The iconic “stomp-stomp-clap” of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” was born out of the challenge that rock stars and professors alike know all too well: How to get large numbers of people engaged in participating during a live performance like a concert — or a lecture — and channel that energy for a sustained time […]
Facial Recognition Software to Identify Civil War Soldiers
Kurt Luther, Virginia Tech assistant professor of computer science, has developed a free software platform that uses crowdsourcing to significantly increase the ability of algorithms to identify faces in photos. Through the software platform, called Photo Sleuth, Luther seeks to uncover the mysteries of the nearly 4 million photographs of Civil War-era images that may exist […]
New Framework Pushes the Limits of High-Performance Computing
Large-scale, advanced high-performance computing, often called supercomputing, is essential to solving both complex and large questions. Everything from answering metaphysical queries about the origins of the universe to discovering cancer-fighting drugs to supporting high-speed streaming services, requires processing huge amounts of data. But storage platforms essential for these advanced computer systems have been stuck in […]
Exposing Students Early To STEM Education Inspires Discovery And Innovation In The Future
As advocates rally for science in Washington, D.C. later this month, a Virginia Tech expert says exposing students early to STEM-focused learning will inspire future generations to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Jim Egenrieder, director of the Thinkabit Lab at Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center, offers both teachers and students an engaging […]
Android Apps Can Conspire to Mine Information from Your Smartphone
Mobile phones have increasingly become the repository for the details that drive our everyday lives. But Virginia Tech researchers have recently discovered that the same apps we regularly use on our phones to organize lunch dates, make convenient online purchases, and communicate the most intimate details of our existence have secretly been colluding to mine […]
Flexible Solar Panel Goes Where Silicon Can’t
In the very near future, recycling light energy may be easier than recycling any other item in your house. Led by Shashank Priya, a team of mechanical and materials engineers and chemists at Virginia Tech, including post-doctoral researchers Xiaojia Zheng and Congcong Wu, as well as College of Science chemistry Professor Robert Moore and Assistant […]
Virginia Tech Faculty Awarded $2.5M from NSF to Advance Future Wireless Tech
The White House recently announced its Advanced Wireless Research Initiative to be led by National Science Foundation (NSF) to pursue innovative spectrum policy and research efforts that will accelerate the deployment of a new generation of wireless networks that are up to 100 times faster than today. NSF has awarded Wireless @ Virginia Tech, a cognition and communication […]
Scientists Unlock Key To Turning Wastewater & Sewage Into Power
As renewable energy sources go, solar rays have historically hogged the limelight. But two Virginia Tech researchers have stolen the spotlight from the sun by discovering a way to maximize the amount of electricity that can be generated from the wastewater we flush down the toilet. An article recently published in Scientific Reports detailing their […]
National Crash Rate For Conventional Vehicles Higher Than Crash Rate Of Self-Driving Cars
National Crash Rate for Conventional Vehicles Higher Than Crash Rate of Self-Driving Cars
A new report, “Automated Vehicle Crash Rate Comparison Using Naturalistic Data,” performed by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and commissioned by Google, shows that the crash rates for self-driving cars are lower than the national crash rate of conventional cars. In this first-of-its-kind study, published today on the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute website, results show […]