computerscience
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Amazon funds STEM programs in Seattle schools
Perhaps with an eye on the next generation of engineers that might be interested in working on its delivery robots or in coding, Amazon is funding computer science and robotics programs at up to 30 public schools in its Seattle home base. From this fall, the Future Engineer Robotics grants will provide schools with expanded access to computer science learning and a private tour of an Amazon robotics fulfillment center. The schools will also get support to set up FIRST robotics teams, including professional development for teachers in robotics.
Amazon will provide computer science classes for NYC high schools
The local response to Amazon's plan to put its next headquarters in New York City has been lukewarm at best. Now the company is doing some community outreach: it announced today a plan to fund computer science courses for more than 130 schools in NYC area high schools. The initiative will bring introductory and advanced placement courses to school in all five of the city's boroughs, including 30 schools in Queens, where the company is setting up shop for its new headquarters.
A cheaper, smaller Raspberry Pi 3 is now available
The Raspberry Pi Foundation released its upgraded flagship computing board, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, earlier this year. Now the boards are shipping in volume, the company has been able to turn its attention to what it calls one of its "most frequently requested 'missing' products": the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+.
Apple trains Chicago teachers to put coding in more classrooms
Apple isn't quite done announcing educational plans in Chicago. It just unveiled a partnership with Northwestern University and public schools to help teachers bring programming and other forms of computer science into Chicago-area classrooms. The trio will set up a learning hub at Lane Tech College Prep High School (conveniently, the venue for Apple's iPad event) that will introduce high school teachers to Apple's Everyone Can Code curriculum. They'll also have the option to train in an App Development with Swift course to boost the number of high school-oriented computer science teachers.
Snoopy is your latest coding teacher
Snoopy is taking a break from lying on his doghouse and staring at the sky to help kids learn about computers and coding. As part of Computer Science Education Week (December 4-10), codeSpark Academy and the Peanuts brand are teaming up to release holiday-themed Snoopy Snow Brawl, a cute multi-player coding game that encourages kids to use problem-solving, strategy and algorithms in a snowball fight between Woodstock and his bird buddies, refereed by Snoopy.
Tech companies support Trump’s STEM education plan (updated)
Yesterday, Donald Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum that directed the Secretary of Education to prioritize STEM and computer science education. The directive includes establishing a goal to put $200 million per year towards expanding this type of education in K-12 programs and higher education establishments along with a requirement that the Secretary submit a report at the end of each fiscal year that summarizes the steps taken towards promoting STEM and computer science education.
Two research teams taught their AIs to beat pros at poker
Poker-playing bots aren't exactly new -- just ask anyone who's tried to win a little cash on PokerStars -- but two different groups of researchers are setting their sights a little higher. To no one's surprise, those AI buffs are trying to teach their algorithms how to beat world-class Texas Hold'em players, and they're juuuust about there.
MIT model reveals role of inhibitory neurons in the brain
Recent digital tech advancements have produced prototype artificial neurons and light-based neural networks, but we're still discovering ways our brain actually works. Researchers at MIT have built a computational model that could illustrate how inhibitory neurons work efficiently to block others from firing.
UK's Bletchley Park to host cybersecurity boarding school
Bletchley Park will once again serve as a cryptographic hub in the UK. Plans are afoot to create a new "National College of Cyber Security" in G-Block, a building which is currently in a state of disrepair. It's scheduled to open in 2018 and will serve as a specialised six-form college, teaching teenagers the fundamentals of encryption and computer science. As the Guardian reports, the center will take up to 500 students at any one time and offer free tuition, funding its efforts through venture capital, corporate sponsorship and possibly state funding instead. It's envisioned as a boarding school, however a day tuition option will also be available.
AIs get a crash course in humanity by interpreting stories
As it turns out, the key to crafting intelligent machines that won't go rogue and slaughter us all might be some very thoughtful storytelling. Mark Riedl and Brent Harrison from Georgia Tech are trying to mold the way artificial intelligences wrap their incorporeal heads around human ethics by feeding them stories, and rewarding them for sticking to an ethically sound path.
President pledges $4 billion toward computer science in schools
The White House isn't just relying on legislation to make computer science education a priority in the US. President Obama has launched a Computer Science for All initiative that gives states $4 billion in funding to expand computer science in K-12 schools through a mix of better course materials, partnerships and teacher training. The move also sends another $100 million directly to school districts, unlocks $135 million in funding from government organizations and gets further cooperation from both local governments as well as tech leaders.
Bipartisan education bill makes computer science a priority
Yesterday, the president signed a new education bill designed to replace the 13-year old No Child Left Behind act, reducing federal controls on state education systems -- but it does something else, too. The Ever Student Succeeds act places computer science on the same level as other "well-rounded" subjects. Coding and computer literacy is now just as important as math and science.
Facebook site helps start your programming career
Facebook knows that it can't hire a more diverse workforce unless there's a broader interest in computer science, and it just launched a website to help that happen. TechPrep provides resources to learners (and parents) who are curious about programming, but might not know where to start. It suggests services and gadgets based on your age, skill, and what you're looking for. If you're a teen just starting out, you'll be pointed toward a simple programming language like Scratch. Come to the site as an adult with a bit of experience, meanwhile, and you may see a link to Arduino boards instead. It's a small effort, but it could mean a lot if it starts you on a coding career that you wouldn't have considered otherwise. [Image credit: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki]
Computer Science is the most popular major for women at Stanford
Stanford reportedly has 214 female students enrolled in its Computer Science major -- that's 30 percent of the major's total enrollment -- making it the most popular major with women at the university for the first time. Women constitute 49 percent of the school's total student body and Computer Science accounts for 20 percent of the university's total enrollment. Computer Science did just barely eke out the previous title-holder, human biology, for the top spot by a mere six students.
NYC plans to offer all public school students computer science classes
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio wants all public schools in the city to offer computer science classes within the next ten years, according to The New York Times. Some of the best public institutions in the city already offer them, but the government wants to prepare more students for the ever-increasing number of tech jobs in NYC. The city's Office of Strategic Partnerships director Gabrielle Fialkoff said they also need to "address equity and diversity within the sector." Just like the rest of the country, most students who opt for computer courses are male and either Asian or white. The government's likely hoping to get more kids interested in tech and, hence, plant the seeds of a more diverse sector, by starting them early.
Google needs your help improving its search engine rankings
Despite the fact that Google itself created the algorithms that drive its search rankings, it would appear that the Mountain View-based company could use a bit of assistance in the SEO department. According to a recent job listing posted to its Careers portal, Google's in the market for a new SEO manager at its California headquarters. The "Program Manager, Search Engine Optimization" position is marketing-centric requiring any qualified candidate to "work with cross-functional teams across Marketing, Sales, Product Development, Engineering and more to help drive organic traffic and business growth." You'll need a BA/BS in Computer Science or Engineering, four years of website development experience, another two years of direct SEO experience and a healthy sense of irony if you want to apply.
Researchers use an app to predict GPA based on smartphone use
What a person does on their phone call tell you a lot about them -- including their GPA. Researchers from Dartmouth College and the University of Texas at Austin have developed an app that tracks smartphone activity to compute a grade point average that's within 0.17 of a point. The software is called smartGPA and using it alongside "periodic self reports" keeps tabs on how hard a student is studying and partying -- on top of physical activity, sleep, attendance and social interactions. Members of the research team were also responsible for the StudentLife app that kept up with mental health and its effect on grades, and this goes a step further by taking into account a broader picture of daily life. "We show that there are a number of important behavioral factors automatically inferred from smartphones that significantly correlate with term and cumulative GPA," the study explains. Installing the app, which is built with cloud and machine learning algorithms, monitored a group of undergrads 24 hours a day for 10 weeks.
The mother of all tech demos becomes an avant garde opera
1968 is when it all changed. On December 9 that year, Douglas Engelbart, a computer scientist at Stanford Research Center, made a 90-minute video presentation that revolutionized the world of computers. He didn't show up on stage at the Computer Conference in San Francisco, instead, he teleconferenced from his research lab 30 miles away -- an unprecedented feat at the time. Now almost half a century later, "the mother of all demos" is being resurrected as an avant garde opera called The Demo. Composers Mikel Rouse and Ben Neill re-imagine Engelbart's demo and the defining moments in his life that led up to it through a hybrid theater performance.
Schools find ways to get more women into computer science courses
Technology giants like Apple and Google are frequently dominated by men, in part because relatively few women pursue computer science degrees; just 18 percent of American comp sci grads are female. However, at least a few schools have found ways to get more women into these programs. Carnegie Mellon University saw female enrollment jump to 40 percent after it both scrapped a programming experience requirement and created a tutoring system, giving women a support network they didn't have as a minority. Harvey Mudd College and the University of Washington, meanwhile, saw greater uptake (40 and 30 percent) after they reworked courses to portray coding as a solution to real-world problems, rather than something to study out of personal interest. Harvey Mudd's recruiters also made an effort to be more inclusive in advertising and campus tours.
UK pardons computing pioneer Alan Turing
Campaigners have spent years demanding that the UK exonerate computing legend Alan Turing, and they're finally getting their wish. Queen Elizabeth II has just used her royal prerogative to pardon Turing, 61 years after an indecency conviction that many now see as unjust. The criminal charge shouldn't overshadow Turing's vital cryptoanalysis work during World War II, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said when explaining the move. The pardon is a purely symbolic gesture, but an important one all the same -- it acknowledges that the conviction cut short the career of a man who defended his country, broke ground in artificial intelligence and formalized computing concepts like algorithms.