Graduate Student Fellow Helps Computers Interpret Human Languages
BY: ALEX JOHNSON Computers don’t speak the same language as humans, but Afra Feyza Akyürek uses machine learning to help computers process and interpret human languages better. Akyürek, a PhD student in Computer Science at Boston University, aims to improve the dialogue between humans and computers and refine programs like Siri or Alexa. Akyürek’s primary […]
Of Mice and Models: How a Graduate Student Fellow Solves Neural Puzzles
BY: ALEX JOHNSON They say that great minds think alike, but very little is known about how thinking translates to movement or action. The brain remains one of the great puzzles of science, and many issues related to the brain, like motor diseases, are still not fully understood. Munib Hasnain enjoys solving problems above all […]
Will J. Tomlinson Takes the Helm of SAIL, Bringing Industry Knowledge to Expand Services
BY GINA MANTICA Will J. Tomlinson will lead faculty members into a new era of research convergence. As Director of the Software & Application Innovation Lab (SAIL), Tomlinson will elevate SAIL’s software development within and beyond Boston University. He will develop a diverse, resilient culture that researchers leverage to advance their projects and deploy their […]
Using Out of This World Methods to Gather Space Data
BY ALEX JOHNSON A cold, dark, vacuum full of giant flaming gas balls is not exactly an ideal place to collect data. However, much of what we know about space is thanks to ingenuitive scientists who figure out how to collect information in an environment where they cannot exist. They create instruments and methods for […]
Ripped Genes: How a Junior Faculty Fellow Investigates the Nuances of Cells
BY ALEX JOHNSON Ana Fiszbein has always been interested in biology, but she became fascinated with molecular biology in college after learning about the intricacies of what happens inside of mammalian cells. Now, Fiszbein studies mammalian genes. Genes are incredibly complex structures, but they control and regulate almost everything in the human body. And Fiszbein’s […]
Computers v. Congress: Graduate Student Fellow Studies the Intersection of Digital Privacy and Law
BY ALEX JOHNSON & GINA MANTICA When most people hear the word “crypto”, their minds jump to cryptocurrencies. Meaning “hidden” in Greek, “crypto” is also short for “cryptography” – a field of research dedicated to encoding and decoding data. Modern cryptography has been around since the 1950’s and is almost as old as the very […]
Hariri Institute Graduate Student Fellow Finds a Home for Innovative Research Methods
BY ALEX JOHNSON As computational tools become more advanced, the focus is often on the applications to science, technology, or medicine. However, computing can also be used to address social problems like homelessness, vulnerable youth populations, and gentrification. Adrianna Spindle-Jackson, a Graduate Student Fellow at the Hariri Institute, uses computational methods to address questions related […]
Graduate Student Fellow Studies Sleep with Math
BY GINA MANTICA Beverly Setzer always loved math. But after finishing her undergraduate studies at North Carolina State University, she wanted to apply math to real world problems. With the support of her mentors, Setzer uses math to study how the brain transitions to and from sleep as a Graduate Student Fellow at the Hariri […]
Modeling metabolism with math
BY GINA MANTICA A bunch of interconnected chemical reactions throughout our body keep us alive. These metabolic networks are key to understanding the evolution of life on earth. But studying them in the lab can be costly and time consuming. Computer modeling, while often simplistic, can provide researchers with efficient insights into how metabolism is […]
Junior Faculty Fellow Informs Online Privacy with Economics & Marketing
BY GINA MANTICA & DEIRDRE SHAHAR An economist by training, Junior Faculty Fellow Garrett Johnson became interested in digital marketing during his graduate studies. Once Johnson realized the impact his work could have on internet users, he stayed on that path ever since. Now, he applies data science and computing to his research as an […]