New book co-authored by Robert Berwick explores how people acquired unique language skills
"Why Only Us: Language and Evolution" (MIT Press), by Noam Chomsky and Robert Berwick, explores the development of human language.
READ MORENew York Times blog post features development work of Esther Duflo
Blog post, "Ideas Help No One on a Shelf. Take Them to the World," looks at research with real impacts in developing countries.
READ MORENancy Leveson receives space safety award
The International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) has selected MIT professor Nancy Leveson as the recipient of its 2016 Vladimir Syromyatnikov – Safety-by-Design Award. The award honors “distinguished individuals who have made major technical contributions toward the safety of space systems.”
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New online architecture and systems engineering program
MIT is collaborating with Boeing and NASA to develop a four-part online, certificate-based program: “Architecture and Systems Engineering: Models and Methods to Manage Complex Systems.” Program director is IDSS lecturer Bruce Cameron.
READ MOREStefanie Jegelka receives Google Research Award
Stefanie Jegelka has received a Google Research Award in the area of machine learning. The Google Research Awards are intended to help promote and support academic research aimed at improving information access, and to facilitate more interaction between Google and academia.
READ MOREDevavrat Shah promoted to full professor (effective July 1)
The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) has announced the promotions of four faculty members, including the promotion of Devavrat Shah to full professor, effective July 1. Professor Shah is a leading figure in the area of statistical inference and stochastic networks.
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Jonathan How named AIAA Fellow
Jonathan How, Richard C. Maclaurin Professor of Aeronautics, has been elected a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world’s largest aerospace professional society.
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China’s new policies will lower CO2 emissions faster, without preventing economic growth
A new study co-authored by Sloan assistant professor Valerie Karplus (TPP and Engineering Systems PhD alum) shows that China’s new efforts to price carbon could lower the country’s carbon dioxide emissions significantly without impeding economic development over the next three decades.
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Voice-analytics software helps customer-service reps build rapport with customers
Sandy Pentland is co-founder of MIT spinout Cogito, which Cogito has developed voice-analytics software for call centers.
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Cutting down runway queues
Hamsa Balakrishnan and colleagues have developed a model that predicts how long a plane will wait before takeoff, given weather conditions, runway traffic, and incoming and outgoing flight schedules. The model may help air traffic controllers direct departures more efficiently, minimizing runway congestion.
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