoting the view that the markets fundamentals are still sound, and that small- to mid-cap sector is going to keep rising. First, on the general conditions, quant strategist Dubravko Lakos-Bujas wrote, Although the recent technical selloff and short squeeze is receiving a lot of attention, we believe the positive macro setup, improving fundamentals and COVID-19 outlook, strength of the US consumer, as well as the reflation theme remain the bigger forces at play. Not only should this drive further equity upside, but it remains favorable for continued rotation into economic reopening Building on this, Eduardo Lecubarr, chief of the Small/Mid-Cap Strategy team, sees opportunity for investors now, especially in the smaller value stocks. We stick to our view that 2021 will be a stockpickers paradise with big money-making opportunities if you are willing to go against the grain Many macro indicators did fall in January but SMid-Caps and equities in general continued to edge higher, Lecubarr noted. And if you are prone to look at high-risk, small- to mid-cap stocks, youll find yourself drawn to penny stocks. The risk involved with these plays scares off the faint hearted as very real problems like weak fundamentals or overwhelming headwinds could be masked by the low share prices. So, how should investors approach a potential penny stock investment? By taking a cue from the analyst community. These experts bring in-depth knowledge of the industries they cover and substantial experience to the table. Bearing this in mind, we used TipRanks database to find two compelling penny stocks, according to Wall Street analysts. Both tickers boast a Strong Buy consensus rating and could climb over 200% higher in the year ahead. CNS Pharmaceuticals (CNSP) We will start with CNS Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with a focus on the treatment of glioblastomas, a class of aggressive tumors that attack the braid and spinal cord. These cancers, while rare, are almost always terminal, and CNS is working a new therapy designed to more effectively cross the blood-brain barrier to attack glioblastoma. Berubicin, CNSs flagship drug candidate, is an anthracycline, a potent class of chemotherapy drugs derived from the Streptomyces bacteria strains, and used in the treatment of a wide variety of cancers. Berubicin is the first drug in this class to show promise against glioblastoma cancers. The drug candidate has completed its Phase 1 clinical trial, in which 44% of patients showed a clinical response. This number included one patient who showed a Durable Complete Response, defined as a demonstrated lack of detectable cancer. Following the success of the Phase 1 study, CNS applied for, and received, FDA approval of its Investigational New Drug application. This gives the company the go-ahead to conduct a Phase 2 study on adult patients, an important next step in the development of the drug. CNS plans to start the mid-stage trial in 1Q21. Based on the potential of the companys asset in glioblastoma, and with its share price at $2.22, several analysts believe that now is the time to buy. Among the bulls is Brooklines 5-star analyst Kumaraguru Raja who takes a bullish stance on CNSP shares. Until now, the inability of anthracyclines to cross the blood brain barrier prevented its use for treatment of brain cancers. Berubicin is the first anthracycline to cross the blood-brain barrier in adults and access brain tumors Berubicin has promising clinical data in a Phase 1 trial in recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) and has Orphan drug designation for treatment of malignant gliomas from the FDA. We model approval of Berubicin for treatment of recurrent glioblastoma in 2025 based on the Phase 2 data with 55% probability of success for approval. We model peak sales of $533 million in 2032, Raja opined. CNS pipeline also includes WP1244 (novel DNA binding agent) that is 500x more potent than daunorubicin in inhibiting tumor cell proliferation is expected to enter the clinic in 2021 In vivo testing in orthotopic models of brain cancer showed high uptake of WP1244 by brain and subsequent antitumor activity, the analyst added. To this end, Raja rates CNSP a Buy, and his $10 price target implies room for a stunning 350% upside potential in the next 12 months. (To watch Rajas track record, click here) What does the rest of the Street have to say? 3 Buys and 1 Hold add up to a Strong Buy consensus rating. Given the $8.33 average price target, shares could climb ~275% in the year ahead. (See CNSP stock analysis on TipRanks) aTyr Pharma (LIFE) The next stock were looking at, aTyr Pharma, has a focus on inflammatory disease. Its leading drug candidate, ATYR1923, is a Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) agonist, working through the receptor proteins expressed by the NRP2 gene. These pathways are important for cardiovascular development and disease, and play a role in the inflammatory lung disease pulmonary sarcoidosis. In December, the company reported that the drug candidate had completed enrollment of 36 patients in a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial, testing the drug in the treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis. Results of the current study are expected in 3Q21, and will inform further trials of ATYR1923, including against other forms of inflammatory lung disease. On a more immediate note, in early January the company announced top-line results of another Phase 2 clinical involving ATRY1923 this time in the treatment of patients hospitalized with severe respiratory complications from COVID-19. The results were positive, showing that a single dose of ATYR1923 (at 3 mg/kg) resulted in a 5.5-day median recovery time. Overall, of the patients dosed in this manner, 83% saw recovery in less than one week. Covering LIFE for Roth Capital, 5-star analyst Zegbeh Jallah noted, We like the risk profile here, with two shots on goal, and updated data details from the COVID study is expected in the coming months. Also announced recently, is that data from aTyr's Pulmonary Sarcoidosis program, will be reported in 3Q21 the success of either of these studies could result in a doubling or more of the market cap as these opportunities appear to barely be accounted for by investors. In line with his optimistic approach, Jallah gives LIFE shares a Buy rating and his $15 price target suggests an impressive 277% potential upside for the coming year. (To watch Jallahs track record, click here) Other analysts are on the same page. With 2 additional Buy ratings, the word on the Street is that LIFE is a Strong Buy. On top of this, the average price target is $13.33, suggesting robust growth of ~236% from the current price of $3.97. (See LIFE stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.

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Scientists narrow down the ‘weight’ of dark matter trillions of trillions of times – Livescience.com

Scientists are finally figuring out how much dark matter the almost imperceptible material said to tug on everything, yet emit no light really weighs.

The new estimate helps pin down how heavy its particles could be with implications for what the mysterious stuff actually is.

The research sharply narrows the potential mass of dark matter particles, from between an estimated 10^minus 24 electronvolts (eV) and 10^19 Gigaelectron volts (GeV) , to between 10^minus 3 eV and 10^7eV a possible range of masses many trillions of trillions of times smaller than before.

The findings could help dark matter hunters focus their efforts on the indicated range of particle masses or they might reveal a previously unknown force is at work in the universe, said Xavier Calmet, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.

Related: The 11 biggest unanswered questions about dark matter

Calmet, along with doctoral student Folkert Kuipers, also of the University of Sussex, described their efforts in a new study to be published in the March issue of Physical Letters B.

By some estimates, dark matter makes up about 83% of all the matter in the universe. Its thought only to interact with light and ordinary matter through gravity, which means it can only be seen by the way it curves light rays.

Astronomers found the first hints of dark matter when gazing at a galactic cluster in the 1930s, and theories that galaxies are threaded with and fringed by vast halos of dark matter became mainstream after the 1970s, when astronomers realized galaxies were whirling faster than they otherwise should, given how much visible matter they contained.

Related: The 12 strangest objects in the universe

Possible candidates for dark matter particles include ghostly, tiny particles known as neutrinos, theoretical dark, cold particles known as axions, and proposed weakly-interacting massive particles, or WIMPs. The new mass bounds could help eliminate some of these candidates, depending on the details of the specific dark matter model, Calmet said.

What scientists do know is that dark matter seems to interact with light and normal matter only through gravity, and not via any of the other fundamental forces; and so the researchers used gravitational theories to arrive at their estimated range for the masses of dark matter particles.

Importantly, they used concepts from theories of quantum gravity, which resulted in a much narrower range than the previous estimates, which used only Einstein's theory of general relativity.

"Our idea was a very simple one," Calmet told Live Science in an email. "It is amazing that people have not thought of this before."

Einstein's theory of general relativity is based on classical physics; it perfectly predicts how gravity works most of the time, but it breaks down in extreme circumstances where quantum mechanical effects become significant, such as at the center of a black hole.

Theories of quantum gravity, on the other hand, try to explain gravity through quantum mechanics, which can already describe the other three known fundamental forces electromagnetic force, the strong force that holds most matter together, and the weak force that causes radioactive decay. None of the quantum gravity theories, however, as yet have strong evidence to support them.

Calmet and Kuipers estimated the lower bound for the mass of a dark matter particle using values from general relativity, and estimated the upper bound from the lifetimes of dark matter particles predicted by quantum gravity theories. The nature of the values from general relativity also defined the nature of the upper bound, so they were able to derive a prediction that was independent of any particular model of quantum gravity, Calmet said.

The study found that while quantum gravitational effects were generally almost insignificant, they became important when a hypothetical dark matter particle took an extremely long time to decay and when the universe was about as old as it is now (roughly 13.8 billion years), he said.

Physicists previously estimated that dark matter particles had to be lighter than the "Planck mass" about 1.2 x 10^19 GeV, at least a 1,000 times heavier than the largest-known particles yet heavier than 10^minus 24 eV to fit with observations of the smallest galaxies known to contain dark matter, he said.

But until now, few studies had attempted to narrow the range, even though great progress had been made in understanding quantum gravity over the last 30 years, he said. "People simply did not look at the effects of quantum gravity on dark matter before."

Calmet said the new bounds for the masses of dark matter particles, could also be used to test whether gravity alone interacts with dark matter, which is widely assumed, or if dark matter is influenced by an unknown force of nature.

"If we found a dark matter particle with a mass outside the range discussed our paper, we would not only have discovered dark matter, but also very strong evidence that there is some new force beyond gravity acting on dark matter," he said.

Originally published on Live Science.

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Switching Nanolight On and Off | Columbia News – Columbia University

A team of researchers led by Columbia University has developed a unique platform to program a layered crystal, producing imaging capabilities beyond common limits on demand.

The discovery is an important step toward control of nanolight, which is lightthat can access the smallest length scales imaginable. The work also provides insights for the field of optical quantum information processing, which aims to solve difficult problems in computing and communications.

We were able to use ultrafast nano-scale microscopy to discover a new way to control our crystals with light, turning elusive photonic properties on and off at will, said Aaron Sternbach, postdoctoral researcher at Columbia who is lead investigator on the study. The effects are short-lived, only lasting for trillionths of one second, yet we are now able to observe these phenomena clearly.

The research appears Feb. 4 in the journal Science.

Nature sets a limit on how tightly light can be focused. Even in microscopes, two different objects that are closer than this limit would appear to be one. But within a special class of layered crystalline materialsknown as van de Waals crystalsthese rules can, sometimes, be broken. In these special cases, light can be confined without any limit in these materials, making it possible to see even the smallest objects clearly.

In their experiments, the Columbia researchers studied the van der Waals crystal called tungsten diselenide, which is of high interest for its potential integration in electronic and photonic technologies because its unique structure and strong interactions with light.

When the scientists illuminated the crystal with a pulse of light, they were able to change the crystals electronic structure. The new structure, created by the optical-switching event, allowed something very uncommon to occur: Super-fine details, on the nanoscale, could be transported through the crystal and imaged on its surface.

The report demonstrates a new method to control the flow of light of nanolight. Optical manipulation on the nanoscale, or nanophotonics, has become a critical area of interest as researchers seek ways to meet the increasing demand for technologies that go well beyond what is possible with conventional photonics and electronics.

Dmitri Basov, Higgins professor of physics at Columbia University, and senior author on the paper, believes the teams findings will spark new areas of research in quantum matter.

Laser pulses allowed us to create a new electronic state in this prototypical semiconductor, if only for a few pico-seconds, he said. This discovery puts us on track toward optically programmable quantum phases in new materials.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, University of California-San Diego, University of Washington, Center for Computational Quantum PhysicsFlatiron contributed to the study, Programmable hyperbolic polaritons in van derWaals semiconductors.

The work is supported as part of Programmable Quantum Materials, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences.

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Photoelectric effect of physics in technology – The National

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BY MICHAEL JOHN UGLOI WAS working with the Curriculum Development and Assessment Division (CDAD) of the National Department of Education (NDOE) for a three-year stint.In the year 2001, as the Science and Technology Section head with the Secondary and National High Schools level at CDAD, I completed a Grade 12 Physics teachers resource unit booklet titled Energy Transmission by Waves started off by the previous incumbent namely Russel Jackson who was a physics graduate from the Oxford University, England. This resource booklet is currently in use by the Grade 12 Physics teachers to teach the Unit 4 Physics topic on Waves and Energy Transmission in PNG secondary and national high schools at the moment. I hope they still do.Whilst on energy transmission by particles, another particle I have encountered at CDAD was a nitrile ion. It is a triple bond radical with a carbon ion which are attached in a triple bond and carries a negative charge thus it is called an anion. Before chemistry big names and the PNG Grade 12 Chemistry co-examination panel like Professor Frank Griffin UPNG, Dr. Wimblemann from Germany UOG, Dr Charles from England Unitech, Dr Peter Petsul UPNG, Freddy Kuama UPNG, Arron Hayes from Australia NDOE, I discussed nitrile ion as a functional group that allows for formation of a fibre molecule and the other for a protein molecule synthesis.Fortunately, my explanation was accepted and the question on the organic chemistry was included in the Grade 12 examination in that year. The idea exemplified here is that fibre from for instance plant cellulose can be made into clothes that you wear.Quite contrarily, a protein is something that you can have as food whether it is a plant or an animal protein. This particular particle (nitrile) has carried an imminent potential to create such wonders that can also convert into energy as proteins can convert to saccharides and cellulose are polysaccharides just like the wave particle that transmit energy that both can, do work on the other side of the equation.That was a preamble to this lecture. The photoelectric effect is a demonstration of this energy coupled with its transmission in the form of a wave as an energy particle. An energy packet called a photon (Ephoton) gives rise to the speed of light(v) as a factor of the Plancks constant and together divided by the photon wavelength. A constant is a number that is always given in any mathematical or chemical equation. (That is; Ephoton=hv=hc/wavelength of photon.) The maximum amount of energy is required in electron volt (eV) to displace a valence electron from its rightful position. The two as a wave and a particle to effect in the energy and its transmission are inseparable which has brought to the revolutionizing phenomenon of the wave-particle duality as Albert Einstein found and established for the contemporary physics studied throughout the world.This is a Nobel Prize winning attempt by Albert Einstein who brought to light the concept of electron displacement from selected surfaces of metallic substances. When a beam of light is passed to a surface essentially valence electrons are displaced as we have seen earlier in previous lectures. In the previous lectures we have also seen that electrons in the outer layers of a nucleus of a selected metallic substance which are called valence electrons can easily be displaced. Those valence electrons carry less, binding energies versus the other preceding electrons progressively lying closer to the nucleus who are progressively more strongly bounded to the nucleus in a linear relationship.That is directly proportional to the nucleus which means the closer the electrons are to the nucleus the more energy they carry. In other words, the closer they are to the nucleus, the more working energy they have. Hence electrons closer to the nucleus are harder to remove than they outer lying valence electrons.The phenomenon of the photoelectric effect is simply light rays whose energy are greater than the binding energy inherent to the valence electron(s) are displaced. Therefore, those displaced electrons are the freed electrons now driven to the conduction band to allow for them to flow resulting in the flow of electricity that is literally flow of electrons in one way and the flow of current in the reverse direction.

Applications of photoelectric effect in technologyThe dislodged electron called the photo electron acquires its energy from its frequency from this field of study. It is not the intensity of the light as one may anticipate. For instance, you can increase the intensity of light and expect to energise the level of energy of the photo electron which does not work. Only an increase in the frequency than intensity will intensify the content energy of the irradiated photo electron from an energy packet called the photon that hit the metallic surface in the form of a wave-particle duality.The applications are such as the exact tracing and detection of electron emissions of surfaces effecting photoelectric emission.Such examples will be the beta energy waves seen in medical devices to scanning patients of, for instance, babies in the pregnant mothers. Other areas will be in vascular tissues such as arteries for correct fluid dynamics as well as scanning of delicate and subtle organs such as brains and eyeballs.Also, a huge application is in the electronic devices whereby every electron can be accounted for such as Geiger Muller Counter for detection of radiations as alpha, beta and gamma particles. A crucial determination can be made of such as the critical points for a cut off point for a saturation or an allowable electron quantum for an amplification of a transistor. Furthermore, an electron is determined for a transistor to act as a switch for a message relay from one electronic device such as an emitter and collector currents from a biased base current say like 0.6 amperes to run a load such as a loudspeaker or a light (lamp) for message delivery in electronics.Other applications are seen in photocells. The photocells have two ends called electrodes. One end is the anode and the other is the cathode. When light is incident on the cathode it emits electrons which are attracted by the anode. This will switch on a separate switch so it can thus act as a relay. That relay could be a doorbell or a security light system.There are also other applications like the famous solar cells. It is a specially prepared solar cells made of the element silicon. Silicon with a four-valence electron makes a good option to induce electrons in photoelectric emission as the energy packet of the photon. The fourvalence electrons flow as current as they get excited and freed from their joules of the working energy. This has been a profound scientific leap taken from modern physics resulting from the whole concept of the wave-particle duality of the quantum mechanics.

Arriving technology with photoelectric effectThere is currently an exciting finding in the area of the photoelectric effect in quantum mechanics and particularly quantum mechanical interference. This is a quote from David Busto, a doctoral student of Atomic Physics at Lund University (LTH) in Sweden: Now that we understand there is an asymmetry in the free electrons movement, we can gain a better understanding of the quantum dynamics in photo-ionisation.Busto further said, When we change the direction of the electron wave, we are using quantum mechanical interference. That is, the electron takes several paths towards its changed waveform. In classical physics, the electron can only go one way.The potential inherent here is that behaviour of electrons can be manipulated in atoms and molecules given their asymmetrical natures of the movement pattern. That displayed a controversial view to the classical physics that hosted the thought that the movement of the electrons has been standard and a routine trajectory. Molecules and atoms can be subjected to be controlled to suit ones need for any application at all.Such can open up new applications in nanotechnologies and nanocomputing when the current silicon wafer technology is nearing its 10 atomic diameter mark of a 100 micro-meter. Aggravating the current technology and a sigh of relief is the excessive build-up of heat that limits the power of computational expansion.In addendum, there is a mammoth need for reliability, customisation and robustness of the zettabyte in a trillion gigabytes of information circumventing and clogging the planet earth as I am speaking.My prayer for PNG is in this hymn (as singing is praying twice): Trust in the Lord and you shall not tire, bless Him the Lord, you shall not weaken, for the Lords own strength will uphold you. You shall renew, your life and live

Michael John Uglo is a lecturer in in Avionics, Auto-Piloting and Aircraft Engineering. Please send your comments to: michaeluglo4@gmail.com

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Routt Recognized for Diversity in Computer Science – WLDS-WEAI News

Routt Catholic High School has earned a national award for diversity in the classroom.

Routt Catholic High School has earned the College Board AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in AP Computer Science Principles.

Anna Terwische, a Junior at Routt, says the computer logic learned in the class applies to many other things not just related to computer programming.

Weve learned different types of coding like Python and HTML. You can create websites and make them do different things. Weve also started to use 3D printing, and we are working on printing a prosthetic hand for a guy from Missouri, so thats been cool. Weve been sending it back and forth making new versions of it to see what works best for him.

Colleen Doyle Development and Enrollment Director says the class is only offered every other year at Routt. She says its a great review of what the world of computer science can look like.

They learn a lot about programming languages. They learn about building websites, being safe on the internet, learning about different carers you can have.

As a female who works here myself Im just excited for these young women here at the school that can benefit from Mr. Link, Mr. Roscetti, and Mrs. Ptacek who have worked so hard to provide these opportunities for our young women.

Senior Abigail Beddingfield says she proud that Routt was recognized with the award.

Honestly to me it feels good because is it specifically just about female participation. To me, it just feels really really good.

College Board research about AP CSP is so encouraging. According to the data, female students who take AP CSP in high school are more than 5 times as likely to major in computer science in college, compared to similar female students who did not take CSP.

The study also finds AP CSP students are nearly twice as likely to enroll in AP CSA, and that for most students, AP CSP serves as a stepping-stone to other advanced AP STEM coursework.

Schools honored with the award have expanded girls access to AP Computer Science courses. Routt was one of 831 schools recognized in the category of AP Computer Science Principles.

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Computer science class is paving the way for women in Walton County – WMBB – mypanhandle.com

SOUTH WALTON, Fla. (WMBB) Two Walton High Schools are helping create a path for more women in science.

South Walton and Walton High School have seen an increase in womens participation in computer science courses.

The College Boards Female Diversity Award is helping to pave the way for women going into computer science.

It is to advance female diversity in the computer workplace, said South Waltons Magnet Innovation Teacher Richard Komando. So with that, I think its important that we are enabling females in the computer classes and encouraging them every step of the way.

Komando is one of the Magnet Innovation teachers. He said he has seen more women join his AP Computer Science Principles course just within the past year.

The biggest thing about this class is that it teaches girls how a computer thinks, said Komando.

He said his computer principles class empowers women to see opportunities past just high school. And that is the case for both students, Katelyna and Catherine, at South Walton High School.

I am planning on taking mechanical engineering after high school, so it definitely helped me study computers and different programming systems work behind the whole engineering scene, said Catherine Field. We started off with scratch and block coding and now we are actually writing the functions, said Katelyna.

Fields was actually in the class which received the college board female diversity award. South Walton and Walton High schools are two out of 1,119 schools receiving this award.

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Examining the world through signals and systems – MIT News

Theres a mesmerizing video animation on YouTube of simulated, self-driving traffic streaming through a six-lane, four-way intersection. Dozens of cars flow through the streets, pausing, turning, slowing, and speeding up to avoid colliding with their neighbors. And not a single car stopping. But what if even one of those vehicles was not autonomous? What if only one was?

In the coming decades, autonomous vehicles will play a growing role in society, whether keeping drivers safer, making deliveries, or increasing accessibility and mobility for elderly or disabled passengers.

But MIT Assistant Professor Cathy Wu argues that autonomous vehicles are just part of a complex transport system that may involve individual self-driving cars, delivery fleets, human drivers, and a range of last-mile solutions to get passengers to their doorstep not to mention road infrastructure like highways, roundabouts, and, yes, intersections.

Transport today accounts for about one-third of U.S. energy consumption. The decisions we make today about autonomous vehicles could have a big impact on this number ranging from a 40 percent decrease in energy use to a doubling of energy consumption.

So how can we better understand the problem of integrating autonomous vehicles into the transportation system? Equally important, how can we use this understanding to guide us toward better-functioning systems?

Wu, who joined the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) and MIT in 2019, is the Gilbert W. Winslow Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as a core faculty member of the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. Growing up in a Philadelphia-area family of electrical engineers, Wu sought a field that would enable her to harness engineering skills to solve societal challenges.

During her years as an undergraduate at MIT, she reached out to Professor Seth Teller of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory to discuss her interest in self-driving cars.

Teller, who passed away in 2014, met her questions with warm advice, says Wu. He told me, If you have an idea of what your passion in life is, then you have to go after it as hard as you possibly can. Only then can you hope to find your true passion.

Anyone can tell you to go after your dreams, but his insight was that dreams and ambitions are not always clear from the start. It takes hard work to find and pursue your passion.

Chasing that passion, Wu would go on to work with Teller, as well as in Professor Daniela Russ Distributed Robotics Laboratory, and finally as a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley, where she won the IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society's best PhD award in 2019.

In graduate school, Wu had an epiphany: She realized that for autonomous vehicles to fulfill their promise of fewer accidents, time saved, lower emissions, and greater socioeconomic and physical accessibility, these goals must be explicitly designed-for, whether as physical infrastructure, algorithms used by vehicles and sensors, or deliberate policy decisions.

At LIDS, Wu uses a type of machine learning called reinforcement learning to study how traffic systems behave, and how autonomous vehicles in those systems ought to behave to get the best possible outcomes.

Reinforcement learning, which was most famously used by AlphaGo, DeepMinds human-beating Go program, is a powerful class of methods that capture the idea behind trial-and-error given an objective, a learning agent repeatedly attempts to achieve the objective, failing and learning from its mistakes in the process.

In a traffic system, the objectives might be to maximize the overall average velocity of vehicles, to minimize travel time, to minimize energy consumption, and so on.

When studying common components of traffic networks such as grid roads, bottlenecks, and on- and off-ramps, Wu and her colleagues have found that reinforcement learning can match, and in some cases exceed, the performance of current traffic control strategies. And more importantly, reinforcement learning can shed new light toward understanding complex networked systems which have long evaded classical control techniques. For instance, if just 5 to 10 percent of vehicles on the road were autonomous and used reinforcement learning, that could eliminate congestion and boost vehicle speeds by 30 to 140 percent. And the learning from one scenario often translates well to others. These insights could one day soon help to inform public policy or business decisions.

In the course of this research, Wu and her colleagues helped improve a class of reinforcement learning methods called policy gradient methods. Their advancements turned out to be a general improvement to most existing deep reinforcement learning methods.

But reinforcement learning techniques will need to be continually improved to keep up with the scale and shifts in infrastructure and changing behavior patterns. And research findings will need to be translated into action by urban planners, auto makers and other organizations.

Today, Wu is collaborating with public agencies in Taiwan and Indonesia to use insights from her work to guide better dialogues and decisions. By changing traffic signals or using nudges to shift drivers behavior, are there other ways to achieve lower emissions or smoother traffic?

Im surprised by this work every day, says Wu. We set out to answer a question about self-driving cars, and it turns out you can pull apart the insights, apply them in other ways, and then this leads to new exciting questions to answer.

Wu is happy to have found her intellectual home at LIDS. Her experience of it is as a very deep, intellectual, friendly, and welcoming place. And she counts among her research inspirations MIT course 6.003 (Signals and Systems) a class she encourages everyone to take taught in the tradition of professors Alan Oppenheim (Research Laboratory of Electronics) and Alan Willsky (LIDS). The course taught me that so much in this world could be fruitfully examined through the lens of signals and systems, be it electronics or institutions or society, she says. I am just realizing as Im saying this, that I've been empowered by LIDS thinking all along!

Research and teaching through a pandemic havent been easy, but Wu is making the best of a challenging first year as faculty. (Ive been working from home in Cambridge my short walking commute is irrelevant at this point, she says wryly.) To unwind, she enjoys running, listening to podcasts covering topics ranging from science to history, and reverse-engineering her favorite Trader Joes frozen foods.

Shes also been working on two Covid-related projects born at MIT: One explores how data from the environment, such as data collected by internet-of-things-connected thermometers, can help identify emerging community outbreaks. Another project asks if its possible to ascertain how contagious the virus is on public transport, and how different factors might decrease the transmission risk.

Both are in their early stages, Wu says. We hope to contribute a bit to the pool of knowledge that can help decision-makers somewhere. Its been very enlightening and rewarding to do this and see all the other efforts going on around MIT.

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She was named one of the 100 most brilliant women in AI ethics – News@Northeastern

Computer science professor Tina Eliassi-Rad says shes proud to be named on an industry list of 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics, which identifies her as one of the top thinkers in the male-dominated field of artificial intelligence. But shes even prouder of what the carefully-curated list represents.

Part of the issue in a field such as computer science is that women and other under-represented minorities arent always seen. Initiatives like this one show that there are a lot of women who are qualified to do this work, says Eliassi-Rad.

Mia Shah-Dand, the CEO of the Oakland, California-based research firm Lighthouse3, created the annual list in 2018. Shah-Dand says she wanted to provide a rebuttal to technology leaders who complained that they couldnt find accomplished, diverse women to hire.

I was a little frustrated with all the times I would hear, There just arent enough qualified women, says Shah-Dand. Its the same old excuse. Well, we have an entire directory of qualified women now. There is no excuse. At this point in 2021, if you have only men on your staff, its intentional.

According to recent research by the World Economic Forum, women hold only 26% of data and artificial intelligence jobs across the globe, and even fewer have senior roles.

Shah-Dand says she included Eliassi-Rad on her 2021 list because of the professors extensive research on racial, gender and other baked-in biases in artificial intelligence algorithms.

Her emphasis on algorithmic accountability and fairness was particularly interesting, says Shah-Dand.

Algorithms, which scan large amounts of data and find whatever information its creators want, are increasingly part of our everyday lives. For example, credit card fraud departments use algorithms to detect abnormal spending, while social media algorithms use viewer interests to determine which ads to run.

Eliassi-Rads research at Northeastern focuses on the unseen but overwhelming influence that artificial intelligence algorithms can make in peoples lives, especially in social media.

Part of the problem with algorithms is that they can impact life-altering decisions if theyre used in criminal justice or even your credit score, says Eliassi-Rad. Microlenders, or individuals who issue small loans, will often check a candidates Facebook and Twitter feeds when deciding whether to grant a loan. A chance connection with someone who has defaulted on a loan could trigger a denial, says Eliassi-Rad.

Sometimes if you dont get the right loan in life, you cant better yourself, she says.

Eliassi-Rads career in computer science was sparked by her fathers early work with autonomous vehicles. She avidly read the many magazines he brought home and decided computer science was the perfect balance between math and electrical engineering. Her focus recently sharpened as she learned about the different class, race, and gender biases in machine learning.

She likens the data used in algorithms to an iconic photo of a police officers German shepherd attacking a Black high school student during a 1963 civil rights event in Birmingham, Alabama.

The German shepherd isnt racist, its the people teaching the dog, Eliassi-Rad says. Even if the data used in an algorithm isnt biased, the algorithm may still produce biased findings.

As you are developing an algorithm you are making choices, and those choices have consequences, Eliassi-Rad says.

Eliassi-Rad and Shah-Dand say the list of top women in AI ethics does more than provide a roster of qualified computer science professionals who also happen to be female, LGTBQ, or women of color. It creates a community to foster networking and support while providing role models for future generations.

Its sort of like a sisterhood, says Eliassi-Rad, who received an Outstanding Mentor Award from the Office of Science at the US Department of Energy in 2010. I hope young women see this and think, I can be somebody like this person.

For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.

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She was named one of the 100 most brilliant women in AI ethics - News@Northeastern

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New Queens scholarship opportunities will explore impact of AI on science and society – Newswise

Newswise Thirty funded postdoctoral scholarships announced by Queens University Belfast are set to provide a unique opportunity to explore the challenges of Artificial intelligence (AI) for every area of science and society.

The researchers who secure places on the programme will work at the cutting edge of AI algorithms while considering the societal implications of allowing machines to make decisions about our futures.

Queenshas been awarded aLeverhulme Doctoral Scholarship grant of 1.35m over six years for the Leverhulme Interdisciplinary Network on Algorithmic Solutions (LINAS) Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) to fund 15 doctoral scholarships and has matched the funding to sponsor another 15 positions over the next three years.

The interdisciplinary research programme will be supervised by academic experts from theFaculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. The programme will be led by Professor John Morison from the School of Law, along with Dr Sandra Scott-Hayward from the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Professor Stephen Smartt from theSchool of Maths and Physics at Queens.

AI technologies have made rapid advances in the last decade, opening up huge possibilities for all parts of society but there are increasing fears that humans will begin to lose control of the process where machines interpret the world on our behalf.

Professor John Morisonexplained: As AI becomes more sophisticated, we will witness algorithms and machines making use of huge datasets, including personal data, in decisions relating to medicine, healthcare, law and government, finance, city planning and even within military areas. The ethical, legal, political and sociological aspects of living with machines that have AI algorithms that are allowed to operate independently requires careful investigation.

Previous interdisciplinary programmes at Queens have given us different perspectives on these issues and the new researchers we recruit will be building on this in an exciting cutting-edge project. The LINAS project will identify and address scientific and engineering questions through the lens of law, humanities and the social sciences. Researchers will scrutinise the implications of algorithmic solutions on crucial aspects of human life.

Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences and the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) will engage directly with humanities, social science and law researchers from theSenator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice to support the doctoral scholars.

Professor Stephen Smarttsaid: As well as adhering to traditional scientific governance, scientists and engineers working in the field of AI face many challenges around the introduction of trust and governance of data issues. Tackling these challenges in isolation could lead to effective discipline specific solutions but no advance in sustainable, societal algorithmic solutions.

Dr Sandra Scott-Haywardexplained: By collaborating with colleagues in humanities, social science and law, we can support the development of integrated, effective, scientifically rigorous and socially responsible algorithmic solutions. We have seen the benefits of this interdisciplinary approach applied to the field of cyber security and we are excited to further this for the challenges of AI with LINAS.

LINAS will also complement the Belfast Region City Deal and link with the Queens University Global Innovation Institute to address a range of issues around AI, in the context of secure connected intelligence.

Applications for the doctoral scholarships open on Friday 5 February 2021.

For more information on the application criteria and to apply, please visit: https://www.qub.ac.uk/Research/GRI/mitchell-institute/Study/linas/

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New Queens scholarship opportunities will explore impact of AI on science and society - Newswise

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