SOCCER-PLAYING NANOBOTS
The
skill, dexterity, and raw athleticism of soccer players make them an
excellent model to test the prowess of robots in RoboCup, an annual
robot-soccer competition sponsored by the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST). The game has shrunk to nano-scale levels, as this
year’s RoboCup, open to the public, features the second annual nanosoccer
games.
In an arena the size of
a microchip, with "television" coverage from optical microscopes, three
student teams will vie in such soccer drills as the two-millimeter dash, a
slalom race between polymer posts, and nanoball-handling exercises. The
competitors are from Carnegie Mellon University and the U.S. Naval Academy
in the United States and the University of Waterloo in Canada.
The goal of the
competition is to foster innovation in artificial intelligence and
intelligent robotics. RoboCup will be held May 25 to 27 at Carnegie Mellon
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. An upcoming U.S. Open nanosoccer competition
will be a precursor to the first official Nanogram League nanosoccer
competition at the 2009 RoboCup in Austria.
DETAILS:
NIST
RETURNING JAIL INMATES TO SOCIETY
Local jails in the
United States handle 9 million individuals a year, far more than state and
federal prisons handle, including many repeat offenders. Preparing them to
return to their communities successfully--and to reduce recidivism--is a
challenge for which most jails have limited resources to meet. A new report
from the Urban Institute offers help for improving that jail-to-community
transition.
Unlike prisons and
penitentiaries, jails have high population turnover, with 81% of inmates
incarcerated for less than a month and only 4% staying longer than six
months. While this means less time that inmates are separated from families
and communities, it also means less time for jails to help them overcome the
problems that brought them to prison in the first place, such as drug or
alcohol addiction or lack of education.
The solution, according
to the Urban Institute's report, is to strengthen the partnerships between
jails and their communities, such as bringing in health providers to treat
the chronically ill and encouraging workforce development agencies to offer
employment services and help in dealing with red tape.
"Imagine the headway
against the cycle of crime and incarceration if we shifted from just
processing people locally to linking ex-inmates to services and programs
that already exist in the community," says Arthur Wallenstein, director of
the Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Correction and
Rehabilitation, one of the reports' sponsors.
SOURCE:
The Urban Institute
DOWNLOAD
"Life after Lockup: Improving Reentry from Jail to the Community"
by Amy L. Solomon et al.
|
UNIVERSITY
OF NOTRE DAME
Mendoza College of
Business
Special Professional
Faculty—Futures Studies Course
The
Mendoza College of Business will require all students to complete a course
that will focus on big picture issues affecting society such as those
identified in the AC/UNU Millennium Project, “Global Challenges Facing
Humanity.” Specific learning objectives of the course include developing an
understanding of important trends, research methods for exploring the
future, potential consequences and intervention strategies.
The
candidate for the position is expected to have some experience in teaching a
futures studies course or equivalent to university students or practitioners
and in guiding research projects of this kind. A master’s degree or higher
is required. The successful candidate will be expected to provide
significant input to the team designing the course and take full
responsibility for teaching the course. The employment contract is renewable
and the salary is competitive.
Applicants should submit a cover letter, vita, references and a teaching
portfolio which provides evidence of quality teaching. Materials should be
sent to:
Professor Tom Frecka
Special Professional Faculty—Futures Studies Course
204 Mendoza College of Business
University of Notre Dame, IN 46556-0399
Applications will be accepted until July 15, 2008.
Notre Dame is a Catholic community of higher learning founded by the
Congregation of Holy Cross. We are an equal opportunity-affirmative action
employer. |
GREAT SALT LAKE LABORATORY
The extreme, hypersaline
ecosystem of the Great Salt Lake is being turned into a biology and
chemistry laboratory, thanks to the creation of the Great Salt Lake
Institute at Westminster College in Utah.
An ancient inland sea,
Great Salt Lake serves human and ecological needs: It is a critical site for
migratory birds as well as an important resource for industry and
recreation, yet it has received little academic attention, according to
director Bonnie Baxter, an associate professor of biology at Westminster.
The Institute will
promote K-12 science and environmental education as well as
multidisciplinary collaborative research. One current project,
funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, will involve
sequencing the genes of the lake directly from water samples.
DETAILS:
Great Salt Lake Institute.
CLICK OF THE MONTH:
KECK FUTURES INITIATIVE(www.keckfutures.org)
The goal of the National
Academies' five-year-old Keck Futures Initiative is to promote
interdisciplinary research and enhanced communication among researchers, the
organizations that fund them, the universities that host them, and the
communities they serve.
The 15 recipients
splitting $1 million in research grants this year will focus on improving
human health and life-span, with research topics ranging from the
comparative cellular biology of aging to the use of robotics in diagnostics.
The Futures Initiative's
competitive grants are intended to "provide researchers an opportunity to
explore new research areas, learn new skills, and/or collaborate across
disciplines, in cases where this would not otherwise be possible." The
Initiative also honors journalists for communicating topics in science,
engineering, medicine, and other subjects to the general public.
WHAT'S NEXT IN
THE FUTURIST
Coming up in the
July-August issue of
THE FUTURIST:
* "The 21st-Century
Writer" (cover story): The Internet is forcing traditional print publishers
to innovate or perish. The same might be true of the written word itself.
FUTURIST Senior Editor Patrick Tucker gleans insights from cutting-edge
industry thinkers, including publishing magnate and tech guru Tim O’Reilly,
on how future authors and publishers need to adapt.
Plus:
* "Consumer Trends in
Three Different 'Worlds'" by Andy Hines
* "Cybercrime
in the Year 2025" by Gene Stephens
* "Futurizing Business
Education" by Paul Bracken
* "Tribute
to Sir Arthur C. Clarke" by José Luis Cordeiro
And coming up in the
fall:
* "Why You Are Here":
Last month we invited you to tell us a brief story about why you began
thinking seriously about the future. Our goal was to share your views and
experiences with others, such as prospective members. We were so impressed
with your responses that we have chosen several to publish in THE FUTURIST.
Visit www.wfs.org for a preview. There's still time to submit your own story
to FUTURIST UPDATE’s editor, Cindy Wagner, mailto:cwagner@wfs.org, or post a
comment at Hosaa's Blog:
http://hosaasblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/futurists-why-are-you-here.html
JOIN or RENEW your membership now to be sure to receive THE FUTURIST.
FUTURIST UPDATE: News &
Previews from the World Future Society is an e-mail newsletter published
monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Copyright © 2008,
World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD
20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail
mailto: info@wfs.org ; Web
site http://www.wfs.org .
Editor: Cindy Wagner,
mailto:cwagner@wfs.org
Senior Editor: Patrick
Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org
Network Administrator: Jeff
Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org
Vice President,
Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard,
mailto: sechard@wfs.org
To subscribe, enter your
e-mail at
http://www.wfs.org/futuristupdate.htm
To unsubscribe or change
your e-mail address, send an e-mail to
jcornish@wfs.org with "unsubscribe" or "change
address" in the subject line.
Submit feedback: to
cwagner@wfs.org
The WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association with a
global membership. Regular membership in the Society, including a
subscription to THE FUTURIST, is $49 per year, or $20 for full-time students
under age 25. Professional and Institutional membership programs are also
offered; contact Society headquarters for details:
http://www.wfs.org.
