August 8, 2022
Niaz Abdolrahim, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and co-principal investigator Chenliang Xu, associate professor of computer science, are developing automated deep-learning computer vision techniques to expedite the analysis of the trillions of bytes of data generated by experiments with materials that undergo phase changes at extreme conditions. (Illustration by Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.)
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
The phase changes that materials undergo at extreme conditions provide scientists unprecedented opportunities to discover ways to create new materials. The changes can also shed light on the formation and composition of exoplanets and other celestial bodies, including the inner core of our Earth.
The paradox for experimental scientists is this: The better they become at recording these changes, or so-called “rare events,” the more inundated they become with “tons and tons” of data that are challenging to analyze, says Niaz Abdolrahim, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
Niaz and co-principal investigator Chenliang Xu, associate professor of computer science, have received a total of $950,000 in grants from the National Nuclear Security Administration and from the National Science Foundation to develop automated deep-learning computer vision techniques to expedite the analysis of this data.
The goal is to “gain a better understanding of how materials react at extreme pressure, and why new exotic properties or phases are happening. This will help us identify novel pathways for designing new materials,” Niaz says.
This exciting collaboration was launched with the support of a University Research Award (URA) seed grant received by Niaz and Chenliang. “If it wasn’t for the URA, we might never have started the discussion,” Niaz says. “It was really helpful for facilitating the collaboration and generating these ideas.” Learn more.
RESEARCH NEWS
COVID-19 caused massive adjustments in the workplace, including increased reliance on virtual rather than in-person meetings. That trend is likely to continue—even after the pandemic wanes—as breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence and machine learning threaten even high-skilled jobs in many fields.
“Demand is instead soaring for tasks involving socio-cognitive soft skills, such as leadership and creative problem-solving,” explain Ehsan Hoque, associate professor of computer science, and Gourab Ghosal, associate professor of physics, mathematics, and computer science. “The future workplace is likely to involve large ensembles of people interacting in virtual settings, such as online social networks, as they tackle complex challenges that are yet beyond the capability of machines.”
Their argument persuaded the Army Research Office to award them a $700,000 grant to continue their research on redesigning and maximizing the productivity of these “self-organizing social networks.” Using creative performance as an initial yardstick, Ehsan and Gourab will set up controlled, virtual experiments to test how variables such as group composition, size, external signals, and network structure affect the productivity of network participants. They will also develop a tunable simulation architecture to extend their findings to a broad range of other skills that will be relevant to the future of work. They will then develop, test, and validate a suite of intervention strategies to alleviate bottlenecks and enhance the productivity of the creative process.
Ehsan says this project builds on interdisciplinary connections the researchers have been able to establish through the Goergen Institute for Data Science. “We are very grateful to have received a University Research Award last year allowing us to get some initial results to be successful with this proposal,” Ehsan adds. Learn about other ongoing projects at the Rochester Human-Computer Interaction (ROC HCI) lab.
CONDUCT OF RESEARCH TRAINING
Hajim School graduate students now have another option for completing the NSF’s Responsible Conduct of Research training requirement. A new 1-credit, half semester ethics course (PHIL 436-Research Ethics) developed by the Office of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) and the Department of Philosophy will be offered this fall. The course is specifically designed for students in the natural sciences and engineering who do not conduct research involving human subjects. It will meet Friday’s 10:25-11:40 for nine weeks starting September 2. This is a pilot course, so places are limited to the first 30 students. Students can register through UR Student through September 14, or by contacting Jonathan.Herington@rochester.edu. Tuition is covered for PhD students by their waiver.
I encourage all of our graduate students to consider taking this course, which will cover important information on ethics in research!
ALUMNA IN THE NEWS
Congratulations to Institute of Optics alumna Donna Strickland ’89 (PhD), professor of physics at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, who is one of two inaugural fellows of the Canadian Association of Physicists. Donna was co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for her work with Gérard Mourou, her doctoral supervisor at the time, developing a technique called “chirped pulse amplification.” Laser tools based on chirped pulse amplification are now employed in scientific, industrial, medical, energy, military, and security applications. Donna, the third woman ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics, and the first woman laureate in University of Rochester history, also received the University’s George Eastman Medal and the Rochester Distinguished Scholar Award. Learn more.
REMINDER: REAL READERS NEEDED
WRTG 273 “Communicating your Professional Identity in Engineering” teaches our students “real life” skills in preparing resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, elevator pitches, and being interviewed. A key component of this course is the feedback provided by our volunteer Real Readers—alumni with three or more years of work experience. We need more Real Readers for this fall. The time commitment is only about 5 hours over the course of the semester. You can engage with students remotely. No special expertise in writing is required; you will be supplying the audience, not the instruction, as students practice their pitches and show their resumes. Please contact Michelle Marks-Hook by August 15 if you would like to apply.
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
