{"id":1471,"date":"2022-01-29T02:05:01","date_gmt":"2022-01-29T02:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/?p=1471"},"modified":"2023-07-28T15:32:37","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T15:32:37","slug":"idsc-fellows-fall-2021-launch-event-featured-project-proposals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/idsc-fellows-fall-2021-launch-event-featured-project-proposals\/","title":{"rendered":"IDSC Fellows Fall 2021 Launch Event Featured Project Proposals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>From endangered whales to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, concrete durability, and the brain-computer interface, four University of Miami graduate students will apply advanced data science and computing tools to their multidisciplinary research projects selected for the IDSC Fellows Program for the 2021-22 academic year.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JZJDf1LFyo0\" width=\"854\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\"><\/span><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-38683\" src=\"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Giannina-Bianchi-extended-240x240-1.png\" alt=\"Giannina Bianchi\" width=\"220\" height=\"220\" \/>As the 2021-2022 IDSC Fellows<strong>, Ashley Cook, Julian Dallmeier, Kevin Davis,<\/strong> and<strong> Mingyue Wu<\/strong> will work closely with multiple mentors\u2014from their field plus an IDSC faculty mentor\u2014to develop their computational skills and expand their research experience before presenting their work at a capstone spring symposium.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur goal is to inspire a new generation of leaders in data science to cross traditional boundaries of disciplines,\u201d said<strong> Giannina Bianchi<\/strong>, IDSC\u2019s Engagement and Outreach Manager, who introduced the new IDSC Fellows at a December 7, 2021 webinar launch event. \u201cThrough IDSC they will have access to our advanced computer resources in their research.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here are the projects of the four students, who constitute the eighth cohort for the IDSC Fellows Program:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-40034 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Ashley-Cook-300x369-photo-2.jpg\" alt=\"Ashley Cook, 2021-2022 IDSC Fellow\" width=\"220\" height=\"271\" \/>Cetacean Acoustics\u00a0 |\u00a0 Ashley Cook<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>As a doctoral student in the Marine Biology and Ecology program at the Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (RSMAS), Ashley Cook is studying cetacean acoustics to detect Rice&#8217;s whales, an endangered species in the DeSoto Canyon off Florida\u2019s west coast.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith fewer than 100 Rice&#8217;s whales remaining, we need to learn more about their location and activities in their primary habitat,\u201d said Cook. Currently, there are 17 hydrophone sites in the region that detect the \u201clong moans and downsweep trains\u201d of the whales and generate recordings. However, it is not feasible to manually review the recordings to identify individual animals\u2014particularly against background noises such as passing ships.<\/p>\n<p>For her project, <strong>\u201cDetection of Rice\u2019s Whale Calls in the Gulf of Mexico Using Passive Acoustic Data and Deep Learning,\u201d<\/strong> Cook plans to develop a call detector for this baleen whale species that could also be applied to other long-term acoustic datasets.<\/p>\n<p>Cook\u2019s mentors are<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Elizabeth Babcock, PhD<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0| \u00a0Professor,\u00a0Department of Marine Biology and Ecology,\u00a0RSMAS<\/li>\n<li><strong>Melissa Soldevilla, PhD<\/strong>, who leads the Passive Acoustic Monitoring program for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s (NOAA) Fisheries.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gang Ren,<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>PhD<\/strong>\u00a0| IDSC\u00a0AI + Machine Learning\u00a0\u00a0| Research Assistant Professor\u00a0Department of Computer Science<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mitsunori Ogihara, PhD<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0 Professor,\u00a0Department of Computer Science\u00a0 |\u00a0 Director, IDSC\u00a0Workforce Development and Education\u00a0 |\u00a0 Cooper Fellow,\u00a0College of Arts and Sciences\u00a0 |\u00a0 Site Director,\u00a0NSF University of Miami CARTA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-40008\" src=\"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Julian-Dallmeier-300x369-1.jpg\" alt=\"Julian Dallmeier, 2021-2022 IDSC Fellow\" width=\"220\" height=\"271\" \/><strong>Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Pathology\u00a0 |\u00a0 Julian Dallmeier<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>A neuroscience doctoral student, Julian Dallmeier hopes to gain new insights into Alzheimer\u2019s disease by studying patterns in brain tissues. \u201cBeing named an IDSC Fellow is a great honor,\u201d he said. \u201cThis program is a great opportunity for young scientists to learn more about data science in their disciplines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dallmeier will apply feature extraction and clustering algorithms to study hyperphosphorylated tau and amyloid plaques\u2014a hallmark of Alzheimer\u2019s disease\u2014in his project,<strong> \u201cSpatial Clustering Analysis of Corpora Amylacea and Tau in the Hippocampus.\u201d<\/strong> Using tissue samples from UM\u2019s \u00a0Brain Endowment Bank, Dallmeier will look at clustering patterns of plaque buildup and see if they can be correlated to genetic risk factors.<\/p>\n<p>Dallmeier\u2019s mentors are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>William Scott,<\/strong>\u00a0<strong>PhD<\/strong>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Professor, and Vice-Chair for Education and Training,\u00a0Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics\u00a0|\u00a0 Professor of Neurology and Public Health Sciences, UM\u00a0Miller School of Medicine\u00a0 |\u00a0 Faculty Member,\u00a0John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics\u00a0(HIHG)\u00a0 |\u00a0 Executive Director, UM\u00a0Brain Endowment Bank<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mitsunori Ogihara, PhD<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0 Professor,\u00a0Department of Computer Science\u00a0 |\u00a0 Director, IDSC\u00a0Workforce Development and Education\u00a0 |\u00a0 Cooper Fellow,\u00a0College of Arts and Sciences\u00a0 |\u00a0 Site Director,\u00a0NSF University of Miami CARTA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-40009\" src=\"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Kevin-Davis-300x369-1.jpg\" alt=\"Kevin Davis, 2021-2022 IDSC Fellow\" width=\"220\" height=\"271\" \/><strong>Brain-Computer Interface\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kevin Davis<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Kevin Davis, an M.D.\/Ph.D. student in the Biomedical Engineering program, will be applying IDSC\u2019s Advanced Computing resources to improve the functions of an implanted brain-computer interface in a homebound patient with chronic cervical spinal cord injury.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy using machine learning and classification and regression algorithms, I hope to expand the interface we have developed at the UM Brain + Machine Learning Lab,\u201d said Davis. \u201cThis could be of great potential benefits to patients with neurological injuries or disease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Davis\u2019s project,<strong> \u201cExpanding Functional Control of a Fully Implanted Brain-Computer Interface,\u201d<\/strong> involves capturing signals from the brain using a non-invasive technique called electroencephalography and sent to a computer on the patient\u2019s wheelchair. Machine learning and deep learning algorithms would then be used to translate those commands from the brain into hand, wrist, and elbow movements.<\/p>\n<p>Davis\u2019 mentors are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Abhishek Prasad, PhD<\/strong>\u00a0|\u00a0 Associate Professor,\u00a0Department of Biomedical Engineering,\u00a0College of Engineering<\/li>\n<li><strong>Odelia Schwartz, PhD<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0 Associate Professor,\u00a0Department of Computer Science,\u00a0College of Arts and Sciences\u00a0 |\u00a0 Director of Undergraduate Studies, Secondary Faculty in\u00a0Biology\u00a0 |\u00a0 Principal Investigator,\u00a0Brain + Machine Learning Lab<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Concrete Durability\u00a0 |\u00a0 Mingyue Wu<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-40020\" src=\"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Mingyue-Yue-300x369-2nd-photo.jpg\" alt=\"Mingyue Wu, 2021-2022 IDSC Fellow\" width=\"220\" height=\"271\" \/>Mingyue Wu, a doctoral student in the Civil, Architectural &amp; Environmental Engineering Department, is studying the problem of concrete \u201ccreep,\u201d which shortens the lifespan of structures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCreep is the long-term deformation of concrete that is driven by sustained loads,\u201d said Wu. \u201cWe know that how nanoparticles move under that stress depends on the structure of the local environment, but we don\u2019t yet understand those patterns.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wu will apply machine learning techniques to molecular dynamics simulations in her project, \u201c<strong>The Role of Cement Nanostructure on the Creep Behavior or Concrete.\u201d<\/strong> She hopes to identify insights that will significantly enhance concrete durability.<\/p>\n<p>Her mentors are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Luis Ruiz Pestana, PhD\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Assistant Professor,\u00a0Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering,\u00a0College of Engineering<\/li>\n<li><strong>Melvin Ayala, PhD<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0 IDSC\u00a0Systems and Data Engineering, and\u00a0Advanced Computing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From endangered whales to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, concrete durability, and the brain-computer interface, four University of Miami graduate students will apply advanced data science and computing tools to their multidisciplinary research projects selected for the IDSC Fellows Program for the 2021-22 academic year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[498,506],"tags":[617,618,619,620,621,622,623,464,624,625,626],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1471"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2035,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1471\/revisions\/2035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idsc.miami.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}