UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) recently hosted their annual symposium, "ICDS Day MMXXIV: Shaping the Future of Penn State’s Digital Research," which aimed to foster innovation and explore the intersection of digital technologies and research.
The event, which took place at the HUB-Robeson Center at University Park on Oct. 23, highlighted interdisciplinary research in computational and data sciences across Penn State. ICDS Day brought Penn State faculty and researchers, students and industry experts together to participate in panel discussions, flash talks, breakout and networking sessions covering topics such as data ethics and analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and research funding and resources, as well as to learn about opportunities for interdisciplinary research.
“There is not a single field that is not touched by big data,” said Andrew Read, senior vice president for research, in his opening remarks. “ICDS is a very important part of that.”
ICDS researchers led panel discussions regarding their research projects in AI and computer visualization that use ICDS resources, such as the Roar high-performance computing cluster and other affiliated centers and facilities such as the Research Innovations with Scientists and Engineers team and the Center for Immersive Experiences.
ICDS co-hires Keith Cheng, distinguished professor of pathology, of biochemistry and molecular biology and of pharmacology; Vasant Honavar, professor of information sciences and technology and ICDS associate director; Soundar Kumara, Pearce Professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and director of the Center of Applications of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning to Industry; and Edward O’Brien, professor of chemistry, discussed their current research efforts, specifically how to find and manage funding for large, collaborative projects.
“It was a great chance to learn how ICDS supports collaborative research with its resources in AI and computational tools,” said Parisa Osfoori, doctoral student in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development who attended ICDS Day. “For me, it was especially helpful to hear from keynote speakers about how they find funding and tackle the challenges of grant writing and teamwork. I also learned how students from other departments across Penn State can connect and collaborate through events like this.”
Thirteen researchers from across Penn State presented projects at various stages of development, noting if they needed computational resources, collaborators, funding or advice. The researchers then met with attendees to discuss their work and potential next steps.
“ICDS Day was eye-opening for a broad range of topics,” said Hong Wu, associate professor of landscape architecture. “The breadth of the research presented was striking. I was also struck by how, despite the substantially varied research problems, the methodologies shared common approaches.”
Students across Penn State presented their computational and data science research at ICDS Day’s evening student poster session. Twenty-four students presented their work and two students, Bhavika Jain, third-year undergraduate student studying computer science and mathematics, and Praneeth Sunkavalli, Penn State Great Valley graduate student of professional studies in data analytics, received awards for their projects.
Jain’s work was a collaborative effort with Travis Hughes, a computer science and engineering graduate student who recently graduated in August, under the mentorship of Mahfuza Farooque, associate teaching professor in the Penn State College of Engineering. The researchers developed a machine learning-based recommendation tool to monitor and adjust social media content for users who are engaging with sad content. The tool reduces sad content exposure to promote a more balanced and positive online experience. The research took first place.
“The recognition for our project was a tremendous honor,” Jain said. “Networking with peers and experts at ICDS Day helped me realize the importance of collaborative innovation, especially in areas like mental health and AI ethics. These lessons will guide my approach to research, emphasizing both impact and responsibility.”
Sunkavalli, alongside Jainil Kakka, Penn State Great Valley graduate student of professional studies in data analytics, and mentorship from Noona Sorokina, assistant professor of business/finance at Penn State Scranton, and Dusan Ramljak, assistant professor of software engineering at Penn State Great Valley, won second place for their research. The project aims to create a meaningful impact within sports analytics by quantifying the “pressuring” success in a soccer match, when one opponent attempts to win the ball from another opponent. The goal of the research was to identify key indicators of successful pressing and explore predictive models that can enhance the execution of these strategies in a match.
“We are incredibly proud to have our work acknowledged. It validates the time and effort we’ve invested in our research and motivates us to push boundaries,” Sunkavalli said. “One of my key takeaways from ICDS was the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Seeing how different fields approach data analytics inspired us to think outside the box in our own research.”