Robotics Engineers Take on COVID-19
11-18-20
Methods that were originally created to help robots to walk and autonomous cars to drive safely can also help epidemiologists predict the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Aaron Ames and colleagues took these tools and applied them to the development of an epidemiological methodology that accounts for human interventions (like mask mandates and stay-at-home orders). By utilizing the U.S. COVID-19 data from March through May, they were able to predict the infection wave during the summer to high accuracy. "This is the greatest health challenge to face our society in a generation at least. We all need to pitch in and help in any way we can," Ames says. [Caltech story]
Tags:
research highlights
MCE
CMS
Aaron Ames
Andrew Singletary
FUTURE Ignited
11-04-20
Nearly 200 undergraduates from more than 120 colleges and universities across the country joined Caltech for FUTURE Ignited, a virtual event that aimed to encourage students of color to pursue graduate studies in science and engineering. The goal of FUTURE Ignited is to diversify STEM with students of color who will go on to become incredible graduate students and scientific leaders in their respective fields. [Caltech story]
A Molecular Approach to Quantum Computing
09-03-20
The technology behind the quantum computers of the future is fast developing, with several different approaches in progress. Many of the strategies, or "blueprints," for quantum computers rely on atoms or artificial atom-like electrical circuits. In a new theoretical study in the journal Physical Review X, Caltech demonstrates the benefits of a lesser-studied approach that relies not on atoms but molecules. One concept behind the new research comes from work performed nearly 20 years ago by Professor John Preskill, Professor Alexei Kitaev, and their colleague Daniel Gottesman. [Caltech story]
Tags:
research highlights
CMS
Alexei Kitaev
John Preskill
