Microbial mariners + global languages + vibrant cities

MIT’s Science Policy Initiative sends students and postdocs to Capitol Hill to advocate for continued and increased federal support for scientific research.

Researchers identify a property that helps computer vision models learn to represent the visual world in a more stable and predictable way.

Urlaub discusses the growing popularity of language programs at the Institute.

Policy experts discuss the repercussions of the Silicon Valley Bank’s failure, and suggest remedies.

Professor Cynthia Breazeal, MIT’s dean of digital learning, discusses the importance of ensuring K-12 students are AI literate. “The AI genie is out of the bottle,” says Breazeal. “It’s not just in the realm of computer science and coding. It is affecting all aspects of society. It’s the machine under everything. It’s critical for all students to have AI literacy if they are going to be using computers, or really, almost any type of technology.”

Professor of the practice Carlo Ratti and Harvard Professor Edward Glaeser emphasize that in order to “create a city vibrant enough to compete with the convenience of the internet, we need to end the era of single-use zoning and create mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods that bring libraries, offices, movie theaters, grocery stores, schools, parks, restaurants, and bars closer together. We must reconfigure the city into an experience worth leaving the house for.”