Several School of Computing Faculty Receive IAI Seed Grant Awards.

by Mike Wooten, Susan Ambrosetti

New grant program builds upon institute’s 40 years of discovery and innovation

Four university-wide research projects designed to advance interdisciplinary research in artificial intelligence have been awarded seed grants by the University of Georgia’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

The grants, the first of their kind from IAI, are the latest step in the university’s strategic efforts to apply computer science, data science, and artificial intelligence toward innovative solutions and groundbreaking research. The seed grants are funded by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and provide resources to help researchers launch cross-cutting projects with the potential to attract greater external funding.

“Artificial intelligence is not just about creating smarter machines; it’s about using technology to unlock human potential and address the challenges of our time,” said Khaled Rasheed, interim executive director of IAI. “This seed grant program represents a vital investment in interdisciplinary collaboration, empowering researchers to push the boundaries of artificial intelligence and address the pressing challenges of our society.”

The projects funded by the inaugural IAI seed grants are:

• Advances in Multimodal and Explainable ML Methods for Predicting Protein Post-Translational Modifications (Fei Dou, Gagan Agrawal and Ninghao Liu, School of Computing; and Natarajan Kannan, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences)
• An Interdisciplinary Assessment of AI Cybersecurity Threats: Preparedness and Vulnerabilities in Georgia’s County Governments (Gregory Porumbescu, Jason Anastasopoulous and Andrew Whitford, School of Public and International Affairs; Elena Karahanna, Terry College of Business; and Roberto Perdisci, School of Computing)
• Developing Multimodality Large Language Models for Telemedicine (Tianming Liu, School of Computing; Juliet Sekandi, College of Public Health; and Eugene Douglass, College of Pharmacy)
• Combining AI Tools with Biofeedback to Determine the Drivers of Interest and Curiosity during Science Learning (Anna Abraham and Xiaoming Zhai, Mary Frances Early College of Education

For the past 40 years, the institute has been a catalyst for research and scholarship in the constantly evolving and expanding field of AI and data science. At a celebration of IAI’s achievements held in the fall, S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, noted that UGA entered the world of AI in 1984. It was the same year Apple introduced the Macintosh computer, space shuttle Discovery made its maiden flight and Philips introduced the CD-ROM.

“Think of how much has changed in these past 40 years and how quickly the fields of AI and data science are evolving today,” said Hu. “Thanks to the work of IAI, UGA is emerging as a hub of innovation, discovery and leadership in interdisciplinary AI and data science.”

The institute is poised to play an even greater role in the future as UGA builds upon its momentum in AI. After several months of study by a faculty working group, the Office of the Provost and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences approved a new dual reporting structure for IAI, effective July 1, 2024. The position of director has been elevated to executive director, and two new institute roles have been created: associate director for research and associate director for academic programs.

These moves reflect UGA’s ambitions for new academic programs and university-wide research collaborations to advance AI throughout campus. The new structure is designed to promote innovation and applications of AI in teaching, research and service and to increase the institute’s and UGA’s leadership and recognition in this critical area.

UGA’s strategic investments in AI also include the Presidential Interdisciplinary Faculty Hiring Initiative in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Through this initiative, the university is hiring 70 talented faculty members with expertise in applying data science and artificial intelligence to challenges facing local communities, the state and the world.

“With our deep AI roots and the breadth of our academic offerings at UGA, we are poised to leverage the many benefits of multidisciplinary creative collaborations to advance novel ideas, while maintaining a focus on ethics and society,” said Anna Stenport, dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “We look forward to what the future can bring.”

Photo provided by Franklin College Arts and Sciences