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USC researchers have created a low-cost, accessible learning kit to help college and high school students build their own “robot friend.” (Source: James Kim/ USC)
AI Learning for Students

Open-Source Robot Friend Promotes Inclusive AI Learning

USC researchers are pioneering an accessible AI education with a low-cost, customizable “robot friend” kit, aimed at demystifying AI technology for students. This hands-on approach, supported by the National Science Foundation, not only makes learning about robotics, machine learning, and ethics more engaging but also addresses the affordability gap in educational robotics.

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Scanning electron microscopy images of smectite clay (montmorillonite), common in organic matter trapping in soils.  (Source: Joseph A. Brogan, Aristilde Research Group, Northwestern University)
Carbon Sink

How Does Soil Trap Carbon?

Researchers have made use of experiments and computational modeling to study interactions between carbon molecules and clay minerals in the soil. They found that electrostatic charges, structural features of carbon molecules, surrounding metal nutrients in soil and competition among molecules all play major roles in the soil’s ability or inability to trap carbon.

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