A new National Science Foundation grant is helping the University of Miami expand research networking and AI capacity at smaller institutions across the region along with a partnership with Florida LambdaRail.
Miami XR 2026 took place on Thursday, February 12 (at Knight Center for Music Innovation) and Friday, February 13 (at Shalala Student Center) at the University of Miami Coral Gables campus.
Hosted by Joseph Johnson and Mitsunori Ogihara, this new webinar series promotes the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) among University of Miami faculty, staff, and students, and the surrounding community. Read more “AI Lecture Series Explores Practical Applications with April Mann 4/10”
The annual University of Miami Computing Day showcases the vast array of interdisciplinary research and scholarship in computing at The U. We are thrilled to announce the Keynote Speaker for Computing Day 2026 will be James Waugh of Lucasfilm Ltd. Read more “Keynote Announced + Call for Demos and Posters—Computing Day 2026 4/17”
Join us in person to meet new IDSC Core Faculty joint hire with the School of Education and Human Development, Dr. Wanli Xing, on Thursday, April 30, 2026 at the Newman Alumni Center. Dr. Xing will give a talk from 4:00-5:00 p.m., followed by a social hour from 5:00-6:00. Read more “IDSC Welcomes Professor Wanli Xing with Lecture + Social Hour 4/30”
Collaborating with faculty members and researchers, students helped develop and create immersive technology applications that address environmental awareness, the well-being of cancer patients, and the history of a historic Miami neighborhood. (pictured above: Graduate student in interactive media Ma’at Hetep explains to students Faith Jimenez, left, and Barbara Griffin how the virtual reality murals experience “Telling Overtown Stories, Saying Their Names” works. Photo: Robert C. Jones Jr., University of Miami) Read more “Students Played Pivotal Roles in Apps Demoed at Miami XR 2026”
Abstract
Marine biodiversity underpins ecosystem health and is critical for the provision of essential ecological services. Global efforts to mitigate biodiversity loss are underway but require comprehensive knowledge on the biogeography of species to be effective. However, key challenges limit comprehensive mapping of species distributions, including the complexity of ocean ecosystems and the difficulty of sampling the marine realm.
Global initiatives such as AquaMaps pioneered large-scale marine species mapping using species distribution models or Ecological Niche models and provided the knowledge base for effective marine conservation and management. Recently, methodological and data advances have enabled a more modern and robust approach that enables higher resolution outputs more suited to conservation applications at all scales.
Building on AquaMaps, we develop a next-generation marine species habitat suitability modelling platform called AquaX, providing a suite of advances that include an ensemble of ten machine learning algorithms, enabling spatial uncertainty assessments, validation indices, and ecological niche representation at a ten-fold improved spatial resolution of 0.05°. Furthermore, AquaX integrates (i) accepted taxonomy from the World Register of Marine Species, (ii) species-specific ecological, physiological, and biogeographical information (D3-Ocean system), (iii) updated occurrence records validated through expert input, and (iv) refined species range maps using expert knowledge and biogeographical divisions.
AquaX also projects species’ habitat suitability for both present and future conditions based on two time periods and three climate scenarios. This work provides species range maps for numerous species compared to previously available datasets and improves the accurate use of observational data. The approaches described here improve predictive accuracy at scales more relevant to marine biodiversity conservation and offer an openly accessible tool to support marine biodiversity research and conservation planning under accelerating environmental change.
AquaX represents an important step forward in species distribution modeling, enabling researchers and policymakers to better understand marine biodiversity patterns and develop more effective conservation strategies.
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Reygondeau, Gabriel, et al. “AquaX: An Enhanced and Revised AquaMaps Framework to Model Marine Species Distributions and Biodiversity.” bioRxiv, 20 Oct. 2025, https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.19.683322v1.
The Software Carpentry community (software-carpentry.org) helps researchers get their work done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic research computing skills. This free Software Carpentry Python workshop taught over four half-day sessions will cover basic concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation. Read more “Free Software Carpentry Python Workshop (4 Half Days) at Medical Campus 3/24-27”