Nathan Kahl

I-Corps in 3D: Streaming toward better telehealth

Nathan Kahl — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 14:19:57 +0000

I-Corps in 3D: Streaming toward better telehealth Nathan Kahl Thu, 07/17/2025 - 10:19

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A team in �鶹��Ƶ’s Computer Science Department is taking part in the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) I-Corps program to study the effectiveness of 3D streaming in telehealth environments.

Bo Han, an associate professor of computer science and expert in computer networks and security and privacy, received $50,000 for his project, Translation Potential of Next Generation Telepresence Enriched by Immersive Technologies. Nan Wu, the entrepreneurial lead on the team, said, “The idea is to build a system for immersive telepresence over the internet. It’s essentially a 3D video stream but the technical improvement is how it saves bandwidth by using user-motion prediction and content sampling, improving the quality of the experience.”

3D telehealth services may help remote patients in urgent need of care. iStock photo.

Wu explained that the technical adjustment is made based on the receiver’s movements. “Since I’m looking at the front side of you, the streaming only needs to send me the front side, not the back. I don’t need to see all around you, even though it’s 3D. Moreover, when you’re farther away, a lower-resolution stream is enough since I won’t notice the difference. And if you’re hidden behind other content, there’s no need in sending what I can’t see.”

I-Corps is, according to the NSF website, “an immersive, entrepreneurial training program that facilitates the transformation of invention to impact. This seven-week experiential training program prepares scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the university laboratory—accelerating the economic and societal benefits of NSF-funded and other basic research projects that are ready to move toward commercialization.”

Since the program began in 2012, I-Corps has ushered 2,500 teams, and nearly 1,400 of them launched startups that cumulatively raised $3.16 billion in subsequent funding.

A portion of the I-Corps mentoring is devoted to customer discovery. Teams must interview at least 100 potential customers to determine market interest. According to Wu, the team didn’t find a robust market for using the technology the way they initially envisioned because staff shortages is the biggest pain point in the field, not technical shortcomings. “We thought nurses could monitor patients in 3D and save time, but there are many AI tools already doing that, monitoring 40 patients at once,” he said.

Wu said they’ve shifted to using the technology emergency situations, believing the tools will be useful in high-pressure trauma care or emergency cases. “We are thinking of a situation where there is a remote expert connected to a patient in a rural area, for example, where there is no expert on site.” Wu said that more interviews are needed to determine the market demand for such use.

Topics

Telehealth

I-Corps

National Science Foundation

immersive technologies

Research

Solo soaring success: Four students take important step in aviation training

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 27 May 2025 19:29:34 +0000

Solo soaring success: Four students take important step in aviation training Nathan Kahl Tue, 05/27/2025 - 15:29

In This Story

John Shortle

Four �鶹��Ƶ students in the aviation flight training and management minor took to the skies recently for a solo flight, the final step in completing requirements for the program.

Zaki in the air. Photo provided.

Allyson Bautista, Laila Elbaddaly, Makary Meseha, and George Zaki each piloted a small plane for approximately 30 minutes with no one else in the craft with them, an accomplishment that is a significant step toward a career in aviation.

Three of the students had existing exposure to the industry prior to taking on the minor, which requires 15 additional credits and classes such as SYST 460 Introduction to Air Traffic Control, including the flight training leading up to the solo flight. Elbaddaly works for Lufthansa Cargo, handling import and export tracking for multiple airlines. Her workspace at Dulles Airport is near where Meseha, who told her about the program, works for Emirates Airline. Bautista works for Aero Elite, a flight training school, as a flight dispatcher.

Were the aspiring aviators antsy as they ascended? Elbaddaly said, somewhat jokingly, “The only thing in my mind was, ‘What if I can’t land right? Will I be stuck in the air forever?’”

Maseha readies for lift-off. Photo provided.

Despite a fear of heights, Meseha reported being confident in his attempt, while Bautista said, “The day before, I was absolutely shaking in my boots. I could not believe my instructor was trusting me with that plane.”

Zaki had a hiccup leading up to lift-off. “The day before I flew for six hours, so I was tired when we did our stage check (an evaluation a flight instructor does of a student) and then I did almost everything wrong, so I was hesitant about the solo. On the day of, my instructor said, 'Look, I want to see three consistent patterns (loops around the airport) and I will get out of the plane,’ and I did 14 consecutive patterns very well. That’s when I knew I was ready for my solo flight.”

Elbaddaly pilots the plane. Photo provided.

For many of the pilots, the interest in aviation began at a young age. Bautista became curious when she was in high school and said, “I'm a travel geek, so I travel a lot and I was flying to Japan in 2022. When I got onto the plane I looked up at the cockpit and I thought, ‘I want to be in the front of this plane, up there.'” She said that women pilots—and particularly Asian ones (she is Filipina)—represent a tiny portion of the total population, and she’d like to increase representation for her demographic.

Meseha also wanted to fly from a young age, but cited the cost of continuing with the training and education and the disruptive schedule as reasons he might choose to work as a mechanical engineer and not a pilot.

To continue their studies, the next step is to log more hours and complete what is called a “cross country” flight, which, unlike what the name suggests, is only required to cover 50 nautical miles.

"It is quite an accomplishment to complete the solo flight test," said Systems Engineering and Operations Resarch chair, John Shortle. "It takes dedication, discipline and perseverance. We are very proud of the students that have achieved this milestone. George �鶹��Ƶ is glad to address the nation-wide airline pilot and air traffic controller shortage through this excellent program."

Topics

Aviation

air travel

Systems Engineering and Operations Research

innovative classes

Students

AI4Defense develops DoD-driven smart solutions

Nathan Kahl — Fri, 23 May 2025 11:20:18 +0000

AI4Defense develops DoD-driven smart solutions Nathan Kahl Fri, 05/23/2025 - 07:20

Kammy Sanghera, executive director of global engagements and tech talent development and a professor in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology at �鶹��Ƶ, received a grant from the Griffiss Institute to lead the AI4Defense program—an innovative incubator that empowers high school and early undergraduate students to explore artificial intelligence (AI) applications in national defense.

Funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the grant supports AI4Defense, a month-long, hands-on experience designed to immerse students in real-world problem-solving. Participants collaborate with mission partners—including the Department of Defense (DoD) and agencies such as the Space Force and the Defense Digital Service—to develop AI-driven solutions to national security challenges.

The Griffiss Institute, a leading STEM accelerator for the DoD and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), help expand the program's reach and impact. “A very important element happened last year,” said Sanghera. “DIU joined forces with the same mindset—build the talent pipeline, engage mission partners to solve real-world problems, and use AI to create efficient and secure solutions. These three elements were perfect for the design of the program.”'

Students at the 2024 AI4Defense event. Photo provided.

With support from academic and industry mentors, the program has grown into a public–private partnership that Sanghera and her team aim to scale further this summer. Students not only gain technical and communication skills but also engage in customer discovery—working directly with mission partners to define problems and tailor AI solutions accordingly.

In 2024, one student team developed a proof-of-concept AI agent for the U.S. Air Force to automate the creation of Self-Assessment Checklists (SACs). Traditionally a manual and time-intensive process due to regulatory complexity and frequent updates, the AI solution was able to extract key phrases from regulations and generate relevant questions, significantly improving the speed, accuracy, and consistency of SAC creation.

Sanghera emphasized the program’s multilevel impact: George �鶹��Ƶ undergraduate and graduate students served as mentors to high school participants, gaining leadership experience and exposure to the defense innovation ecosystem.

“Many of our graduate students are international students, so it was also a valuable opportunity to work alongside early undergraduate students and with unclassified data and explore career pathways in the defense sector,” Sanghera said.

The Defense Department strategy for AI adoption. Photo credit Department of Defense.

The program was promoted across Fairfax County, Arlington County, and Loudoun County public schools and culminated in a final symposium. Students pitched their AI solutions to a panel of judges, received feedback, and were recognized with awards. Several teams chose to continue collaborating with their mission partners beyond the summer program.

This year's program began in June, and Sanghera is enthusiastic about the possibilities. “We’re excited to see what creative, impactful solutions students bring forward.”

Associate Professor Mihai Boicu—Co-PI with Sanghera on the AI4Defense initiative—lead efforts to guide students in presenting their work through a continuing research lens. He also oversees the development of peer-reviewed publications based on students’ projects, which will be cataloged as part of the program’s scholarly output and shared broadly to promote AI learning and innovation in future cohorts.

Sanghera and Boicu will continue collaborating with Caitlin Bowers, a Defense Innovation Faculty Fellow at George �鶹��Ƶ. Together, Sanghera’s strategic vision, Boicu’s research expertise, and Bowers’ experience in defense innovation projects form a strong team that will provide students with the opportunity to gain practical skills and apply them to real-world challenges relevant to the defense sector.

In This Story

Kamaljeet Sanghera

Mihai Boicu

Learn more about Research at George �鶹��Ƶ

Topics

U.S. Department of Defense

Research

Artificial Intelligence

K-12 Partnerships

Defense and Security

Blast breakthroughs from Brazil bolster international engineering collaboration

Nathan Kahl — Wed, 21 May 2025 12:14:20 +0000

Blast breakthroughs from Brazil bolster international engineering collaboration Nathan Kahl Wed, 05/21/2025 - 08:14

In This Story

Girum Urgessa

A long-standing partnership between the Brazilian Air Force and �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Engineering and Computing is supporting a visiting PhD student’s investigation into explosion research, and enabling faculty to gather data that would otherwise be difficult to obtain.

Anselmo da Silva Augusto, a Brazilian Air Force major, is working with Girum Urgessa, an expert in structural engineering and mechanics, in what Urgessa calls a win-win partnership. “We provide the technical advice and mentorship and gather invaluable data from the tests Anselmo has been conducting,” said Urgessa.

This ongoing collaboration has yielded rapid results, with three peer-reviewed journal papers and five conference papers to be presented in the United States, Brazil, and Portugal.

The results of the blast, which can be digitally sent from Brazil to Anselmo. Photo provided.

Augusto is a trained civil engineer now pursuing his doctorate, who for nearly 20 years has focused on building protection. His military work led him to study explosives—specifically, how to best protect structures against blasts. The Brazilian Air Force sent him abroad, as part of a partnership with universities worldwide, where their service members study for one year.

Urgessa, a professor in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, was happy to host him, having met Augusto during a previous visit to Brazil, where Urgessa was a keynote speaker at an international defense symposium.

Augusto’s work examines how steel sheets respond to near-field blasts and investigates protective systems, such as elastomers, rubber-like polymers that stretch. The technical and safety requirements make these tests impossible to conduct at George �鶹��Ƶ.

“You need to be far from urban areas, and you must have appropriate protocol for the safe handling of explosives,” said Augusto, describing the challenges of setting off an explosive roughly the size of an apple. “Also, there are several people involved, including safety experts, engineers, and technicians.”

High-speed cameras record the explosions, allowing the researchers to see the detonation in detail. “With the camera, recording at 10,000 frames per second, we are able to see the sheet deforming, which happens in about one millisecond.”

The team working in Brazil scans the damaged sheets and sends the data to Augusto, who 3D prints a replica, a completely accurate, small-scale version of the results that he can hold in his hands.

Augusto and Urgessa are using the findings to inform best practices for retrofitting structures against human-induced or accidental explosions. “If you have an existing historical building, you can apply this protective material to enhance its capacity," Augusto said. Or, in other applications, you may have a tank or a military vehicle that needs to be as light as possible and use different types of polymer composites for better protection.”

Urgessa said, “When we think about new construction, having this information helps to determine safe stand-off distances. It supports site planning decisions. We can't predict the exact magnitude of the next threat, but field-scale tests supplemented by computational models help us design resilient and secure structures.”

Topics

civil and infrastructure engineering

Research

College of Engineering and Computing

doctoral students

CEIE Success Stories

George �鶹��Ƶ and CodeLock work on securing the software supply chain

Nathan Kahl — Thu, 15 May 2025 11:27:25 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ and CodeLock work on securing the software supply chain Nathan Kahl Thu, 05/15/2025 - 07:27

�鶹��Ƶ Department of Information Sciences and Technology Professor Kun Sun received a grant from the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) of Northern Virginia to collaborate with CodeLock, Inc., a Virginia-based technology company specializing in software security. The grant totals $75,000 for one year and is part of CCI’s Academic Support for Cybersecurity Entrepreneurship and Next-Gen Development (ASCEND) Fund. 

“The idea for this funding is to partner a startup company with university subject matter experts,” said Sun. “The focus of this grant is to build a platform that connects startups with academic experts to solve technical industry challenges.”  

The project will integrate Sun’s previous research on automated security patching with CodeLock’s technology for secure software supply chain using dynamically generated digital signatures to develop solutions that address vulnerabilities in source code. 

The CCI is Virginia’s main access point for cybersecurity research, innovation, workforce development. Image courtesy CCI.

CodeLock offers a cybersecurity platform designed to secure software development processes by providing real-time monitoring, compliance automation, and protection against insider threats and supply chain attacks. It creates a forensic chain of custody by linking every code change to its developer, ensuring transparency and integrity throughout the software development lifecycle.  
 
“So for software supply chain security we install outside software applications on our smartphones and computers, for example,” said Sun. “That software may rely on  other software and we have this term, SBOM, which means software bill of material. It says that we need to know what other dependent software is used and can we trust that software? If you install software, you need to verify it has not been manipulated or modified by an attacker.” Sun will apply his 10+ years of research on automatic software vulnerability detection and automated program repair. 

“The vast majority of software supply chain attacks begin with compromised credentials—something traditional security tools are ill-equipped to prevent,” said CodeLock CEO Brian Gallagher. “By enforcing zero-trust authentication at the developer level and linking that identity to a tamper-proof chain of custody, CodeLock is fundamentally reshaping the threat landscape. Partnering with George �鶹��Ƶ allows us to build on that foundation by automating vulnerability patching, which not only strengthens security but also delivers measurable cost savings for our customers. This collaboration accelerates our mission to bring transparency, accountability, and efficiency to software development across both government and commercial sectors.”

The project team will get feedback from CodeLock’s existing customers and collaborate with CCI and the Northern Virginia Technology Council to refine the solution for broader commercial adoption. Additional funding will be provided by CodeLock and supplemented through grant opportunities. 

In This Story

Kun Sun

Topics

Cybersecurity

software

Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI)

Research

Metron establishes scholarship fund in memory of George �鶹��Ƶ alum

Nathan Kahl — Wed, 14 May 2025 18:27:41 +0000

Metron establishes scholarship fund in memory of George �鶹��Ƶ alum Nathan Kahl Wed, 05/14/2025 - 14:27

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Ziyu Yao

Lishan Yang

�鶹��Ƶ's College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) distributed its first award of $2,500 from the Jimmy Chiou Jr. Memorial Endowed Scholarship to Randy Escalera, a freshman computer science student. This named endowed scholarship was created by CEC partner organization Metron, Incorporated, with a $50,000 gift in honor of Chiou, a Metron employee and George �鶹��Ƶ alum who passed away suddenly in 2023.

Metron’s gift amount guarantees the scholarship will last in perpetuity and be granted annually. To receive the scholarship, a student must be an undergraduate majoring in computer science and be full-time and Virginia resident. Recipients will qualify on the basis of academic merit and be selected by a committee appointed by the CEC dean in coordination with the Office of Student Financial Aid.

A statement from Metron said, “Metron established the scholarship to honor Jimmy’s legacy by investing in George �鶹��Ƶ’s next generation of scholars. Inspired by his work ethic, intellectual curiosity, and unwavering positivity, the scholarship supports students who demonstrate a strong commitment and passion for all areas of computer science. The endowment reflects a forward-looking partnership between Metron and George �鶹��Ƶ, grounded in shared dedication to innovation, academic excellence, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Together, we aim to broaden access to exceptional talent who will push the boundaries of what’s possible in computer science.”

A number of Chiou’s instructors recalled his positive influence. Ziyu Yao, a professor of Chiou’s, said, “Jimmy was such a talented student with intellectual curiosity and perseverance. His talent, curiosity to learn, courage to challenge himself, and persistence in delivering outstanding academic progress, will be remembered.”

Assistant Professor Lishan Yang added, “Jimmy did well in class and made good friends with his classmates. He was quiet and warm-hearted.”

Chiou’s parents said they were happy to help their son’s memory live on by being able to help future students. His father said, “Jimmy just liked to help people. He was a very simple person.”

Topics

Scholarships

Scholarship Recipient

computer science

Alumni

endowed scholarship

License to skill: System engineering team takes drone training to new heights

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 12 May 2025 18:20:40 +0000

License to skill: System engineering team takes drone training to new heights Nathan Kahl Mon, 05/12/2025 - 14:20

In This Story

Lance Sherry

Rajesh Ganesan

A �鶹��Ƶ team of Systems and Industrial Engineering (SIE) students developed a training system to assist people working toward their drone pilot license.

As part of the project, the team developed a business plan that won Best Paper in the Systems Design Track at the Annual Andrew P. Sage Memorial Capstone Design Competition and Best Paper and Best Presentation in the Modeling and Simulation Track at the GEN Donald R. Keith Memorial Capstone Conference at West Point.

The system incorporates a drone pilot simulator, Zephyr Sim, that was developed separately by George �鶹��Ƶ alumni Kyle Bishop, Alex Estep, and Stewart VanBuren, who graduated from the Computer Game Design Program in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and worked at Virginia Serious Game Institute.

All pilots using drones for commercial purposes are obliged to hold a license known as the Part 107 Drone Pilot license. The license, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), covers all the aeronautic knowledge and the rules-of-the-road for safely flying drones. These rules include establishing where is it legal to fly, how high is too high, how to account for weather, and when and how to notify the authorities about the flight.

Drone flying. Photo credit Public Domain Archive

“To obtain a Part 107 license, all one has to do is pass a multiple-choice exam with about 70 questions,” said SIE student Hannah Nguyen. “Can you imagine getting an automobile driver’s license without the behind-the-wheel driving test? With the Part 107, just pass the knowledge exam and you are good-to-go.”

The team conducted several stakeholder interviews to inform their project, which proved very useful. “After only a few interviews it became clear that enterprises that routinely use drones for data gathering, and image collection were experiencing excess costs due improper handling of the drones by the pilots,” said team member Corbin Phillips.

Team leader Emaan Abbasi added, “We designed a drone pilot training system that integrates drone flying on the simulator in the with the aeronautic knowledge material. For example, in the section on weather, the student practices flying the drone in different wind conditions or with different levels of fog.”

The end product has 17 modules with concepts-maps, video lectures, flash cards, and practice quizzes. Each module has one or more hands-on simulator flying activities. “The training system was thoroughly tested by five students,” said team member Andrew Kuo. “We learned a lot and made several adjustments. In the end, the training to proficiency is reliably faster than the industry best practices.”

“The most enjoyable part of the capstone course was seeing all our hard work come together,” said team member Shakira Mangrio. “The system engineering approach really helped us manage all of the moving parts throughout the year, it was really rewarding to see the final result and present it. And winning awards was icing on the cake.”

Rajesh Ganesan, chair of the systems engineering undergraduate committee, congratulated the team and confirmed that the class SYST 464 Commercial Drone Pilot Training was approved and will be added to the fall 2025 University Catalog. This course will also be part of the aviation flight training and management minor.

Topics

Drones

Unmanned Aerial Systems drones

Training

Students

Hexa-ceptional: George �鶹��Ƶ systems and industrial engineering team wins big for building smart

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 12 May 2025 17:52:29 +0000

Hexa-ceptional: George �鶹��Ƶ systems and industrial engineering team wins big for building smart Nathan Kahl Mon, 05/12/2025 - 13:52

In This Story

John Shortle

Lance Sherry

A �鶹��Ƶ systems and industrial engineering (SIE) capstone team won second place and $2,000 in the General Entrepreneurship track of the Patriot Pitch competition and won Best Presentation in the General Engineering category at the prestigious General Donald R. Keith Memorial Conference at West Point.

The NOVAFoam team at Patriot Pitch. Photo by John Boal Photography

The SIE capstone team set out to determine the practicality of the Hexayurt, a rugged, hexagon-shaped structure made from flat, triangular panels that can be quickly assembled in areas hit with natural disasters. Hexayurts provide urgently needed temporary shelters for food storage, food preparation, healthcare services, and living spaces. The team started with a process of “customer discovery.”

“In conducting stakeholder interviews, it emerged there were several issues with these shelters,” said SIE student Ethan Ford, team lead for the capstone project. “First, transporting the materials can be expensive especially when the location is remote, or roads are no longer functional. Next, the shelters need to provide insulation from the cold or heat and be impermeable to prevent soaking up water and growing mold. Finally, it would be nice if the materials used to build the shelters had anti-bacterial properties.”

The team identified a synthetic lumber, known as Novafoam, as a potential improved material for the shelters. The lumber is manufactured by an extrusion process developed by Italian inventor Mario Gualco and project sponsor Julia Rotta.

“The synthetic lumber is lightweight significantly reducing transportation costs,” said Stephano Barra, a team member. “It also has excellent insulation properties. It is impermeable and anti-bacterial.”

Hexayurts deployed in the desert. Photo credit Wikimedia Commons.

“In addition to the material properties, the Novafoam is made from recycled Styrofoam,” said team member Mickhail Ivanov. “By recycling the Styrofoam, we are reducing the load on landfills for non-biodegradable materials.”

The team documented all the stages of production from raw materials supply to pallets of finished synthetic lumber, focusing on the time-and-motion in production and the impact of fluctuations in the process. To better understand production bottlenecks, the team studied The Goal by Eli Goldratt—a classic text in operations and systems thinking. “It gave us a new perspective on balancing flow and throughput,” said team member Michael Smith.

The team also developed a detailed simulation model of the entire supply chain and production process, which “was instrumental in the design of the factory,” said team member Trevor Geisler. “The team spent hours adjusting the number and location of machines, and their parameters, to balance the flow and maximize the throughput. The final design could produce enough synthetic lumber for 2000 Hexayurts in less than 30 days.”

Team member Ethan Ford added, “The simulation model was also critically important for calculating the operating costs of the plant and the final cost of production for the lumber.”

“This project is a great example of how systems and industrial engineering can improve lives—especially in crisis situations,” said John Shortle, Systems Engineering and Operations Research department chair. “We're proud of what this team accomplished.”

Topics

Systems Engineering and Operations Research

materials

Patriot Pitch Competition

Students

George �鶹��Ƶ launches Virginia’s first public master’s degree in AI

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 14:56:56 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ launches Virginia’s first public master’s degree in AI Nathan Kahl Mon, 03/31/2025 - 10:56

�鶹��Ƶ will offer a master of science in artificial intelligence (AI) starting this fall, becoming Virginia’s first public university to offer a stand-alone master’s degree in this field.

Photo by Getty Images

Recently approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the degree will equip the next generation of AI innovators with a rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum blending foundational theory with real-world applications, ensuring graduates are prepared to address complex challenges in industry and government.

Amarda Shehu, inaugural vice president and chief AI officer, associate dean for research in the College of Engineering and Computing, and professor in the Department of Computer Science, said, “Seeing this vision come to life has been incredibly rewarding, and I am deeply honored to have led this effort to create a program that will shape the future of AI talent in Virginia and beyond.”

Courses will span core domains such as machine learning foundations and practice; planning and decision-making for intelligent agents; and deep learning fundamentals; providing students with the expertise to build, deploy, and evaluate AI systems across various computing platforms.

Shehu writes and speaks widely on issues around AI. Photo by Office of University Branding

“We had to completely rethink how we teach AI to students,” added Shehu. “Rather than hiding such courses behind long chains of prerequisites, the challenge that we answered is how to design these courses to be largely self-containing and yet offer a rigorous foundation in AI."

Vadim Sokolov, associate professor, Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research, was one of the leading faculty in the working group designing curriculum. With his mathematics background and his extensive experience teaching the first deep learning course on campus in 2017, Sokolov has great interest in the field and what this means for students. "The idea is students are not just ‘prompt engineers’ but are supposed to understand the basics of the models and be able to tune them and train them for specific tasks.”

Sokolov added that the program is unique in how it enhances this foundation with real-world settings. According to the program, students will be adept in managing the full machine learning operations lifecycle, integrating open-source AI frameworks, and developing secure, scalable AI solutions while effectively collaborating with cross-functional teams and communicating complex AI concepts to diverse stakeholders.

“This program is carefully designed to meet the needs of our community, whether that is government or business, but it also provides a holistic experience to students, from AI ethics to AI policy, and from scalable and secure AI to advanced AI solutions, Sokolov said.

Shehu said, “As AI transforms the way we work, govern, and live, this master’s degree program is more than just a response to demand—it is a commitment to preparing students with both the technical expertise and ethical grounding to shape the future of AI responsibly.”

Discover more AI research at George �鶹��Ƶ

Topics

computer science

Campus News

Artificial Intelligence

Strategic Direction

Cherry Blossom predictions are in! Will AI bloom or bust?

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 21:05:10 +0000

Cherry Blossom predictions are in! Will AI bloom or bust? Nathan Kahl Tue, 03/11/2025 - 17:05

Students, researchers, and citizen scientists from around the world submitted predictions to �鶹��Ƶ’s annual International Cherry Blossom Prediction contest, with one new notable entrant….AI.

Jonathan Auerbach, an assistant professor in the Department of Statistics and the competition co-organizer, said, “Obviously we see AI as the calculator of the 21st century—students should be able to use this tool, but that raises the baseline, so students really have to up their game.”

The typical competitive entries use the concept of growing degree days, looking at heat accumulated by trees as measured by local temperatures. Although Auerbach said one trend he’s seeing is contestants increasingly modeling conditions in the fall preceding the bloom.

“We know that springtime temperatures are important, and as climates warm, blooms are happening earlier and earlier. But fall is also important because trees create (or form) buds in the fall," said Auerbach. "You can actually saw off a branch of a cherry tree and put it in your closet and as long as it's warm enough and in water, it'll actually bloom.”

The cherry trees at the tidal basin are expected to bloom at the end of March. Photo courtesy National Park Service.

Auerbach gets intrigued by what he called “zany” approaches, noting that people use unique data points for their predictions and that hotel prices have been used to predict bloom dates with some effectiveness. This year one entry used Google trends, and Auerbach noted there is some precedent for that—for some time Google searches for the flu predicted flu outbreaks, for example.

What most entrants foresee is that the Washington, D.C., cherry blossoms will reach peak bloom in late March. Even ChatGPT, which you could say is really branching out—is in agreement.

Check out the predictions

Topics

cherry blossoms

Statistics

Department of Statistics

Research

Nathan Kahl

I-Corps in 3D: Streaming toward better telehealth

In This Story

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Solo soaring success: Four students take important step in aviation training

In This Story

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AI4Defense develops DoD-driven smart solutions

In This Story

Learn more about Research at George �鶹��Ƶ

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Blast breakthroughs from Brazil bolster international engineering collaboration

In This Story

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George �鶹��Ƶ and CodeLock work on securing the software supply chain

In This Story

Related News

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Metron establishes scholarship fund in memory of George �鶹��Ƶ alum

In This Story

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License to skill: System engineering team takes drone training to new heights

In This Story

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Hexa-ceptional: George �鶹��Ƶ systems and industrial engineering team wins big for building smart

In This Story

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George �鶹��Ƶ launches Virginia’s first public master’s degree in AI

Discover more AI research at George �鶹��Ƶ

Related News

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Cherry Blossom predictions are in! Will AI bloom or bust?

Check out the predictions

Related News

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