Microsoft Research

The Microsoft Research Connections Blog goes into depth about five examples of MSR’s collaborative efforts to harness the power of the cloud for scientific research in diverse disciplines such as the environment, data modeling, biological computing, climate change and urban computing.

Researcher danah boyd on the weird science of teens’ online behavior.

Microsoft invests in creating joint research centers around the world. These collaborative engagements involve multi-year research programs across a broad range of projects that push the boundaries of computer science. Microsoft Research has recently launched major partnerships in Spain and Russia, and renewed one in France.

The Software Engineering Innovations Foundation (SEIF) has sponsored research into core software engineering challenges, and also funded investigations into software engineering’s applications in mobile and cloud computing and natural user interface(NUI). Some 70 reviewers from across Microsoft conducted an internal review of 129 proposals to select the 12 winning projects of the 2014 Microsoft Research Awards. The recipients will each receive $40,000.

At a first-floor bank of elevators at Microsoft Research, a “smart elevator” opens its doors, sensing that you need a ride. When you reach the third floor, a humanoid robot is ready to guide you where you need to go. And if it happens to be Eric Horvitz’s office his virtual admin named Monica, an onscreen avatar with a British accent, greets you. “I was expecting you,” she says. “The robot told me you were coming.”

Earlier this year, 15-year-old Gaurav Sharma achieved a Guinness World Record® for fastest text message using a touchscreen mobile phone. Word Flow, the same Microsoft Research technology that Sharma used to win that record, soon will become available to everyone who uses Windows Phone 8.1, which was announced this week.

The Big Dream Movement connects organizations, academia and resources to girls around the world to help them pursue a future in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. BigDreamMovement.com will go live this summer, providing a portal to learn about programs and tools that promote computing and STEM.

At the first U.S.-based Music Tech Fest, people who share interests in music and technology are getting together at the Microsoft New England Research & Development Center in Cambridge, Mass. From Friday to March 23, attendees will get an earful of demos, performances, presentations and new collaborations.