Science and Engineering Departments Converge for Collaborative Research Pursuits

On August 28, 2024 the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) and the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence (SCAI) hosted a research-based mixer event at the Devil’s Oasis in the College Avenue Commons (CAVC).

Featured at the event were twenty-one presenters from both SCAI and SESE, in addition to over thirty attendees. Presenters were responsible for preparing short flash talks based on the research they are currently conducting in their courses or individually.

The event was designed to facilitate collaboration on sponsored research projects between SCAI and SESE, while supporting growth in innovation and entrepreneurship for both.

Opening remarks from SESE and SCAI directors Meenakshi Wadhwa and Ross Maciejewski, respectively, were followed by an introduction to event coordinator, ASU/NewSpace, by Associate Director Scott Smas. ASU/NewSpace provides expertise in garnering funding to support space science and fuse faculty efforts with industry partnerships.

Among the presenters for SESE were Rhonda Stroud, Director of the Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies, and Craig Hardgrove, professor and Principal Investigator (PI) for the LunaH-Map and Lunar-VISE missions. Both SESE and ASU/NewSpace are responsible for the acquisition of data through our partnership with Planet, which allows ASU students, faculty and staff to access an extensive earth-observation dataset.

Attendees also heard from SCAI professors such as Paul Grogan and Hannah Kerner, who also serves the NASA Harvest program with her research on artificial intelligence. SCAI, the largest of the Fulton Schools of Engineering, offers seven undergraduate and six graduate degree programs, including cybersecurity, big data and artificial intelligence.

Various topics were presented and explored throughout the event, including access to and optimization of planet surface data and exploration, computer security, and the place of artificial intelligence in space and earth studies.

With the conclusion of each flash talk, presenters proposed and requested various forms of collaboration with other faculty members, with some collaborative efforts reaching beyond departmental divides.

Following the official remarks, attendees remained to network with fellow faculty members, while ASU/NewSpace team members interacted with attendees for follow-up discussions on funding and collaboration.

“From the exciting presentations and attendance, this event exceeded our expectations for participation and will be paying dividends with proposals in the coming year,” said Scott Smas of the event.