Lightning Talks Series Puts Spotlight on AI

The inaugural Lightning Talks on Artificial Intelligence was held, via Zoom, on April 7, 2020. The series is a joint collaboration between the University at Albany and SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 9, 2020) — Artificial Intelligence plays an increasingly important role in our lives and is expected to grow on a global scale, intersecting business, society, and national defense.

At UAlbany and SUNY Poly, faculty from a variety of backgrounds are engaged in research dedicated toward developing a deeper understanding of AI. On Tuesday, the field took center-stage as scholars Michael Lesnick, Sherry Sahebi, Daphney Zois, George Berg and Nathaniel Cady discussed their work via Zoom in the inaugural session of the Lightning Talks on Artificial Intelligence.

The series is a collaborative venture between the University at Albany and SUNY Polytechnic Institute, and was jointly sponsored by UAlbany’s Office of the Vice President for Research and the Office of the Provost.

“Artificial Intelligence permeates all disciplines,” said Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Carol H. Kim in opening the session.

Kim, along with Vice President for Research James A. Dias and Associate Vice President for Research Grants and Development Satyendra Kumar noted how the Unviersity is set up to be a leader in this critical area, as the federal government and New York have placed a high priority on AI, and are allocating funds for R&D projects through different agencies.

The guest speakers addressed how they utilize AI in their particular fields, as well as how it holds relevance in dealing with the current COVID-19 crisis.

• Michael Lesnick, an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at UAlbany’s College of Arts and Sciences, utilizes AI in his field of topological analysis, which is largely concerned with the subject of holes in a geometric object. Topology is often used to provide a mathematical model to better understand RNA sequencing.
• Sherry Sahebi, an assistant professor of computer science at UAlbany’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS), is focused on data mining and machine learning. She is co-principal investigator of a National Science Foundation CyberLearning project, “Detecting and Predicting Procrastination in Online and Social Learning.”
• George Berg, an associate professor at UAlbany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, uses AI to delve into the detection of malicious network traffic.
• Daphney Zois, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at CEAS, is examining the issue of cyberbullying in online social networks, and works with AI to enhance algorithms designed to better track this behavior.
• Nathaniel Cady is Empire Innovation Professor of Nanobioscience and Executive Director of the SUNY Applied Materials Research Institute at SUNY Poly. Cady is currently focused on the intersection of nanotechnology and biology, specifically how we can harness the power of the brain in electronics.

The Lightning Talks format provides faculty, researchers, postdoctoral associates and students working in AI or related fields, or just interested in learning about ongoing AI research to learn about how the University is engaged in this area of research, while also providing a unique opportunity to network and explore the possibility of starting new collaborations.

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