Volume V Issue 4
April 2009 |
|
 |
 |
 Exploring
Synthetic Brains
 Synthetic
brains are a long way from reality, but researchers at the University of
Southern California, funded by the National Science Foundation, are
taking the first steps to build neurons from carbon nanotubes that
emulate human brain function. The challenges to creating a synthetic
brain are staggering. Unlike computer software that simulates brain
function, a synthetic brain will include hardware that emulates brain
cells, their amazingly complex connectivity and a concept called
"plasticity," which allows the artificial neurons to learn through
experience and adapt to changes in their environment the way real
neurons do.
There is also the matter of
scale. By 2022, with conventional technology, if the team could
construct a synthetic brain that emulated real brain function, even
crudely, it would take 100 billion artificial neurons and a very a large
room to hold them. But before the researchers can tackle concerns of
power and scale, they are building mathematical models that accurately
reflect the connections of all the neurons and demonstrate how the
connections allow neurons to communicate with each other.
 Find
out more about careers in science
and engineering...
HIV
Treatment Test Gains Support
 An
initiative that is developing a rapid and inexpensive test to analyze
the immune system of people living with HIV/AIDS has received a $7.3
million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. If successful,
the test would improve healthcare workers' ability to determine the best
treatment for their patients. The CD4 Initiative at Imperial College
London was established to develop an easy to use point-of-care test with
a cost of around $2 that can rapidly measure the numbers of CD4+ T-cells
in a person's blood, without using electronics or mechanical parts. CD4+
T-cells are critical for a healthy functioning immune system and are
slowly destroyed during the course of HIV infection. When the numbers of
CD4+ T-cells in a person's blood drop, this makes them increasingly
vulnerable to illness. Healthcare workers rely on a CD4 count when
making decisions about how HIV-positive patients should be treated. The
new test would enable patients to find out within minutes if they should
begin antiretroviral treatment. The new test will work with a
finger-prick blood sample and will have a simple read-out. More details
are at www.imperial.ac.uk.
Find
out more about career paths in
science
and
healthcare...
360
Look at ASIMO Robot's Technology
 Honda
is offering a 360 degree view of the technology behind its ASIMO
humanoid robot online.
ASIMO's form, function, movement and intelligence are detailed in the
new website module which uses a 3D computer-generated model of the robot
to provide visitors with a more informative and interactive look at
ASIMO's capabilities and how it operates. ASIMO, which stands for
Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, is being developed to help people
and someday assist the elderly and disabled in their homes. But while
Honda continues to develop and enhance ASIMO's capabilities, the robot
is being used today to encourage and inspire young students to consider
studies in math and science. Honda engineers began developing a humanoid
robot in 1986 with the dream of creating a new dimension in mobility. By
having a robot provide assistance to people, they envisioned that this
could enable those people to be more mobile to pursue other activities.
ASIMO is the culmination of two decades of humanoid robotics research by
Honda engineers. ASIMO can run, walk on uneven slopes and surfaces, turn
smoothly, climb stairs, and reach for and grasp objects. ASIMO can also
comprehend and respond to simple voice commands. ASIMO has the ability
to recognize the face of a select group of individuals. Using its camera
eyes, ASIMO can map its environment and register stationary objects.
ASIMO can also avoid moving obstacles as it moves through its
environment.
Find
out more about career paths in
engineering...
Degree
Profile: Psychology
 Psychologists
study the human mind and human behavior. Research psychologists
investigate the physical, cognitive, emotional, or social aspects of
human behavior. Psychologists in health service fields provide mental
health care in hospitals, clinics, schools, or private settings.
Psychologists employed in applied settings, such as business, industry,
government, or nonprofit organizations, provide training, conduct
research, design organizational systems, and act as advocates for
psychology. Like other social scientists, psychologists formulate
hypotheses and collect data to test their validity. Research methods
vary with the topic under study. Psychologists sometimes gather
information through controlled laboratory experiments or by
administering personality, performance, aptitude, or intelligence tests.
Other methods include observation, interviews, questionnaires, clinical
studies, and surveys.
Psychologists apply their
knowledge to a wide range of endeavors, including health and human
services, management, education, law, and sports. They usually
specialize in one of a number of different areas. As an example,
experimental or research psychologists work in university and private
research centers and in business, nonprofit, and governmental
organizations. They study the behavior of both human beings and animals,
such as rats, monkeys, and pigeons. Prominent areas of study in
experimental research include motivation, thought, attention, learning
and memory, sensory and perceptual processes, effects of substance
abuse, and genetic and neurological factors affecting behavior. A
master's or doctoral degree, and a license, are required for most
psychologists.
Find
out more about careers in
psychology...
Scientists
Invent World's Smallest Periscope
 A
team of Vanderbilt University scientists have invented the world's
smallest version of the periscope and are using it to look at cells and
other micro-organisms from several sides at once. "With an off-the-shelf
laboratory microscope you only see cells from one side, the top," says
team member Chris Janetopoulos, assistant professor of biological
sciences. "Not only can we see the tops of cells, we can view their
sides as well – something biologists almost never see." The researchers
have dubbed their devices "mirrored pyramidal wells." As the name
implies, they consist of pyramidal-shaped cavities molded into silicon
whose interior surfaces are coated with a reflective layer of gold or
platinum. They are microscopic in dimension – about the width of a human
hair – and can be made in a range of sizes to view different-sized
objects. When a cell is placed in such a well and viewed with a regular
optical microscope, the researcher can see several sides simultaneously.
"This technology is
exciting because these mirrored wells can be made at very low cost,
unlike other, more complex methods for 3D microscopy," says Assistant
Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Engineering Kevin Seale.
The Vanderbilt group is not the first to make microscopic pyramidal
wells, but it is the first to apply them to make 3D images of
microorganisms. In 2006, a group of scientists in England created
pyramidal micromirrors and applied them to trapping atoms. And last
spring researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
used similar structures to track nanoparticles.
So far, the researchers have used the mirrored wells to examine how
protozoa swim and cells divide. "The method is particularly well suited
for studying dynamic processes within cells because it can follow them
in three dimensions," says Janetopoulos. The mirrored pyramidal wells
provide a high resolution, multi-vantage-point form of microscopy that
also makes it easier for researchers to measure a number of important
cell properties. More details are at the Vanderbilt Institute for
Integrative Biosystems Research and Education
website.
Find
out more about careers in science
and engineering...
"Green
Economy" Could Create "Green Jobs"
 A
new study on the impact of an emerging global "green economy" on the
world of work says efforts to tackle climate change could result in the
creation of millions of new "green jobs" in the coming decades. The
report, "Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a
Sustainable, Low-Carbon World," says changing patterns of employment
and investment resulting from efforts to reduce climate change and its
effects are already generating new jobs in many sectors and economies,
and could create millions more in both developed and developing
countries. The report says that climate change itself, adaptation to it
and efforts to arrest it by reducing emissions have far-reaching
implications for economic and social development, for production and
consumption patterns and thus for employment, incomes and poverty
reduction. These implications harbor both major risks and opportunities
for working people in all countries. Among other key findings in the
report:
The
global market for environmental products and services is projected
to double from US$1,370 billion (1.37 trillion) per year at present
to US$2,740 billion (2.74 trillion) by 2020, according to a study
cited in the report.
Half
of this market is in energy efficiency and the balance in
sustainable transport, water supply, sanitation and waste
management.
Sectors
that will be particularly important in terms of their environmental,
economic and employment impact are energy supply, in particular
renewable energy, buildings and construction, transportation, basic
industries, agriculture and forestry.
Clean
technologies are already the third largest sector for venture
capital after information and biotechnology in the U.S.
A
worldwide transition to energy-efficient buildings would create
millions of jobs, as well as "greening" existing employment for many
of the estimated 111 million people already working in the
construction sector.
Investments
in improved energy efficiency in buildings could generate an
additional 2-3.5 million green jobs in Europe and the U.S. alone.
Attributes
of the Perfect Job Candidate
 A
new study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
shows that, for new college graduates in this tight economy, becoming
the perfect job candidate requires diversity of skills. Nearly 70
percent of employers taking part in NACE's Job Outlook 2009 study said
they screen candidates by GPA (grade point average). Among the skills,
attributes, and qualities employers prize most are communication skills,
a strong work ethic, ability to work in a team, and initiative.
Employers also emphasize leadership experience. Asked to compare two
otherwise equally qualified candidates, employers chose the one who had
held a leadership position over the candidate who simply was involved in
extracurricular activities. Employers also expressed a preference for
candidates with relevant work experience. So coops or work experiences
in the field can have an impact on how appealing a student is to a
potential employer.
Find
out more about coops and internships...
Career Cornerstone News is a publication of the
Sloan Career Cornerstone Center. Click here
to subscribe.
This newsletter may be reproduced in other
non-profit publications with credit and links to
the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
It may also be forwarded to internal
education or non-profit email lists.
|
|
