The best and the brightest

I can't think of a better environment than academia for asking hard questions and trying to solve the unsolvable. It's at universities that graduate students perform some of the most exciting and game-changing research in computer science and technology. These university labs foster the students that are going to be the next innovators and leaders in research.<br /><br />We started the Google Fellowship Program this year to support graduate students in their quest to discover and achieve great things. Our goal was to find the best and brightest PhD students and award them a unique fellowship that highlights their contributions to research and supports them through their graduate studies. Several top universities submitted their students for consideration by research scientists, distinguished engineers and executives at Google. The breadth of research covered by these students and the scope of their vision was astounding. Learning about them was exciting; choosing from among them was truly difficult.<br /><br />After careful review, we are proud to announce the 2009 Google Fellowship recipients:<br /><ul><li> Roxana Geambasu, Google Fellowship in Cloud Computing (<span style="font-style: italic;">University of Washington</span>)</li><li> Michael Piatek, Google Fellowship in Computer Networking (<span style="font-style: italic;">University of Washington</span>)</li><li> David Sontag, Google Fellowship in Machine Learning (<span style="font-style: italic;">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</span>)</li><li> Ali Farhadi, Google Fellowship in Computer Vision Image Interpretation (<span style="font-style: italic;">University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</span>)</li><li> Nicholas Chen, Google Fellowship in Human-Computer Interaction (<span style="font-style: italic;">University of Maryland</span>)</li><li> Siddhartha Sen, Google Fellowship in Fault Tolerant Computing (<span style="font-style: italic;">Princeton University</span>)</li><li> Ryan Peterson, Google Fellowship in Distributed Systems (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cornell University</span>)</li><li> Eric Gilbert, Google Fellowship in Social Computing (<span style="font-style: italic;">University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</span>)</li><li> Micha Elsner, Google Fellowship in Natural Language Processing (<span style="font-style: italic;">Brown University</span>)</li><li> Subhransu Maji, Google Fellowship in Computer Vision Object Recognition (<span style="font-style: italic;">University of California, Berkeley</span>)</li><li> Nicolas Lambert, Google Fellowship in Market Algorithms (<span style="font-style: italic;">Stanford University</span>)</li><li> Han Liu, Google Fellowship in Statistics (<span style="font-style: italic;">Carnegie Mellon University</span>)</li><li> Lixia Liu, Google Fellowship in Compiler Technology (<span style="font-style: italic;">Purdue University</span>)</li></ul>These students exemplify excellence in all areas, and we look forward to the impact that they are sure to have on their fields and the world. The Google Fellowship will provide them with funding to cover their tuition and expenses, plus an Android-powered phone and a Google mentor. Our sincere congratulations to all of them!<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Leslie Yeh Johnson, Google University Relations</span>

The best and the brightest

I can't think of a better environment than academia for asking hard questions and trying to solve the unsolvable. It's at universiti...

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Behind the scenes of the Search Options panel

On Tuesday, we announced <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/more-search-options-and-other-updates.html">Search Options</a>, which are a collection of tools that let you slice and dice your results and generate different views to find what you need faster and easier.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xZ3CbA675HRnN-7hncbxEcGVwc5jGXYr-mgZUlrJJFBsk6DVccrvzUC10QjIQjfkVDzP1wOH9s_cSlS9uXwNdJaX53_EBfcU5OYlYDxReM1i05kKe0EwWpYFyHcZT4w9wrmvS1Jx1_TG/s1600-h/searchoptions.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335434598569892786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xZ3CbA675HRnN-7hncbxEcGVwc5jGXYr-mgZUlrJJFBsk6DVccrvzUC10QjIQjfkVDzP1wOH9s_cSlS9uXwNdJaX53_EBfcU5OYlYDxReM1i05kKe0EwWpYFyHcZT4w9wrmvS1Jx1_TG/s400/searchoptions.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 272px;" /></a><br />We know that people search for a wide variety of things and we're continually thinking of new search features to help them find information more quickly and easily. The idea for the Search Options panel originated as a way to accommodate the functionality offered by these new features within the search results page. While it might seem like the panel was simple to put together, a lot of collaboration between design, research, and engineering happened behind the scenes in order to produce the best experience possible.<br /><br />The team began by generating a broad range of directions, which we refined through design sessions and reviews. Confident about a handful of concepts, we began to seek out user feedback using <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/eye-tracking-studies-more-than-meets.html">eye-tracking</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability_testing">usability studies</a>. These studies provided us with valuable feedback about how people understood the options in the panel and interacted with them.<div><br />Here's an example of an eye-tracking path that illustrates how a participant wanted to get a sense of the quality of the results before deciding what search option to apply:<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweceFX3mgQDe4_P3VH16mBKF3vpYIY3z6nisLuczdlv7a7rXV8144UgzeOeJiRSLUCVAN-G3Ac1-jQiZ2qDauGCVFfWbe8m9UAsnxG5NPGKpCMj4HAlUpxU2adIRXuQFLK0UOfzWOKt9Y/s1600-h/eyetracking.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335434598208468770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweceFX3mgQDe4_P3VH16mBKF3vpYIY3z6nisLuczdlv7a7rXV8144UgzeOeJiRSLUCVAN-G3Ac1-jQiZ2qDauGCVFfWbe8m9UAsnxG5NPGKpCMj4HAlUpxU2adIRXuQFLK0UOfzWOKt9Y/s400/eyetracking.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 153px;" /></a><br />After each study, we iterated on the designs, making changes to everything from the order and behavior of the options, to the location of the panel and the way people opened and closed it. We also paid close attention to the visual design of the options panel. We wanted it to feel familiar –- not only to work the way you expect from Google, but to look and feel like Google, too. Even though you just started using the panel, we hope it will seem as if it were there all along.<br /><br />Below, you can see some of our initial concepts for the Search Options panel:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcIUh1MuBBJn0QckV17iNEhX59C4OeYkStqw0vKmVnG-F0OEqgEI-QtHcRXfOvqvBhQUkw326FStjvRV1XrXllbVwFoYbUpa_2uXyXXC2yutPM_aVT_ofRQT1rYvOi9bHwQel6brYqci_/s1600-h/concepts.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335872692003686242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcIUh1MuBBJn0QckV17iNEhX59C4OeYkStqw0vKmVnG-F0OEqgEI-QtHcRXfOvqvBhQUkw326FStjvRV1XrXllbVwFoYbUpa_2uXyXXC2yutPM_aVT_ofRQT1rYvOi9bHwQel6brYqci_/s400/concepts.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />And here are examples of various iterations, once we had a firm concept in mind:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CZD-y8SyiJ4CSm_kRdxw5aPtPFCP3nNevXYd7NKPrVLzCy8ZKhpIK81bB5EzAVvedrdD9mYyPJBbZ657KtPBGXBOc8E1Ful93aKIFPba1z-YkvRe2CLjhKlmDWPj4zoaZcrePJ1AXOvS/s1600-h/iterations.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335872688058777682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CZD-y8SyiJ4CSm_kRdxw5aPtPFCP3nNevXYd7NKPrVLzCy8ZKhpIK81bB5EzAVvedrdD9mYyPJBbZ657KtPBGXBOc8E1Ful93aKIFPba1z-YkvRe2CLjhKlmDWPj4zoaZcrePJ1AXOvS/s400/iterations.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />Once the designs were further solidified, we ran a number of tests with a small portion of our live searches to see how many visitors used the Search Options panel and which options were most popular. This quantitative research complemented qualitative feedback to give us a more complete idea of people’s understanding of Search Options. This process brought us to what you see today.<br /><br />Even now that the Search Options panel has launched, the work is not over. We’ll continue to monitor how people interact with Google Search, find ways to improve the user experience, listen to <a href="http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=142143">your feedback</a>, come up with new tools, and, who knows, maybe even add more wonder to the wonder wheel.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Jen Kozenski Devins, Jamie Divine, Melanie Kellar, and Marcin Wichary, User Experience Team</span></div></div>

Behind the scenes of the Search Options panel

On Tuesday, we announced Search Options , which are a collection of tools that let you slice and dice your results and generate different vi...

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Bike to Work Day 2009

Almost every Friday, I jump on my bike in San Francisco and ride roughly 45 miles to get to work at the <a href="http://maps.google.com/?q=Google%20Inc.@37.423156,-122.084917&hl=en">Google campus</a> in Mountain View — it takes about 3 hours. Most people think I'm crazy, but seeing the sun rise over the bay and feeling the rush of the air as I speed down <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=cortland+ave,+san+francisco,+ca&sll=37.739058,-122.41632&sspn=0.02508,0.05579&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.739838,-122.411814&spn=0.02508,0.05579&t=p&z=15&iwloc=A&layer=c&cbll=37.739861,-122.411686&panoid=SAr9PwXXVOFTcmIGgEwVzQ&cbp=12,92.04,,0,14.14">Cortland Hill</a> at close to 30mph on my bike makes it all worth it.<br /><br />Today and tomorrow, Googlers in 42 offices from around the world are joining me in celebrating <a href="http://www.sfbike.org/?btwd">Bike to Work Day</a>. Google's participation in this national event began in 2003 with only a handful of participants. Through the years, the tradition has grown from a purely local event to one that involves numerous offices in competition to get the longest distance biked, the most bikers, and the greatest percentage of an office participating.<br /><br />More than 500 Googlers in the San Francisco Bay Area participated, jumping on their bikes and leaving traffic behind. The benefits to us are clear; not only is biking great for health and fitness, but it also spares the earth a day of pollution.<br /><br />To see us in action, check out the photo album below.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fgblogphotos%2Falbumid%2F5335784595393124785%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Debbie Leight, Product Marketing Manager</span>

Bike to Work Day 2009

Almost every Friday, I jump on my bike in San Francisco and ride roughly 45 miles to get to work at the Google campus in Mountain View — it...

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This is your pilot speaking. Now, about that holding pattern...

Imagine if you were trying to fly from New York to San Francisco, but your plane was routed through an airport in Asia. And a bunch of other planes were sent that way too, so your flight was backed up and your journey took much longer than expected. That's basically what happened to some of our users today for about an hour, starting at 7:48 am Pacific time.<br /><br />An error in one of our systems caused us to direct some of our web traffic through Asia, which created a traffic jam. As a result, about 14% of our users experienced slow services or even interruptions. We've been working hard to make our services ultrafast and "always on," so it's especially embarrassing when a glitch like this one happens. We're very sorry that it happened, and you can be sure that we'll be working even harder to make sure that a similar problem won't happen again. All planes are back on schedule now. <br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Urs Hoelzle, SVP, Operations</span>

This is your pilot speaking. Now, about that holding pattern...

Imagine if you were trying to fly from New York to San Francisco, but your plane was routed through an airport in Asia. And a bunch of othe...

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Understanding health-related searches

As we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/search-experiments-large-and-small.html">blogged last summer</a>, there are lots of experiments running on Google web search all over the world. Today we've started a temporary experiment that some people might find interesting: we're researching how Google users search the Internet when they or someone they know is feeling sick.<br /><br />Understanding how people search when they're feeling sick is an important problem to solve, as it can help improve projects like <a href="http://google.org/flutrends">Google Flu Trends</a>, which uses aggregated search data to detect influenza epidemics. Statistics gathered in this experiment may also help Google deliver more relevant search results in the future. For example, someone who searches for [arthritis pain] to understand why an aging parent is experiencing joint pain might want to learn about nearby health facilities and potential treatments, whereas somebody who searches for [arthritis pain] because she is doing a research project might want results about how common arthritis is and what its risk factors are. Rather than make educated guesses about how many users are searching because they're sick, we're running this experiment to collect real statistics. This is not a permanent change, but a short-term experiment. A small percentage of random health-related searches will trigger the poll question.<br /><br />For example, at the bottom of the search results for [headache], some users will see a survey which asks whether they were searching because they or someone they know has a headache:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdYuXY6tR76mxwyxtmd-lZ8641_kUweNtGuPTMITfV7pZJxpsPoAOifrZOqaa-AC3rRXgKBO-Sr8bZJ0XVamEPsVFOpfU-KvR2fDsb5DLBgvz2cwsNdNzAo_X0R0QqCuyMjQ36X6WNTv0/s1600-h/RUSICK" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335411363823702674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWdYuXY6tR76mxwyxtmd-lZ8641_kUweNtGuPTMITfV7pZJxpsPoAOifrZOqaa-AC3rRXgKBO-Sr8bZJ0XVamEPsVFOpfU-KvR2fDsb5DLBgvz2cwsNdNzAo_X0R0QqCuyMjQ36X6WNTv0/s400/RUSICK" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 40px;" /></a><br />Similarly, if you happen to search for [ibuprofen], a common anti-inflammatory drug, you might see a survey which asks whether you were searching because you or somebody you know is taking ibuprofen:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwELINNrKrYg-E1kEd_NBrhhUZi0l9YF8pxS6LsUoTIe1qCrLL7yxCamVlv2me4IGJz4bzS0AoaRpRGqoEVdaQBkfHSzoy_8bYW6kF3z22vrGhHurbdUpuN0soST1jKDWiNL3paFG1EE0Y/s1600-h/RUSICK2" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335411498581474978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwELINNrKrYg-E1kEd_NBrhhUZi0l9YF8pxS6LsUoTIe1qCrLL7yxCamVlv2me4IGJz4bzS0AoaRpRGqoEVdaQBkfHSzoy_8bYW6kF3z22vrGhHurbdUpuN0soST1jKDWiNL3paFG1EE0Y/s400/RUSICK2" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 40px;" /></a><br />Data collected in this survey will be aggregated across thousands of users. Survey responses will be stored together with the original search query, but will not be associated with email addresses or other personally identifiable information. Survey data will not be used for advertising — it will only be used to help Google improve health-related search results and to help refine public health trends based on aggregated search queries, much like Google Flu Trends. You can learn more about how Google protects users' privacy at our <a href="http://www.google.com/privacy">Privacy Center</a>.<br /><br />For more information, please take a look at our <a href="http://www.google.org/about/flutrends/feeling-sick-faq.html">FAQ</a>.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Roni Zeiger, MD, Product Manager and Jeremy Ginsberg, Software Engineer</span>

Understanding health-related searches

As we blogged last summer , there are lots of experiments running on Google web search all over the world. Today we've started a tempora...

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30,000 new Google Apps business users at Valeo

Since Gmail launched in 2004 with, what was at the time, an unprecedented 1GB of storage per person, we've been focused on continuously improving the email experience with things like fast search to find messages quickly, <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2009/05/google-apps-connects-with-blackberry.html">mobile support</a>, <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2009/01/announcing-offline-access-in-gmail-labs.html">offline access</a> and integrated IM, and <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2008/11/gmail-voice-and-video-chat.html">voice and video chat</a>. Gmail was really the beginning of how we're rethinking personal and group productivity, and over the last couple of years, business adoption has accelerated rapidly as the hosted suite has emerged as a powerful, affordable successor to on-premises business technology.<br /><br />Today, more than a million businesses have moved beyond traditional software and hardware to cloud computing – where data and applications live online – and they're using the Google Apps suite not just for Gmail, but also for shared calendaring, collaborating on files without attachments, private video sharing and quickly deployable internal and external sites. IT managers are refocusing the money and time saved towards core projects that help their individual businesses become more competitive.<br /><br />Today we're thrilled to share news about another exciting partnership: <a href="http://www.valeo.com/en/press-releases/details.html?id=100">Valeo is deploying Google Apps</a> to the company's entire office-based workforce.<br /><br />This marks a significant moment for Google Apps, because Valeo has 30,000 Internet-connected employees, making this one of the largest enterprise deployments of Google Apps to date. Valeo is moving to the cloud with the support of Capgemini, one of the world's most highly regarded technology advisory firms. This deployment across Valeo's distributed workforce of 192 business entities in 27 countries and five continents demonstrates the vast scalability of Google Apps. Whether your company has just five employees in a single room, or tens of thousands of people scattered around the globe, Google Apps can easily provide powerful messaging and collaboration tools.<br /><br />If you help make technology decisions where you work, we invite you to <a href="http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/index.html#utm_medium=et&utm_source=us-en-ogb&utm_campaign=valeo">learn about Google Apps </a>and join the million businesses that have already become more productive by rethinking their approach to technology.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Laurent Guiraud, Google Enterprise</span>

30,000 new Google Apps business users at Valeo

Since Gmail launched in 2004 with, what was at the time, an unprecedented 1GB of storage per person, we've been focused on continuously ...

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We have a Knol for Dummies.com winner!

Today, we're pleased to announce that the winner of our <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-to-become-dummiescom-author.html">Knol for Dummies.com contest</a> is "<a href="http://knol.google.com/k/jennifer-frank/how-to-talk-to-your-doctor/1sx1wpgiybdpu/4">How to talk to your doctor</a>" by <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/jennifer-frank/-/1sx1wpgiybdpu/0#">Dr. Jennifer Frank</a>, whose knol about "getting the most out of a short-but-sweet office visit" was selected for its quality, clarity, and usefulness. It will be <a href="http://www.dummies.com/Section/id-380924.html">featured on Dummies.com</a>, and she will receive $1,000.<br /><br /><a href="http://knol.google.com/k/jennifer-frank/how-to-talk-to-your-doctor/1sx1wpgiybdpu/4#" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337940818958342082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAzL20ujGBZGOSuJXf1pDJNQLcu4gbq5eDN0Mzj-BzVMfM-bScBqV8ZDkCYk3x8UhGstBDyVmb9QfwEQgRSgQnvu1MHV7Cy2pMg83m072zqsejyxI7hgzzPcb3esUS8NKJEQyd2CGBKUt/s400/Picture+7.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 104px;" /></a><div>You can read Dr. Frank's knol <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/jennifer-frank/how-to-talk-to-your-doctor/1sx1wpgiybdpu/4">here</a>. Dr. Frank's tips on are just the type of authoritative content that makes great knols.<br /><br />Congratulations also go to the four finalists, who will also be featured on Dummies.com:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://knol.google.com/k/tom-nolan/how-to-calibrate-lag-in-guitar-hero/1tcv2hb2pn9ca/2#">How to Calibrate Lag in Guitar Hero</a> by <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/tom-nolan/tom-nolan/1tcv2hb2pn9ca/0#">Tom Nolan</a></li><li><a href="http://knol.google.com/k/craig-meathead-goldwyn/how-to-make-the-best-barbecue-ribs-ever/26escshr4kvt0/29">How to Make the Best Barbecue Ribs Ever</a> by <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/craig-meathead-goldwyn/-/26escshr4kvt0/0#">Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn</a></li><li><a href="http://knol.google.com/k/rita-hubbard/everything-you-always-wanted-to-know/1crry0nq2vba8/10">Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Getting a Grant (But Were Afraid to Ask)</a> by <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/rita-hubbard/rita-hubbard/1crry0nq2vba8/0#">Rita Hubbard</a></li><li><a href="http://knol.google.com/k/stephen-buchwalter/how-to-make-great-coffee/2hvcc153l9mae/2">How to Make Great Coffee</a> by <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/stephen-buchwalter/stephen-buchwalter/2hvcc153l9mae/0#">Stephen Buchwalter</a> and <a href="http://knol.google.com/k/paivikki-buchwalter/paivikki-buchwalter/18qshwnl2mfm1/0#">Paivikki Buchwalter</a></li></ul>Thanks to everyone who participated in the competition. We enjoyed learning how to do so many interesting things — from the importance of being nice to the staff at your doctor's office to the difference between spare ribs and babyback ribs — and hope knol readers did too.<br /><br /><span class="byline-author">Posted by Matt Ghering, Product Marketing Manager, Knol</span></div>

We have a Knol for Dummies.com winner!

Today, we're pleased to announce that the winner of our Knol for Dummies.com contest is " How to talk to your doctor " by Dr....

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