To support data-intensive scientific projects in multiple disciplines, the University of Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing (IDSC) has launched a new grant program “Expanding the Use of Collaborative Data Science at UM“, with six awards to University of Miami researchers.“Our goal is to advance scientific knowledge through collaborative projects that can benefit from our institute’s powerful computation and analytic resources,” said Ben Kirtman, Ph.D., IDSC deputy director and professor of atmospheric sciences and director or the Cooperative Institute for Marine & Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) at the Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science. “In addition, these grants demonstrate the growing importance of data science and computing in addressing highly complex issues in many fields.”

Here is a summary of the six one-year awards, which include access and time on the Triton Supercomputer. The next round of annual awards will be offered in fall 2021.

Type 1 Diabetes
Midhat H. Abdulreda, Ph.D., associate professor of surgery, Diabetes Research Institute, received a grant for “Very-Large-Scale Predictive Integration of Multi-Omics Datasets and High-Dimensional Pattern Discoveries of Integrated Biomarker Signatures of Type 1 Diabetes.” This project focuses on biomarker discovery by extracting meaningful information from large datasets obtained from multiple sources.

Atmosphere-Ocean Interactions
Shane Elipot, Ph.D., research assistant professor, Department of Ocean Sciences, will focus on “Applying Machine Learning Tools to Investigate Oceanic Heat Transport and Ocean Currents and Temperatures Predictions.” He will study the relationships between sea surface currents and the sea surface temperatures for a better understanding of oceanic heat transport

Biological Algorithms
Amanda Myers, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science uses large multi-layered molecular datasets to study issues related to Alzheimer’s disease, genetics and other topics. Her project, “BNOmics (Bayesian network reconstruction algorithms and software) Cloud,” aims to developing a user-friendly platform for biology ’omics analysis.

Ultra-Durable Concrete
Luis Ruiz-Pestana, Ph.D., research assistant professor, Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering will focus on, “Learning How Colloidal Glasses Age: A Step Towards the Rational Design of Ultra-Durable Concrete.” The project could help lower cement consumption by extending the lifetime of infrastructure with positive environmental results.

Viruses and Marine Bacteria
Cynthia Silveira, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Biology, will study the interactions of marine microbial communities in her project, “Global Oceanographic Patterns of Viruses Infecting Marine Bacteria.” Her goal is to better understand the molecular mechanisms as well as their ecosystem outcomes in coral-associated microbiomes.

Predicting Glaucoma Progression
Swarup Swaminathan, Ph.D., assistant professor of clinical ophthalmology, will advance his imaging research in glaucoma through his project, “Bayesian Linear Mixed Modeling in Predicting Glaucomatous Disease Progression.” He will use data from electronic health records and high-performance computing-dependent statistical methodologies to develop improved personalized estimates of glaucomatous progression.

These six grants were chosen from 13 applications in the following fields: Anesthesiology; Biology; Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering (2); Department of Ophthalmology/Bascom Palmer Eye Institute; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Diabetes Research Institute; Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute; Ocean Sciences; Ophthalmic Biophysics Center; Ophthalmology, Pediatrics and Human Genetics, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (2) and Ortho Sports Medicine –STA.