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ECE Featured News: "$5M NSF Grant Supports Advances in Cyberstructure for Multimodal Imaging Data"

Professor B.S. Manjunath


The interdisciplinary collaboration is aimed at integrating AI and LLM functionality into the UCSB BisQue Platform

UCSB professor B. S. Manjunath, an expert on computer vision/AI, along with collaborators Tresa Pollock, professor in the Materials Department, and Beth Pruitt, professor in and chair of the Bioengineering Department, have received a $5-million NSF award to develop the next generation cyberinfrastructure for multimodal imaging data, which brings to the UCSB BisQue platform current advances in AI and LLMs. 

A meeting scheduled for February 12 and hosted by the Center for Multimodal Big Data Science at UCSB will mark the launch of the BisQue Deep Learning (BDL) cyberinfrastructure (CI) project. 

By developing a scalable software infrastructure for using advanced deep-learning techniques to manage and analyze complex datasets, the BDL CI project is set to transform scientific research across multiple fields, including materials science, environmental science, and bioimaging. Utilizing cutting-edge deep-learning and computer-vision techniques, the BDL CI offers a user-friendly platform to manage and analyze vast, complex datasets. This initiative tackles significant challenges, such as data curation, specialized domain expertise, and the need for scalable solutions for high-dimensional data.The BDL CI significantly enhances national scientific capabilities, while also supporting education and diversity through comprehensive training programs, efforts that will make advanced analytical tools accessible to a wider research community, thus promoting scientific progress. 

.The infrastructure is built for scalability and efficiency to support machine learning and AI for large scale imaging data. It supports such advanced functionalities as spatio-temporal annotations, computer-vision methods for object detection, segmentation, localization, classification, and tracking, all underpinned by a robust database backend that ensures data integrity and provenance. This project, driven by a multidisciplinary team from UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, and the Smithsonian Institution, is intended to ensure broad access and long-term sustainability through strategic collaborations and the integration of community feedback into ongoing development. 

The BisQue Deep Learning platform benefits society by advancing healthcare diagnostics, enabling early disease detection, and supporting personalized treatments. In environmental science, it aids in monitoring biodiversity and addressing climate challenges, while in materials science, it accelerates discoveries crucial for sustainable technologies. By democratizing access to advanced AI tools, BDL fosters innovation, education, and solutions to pressing global challenges.

Manjunath's ECE Profile

Manjunath's Center for Multimodal Big Data Science and Healthcare

Manjunath's Vision Research Lab