MIT Media Lab

Congratulations to Professor Ramesh Raskar, head of the Media Lab’s Camera Culture research group, on receiving The Royal Photographic Society Award for Imaging Science for 2024! This award recognizes sustained excellence or a notable contribution to the advancement or application of imaging science.

Watch: The World Economic Forum highlights three new technologies revealing the impacts of climate change, including advanced visualizations that can be experienced in augmented or virtual reality. Developed at the MIT Media Lab, these interactive, intuitive explorations of complex data can be used to help leaders make climate decisions.

With “Jordan and the jam_bot: a work-in-progress performance,” acclaimed keyboardist Jordan Rudess brought his signature blend of innovation and virtuosity to the Media Lab, showcasing a unique blend of human and machine improvisation. The performance was the public debut of an AI model called the jam_bot, which Rudess developed with researchers from the Media Lab’s Responsive Environments group. During the concert, the jam_bot engaged in a musical dialogue with Rudess and violinist Camilla B?ckman. The live performance also featured a kinetic sculpture that responded dynamically to the jam_bot’s musical contributions. Throughout the show, Rudess and B?ckman exchanged musical cues, while interactions with the jam_bot highlighted the potential for AI to collaborate creatively in real time. This project was a collaborative effort led by Professor Joseph Paradiso and graduate students Lancelot Blanchard and Perry Naseck, and included continuous input and data from Rudess. Rudess has been a pioneer in integrating AI into music; the jam_bot project exemplifies "symbiotic virtuosity," where human and computer duet in real time, creating performance-worthy new music live on stage. “The goal is to create a musical visual experience,” says Rudess, “to show what’s possible and to up the game.” He’s also interested in the model’s potential applications in musical technology and education, saying “This work has legs beyond just entertainment value.” Professor Paradiso adds, “At the Media Lab, it’s so important to think about how AI and humans come together for the benefit of all. How is AI going to lift us all up? Ideally it will do what so many technologies have done — bring us into another vista where we’re more enabled.” https://lnkd.in/gY-PysNN

Congratulations to all of the honorees in TIME's Best Inventions of 2024, which include a number of Media Lab spinoffs and companies supported by the E14 Fund, the early-stage venture capital firm from and for the MIT and Media Lab startup community: BRELYON, Formlabs, Guardian Agriculture, and OVERJET.

“PortaChrome,” a portable light system and design tool that can change the color and textures of various objects, could enable surfaces to display dynamic patterns like health data and fashion designs. Developed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers from MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the University of California, Berkeley, and Aarhus University, including Media Labber Cedric Honnet, the system was presented at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST 2024).

Tune in at 12pm ET on Friday, Nov. 22 for the first session of “Thinking with Sand: A Talk Series Exploring New Software Tools for Creative Exploration and Augmented Thinking,” featuring creative technologist Kawandeep Virdee! Hosted by the Media Lab’s Future Sketches group, this series will feature artists and researchers working with new interfaces and tools for augmented thinking and creative exploration. Free, virtual, + open to the public. https://lnkd.in/gEj5kwRn

Interested in applying to the Media Lab? Applications to the Program in Media Arts and Sciences (MAS) are open through December 15, 2024! All MAS students begin at the master's level and can then apply to the PhD program during their second year of study.

Explore The Digitalist Papers, a series of articles from experts in multiple fields that presents an array of possible futures that the AI revolution might produce. Media Lab Professor Alex 'Sandy' Pentland and Professor Lily Tsai, Director of the MIT Governance Lab, are the authors of "Rediscovering the Pleasures of Pluralism: The Potential of Digitally Mediated Civic Participation.” Professor Pentland is also a curator for the series.

The Media Lab has opened a search for an Executive Director. This newly created leadership role will be responsible for articulating the Media Lab’s vision, formulating its strategy, and driving its fundraising and communications efforts. The Executive Director will work very closely with the Media Lab’s Director, Professor Dava Newman, to strengthen and re-assert the Lab’s position as a global leader in innovation. Please share this posting with your networks!

Are you an undergraduate who's curious about cutting-edge research and technology? Would you like to connect with other multicultural students who are passionate about inclusion and community at MIT? Are you looking for ways to get involved with the Media Lab—one of MIT’s most innovative environments? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then we’ve got a special event for you! If you're in the Boston area, please RSVP for Media Lab MOSAIC (MAS Outreach for Students Advancing Inclusion & Community) on Monday, November 25 from 5–7pm. This *in-person* event will be an incredible opportunity for multicultural undergraduate students from MIT and other institutions to connect and: - Learn about the program in Media Arts & Science (MAS) and UROP opportunities from a diverse panel of current MAS students - Experience the cutting-edge research and labs at MIT via a guided group tour, and - Build relationships and community with students from diverse backgrounds. Please RSVP by Friday, November 22. https://lnkd.in/eGhmJyBh