Press

Developing strong foundational math skills has been a challenge for schools in rural areas, which serve almost 10 million U.S. students—more than 20 percent of the student population. By engaging rigorous evaluation techniques, SRI International researchers will develop an understanding of the critical factors in closing the rural education math gap. Our research will help a…

Could tablets be the key to unlocking a lifetime of deep mathematics learning for preschool children? The very question is controversial—and yet potentially very important. Math is rarely taught in preschool and when it’s taught, lessons tend to focus only on counting. However, when preschool children receive strong preparation in mathematics, the benefits—especially for children from poorer…

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) have unique characteristics, including difficulties with communication, social interaction and repetitive behavior. To address ASD symptoms, special education programs employ a combination of communication, social and behavioral services and life skills training to help students function most effectively. While it is now commonly accepted that such programs can make…

Hollywood isn’t exactly known for accuracy, and their portrayal of biometric technology is no exception. Fingerprint scanners, facial recognition software, and iris recognition technology have become commonplace in thrillers and crime films to create suspense and high-tech futuristic scenes. But they just don’t have the facts right—in some cases, overestimating the capabilities of biometric technologies,…

Online learning has been on the rise for the past two decades. Recently, much of the talk around online courses has revolved around the postsecondary level and MOOCs—or massively open online courses. Meanwhile, a quieter trend has been the widespread growth of online courses in formal K-12 education. Online courses have become an increasingly popular…

Guest post by Rob Day, a partner with Black Coral Capital in Boston asking “how do you define NextWave Greentech?”

Do you know that drones, also called unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), have practical applications that have nothing to do with weapons or espionage? No? Here are a few to consider: 1. They can save lives. In natural and manmade disasters, UAS can be positioned to survey damage, locate stranded and injured victims, and assess ongoing threats…

When I joined SRI International nearly 15 years ago, one man stood at the top of my people-to-meet list. He was a soft-spoken, friendly, sometimes stubborn man with big ideas on how to make the world a better place. Through the years, I was lucky not only to have many thought-provoking conversations with him, but…

The brain has amazing capacity to overcome large deficits, which means that by the time a neurodegenerative disease becomes apparent, the damage is extensive. In the case of Parkinson’s disease, for example, more than half of the midbrain region called the substantia nigra can be completely destroyed without any evidence of a problem. But once…

It would be hard to argue with the statement that parents of students have a right to expect their children’s teachers are well prepared and well qualified. Our collective social, economic and political well-being depends largely on the strength of the public school systems educating our children. Just as our future rests with our children,…

For the second year in a row, the Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO) is sponsoring five teams of entrepreneurs to spend one month at SRI for intensive training in innovation best practices. While here, the teams will participate in SRI Innovation Program workshops to learn how to develop new market opportunities, create successful business plans, and raise funding…

As part of SRI’s strong commitment to meeting client needs in Japan, I am a regular visitor to the country. In fact, I’m in Tokyo this week to host an SRI event at the U.S. Embassy with more than 150 business and government leaders from around the country. On the agenda: new strategies to drive…