Microsoft D.C. TechFair 2013 showcases the future of technology

This week, Microsoft Research hosted DC TechFair, providing the Washington, DC community with an inside look at the future trends and technology areas that are changing the face of computing. Our world-class researchers joined the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center team to demonstrate new discoveries and developments in IT and computing that are changing lives for the better. From new ways to access and learn information about your neighborhood, your country, and the physical world, to overcoming challenges in education, healthcare, and the environment, DC TechFair featured the latest cutting-edge innovations.

Guests joined Dr. Peter Lee, corporate vice president, head of Microsoft Research USA, and other leading researchers for the half-day open house showcasing the future of technology.

A variety of engaging demonstrations were on site, including educator tools to help with generating practice problem sets and grading for Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS), ViralSearch technology to identify and visualize viral content; and SandDance – a web-based visualization system that exploits 3-D hardware acceleration to explore the relationships between hundreds of thousands of items, among others. Guests created visual “tours” with Project “GeoFlow” in Excel and merged multiple 2-D snapshots to make accurate, full, 3-D renderings of people and objects with Kinect Fusion.

At Microsoft we’re dedicated to tackling big challenges and creating the next generation of technologies that will help societies grow and prosper. From pushing the boundaries of computing beyond the screen, to helping make sense of large-scale data sets for scientific discoveries, developing new ideas and technologies is deeply woven into our DNA.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Lee also participated in a briefing hosted by the Computing Research Association on “IT for People, Homes, and Cities.” The speakers discussed the IT innovation ecosystem, the role of computing research in industry, academia, and government, and the potential societal value and economic impact of emerging research discoveries. Additional participants included representatives from New York University and the University of Washington.

In advance of TechFair, Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center and Politico also hosted a discussion on “Emerging Tech Leaders” featuring Evan Burfield, co-founder, 1776; Mindy Finn, director of strategic partnerships, Twitter; Harvey Geiger, senior legislative counsel, Office of Rep. Zoe Lofgren; Allyson Kapin, co-founder, Rad Campaign; and Andy Ozment, strategic director for cybersecurity, White House.


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Learn more about Microsoft Research and the latest in research and development here and follow the conversation on Twitter at #DCTechFair.

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