Daily Business Report: June 10, 2024
California teachers are using
AI to grade papers. Who’s grading the AI?
By Khari Johnson | CalMatters
Your children could be some of a growing number of California kids having their writing graded by software instead of a teacher.
California school districts are signing more contracts for artificial intelligence tools, from automated grading in San Diego to chatbots in central California, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
English teachers say AI tools can help them grade papers faster, get students more feedback, and improve their learning experience. But guidelines are vague and adoption by teachers and districts is spotty.
The California Department of Education can’t tell you which schools use AI or how much they pay for it. The state doesn’t track AI use by school districts, said Katherine Goyette, computer science coordinator for the California Department of Education.
While Goyette said chatbots are the most common form of AI she’s encountered in schools, more and more California teachers are using AI tools to help grade student work. That’s consistent with surveys that have found teachers use AI as often if not more than students, news that contrasts sharply with headlines about fears of students cheating with AI.
Top photo: A poster with information for students on using ChatGPT, an AI platform, in English teacher Jen Roberts’ class at Point Loma High School in San Diego on May 3, 2024. (Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters)
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Cox Communications and I Love A Clean San Diego divert
more than 800 pounds of litter and debris in beach/bay cleanup
Hundreds of Cox Communications employees collected and diverted more than 800 pounds of litter and harmful debris from Mission Beach and Mission Bay as part of its annual community cleanup event. The cleanup was held in partnership with I Love A Clean San Diego and included 470 employee volunteers from Cox Communications, Cox Auto and Cox Enterprises.
Cox Charities presented $25,000 to I Love A Clean San Diego for its classroom education programs that teach students about ocean conservation, the effects of marine debris, waste reduction, and the importance of proper recycling in an effort to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. Cox Charities is an employee-funded foundation supported by the company. A Cox Charities advisory council made up of a diverse group of employees oversees the foundation’s giving programs and selects nonprofits to support.
“Our employees care about our community and they’re always ready to get out there and make an impact,” said Chanelle Hawken, West Region vice president of government and public affairs for Cox Communications
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Airport Authority names four airlines
as winners of its 2023 Fly Quiet Awards
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority announced the winners of the 2023 Fly Quiet Awards, which recognizes airlines for their efforts to reduce noise during arrivals and departures at San Diego International Airport.
Four airlines are being recognized for their efforts in 2023:
- Southwest Airlines received the highest Fly Quiet Score in the large domestic carrier category due to its continued use of the Boeing 737 MAX, a newer and quieter aircraft.
- Hawaiian Airlines won in the small domestic carrier category by flying half of their overall flights in 2023 at SAN with the A321neo aircraft, a newer and quieter aircraft; and receiving a good nighttime score.
- DHL Express USA won the air cargo carrier category for its use of quieter aircraft, the Boeing 737-800; no noise curfew violations; and the lowest noise exceedance score among air cargo carriers.
- Lufthansa Airlines won the international carrier category, achieving the best overall score in all categories. The airline utilizes the Airbus 350-900 which is a newer and quieter aircraft; 95.5 percent of departures occurred prior to 9 p.m.; and has never had a curfew violation while operating at SAN.
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Dust from the drying Salton Sea pollutes nearby communities
SDSU News Team
When desert winds stir up dust from the Salton Sea’s exposed lakebed, nearby communities suffer from increased air pollution. The deterioration coincides with reduced flows into California’s largest lake, according to a new study in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics by San Diego State University, University of California, Davis and Arizona State University researchers.
“What we find is that historically disadvantaged communities are receiving the brunt of this air pollution,” said co-author Ryan Abman, associate professor of economics at SDSU.
The Salton Sea has been shrinking for years, according to co-author Eric Edwards, assistant professor of agricultural economics at University of California, Davis, who worked on the study while at North Carolina State University. The dust created by the drying of the lakebed increases pollution that reaches surrounding communities.
“We have a dusty area, and any time there is wind, it’s going to pick up dust and move it around,” Edwards said.
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UC San Diego Health first in region
to provide novel therapy for melanoma
By Leslie Aquinde | UC San Diego
UC San Diego Health is the first hospital system in the region to offer a new immunotherapy treatment for metastatic melanoma. The personalized cellular therapy derived from tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), is the first solid tumor therapy on the market approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“This one-time cellular immunotherapy is a powerful and robust tool to treat patients with advanced melanoma resistant to other approved therapies and who have limited treatment options,” said Gregory Daniels, MD, professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and medical oncologist at UC San Diego Health.
The process of TIL therapy using lifileucel (AMTAGVI), begins by collecting and isolating a patient’s unique cancer-fighting white blood cells, called lymphocytes, or T-cells, from the surgically removed tumor. The T-cells are isolated, expanded and stimulated to enhance their ability to recognize, infiltrate and attack cancer cells. This army of TIL cells is then infused back into the patient.
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CCOE, Google, three universities partner to launch San Diego Cyber Clinic
San Diego’s Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE), Cal State San Marcos, National University, and San Diego State University are set to receive $1 million in grant funding and wraparound support from Google’s Cybersecurity Clinics Fund to establish the San Diego Cyber Clinic. This multi-institution clinic will provide free digital security services to under-resourced organizations and train future talent for quality jobs in the region’s cybersecurity cluster.
General Atomics secures $94.8 million contract for AI Smart Sensor development
Leading unmanned aircraft systems provider General Atomics Aeronautical Systems received a $94.8 million contract with the Army Contracting Command to develop an AI-powered Smart Sensor Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance prototype. The platform-agnostic AI system will facilitate autonomous surveillance and reconnaissance
operations in challenging environments.
Qualcomm, Sentra, LPL Financial Holdings rank in 2024 Fortune 500 list
Qualcomm, Sempra, LPL Financial Holdings rank in the 2024 Fortune 500 list. Qualcomma wireless technology company, dtopped 19 spots this year, reporting about $35.8 billion in revenue (down from 19 percent from 2023). Sempra, a public utility company, jumped 39 spots to 246 with $16.7 billion in annual earnings. LPL Financial Holdings, an investment and wealth management company, rose 48 spots to No. 392 with $10 billion in revenue.
PCL Construction to begin $55 million Mira Mesa Community Park renovation
The long-awaited overhaul of Mira Mesa Community Park will begin this summer, promising to deliver in two years time an aquatic center, a skate park, a renovated recreation building and substantial infrastructure upgrade. San Diego City Council members unanimously OK’d a $43.3 million contract with PCL Construction Services to complete what is officially known as the Mira Mesa Community Park Phase Two Improvements. With the action, council members simultaneously agreed to appropriate $11 million more from neighborhood funds to finance the project in full.
County connects with businesses in the South Bay
It’s matchmaking of sorts. The county needs a diverse pool of suppliers. And businesses that can offer those supplies, well, they need business. A company specializing in helping small businesses find government contracts brought the two together at a Connecting with the County event Wednesday in National City. The county is one of the largest buyers in the region, providing everything from pencils to entire new buildings. County Purchasing and Contracting makes conscious efforts to increase supplier diversity by reaching out to underrepresented suppliers and contractors.
San Diego battery technology startup moves into
thee fast lane with a partnership with Porsche subsidiary
A San Diego tech company that specializes in improving battery performance has just announced a strategic partnership with a division of Porsche, the German automaker that recently zoomed into the electric vehicle market. “We’re a startup, we like to move fast and we like partners that like to move fast — and drive fast, too,” said Cyrus Rustomji, chief science officer at South 8 Technologies. “So working with a partner to integrate our solution into their high-end vehicles in the near future is very exciting to us.”
Scripps Clinic doctor is first in Southern California to use
newly approved drug-coated balloon to clear clogged stent
Scripps Clinic interventional cardiologist Paul Teirstein, M.D., became the first in Southern California to use a newly approved drug-coated balloon to clear a clogged stent that previously had been placed in a blocked heart vessel. The procedure, with the AGENT Drug-Coated Balloon developed by Boston Scientific, was performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory in the John R. Anderson V Medical Pavilion on the campus of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla shortly after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the device for commercial use in the United States.
Department of Health-Abu Dhabi and Novartis to partner
to advance genomics research in oncology and beyond
At BIO 2024 International Convention, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the health care sector in the Emirate, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Novartis Middle East FZE, a global pharmaceutical company. Under the terms of the MoU, the entities will work together to advance solutions in multiple therapeutic areas. The two priority focus areas include advancing clinical genomics research for real-world evidence (RWE) and generating and disseminating evidence to support the understanding of radioligand therapy (RLT) for cancer patients.
Attend North America’s largest electical construction tradeshow
The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) announced that registration is now open for the NECA 2024 Convention and Trade Show, scheduled to take place from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, 2024, at the San Diego Convention Center. Year after year, this event brings together thousands of people in the electrical construction industry as the trade’s premier event. Attendees will experience top-tier education, inspiring keynote speakers, peer networking, exciting entertainment, and one of the largest displays of industry tools and technology.
Alaska Airlines to offer guests largest summer
schedule in preparation for the busy travel season
In response to an increase in travel demand, Alaska Airlines is offering the largest summer schedule in the company’s history, including new nonstop routes and international destinations never served before during the busiest months of the year. During this year’s peak summer months (June, July and August), theiairline added almost one million seats versus last year; these added seats will help guests get to more barbeques, baseball games, and beaches than ever before.
