FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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National Science Foundation—Vanderbilt computer scientist receives NSF CAREER Award to design decision procedures for societal-scale cyber-physical systems
Vanderbilt University computer scientist Abhishek Dubey has received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to design online decision procedures for societal-scale cyber-physical systems such as traffic networks, emergency response systems and power grids that are the critical infrastructure of communities. The grant for $500,000, administered by the NSF’s Division of Computer and Network Systems and the cyber-physical systems program, will support the design of an online decision-making pipeline that combines the advantages of online planning algorithms with offline learning experiences, which promises to provide greater robustness and faster responses to changes in the environment. The impact of such decision procedures is evident in ongoing work where Dubey’s team has designed algorithms for optimizing operation of public transit systems and designed algorithms for optimizing emergency response. MORE
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National Science Foundation—Vanderbilt chemical engineering professor wins NSF CAREER Award to explore new direction in colloidal science
Vanderbilt University engineering professor Carlos Silvera Batista has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to understand the behavior of charged particles in the presence of simultaneous electric fields and that knowledge will be used to direct the assembly of particles into advanced reconfigurable materials. The prestigious five-year award honors early career faculty who have the potential to serve as role models in research and education and lead advances in their fields. [The grant] will potentially help to develop techniques for the analysis of small particles—such as viruses and proteins—at ultralow concentrations. Analyzing viruses as well as proteins at low concentrations is important for the early diagnosis of diseases. Understanding the fundamentals of how this works and what parameters are used to control it will be important in the applied fields of materials, medicines, electronics and more, Silvera Batista said . . . . MORE
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The rise of ChatGPT and the age of artificial intelligence
When one of his Ph.D. students first suggested that Jules White, associate professor of computer science, check out ChatGPT—the artificial intelligence platform that can do everything from write original poetry to generate sophisticated computer code in seconds—White was dismissive at first. But once he investigated further, White knew that this technology would shape the future, not just for his own field, but for numerous industries and applications, drawing comparisons to the dawn of the internet itself and mobile computing. Here, White provides an overview of ChatGPT’s capabilities and offers insights about what impact its adoption may have on students, computer scientists and the future of technology as we know it. MORE
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New antitrust study shows reining in big tech doesn’t spur rival profits
In January, the Justice Department sued Google, claiming the tech company abused a monopoly in online advertising by seizing control of tools built on top of its platform. Google—along with Amazon and Apple—have faced similar antitrust charges in Europe in the last 2 years, and both sides of the Atlantic have proposed sweeping changes to regulating tech giants (with success in Europe and stalls in the U.S.). However, a new study co-authored by Vanderbilt professor Sruthi Thatchenkery suggests that while unblocking competition with antitrust interventions prompts innovation on the platforms, profitability might still elude small companies. The reasoning why has to do with the interdependence of platform markets; this paper sheds light on platform markets, informing regulators on how better to protect both tech consumers and entrepreneurs. In the report, Thatchenkery and her co-author, Riitta Katila of Stanford, address the complexity of competition and innovation in platform ecosystems. MORE
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Peabody researchers among top in country in 2023 Edu-Scholar rankings
Education Week recently released the 2023 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, an annual list of education researchers who have demonstrated the greatest influence over educational policy and practice. Four researchers from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development are among the 200 who made the rankings. That places them in the top 1 percent of the more than 20,000 university-based education researchers according to Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy for the American Enterprise Institute. Hess compiles the data each year. The rankings draw on nine metrics, including social media presence, book and journal publications and citations, education media mentions, and number of times cited by members of Congress. MORE
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