SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " east " 10,080 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
COA and Flatiron Health Study Finds Patients May Experience Longer Survival in Community Oncology Settings
Patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and non–small cell lung cancer had longer survival compared to national benchmarks when treated in independent community oncology practices, according ...
Long-deferred projects move forward as Chicagoland communities build for the future
Communities throughout Chicago are modernizing public facilities as part of a broader construction effort to build for function and longevity.
Banks have a unique business model; they can still fail at it
Community Bank & Trust in Georgia, the second bank failure this year, shows what happens when bankers don't keep things simple.
A GOP lawmaker supported an immigration crackdown. Her husband paid a price.
The situation cost Idaho state Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld and her husband most of their income and highlights an escalating split in the party.
Artist Eric Mack mixes his loves of plants and paint in ‘Silent Melodies’ exhibit
Atlantan Eric Mack's love of artmaking is matched only by his love of growing plants. Twice a month, Mack stages plant sale pop ups at his historic East Lake home.
How employer partnerships are reshaping Chicago’s workforce
WGU explores how Chicago employers are investing in flexible education pathways to strengthen talent pipelines.
Why manufacturing? Gathering data, building community and propelling success
What’s shaping the future of manufacturing? Insights on workforce, automation and supply chains every business leader should know.
Apparent hantavirus outbreak kills 3, sickens at least 3 more on cruise ship, health officials say
A suspected outbreak of the rare hantavirus on a cruise ship in the Atlantic off Africa killed three people and sickened at least three others, health officials say.
How Republicans came to embrace psychedelic drugs
After decades of backing a “war on drugs,” the GOP has warmed to psychedelics for mental health treatment as high-profile backers and veterans tout the drugs.
The role of philanthropy in health care today
: Health care is one of the most complex and essential sectors of Northeast Ohio’s economy. At UH, care is guided by a mission to heal, to teach and to discover.
The role of philanthropy in health care today
: Health care is one of the most complex and essential sectors of Northeast Ohio’s economy. At UH, care is guided by a mission to heal, to teach and to discover.
Want to try swim lessons, Latin food? Visit these new NJ businesses
Handroll House in East Rutherford serves sushi handrolls. Sabores Latinos is in Morristown. The British Swim School is in Cliffside Park.
Trump and GOP push for aggressive voter roll purges up until Election Day, testing precedent
For decades, it’s generally been assumed that any mass purges of voter rolls had to be completed at least 90 days out from an election.
Global Health & WASH: May 2026 Funding Opportunities (14 new opportunities!)
The May update for Global Health & WASH brings new calls that cluster around three distinct shifts: LMIC research leadership moving from funder encouragement into a hard eligibility constraint, pharmaceutical and corporate-linked funders running structurally independent education and use-inspired research portfolios at substantial scale, and AI adoption shifting decisively from speculative tool to operational capability across health and WASH systems alike. In LMIC Research Leadership as Eligibility, Not Encouragement, Wellcome anchors the dominant signal of the month with three separate major calls that all require or strongly center LMIC leadership in their basic eligibility architecture. Wellcome’s ESIC Hubs (£1.5-£1.9M per hub over 3-5 years) explicitly requires an LMIC-based lead applicant, treating Global South leadership as a design constraint rather than a participation goal. Wellcome’s Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Development Award funds transdisciplinary teams whose lead must be a mid-career or established researcher based at an organization in Africa, South Asia, or Southeast Asia. Wellcome’s larger Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Award (£1M-£8M for optimizing licensed interventions) requires the administering organization to be in eligible LMIC regions and at least 50% of applicants based there. Around Wellcome, the same pattern shows up at smaller scale and across funders: CHINNOVA channels $1M into West and Central African research institutions for climate-health work; IBRO’s Neuroscience Training Grants explicitly tier ceilings by region of residence with Africa receiving the highest amount ($5,000); IHME’s GBD Emerging Researcher Award reserves at least one of its two annual awards for an LMIC researcher; Sidaction’s HIV Cure call funds research teams across France, the Netherlands, and eligible African countries with a minimum two-country collaboration requirement. Taken together, these calls signal a meaningful shift in how research equity is being operationalized — not as encouragement language at the bottom of a call, but as a structural feature of who can lead, where the work must be administered, and what proportion of the team must be regionally rooted. In Pharma-Funded Independent Medical Education and Use-Inspired Research, the lineup this month is unusually deep. Pfizer alone runs four parallel calls under independent education and quality improvement frameworks: a Migraine and Women’s Health RFP (200K x 2-year, $500K pool), Migraine IME ($200K, $1M pool), JAK Inhibitor evidence-based education ($100K), and Maternal Vaccination HCP Education in Saudi Arabia ($75K), plus a separate Pediatric Pneumococcal Surveillance research call in Saudi Arabia ($400K per project). Novo Nordisk Foundation runs four parallel calls of its own at substantial scale: Infectious Diseases Catalyst Grants (DKK 60M pool, up to DKK 7M collaborative), Non-Diabetic Endocrinology Collaborative Grants (DKK 53M pool, DKK 5-10M per project), Pioneer Innovator Grant Health (DKK 1.1M), and Distinguished Innovator Grant Health (DKK 6.8M). LEO Foundation deploys DKK 2-4M per project for dermatology research excellence. Pfizer’s framing across calls deliberately separates the funding from product promotion, emphasizing measurable practice-relevant change and structural distance between scientific outputs and commercial activity. Novo Nordisk’s “use-inspired” hard filter pushes researchers toward a credible translation pathway from mechanism to deployable tool. The pattern: industry-aligned funders are running structurally independent portfolios at meaningful $ that fund implementation evidence, not promotion. In AI as Operational Capability, Not Speculation, several calls this month explicitly treat AI adoption as a near-term operational question with real evidence and governance requirements, rather than a speculative trend to be watched. Wellcome’s ESIC Hubs frames AI as “the accelerator” for evidence synthesis, asking hubs to translate technical innovation into adoption-ready workflows that can match real-world policy timelines. UNICEF Venture Fund’s new Climate Tech for Children’s Health call funds for-profit startups deploying AI, machine learning, and blockchain in low-resource environments, with a strict requirement that solutions must already have a working prototype with promising pilot results. The Water Research Foundation has launched two simultaneous AI calls treating reproducibility, cybersecurity guardrails, and human-in-the-loop deployments as core design constraints rather than nice-to-haves: one on GenAI and Agentic AI in water utilities ($200K), one on alternatives to water shutoffs that explicitly screens for implementation economics evidence. Nordic Innovation’s quantum technology call (NOK 4.5M) extends the same logic into life science and healthcare, demanding consortium-stage projects mature enough to test with real users. TEF-Health offers €300K in subsidized testing infrastructure for European healthcare AI and robotics SMEs. The pattern: funders are converting AI pilots into playbooks, requiring transfer evidence and risk controls before AI can move from experimentation to sector-wide operational practice. For LMIC-based researchers in infectious disease or evidence synthesis, the three Wellcome calls together represent the deepest concentration of LMIC-led research capital in recent memory — pair the Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Development Award (£200K, deadline May 19) as a strategic pipeline feeder into the larger Infectious Disease Clinical Trial Award (£1-£8M, deadline June 2), since the development award functions explicitly as a track into the larger trial scheme. For Nordic researchers, the four Novo Nordisk Foundation calls plus LEO Foundation and Nordic Innovation Quantum represent ~$30M in regional research capital this cycle, all with deadlines clustered in May-August. For WASH practitioners, the three Water Research Foundation calls together (each up to $200K) are a cluster worth reading across — one on AI deployment, one on shutoff alternatives, one rewarding applied innovation — and the strongest applicants will articulate how their work bridges utility operations to policy-relevant evidence. For US-based clinical researchers and educators, the four Pfizer calls plus the APF Portfolio’s 80+ programs form an unusually accessible recurring pipeline; APF’s prohibition on indirect costs is a meaningful structural feature for early-career applicants whose institutions might otherwise absorb significant overhead. Snapshot of New Opportunities Total Estimated Funding Pool: $100 Million+ USD The grants are organized into three categories: Open Calls: Current grant and opportunities with a deadline. Grants are listed by closing date. 39 open opportunities- 14 new! Rolling Applications: current grant and opportunities with rolling applications (but it’s still best to submit as early as possible). 14 rolling opportunities- 1 new opportunity! Long term planning: Grants that have closed their current rounds, but are expected to open new windows. 4 long term opportunities! A quick tip for returning readers: if you want to jump straight to the newest additions, use CTRL F to search for “New!” and navigate quickly to the latest funding opportunities This post is for paid subscribers. This helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities. Subscribe To keep this accessible to everyone who needs it, we’re happy to offer pay what you can rates. You can find more details here. Open Calls: Migraine Competitive Grant Program: Migraine and Women’s Health (Quality Improvement and/or Research RFP), Pfizer.*Closing soon!* Pfizer, in collaboration with the American Headache Society, is seeking independent quality improvement and research projects that close persistent gaps in migraine care for women across the United States. The funding logic centers on measurable, practice-relevant change: proposals should generate actionable evidence, tools, or system improvements that can be shared and used widely, not just within a single site. Priority areas span menstrual migraine and screening in women’s health settings, the role of hormonal fluctuations across the lifespan, sex-specific risk factors, comorbidities and quality-of-life burden, and disparities in outcomes by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The call is structured as a two-step competitive process with an initial Letter of Intent, with the strongest concepts expected to translate scientific insight into implementable improvements in diagnosis, management, and equity. Geographies: United States. Who can apply: U.S.-based organizations (not individuals), including professional schools, healthcare institutions, professional organizations, and other entities focused on healthcare improvement. Funding amount: Up to USD $200,000 total over 2 years; total pool USD $500,000. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: migraine, women’s health, quality improvement, clinical research, menstrual migraine, health disparities. Deadline: LOI: May 5, 2026; Full proposal (by invitation): August 28, 2026. Learn more and apply here. This RFP rewards “shareable impact”: the most competitive submissions will pair rigorous methods with a clear plan for system uptake and dissemination beyond the originating institution. ReSSARC: Strengthening the Health Sector and Food Security in the Central African Republic (AID 013381/01/0) Call for Proposals, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). *Closing soon!* AICS is seeking a limited set of high-capacity humanitarian partners to deliver an integrated package that stabilizes essential health services while reducing acute malnutrition and strengthening food security resilience in priority areas of the Central African Republic. The funder’s logic is explicitly nexus-based: proposals should meet urgent, life-saving needs while reinforcing local systems, coordination mechanisms, and community-level capacity so results persist beyond the emergency window. AICS emphasizes inclusion and protection outcomes, expecting gender-sensitive design and explicit measures for groups facing compounded vulnerability, including women, children under five, internally displaced people, and people with disabilities. The call also signals a localization pathway, encouraging stronger collaboration with national NGOs and balanced partnerships, alongside clear coordination with existing cluster and humanitarian actors to minimize duplication and improve coverage. Geographies: Central African Republic (Bangui, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Lim-Pende, Lobaye). Who can apply: Non-profit organizations registered with AICS, plus eligible non-profits without an office in Italy that have a pre-existing collaboration agreement with an AICS-listed organization. Funding amount: Total pool EUR €1,800,000; max EUR €800,000 (single applicant) or EUR €1,000,000 (ATS). Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: malnutrition prevention and treatment, maternal and child health, community health services, food security and resilience, localization partnerships Deadline: May 5, 2026. Learn more and apply here. This call is structured to reward partners who can link frontline service delivery to system durability and localization, not just short-term coverage gains. Contracts for Innovation in drug and alcohol addiction healthcare, Innovate UK. *Closing soon!* Innovate UK, on behalf of the Office for Life Sciences Addiction Healthcare Goals program, is procuring R&D to accelerate innovations that can improve treatment outcomes, strengthen recovery, and reduce harm and deaths linked to drug and alcohol addiction. The competition is positioned as a market-facing readiness push: selected projects are expected to advance solutions toward later-stage validation, generate evidence of user acceptability and UK market fit, and map credible routes through regulatory and certification requirements. Innovate UK signals a preference for innovations that can be field-tested in relevant UK settings and progressed to TRL 6 or 7, with practical plans for commercialization after contract completion. This structure favors applicants that can execute most work in-house, co-develop with service providers and people with lived experience, and translate technical progress into deployable tools for addiction healthcare delivery. Geographies: United Kingdom. Who can apply: Single organizations of any size (including EU, EEA, or international) leading delivery, with most work and key deliverables carried out in the UK; subcontractors for specialist skills only. Funding amount: GBP £200,000–1.5 million per project (inclusive of VAT); Total pool: GBP £20 million (across two strands). Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Health; Focus areas: Mental Health, Health Systems Strengthening, Research & Development, Technology Access. Deadline: May 6, 2026 (11:00am). Learn more and apply here. This call uses procurement to pull near-market addiction innovations toward operational proof and adoption pathways in UK services.
4D mammo may be up to four times more accurate than 3D
The 4D system harnesses X-ray diffraction to measure molecular-level signatures of disease; these tissue “fingerprints” could help providers diagnose breast cancer in its earliest stages.
Pistons rout Magic to complete comeback, advance in NBA playoffs
The Detroit Pistons dominated the Orlando Magic 116-94 on Sunday to complete their NBA playoff series comeback and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference semi-finals.The Cavs hosted game seven of their series later on Sunday.
GSU to launch mobile health clinic with help of federal grant
Once operational, GSU Health on Wheels is expected to serve 50 to 100 individuals per clinic event.
Bungie Confirms It Has Marathon Story Plans for 'the Next Few Years' But Nothing Is Completely 'Locked in' Yet
It looks like Marathon won’t be left behind anytime soon, as Bungie has confirmed it has plans to evolve its story over at least "the next few years."
Three dead in suspected hantavirus outbreak aboard cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, WHO says
A suspected hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean has killed three people and sickened at least three others, the World Health Organization said Sunday.
After attack, Multnomah Athletic Club will stay closed for at least a week
Staff of the membership-based social and sports club say the MAC will reopen, but they need time to make repairs.
1 person dead after vehicle crashes into a Portland health club, police say
“Based on the preliminary investigation, detectives believe the driver intentionally entered the building with the intent to deploy explosive devices,” according to police.
Premier League 2025-26 table
The 2025-26 Premier League table is absolutely bonkers and so tight.
Democrats slammed for 'dehumanizing' rhetoric amid concerns about political-fueled violence
Political analyst Gianno Caldwell discusses dangerous political rhetoric and its consequences, including an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. He also examines how extreme language and socialist policies impact the country.
Pittsburgh Irish Festival reveals headlining acts for 35th annual event
The 35th annual event at the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark features a slate of international headliners and local performers.
Doctor Calls Out Trump’s Odd Medical Visit in Florida
The off-the-books appointment came during a week when the president seemed unusually fixated on his own mental acuity.
Fetterman weighs in on Iran's latest peace offer, internal Democratic politics
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., discusses President Donald Trump's review of Iran's peace plan and the need to prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Science Sunday 5/3/26 WANE 15 First News Sunday
Northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio's most comprehensive news source
Sixers fans crash Celtics postgame show, upsetting Brian Scalabrine
The Philadelphia 76ers finally got one over on the Boston Celtics by winning Game 7 at the Garden, and Sixers fans weren’t going to let anyone forget about it, especially Brian Scalabrine. The Sixers came back from a 3-1 series deficit in surprising circumstances to win their first series against their Eastern Conference rivals since…
Businesses making summer travel easy with innovative products
'Fox & Friends Weekend' introduces three businesses offering innovative products for summer travel, including Rachel Bloom's anti-theft bags, Lifetime Leather Co.'s handmade leather goods and Anchor Works' beach umbrella anchor.
The body’s most mysterious organ may play a key role in longevity and cancer
A raft of research is recasting the thymus from a bit player to a potent regulator of aging and immune health.
United Way launches fundraising for new mental health fund
United Way of Northeast Florida launched a campaign to raise $250,000 for its mental health programs by May 31.
He spent 60 years building Black political power. He sees a wipeout coming.
Press Robinson, who years ago mounted a legal fight to become the first Black person elected to a Louisiana school board, was on the losing side of the Supreme Court case weakening the Voting Rights Act.
Game 7 predictions! Who wins Magic-Pistons and Raptors-Cavaliers? Are Knicks the team to beat in the East?
The least respected hitter comes through for the John Curtis-Mount Carmel semifinal winner
Brynn Godfrey, whose father, Jerry, is the John Curtis softball coach, came to bat with the bases loaded in the 10th inning of a semifinal against Mount Carmel.
Small businesses celebrated in Warrensville Heights; The Trash Boys get special honor
The fourth annual Small Business Expo and Conference was held at the Tri-C Corporate College East in Warrensville Heights on Saturday.
‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field
‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field ‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field A field that once seemed like a direct path to stable, lucrative work is becoming less certain under AI, students and faculty told Spectator. By Ria Vasishtha and Arjun Menon May 3, 2026 Shanying Liu / Deputy Illustrations Editor Asia Genawi, SEAS ’29, first encountered artificial intelligence during her sophomore year at her high school in Indiana. Back in 2023, policies on AI varied widely—even within the same district—and some schools had no guidance at all. As Genawi began to see the effects of AI trickle into her classroom, she turned to guidance from her home state’s Department of Education, which she said she found “outdated and inaccessible.” Genawi spent the rest of her high school career dedicated to the issue, including writing a 15-page memo exploring varying AI policies across Indiana schools, which she sent to every Indiana state senator and representative whose contact information she was able to find. She later helped draft a bill that would have required public high schools to establish and share their own AI policies with students in an accessible format. But with so many other bills already awaiting referral, hers never made it to committee. When Genawi arrived at Columbia to study computer science, she found that the gaps she had spent years trying to address in Indiana had followed her there. Many students and professors were also grappling with what AI meant for the field. Across Columbia’s undergraduate schools, computer science has become the most popular major—accounting for around 11 percent of degrees awarded in Columbia College, 32 percent in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and 12 percent in the School of General Studies in 2024. While the number of computer science majors in SEAS grew from 166 to 173 during the 2024-25 academic year, the total number across the three schools fell around 4.5 percent from 393 to 375, driven by declines at Columbia College and General Studies. At Barnard, it has grown to become the second most popular major as of 2025, up from third the year prior. The number of degrees awarded have grown fivefold since 2016. Faculty members and students in the department told Spectator that the surge in the major’s popularity has been driven in large part by its apparent promise of a secure, well-paid career path. However, they noted that the recent rise of generative AI has compromised the sense of stability that once defined the field, even as interest in technical skills among students persists. According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2024, out of 74 majors tracked, computer science had the fifth highest unemployment rate among majors at 7 percent, while computer engineering had the second highest at 7.8 percent. “Anecdotally, people are moving away from CS as a major,” Daniel Bauer, a senior lecturer in the computer science department, said. “They’re still taking some of our classes, right, because they think they need that, but they’re instead majoring in other things.” Bauer described a field that had shifted from what he called a “nerdy outlier discipline” to one that “everyone needs,” a sign that technical skills have become a baseline expectation across industries with the emergence of AI. “A lot of people thought, ‘Oh, it’s a guaranteed path to a stable income. You get a six-figure job right out of your undergrad,’” Bauer said. Now, companies may see AI as a way to reduce demand for entry-level programmers, especially in what he calls “code monkey jobs,” roles where a large number of employees are “just writing out code nine-to-five.” Chris Murphy, a senior lecturer in the computer science department, described the current moment as the convergence of two forces: the downturn of the job market and generative AI coming onto the scene. “Things kind of started to really pick up in 2014, 16,” he said, recalling the years after the weaker 2010 market. Murphy added that this was also a period where “students were getting more experience outside of class than they were inside of class” through internships, jobs, and side projects. Murphy suggested that the earlier momentum helped make computer science feel like both an academic program and a reliable pathway into work. That feeling is harder to sustain now as the industry reconfigures, which is a shift that students are seeing firsthand. Rebecca Yu, SEAS ’27, said that during a recent internship in Big Tech, she saw that “every single tech company was racing to integrate” large language models. She added that her manager said her intern class was the first to complete their assigned projects, which she attributed to the increased efficiency that comes with AI. Frank Liu, SEAS ’29, said that with AI lowering the barrier to coding, companies now expect everyone to write code. “A lot of companies outright say if you’re not using coding in your job, you might get fired for not being productive enough,” Liu said. Yu similarly expressed that students increasingly have to accept AI being a part of industry workflow, adding that many also “make use of it to maximize their productivity.” Richard Li, CC ’28, described a “franticness” among his peers as the pace of change accelerates. He explained how “some new tool” is released regularly, noting that tools rise and fall in prominence within weeks. He has come to believe that he doesn’t need to “match that speed all the time” and keep up with every development. Li has learned that AI tools allow him to “take a breath” and “get back into the loop much easier than before” when he needs to. While some companies specifically target Columbia when hiring, sending representatives to campus career fairs and recruiting large numbers from Columbia, a computer science degree cannot be treated as a static credential, Yu described. “You can’t just get your degree and stop learning after that. You have to always be learning,” Yu said. “That is something you basically have to expect for your job.” AI has not only affected students’ decisions to major in computer science, but also reshaped how the subject is taught. Across departments, faculty members no longer treat work done outside the classroom as a reliable measure of understanding, shifting instead toward in-person exams, quizzes, and attendance checks. While homework once made up as much as 60 to 70 percent of a student’s grade in computer science classes, Murphy said that breakdown has since flipped, with exams and quizzes now accounting for the majority. “The assumption—especially among pessimists—is that they’re using it to do their homework,” Murphy said. “They take the homework assignment. They put it into generative AI. Out comes the solution. Submit solution. The end.” Murphy said that faculty members ranged in their responses from fully prohibiting AI use to actively teaching students how to effectively work with AI. He said he shifted his approach this year after his teaching assistants called his belief that students weren’t using the technology “naïve,” and now permits students to use AI on assignments. His surveys of students in his introductory classes have told a more complicated story than the one so-called pessimists offer: Around 60 to 70 percent of students who reported using AI said they used it to have concepts explained to them, to clarify assignment instructions, to generate test cases, or to create practice questions. “Those are all ways that you might have had a tutor in the past to do that, and now you have this AI essentially as your tutor,” he said. Bauer has taken a different approach, teaching students how to use AI productively without sacrificing the core principles of the discipline. “People who are trained to actually use AI tools productively, while being in charge of designing the overall project, will be very much in demand in the next couple of years,” he said. Over the past year, a working group of computer science faculty has been redesigning the introductory and intermediate programming sequence to integrate generative AI as both a subject and a tool, representatives from SEAS wrote in a statement to Spectator. The effort is “coordinated” across the department, “not course-by-course,” with a systematic assessment of how AI integration is affecting student outcomes underway to shape the next round of changes. The goal, the department explained, is for students to be able to “read, verify, and reason about code, whether they or a model wrote it.” Tony Dear, senior lecturer in the computer science department, is piloting individualized AI feedback in a discrete mathematics course, while a machine learning course is also testing a Socratic AI dialogue system designed to “guide inquiry rather than supply answers,” the statement reads. Beyond individual courses, SEAS funded seven cross-departmental faculty projects in generative AI this past academic year, spanning biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, and computer science, according to the statement. This phenomenon extends beyond the computer science department. SEAS’ new AI minor, which it announced in November 2025, reflects the University’s attempt to adapt. The minor is specifically designed for noncomputer science majors and aims to provide “essential AI knowledge” while emphasizing practical and responsible use across disciplines, according to the SEAS website. At the center of the minor is AI in Context, a course taught by a team of faculty from the departments of computer science, applied mathematics, philosophy, music, literature, and the Writing Center, the representatives told Spectator. Bauer described it as targeted at students who want to bring AI into fields like economics or biology, rather than as a path into software engineering itself. At the graduate level, SEAS announced a new Master of Science in artificial intelligence in February, with the inaugural cohort starting in the fall. While recognizing how AI has helped them navigate coursework, students also described its rise as isolating, even among members of the Application Development Initiative, one of Columbia’s largest computer science clubs. “As people start to ask AI for questions that they would normally ask students and members, it starts to isolate people” Li said. Alexa Kafka, BC ’27, echoed Li’s sentiment, pointing out that computer science has always been a collaborative discipline with code reviews and pull requests, even as AI makes independent work easier. Despite this, Kafka noted that she hasn’t been to office hours “in at least a year.” Bauer added that faculty are exploring long-term solutions to the assessment problem. “One of the things that we’re trying to do at the department or school level is to maybe move towards computerized testing facilities,” Bauer said, referring to ideas in the department to revitalize computer labs as an alternative to pen-and-paper exams. “We have to accept that this is the reality, for better or worse.” But more exams, students say, does not mean better learning, nor does it reflect how computer science is actually done. “Code is so variable and can be approached in so many directions, there’s never just going to be one correct answer. There can be multiple optimal solutions,” Kafka said. Students also expressed concern that the shift toward exam-heavy grading pulls focus away from the applied, project-based work that better reflects both discipline and industry expectations. ADI has tried to respond more quickly than the curriculum can. Through a vibe coding workshop this past semester, club members said they wanted to help students understand not just that AI exists, but how to use it deliberately. “Vibe coding” refers to the practice of prompting AI to write code for a task or project, and has become widespread enough that ADI felt the gap in formal instruction was worth addressing, according to Sophia Huang, BC ’29. The workshop introduced students to the concept of context engineering, which Shaina Sahu, SEAS ’27, described as not just writing a prompt, but optimizing “the rest of the relevant information that you would feed into the model.” Without that, students said that AI-generated code can fail at scale or introduce difficult-to-detect bugs. Genawi said the shift toward AI has changed what it means to be good at computer science. “I think the shift has kind of gone towards what can you create and what can you do, instead of, what do you know,” she said. Indeed, during ADI DevFest, its annual hackathon, Li said more teams are trying to complete their projects than in years past. While sign-ups have historically outpaced submissions, Li said this is beginning to change because teams “have a tool that completes the vision for them.” While many students see AI as an equalizer that lowers the barrier to entry for coding and technical work, Murphy said it also creates new equity concerns inside the classroom around who can afford stronger tools and who already knows how to use them. “The equity issues I worry about are students who have access to paid versions of things versus free versions of things,” he said. Although popular AI models like ChatGPT and Claude have free versions available, both have paid models that can reach over $100 per month, which output different qualities of code. Murphy also pointed to differences in prior exposure to AI literacy itself. “Students who go to high schools or K-12 education, where they’re taught AI literacy, prompt engineering, context engineering, they understand how to do this, as opposed to students who go to schools who don’t teach that,” he said. “Then they come in, and then they’re somehow expected to know how to use these tools.” For Genawi, those disparities begin long before students arrive on campus. “It’s very interesting to consider how lucky you were geographically,” she said. “To be born where you were is influencing your ability to get access to these spaces.” Students like Yu, though broadly apprehensive about the future of computer science, are not without hope. “I’m optimistic, because I think if you’re truly passionate about CS, there will definitely be a place in the field to do something you want to do,” she said. Senior Staff Writer Ria Vasishtha can be contacted at ria.vasishtha@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec. Staff Writer Arjun Menon can be contacted at arjun.menon@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec. Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter and like Spectator on Facebook. Produced with Spectate by Emily Ta
Titus Regional Medical Center rebrands as CHRISTUS Health takes over operations
CHRISTUS Health has officially begun operations at Titus Regional Medical Center (TRMC), ushering in a new era for patients and families in Mount Pleasant and across Northeast Texas.
🔼 Up for good this time? Schalke seal Bundesliga return
And there’s a party in Gelsenkirchen!Schalke 04 are back among the elite of German football.They needed to beat Fortuna Düsseldorf this Saturday (2) to secure at least the second automatic promotio...
It can be hard to conceptualize the money spent on politics, comms expert says
Bluestack Strategies founder Maura Gillespie sheds light on the role that ‘big money’ plays in politics and protests on ‘Fox Report.’
🚨 Osasuna and Barcelona name XIs for La Liga clash
Barcelona look to remain on the march from their seat of power on Spain's east coast as Hansi Flick's troops take to the road and lock horns with Osasuna this evening. Blaugrana are in a rich vein of ...
The ‘Diablo 4: Lord Of Hatred’ Build And Class Tier List Is Out
It’s been at least a little while since Lord of Hatred launched, and Diablo players are already coming together to figure out what the best current builds are.
Grand Forks Public Health advises against using kratom products without medical oversight
Kratom is a plant, native to Southeast Asia, that is used in products that people ingest to self-treat pain, anxiety, depression and opioid withdrawal. The products are not FDA approved.
The politics of Trump's ballroom
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — President Trump was about a half-hour into his second speech of the day, musing about the danger he faced last week at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “Saturday night, it was good for one thing. People are loving my ballroom now,” Trump told a crowd last night. “That’s the only thing. They love my ballroom.” Ever since he was hustled off stage at the Washington Hilton last week, after an attempted shooter breached the dinner’s security perimeter and sent guests diving to the floor, the president has argued that the incident is proof for why his White House ballroom is needed. Only his planned $400 million, 90,000-square-foot project, Trump has reasoned, can keep a president truly safe at major events. It’s true that a bunch of GOP lawmakers have jumped on board with new legislation and words of support for Trump’s project. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. Rand Paul and other prominent Republicans went on TV to talk about the need for a ballroom. But as we reported at The Washington Post this week, “people” aren’t really changing their minds on Trump’s ballroom. A new Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that most Americans still oppose the ballroom project: 56 percent against it versus 28 percent in favor. The numbers are the same as a poll from last year, the Post’s polling whiz Scott Clement found. Other new polls have found similar margins, too. “I’m just not a giant fan, especially of extravagance,” one independent voter told me. “I mean, in the era we’re in right now, given how much people are struggling, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to spend $400 million on a ballroom.” How we got here The Washington Post has followed Trump’s ballroom project very closely. (My colleague Jonathan Edwards may have written the most total words of any reporter about the project; I may be second.) The project exploded as a national issue after Trump tore down the White House’s East Wing after initially promising not to touch it.1 Historic preservationists sued, and about a month ago, a federal judge ordered a halt to ballroom construction.2 The only way the ballroom could proceed, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled, was if Congress explicitly authorized Trump’s plans. (An appeals court has stayed Leon’s order for now.) The judge’s ruling raised an obvious question: would Congress authorize the project? Keep in mind, “authorization” doesn’t mean that Congress needs to necessarily fund the planned $400 million project; they could just sign off on the private donations that Trump has solicited to pay for the ballroom.3 But GOP lawmakers really didn’t want to talk about the ballroom, we reported at The Post just a few weeks ago. One major reason was the ballroom’s bad polling — not a small detail with many of their own midterm elections looming. The White House Correspondents’ Dinner incident, and Trump’s advocacy, may have changed the political conversation around the ballroom. As this week’s polling shows, it doesn’t seem to have affected the fundamental questions surrounding the project. To put it another way, voters still say that cost-of-living concerns are top-of-mind heading into the midterms. Some Republican and independent voters have told me that they see the ballroom as a vanity project that will help Trump but do nothing for their own lives. It might not help Republicans that Trump has dismissed some of the cost-of-living concerns. He’s described “affordability” as a buzzword manufactured by Democrats whose policies helped cause inflation. “They’ve got one good line of bullshit,” Trump said in his first speech yesterday, delivered at a Florida retirement community known as The Villages. Thanks for reading Dan Diamond's newsletter! Subscribe for free to stay up-to-date on my work. Subscribe Speaking of Trump’s speeches… I’m down in Florida because it’s my “duty week” as a White House reporter — basically, I follow the president wherever he goes. (And then hand the baton off to one of my Washington Post colleagues next week.) As part of my duty week, I’ve spent a few days covering the White House’s reaction to Saturday’s attempted shooting, including officials’ review of the security protocols to protect the president. Trump was restrained in the wake of the incident, addressing the nation from the White House briefing room about the need for peaceful dialogue and trying to lower the temperature. But he’s clearly been itching to get back out of the White House, and I was curious to hear how his Florida speeches would go. And — to my ears — it was an unburdened Trump. Not the one we saw Saturday night in the White House briefing room, but the one we witnessed on the campaign trail in 2024. Loose, dropping profanities, mocking everyone, including members of his team. “We have a man here who knows more about Medicaid, Medicare, medical crap than any human being. Where’s Dr. Oz? Where the hell are you, stand up,” Trump said, referring to Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “It’s the most boring trip I’ve ever made. He’s telling me about Medicare, Medicaid. All I want to do is take care of you, I don’t care. I said, ‘You work out the details.’” I wrote up the speech, as Trump headed to West Palm Beach to deliver more remarks a few hours later. The White House didn’t like my story. Their rapid-response team called it the work of a “total loser”4 and “a miserable TDS-ridden moron.” You can be the judge of whether it’s a fair story or the product of someone afflicted with “TDS.” (The White House’s shorthand for “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”) I’ve pasted the story below with a gift link, meaning that you don’t need to be a Washington Post subscriber to read it. It might prompt you for an email address, though. Meanwhile, I’ll be down in Florida for the rest of the weekend, covering the president. It’s TBD whether those stories will be deemed TDS-afflicted, too. 1 Jonathan details the past six months of ballroom fallout, reactions and the implications for executive authority here. I also had a great time talking about Trump’s ballroom and other projects with Australia’s ABC News Daily on a podcast this week. 2 The judge allowed underground construction and national security-related work to continue. But that hasn’t been enough for Trump, who says the ballroom itself is essential for his protection. 3 The ballroom donors include companies like Palantir, Google and Amazon. For transparency, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post, where I work. No one has ever interfered with our team’s coverage of the ballroom or our mentions of Amazon or Bezos, and if that changed, I’d speak out. 4 To be fair, I’ve spent the morning working on stories and writing this Substack post rather than enjoying the beautiful Florida weather. So they may be onto something about who’s winning and who’s losing.
NL East End-of-April Check-in
What to make of baseball’s messiest division?
What's wrong with buying Chicago concert and sports tickets? Here's what you told us
Added fees and secondary market prices are keeping many people away from pricey events. For some of them, that's the only solution.
Spirit Airlines shuts down after White House rescue deal falls through
The airline said early Saturday it had “no choice” but to wind down operations immediately, dashing hopes of a last-minute financial lifeline.
Cesar Chavez Boulevard signs removed impacting local businesses a second time
A corridor in southeast Fresno is undergoing another name change, impacting local businesses as the city removes and replaces hundreds of Cesar Chavez street signs.
Celtics, 76ers set for winner-take-all game 7
Philadelphia 76ers (45-37, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (56-26, second in the Eastern Conference) Boston; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EDT LINE: Celtics -7.5; over/under is 205.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Series tied 3-3 BOTTOM LINE: The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers square off in game seven of the Eastern Conference first round. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 106-93 in the last matchup on Friday.
Spring sports scores and highlights: May 1, 2026
Highlights feature the baseball and softball games between Turner Ashby at Broadway and East Rockingham at Spotswood
Protesters march through South Minneapolis, carry political signs
Activists and demonstrators marched through South Minneapolis with political signs and chants.
Trump can’t live his life by fear, says political strategist
Panelists Christina Pascucci and Tiffany Marie Brannon discuss President Donald Trump’s comments about assassination fears on ‘Fox News @ Night.’
Two more Southern states move toward adding Republican House seats
GOP-led states are rushing to take advantage of the Supreme Court’s decision to curtail the Voting Rights Act with new maps that could end the careers of several Black Democratic House members.
Trump returns to public events, delivering profane speech
In his first public speech since the White House correspondents’ dinner, the president mocked transgender weightlifters and the “medical crap” an adviser was telling him.
EastEnders: Actor on Ravi's mental health story 'for everyone'
Aaron Thiara has been portraying Ravi Gulati in the soap in a story about complex PTSD.
76ers looking for historic comeback in Game 7 vs. Celtics
The Boston Celtics will try to avoid a series collapse Saturday night when they face the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Business Lookahead: Eyeing oil, US jobs, and European earnings
STORY: From high oil prices and the conflict in the Middle East to U.S. jobs data and corporate earnings, here’s what you need to watch in business and finance in the week ahead.:: Crude and currencyOil prices briefly topped $120 a barrel this week to hit their highest level since 2022 as the war with Iran enters a third month.While the U.S. and Iran face pressure to end a conflict that has shut the Strait of Hormuz, the world watches anxiously as the biggest-ever disruption to energy supplies unfolds.For each week the Strait is closed, keeping oil elevated, the greater the economic risks via higher inflation or weak growth or, for some, both. Oil importer Japan just intervened to prop up a yen that has been weakened by the conflict.A new month is now underway and some traders will be mindful of that old adage, "Sell in May and go away.":: Jobs gyrationsAs the U.S. economy grapples with fallout from the Middle East war, Wall Street's radar turns to Friday's April monthly payrolls report.The U.S. economy likely created 73,000 new jobs, economists polled by Reuters forecast. In March, payrolls increased by 178,000, the most since December 2024, but that followed a sharp decline in February.The U.S. employment data comes amid signs of hawkishness at the Federal Reserve, as Donald Trump pick Kevin Warsh prepares to take over as chair with the U.S. president keen on rate cuts.:: Starmer’s statusThursday's local elections in Britain, usually a non-event for investors, could move markets in a big way, with opinion polls pointing to a heavy defeat for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party.A heavy defeat could spark more widespread demands for his dismissal among his own lawmakers and stoke expectations of a successor more willing to run looser budgets. That would bring more bad news for British bonds.::European earningsIt's a big week for European earnings with Shell and Commerzbank among those reporting.On aggregate, profits are expected to grow 3.2% in Q1, according to LSEG I/B/E/S. Under the surface, it's a little bit more complicated. Growth is expected to be driven by just three sectors: financials, tech and energy. The latter is seen as the biggest beneficiary of the Iran war due to higher oil and gas prices.But if the war, and energy surge, persist, the overall outlook for Europe's earnings could turn.
Trump says Iran conflict is ‘terminated’ as he hits congressional deadline
Trump’s statement came as the United States continues to enforce a naval blockade of Iran and as he declined to rule out additional strikes on the country.
Ind. PD introduces two-week 'sabbaticals' for officer mental health
The program is available to officers and civilian workers who have worked for the Charlestown PD for more than five years; the time off is unrelated to their vacation, personal and sick time
Science news: Return of the river-herring run, Musk vs. Altman and new pancreatic cancer drugs
Under the Radar breaks down the latest science and technology headlines, including communities fighting back against data centers, overheated sharks and more
FDA authorizes early access for experimental pancreatic cancer pill
The FDA said the action recognizes the dire need for a drug to improve survival for pancreatic cancer patients, who face the worst survival odds in oncology.
Administration Explains National Science Board Firing as Criticism Grows
The White House says the board's firing was necessary to comply with a 2021 Supreme Court decision.
Alight’s new CEO makes more leadership moves
The moves come as new CEO Rohit Verma builds out a leadership team and refines the company’s focus on innovation, operational excellence and getting better benefits outcomes for clients.
Florida Yacht Charter Business Fights $1.5 Million Tax Bill
A Florida yachting venture that participated in high-stakes offshore fishing tournaments before unforeseen setbacks forced a pivot to luxury charters told the US Tax Court the IRS wrongly defined its business as a hobby and assessed more than $1.5 million in tax liabilities.
Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor’s Legion Sports Bar shuts down in Bellevue
Legion Sports Bar, an establishment anchored and operated by Seattle Seahawks legends from the “Legion of Boom” era, is officially closing its doors after three years.
May Day protests disrupt schools, spark debate on political indoctrination
Fox News' Mike Tobin reports on upcoming May Day protests planned nationwide. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer weighs in.
Gov. Pritzker pausing public duties after 'routine' health procedure
The governor's office on Friday disclosed that Pritzker will fulfill his regular duties next week but "pause public events while resting."
The MED Foundation of Mercer Health Awards $22,500 to Local Students Pursuing Careers in Healthcare
The Medical, Educational and Development (MED) Foundation of Mercer Health recently awarded a total of $22,500 to local high school seniors furthering their education in the medical field after graduation. Scholarships were awarded to students from each of the six high schools in Mercer County. All applicants were interviewed by a scholarship selection panel, and […]
Late-Night TV Is Now Just Political Theater
Ben Bankas calls out late-night TV for losing its bite, arguing podcasts are now taking over the space.
New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles: Series Preview
The Yankees host an AL East opponent for the first time this season following a day off.
Prop 4 repeal ‘petition is insufficient’ for 2026 ballot, Utah Lt. Gov. Hendeson declares
Utah Lt. Gov Deidre Henderson formally declared an initiative to repeal Proposition 4 failed to make the November ballot.
What Businesses Are Saying: The Impact of the Conflict Has Been Limited ... For Now
Businesses reported limited impact from the Middle East conflict in the lead up to the April FOMC meeting, with consumers continuing to spend and more cost pressure and supply chain disruption still to come.
Analysis | What Janet Mills’s failure to launch tells us about this political moment
The Washington Post’s essential guide to power and influence in D.C.
More people are heading to the ER for tick bites this year. Here’s why.
Experts point to several reasons for the larger-than-usual spike, but there are easy ways to protect yourself.
Science-backed ways to keep your bones strong as you age
These are the lifestyle habits that promote bone health and can help prevent osteoporosis from developing as you get older.
Science-backed ways to keep your bones strong as you age
These are the lifestyle habits that promote bone health and can help prevent osteoporosis from developing as you get older.
Months after Potomac River sewage spill, businesses are still hurting
Most advisories against recreational activities in affected areas have been lifted, but perceptions about lingering waste continue to hurt local companies.
Radiologists among physician specialists facing higher risk of being sued, AMA says
About 38% of rads surveyed said they had defended against at least one lawsuit, with such specialists at a higher risk than others in internal medicine.
'Gutfeld!': Another Dem politician hates America
Fox News host Greg Gutfeld and the 'Gutfeld!' panel discuss Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow's social media controversy.
Trump knew he would take a political hit for acting on Iran: Veteran
U.S. Army special forces veteran Jim Hanson gives expert analysis on the state of U.S.-Iran conflict while applauding President Donald Trump’s foreign policy efforts on ‘Hannity.’
Sports media reacts to Knicks’ record blowout of Hawks
The New York Knicks put a record beatdown on the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first round playoff series. After what had been a fairly competitive first five games, nobody could have expected what was to come in Game 6 of the series in Atlanta. The Hawks actually jumped out to…
Reflections on My First Year at Hawaii Business Magazine
Over the past 12 months, we have been strategic about how we evolve our storytelling and expand our reach, and the results have been incredibly rewarding.
Medicare portal database exposed health providers’ Social Security numbers
It is the latest technical problem related to the Trump administration’s push to create a national directory of health providers.
Top Doctor Draws Attention to Trump’s ‘Overdue’ Health Exam
The president had two “routine” check-ups last year.
California Department of Public Health Issues Annual Shellfish Safety Warning
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) -- Beginning May 1st and continuing through at least October 31st, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is advising
Supreme Court ruling reshapes political power, sparks Democratic panic
Fox News anchor Bret Baier dissects the Supreme Court's significant redistricting ruling and its profound implications for the 2030 apportionment forecast on 'The Will Cain Show.'
Warren Buffett explains sports betting in simple terms: "It's a tax on stupidity"
Few Americans in history have had more success in the financial world than Warren Buffett.
LIV Golf not the only sports property affected by Saudi Arabia's investment reboot
The billionaires in Saudi Arabia are pulling the plug on LIV Golf. It won’t be the first mega sports project they’ve given up on recently.
CFPB finalizes a scaled-back small business lending rule
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a new version of a small business lending rule that took 17 years to get over the finish line. Banks are still lobbying for the rule to be repealed.
Trump’s tariff agenda is hard on business forecasting and investment: Former commerce secretary
Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo discusses President Donald Trump’s trade and tariff agenda on ‘The Claman Countdown.’
The CDC warns tick season is off to a strong start this spring
Tick-related ER visits are higher than normal this year. Here’s how you can protect yourself and your family from Lyme disease.
Mercer Health’s Play Hospital Continues Tradition of Hands‑On Learning for Kindergarteners
Mercer Health’s annual Play Hospital, held April 24-30, hosted nearly 800 kindergarteners who stepped into the world of healthcare through hands‑on exploration and imaginative learning. For over 30 years, this beloved program has welcomed students from Mercer County elementary schools—including St. Henry, Celina, Marion Local, Coldwater, Parkway, Fort Recovery, and Immaculate Conception—along with Versailles Elementary […]
AI & Tech brief: States regulate AI in health care
Plus, what the Musk vs. Altman court battle says about AI governance
West Coast tech firm eyes big Chicago office expansion
San Francisco-based Databricks is poised to lease about 50,000 square feet in the Franklin office building at 227 W. Monroe St., expanding from its current co-working space.
As BRT construction continues in Denver, East Colfax businesses can apply for grant
President Trump nominates radiologist to serve as surgeon general
He’s picking Nicole B. Saphier, MD, a board-certified breast specialist with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Fox News contributor, to fill the key role.
White House drops embattled surgeon general pick Casey Means, announces new nominee
Means’s nomination stalled as some Republicans questioned her credentials. The new nominee, Trump’s third pick for the role, is Nicole Saphier a radiologist and Fox News contributor.
Sikich buys Manpower division for $100M
The acquisition follows a private-equity infusion by Bain Capital two years ago.
Anne Frank exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry opens the door to her secret annex
The full-scale recreation of the Frank family’s hideout during World War II in Amsterdam is the stunning centerpiece of a new exhibition opening Friday.
‘Weed City’ pushback: New Buffalo crackdown sparks legal fight
New Buffalo, a popular vacation destination — and a draw for Chicagoans seeking lower-cost cannabis products — and is trying to rein in that trade, but dispensaries are fighting back in court.