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A Look at How A.I. is Helping the Human Race

A Look at How A.I. is Helping the Human Race

Artificial intelligence is quickly creeping into our lives, from smart phone apps that help us find the quickest path through rush hour traffic to voice assistants that serve up lasagna recipes on command. In their new book AIQ: How People and Machines Are Smarter Together, James Scott and Nick Polson lay out an optimistic vision for how AI can help us overcome our cognitive weaknesses and live happier, healthier lives. The book is already attracting attention from media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, The Times (UK) and PBS's SciTechNow.

Paul Goldbart Appointed Dean of UT Austin’s College of Natural Sciences

Paul Goldbart Appointed Dean of UT Austin’s College of Natural Sciences

Paul Goldbart

The University of Texas at Austin has named Paul Goldbart the next dean of the College of Natural Sciences. His appointment will begin Aug. 1, and he will hold the Robert E. Boyer Chair in Natural Sciences.

Vital Statistics: The Potential of Math to Advance Medicine

Vital Statistics: The Potential of Math to Advance Medicine

Illustration: Jenna Luecke

From baseball to financial investing, from elections to oil drilling, analyzing data quickly to predict future outcomes is transforming industries and activities around the world.

16 Inspiring and Eye-Opening Texas Science Stories of 2017

16 Inspiring and Eye-Opening Texas Science Stories of 2017

It's been a busy year for scientists and researchers at the College of Natural Sciences. Discoveries, findings, advancements and technology developed right here made news around the world. Here are just a few of the top science stories of 2017.

Artificial Intelligence and Supercomputers to Help Alleviate Urban Traffic Problems

Artificial Intelligence and Supercomputers to Help Alleviate Urban Traffic Problems

A new tool uses artificial intelligence to recognize objects from City of Austin raw traffic camera footage and characterize how those objects move and interact. Image by Texas Advanced Computing Center/Center for Transportation Research

Look above the traffic light at a busy intersection in your city and you will probably see a camera. These devices may have been installed to monitor traffic conditions and provide visuals in the case of a collision. But can they do more? Can they help planners optimize traffic flow or identify sites that are most likely to have accidents? And can they do so without requiring individuals to slog through hours of footage?

College Welcomes New Faculty at Start of the Academic Year

College Welcomes New Faculty at Start of the Academic Year

CNS welcomes new tenured and tenure-track faculty members this fall. Whether searching for insight into the fundamental nature of spacetime, studying cellular mechanisms that lead to disease, or determining ways to strengthen disadvantaged families, these industrious and trailblazing scientists build on the college's reputation in research and teaching.

Meet Oscar Madrid Padilla: First PhD Graduate from UT Austin’s Statistics Department

Meet Oscar Madrid Padilla: First PhD Graduate from UT Austin’s Statistics Department

Oscar Madrid Padilla. Photo credit: Vivian Abagiu.

Oscar Madrid Padilla will become the first person to receive a PhD by the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Statistics and Data Sciences (SDS) this May. The department was formed in August 2014 and replaced the Division of Statistics and Scientific Computation.

Computer Model Developed to Assess Risk of a Zika Epidemic in Real-time

Computer Model Developed to Assess Risk of a Zika Epidemic in Real-time

A new model for assessing real-time risk of a Zika virus epidemic in the United States is described in research published in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases. The computer simulation, based on data from Texas including population dynamics, historical infection rates, socioeconomics, and mosquito density, is designed to help policymakers gauge the underlying epidemic threat as cases first appear in US cities.

Two in CNS Receive Dads' Association Centennial Teaching Fellowships

Two in CNS Receive Dads' Association Centennial Teaching Fellowships

Steven Finkelstein and Kristin Harvey of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin have been awarded endowed Dads' Association Centennial Teaching Fellowships for 2017-2018. The fellowships recognize faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and made significant contributions to undergraduate education at UT Austin.

Birth Risks Rise Late in Doctors' Shifts, Researchers Find

Birth Risks Rise Late in Doctors' Shifts, Researchers Find

The number of hours an obstetrician has been on the clock before an unscheduled delivery significantly influences risks to the mother and unborn baby, researchers report.