Congratulations to Jia Geng! A PhD student in the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Marine Ecosystem and Society program, Jia has been awarded an AI for Earth Microsoft Azure sponsored grant for his project on developing AI systems to automate live feed cultivation for fish hatcheries, entitled: “Developing an Artificial Intelligence System for Rotifer Bachionus spp. Culture to Support Fish Hatchery Technology.” Microsoft’s AI for Earth program awards support projects that change the way people and organizations monitor, model, and ultimately manage Earth’s natural systems.

With a BS degree in Aquaculture from the Ocean University of China, and Graduate Certification in Data Science Foundations from NC State, Jia will further his knowledge by apply deep-learning models to achieve high accuracy rotifer detection and classification. In this collaborative project between IDSC and the University of Miami Experimental Hatchery, Jia will be mentored by Daniel Benetti, PhD, Director of Aquaculture and Professor in the Department of Marine Ecosystems and Society; and Amin Sarafraz, PhD, IDSC Software Engineering team member and Research Assistant Professor in the College of Engineering. (The project website may be reached via GitHub: gengjia0214/AIRoti.)