Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
May 2009
From ACM TechNews
Classroom Computers Boost Face-to-Face Learning
A European Union-funded research initiative called LEAD is using computers to enhance collaborative, face-to-face learning and problem solving. The research demonstrates that students can solve problems, master subject matter…
From ACM TechNews
IBM Unveils Real-Time Software to Find Trends in Vast Data Sets
IBM has unveiled System S, stream processing software capable of receiving huge volumes of data from numerous sources and quickly identifying correlations within that data. Swedish Institute of Space Physics scientist Bo Thide…
From ACM TechNews
NIST Engineers Discover Fundamental Flaw in Transistor Theory
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) engineers have uncovered a flaw in the understanding of transistor noise, a phenomenon affecting the electronic on-off switch that is the foundation of computer circuits.…
From ACM News
Coverity Co-Founder Receives ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award
Coverity co-founder Dawson Engler has been awarded ACM's Grace Murray Hopper Award for his groundbreaking research in automated program checking. "Dawson Engler introduces and develops powerful techniques and tools for practical…
From ACM News
U.S. Lags Globally in Robotics Development
The United States is trailing other countries in the development of sophisticated robots, according to a recently released report written by a group of 140 experts from industry, federal laboratories, and leading academic institutions…
From ACM News
Keynoters Announced for Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
Google vice president Megan Smith and University of California, San Diego professor Fran Berman will be the keynote speakers at the 9th annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, which takes place September 30-October…
From ACM News
Researchers to Create Next Gen Discs
Nanotechnology can be used to create discs that offer 2,000 times the storage capacity of current DVDs, according to researchers from Australia's Swinburne University of Technology. A team from Swinburne's Center for Micro-Photonics…
From ACM TechNews
Cvis: Connected Vehicles For Next-Generation Mobility
The European flagship project for Cooperative Vehicle-Infrastructure Systems (CVIS) is preparing the first road demonstrations of technology underlying the universal European platform for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure…
From ACM News
Computer Security Team Proposes Cloud Computing Definition
A working definition for cloud computing has been released by a team of computer security experts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The working definition of cloud computing described by NIST is "a…
From ACM News
U.S. Announces Significant Steps in Smart Grid Development
On May 18, 2009, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced significant progress that will help expedite development of a nationwide "smart" electric power grid. After chairing a meeting…
From ACM News
Wisconsin tility Testing Online Energy Monitors
A Wisconsin utility is joining an energy-efficiency initiative that allows customers to monitor their home's power use online, through an iGoogle gadget. Google's new PowerMeter takes information on a customer's hourly electricity…
From ACM TechNews
Boost For Future Broadband Speeds
Building the pieces of future ultra-fast broadband networks is the focus of a new initiative of the U.K. government. Local firms have received approximately 1 million pounds to pursue 13 projects that will help lay the foundation…
From ACM TechNews
Professor to 'unroll' Papyrus Scrolls Buried By Vesuvius
University of Kentucky computer scientist Brent Seales will use an x-ray CT scanning system to collect interior images of two of the hundreds of papyrus scrolls that were buried in volcanic ash when Italy's Mount Vesuvius erupted…
From ACM TechNews
Chink in Encryption Armor Discovered
Researchers from the Information Security Group (ISG) at Royal Holloway, University of London have discovered an underlying flaw in the OpenSSH encryption protocol. The flaw, which is present in version 4.7 of OpenSSH on Debian…
From ACM TechNews
Msu Computer Scientist Wins Nsf Grant For Wireless Tech Research
Montana State University (MSU) professor Jian Tang has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to continue his research in wireless communications technology, which is designed to enhance emergency communications…
From ACM TechNews
How to Find Bugs in Giant Software Programs
University of Calgiari researcher Michele Marchesi and colleagues have developed a way that software developers can allocate resources to error correction. Marchesi analyzed a database of Java programs called Eclipse and found…
From ACM TechNews
Bots vs. Smugglers: Drug Tunnel Smackdown
New software developed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is being used with semi-autonomous robots in the war against drug smuggling. The software can be installed on different robots, allowing them to self-maneuver through…
From ACM TechNews
Are Computers Transforming Humanity?
Researchers and technologists agree that computer technology is fueling significant changes in individuals and society as a whole, and the endpoint is unknown.
From ACM TechNews
Siggraph to Showcase Breakthroughs in Haptics, Robotics, and Gaming
ACM SIGGRAPH 2009's Emerging Technologies will feature demonstrations and juried interactive installations from numerous fields, including alternative displays, robotics, input interfaces, gaming, audio, haptics and virtual reality…
From ACM TechNews
Grid Browser Finds the Meaning of Life
The European Union-funded Sealife project has developed a Web browser capable of understanding the technical terms used in life sciences and automatically finding additional resources and services related to those terms. The…
From ACM TechNews
In 2010 Asia and Latin America Will Be Leading in Use of Free Software
The use of free software in South America and Asia will reach about 70 percent in 2010, and will be particularly prevalent in the education sector, according to a report by Maria Dolores Gallego from Salvador Bueno (of Pablo…
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Aim For Cloud Standard
The development of a framework for building cloud computing infrastructure could improve high-performance computing services from the Internet to multiple clients. Andrzej Goscinski, a professor from Deakin University's School…
From ACM TechNews
ACM Group Honors Researchers Whose Zig-Zag Graph Aids Computer Network Designs
ACM's Special Interest Group on Algorithms and Computing Theory (SIGACT) and the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science have awarded the Godel Prize to Omer Reingold, Salil Vadhan, and Avi Wigderson for developing…
From ACM News
New Wave of Apps Build 'where' Into the Web
You just landed in Seattle for a meeting later this afternoon. But first, you've got to pick up your rental car, grab a hot cup of coffee and probably spend a fair amount of time sitting in traffic. Your colleagues can only guess…
From ACM News
Toyota Deploys Tech Tools in Third-Generation Prius
Recognizing that first-ness is a perishable commodity, Toyota has deployed an array of new technologies in its third-generation Prius hybrid aimed at cementing its appeal to the electron-heads who comprise a core constituency…
From ACM News
iRobot Rolls Out One-Pound Machine, Ready to Swarm
iRobot has built over 2,000 machines for the military. Most of 'em are 50 pounds plus, and more than three feet long. But, lately, the company has been working on an itty-bitty version of its Packbot reconnaissance machine —…
From ACM TechNews
Technology to 'watch Over' Vulnerable Road Users
The European WATCH-OVER Project has developed a system capable of monitoring vulnerable road users (VRUs) that features a pre-crash system and a warning system. VRUs, which include pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, are…
From ACM TechNews
Memory-Chip Alternative Is Unveiled
Unity Semiconductor Corp. says it has developed an alternative to the widely used NAND flash memory chip that can store four times the amount of data in the same space and record data five to 10 times faster. The company says…
From ACM TechNews
Software to Track Our Emotional Outbursts
Sentiment analysis agents are designed to teach computers to comprehend the emotions expressed in text just as well as people do, and early adopters include big brand name owners. Some emotionally aware software can keep abusive…
From ACM Careers
Cifellows Project Fosters Computing Innovation
The Computing Innovation Fellows project announced by the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) and the Computing Research Association (CRA) will award grants to 30 to 60 new PhD graduates this summer for one-to-two year postdoctoral…