{"id":239466,"date":"2026-08-25T13:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T23:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=239466"},"modified":"2026-08-25T13:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T23:38:10","slug":"uh-hilo-students-test-ai-in-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/25\/uh-hilo-students-test-ai-in-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> Hilo students test AI<\/abbr> in nature"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"\"
This summer\u2019s AI<\/abbr> program was the first ever research experience part of UH<\/abbr> Hilo’s new facility.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the rainforests of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island to a new artificial intelligence lab, nine student researchers at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo spent the summer exploring how artificial intelligence can help scientists solve real-world problems, from tracking fish to improving the way AI<\/abbr> assists with computer coding.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Students explored Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Island\u2019s natural environments while conducting AI<\/abbr> research<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The eight-week, National Science Foundation-supported program marked the first student research experience at UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s newly renovated Scientist Centered Artificial Intelligence Laboratory<\/a>, or SCAIL<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

Working with Travis Mandel, an associate professor of computer science<\/a>, students took on four projects examining how AI<\/abbr> can become more useful, reliable and efficient for scientists.<\/p>\n

“The name helps to let students know this is an important center of research on campus,” said Mandel of UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s AI<\/abbr> lab. “The name reflects the fact that we\u2019re very focused on not just AI<\/abbr>, but AI<\/abbr> that helps scientists do their job better.”<\/p>\n

The research also moved beyond the lab for the first time. Students traveled to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Volcanoes National Park to test computer vision software and learn more about the natural environment they were studying.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Students tested computer vision software at Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Volcanoes National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

AI<\/abbr> in action<\/h2>\n

Back on campus, the teams tackled questions at the heart of rapidly evolving AI<\/abbr> technology.<\/p>\n

One group worked on making AI<\/abbr>-assisted coding more useful. Another explored better ways to measure whether AI<\/abbr> systems are reliable. Other students focused on improving technology used to track fish and evaluating how efficiently AI<\/abbr> systems learn from different types of human feedback.<\/p>\n

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<\/abbr> Hilo.<\/p>\n

To learn more about the students and their AI<\/abbr> research projects, go to UH<\/abbr> Hilo Stories.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UH<\/abbr> Hilo program tasked students with exploring how artificial intelligence can help scientists solve real-world problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":239500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[1602,14,907],"class_list":["post-239466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-ai","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-hilo-stories","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t