AI student research conducted in the age of COVID-19
Six students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo participated in an innovative research program this summer developing artificial intelligence (AI) systems to better support scientists in fields such as psychology, ecology and marine science.
The work was done on campus, under the instruction of Assistant Professor of computer science Travis Mandel, adhering to appropriate coronavirus safety measures including wearing masks, sanitizing workstations and proper social distancing both inside and outside the classroom.
The eight-week interdisciplinary data science research experience was supported by the National Science Foundation and students taking the “Human-in-the-Loop Research Experience” were paid a stipend to participate. Mandel, an expert in AI, explains this was not a typical course, but rather students were learning in a “hands-on manner while working on their cutting-edge research projects.”
The students investigated three separate, but related, research projects:
- James Boyd and Sebastian Carter researched how AI can help scientists collect better data in domains like psychology and ecology.
- Ed Kashman and Kosta Devedzhiev developed an interface for “symbiotic learning,” where the AI system can work with humans on tasks such as labeling data.
- Mark Jimenez and Emily Risley looked into AI tracking systems that could benefit areas with limited data, particularly marine science research.
Read the full story from University of Hawai’i here.