From the rainforests of Â鶹´«Ã½ Island to a new artificial intelligence lab, nine student researchers at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Hilo spent the summer exploring how artificial intelligence can help scientists solve real-world problems, from tracking fish to improving the way AI assists with computer coding.
The eight-week, National Science Foundation-supported program marked the first student research experience at UH ±á¾±±ô´Ç¡¯²õ newly renovated , or SCAIL.
Working with Travis Mandel, an associate professor of , students took on four projects examining how AI can become more useful, reliable and efficient for scientists.
“The name helps to let students know this is an important center of research on campus,” said Mandel of UH ±á¾±±ô´Ç¡¯²õ AI lab. “The name reflects the fact that we¡¯re very focused on not just AI, but AI that helps scientists do their job better.”
The research also moved beyond the lab for the first time. Students traveled to Â鶹´«Ã½ Volcanoes National Park to test computer vision software and learn more about the natural environment they were studying.
AI in action
Back on campus, the teams tackled questions at the heart of rapidly evolving AI technology.
One group worked on making AI-assisted coding more useful. Another explored better ways to measure whether AI systems are reliable. Other students focused on improving technology used to track fish and evaluating how efficiently AI systems learn from different types of human feedback.
The nine undergraduate and recently graduated students represented computer science, data science, astronomy and applied mathematics. They presented the results of their summer research at a July 31 gathering at UH Hilo.