Advancement of Artificial Intelligence

Fairfield University’s School of Engineering and Computing has been awarded a grant of $469,995 over four years (2024-2028) from the National Science Foundation, for the advancement of AI (artificial intelligence).

Professor and Chair of Computer Science Xiaoli Yang, PhD is the principal investigator of the grant, titled “Collaborative Research: A Semiconductor Curriculum and Learning Framework for High-Schoolers Using Artificial Intelligence, Game Modules, and Hands-on Experiences.”

“The NSF ITEST grant I recently received aims to assist high-school students in developing skills and career interests in the semiconductor fields through an innovative game-based learning platform, hands-on activities, and industry field trips,” said Dr. Yang.

This is part of a larger $1.3 million multi-institutional project grant, in partnership with University of Maine and Southern Methodist University, to develop the first game-based semiconductor learning materials incorporating AI and ChatGPT to guide high-school students. The program will help high school students to develop skills and knowledge of the semiconductor field through an innovative game-based learning platform, hands-on activities, and industry field trips.

“Our students will design and integrate an AI educator, a generative AI tool for education, into game-based learning. The AI educator will provide students with suggestions, assistance, and additional study materials about the subject matter,” explained Dr. Yang. “Moreover, the AI component will be responsible for fine-tuning the output content based on student’s interests, hobbies, and preferences to make the learning experience more relatable.”

Disaster Resilience Research

Fairfield University’s School of Engineering and Computing, along with a collaborator from The University of Mississippi, has been awarded a grant of nearly $400,000 from the National Science Foundation.

Each year, communities are experiencing an increase of extreme weather events such as droughts, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires. Given the projections of continued climate change, there is an urgency for disaster resilience strategies to address these environmental hazards. The grant entitled “Disaster Resilience Research” in partnership with the University of Mississippi, will develop an artificial intelligence model to analyze remote sensing data for monitoring the failure risk profile of mine tailings impoundments.   

"The successful implementation of this research will equip at-risk communities with crucial tools for managing failures and enhance the knowledge base for impoundment monitoring, guiding future policies to improve monitoring standards," explained Assistant Professor of Computer Science Sidike Paheding, PhD.

The research aims to develop a framework for monitoring mine tailings impoundments following exposure to extreme weather events. The project's objectives include: 

• Studying how satellite radar and moisture measurements can help us understand how mine tailings impoundments perform over time.
• Using engineering principles and satellite data to study the lifespan of tailings impoundments.
• Creating guidelines to assess the risk of failure in mine tailings impoundments using advanced AI models and satellite data, along with environmental and extreme weather information.

Disaster resilience research has interdisciplinary implications for remote sensing, computer science, and geoengineering. The development of an AI model will be cost-effective and will allow for non-intrusive monitoring methodology of to predict extreme weather and mitigate infrastructure failures. 

NASA CT Grants

The NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium (CTSGC) has awarded the School of Engineering and Computing with eight research grants to fund research and design projects this year.

In spring of 2024, associate professor electrical and biomedical engineering Djedjiga Belfadel, PhD; professor and chair of computer science Xiaoli (Lucy) Yang, PhD; John Chiodo ’24, and Brody Matijevic ’25 received research grants.

Dr. Yang received funding for her research entitled “Cognitive Workload Analysis via Deep Learning with Emotion Regulation and Virtual Reality for Aeronautics Safety Application.” Physiological sensing is crucial for aeronautics safety, evaluating cognitive workload in tasks. Deep neural networks evaluate cognitive states through EEG data, and enhancing well-being by integrating emotion recognition with VR-based regulation. This research integrates physiological assessment and emotion recognition to measure workload using VR and EEG signals.

Dr. Belfadel was awarded a NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium Faculty Project Grant for “Building Programmable, Affordable Drones for GPS-Denied Swarm Navigation Research and Education.” Dr. Belfadel’s research is focused on developing an alternative navigation system that allows drones to execute autonomous missions, even in environments that lack reliable GPS signals. 

In addition to faculty grants, the following students were awarded undergraduate research grants:

• Brody Matijevic, a mechanical engineering major, was awarded a NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium Undergraduate Research Grant for “Projecting Changes in Extreme Snow over Northeast US.”
• Mechanical engineering student John Chiodo was awarded a NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium Student Project Grant for his proposal “The Electro-Pneumatic Air Shock Optimization System.”

The NASA Connecticut Space Grant Consortium is a federally mandated grant, internship, and scholarship program that is funded as a part of NASA Education. The mission of the Consortium is to establish and promote NASA-related research opportunities that draw on the collaborative strength of private, academic, and government sectors, and to support education initiatives that inspire students to pursue STEM careers.

Learn more about the School of Engineering and Computing at fairfield.edu/engineering.