UC Science Today

Imagine using Wi-Fi signals to see through concrete walls? Electrical and computer engineer Yasamin Mostofi of the University of California, Santa Barbara is doing just that.

"We wanted to see if we can give this X-ray vision to our unmanned vehicles with only Wi-Fi. So they move around, they gather their measurements and then based on those measurements and the mathematical foundations we’ve developed, then they’re going to process it, to extract that image and build that image."

This type of sensing could be used in smart homes for heating and cooling, or for home security. Mostofi is also interested in using this for search-and-rescue.

"Imagine the Japan tsunami in 2011. In such a scenario there was a nuclear spill and it’s too dangerous for humans to go in. It would be great if we can have unmanned vehicles that from outside can assess the situation inside and figure out what’s going on behind the walls and then help guide humans to safe areas."

Imagine using Wi-Fi signals to see through concrete walls? Electrical and computer engineer Yasamin Mostofi of the University of California, Santa Barbara is doing just that.

"We wanted to see if we can give this X-ray vision to our unmanned vehicles with only Wi-Fi. So they move around, they gather their measurements and then based on those measurements and the mathematical foundations we’ve developed, then they’re going to process it, to extract that image and build that image."

This type of sensing could be used in smart homes for heating and cooling, or for home security. Mostofi is also interested in using this for search-and-rescue.

"Imagine the Japan tsunami in 2011. In such a scenario there was a nuclear spill and it’s too dangerous for humans to go in. It would be great if we can have unmanned vehicles that from outside can assess the situation inside and figure out what’s going on behind the walls and then help guide humans to safe areas."

The field of neuro-ophthalmology delves into the eye-brain connection and the diseases that affect it. Dr. Khizer Khaderi directs the neuro-ophthalmology service at the University of California, Davis Eye Center.

"So I deal a lot with patients that have diseases that affect how the eye communicates with the brain. The eye is connected to the brain via a cable that we call the optic nerve and a lot of conditions that injure the optic nerve can present with decreased vision, even changes in your peripheral vision."

These conditions include multiple sclerosis, tumors, or trauma. In the case of trauma Khaderi started a sports division lab. This has led to the development of low-cost mobile tools that can determine the likelihood of a concussion by measuring how an athlete’s eyes react to specific tests.

"We’re really at an exciting time in terms of all these new technologies and ways to answer these questions, but I think that’s going to evolve more and more even with the use of tools like the ones that we’ve created here."

The field of neuro-ophthalmology delves into the eye-brain connection and the diseases that affect it. Dr. Khizer Khaderi directs the neuro-ophthalmology service at the University of California, Davis Eye Center.

"So I deal a lot with patients that have diseases that affect how the eye communicates with the brain. The eye is connected to the brain via a cable that we call the optic nerve and a lot of conditions that injure the optic nerve can present with decreased vision, even changes in your peripheral vision."

These conditions include multiple sclerosis, tumors, or trauma. In the case of trauma Khaderi started a sports division lab. This has led to the development of low-cost mobile tools that can determine the likelihood of a concussion by measuring how an athlete’s eyes react to specific tests.

"We’re really at an exciting time in terms of all these new technologies and ways to answer these questions, but I think that’s going to evolve more and more even with the use of tools like the ones that we’ve created here."

The field of neuro-ophthalmology delves into the eye-brain connection and the diseases that affect it. Dr. Khizer Khaderi directs the neuro-ophthalmology service at the University of California, Davis Eye Center.

"So I deal a lot with patients that have diseases that affect how the eye communicates with the brain. The eye is connected to the brain via a cable that we call the optic nerve and a lot of conditions that injure the optic nerve can present with decreased vision, even changes in your peripheral vision."

These conditions include multiple sclerosis, tumors, or trauma. In the case of trauma Khaderi started a sports division lab. This has led to the development of low-cost mobile tools that can determine the likelihood of a concussion by measuring how an athlete’s eyes react to specific tests.

"We’re really at an exciting time in terms of all these new technologies and ways to answer these questions, but I think that’s going to evolve more and more even with the use of tools like the ones that we’ve created here."

Who hasn’t gotten into a political argument? Emotions can run high during such debates and judgments are often made. It’s this dynamic that social psychologist Peter Ditto of the University of California, Irvine studies at his Hot Cognition Lab. The aim is to understand the passionate side of human judgment.

"I was trained as an experimental social psychologist – I do work on human judgment and decision making, particularly the errors and biases that people show when they make judgments that are kind of emotionally-based. What really changed my research was this sort of new hyper polarized, hyper partisan political environment."

Ditto’s research group helped develop the Moral Foundations Theory.

"The basic idea is there are five things that people care about – harming other people, particularly weak people; fairness; loyalty, authority and purity. 35:16 But different groups differ in how much they weight each of these different kinds of factors is what our research has shown, again and again."

Ditto’s interest is to use this research to foster a better understanding – and lower the temperature – of political conflict.

Who hasn’t gotten into a political argument? Emotions can run high during such debates and judgments are often made. It’s this dynamic that social psychologist Peter Ditto of the University of California, Irvine studies at his Hot Cognition Lab. The aim is to understand the passionate side of human judgment.

"I was trained as an experimental social psychologist – I do work on human judgment and decision making, particularly the errors and biases that people show when they make judgments that are kind of emotionally-based. What really changed my research was this sort of new hyper polarized, hyper partisan political environment."

Ditto’s research group helped develop the Moral Foundations Theory.

"The basic idea is there are five things that people care about – harming other people, particularly weak people; fairness; loyalty, authority and purity. 35:16 But different groups differ in how much they weight each of these different kinds of factors is what our research has shown, again and again."

Ditto’s interest is to use this research to foster a better understanding – and lower the temperature – of political conflict.

Who hasn’t gotten into a political argument? Emotions can run high during such debates and judgments are often made. It’s this dynamic that social psychologist Peter Ditto of the University of California, Irvine studies at his Hot Cognition Lab. The aim is to understand the passionate side of human judgment.

"I was trained as an experimental social psychologist – I do work on human judgment and decision making, particularly the errors and biases that people show when they make judgments that are kind of emotionally-based. What really changed my research was this sort of new hyper polarized, hyper partisan political environment."

Ditto’s research group helped develop the Moral Foundations Theory.

"The basic idea is there are five things that people care about – harming other people, particularly weak people; fairness; loyalty, authority and purity. 35:16 But different groups differ in how much they weight each of these different kinds of factors is what our research has shown, again and again."

Ditto’s interest is to use this research to foster a better understanding – and lower the temperature – of political conflict.

Who hasn’t gotten into a political argument? Emotions can run high during such debates and judgments are often made. It’s this dynamic that social psychologist Peter Ditto of the University of California, Irvine studies at his Hot Cognition Lab. The aim is to understand the passionate side of human judgment.

"I was trained as an experimental social psychologist – I do work on human judgment and decision making, particularly the errors and biases that people show when they make judgments that are kind of emotionally-based. What really changed my research was this sort of new hyper polarized, hyper partisan political environment."

Ditto’s research group helped develop the Moral Foundations Theory.

"The basic idea is there are five things that people care about – harming other people, particularly weak people; fairness; loyalty, authority and purity. 35:16 But different groups differ in how much they weight each of these different kinds of factors is what our research has shown, again and again."

Ditto’s interest is to use this research to foster a better understanding – and lower the temperature – of political conflict.

As the planet heats up, economies around the world may be cooling down. A new study at the University of California, Berkeley has found that, if left unmitigated, climate change could reduce average income by as much as 23 percent by the end of the century. The results are based on the finding that economies perform optimally at a temperature of 13 degrees Celsius, or 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Lead author Solomon Hsiang explains that rising temperatures could even widen global inequality.

"Most of the countries that are harmed the most are the countries that are already hot. And the countries that are already hot in the present world are the countries that tend to be poorer, on average, than cooler countries. And you have a lot of countries in the north, particularly in northern Europe, places like Germany and Norway, which are already quite cold and they in fact benefit a small amount from warming. And so what you have is an image of the world going forward where the global economy has been completely reshaped by climate change in a way that makes it relatively poorer and more unequal."