Cambridge, Massachusetts - Most recent advances in artificial intelligence - such as mobile apps that convert speech to text - are the result of machine learning, in which computers are turned loose on huge data sets to look for patterns.

Boulder, Colorado - A new material developed at the University of Colorado Boulder could radically reduce the energy needed to produce a wide variety of plastic products, from grocery bags and cling wrap to replacement hips and bulletproof vests.

Cincinnati, Ohio - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agriculture Specialists (CBPAS) at the Port of Cincinnati recently conducted a special operation in a continued effort to interrupt an extensive network of purposely mislabeled and high-risk agriculture products coming from Hong Kong, China, India, and Saudi Arabia.

New York - Liberal politicians in New York City want to give immigrants who are not yet citizens the right to vote.  The City Council, which is composed overwhelmingly of Democrats, is considering a law that would allow non-citizens to vote in municipal elections, explained Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens.

Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds farmers that the 2014 Farm Bill requires producers to file a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form (AD-1026) with their local USDA service center by June 1, 2015, in order to become or remain eligible for crop insurance premium support.

Washington, DC - Building on the President’s all-of-the-above energy strategy and efforts to expand clean energy innovation, the Department of Energy today awarded more than $5 million to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing nuclear engineering degrees and other nuclear science and engineering programs relevant to nuclear energy. The awards include 59 undergraduate scholarships and 32 graduate-level fellowships for students at American colleges and universities.