The Building a Diverse Cybersecurity Talent Ecosystem to Address National Security Needs report identified and recognized the University System of Maryland’s efforts to increase the number of students who earn degrees in cyber-related fields. In this week’s Industry Roundup we take a look at the need for experts in Cybersecurity by dissecting the worst cyber breaches of 2018 so far. We also take a peek into the economic lift powered by natural gas, predictive coding and the brain, Mozart’s take on creative genius, and the new goldrush of the modern day world – AI chips!
Industry Roundup is brought to you by UMBC’s Division of Professional Studies, offering a broad array of professionally-focused master’s degree and certificate programs that address industry needs while anticipating future opportunities.
The worst of the cybersecurity breaches
Hackers are getting smarter and more sophisticated in their techniques, putting many in a vulnerable, risky position. This article names the big digital security dramas that have played out so far this year—and it’s only half over.
Natural gas provides a powerful economic lift
With the rapid expansion of our population, scientists are tuned into finding ways to keep up with the demands. Natural gas is one such vehicle. It not only supplies growing needs, but it’s also an abundant fuel supply that is stimulating the economy. In terms of how this effects our environment, natural gas burns cleaner according to this Chevron sponsored ad. For utilities and consumers alike, the cleaner burning fuel helps solve a problem facing renewables: variable output.
The inner workings of the brain
The artificial intelligence company DeepMind has introduced breakthrough software that helps make sense of the present through brain predictions. According to the “predictive coding” theory, we cognitively process beliefs and expectations through modeling in our brain. These beliefs turn into predictions about what should be experienced in a given situation. Predictive coding “is as important to neuroscience as evolution is to biology,” said Lars Muckli, a neurophysiologist at the University of Glasgow who has done extensive work on the theory.
Unlocking creative genius the Mozart way
If you’re one to admire creative genius and place it on the pedestal for few who ever achieve it, you may want to think twice. According to Mozart, one of the greatest music composers of all times, creative genius can be achieved by those willing to put in the focus and effort. He acknowledged that his great work didn’t happen out of some lucky strike. Diligent and consistent hard-work on his craft for many years created his genius. It had taken Mozart more than a decade of developing his creative ‘talent’ to finally create this groundbreaking piece of work.
The AI Goldrush
Think you missed the great goldrush? Opps, not so fast! You may still be in the running if you’re into the AI chip market. Say what? Yes, by gosh you’ve got a chance. You’ll just need to put your thinking hat on and come up with a method of putting critical components together to create a system that works. “When people talk about AI and chips for AI, building an AI solution involves quite a lot of non-AI technology,” says Amir Khosrowshahi, vice president and CTO of the AI product group at Intel and co-founder of Nervana. “It involves CPUs, memory, SSD, and interconnects. It’s really critical to have all of these for getting it to work.”