***************************************************** Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. *****************************************************
TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2004 NSF Funds Six New Research Centers Class Meetings Move to Virtual World Powering Laptops with Photosynthesis Concern Grows over JPEG Flaw NSF FUNDS SIX NEW RESEARCH CENTERS Six universities will receive more than $69 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the creation of research centers to study nanotechnology. Since 2001, the NSF has funded eight similar centers. Included in the latest awards are Northeastern University, which will study techniques for nanomanufacturing and assess their environmental impact; Ohio State University, where researchers will work to develop nanotechnology for medical applications; Stanford University, which will develop nanoprobes and methods to control nanoscale events; the University of California at Berkeley, where researchers will study chemical and biological sensing applications of nanotechnology; the University of Pennsylvania, which will study the interaction of nanotechnology and biology at the molecular level; and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, which will conduct research into the self-assembly of materials at the nanoscale level. Chronicle of Higher Education, 23 September 2004 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2004/09/2004092304n.htm CLASS MEETINGS MOVE TO VIRTUAL WORLD A company called Linden Lab, creator of a 3D digital "world" called Second Life, has announced a program called "Campus: Second Life," which allows college and university faculty to use the simulated online environment to host class sessions. In the Second Life world, participants choose characters who can do things such as change forms, build vast structures, and fly. Aaron Delwiche, an assistant professor at Trinity University, uses Second Life for a course in developing games. He described the tool as "a shared virtual experience," saying it provides his students with an opportunity to experience the kinds of electronic media they plan to develop later. Anne Beamish of the University of Texas also uses Second Life as the "location" for class meetings and student interaction. Beamish said the digital world is similar to the real world but with different physics, which causes students to react differently. The result, she said, is that students "think more deeply about how one designs public spaces." Wired News, 24 September 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,65052,00.html POWERING LAPTOPS WITH PHOTOSYNTHESIS Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a device that demonstrates the feasibility of using photosynthesis to power electronic devices. To survive, the proteins that effect photosynthesis require an environment that typically damages electronic equipment. MIT's Shuguang Zhang, working with researchers from University of Tennessee and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, however, was able to keep the proteins alive in an electronic environment using something called detergent peptides. The researchers then used proteins from spinach to develop a device that produced a small electrical current when light was shined on it. Zhang compared the current to a penny, saying that a single penny is not much but that "one billion pennies is a lot of money." Advantages of this approach to generating electricity include its portability and, because it produces no waste, its environmental friendliness. Though real-world uses of the technology are likely many years away, the development has possible applications in a range of portable electronic devices, including laptop computers and cell phones. Washington Post, 24 September 2004 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47002-2004Sep24.html CONCERN GROWS OVER JPEG FLAW Some security experts are warning users that a recently announced flaw in the way some Microsoft applications handle JPEG images could lead to the next large-scale virus infection. David Perry of anti-virus firm Trend Micro noted that the combination of several factors has his firm especially worried about the JPEG flaw. Those factors, Perry said, include the number of applications that are affected by the flaw--more than a dozen--and the fact that there has not been a significant virus attack for some time, which may have the effect of lowering users' attention to preventive measures. When the flaw was announced, no code had yet appeared that exploited it. Within the past week, however, such code has been written and has appeared on a private mailing list and a public Web site. Perry characterized the current situation as "the virus equivalent of a harmonic convergence." Others were not as worried about the threat posed by the flaw. Graham Cluley of anti-virus firm Sophos noted that so far no malicious code is being delivered using the flaw. "It is purely being done as a 'proof of concept,'" said Cluley. BBC, 24 September 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3684552.stm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/ Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/ ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. For information on EDUCAUSE publications see http://www.educause.edu/pub/ ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/conference/ ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2004, EDUCAUSE
