The ISI Back to School Night, held on September 12, 2024, brought together researchers, students, and staff for an afternoon of presentations and activities. The event, organized by Craig Knoblock, the Keston Executive Director of the USC Information Sciences Institute (ISI) and Jay Pujara, director of the Center on Knowledge Graphs at ISI, welcomed the ISI community back for the new academic year. 

Pujara, a research associate professor of computer science at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, kicked off the session by discussing the inspiration behind Back to School Night. He emphasized the importance of building connections within the ISI community, particularly between new students and seasoned researchers, to foster collaboration and innovation throughout the year.

The afternoon featured a series of short presentations that highlighted the groundbreaking work being done across ISI:

• Abigail Horn, ISI Lead Scientist and Research Assistant Professor at USC Viterbi, presented her research on using artificial intelligence to improve healthcare outcomes, with a focus on disease prevention and management. She discussed the challenges facing the healthcare field and the transformative potential of AI to revolutionize medical systems globally.
  
  
• Jelena Mirkovic, Viterbi Research Associate Professor and ISI Principal Scientist, spoke of her work on the SPHERE project, which tackles cybersecurity threats affecting everything from national infrastructure to daily life. SPHERE aims to unite researchers on a collaborative platform to develop better defenses and stay ahead of evolving cybersecurity challenges.
  
  
• Dong-Ho Lee, a Viterbi Ph.D. student and ISI research assistant, followed with his work on AI for decision support. He discussed the development of robust forecasting systems, as well as his recent internship at Google DeepMind, where he contributed to a cutting-edge recommendation system.
  
  
• Kristina Lerman, ISI Senior Principal Scientist and Research Professor of Computer Science, shared her team’s work on how social media influences human behavior. Lerman’s research focuses on the dangers of online echo chambers, which can reinforce unhealthy behaviors like fitness obsessions that evolve into eating disorders. Her team uses AI and language models to understand these communities and even diagnose at-risk individuals through psychometric testing.
  
  
• Craig Knoblock, the Keston Executive Director of ISI, Vice Dean of USC Viterbi, and Research Professor of both Computer Science and Spatial Sciences, presented his work on building knowledge graphs to locate critical minerals, in collaboration with the US Geological Survey. His team integrates diverse data sources—ranging from text documents to historical maps—to identify key mineral sites, such as those for lithium and copper, essential for the green energy transition. This research helps reduce U.S. dependence on foreign supply chains by identifying new domestic mining sites.
  
  
• Mozhdeh Gheini, a Ph.D. student and research assistant at ISI’s Center For Useful Techniques Enhancing Language Applications Based on Natural And Meaningful Evidence (CUTELABNAME) rounded out the presentations by discussing her work on improving the efficiency of fine-tuning large language models.

After the research presentations, attendees took turns introducing themselves and sharing fun facts. From golf obsessions to Oreo addictions, off-the-grid living, and a Wheel of Fortune appearance, the personal stories sparked laughter and helped break the ice. The fun continued with ice cream, donuts, and lively conversations as people mingled.

The event wrapped up with small group tours of the ISI Marina del Rey building, giving newcomers a chance to explore the labs, enjoy the stunning ocean views, get a feel for ISI’s collaborative workspaces, and even included an in-person demonstration of how to use the espresso machine in the fifth floor lounge. With espresso in hand, ISIers left the afternoon energized by the sense of community and excited for the collaborations and innovations awaiting them in the year ahead.

Published on September 16th, 2024

Last updated on September 16th, 2024