News Update :: Tuesday, February 6, 2007

News

Update: Sakai, Blackboard Comment on Patent Pledge
Last week, we reported that Blackboard had released a legally binding pledge stating that the company would not assert its patent rights against open-source developers in the CMS space or against developers of "home-grown" systems. The non-assertion pledge also covers those who service such systems, including hosting, maintenance, support and customization. And it includes the current patent, as well as patents pending. We spoke with Blackboard representative Matthew Small, who provided some insight and clarification on the pledge. Since then, we've also had a chance to speak with Chuck Severence, executive director of the Sakai Foundation--a central player in the patent discussion--for exclusive comments....
Carnegie Mellon CS Chief to Head NSF Tech Funding
The National Science Foundation picked professor Jeannette Wing, head of the computer science department at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science (SCS), as assistant director for Computer & Information Science and Engineering (CISE) at NSF. She will begin her new position on July 1, 2007....
CMU Student Programmer Auctions His Skills on eBay
Andrew Warshaver, a Carnegie Mellon computer science student, is pursuing a summer job by auctioning off his programming skills on eBay. So far, he's received four serious offers hitting $5,500....
Google Hosts Campus 3D Rendering Competition
Google announced a competition among United States college students for the best rendering of their campus in 3D....
U. of Chicago Students Attempt OurSpace Service
University of Chicago students have launched a website that enables Internet users to build their own social sites, with simple features that can be "customized, privatized, and personalized."...
Virginia CC Adapts Messaging Service for Public Safety
A Virginia community college has adapted a popular messaging application as a public safety tool....
Fewer Ethnic Grads IT-Trained Despite Projected Boom
At a time when technology jobs are projected to double over the next five years, fewer people of color are graduating with degrees that will prepare them for jobs in information technology, according to an article by New American Media, a collaboration of ethnic media organizations....
UC Riverside Inaugurates New SuperComputer
University of California at Riverside last week unveiled the campus' newest supercomputer, the Altix 4700, which is expected to boost research in engineering, bioinformatics, and computer science at the school....

UPCOMING EVENTS

TDWI Winter Conference
Las Vegas, Feb. 18-23, 2007
Campus Technology 2007
Washington, DC, July 30-August 2, 2007
Events Calendar

Featured

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    Educause President and CEO John O'Brien Announces Retirement

    John O'Brien, president and CEO of Educause, has announced his intention to retire in August 2027.

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    Agentic AI Moves from Pilot Phase to Production, Bringing Governance to the Forefront

    New research from Caylent, an AI-focused Amazon Web Services Premier Tier Services Partner, found that enterprises are already moving agentic AI beyond pilots and into production environments. At the same time, organizations are putting strict conditions around autonomy, making governance and control the next major challenge for enterprise AI adoption.

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    AI Giants Back Nonprofit Focused on Workforce Transition

    The AI industry's biggest names are investing in more than just models and infrastructure — they're focusing on workforce readiness. OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Amazon are backing Raise US, a new nonprofit that aims to raise $1 billion to help American workers prepare for an AI-driven economy.

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    Designing AI Systems for Financial Aid

    Financial aid offices have been slow to adopt AI, risking technological stagnation at a critical early student touchpoint. Systematic AI integration can improve student experiences and strengthen institutional positioning.