2.23.07
Enter 'Junior': Stanford team's next-generation robot joins DARPA Challenge

Stanford Racing Team

Mike Montemerlo of the Stanford Racing Team works on a robotic 2006 Passat, whose software must understand concepts that befuddle many humans, such as right of way. 'Junior' is Stanford's entry in DARPA's Urban Challenge on Nov. 3.

When five autonomous vehicles, including the Stanford Racing Team's winning entry "Stanley," finished the 2005 Grand Challenge in the still Nevada desert, they passed a milestone of artificial intelligence. The robots in the 2007 Urban Challenge, however, will have to handle traffic. Enter "Junior," the Stanford Racing Team's new brainchild. Full Story

2.28.07
Scientists elucidate the origin of the darkest galaxies in the universe

Stelios Kazantzidis

This image from a supercomputer simulation shows as bright clumps the dark matter satellites that can be found around our Milky Way galaxy.

Stelios Kazantzidis, a researcher at Stanford University's Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), in collaboration with several other scholars, has developed an elegant explanation for how galaxies come to be dominated by dark matter. Full Story

2.28.07
Behind the News
Of all the scientific conferences held each year, the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is in a class by itself. Full Story

2.28.07
Sally Benson named executive director of Global Climate and Energy Project
Sally Benson, a staff scientist and former deputy director for operations at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been named to the newly created position of executive director of the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP). Full Story

2.26.07
Student-organized conference seeks to air new perspectives on clean energy
Stanford University will host "Energy Crossroads," an interdisciplinary conference March 1-3 offering fresh perspectives on the future of clean energy. Distinguished speakers include New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, former CIA Director Robert James Woolsey, partners from top-tier Silicon Valley venture capital firms and leading researchers on energy policy and technology. Full Story

2.21.07
Scholar explores role of science in public decisions about weapons systems
What role can scientists play in public decisions about the development and deployment of weapons systems? According to Rebecca Slayton, a lecturer in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society, there's some hope: Science gives experts an important, albeit limited, space for influencing public decisions. Full Story

2.16.07
Paul Teicholz awarded Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology
Paul M. Teicholz, research professor emeritus in civil and environmental engineering, has been awarded the 2006 Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology for his revolutionary contributions to the construction industry through the use of information technology. Full Story

2.21.07
Global impact of livestock production focus of recent event
The harmful environmental effects of livestock production are becoming increasingly serious at all levels—local, regional, national and global—and urgently need to be addressed, according to researchers from Stanford University, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other organizations. Full Story

2.21.07
Public agrees global warming exists but also divided over severity of problem
A majority of Americans agree with most scientists that the Earth is getting warmer, but they are divided over the seriousness of the problem, according to surveys conducted by Jon Krosnick, professor of communication and of political science. Full Story