Computer science and technology

Research update: Sharpening the linesNew advance could lead to even smaller features in the constant quest for more compact, faster microchips.

Putting the ‘art’ in artificial intelligenceCSAIL associate professor develops AI systems that can interpret images.

Sal Khan to deliver 2012 Commencement addressOnline-education pioneer, MIT alumnus to speak to the Class of 2012 on June 8.

Double dutyA computational biologist and physician, Collin Stultz takes a unique approach to studying diseases that could lead to new treatments.

Robots in realityNicholas Roy designs robots for real-world challenges.

Important step toward computing with lightResearch at MIT produces long-sought component to allow complete optical circuits on silicon chips.

Google’s Schmidt: ‘Global mind’ offers new opportunitiesWith knowledge and data, a smarter world will divide work between computers and humans, search engine executive chairman says.

Materials research in the Information AgeMIT, Lawrence Berkeley launch new tool to calculate properties of new materials

Abelson named SIGCSE award winner

Computer science gives a boost to heart healthNew technique searches for subtle indicators of risk hidden in a patient’s EKG.

An oracle for object-oriented programmersBy automatically cataloging connections between software 'objects,' a new system orients programmers joining large software projects in midstream.

‘I speak MISTI’MIT program sends students abroad for experiences tailor-made for their academic and professional interests.

Building chips from collapsing nanopillarsBy turning a common problem in chip manufacture into an advantage, MIT researchers produce structures only 30 atoms wide.

Increasing fuel efficiency with a smartphoneA network of dashboard-mounted phones can collect data on traffic lights and tell drivers how to avoid inefficient stopping and starting.

Milestone for MIT Press’s bestsellerWhat began as lecture notes for an MIT computer-science class has become the standard text in the field, selling half a million copies in 20 years.

Computer learns language by playing gamesBy basing its strategies on the text of a manual, a computer infers the meanings of words without human supervision.

Improving recommendation systemsResearchers believe that comparing products, rather than rating them on an absolute scale, will lead to algorithms that better predict customers’ preferences.

Health care of the futureThe Clinical Decision Making Group looks to advance health care by applying natural-language processing techniques to make better sense of medical records.

Agarwal named CSAIL directorSucceeds Zue to lead the Institute’s largest interdisciplinary lab

Chandrakasan named head of electrical engineering and computer scienceSucceeds Grimson as leader of MIT's largest academic department

Protecting medical implants from attackA new system would jam wireless signals sent to medical implants by unauthorized users.

Faster computer graphicsDigitally mimicking the photographic blur caused by moving objects is surprisingly hard, but new research offers ways to make it easier.

Inside the infant mindNew study shows that babies can perform sophisticated analyses of how the physical world should behave.

Honing household helpersMIT computer scientists work toward improving robots’ ability to plan and perform complex actions, domestically and elsewhere.

What makes an image memorable?Hint: We tend to remember pictures of people much better than wide open spaces.