Science & Technology

COURTESY OF SHIP Students swapped gently used clothes and made reusable tote bags.

SHIP launches market for second-hand clothes

By DEANNA RAHMAN | October 31, 2019

Sustainable Hopkins Innovative Projects (SHIP) marked the launch of Blue Jay Threads, Hopkins first online and pop-up thrift store, with a clothing swap event at the Beach on Friday, Oct. 25. SHIP is a student organization that aims to increase the University’s participation in sustainability initiatives through a variety of programs and events

Seminar highlights the role of heart valve transplants in medicine

By MEDHA KALLEM | October 31, 2019

Dr. Arash Kheradvar of University of California, Irvine discussed how his interest in heart valves began in his talk “Emerging Trends in Heart Valve Engineering and its Translation to Clinical Medicine” on Oct. 25. Using Leonardo da Vinci’s discoveries, he began further research into heart valves in 2002 at the California Institute of Technology. 

OFFICIAL U.S. NAVY PAGE/CC BY 2.0 Dr. Arash Kheradvar talked about the history of heart valve research.
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Professor studies decision-making and the brain

By SARAH ELBASHEER | November 16, 2019

Daeyeol Lee, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychological and Brain Sciences, researches neuroeconomics in order to understand the neural mechanisms of decision making. Lee joined Hopkins last year. Primarily, he works at the Krieger Mind/Brain Institute. 

Hopkins alum discusses barriers to AI in health care

By VIVIAN LI | October 24, 2019

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various industries is becoming increasingly widespread. Soon, AI may become more integral to hospitals. Indeed, health care might be the field that the public is most reluctant to see AI applied to. On Oct. 22, Dr. Hassan A. Tetteh addressed the employment of AI in health care in his talk titled “The Future of AI, Health, and Creativity.” He was invited by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Nanobiotechnology (INBT). 

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Isik lab uses computer models to understand vision

  | November 3, 2019

With the blink of an eye, humans are able to extract more information than advanced computer vision systems. An image is translated from millions of pixels in seconds, and we are able to not only recognize objects and other humans, but also perceive social interactions. 

Agara Bio hosts event combining biology and art

By SABRINA ABRAMS | October 24, 2019

Agara Bio, a community biology lab and innovation center founded by undergraduates in fall 2018, hosted “Agar Art” on Wednesday, Oct. 17 and Thursday, Oct. 18. “Agar Art” has participants trace microbes on petri dishes in order to create colorful art after the microbes are placed in an incubator. This marks one of many community-based events that Agara Bio’s organizers have held and aim to hold.

Courtesy of Justin Greene
Public Domain

Basal ganglia research could explain autism

By WILLIAM BLAIR | October 24, 2019

Dr. Bernardo Sabatini, a professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, gave a talk titled “Basal Ganglia Circuitry for Action Selection and Evaluation” on Oct. 17 at the Hopkins Preclinical Teaching Building at the School of Medicine. 

DURA and Hawkins Fellows study archival objects

By MEDHA KALLEM | October 30, 2019

What is the relevance of a seemingly obscure collection of archival objects at Hopkins in an age of growing technological prowess? This past summer, five students, funded by the DURA and Hugh Hawkins Fellowships, were able to delve into their interests in a multitude of topics ranging from the book objects of Italian Futurists to tuberculosis in Baltimore. 

 COURTESY OF ALLISON SEYLER DURA recipients and Hugh Hawkins Fellows discussed their work in a panel presentation.
COURTESY OF RUDIGER von der HEYDT A professor emeritus of Neuroscience, von der Heydt studied the object perception and recognition. 

Discussions in Research: Our visual system and AI

By YANNI GU | October 20, 2019

Just a few years ago, a Tesla autopilot car caused a fatal crash because it mistook a truck as an empty, clear sky. To us, this was a mistake even a toddler would not make. It was certainly a shock for the public to learn that the cutting edge technology made such an error. So how did it happen?

Recognizing the impact of indigenous scientists

By TRISHA PARAYIL and BAYLEIGH MURRAY | October 19, 2019

At its best, science is an institution filled with wonder, optimism and the promise of exciting new discoveries. However, the history of science is incomplete without acknowledging the voices of scientists that are silenced by systematic biases. In celebration of Indegenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 14, here are just a few notable scientists and inventors of Native American heritage. 

CC By CC/0 John Herrington was the first Native American person to go to space.
  PUBLIC DOMAIN All the candidates agree that the US should achieve zero-net emissions.

Find out where the Democratic candidates stand on climate change

By LAURA WADSTEN | October 17, 2019

You probably guessed that I would talk about climate change as an issue in the 2020 election, since it is a crisis currently getting a lot of attention. Multiple sources have highlighted the fact that Democratic voters now rank climate change as a top priority in their political decisions. Candidates have responded to this, emphasizing their own concern and arguing over the best way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and fight climate change. 

Ada Lovelace found poetry in computer algorithms

By MEGHANA RAVI | November 18, 2019

Ada Lovelace was the world’s first computer programmer. She, working alongside Charles Babbage, made the critical leap from math to machine — calculation to algorithm. This jump was only possible because of the complex intersections in her past that merged art and logic together. 

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Professors question consciousness and intelligence at screening of Ex Machina

By SHIVNI PATEL | October 17, 2019

We live in a world where technology has already greatly permeated our lives. In the world of Ex Machina, a 2014 film directed by Alex Garland, technology has extended far beyond smartphones and wearables and has reached a new zenith. In Ex Machina, a machine that seems to mirror the things that make us human is no longer a distant possibility but a reality. 

Can we use stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries?

By ISABEL THOMAS | October 20, 2019

On Oct. 10, the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Seminar Series hosted Sarah Heilshorn of Stanford University. Heilshorn’s research bridges materials science — the study of how the structures of different materials affect their functions and properties — and clinical impact.

COURTESY OF ISABEL Thomas The Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Seminar series hosted the discussion last week.
EDA INCEKARA/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR The lecture series examines the legacy of Maryland’s historic architecture.

Lecture at Homewood House discusses historic home restoration

By VIVIAN LI | October 17, 2019

Though you might not have spent much time inside the building, it is hard to ignore the presence of the Federal-period Palladian house as you navigate the campus. Homewood House, as the oldest piece of architecture on campus, has in fact served as architectural inspiration for subsequent campus buildings, including Gilman Hall. 

Professor Semenza wins Nobel Prize in Medicine for work on HIF

By LAURA WADSTEN | October 10, 2019

Early Monday morning, the Nobel Assembly announced that Dr. Gregg L. Semenza, the C. Michael Armstrong Professor of Pediatrics at Hopkins School of Medicine, was a 2019 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Semenza received this honor alongside Dr. William G. Kaelin of Harvard and Dr. Peter J. Ratcliffe of Oxford. Kaelin completed his specialist training in Internal Medicine and Oncology at Hopkins.

COURTESY OF LAURA WADSTEN  Semenza and colleagues researched the way cells sense oxygen, and how they function in low oxygen conditions, or hypoxia.

Professors talk ethics of gene editing and Gattaca

By MEGHANA RAVI | October 10, 2019

We begin in the not too distant future, where perfection has pervaded the genome itself, elevating individuals into what seems like the best version of themselves. Children are edited to be brilliant, healthy and beautiful — as genetically ideal as possible. This is the world of Gattaca, a science fiction cult classic that remains significant in today’s bioethical conversations about genetic research. 

New study uses ferrets to model higher-level vision

By SHIRLEY MARINO LEE | October 10, 2019

A recent study by Hopkins researchers revealed that ferrets are well-suited for higher-level vision research. This was discovered in light of their performance when faced with behavioral tests that assessed the motion and form integration capacity of adult ferrets.