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Reclaiming 'Spend': A Retirement Rebellion

June is Pride Month—a celebration of identity, resilience, and the powerful act of reclaiming. Over the years, LGBTQ+ communities have reclaimed words that once marginalized them. “Queer” used to be a slur. Now, it’s a proud badge of honor. Similarly, the Black community has transformed language once used to oppress into expressions of cultural pride and connection. So, here's a thought: What if retirees approached the word “spend” similarly? Yes, you read that right. The psychological Tug-of-War This isn't just about numbers; it’s about narratives. Most retirees have spent their entire adult lives in accumulation mode: save, earn, invest, delay gratification, rinse, and repeat. But retirement flips that formula on its head, and most people weren’t provided with a “mental user guide” for the transition. Now, instead of saving, they’re expected to spend? Without a paycheck? It triggers everything from guilt to fear to a low-grade existential crisis. The Challenge of Saving for an Extended Period Let’s get serious for a moment. The data tells a troubling story: - Canadians over 65 collectively hold $1.5 trillion in home equity (CMHC, 2023) - The average retiree spends just $33,000 per year, despite often having far more resources (StatsCan, 2022) - Nearly 70% of retirees express anxiety about running out of money—despite having significant savings (FCAC, 2022) We’re talking about seniors who could afford dinner out, a trip to Tuscany, or finally buying that electric bike—and instead, they’re clipping coupons and debating the cost of almond milk. Why?  Because spending still feels wrong. I Know a Thing or Two About Reclaiming Words As a proud member of the LGBTQ2+ community and a woman who has worked in the traditionally male-dominated world of finance, I’ve had a front-row seat to the power of language, both its ability to uplift and its tendency to wound. There were many boardrooms where I was not only the only woman but also the only gay person, and often the oldest person in the room. I didn’t just have a seat at the table; I had to earn, protect, and sometimes fight to keep it. I’ve learned that words can be weapons, but they can also be amour—if you know how to use them. Reflect on Your Boundaries Take a moment. Have you ever felt prejudged, marginalized, or dismissed? Perhaps it was due to your gender, sexuality, accent, skin colour, culture, or age. It leaves a mark. One way to preserve your dignity is by building a mental toolkit in advance. Prepare a few lines, questions, or quiet comebacks you can use when someone crosses the line—whether they intend to or not. Here are five strategies that helped me stand tall—even at five feet nothing: 1. Humour – A clever remark can defuse tension or highlight bias without confrontation. 2. Wit – A precisely timed comeback can silence a room more effectively than an argument. 3. Over-preparation – Know your stuff inside and out. Knowledge is power. 4. Grace under fire – Not everything deserves your energy. Rise above it when it matters. 5. Vulnerability – A simple “Ouch” or “Did you mean to hurt me?” can be quietly disarming—and deeply human. Let’s Talk About Microaggressions The term microaggression may sound small, but its effects are significant. These are the subtle, often unintentional slights: backhanded compliments, dismissive glances, and “jokes” that aren’t funny. They quietly chip away at your sense of belonging. Dr. Robin DiAngelo’s book White Fragility is a brilliant read on this topic. She explains how early socialization creates bias— “Good guys wear white hats. Bad guys wear black hats.” These unconscious associations become ingrained from an early age. Some people still say, “I’m not racist—I have a Black friend,” or “I’m not homophobic—my cousin is gay.” The truth? Knowing someone from a marginalized group doesn’t exempt you from unconscious bias. It might explain the behaviour, but it doesn’t excuse it. And no, there is no such thing as reverse discrimination. Discrimination operates within systems of power and history. When someone points out a biased comment or unconscious microaggression, they’re not discriminating against you—they’re holding up a mirror. That sting you feel? It’s not oppression. It’s shame—and it’s warranted. It signals that your intentions clashed with your impact. And that’s not a failure; it’s an invitation to grow. Calling it “reverse discrimination” is just a way to dodge discomfort. But real progress comes when we sit with that discomfort and ask: Why did this land the way it did? What am I missing? Because the truth is, being uncomfortable doesn’t mean you’re being attacked. It often means you’re being invited into a deeper understanding—and that’s something worth showing up for. Let’s Reclaim 'Spend' What if we flipped the script? What if spending in retirement was viewed as a badge of honour? Spending on your grandkids’ education, your bucket list adventures or even a high-end patio chair should not come with any shame. You’ve earned this. You’ve planned for this. It’s time to reclaim it. Let’s make “spend” the new “thrive.” Let’s make super-saver syndrome a thing of the past. Let the Parade Begin Imagine it: a Seniors’ Spend Parade. Golden confetti. Wheelchairs with spoilers. Luxury walkers with cupholders and chrome rims. T-shirts that say: - “Proud Spender. Zero Shame.” - “I’m not broke—I’m retired and woke.” - “My equity funds my gelato tour.” Dreams Aren’t Just for the Young What’s the point of spending decades building wealth if you never enjoy it? Reclaiming “spend” isn’t about being reckless—it’s about being intentional. So go ahead—book the trip. Upgrade the sofa. Take the wine tour. You’re not being irresponsible; you’re living the life you’ve earned. And if anyone questions it? Smile and say: “I’m reclaiming the word spend. Care to join the parade?” Sue Don’t Retire…Rewire! 8 Guilt-Free Ways to Spend in Retirement A checklist to help you spend proudly, wisely, and joyfully: ☐ Book the Trip – Travel isn’t a luxury; it’s a memory maker. ☐ Upgrade for Comfort – That recliner? That mattress? Worth every penny. ☐ Gift a Down Payment – Help your kids become homeowners. ☐ Fund a Grandchild’s Dream – Tuition, ballet, a first car—you’re building a legacy. ☐ Outsource the Chores – Pay for help so you can reclaim your time. ☐ Invest in Wellness – Healthy food, massage therapy, yoga. Health is wealth. ☐ Pursue a Passion – From pottery to piloting drones, go for it. ☐ Celebrate Milestones – Anniversaries, birthdays… or Tuesdays. Celebrate always! Want More? If this speaks to you, visit www.retirewithequity.ca and explore more: - From Saver to Spender: Navigating the Retirement Mindset - Money vs. Memories in Retirement - Fear Of Running Out (FORO) Each piece explores the emotional and psychological aspects of retirement—the parts no one talks about at your pension seminar.

NASA Asks Researchers to Help Define Trustworthiness in Autonomous Systems

A Florida Tech-led group of researchers was selected to help NASA solve challenges in aviation through its prestigious University Leadership Initiative (ULI) program. Over the next three years, associate professor of computer science and software engineering Siddhartha Bhattacharyya and professor of aviation human factors Meredith Carroll will work to understand the vital role of trust in autonomy. Their project, “Trustworthy Resilient Autonomous Agents for Safe City Transportation in the Evolving New Decade” (TRANSCEND), aims to establish a common framework for engineers and human operators to determine the trustworthiness of machine-learning-enabled autonomous aviation safety systems. Autonomous systems are those that can perform independent tasks without requiring human control. The autonomy of these systems is expected to be enhanced with intelligence gained from machine learning. As a result, intelligence-based software is expected to be increasingly used in airplanes and drones. It may also be utilized in airports and to manage air traffic in the future. Learning-enabled autonomous technology can also act as contingency management when used in safety applications, proactively addressing potential disruptions and unexpected aviation events. TRANSCEND was one of three projects chosen for the latest ULI awards. The others hail from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach – researching continuously updating, self-diagnostic vehicle health management to enhance the safety and reliability of Advanced Air Mobility vehicles – and University of Colorado Boulder – investigating tools for understanding and leveraging the complex communications environment of collaborative, autonomous airspace systems. Florida Tech’s team includes nine faculty members from five universities: Penn State; North Carolina A&T State University; University of Florida; Stanford University; Santa Fe College. It also involves the companies Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and ResilienX of Syracuse, New York. Carroll and Bhattacharyya will also involve students throughout the project. Human operators are an essential component of aviation technology – they monitor independent software systems and associated data and intervene when those systems fail. They may include flight crew members, air traffic controllers, maintenance personnel or safety staff monitoring overall system safety. A challenge in implementing independent software is that engineers and operators have different interpretations of what makes a system “trustworthy,” Carroll and Bhattacharyya explained. Engineers who develop autonomous software measure trustworthiness by the system’s ability to perform as designed. Human operators, however, trust and rely on systems to perform as they expect – they want to feel comfortable relying on a system to make an aeronautical decision in flight, such as how to avoid a traffic conflict or a weather event. Sometimes, that reliance won’t align with design specifications. Equally important, operators also need to trust that the software will alert them when it needs a human to take over. This may happen if the algorithm driving the software encounters a scenario it wasn’t trained for. “We are looking at how we can integrate trust from different communities – from human factors, from formal methods, from autonomy, from AI…” Bhattacharyya said. “How do we convey assumptions for trust, from design time to operation, as the intelligent systems are being deployed, so that we can trust them and know when they’re going to fail, especially those that are learning-enabled, meaning they adapt based on machine learning algorithms?” With Bhattacharyya leading the engineering side and Carroll leading the human factors side, the research group will begin bridging the trust gap by integrating theories, principles, methods, measures, visualizations, explainability and practices from different domains – this will build the TRANSCEND framework. Then, they’ll test the framework using a diverse range of tools, flight simulators and intelligent decision-making to demonstrate trustworthiness in practice. This and other data will help them develop a safety case toolkit of guidelines for development processes, recommendations and suggested safety measures for engineers to reference when designing “trustworthy,” learning-enabled autonomous systems. Ultimately, Bhattacharyya and Carroll hope their toolkit will lay the groundwork for a future learning-enabled autonomous systems certification process. “The goal is to combine all our research capabilities and pull together a unified story that outputs unified products to the industry,” Carroll said. “We want products for the industry to utilize when implementing learning-enabled autonomy for more effective safety management systems.” The researchers also plan to use this toolkit to teach future engineers about the nuances of trust in the products they develop. Once developed, they will hold outreach events, such as lectures and camps, for STEM-minded students in the community. If you're interested in connecting with Meredith Carroll or Siddhartha Bhattacharyya - simply click on the expert's profile or contact  Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.

For autonomous machines to flourish, scalability is everything

The past decade has seen remarkable advancements in robotics and AI technologies, ushering in the era of autonomous machines. While the rise of these machines promises to revolutionize our economy, the reality has fallen short of expectations. That’s not for a lack of intensive investments in research in development, says Yuhao Zhu, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Rochester. The reason we’re not seeing more service robots, autonomous drones, and self-driving vehicles, Zhu says, is that autonomation development is currently scaling with the size of engineering teams rather than the amount of relevant data and computational resources. This limitation prevents the autonomy industry from fully leveraging economies of scale, Zhu says, particularly the exponentially decreasing cost of computing power and the explosion of available data. Zhu recently co-authored a report on the quest for economies of scale in autonomation in Communications of the ACM and is part of an international team of computer scientists focused on making autonomous machines more reliable and less costly. He can be reached by email at yzhu@rochester.edu.

Villanova Professor at the Forefront of Work to Tackle Quantum Threats

Securing Our Future Against Quantum Threats Security and privacy are values that everyone cherishes. No tech user wants their personal information getting into the wrong hands, which is why we have security measures in place to protect our private data: face ID to unlock our phones, two-factor authentication to log into banking apps and fingerprint technology to securely enter any system—from a computer to your front door. Encryption codes are used on each of these platforms to encode private data and allow only authorized users to access it. These measures are put in place to protect us, but new advancements in technology could soon challenge these secure systems that we have come to know and trust. Quantum computers are extraordinary machines capable of solving problems far beyond the scope of today’s standard computers. Although these computers are not commercially available, scientists harness their power for experimentation and data storage. Quantum computers excel in scientific development, but they may also prove to be a threat to existing technology that we use in our daily lives. Experts predict that by 2035, quantum computers could crack the very encryption codes that secure everyday transactions and data. Jiafeng Xie, PhD, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Villanova University, is at the forefront of this battle, using his Security and Cryptography Lab to strengthen security measures against the threat of quantum computers. The Rise of Post-Quantum Cryptography Since quantum computer advancements are accelerating at an unprecedented pace, post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has emerged as a critical area of research and development. Scientists who study PQC are working to come up with new algorithms to encode our sensitive data, with a goal of being installed after quantum computers crack our current encryption systems. Without these new algorithms, once quantum computers break our current codes, sensitive data—whether personal, corporate or governmental—could be left vulnerable to malicious actors. The core problem of our current encryption system lies in the foundation of public-key cryptosystems. Public-key cryptography is a method of encryption where the user logs into a system using their own private “key”, and the back end of the system has a “key” as well. A “key” is a large numerical value that scrambles data so that it appears random. When a user logs in, their “key” can decrypt private information held by the public “key” in the system to ensure a secure login. This security method is safe right now, but these systems rely on mathematical principles that, while secure against classical computing attacks, are vulnerable to the immense processing power of quantum computers. At the heart of the vulnerability is Shor's algorithm, developed by MIT computer scientist Peter Shor in 1994. As Dr. Xie explained, “Shor invented an algorithm to solve prime factors of an integer that can supposedly run on a quantum computer. This algorithm, if run on a large-scale mature quantum computer, can easily solve all these existing cryptosystems' mathematical formulation, which is a problem." The realization of this potential threat has spurred an increased focus on the development of post-quantum cryptography over the past decade. The goal is clear: "We want to have some sort of cryptosystem that is resistant to quantum computer attacks," says Dr. Xie. In 2016, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) began the process of standardizing post-quantum cryptography. In July 2022, NIST selected four algorithms to continue on to the standardization process, where they are currently being tested for safety and security against quantum computers. The standardization process for these new algorithms is intensive, and two of the candidates that were announced for testing have already been broken during the process. Scientists are in a race against time to increase the diversity of their algorithms and come up with alternate options for standardization. The urgency of this shift to post-quantum cryptography is underscored by recent government action. The White House released a national security memo in 2022 stating that the U.S. government must transition to quantum-resistant algorithms by 2035. This directive emphasizes the critical nature of post-quantum cryptography in maintaining not just personal but national security. Villanova’s Security and Cryptography Lab Once a new algorithm is selected by NIST, it will need to be embedded into various platforms that need to be secured—this is where Dr. Xie’s Security and Cryptography Lab comes in. This lab is actively conducting research into how the newly selected algorithm can be implemented in the most effective and resourceful way. The lab team is working on developing techniques for this new algorithm so that it can be embedded into many different types of platforms, including credit cards and fingerprint technology. However, there are significant challenges in this process. As Dr. Xie explains, "Different platforms have different constraints. A chip-based credit card, for example, has limited space for embedding new encryption systems. If the implementation technique is too large, it simply won’t work.” Another arising issue from this research is security. During the application of this new algorithm, there's a risk of information or security leakage, so Dr. Xie is always on the lookout for developing security issues that could cause problems down the road. The Future of Post-Quantum Cryptography The implications of PQC are widespread and extend far beyond academic research. As Dr. Xie points out, "All existing cryptosystems, as long as they have some sort of function—for example, signing in or entering a password for login—all of these systems are vulnerable to quantum attacks." This vulnerability affects everything from banking systems to small-scale security measures like fingerprint door locks. The scope of this transition is massive, requiring updates to encrypted systems across all sectors of technology. His goal is to ensure that these new cryptographic systems are flexible enough to be applied to everything from small devices like credit cards and drones to large-scale infrastructure like data centers and military equipment. Although researchers are hard at work now, the future of post-quantum cryptography is not without uncertainties. Dr. Xie raises an important question: "When quantum computers become available, will the algorithms we develop today be broken?" While the newly developed algorithms will theoretically be secure, vulnerabilities can emerge when implementing any kind of new security system. These potential vulnerabilities highlight the importance of conducting this research now so that the new algorithms can go through intensive testing prior to being implemented. Despite these challenges, Dr. Xie emphasizes the importance of being prepared for this new reality. "Society as a whole needs to be prepared with this kind of knowledge,” he says. “A new era is coming. With our current security systems, we need to have revolutionized change. On the other hand, we should not be panicked. We just need continued support to do more related research in this field.” More extensive research is required to ensure that our privacy is protected as we enter a new era of quantum computing, but labs like the Security and Cryptography Lab at Villanova are a step in the right direction. Although the “years to quantum” clock is ticking down, researchers like Dr. Xie are well on their way to ensuring that our digital infrastructure remains secure in the face of evolving technological threats.

Covering Russia? UMW's experts are featured in the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

West Sanctions Russian Aviation, But Moscow Decides to Keep Planes Flying Despite Risks When the U.S. and its allies slapped sanctions on Russia for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, severing aviation links was at the top of the list. Direct flights vanished and Russian airlines lost access to spare parts for their foreign airplanes. In retaliation, Vladimir Putin’s regime impounded foreign aircraft and shut off the world’s largest air space to countries imposing sanctions. Not since the early 1980s—when the U.S. suspended routes to the USSR over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, repression in Poland and downing of a Korean Air Lines plane—have aviation ties between the two countries dipped so low. Aviation sanctions today are having an impact but come with a major risk. If the fatal crash of a jetliner killing hundreds is linked to the lack of spare parts, Putin will blame sanctions and the West. The stakes are high as Russia seeks to use any issue from cluster bombs to soccer to widen cracks in Western unity over Ukraine. To get ahead of this, U.S. policymakers and their allies need to better explain the effects of sanctions, why they’re worth the risk and why the Russian state, not the West, is ultimately responsible for any fatal crash. U.S. government assessments place Russian aviation among sectors negatively impacted by sanctions. A closer look shows widening success in degrading this increasingly weak link in Russia’s political economy. By late 2021, foreign aircraft comprised 70% of Russia’s fleet of 801 passenger airplanes, which included 298 Airbuses, 236 Boeings, and 23 other foreign aircraft such as Embraers. In addition, 95% of Russian airline flights were on foreign-made aircraft. Consequently, sanctions aimed at depriving spare parts for foreign airplanes have caused many disruptions such as fare increases to cover higher costs of repairs. Some of Russia’s 53 airlines have periodically suspended or stopped flying some of their foreign planes. Reports of Russian airlines’ cannibalization of foreign aircraft similarly underscore a dire situation. Less well known is how sanctions hurt Russian manufacturing since Western technology is critical to aircraft such as the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which uses a French-Russian engine (though Russians are working on a substitution). Production of the Yakovlev design bureau’s MC-21 passenger airplane faces significant delays due to sanctions that force substitution of its Western-made parts. Sanctions even helped push Russia out of a joint venture with China to produce the CR929 widebody aircraft. While China is happy to help Russia thwart sanctions, this plane needs Western systems that sanctions complicate. In response, Russia has adapted to and thwarted some aviation sanctions, which I predicted would happen because Putin’s regime is reproducing a state-centered aviation sector rooted in the Soviet past. The war has accelerated the state’s growing control over this vital economic sector, which began before Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine. Examples include the state’s 51% ownership of Aeroflot since 1994, the merger of two smaller, state-run airlines in 2003 and the consolidation of aircraft manufacturing in the state-owned United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), which was created in 2006. More recently, the Russian state has helped the country’s airlines weather sanctions by facilitating the illegal confiscation of foreign aircraft. Russian airlines have also proven resourceful by purchasing spare parts through brokers in the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Better known for supplying Russia with drones, Iran also agreed to provide Russian airlines with spare parts and has been fixing an Aeroflot Airbus for months. Many foreign airlines continue to fly to Russia, and Putin’s regime rewards friendly countries with overflight rights. But the longer sanctions remain, the harder it’s getting for Russia. To regain profitable foreign routes, its airlines are receiving government assistance to legitimately purchase the Western aircraft they illegally seized, although recent holdups in allocating such funds are causing doubts. In a throwback to the Soviet era, Putin’s regime boasts that Russia doesn’t need the West’s airplanes anyway since its one manufacturer, the UAC, will pick up the slack. Such import substitution is unlikely to succeed, as multiple delays suggest. More likely, Russia’s aviation sector will grow more reliant on the state, if not actually part of it like the UAC. This will make Russian aviation less efficient, less innovative and more expensive. Iranian airlines, which have long suffered under foreign sanctions despite some success circumventing them, present their Russian counterparts with a grim vision of the future such as being shut out of lucrative air travel markets and falling behind in emerging aviation technology. How does this shape safety in Russia’s skies? The short answer is that it’s not as bad as headlines suggest and the impact of sanctions is ambiguous at best. Click bait stories paint a dire picture but often conflate commercial, military and general aviation into alarming numbers that do not accurately capture what ordinary passengers face. Some accounts, such as one claiming 120 accidents occurred in 2023, provide few details or sources. Annual safety reports from Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) allow for comparison over time but often obscure Russia’s situation by combining data from each post-Soviet state it monitors. Its 2019 report is mysteriously missing and its decision not to investigate the fatal crash of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Embraer Legacy 600 plane suggests meddling from above. That said, the IAC source base is the most systematic we have. Keeping in mind the potential for the politicization of its conclusions, what does a critical reading of its data alongside other sources suggest? First, fatal crashes in commercial and general aviation actually decreased in Russia from 18 in 2021 to 13 in 2022, and related deaths decreased from 70 to 24. Data for the first half of 2023 points in the same direction, with six fatal crashes and nine deaths. This trend was likely helped by the 14% decline in traffic after February 2022. While so many fatal crashes sound substantial, all but three in 2021 and all but one in 2022 involved small aircraft under 5,700 kilograms, not the jetliners we associate with most commercial flying. Absolute figures on crashes and deaths capture headlines but they don’t say much about safety without considering their relation to passengers flown or departures. According to the IAC, the rate of aviation accidents and the rate of fatal crashes per one million departures both increased from 2020 to 2021 but then decreased in 2022. The IAC does not single out Russia from other post-Soviet states for this metric. But since Russia has the largest aviation sector among those countries, these data suggest that its aviation safety has not dramatically worsened since early 2022. Indeed, even critics who argue that Russian airlines are less safe partly because of sanctions conclude that “2022 and 2023 were also good years for airline safety [in Russia] compared to 2021.” Comparisons with the U.S. similarly suggest that passenger aviation is not as disastrous as some headlines suggest. The IAC data indicates that Russia and other post-Soviet states are usually but not always behind the U.S. in passenger aviation safety. In 2018, for example, IAC countries reported a 0.8 rate of fatal crashes per 1 million departures of passenger aircraft above 5,700 kilograms. Comparable statistics from the National Transportation Safety Board showed a 0.11 rate for that year for scheduled U.S. carrier flights. In 2019, the rates were 2.3 (IAC) and 0.10 (U.S.), but in 2020, both IAC countries and the U.S. enjoyed a 0.0 rate of fatal crashes. The following year, however, IAC countries reported a 1.9 rate of fatal crashes, whereas the NTSB reported a 0.0 rate.1 Against this background of Russian airline safety, let’s now turn to the impact of sanctions. While some commentators emphasize that no fatal crashes have been tied to sanctions, others claim they make Russian airlines unsafe and that it’s only a matter of time before such a fatal crash happens. Some even argue that life-threatening dangers prove aviation sanctions are effective and could help turn Russians against Putin. To reassure the public, Russian aviation officials insist the country’s airlines are safe despite sanctions, as do Russian business media and aviation journalists. This plays to Putin’s claims to legitimacy based in part on withstanding anything the West throws at him. In sharp contrast, Ukrainian media tells Russians their airlines are a disaster waiting to happen precisely because of sanctions. Independent Russian journalists banished by Putin concur, raising alarms about efforts to cover up the impact of sanctions and about the many ways Russian airlines cut corners on safety. In short, an information war exists around the morbid question of whether a Russian jetliner will crash and the role sanctions could play. Fears of a fatal crash were validated by the emergency landing of a Ural Airlines A320 in September, apparently caused by malfunctioning hydraulics tied to sanctions. But a closer examination by a Russian aviation journalist suggests the pilots played a more important role by pressing on to an airport for which there wasn’t enough fuel. Recent Russian state assessments of aviation safety similarly point to pilot error and poor training as the chief causes of aviation incidents. More generally, airplane disasters are usually caused by a convergence of factors—bad weather, a manageable mechanical failure and pilot error—not just one problem. In public discussions, however, pinpointing sanctions’ role tracks more with the politics of the war than technical expertise. At the end of the day, Russian airlines and aviation authorities are solely responsible for putting planes in the sky and Russians’ lives at risk. They continue to claim that everything is fine. But if a fatal crash of a Boeing or Airbus flown by a Russian airline kills hundreds, I predict this narrative will quickly change. Putin will blame the West as he does for everything else affecting his legitimacy, from Russia’s economic problems and his diplomatic failures to protests against his regime and even the war he started in Ukraine. Such a scenario will be a serious test for policymakers who argue that punishing Russia with sanctions is still worth it. To prepare for this, they need to take a page from the Biden administration’s release of intelligence on Russia’s military buildup before the full-scale invasion: publicize as much intelligence as possible on sanctions and their impact, as well as Russia’s aviation sector and what it does or doesn’t do to ensure safety. As Putin’s regime falls back on Soviet-era secrecy about airline safety, sharing such intelligence will be a powerful tool. This will also contribute to broader Western efforts at combatting Russia’s better known disinformation campaigns such as those denying its human rights abuses in Ukraine.

Aston University scientist to help make crop monitoring easier and cheaper

Photonics expert Dr Sergey Sergeyev to help make crop monitoring easier and cheaper with remote sensing The technology can be placed on drones and flown over crop fields to provide real-time information about crop health Remote sensing is an essential tool to provide real-time information about crops to estimate yields. An Aston University photonics expert has received a Royal Society Industry Fellowship grant to help make crop monitoring easier and cheaper with remote sensing technology. Dr Sergey Sergeyev of Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AIPT) has received £174,000 to improve polarimetric LIDAR, a technology that uses light to remotely observe plants. LiDAR, an acronym for Light Detection and Ranging, involves light sent from a transmitter which is reflected from objects. Devices with this technology can be placed on drones and flown over crop fields to provide real-time information about crop health to help farmers forecast the success of their crops. Polarimetric synthetic-aperture radars (SARs) and polarimetric LiDARs are the most advanced, cost-effective sensors for crop monitoring. They are often used onboard aircraft and satellites and have been in use for three decades. However, current polarimetric LIDAR systems have low spatial resolution, a slow measurement speed and use expensive components that limit their cost effectiveness. Dr Sergeyev will be working in collaboration with Salford-based digital and AI farming company Fotenix to meet farmers' need for a cost-effective solution to check if their plants are adequately watered and disease-free. The team will aim to advance recently patented AIPT technology of the polarimetric LIDAR, making it affordable for farmers in the UK and worldwide. The project, called POLIDAR, will run from 2024 to 2025. Dr Sergeyev said: “Aston University’s patented technique will be modified by using a laser emitting four time-delayed pulse trains with different states of polarisation. By comparing the input states of polarisation and states of polarisation of light reflected from plants, it will reveal information about the distance to plants and plants' leaf texture, such as water stress and pathogen infection. Unlike state-of-the-art solutions we suggest an all-fibre design with a minimum number of bulk components that reduces the footprint, cost and weight. Dr Sergeyev added: “My project's motivation is driven by the global and UK agenda on increased food production, requiring novel remote sensing approaches towards ICT farming. “As declared at the World Summit on Food Security in 2017, the growth in the world's population requires increased and more efficient agricultural production. “Remote sensing is an essential tool to systematically address the challenging task of enhanced agricultural efficiency by providing real-time information about crop traits for yield estimation.” The announcement coincides with UNESCO Day of Light which marks the role light plays in science, culture and art, education and sustainable development. It is held on 16 May every year, the anniversary of the first successful operation of a laser. ENDS  World Summit on Food Security in 2017 The future of food and agriculture: Trends and challenges (fao.org) https://www.fao.org/3/i6583e/i6583e.pdf UNESCO Day of Light The International Day of Light is a global initiative that provides an annual focal point for the continued appreciation of light and the role it plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development, and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, and energy. The broad theme of light will allow many different sectors of society worldwide to participate in activities that demonstrates how science, technology, art and culture can help achieve the goals of UNESCO – education, equality, and peace. The International Day of Light is held on May 16th every year, the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman. The laser is a perfect example of how a scientific discovery can yield revolutionary benefits to society in communications, healthcare and many other fields. About Aston University For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally. Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world. Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020. Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world. For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk

New research shines a light on how expert mapmakers at Ordnance Survey see the world differently

OS Remote Sensing Services survey team updating OS MasterMap using the latest aerial imagery (Image credit: OS) Aston University psychologists worked with Ordnance Survey to assess how surveyors use 3D aerial images when making maps Humans naturally assume light comes from above, but experienced surveyors can interpret visual cues to assess topography regardless of the light direction It is the first time it has been shown that experience can radically alter natural human assumptions about lighting and could improve surveyor training. Researchers at Aston University have found differences between experienced Ordnance Survey (OS) mapmakers and novices in the way that they interpret aerial images for mapmaking, which could lead to improved training processes for new recruits. OS is well known for its travel and walking maps, but is also responsible for maintaining Great Britain’s national geographic database. Every time a building is demolished or developed, or a new road and path built, the map must be updated. Aerial photographs are taken of the area that has changed, either from a plane or using drones, and expert mapmakers, known as remote sensing surveyors, will examine the images to identify change and accurately redraw the map of the area. Image pairs are presented stereoscopically, one to each eye, allowing the remote sensing surveyors to see in 3D and correctly assess the topography, such as ditches, hills and hedges. Led by Professor Andrew Schofield, a team from Aston University’s College of Health and Life Sciences, together with Dr Isabel Sargent, previously at OS, carried out a study to understand how remote sensing surveyors interpret the shadows and highlights in images. The researchers asked six trained remote sensing surveyors and six novices to assess 10,000 stereoscopic aerial images of hedges and ditches, which had been heavily masked with image distortions. The stereoscopic images the aerial surveyors use for mapmaking are usually taken on sunny days. The human brain is naturally wired to interpret light as coming from above. However, the light does not come from above in the OS aerial images, it depends on the position of the sun. In the UK, north of the equator, light comes slightly from the south, thus appearing to come from below in images viewed by the surveyors. The researchers wanted to see how manipulating the direction of the light would affect the surveyors. Professor Schofield and the team swapped the image pairs between the eyes in half of the trials, so that hedges might look like ditches, and ditches look like hedges. The images were also flipped vertically on half the trials, changing the direction of the light source. Expert surveyors were found to rely on the stereoscopic cues – the difference in images seen by the two eyes – when performing the task. Novices were more likely to rely on lighting cues – highlights and shadows – to judge the shape and relief of an object, and assumed, as is natural, that the lighting came from above. With the manipulated images, this meant that novices frequently made mistakes. Experts were more accurate, even when the images had been turned upside down, and some had learnt to assume that the light source came from the south, or below. This is the first time anyone has shown that the natural assumption that light comes from above, which is common amongst many animal species, can be changed through long term experience. The researchers say that it could be used to develop new visual training techniques for remote sensing surveyors. For example, intensive exposure to repeated, difficult images can improve performance via a process called perceptual learning. Professor Schofield said: “This is a very exciting result. Others have shown that the light-from-above assumption can be altered by a few degrees, but no one has ever found complete reversals following long term experience. Dr Sargent said: “This result will help Ordnance Survey to understand the expertise of their staff and improve surveyor training and procedures.” Remote sensing surveyor Andy Ormerod, who worked on the study, said: “This research proves that experienced remote sensing surveyors can see the world differently. Whereas non-surveyors are used to seeing the world from one perspective, our brains have learned to view the world as seen from aerial imagery.” Journal of Vision DOI:10.1167/jov.24.4.11

Optical research illuminates a possible future for computing technology

Nathaniel Kinsey, Ph.D., Engineering Foundation Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), is leading a group to bring new relevance to a decades-old computing concept called a perceptron. Emulating biological neuron functions of the messenger cells within the body’s central nervous system, perceptrons are an algorithmic model for classifying binary input. When combined within a neural network, perceptrons become a powerful component for machine learning. However, instead of using traditional digital processing, Kinsey seeks to create this system using light with funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. This “nonlinear optical perceptron” is an ambitious undertaking that blends advanced optics, machine learning and nanotechnology. “If you put a black sheet outside on a sunny day, it heats up, causing properties such as its refractive index to change,” Kinsey said. “That’s because the object is absorbing various wavelengths of light. Now, if you design a material that is orders of magnitude more complex than a sheet of black plastic, we can use this change in refractive index to modify the reflection or transmission of individual colors – controlling the flow of light with light.” Refractive index is an expression of a material’s ability to bend light. Researchers can harness those refractive qualities to create a switch similar to the binary 1-0 base of digital silicon chip computing. Kinsey and collaborators from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, including his former VCU Ph.D. student Dhruv Fomra, are currently working to design a new kind of optically sensitive material. Their goal is to engineer and produce a device combining a unique nonlinear material, called epsilon-near-zero, and a nanostructured surface to offer improved control over transmission and reflection of light. Kinsey’s prior research has demonstrated that epsilon-near-zero materials combine unique features that allow their refractive index to be modified quite radically – from 0.3 to 1.3 under optical illumination – which is roughly equivalent to the difference between a reflective metal and transparent water. While an effective binary switch, the large change in index requires a lot of energy (~1 milli-Joules per square centimeter). By combining epsilon-near-zero with a specifically designed nanostructure exhibiting surface lattice resonance, Kinsey hopes to achieve a reduction in the required energy to activate the response. The unique response of a nanostructure exhibiting surface lattice resonance allows light to effectively be bent 90 degrees, arriving perpendicular to the surface while being split into two waves that travel along the surface. When a large area of the nanostructure is illuminated, the waves traveling along the surface mix, where they interfere constructively or destructively with each other. This interference can produce strong modification to reflection and transmission that is very sensitive to the geometry of the nanostructure, the wavelength of the incident light and the refractive index of the surrounding materials. The mixing of optical signals along the surface can also selectively switch regions of the epsilon-near-zero material thereby performing processing operations. A key aspect of Kinsey’s work is to build nonlinear components, like diodes and transistors, that use optical signals instead of electrical ones. Transistors and other traditional electronic components are nonlinear by default because electrical charges strongly interact with each other (for example, two electrons will tend to repel each other). Creating optical nonlinear components is challenging because photons do not strongly interact, they just pass through each other. To correct for this, Kinsey employs materials whose properties change in response to incident light, but the interaction is weak and thus requires large energies to utilize. Kinsey’s device aims to reduce that energy requirement while simultaneously shaping light to perform useful operations through the use of the nanostructured surface and lightwave interference. The United States Department of Defense sees optical computing as the next step in military imaging. Kinsey’s work, while challenging, has potential to yield an enormous payoff. “Let’s say you want to find a tank within an image,” Kinsey said, “Using a camera to capture the scene, translate that image into an electrical signal and run it through a traditional, silicon-circuit-based computer processor takes a lot of processing power. Especially when you try to detect, transfer, and process higher pixel resolutions. With the nonlinear optical perceptron, we’re trying to discover if we can perform the same kinds of operations purely in the optical domain without having to translate anything into electrical signals.” Linear optical systems, like metasurfaces and photonic integrated circuits, can already process information using only a fraction of the power of traditional tools. Building nonlinear optical systems would expand the functionality of these existing linear systems, making them ideal for remote sensing platforms on drones and satellites. Initially, the resolution would not be as sharp as traditional cameras, but optical processing built into the device would translate an image into a notification of tanks, troops on the move, for example. Kinsey suggests optical-computing surveillance would make an ideal early warning system to supplement traditional technology. “Elimination or minimization of electronics has been a kind of engineering holy grail for a number of years,” Kinsey said, “For situations where information naturally exists in the form of light, why not have an optical-in and optical-out system without electronics in the middle?” Linear optical computing uses minimal power, but is not capable of complex image processing. Kinsey’s research seeks to answer if the additional power requirement of nonlinear optical computing is worthwhile given its ability to handle more complex processing tasks. Nonlinear optical computing could be applied to a number of non-military applications. In driverless cars, optical computing could make better light detection and ranging equipment (better known as LIDAR). Dark field microscopy already uses related optical processing techniques for ‘edge detection’ that allows researchers to directly view details without the electronic processing of an image. Telecommunications could also benefit from optical processing, using optical neural networks to read address labels and send data packets without having to do an optical to electrical conversion. The concept of optical computing is not new, but interest (and funding) in theory and development waned in the 1980s and 1990s when silicon chip processing proved to be more cost effective. Recent years have seen many advancements in computing, but the more recent slowdown in scaling of silicon-based technologies have opened the door to new data processing technologies. “Optical computing could be the next big thing in computing technology,” Kinsey said. “But there are plenty of other contenders — such as quantum computing — for the next new presence in the computational ecosystem. Whatever comes up, I think that photonics and optics are going to be more and more prevalent in these new ways of computation, even if it doesn’t look like a processor that does optical computing.” Kinsey and other researchers working in the field are in the early stages of scientific exploration into these optical computing devices. Consumer applications are still decades away, but with silicon-based systems reaching the limit of their potential, the future for this light-based technology is bright.

Expert Comment - the humanitarian use of drones in the current Turkish/Syrian earthquake disaster

Dr Muhammad Azmat, Assistant Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Aston University, Birmingham, is available to provide comment on the humanitarian use of drones in the current Turkish/Syrian earthquake disaster, and why they should be used more. “There are several examples from the recent past that suggest autonomous drones and drone swarms could be an effective tool to speed up search and rescue operations. “I believe there is a need for more awareness of drones and humanitarian organisations should be encouraged in using this new technology.” Dr Azmat has previously written for The Conversation about the potential use of humanitarian drones during the Ukraine war Dr Azmat’s profile: Dr Muhammad Azmat Assistant Professor in Logistics and SCM - Expert with Aston University | ExpertFile If you have any queries, please contact Dr Azmat or Nicola Jones Mobile: (+44)7825 342091 n.jones6@aston.ac.uk Press and Communications Manager, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK

Bye-bye Bonnie and Clyde – Brazil is taking bank robbing to a whole new level

The media coverage reads like a scene out of a Michael Bay movie. Bank robbers using drones, strategically planting bombs across the city and taking hostages and placing them atop getaway cars. It’s surreal … but in Brazil, over the top bank heists are becoming the new normal. And the media are looking for experts to try and explain just what it is going on. That’s why the Daily Beast recently contacted Georgia Southern’s expert on Latin America, José de Arimatéia da Cruz, Ph.D. In the predawn darkness last Monday, a group of about 20 heavily armed commandos seized control of the downtown financial block in Araçatuba, a mid-sized Brazilian city in the eastern state of São Paulo. They then proceeded to rob three banks, while the surveillance drones they had deployed kept watch over head. When the heist was complete they accosted several bystanders, shot a man who had been filming them on his phone, and then bound the hostages they’d taken to the tops of their getaway vehicles so as to dissuade police from interfering with their escape…. Since 2015 these kinds of attacks have become so common that Brazilians even have a name for them: Novo Cangaço, which roughly translates into English as “New Struggle.” The name refers to a “social banditry” movement that flourished in Brazil’s hardscrabble northeast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The original Cangaço sought to battle back against widespread poverty and inequality. It involved Robin-Hood like figures who plagued wealthy landowners, donated to the poor, and pushed the government to jumpstart economic reforms. “The New Cangaço’s modus operandi is similar” to that of their predecessors, José de Arimatéia da Cruz , Ph.D., told The Daily Beast. The tactics might be alike, but the strategy between the old and new incarnations are quite different, according to da Cruz, who is originally from Brazil but now teaches international relations at Georgia Southern University. “The difference today is that the traditional cangaceiros [peasant bandits] were fighting against politicians. The Novo Cangaço today are attacking banks and are most basically interested in money for different purposes.” This is a sensational chain of events – and if you are a reporter covering these escalating crimes in Brazil – then let us help with your stories. José de Arimatéia da Cruz is available to speak with media regarding this topic — simply reach out to Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.