AI also has a disconcertingly human habit of amplifying stereotypes. Ph.D. students at UVA and University of Washington examined a public dataset of photos and found that the images of people cooking were 33 percent more likely to picture women than men. When they ran the images through an AI model, the algorithms said women were 68 percent more likely to appear in the cooking photos.
An industrial hemp research program kicked in 2015 in Virginia. About 80 acres have been planted on farms in 12 counties so several universities, such as the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, can study best cultivation practices and marketability for the crop, a process that’s ongoing.
A new organization called ‘The Solar Energy Work Group,’ is offering help to homeowners and business owners to install solar energy on their property. It has come up with a roadmap for a solar-based economy in Southwestern Virginia that includes workforce training in the region and the promise of jobs to go with it. The Solar Workgroup is an effort of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise and the environmental advocacy group Appalachian Voices.
Virginia appears a likely choice for the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md., on Dec. 28.
Kate Orff was awarded the prestigious “Genius” Grant from the MacArthur Foundation in recognition of her work. Orff’s New York practice, SCAPE, develops broad-based coalitions that can advocate for the firm’s projects. “I went to college at the University of Virginia and studied in this program that was called political and social thought, and I put together a major called eco-feminism,” she said.
Robert O’Neil, a former UVA president, said honorary degrees are supposed to honor professional achievement but often have other motivations. “In many cases, it’s just to recognize a wealthy donor,” O’Neil told the AP. “I think the eclectic or haphazard process at some institutions risks creating a very bad precedent.”
Kyle Kondik, a political analyst with UVA’s Center for Politics, said the DeWine-Husted announcement fits a pattern. “There’s a long history of the Ohio Republican Party being a kind of ‘wait your turn’ organization,” said Kondik. “Apparently Husted decided it was better to defer to DeWine and get on board.” Kondik said Democrats are “more than capable” of winning the general election, but will need to focus on fundraising.
Charlottesville’s individual insurance markets are being covered this year by Optima, a relative newcomer to the area. Optima’s parent company, Sentara, also owns Martha Jefferson Hospital. “The big unknown is how Optima is coming up with their premiums,” said Carolyn Engelhard, an associate professor and director of UVA’s Health Policy Program.
First approved by the FDA in 2004 as a treatment for uterine fibroids, focused ultrasound has gained an increasing variety of potential uses, generating excitement among many doctors. “There are 18 ways, or mechanisms of action, by which focused ultrasound affects tissue. That fact creates the opportunity to treat a whole variety of medical disorders,” says Dr. Neal Kassell, UVA’s former co-chair of neurosurgery and founder and chair of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, which seeks to speed the development and adoption of the technology.
A new study provides insights on the mechanisms that allow an individual's immune system to accept, rather than reject, a donor kidney. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, point to markers that could be monitored to asses and track the health of organs following transplantation. A team led by Dr. Lorenzo Gallon (Northwestern University) and Valeria Mas (University of Virginia) studied patients in whom tolerance was induced by creating at state of persistent donor “chimerism.”
The host businesses and organization were selected by The Presidential Precinct, a non-profit collaboration between the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary, William Short’s Morven and three Virginia presidential estates (of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe) whose mission is to “empower young leaders around the world through education, collaboration and networking.” Samanta Lacayo Trujillo was placed with JABA because of the nonprofit’s excellent reputation, and because its mission aligned with what she was trying to accomplish in Nicaragua.
The theme for this year's annual light show on grounds at the University of Virginia was “Be the Light.” The theme was chosen as a way to bring people from the community and university together after the events over the summer in Charlottesville.
(Commentary by UVA student Leslie Currie) In its first few months of providing subsidized tuition to qualified New York students, the Excelsior Scholarship has raised a number of questions about the viability of a bankrolled education.
“Facebook can’t expect users who have been fooled to stop being fooled by a fake account. You know, if a fake account is well-designed, you know, it’s going to draw people in,” said Siva Vaidhyanathan, a UVA media studies professor and the author of an upcoming book on Facebook.
“Some fat deposits are more metabolically active than others, and those may be more responsive to exercise interventions,” says Arthur Weltman, a professor of medicine and chair of UVA’s Department of Kinesiology. “Abdominal fat in particular is one of the most metabolically active fats.”
Former UVA soccer player Paddy Foss has been named the new head girls varsity soccer coach at St. Anne's Belfield. He played at UVA from 2013-2016 and was a team captain. He also was a member of Virginia's 2014 national championship team.
Two federal courts will soon hear preliminary arguments in lawsuits filed by states that are challenging the Trump administration’s religious and moral exemptions from the federal government’s contraceptive mandate. Douglas Laycock, a professor at the UVA School of Law who writes about religious-liberty cases, said he does not believe the lawsuits’ constitutional and discrimination claims are going anywhere.
(By W. Bradford Wilcox, a sociologist, and Vijay Menon, graduate student in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy) Conservatives are family values hypocrites, Nick Kristof recently argued at The New York Times. They talk about marriage, family, and traditional values, but, in reality, they have difficulty living up to their professed values. Certainly, Kristof is onto something when it comes to members of the political class, such as Newt Gingrich, Roy Moore and Donald Trump. But the story is rather different when one looks at ordinary families across America.
The Forbes magazine results are out and the report confirms what many already knew: alumni of Darden School of Business, University of Virginia are most satisfied when it comes to MBA education in the United States.