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Computer Science - 09.03.2023

Computer scientists paint a picture of six decades of movies
Researchers say data science may eventually help predict a film's success From the sepia tones of a Coen brothers film set in the Dust Bowl to a child's red coat in Schindler's List, filmmakers have long known the power of colour in movies. Now, computer scientists have analyzed 60 years of films to paint a picture of the past six decades in film.

Astronomy / Space Science - Computer Science - 30.01.2023

University of Toronto undergrad develops AI technique to accelerate the search for extraterrestrial life
Are we alone in the universe? With the help of artificial intelligence, scientists may be one step closer to finding the answer. Led by researchers at the University of Toronto, an international team of scientists has streamlined the search for extraterrestrial life by using a new algorithm to organize the data from their telescopes into categories to distinguish between real signals and interference.

Health - Computer Science - 19.01.2023

AI-powered database to design potential cancer drug in 30 days
In less than a month, researchers have used AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered protein structure database, to design and synthesize a potential drug to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer. The researchers successfully applied AlphaFold to an end-to-end AI-powered drug discovery platform called Pharma.AI.

Innovation - Computer Science - 18.01.2023

OneButtonPIN increases security for blind and low-vision tech users
New authentication method helps protect data from privacy attacks Working closely with blind and low-vision (BLV) users, researchers at the University of Waterloo and the Rochester Institute of Technology have developed a new authentication method that could help BLV technology users more securely access their devices.

Computer Science - 11.01.2023

Datagotchi: the voting-prediction tool keeps learning new things
Released in September during the Quebec provincial elections, the app analyzes people's lifestyles to give a better idea which party they'll cast their ballot for. CONTENU - People's everyday habits may not correlate perfectly with their voting behaviour. But the research team behind a made-in-Quebec app called Datagotchi has found a significant link between lifestyle and voting preference.

Pharmacology - Computer Science - 11.01.2023

AI to fast-track drug formulation development
In a bid to reduce the time and cost associated with developing promising new medicines, University of Toronto scientists have successfully tested the use of artificial intelligence to guide the design of long-acting injectable drug formulations. The study, published this week in  Nature Communication , was led by Professor  Christine Allen  in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and  Alán Aspuru-Guzik  in the departments of chemistry and computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

Chemistry - Computer Science - 16.12.2022

Using quantum-inspired computing, University of Toronto Engineering and Fujitsu discover improved catalyst for clean hydrogen
Researchers from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and  Fujitsu  have developed a new way of searching through 'chemical space' for materials with desirable properties. The technique has resulted in a promising new catalyst material that could help lower the cost of producing clean hydrogen.

Computer Science - 13.12.2022

Should you believe your eyes? Not necessarily in virtual reality says new study
A recent study by Western neuroscientists suggests that, unlike true reality, perception in virtual reality is more strongly influenced by our expectations than the visual information before our eyes. The researchers point to the challenge of online shopping, where customers sometimes mis-estimate the size of a product based on their expectations, discovering for example that a sweater purchased online is indeed lovely but sized for a doll not an adult.

Health - Computer Science - 30.11.2022

New AI method for public health analysis shows trends in substance use among high schoolers
University of Waterloo researchers take a novel approach to public health analysis High school students who have a large weekly allowance, friends who smoke and low levels of physical activity are more likely to use multiple substances over time. Conversely, being older, being Black and eating breakfast daily were factors associated with a smaller chance of transitioning to multiple use.

Computer Science - 03.11.2022

Security loophole allowing attackers to use WiFi to see through walls
A research team based out of the University of Waterloo has developed a drone-powered device that can use WiFi networks to see through walls. The device, nicknamed Wi-Peep, can fly near a building and then use the inhabitants' WiFi network to identify and locate all WiFi-enabled devices inside in a matter of seconds.

Computer Science - 06.10.2022

UBC students help NASA find landslides by training computers to read Reddit
Science, Health & Technology Alex Walls UBC graduate students trained computers to "read" news articles about landslides on Reddit to bolster a NASA database, which could improve predictions of when and where these natural disasters will occur. For their Master of Data Science in Computational Linguistics capstone project, Badr Jaidi and his team, the Social Landslides group, trained computers to automatically extract useful information from relevant news articles about landslides that were posted to Reddit.

Computer Science - Environment - 31.08.2022

What deep learning algorithms can teach us about snow
Canadians think they know a lot about snow. It is practically a national pastime to discuss winter weather. But a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo is taking the Canadian obsession with weather to a whole new level. Fraser King is studying the ways machine learning can be applied to predicting patterns of precipitation, and especially annual snowfall and snowmelt in the context of climate change.

Health - Computer Science - 02.08.2022

New diabetes monitor can detect glucose levels using breath
A next-generation diabetes monitor that analyses breath might soon mean no more needle pricks to check blood sugar levels. The device uses gas sensors to measure breath instantly, then links via Bluetooth with a program on a mobile device to give a readout. Distinct biomarkers in exhaled breath carry a subtle signature that the device picks up before the app uses a deep learning algorithm to produce rapid individual results.

Computer Science - 27.07.2022

Video games: posing in 3D
An UdeM computer scientist and his PhD candidate have developed a tool for animators to use bitmap sketches to control how a character stands and moves in three dimensions. What's the best way to get 3D characters in videogames to look real and expressive? Two computer scientists at Université de Montréal have come up with answer: use simple bitmap sketches to make their poses more lifelike.

Computer Science - Physics - 13.07.2022

Missing photonic link to enable an all-silicon quantum internet
Researchers at Simon Fraser University have made a crucial breakthrough in the development of quantum technology. Their research, published in Nature today, describes their observations of silicon -T centre- photon-spin qubits, an important milestone that unlocks immediate opportunities to construct massively scalable quantum computers and the quantum internet that will connect them.

Environment - Computer Science - 28.06.2022

Is AI good or bad for the climate? It’s complicated
As the world fights climate change, will the increasingly widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) be a help or a hindrance? In a paper published this week in Nature Climate Change , a team of experts in AI, climate change, and public policy present a framework for understanding the complex and multifaceted relationship of AI with greenhouse gas emissions, and suggest ways to better align AI with climate change goals.

Computer Science - Microtechnics - 17.05.2022

Researchers design ’socially aware’ robots that can anticipate - and safely avoid - people on the move
A team of researchers led by University of Toronto Professor  Tim Barfoot  is using a new strategy that allows robots to avoid colliding with people by predicting the future locations of dynamic obstacles in their path. The project, which is supported by Apple Machine Learning, will be presented at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Philadelphia at the end of May.

Health - Computer Science - 16.05.2022

AI models identify COVID-19 patients at the greatest risk of death, injury
New artificial intelligence (AI) models can help doctors prioritize care by predicting which COVID-19 patients are most at risk of dying or developing kidney injuries during hospitalization. The sophisticated computer software, developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo, identifies vulnerable patients by learning from previous COVID-19 patient cases with known clinical outcomes.

Campus - Computer Science - 10.05.2022

Engineering students dig through snowplow data to gauge Toronto’s response to winter storms
Last January, as 55 centimetres of snow blanketed Toronto over a period of just 15 hours, the city's snow-clearing fleet appeared to struggle to keep up. But was it actually different than other storms, or did it just seem that way? For three students in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering who were taking "Data Science for Engineers," a graduate-level course taught by  Sebastian Goodfellow , an assistant professor in the department of civil and mineral engineering, it was the perfect case study to test out their new number-crunching skills.

Environment - Computer Science - 25.04.2022

Machine learning to speed up counting of microplastics
Microplastics are all around us - in the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe. But before researchers can understand the real impact of these particles on health, they need faster and more effective ways to quantify what is there. Two recent studies by researchers at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering have proposed new methods that use machine learning to make the process of counting and classifying microplastics easier, faster and more affordable.