Blog Category:
Science and Engineering
Human memory? There could be an app for that.
posted by Katy Williams on August 26, 2011
You know that scene in The Matrix when Trinity says, “Tank, I need a pilot program for a B-212 helicopter. Hurry!” And then Tank downloads a program into her brain and suddenly, voila, she can fly the thing? Crazy with a capital C or maybe not so Crazy? Yup. We’re talking brain implants today.
In June, 2011, The Journal of Neural Engineering published an article that NPR’s Tom Ashbrook calls “the first clear demonstration of a brain implant improving cognition.” Ashbrook hosted a forty-five minute On Point discussing the groundbreaking findings with science reporter Benedict Carey, lead author in the study Theodore Berger, and neuroscientist David Eagleman.
If Necessity is the Mother of Invention, is Failure the Crazy Uncle?
posted by Katy Williams on April 09, 2010
Successful people love to talk about failure. From Ray Bradbury ("You fail only if you stop") to Melville ("He who has never failed somewhere… that man can never be great") and beyond, failure is an old and familiar subject. Oprah talks about her failed stint as a news reporter. Julia Roberts remembers failing to be cast in All My Children. In retrospect, it seems, the famous are all hopelessly nostalgic for the failures of their past. But, in the moment of our own letdown and disappointment, we can convince ourselves that no one else has ever failed quite as exceptionally as we have. So, how to change this paralyzing perception?
Girls Really ARE Good at Math
posted by Gail Carmichael on August 18, 2008
A lot of people think that girls just don’t “do” math. In fact, many of these same people believe that this is related to girls just being better at different things than boys. This might be true in some areas, but recent studies have shown that, when it comes to math, girls just might be as good if not better!
You might be surprised to learn that not all of these studies are recent. Janet Hyde, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, found that girls tested in math just as well as boys before high school. That was in the late eighties/early nineties
The Magic Behind Wall-E
posted by Gail Carmichael on July 16, 2008
If there was ever a doubt that computer science and engineering are exciting career choices, let the recently released hit animated picture Wall-E change your mind. What most people see when they watch this movie is a touching love story from an unexpected source. Sure, I saw this too, but I also saw some of the many reasons it would be really cool to work in the computer animation industry!