Ironically, the faster we progress in terms of technology, the shorter the lifespan of our tools becomes. History that was etched into stone walls or tablets millennia ago is still readable in its original format, much more clearly and easily accessible, in fact, then data…
If you wonder about how to maximize the benefits of the enormous amount of data now available while minimizing the headaches of managing it, you are not alone. The Economist recently published a special section with several articles on the topic, addressing issues near and…
Congratulations to Charles P. Thacker, a technical fellow with Microsoft Research Silicon Valley, who was recently honored with the Association for Computing Machinery’s highest accolade, the A.M. Turing Award. Please click here to read more.
Every discipline has its own language. The ability to communicate and collaborate in a discipline-specific language is essential to scientific research, especially in an environment characterized by staggering volumes of data. In chemistry, not only is there a specific language, but also specific symbols. Empowering…
Even today, there is nothing quite like seeing innovation up close and in person. That’s why you don’t need a calendar to know when it’s the TechFest season at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Every year, researchers from around the world come to Redmond to…
Today is the 99th annual International Women’s Day, and an opportunity to discuss an issue that should concern all of us: the lack of women in computing. Even though we’ve made slight progress recently—according to data shared by the National Center for Women & Information…
Almost regardless of the context, a work bench that isn’t properly organized and equipped doesn’t usually lead to the smooth or efficient completion of a project. To address that challenge in the realm of research, a scientific workflow work bench – code named Project Trident…
There is an old saying that if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. When it comes to scientific puzzles, especially those specific to bioinformatics, that adage could well be that if you cannot see it, you cannot solve it. Although still under development,…
This post originally appeared on The Official Microsoft Blog. The National Science Foundation reports that women currently make up only 19.5 percent of engineering bachelor degree recipients and 11 percent of professional engineering positions in the United States. Those are unfortunate numbers. Not only do more…
Thanks to a productive collaboration among members of the global research community, the WorldWide Telescope is in the process of becoming more worldwide in its reach and impact. By adding support for new languages, a process that is well underway, the WorldWide Telescope is becoming…
By Derick Campbell, Microsoft External Research Releases such as the academic accelerators code named Dryad and DryadLINQ, currently available for free download, are great examples of what can be achieved when members of the global research community collaborate to develop technology. The result is availability…
Jim Gray’s untimely death in 2007 marked a profound loss for the global research community. Jim’s passionate approach to research drove him to explore and test his vision rigorously, to question assumptions at every turn, to relentlessly push the limits of possibility regardless of what…
