Month: February 2020

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Univ. of Washington president joins AI2’s board

UW President Ana Mari Cauce
University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce. (GeekWire Photo / Kevin Lisota)

University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce has joined the board of directors for the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, forging an even closer connection between two of Seattle’s premier research institutions.

The addition, which took effect Jan. 1, leverages existing ties between UW and the legacy of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who created AI2 in 2014. The entrepreneur and philanthropist, who passed away in 2018, is memorialized by UW’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering.

AI2 CEO Oren Etzioni said Cauce and Microsoft Healthcare corporate VP Peter Lee, who joined the board in 2018 not long before Allen’s death, will set the stage for a new phase in the institute’s growth.

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Boeing and Navy turn Growler jets into drones

Growler jets
The Boeing-built EA-18G Growler is a variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet that is specialized for tactical jamming and electronic protection. (Boeing Photo)

The era of remote-controlled combat jets has come a little closer in the wake of a demonstration staged by Boeing and the Navy to fly two autonomously controlled EA-18G Growlers as uncrewed air systems.

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Accion Systems raises $11M for tiny ion engines

Accion ion thruster
Each of Accion Systems’ ion thrusters is about the size of a postage stamp. (Accion Systems Photo)

Boeing HorizonX Ventures has teamed up with Shasta Ventures to lead an $11 million Series B investment round for Accion Systems, a pioneer in developing miniaturized ion propulsion systems for satellites in space.

This isn’t the first time Boeing and Shasta have announced investments in Accion, which was spun out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2014. Shasta led a $7.5 million Series A round in 2016, and Boeing HorizonX led a $3 million venture round in 2018.

Accion says it has now amassed $36 million in total funding to date, including $14 million in Defense Department and NASA contracts. The new capital will be used to ramp up production capabilities as well as Accion’s workforce, the company said today in a news release.

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737 MAX supplier announces 72 layoffs

Senior Aerospace AMT, an Arlington, Wash.-based supplier for the troubled 737 MAX and other Boeing airplanes, says it will lay off 72 employees starting in April.

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Researchers halt ‘ineffective’ HIV vaccine trial

HIV trial volunteer
A participant in the South African HIV vaccine trial receives a shot at a clinic. (NIAID via YouTube)

A three-year-long clinical trial of an HIV vaccine in South Africa, funded in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and managed by a consortium headquartered at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has been put on hold because the vaccine was judged ineffective.

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