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6.14.13 TIME
"Reputation vs. Cash Rewards: How To Inspire Good Behavior"
The mere suggestion that others are watching can put people on their best behavior, and a new study finds that concern for reputation is more powerful than cash payments in getting neighbors to do the right thing. Researchers collaborated with Pacific Gas and Electric, a California natural gas and electricity provider, to understand how best to increase participation in a program to prevent blackouts.

6.12.13 Philanthropy News Digest
"UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering Department Receives $18.5 Million Gift"
The University of California, San Diego has announced an $18.5 million gift to its Department of Computer Science and Engineering from an alumnus who wishes to remain anonymous.

6.10.13 Yahoo News!
"'Dark Matter' of Life: Mysterious Bacteria Captured"
The genome of mysterious bacteria that lurk in hospital drains has been sequenced. Low levels of the bacteria, known only as candidate phylum TM6, have been found in water systems around the world, yet because they could not be cultured in the lab, almost nothing was known about them. The new research, detailed today (June 10) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could be the first step in understanding exactly what these bacteria do

6.7.13 Gizmag
"Segway-like robots designed to help firefighters and save lives"
"Quick, send in the robots!" Far-fetched as it may sound, fire-fighting robots are indeed coming closer and closer to common use. While some of them are intended to actually put out the flames, others are designed more to scout out structures before human firefighters enter, letting those people know how to safely get around and where to concentrate their efforts. One of the latest machines in the second category is the self-balancing Firefighting Robot (FFR), being developed at the UCSD.

6.6.13 Huffington Post, UK
"Firefighting Robot Will Work Alongside Humans (Hopefully You'll Never Have To See One)"
This cool little Segway-esque machine could one day save your life. Working alongside human firefighters its makers hope that it could be a crucial tool in helping to locate people in fires and other disaster situations. Inside its little frame it contains a sophisticated set of cameras - one infra-red and two RGB - that create a 3D scene which can be viewed by rescuers. The little blighter can even climb stairs (watch the video for a demonstration of its pretty ingenious technique).

6.6.13 IEEE Spectrum
"Robot Scout Finds Fires With 3D Thermal Imaging"
We hear about lots of robots that could potentially be used for "search and rescue" or "disaster relief," because that's kind of what you say when you've made a robot that doesn't have a commercial or military application but you still need to come up with some task that it might be useful for. It's much rarer that we see these robots actually performing search and rescue or disaster relief tasks, which is why it's especially nice to see this firefighting robot from UCSD

6.6.13 Live Science
"Firefighting Robot Paints 3D Image for Rescuers"
Recent headlines regarding autonomous robots suggest that smart machines have a license to kill. But a new project from engineers at the University of California, San Diego suggests a different reality. The UC engineers have built a pack of tiny autonomous robots that could help save the lives of both fire victims and firefighters. These lifesaving robots, which look a lot like small Segways, were designed for mobility, agility and reconnaissance.

6.5.13 U~T San Diego
"Gift to transform UCSD computer science"
An anonymous donor has given UC San Diego the largest-ever financial gift by an alumnus -- $18.5 million that will help the school cope with the explosive growth it's experiencing in the job-rich field of computer science. The money comes from a graduate of the department of computer science and engineering, which is expected to have about 2,200 students this fall, a record high and more than double its enrollment in 2007.

6.5.13 CNet
"Segway-like robot helps fight fires with 3D, thermal imaging"
Thank goodness for robots. A new one out of the University of California, San Diego, may soon help first responders survey a fiery scene with its ability to enter a burning building and immediately transmit data on the state and location of the fire, the building's structural integrity, and the presence of any volatile gases -- all while on the lookout for survivors.

6.5.13 U~T San Diego
"Gift to transform UCSD computer science "
An anonymous donor has given UC San Diego the largest-ever financial gift by an alumnus ? $18.5 million that will help the school cope with the explosive growth it's experiencing in the job-rich field of computer science.The money comes from a graduate of the department of computer science and engineering, which is expected to have about 2,200 students this fall, a record high and more than double its enrollment in 2007. The department is scrambling to meet soaring demand from industry

6.3.13 NY Times
"Microsampling Air Pollution"
Near the corner of Tillary and Jay Streets in Brooklyn, Michael Heimbinder stood near a blue mailbox, head down, poking at his smartphone. A graph appeared: a single line plotting ambient carbon monoxide exposure in the neighborhood. Minutes later, he ran over to an idling Honda Pilot and held a small, black sensor to its tailpipe. On his phone, carbon monoxide levels, predictably, jumped off the chart. A woman opened the car door and said, "Can I help you out?"

5.24.13 U~T San Diego
"Top UCSD center named Qualcomm Institute"
A University of California San Diego research institute that's emerged as a leader in finding better ways for people to communicate, stay healthy and protect the environment was named Friday after its largest benefactor, chipmaker Qualcomm. Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs and his son Paul, the company's chief executive officer, have funneled $26 million in largely unrestricted money to the institute over the past 12 years to promote innovation.

5.23.13 U~T San Diego
"Solar umbrella a winner in UCSD competition"
Need to plug in at an outdoor cafe? A team of mechanical engineering students may be able to help you out eventually. A trio who designed a solar umbrella that can provide electrical outlets at outdoor cafes won the grand prize at UC San Diego's Zahn Prize Competition last week. The team, made up of seniors Sara Taghizadeh, Austin Steussy and Faizan Masood, won the $6,000 prize to help bring their product to market.

5.20.13 U~T San Diego
"Can a pulsating watch lower your stress?"
Can a pulsating watching train you to be less stressed out? Maybe. UC San Diego is testing just a system. It involves a wearable heart monitor that causes an Android wristwatch to produce a soft, gentle buzz when a person is relaxed. The system operates with software developed Ramesh Rao, the engineer who directs the Qualcomm Institute, a test bed for technology. Additional information is displayed on an Android tablet.

5.13.13 Tech Radar
"Would you want an electronic tattoo that could read your mind?"
There's a time in most of our lives when we surrender to an overwhelming need to be part of the zeitgeist and get a painful, nondescript, instantly regrettable tattoo. There's also a subsequent time when you have three fifths of a second to lie to your mum about what that 'Māori looking smudge' is on the back of your neck. Now, thanks to researchers at the University of California, you'll have the completely believable response of 'it's a brain-reading, wireless, electronic temporary

5.12.13 ABC News
"Flexible Armor: Mysterious Seahorse Astounds Scientists"
The curious seahorse, a tiny fish that swims in a vertical position and looks a lot like a miniature horse, has astounded researchers by its ability to withstand crushing forces that would destroy nearly every other living creature. And it just may help the researchers borrow from the world of biology to solve some really tough problems in the world of engineering. The seahorse is the latest in a growing list of organisms in the relatively new field of biomimetics.

5.12.13 Gizmodo
"The Tiny Seahorse's Tail Could Help Create A New Type of Armor"
According to engineers at UCSD's Jacobs School of Engineering, the Hippocampus could one day lead to the creation of a robot that can mimic the seahorse's tail for use in hostile situations while withstanding incredible amounts of pressure. Or maybe some next level armature. "The tail is the seahorse's lifeline, because it allows the animal to anchor itself to corals or seaweed and hide from predators," said Michael Porter, a Ph.D. student in materials science at the Jacobs School

5.9.13 Wired
"Why Even Google Will Embrace Cellphone Chips in the Data Center"
Jason Mars is a rarity. He's an outsider with regular access to Google's data centers.Mars is a professor of computer science at the University of California, San Diego, and about five years ago, during a conference for computer science researchers, he met a Googler named Robert Hundt. Among so many other things, Hundt is responsible for a set of tools that track the performance of Google's massive computing facilities - widely regarded as the most advanced on the internet

5.9.13 Space Daily
"Seahorse's Armor Gives Engineers Insight Into Robotics Designs"
The tail of a seahorse can be compressed to about half its size before permanent damage occurs, engineers at the University of California, San Diego, have found. The tail's exceptional flexibility is due to its structure, made up of bony, armored plates, which slide past each other. Researchers are hoping to use a similar structure to create a flexible robotic arm equipped with muscles made out of polymer, which could be used in medical devices, underwater exploration

5.8.13 MSN News
"Sea horse tails inspire robot armor, medical devices"
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, who studied sea horse tails think the tails' natural armor could inspire future robotics. heir study, in Acta Biomaterialia, looked at the bony, agile plates of a sea horse's tail. "Upon compression, the overlapping bony plates slide past each other, allowing the tail to be compressed to nearly 50 percent its original length before any permanent damage occurs," the study says.

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