We take computing and apply it to what we love—whether it's art or astronomy, fashion or social justice.
My passion is…
Up
-
"I want to make advertising more original and provocative."
You can create:
- Augmented reality ads that virtually bring products to life.
- A digital fashion show with customizable models that match the consumer's clothing size and body type.
- Video billboards that let advertisers change their messages daily.
-
"I want to expand our knowledge of different societies and people."
You can design:
- Software that helps archaeologists determine the age of ancient Mayan jewelry.
- An online oral history project that collects songs and stories from Native American cultures.
- A 3D virtual museum of religious objects from indigenous communities around the world.
-
"I want to contribute to the art world."
You can create:
- A database to preserve images of fragile paintings and sculpture.
- A virtual tour of an ancient Greek temple.
- A 3D drawing and painting program that lets an artist simulate mixed media.
-
"I want to expand what we know about the universe."
You can develop:
- Powerful telescopes that offer high resolution imaging of our earliest galaxies.
- Sophisticated explorer robots that collect samples on other planets.
- A GPS-enabled sky chart app to easily locate stars, planets, and constellations.
-
"I want to help businesses run on the latest technology."
You can develop:
- High-definition videoconferencing that makes it feel as if everyone is in the same room.
- A cloud computing platform that hosts a company's technology infrastructure, saving huge amounts of time and money.
- A data visualizer that transforms dull spreadsheets into interactive graphics.
-
"I want to make it easier for people to connect."
You can design:
- More user-friendly blogging software so that even your grandmother can start her own blog.
- A communications device with voice synthesis and a touch screen that enables speech-impaired stroke patients to carry on conversations.
- Software that allows military and government agencies to instantly share classified data about potential terrorist attacks.
-
"I want to explore the power of the visual."
You can design:
- Animated figures so realistic they can be used in films instead of stunt doubles.
- A 3D simulation of the rise in sea levels around the world, and the effect on low-lying islands and coastal cities.
- Crowd flow models to ensure the safety of cars and pedestrians during parades, concerts, and sporting events.
-
"I want to create a high-tech kitchen."
You can develop:
- Internet-enabled refrigerators and cabinets that monitor your food supplies and organize your shopping list based on the recipes you select.
- A digital cookbook that guides you from the beginning of a recipe to the end, and includes a question-and-answer capability.
- A sensor that lines the bottom of a cake pan and notifies you when your cake is done to perfection.
-
"I want to help people with disabilities."
You can design:
- A program that helps people with physical disabilities create art, even though they may no longer be able to hold a paintbrush.
- A computer chip implanted in the brain that enables people who are paralyzed to move their limbs.
- GPS systems for people who are blind.
-
"I want to make education more stimulating."
You can create:
- Interactive whiteboards that are even more interactive.
- Software for medical schools that features 3D virtual patients.
- Digital research labs that link international scientists virtually, allowing them to collaborate on pressing global issues.
-
"I want to develop cutting-edge technology to improve our lives."
You can create:
- Software that can predict the durability of bridges during earthquakes.
- A "smart" wheelchair with a GPS navigator for severly handicapped people.
- Solar design software that analyzes the type of solar panels that would work the best in a green building.
-
"I want to help protect the planet."
You can design:
- Software that can monitor the spread of pollution through the Great Lakes.
- Wireless sensors that can track endangered polar bears in the Arctic.
- Environmental forecasting that allows scientists to collect and analyze climate change data from every corner of the world.
-
"I want the latest technology applied to the latest design."
You can create:
- A shopping app that helps you choose styles—and then recommends matching accessories, and where to buy them.
- A social networking portal with polling and virtual reality tools that's dedicated to user-generated fashion advice, style tips, and trend forecasting.
- A home design program that records a room's parameters and helps the user redesign realistically and within budget.
-
"I want people to be entertained in a more spectacular way."
You can design:
- Truly lifelike avatars that mimic realistic movements in people and animals.
- A digital set design program that allows a designer to add virtual actors to the set and visualize how all the elements interact.
- Internet TV that lets you talk to your friends, browse web sites, and update social media, all while watching the program of your choice.
-
"I want to solve crimes."
You can develop:
- A DNA scanner that can instantly sift through the files of crime suspects.
- A mobile forensics lab for on-the-spot analysis of evidence at crime scenes.
- Software that can create a 3D visualization of blood spatter based on the type of weapon used and the proposed orientation of the murderer and victim.
-
"I want to bring a new dimension to gaming."
You can develop:
- Video games that rely more on a teen's brainpower than finger dexterity.
- Games that speak to the interests and experiences of girls and women.
- Computer games designed to address the social and educational needs of autistic children.
-
"I want to make it easier for people to get in shape and stay healthy."
You can design:
- A wearable device that calculates how many calories a person burns each day.
- Interactive simulations that demonstrate yoga sequences—and modify the poses according to one's level of experience.
- A pharmaceutical app that helps you identify thousands of drug interactions and potential side effects.
-
"I want to develop technology in the name of human rights."
You can design:
- A secure database to record human rights abuses that shields the identity of victims or witnesses.
- Online petition software that can instantly collect signatures about urgent causes.
- A mobile toolkit that allows human rights workers to discreetly video and document abuses in remote or dangerous areas.
-
"I want to offer fast, effective aid when disasters strike."
You can develop:
- Proximity-location devices to keep relief workers closely connected during disasters.
- A camera phone microscope that can diagnose diseases in remote areas without access to hospitals.
- A real-time missing-persons database so that separated families can find each other after a disaster.
-
"I want to build the web of the future."
You can develop:
- A single interface that gathers and streams together all the social media we use.
- A gesture recognition interface for hospital environments to replace the traditional keyboard and mouse, preventing the possible spread of contagious diseases.
- A personalized search engine so accurate it seems to be reading our minds.
-
"I want to contribute to a new generation of journalism."
You can create:
- A mobile device that lets reporters research and fact-check stories as they write them, without having to open a separate search engine.
- A real-time news feed that provides updates in five, ten, or twenty-minute intervals for news-hungry readers.
- A recording device that picks up an interviewee's voice even when there's lots of ambient noise—and provides a highly accurate transcription.
-
"I want to promote better communication around the world."
You can design:
- Audio language translators that sound like a native speaker instead of a robot.
- A smart recorder that translates your question into another language, and then translates the response of a native speaker into English.
- A wearable computer for people who are deaf that translates American Sign Language.
-
"I want our justice system to be accessible to everyone."
You can develop:
- A web portal with a database of pro bono lawyers and other legal services for low-income people.
- A mobile app that puts all state and federal laws at a lawyer's fingertips.
- An online small claims court site that helps people prepare, file, and serve a claim quickly and cheaply.
-
"I want more people to be amazed by literature."
You can create:
- E-readers that hold an entire library of books.
- Children's e-books with animated illustrations.
- A cyber bookstore that's "device neutral," and lets users download content to any smart phone.
-
"I want to save lives and help people stay healthy."
You can develop:
- Video-conferencing equipment enabling a real-time consultation among doctors in different parts of the world.
- Smart phone-based fetal monitors for rural areas where high risk pregnancies are prevalent.
- A biomedical sensor that can measure someone’s vital signs from a distance—on a battlefield, for instance.
-
"I want to share my love of music with others."
You can create:
- A cloud computing storage platform for your entire music collection, so you can play anything anytime from any device.
- On-line guitar instructor that lets you know when you’re out of tune or if your rhythm is off.
- An app that sends you samples of brand new songs and bands based on the kinds of music you love.
-
"I want to help people become more politically engaged."
You can design:
- A news app that collects and organizes articles and videos about the political issues you care about.
- A mobile tool allowing urban dwellers to report potholes, trash, and other local annoyances directly to city hall.
- Virtual political communities that mobilize people to meet and organize in real life.
-
"I want to help eliminate poverty."
You can develop:
- A program that identifies available shelter space for the homeless within a city.
- A social networking site that brings poor communities and potential donors together—and encourages long-term relationships via webcams and micropayment technology.
- A web-based tool to monitor the safety of blood supplies in developing countries ravaged by HIV/AIDS.
-
"I want us all to have a better understanding of the human psyche."
You can develop:
- A phone app that helps people deal with stress and reinforces basic cognitive therapy techniques.
- Brain imaging software that helps analyze schizophrenia.
- An interactive program that teaches psychologists how to have effective conversations with their patients for short-term therapy.
-
"I want to keep the world safe."
You can design:
- An airline accident simulator that can pinpoint the location of a plane crash and help rescue people faster.
- An early emergency warning system in your car that anticipates the potential for a collision.
- A mobile biomonitoring device to keep fire fighters out of life-threatening danger.
-
"I want to create machines with amazing problem solving abilities."
You can design:
- A tutor robot that helps first graders learn to read—and "smiles" when they make progress.
- Security systems with face, speech, and handwriting recognition.
- A robot than can perform brain surgery while a patient is in an MRI machine, making impossible operations possible.
-
"I want to contribute to the world of science."
You can develop:
- Software that evaluates the genetic make-up of individuals with predispositions to disease.
- Simulations that can predict the strength, velocity, and path of a tornado.
- Undersea vehicles that are capable of exploring the depths of the ocean floor.
-
"I want to share the excitement of sports."
You can design:
- An app that offers real-time updating on scoring, stats, and other info for baseball.
- A wearable monitor that provides verbal feedback on your skiing technique.
- A marathon app that provides you with a customizable training program, records your progress, and gives you a daily pep talk.