An Arizona State University researcher is using artificial intelligence to transform data collected from satellites and other earth observation instruments into information, which could help decision makers become better stewards of the planet.

Hannah Kerner, assistant professor of computer science at Arizona State University, noted AI has become a hot-button issue, especially in the areas of consumer products and social media. But Kerner said there are few discussions about how AI can be applied to help combat big adversaries from climate change to poverty and food insecurity.

"AI really does have a huge potential to help us address these challenges that society is facing," Kerner contended. "We really need to focus our research and efforts in AI towards tackling those challenges."

Kerner and her colleagues have developed a more effective way of collecting what is known as "labeled data," which then can be used to train AI models to better complete tasks. She acknowledged there are associated risks but encouraged people to learn about other uses of AI which could have, as she puts it, "transformative benefits."

While AI technology is advanced and has led to some distinguished accomplishments, Kerner pointed out most people would be surprised by how poorly some AI models perform in "real-world" applications. She added algorithms can struggle to complete some tasks most folks would consider trivial, like interpreting visual data on satellite images.

"Even if you haven't ever seen agriculture -- in, say, China -- in a satellite image, you would still be able to recognize that it is agriculture," Kerner explained. "Current models fail miserably at what we call 'geographic generalization,' or transferring knowledge across different parts of the world."

Kerner stressed the models need to become more effective, especially as the global climate is changing, often rapidly.

In just six years, the U.S. has pivoted from a complete ban on sports betting to a place where it is legal in most states, and young men could be paying a heavy price.

Joshua B. Grubbs, associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico, found in his research risky types of drinking -- both heavy and binge drinking -- often go hand in hand with sports wagering.

Grubbs analyzed data from more than 4,000 adults across the country who shared their drinking and betting habits. He said excessive drinking can lead to problematic betting behaviors.

"With sports gambling in particular, it tends to appeal to young men -- and we already know from past research that watching sporting events is associated with drinking more -- it's the common American hobby of, you watch the game, toss back a few beers with your friends," Grubbs noted.

In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to adopt sports betting, although it is still illegal in 12 states, including the two most populous, California and Texas. New Mexico does not allow online betting, but does allow "in person" betting at a handful of tribal casinos.

Grubbs pointed out on average, gamblers report more frequent binge drinking episodes than the general public but episodes among sports gamblers are considerably higher than either group. Because people drawn to such activities are typically younger, they are also more impulsive, which he said makes it important to set a "loss limit," a firm amount of money they are willing to lose.

"If you go into gambling saying, 'I'm going tonight with my friends to the casino, I have a $100 I can lose and I'm willing to lose $100 to have fun with my friends.' If that mentality is something you stick to, you're very unlikely to have a problem," Grubbs contended.

Grubbs added while there are designated federal research funds for drug use or alcohol misuse, they have not been used for treating gambling addiction, despite clear links between gambling and substance use problems. The research, funded by the International Center for Responsible Gaming, was published on the JAMA Network Open.

New worker safety regulations meant to log how many hours truckers are on the road may have inadvertently exposed millions of U.S. 18-wheelers to hackers who could take control of entire fleets of vehicles, according to a new Colorado State University paper.

Jake Jepson, co-author and graduate research assistant at Colorado State University, said it's important to create guard rails as the nation's transportation networks, power grids, water systems and other critical infrastructure move online.

"Each year those systems that never used to be connected to the internet or have any wireless connections are becoming more and more connected," he said. "And that can introduce vulnerabilities."

C.S.U. researchers found the cybersecurity gaps in electronic logging devices, which track a host of data required for inspections. The devices are connected to the vehicle's control systems, and are not currently required to carry cybersecurity precautions. In one example, the paper shows how hackers can manipulate trucks wirelessly and force them to pull over.

Jeremy Daily, C.S.U. associate professor, said students were able to locate the gaps by reverse-engineering one of the devices, which are produced by third-party vendors, and that adding new electronics to trucks that don't go through a typical manufacturer's design process can introduce new vulnerabilities.

"When regulators are introducing new requirements, they have to be aware of the cyber security implications," he explained.

Daily estimates that more than 14 million medium-and heavy-duty trucks that form the core of the U.S. shipping sector may have been exposed. He says the paper's findings can help device vendors fix the problem.

"The happy ending of this story is that we have worked with the vendor, and they have come up with a patch to the problem," he continued. "And so, it's important for the truckers and the people that have these devices to pay attention to those software update recommendations when they come out."

As solar eclipse spectators are gathering in the path of totality, teams of students from Maryland and around the nation are preparing to launch instruments to study the phenomenon.

This afternoon, dozens of teams participating in the NASA supported Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project will launch high altitude weather balloons hauling instruments into the sky to study the eclipse's effect on the atmosphere. A team from the University of Maryland will launch two balloons from a location near Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Mary Bowden, senior lecturer of aerospace engineering at the University of Maryland, said there are numerous engineering lessons.

"All of the learning about how to design payloads that will work at altitude, and in the low temperature and low-pressure environment up there at altitude, and then putting them together and inflating a balloon and tracking a balloon and all that, there's a lot of engineering there," Bowden outlined. "That is really a wonderful educational experience."

The Maryland team is part of the University of Maryland Nearspace program, which has been conducting multiple balloon launches each semester for nearly 20 years. Even if skies are overcast, the balloons will fly well above the clouds, livestreaming video to YouTube.

Balloon teams have the opportunity to investigate several different scientific questions including how heat moves through the atmosphere. The Maryland team has been conducting practice launches in the months leading up to today's eclipse. Bowden pointed out in addition to monitoring forecasts of wind speed at higher altitudes, trying to study the eclipse has the team focused on timing.

"One of the trickiest parts of this is that we need to launch the balloon such that it is at altitude at totality," Bowden explained. "You have to figure out how much helium to put in the balloon to get a certain ascent rate to make sure it's going up just at the right speed, so that it is at altitude. And for us, we're shooting for about 70,000 to 80,000 feet."

The team tracks the payload during the flight and after with multiple technologies including using Iridium satellites, as well as ham radio frequencies. After the eclipse, the team will activate a remote device to cut the payload loose and allow it to parachute back to the ground. Balloon teams select the recovery location and choose open fields or farmland rather than forests or cities.

Bowden noted sometimes, recovery is the hardest part.

"We can usually locate exactly where they've landed, even to the point of walking up to somebody's house and saying, 'We just landed our payloads in your backyard. Would you allow us to go get them?'" Bowden recounted. "That is the last step of the flight. And sometimes the most stressful is basically recovering the payload."


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