gavron writes: While most politicians are pro copyright maximalism and patent exclusivity, Elizabeth Warren’s campaign just open-sourced a bunch of software and are proud of having used open source to save money, and build upon the shoulders of other giants. Way to go! “Our tech team worked hard to make getting involved with @ewarren’s campaign as easy as possible,” reads a…
Tag: outreach
TSA Bans Employees From Using TikTok
The Transportation Security Administration told employees to stop posting to TIkTok on Sunday, after New York Senator Chuck Schumer raised security concerns about the China-owned app. The Verge reports: The TSA’s announcement to ban employees from using TikTok came shortly after Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) penned a letter to its administrator, David Pekoske, requesting that the agency halt its use. According…
We’ve Just Seen the First Use of Deepfakes In an Indian Election Campaign
The Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has partnered with political communications firm The Ideaz Factory to create “positive campaigns” using deepfakes to reach different linguistic voter bases, reports Nilesh Christopher reports via Motherboard. It marks the debut of deepfakes in election campaigns in India. From the report: On February 7, a day ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections in Delhi, two…
Astronomers award 2020 Education Prize to Deborah Byrd
Byrd received the prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of U.S. astronomers. The prizes are given for outstanding achievements in scientific research, education, scholarly writing, and service to the astronomical community. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/2020-aas-education-prize-deborah-byrd…
Bringing community astronomy to rural Africa
Ideas discussed at last month’s IAU symposium in Tokyo last month included projects using smartphones and low-cost battery-powered equipment. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/iau-symposium-diversity-inclusion-astronomy…
Getting an MCS Part II – What is the program like?
When preparing to apply for an online MCS, students often ask the essential question – am I prepared for this degree program? In part two of this three part “Getting an MCS” series, we will be going in-depth on how to prepare for the MCS program once you have applied. Once you have applied to […]
The post Getting an MCS Part…
An update on that ‘gel’ on the moon
China’s Yutu-2 rover has sent back a new image of the unusual “gel-like” material it found last July, which seems to confirm that it’s not gel at all. Instead, it now appears it’s probably impact glass from a meteorite impact. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/gel-on-the-moon-impact-glass-china-yutu-2…
40% Of America’s Schools Have Now Dropped Their SAT/ACT Testing Requirement
“A record number” of U.S. schools are now accepting nearly all of their students without requiring an SAT or ACT test score, reports the Washington Post: Robert A. Schaeffer, public education director of FairTest, which opposes the misuse of standardized tests, said the past year has seen the “fastest growth spurt ever” of schools ending the SAT/ACT test score as an…
Astronomy educators to rendezvous in Chile
Members of the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program are heading to Chile for a tour of its great observatories, July 27 to August 5, 2019. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/astronomy-educators-to-rendezvous-in-chile…
Imperial College London Tackles a Big Question for Hepatitis C in China, India, and Pakistan
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global public health scourge, infecting more than 70 million people worldwide and ultimately causing liver complications including cirrhosis and cancer in 10-20% of cases. HCV was responsible for more than 475,000 deaths worldwide in 2015, and future cases are projected to expand most in China, India, and Pakistan. […]
The post Imperial College London Tackles…