$10.7M grant given to OU research team for video game

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA — OU researchers are the recipients of a $10.7 million contract — for a video game.

The Air Force Research Laboratory and an OU research team led by communications professor Norah Dunbar are developing a video game to be used by intelligence analysts.

“I’ve never had a grant this big. In social sciences, a $500,000 dollar grant is a big grant … this $10 million grant knocked everybody’s socks off,” Dunbar said.

Dunbar, along with Scott Wilson, associate director for Innovative Technologies at the OU K20 Center, is overseeing the development of the video game called “Intelligence Crisis,” codename MACBETH, which stands for Mitigating Analysts Cognitive Bias by Eliminating Task Heuristics.

“We’re designing a game that’s going to be basically like being an intelligence agent … You’ll meet witnesses. You’ll gather information. You’ll have to look at maps,” Dunbar said.

A working prototype of the game must be ready in nine months and then heavy testing will begin, done primarily by students and some actual intelligence agents in Washington, D.C.

“It’s pretty aggressive,” Wilson said. “It’s exciting, but there are pretty big milestones we’re going to have to beat in order to deliver.”

—The Oklahoma Daily
By Paighten Harkins

Kaler to Gov. Dayton: the U creates jobs

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA — Gov. Mark Dayton held a summit to address Minnesota’s need for jobs Tuesday, and higher education played a key role in the discussion.

The daylong event in downtown St. Paul’s Crowne Plaza Hotel brought hundreds of education, business and legislative leaders together — including University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler — to discuss Minnesota’s future.

“I have the answers to the fundamental questions we’re all asking,” Kaler said to begin his speech. “Public higher education, our friends at (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) and the University of Minnesota — we deliver jobs for this state.”

Kaler said he will begin to work with Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius and MnSCU chancellor Steven Rosenstone to collaborate the state’s education system.

“We want to work to create pathways for students to move from the final years of high school to a two-year school and on to a four-year school,” Cassellius said.

Dayton closed the day by reiterating the collaborative theme of the summit.

“I want to reinforce the sign in my office that says, ‘None of us are as smart as all of us,’ ” Dayton said.

—The Minnesota Daily
By Kevin Burbach

Martin: SEC will add 14th team

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY — As reports surfaced Tuesday that West Virginia has agreed to join the Big 12, many expect Missouri to leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference.

LSU Chancellor Michael Martin said Tuesday he has not heard what Missouri intends to do. He said the SEC will wait for Missouri to officially end its relationship with the Big 12 before advancing in realignment talks.

“As we have always said in the SEC, we are willing to have constructional conversations with anyone who has completed, independent of our involvement, their divorce with their current relationship,” Martin said. “We’re not going to be in the middle of a relationship with the Big 12 and Missouri.”

Martin said the SEC followed the same process when considering the addition of Texas A&M. The Aggies’ entry to the SEC leaves the conference with 13 teams, and Martin admitted the conference will likely add a 14th team sooner rather than later.

“We know that we have to be an even-numbered league at some point,” Martin said. “We know we can’t wait a long time for 14. The best choices we have are those who have made a decision to leave where they are, as opposed to trying to extract one from another league. That’s not going to be the SEC’s brand.”

—The Daily Reveille
By Hunter Paniagua