News Archive - Ioana Patringenaru

UC San Diego’s New AI Major is Here

The University of California San Diego is launching an artificial intelligence major for undergraduates this fall — the result of more than a decade of growth in AI teaching and research here on campus.

Cybersecurity Training Programs Don’t Prevent Employees from Falling for Phishing Scams

Cybersecurity training programs as implemented today by most large companies do little to reduce the risk that employees will fall for phishing scams–the practice of sending malicious emails posing as legitimate to get victims to share personal information, such as their social security numbers.

Trial by Fire–and Simulated Earthquakes

When a 10-story test building in San Diego shook and twisted this summer, it wasn’t because of a real earthquake — it was part of a federally funded experiment designed to make future buildings safer when the next big one strikes.

Researchers test cold-formed steel-framed building for multiple hazards

Researchers ran earthquake tests, then fire tests on a 10-story building at the UC San Diego shake table. These tests focused on a building made of cold-formed steel, or CFS — a lightweight material made from 60% to 70% recycled steel. Currently, building codes that protect residents’ safety in the United States limit this type of building to 65 feet tall, or six stories, in areas with moderate to high seismic risk. Researchers are asking whether the limit could be increased to 100 feet or 10 stories. And so far, test results point to yes.

Non-hormonal Biomaterial Could Help Combat Vaginal Changes Associated with Menopause

A new hydrogel applied directly to vaginal tissues may help alleviate the negative impacts of menopause, according to a new study from scientists at the University of California San Diego.

How Can Visual Artists Protect Their Work from AI Crawlers? It’s Complicated

One of the best ways to protect artists’ creative work is to prevent it from ever being seen by “AI crawlers” – the programs that harvest data on the Internet for training generative models. But most artists don’t have access to the tools that would allow them to take such actions.

The Robot Will See You Now

As waiting rooms fill up, doctors get increasingly burnt out, and surgeries take longer to schedule and more get cancelled, humanoid surgical robots offer a solution. That’s the argument that UC San Diego robotics expert Michael Yip makes in a perspective piece out July 9 in Science Robotics.