Articles and Events
UTRGV Hosts Inaugural STARTER-AI Workshop
Friday, June 21st 2024
First Workshop is a Hit!
UTRGV has successfully launched the first South Texas AI Research, Training, and Education Resource (STARTER) AI workshop, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant IIS-2334389 with additional support from NIH, NVIDIA, and the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy (PHYA). This pioneering event marks the beginning of a planned series over the next two years, designed to advance research and education in artificial intelligence (AI) at UTRGV. The workshop, held from May 29 to 31, was led by the inter-disciplinary STARTER team: Dr. Soumya D. Mohanty (PI, PHYA), Dr. Erik Enriquez (Co-PI, CS), Dr. Dong Chul Kim (SP, CS), Dr. Sanjeev Kumar (Co-PI, ECE), Dr. Karen Martirosyan (Co-PI, PHYA), and Dr. Soma Mukherjee (Co-PI, PHYA).
Utilizing a hybrid format, the STARTER-AI Workshop connected participants through Zoom across the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses, fostering a vibrant exchange of ideas among over 75 attendees. This diverse group included both faculty and students, who engaged in dynamic discussions and interactive sessions.
Invited Speakers & AI Showcase
The event featured three distinguished external speakers who provided insights across a broad range of topics pertinent to AI. Dr. Lakshman Tamil from the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) presented groundbreaking research on AI-based radiology for breast cancer diagnostics, showcasing how AI is transforming healthcare. Dr. Gopal Gupta, also from UTD, delved into the crucial topics of interpretability and explainability in AI, emphasizing the importance of understanding AI model decisions. Dr. Dhruva Chakravorty from Texas A&M University, College Station, highlighted the national cyber-infrastructure for AI, illustrating the broader impact of AI technologies on national and global scales.
In addition to the external speakers, the workshop included two internal talks that highlighted interdisciplinary AI research at UTRGV (Dr. Kim) and explored the challenges of cybersecurity in the AI era (Dr. Kumar). Eight contributed talks by faculty and students showcased innovative AI and machine learning research at the university, complemented by 12 posters featuring AI/ML-related research by UTRGV students.
Hands-on Training
A standout session led by Dr. Enriquez introduced participants to the fundamentals of deep learning through hands-on tutorials. Using a curriculum developed by industry leader NVIDIA, participants learned to build a Convolutional Neural Network and engaged in a fun exercise to create an automated dog door. This exercise involved training an AI model to recognize a specific dog among various animal images, providing practical experience with AI technologies.
Another engaging hands-on session guided participants through the use of the UTRGV CRADLE GPU cluster, demonstrating the process of launching jobs using the SLURM scheduler. This session highlighted the practical applications of supercomputing resources in AI research.
Panel Discussion
The STARTER-AI workshop concluded with a panel discussion addressing current topics in AI research and its impact on society. Panelists explored AI's near and long-term implications, providing attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the field's future directions.
What's Next
The success of the inaugural STARTER-AI workshop underscores UTRGV's commitment to fostering excellence in AI research and education. With continued support from the NSF, the STARTER looks forward to hosting future workshops that will further advance the use of AI in research at UTRGV.
Special Acknowledgment
Special thanks go to Dr. Nicholas Dimakis, Chair PHYA, and members of the staff Isabel Nicasio, Gisselle Delgado, Joselito Guardado, Katrina Martinez and several students Christian Narcia, Daniel Masamba, Hector Lugoa, and Eliana Alvarez who worked closely with the STARTER team to make the workshop organization a success.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Soumya Mohanty
soumya.mohanty@utrgv.edu