Science May 18, 2018 The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report examines U.S. programs and policies that could support the next generation of researchers in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. It accurately identifies the nexus of career development, effective mentoring, and adequate funding as key components to improving postdoctoral training. The recommendations discuss career development training, training beyond technical skills, “core competencies.” Over 200 U.S. academic institutions have dedicated staff for this purpose… read more. Report “The Next Generation of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences Researchers: Breaking Through“
Category Archives: S&T Policy
Artificial intelligence needs to be socially responsible, says new policy report
Eurekalert May 10, 2018 In a policy report “On AI and Robotics: Developing policy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution“, researchers in the UK contend that the development of new Artificial Intelligence technology is often subject to bias, and the resulting systems can be discriminatory, meaning more should be done by policymakers to ensure its development is democratic and socially responsible. In these ‘data-driven’ decision-making processes some social groups may be excluded, either because they lack access to devices necessary to participate or because the selected datasets do not consider the needs, preferences and interests of marginalised and disadvantaged people…read more.
For how long will the USA remain the Nobel Prize leader?
Phys.org May 10, 2018 According to a researcher in Germany since first being awarded in 1901, most Nobel Prizes for science have gone to the U.S., the United Kingdom, Germany and France. According to his analysis the Nobel Prize productivity in these countries is primarily determined by two factors: a long-term success rate, and periods during which each country has been able to win an especially large number of Nobel Prizes. The U.S. era is approaching its end, states the report. Since its zenith in the 1970s, U.S. Nobel Prize productivity has already declined by a factor of 2.4. A […]
Nationwide program launches to train new generation of quantum engineers
Eurekalert May 9, 2018 Funded by a $1.6 million award from the National Science Foundation, the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and Harvard University will head a new nationwide graduate student training program for quantum science and engineering. The program, Quantum Information Science and Engineering Network, will group select graduate students with both an academic adviser and one from a leading technology company or national laboratory. Over the course of four years, the “triplets” will each address a pressing research question for both academia and industry. Approximately 20 students will receive four years of funding under […]
1100 Petawatt lasers could tear apart vacuum by 2023
Next Big Future April 20, 2018 Researchers in China intend to start building a 100-PW laser known as the Station of Extreme Light (SEL) which would pack more than 1,000 times the power of all the world’s electrical grids combined. By 2023, 100 Petawatts of power will show new way to accelerate particles for use in medicine and high-energy physics. It would also be showing that light could tear electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons, from empty space—a phenomenon known as “breaking the vacuum.” Researchers at the University of Rochester in New York, who are developing plans for a 75-PW […]
China versus USA in AI potential
Next Big Future March 19, 2018 According to Oxford and the Future of Humanity report on China’s AI plans China is still far behind on hardware but ahead in mobile and data and lagging in algorithms and commercial AI companies. China has relied on imports and acquisitions to boost the most immediately relevant aspects of AI hardware. As this strategy has come under more scrutiny by the U.S. and EU, China is promoting national champions in its domestic chip-making industry and making long-term bets on powerful supercomputing facilities… read more.
China wants to shape the global future of artificial intelligence
MIT Technology Review March 16, 2018 China isn’t just investing heavily in AI—its experts aim to set the global standards for the technology as well. Chinese companies would be required to adhere to these standards, and as the technology spreads globally, this could help China influence the technology’s course. China’s booming AI industry and massive government investment in the technology have raised fears in the US and elsewhere that the nation will overtake international rivals in a fundamentally important technology. In truth, it may be possible for both the US and the Chinese economies to benefit from AI. But there […]
Fund ideas, not pedigree, to find fresh insight
Nature March 6, 2018 Grant review tends to be biased against innovation; researchers’ best shot at funding is proposing the same sort of work that they have already proved they can do. Although there is some evidence to suggest that peer review can distinguish solid research from poor research, it is not clear that it can identify the very best. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation uses blind review for awards in its Grand Challenges Explorations programme, and New Zealand’s Health Research Council uses a random-number generator to prioritize ‘Explorer’ grant proposals that have fulfilled certain criteria. The global RAND […]
Leading MIT.nano
MIT News March 1, 2018 The largest capital project in the Institute’s history, MIT.nano is opening this summer as a 214,000-square-foot laboratory dedicated to the characterization and fabrication of nanoscale materials, structures, devices, and processes. MIT.nano will make it an unparalleled workshop for tinkering with nanoscale, nurturing discovery, sparking invention, and propelling hard-tech startups. The staff will work to coordinate MIT.nano’s collaborations with industry, develop new hands-on education programs, and communicate the expected impact of recent discoveries and scaled technologies with a broader community… read more.
Unclassified Version of New Report Predicts Small Drone Threats to Infantry Units, Urges Development of Countermeasures
Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine March 6, 2018 DoD invested significantly in counter-sUAS technologies, often focusing on detecting radio frequency transmissions by sUASs and/or their operators and jamming the radio frequency command and control links and GPS signals of individual sUASs. However, today’s consumer and customized sUASs can increasingly operate without radio frequency command and control links by using automated target recognition and tracking, obstacle avoidance, and other software-enabled capabilities. A new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine emphasizes the need for developing countermeasures against multiple sUASs which could be used much sooner than the Army […]