Monthly Archives: February 2019

Calling for a change in STEM culture to retain underrepresented students

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Women and students of color are widely underrepresented in the majority of STEM fields. Most discussions take a ‘deficit’ approach to the problem, citing deficits of minority groups as a reason for discrepancy. However a new study looks at how instructional style and perceived professor care influence decisions of students from underrepresented groups to major in STEM.

Open Accesss Social Science Technology

Using deep learning to “see” inside homes across the world

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How much does someone’s living room tell about how they live? Peeking into another person’s life might be just part of natural human curiosity, but the answer to this question may provide insights in a wide range of aspects of human behavior. A new study published in EPJ Data Science uses the power of machine learning to explore patterns of home decors—and what they could tell about their owners—in popular accommodation website Airbnb.

Social Science

Has the power of the Internet been a factor in crime reduction?

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One of the most challenging questions for criminologists is explaining how and why crime rates have plummeted. While there are many factors that explain drops in crime, a recent article published in Crime Science introduces a new question. Has the power of the Internet been a factor? Authors have focused on the impact of perhaps the most influential platform online, the Google Search Engine.

Social Science Technology