Caitlin Dawson
Caitlin Dawson writes for the Information Sciences Institute.
Stories by Caitlin Dawson:
Graduating computer science student develops empathetic robots for therapy
COMMENCEMENT: Chris Birmingham was inspired by his own health crisis.
Trojan’s love letter to Central Asia makes you the hero of Kyrgyzstan
COMMENCEMENT: In tribute to his homeland, graduating computer science student Omar Uraimov unveils first video game set in Kyrgyzstan at USC Games Expo.
Why it would be helpful if robots could predict human preferences
People automatically understand the steps in some processes. (Raking leaves? Get a trash can.) Two Trojans explain why robots need the same skills they’re going to be truly collaborative helpers.
Is this the future of farming?
New USC research offers a radical new way to think about agriculture and the potential of using computer science to help guide the growing of food.
USC team to make coding more accessible for people with physical disabilities
The work will be funded by a National Science Foundation grant.
USC Viterbi professors, Board of Councilors member elected to National Academy of Engineering
Professor Costas Synolakis, Emeritus Professor Gérard Medioni and technology entrepreneur Fariborz Maseeh, a Viterbi Board of Councilors member, join the prestigious academy.
USC student’s plastic waste capture device attracts attention
Thiloshon Nagarajah has developed a device that stops plastic debris from flowing through neighborhood drainage systems and polluting the oceans.
USC’s Petros Ioannou, Gérard Medioni and J. Joshua Yang elected as National Academy of Inventors fellows
The trio joins a distinguished class of 169 new inductees whose innovations have tangibly impacted society.
In a warmer world, half of all species are on the move — but where are they going?
A new computer modeling tool provides a more accurate analysis of species’ movement amid climate change. What it’s finding is bleaker than experts expected.
In memoriam: Barry Boehm, 87, ‘living legend’ in systems and software engineering
A computer science pioneer with a career that spanned six decades, the USC Viterbi Professor Emeritus defined an era in software development.
How natural language processing tools can help Indigenous asylum seekers
USC computer science student Katy Felkner is developing natural language processing tools to tackle the translator shortage at the border.
USC researchers simulate how COVID-19 transmits in a classroom
The study shows that, amid the highly transmissible Delta variant, at least 93% of students should be vaccinated, with everyone wearing masks indoors, to prevent an uptick in cases.
Researchers develop highly accurate modeling tool to predict COVID-19 risk
USC researchers are advocating for a new approach that combines anonymized cellphone location data with mobility patterns, broad indicators of how people move from place to place.
A new way to store sustainable energy: ‘information batteries’
What if surplus renewable energy could be stored as computation instead? That’s the thinking behind “information batteries,” a new system proposed by USC’s Barath Raghavan and a colleague.
How ‘deepfaking the mind’ could help people with disabilities
USC Viterbi researchers are using the same technology that creates deepfake videos and photorealistic human faces to improve brain-computer interfaces.
How AI could help screen for autism in children
A computer adaptive test, powered by machine learning, helps clinical practitioners decide what questions to ask next in real-time based on caregivers’ previous responses.
USC doctoral candidate uses AI to preserve the Choctaw language
Every two weeks, a language dies. Lina Brixey, a member of the Choctaw Nation and a USC Viterbi doctoral candidate, is determined hers will not be next.
Bringing reinforcement learning to a dynamic world: USC computer scientists win best paper award
The paper outlines a simple approach that solves a complex problem in reinforcement learning (RL): applying RL algorithms to non-stationary environments.
Is your mobile provider tracking your location? This new technology could stop it
For the first time, USC researchers have found a way to protect phone users’ privacy without compromising connectivity.
USC collaborates in $20 million effort to push new frontiers in AI and optimization
The NSF Artificial Intelligence Institute for Advances in Optimization will fuse AI and mathematics to tackle tough challenges, such as food security, supply chain operations and hardware design.
Enabling the ‘imagination’ of artificial intelligence
A team of USC researchers is helping AI envision the unseen, a technique that could lead to new medicines and increased autonomous vehicle safety.
Need help building Ikea furniture? This robot can lend a hand
The USC Viterbi robotic system “watches” people and figures out what they’ll need next, insights that could also be used to help people with disabilities through robot-assisted eating or meal prep.
Master’s student uses health data science to help save lives
Lisa Meng is using AI and machine learning to try to improve efficiency and accuracy in diagnosing patients.
Computer science senior creates tech to help students with visual impairments learn to code
Samuel Alex Atcheson’s research explores the connection between touch and learning to improve educational experiences.