Blog Post

Chicago “Hard-Tech” Tackles Global Warming

By Robert J. Kriss, C2ST Editor

In a notable line from the 1967 movie, “The Graduate,” a savvy businessman takes a recent college graduate played by Dustin Hoffman into a quiet room at a party to give him a hot tip for his future. The businessman says he has a single word for the graduate — “plastics.” Today, the word might be “batteries.”  Continue reading “Chicago “Hard-Tech” Tackles Global Warming”

Blog Post

Northwestern Researchers Sharpen New Tools in Fight Against Cancer

Comment by Robert Kriss, C2ST, Editor

In a collaboration with Google, Northwestern researchers are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to develop machine learning programs that identify cancer with better accuracy than a radiologist in some cases. Other research is using powerful new microscopy techniques to examine changes in cells at the nanoscale level. These breakthroughs promise to detect cancer at very early stages when the chances of successful treatment are highest. The innovative techniques will also reduce false positives and negatives — incorrect diagnoses — and thereby target treatment better. With these advances, scientists hope to detect a range of cancers, including breast, colon, pancreatic, ovarian, and lung. Learn more about this pioneering research being performed in Chicago by visiting these sites here and here.

Video

Program Q&A: The Art of Logic with Dr. Eugenia Cheng

Watch the full program here.

For thousands of years, mathematicians have used the timeless art of logic to see the world more clearly. Today, truth is buried under soundbites, spin, memes, divisive arguments and “fake news”. Seeing clearly is more important than ever. In this talk, I will show how anyone can think like a mathematician to understand what people are really telling us. Taking a careful scalpel to politics, privilege, sexism and dozens of other real-world situations, I will show that math is not just about numbers and equations, but is about thinking better, and that it can help us find clarity without losing nuance in this complex world of ours.

Video

The Art of Logic with Dr. Eugenia Cheng

Watch the Q&A Session here.

For thousands of years, mathematicians have used the timeless art of logic to see the world more clearly. Today, truth is buried under soundbites, spin, memes, divisive arguments and “fake news”. Seeing clearly is more important than ever. In this talk, I will show how anyone can think like a mathematician to understand what people are really telling us. Taking a careful scalpel to politics, privilege, sexism and dozens of other real-world situations, I will show that math is not just about numbers and equations, but is about thinking better, and that it can help us find clarity without losing nuance in this complex world of ours.

Video

Program Q&A: The Case for Including Every(Body)

To watch the full program click here.

To watch the interview click here.

Inclusive practices and promoting diversity have been major challenges in STEM fields. However, people with disabilities are often left out of this important conversation. Complicating this issue are misunderstandings of what it means to be disabled and what barriers limit disabled access in STEM. What strategies can be used to create a smoother transition for people with disabilities as they complete their education and transition into the workforce? What resources can people with disabilities use to help advocate for themselves? To help answer these questions, learn about the experiences of people with disabilities in STEM, and hear about current research join us for a panel discussion with advocates Dr. Maureen Dunne, Helen Rottier, and Dr. Susan Magasi.