New era of computing will empower students to tackle society's complex problems
New era of computing will empower students to tackle society's complex problems
Microsoft's Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie visited two Canadian university campuses to showcase how technological shifts are changing how we interact with computers, and the exciting future students will help create
TORONTO, Oct. 13, 2011 /CNW/ - We are about to see a technology revolution that will change how we interact with computers and what we can expect from them - in very unexpected ways.
That was the message that Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer, Microsoft Corp., had for Canadian university students last week as part of his first Canadian university campus tour, which brought him to the University of Toronto and McGill University on October 6 and 7.
"Technologies are evolving more rapidly, they're getting cheaper, and people are adopting them at a faster rate than any time in the past," said Mundie. "We're seeing a major shift from traditional graphical user interfaces to natural user interfaces - encompassing voice, vision, gesture and touch. And computers are becoming more assistive, evolving from simply working at our command to working on our behalf - and making it possible to solve problems we could never have attempted before."
Mundie oversees Microsoft Research - which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year - and is responsible for Microsoft's long-term technology strategy.
During a presentation to students, faculty and administrators, Mundie also discussed the increasingly important and pervasive role of big data and how it will change what we can expect from computers, and the exciting capabilities that emerge when you blend the physical and digital worlds.
"Our students benefit greatly from our distinguished speakers, who expose our students to new research problems, provide new perspectives on existing research problems and, in the case of our distinguished speakers from industry such as Craig, demonstrate how basic research can yield practical solutions to challenging, real-world problems," said Sven Dickinson, chair, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto.
"The real revolution will come from helping us find meaning in seas of complexity, using machine learning to glean new insights that were previously unobtainable," says Mundie. "We are at a point in history where we are redefining our relationship with technology and computers. We don't have all the answers, but the next few years will be an exciting time when we see technology fully integrated into the fabric of our lives."
VIDEOS:
- http://research.microsoft.com/apps/video/default.aspx?id=154139
- http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/rethinkingcomputing/videoGallery.aspx
BLOGS:
VISIT US:
http://www.microsoft.com/en/ca/default.aspx
On Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/MicrosoftCanada
On Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/microsoftcanada
On YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/user/MicrosoftTeamCanada
Image with caption: "Craig Mundie (CNW Group/Microsoft Canada Co.)". Image available at:
Video with caption: "Video: Craig Mundie - Student Reactions". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20111013_C3717_VIDEO_EN_4442.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20111013_C3717_PHOTO_EN_4442.jpg&clientName=Microsoft%20Canada%20Co%2E&caption=Video%3A%20Craig%20Mundie%20%2D%20Student%20Reactions&title=Craig%20Mundie%20%2D%20Student%20Reactions
For further information: Isabella Mise on behalf of Microsoft Canada
imise@highroad.com
416-644-2293
