“In times of uncertainty, the role of science becomes even more vital,” said Andrew Read, senior vice president for research at Penn State, in his remarks at the event. “Science must be bold; it must be collaborative, and, above all, it must serve. ICDS embodies that commitment — it is where computation meets compassion, where data meets purpose and where knowledge is transformed into action.”
This year’s student poster session brought in over 60 research posters that spanned topics from using virtual reality and AI in wastewater treatment to AI-integrated health monitoring for mental health, to computer vision pipelines for bodyweight estimation of turkey hens and human-AI use patterns for decision-making in disaster scenarios. Three posters were given awards; first place received $500, second place received $250 and third place received $100.
The awardees of this year’s poster session are:
-
Third place: Wan Ki “Arthur” Lo, geosciences doctoral student, who presented “Analysis of Ground Deformation Preceding the December 2020 – May 2021 Eruption at Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i”
“It means a lot to have been awarded first place,” Pandey said. “I feel honored to receive such special recognition, especially when I know there were many impressive early-career researchers with fantastic posters. This award encourages me to continue to share my research with others, and I’m excited to see what students will accomplish at future ICDS symposia.”
Many researchers echoed the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations and the impact research has on various communities.
“Through the symposium, I learned that we are all still exploring the role of AI in research, but that there is so much potential for AI to supercharge research work, particularly through interdisciplinary collaborations,” Lo said. “It’s an exciting time to be starting as a researcher now and getting to play a part in how AI and research will progress in the coming years.”
Farnaz Tehranchi, assistant professor of engineering design and innovation, who presented as part of the “Transformative Research: Harnessing AI for Impact” panel, agreed.
“It was exciting to see how different fields are taking advantage of modern AI in their work,” Tehranchi said. “The responses revealed how much overlap exists across disciplines and how collaborations can take shape, and how game-changing discoveries and impact can look very different from one field to another.”
The symposium also featured four concurrent workshops covering the advancements in computational mathematics, quantum sciences and multi-omics, as well as using AI tools in astronomy and astrophysics.
“The symposium serves as a forum where Penn State and industry experts can learn how digital technologies are accelerating solutions for research endeavors,” said Guido Cervone, ICDS director. “Tremendous progress has been made in science, especially because of the integration of computational and data sciences methodologies, and now AI. By showcasing the work of these individuals, we can learn more about and explore these advancements and address important questions of scientific and societal importance.”
Symposium presenters and concurrent workshop coordinators include ICDS co-hires Eric Ford, distinguished professor of astronomy and astrophysics; Helen Greatrex, assistant professor of geography and statistics; John Harlim, professor of mathematics; Mahmut Kandemir, professor of computer science and engineering; Jessica Menold, associate professor of mechanical engineering and of industrial and manufacturing engineering; Christelle Wauthier, associate professor of geosciences; and Ellen “Wenting” Zou, assistant professor of education. Other Penn State presenters and coordinators include: Yuqing Hu, assistant professor of architectural engineering; Scarlett Miller, Paul Morrow Professor of Engineering Design and Manufacturing and director of the Cocoziello Institute for Real Estate Innovation; Rebecca Napolitano, assistant professor of architectural engineering; Gustavo Nader, professor of kinesiology; Vinciya Pandian, associate dean of graduate education and professor of nursing; Nonna Sorokina, assistant professor of finance at Penn State Scranton; and Farnaz Tehranchi, assistant professor of engineering design and of industrial and manufacturing engineering.