College of Engineering and Computing

College of Education and Human Development

ACCESS Academy

From NOVA to NNSA, this student is putting people first in cybersecurity

sholla4 — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:18:50 +0000

From NOVA to NNSA, this student is putting people first in cybersecurity sholla4 Fri, 08/21/2026 - 09:18

Siddartha Shakya believes that there's more to cybersecurity than just hacking. The 911�� Bachelor's to Accelerated Master's Applied Science student spent his summer interning with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and now he’s even more confident in the importance of balancing humans and machines.

Photo provided

After graduating from high school, Shakya took a two-year gap before starting his studies at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Both financially and mentally, Shakya said he wasn't ready for college. But after working a few unfulfilling jobs, he knew it was time to go back.

"I always remember being the tech kid in my family: helping my parents set up their computers, teaching them how to navigate websites, and things like that," he said. Part of that role included protecting them from online scams. "I decided I wanted to go into a field where I could help prevent scams, so no families have to go through that."

Shakya transferred to 911�� through the ADVANCE Program after earning his associate of applied science in cybersecurity. During his time at both schools, Shakya worked to fill out his resume and develop his skills. He dove into the world of cyber competitions with the National Cyber League, U.S. Cyber Games, and PatriotHacks, among others.

He completed multiple certifications through the Computing Technology Industry Association and was named a 2025 ISACA Greater Washington DC Chapter Scholar, Cyber Ready Professionals Consortium Cohort 3 Scholar, and CrowdStrike × Cyber Skyline Mentee. And he made sure to give back through volunteering opportunities like the College of Engineering and Computing's Spring into STEM.

"I was constantly looking for ways to learn, gain experience, help other people, and get involved where I could," he said.

The one thing missing? A paid internship. Through the U.S. Cyber Games, Shakya connected with the U.S. Department of Energy Scholars Program, earning a spot in the summer 2026 cohort and an internship with the NNSA.

Shakya has worked on two main projects. The first is a full assessment of the NNSA's Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management Hub, combing through documentation for outdated policy, practice, or information. The second is piloting NetRise: a software supply chain security program. Specifically, he's cataloging what artificial intelligence (AI) systems are being used across the organization and whether they comply with the NNSA's cybersecurity policies.

"There's a big push toward AI use, and with that comes a push for transparency and making sure all software aligns with our mission and security standards," Shakya explained.

Getting hands-on with so many different AI tools is something Shakya hopes can be applied to his coursework and future career, particularly because he's planning a future in federal work. "People think cybersecurity is all about hacking," he said. "But it's also about communication. If you can't communicate clearly about the tools, what to use, and how to use them, then there are going to be mistakes and delays."

That person-first approach was a revelation for Shakya. As evidenced by his long resume of team-based cyber competitions and his enjoyment of the course IT 343 IT Project Management, "I like to work in teams, I like talking to people. I always want a balance of technical work and people-facing work."

And taking an authentic, person-first approach is also his best advice for fellow students. "Network, meet people, and be yourself," he said. "I know there's an urge to over-prepare for interviews, but people crave authenticity. Practice, but don't read off a script."

Learn more about the College of Engineering and Computing

Topics

Students

Internship

Bioengineering senior gives back through a Morocco clinic internship

sbrown79 — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:17:27 +0000

Bioengineering senior gives back through a Morocco clinic internship sbrown79 Mon, 08/17/2026 - 13:17

Although she was born in the United States, 911�� senior Meriam Belainass feels a special connection to Morocco thanks to extended family and friends who live there. She’s also had two summer internships there.

Belainass, who visits Morocco every year, recently interned at Clinique Al Madina in Casablanca.

“I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field,” said Belainass, who is majoring in bioengineering in the College of Engineering and Computing. “Interning in Morocco has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I also interned at a Moroccan clinic last summer and the fact that I'm able to continue to contribute to my community in this way is really special.”

Meriam Belainass interning at Clinique Al Madina in Casablanca, Morocco. Photo provided.

During her visit last summer, Belainass completed a biomedical engineering internship at Sheikh Zaid Hospital in Casablanca, where she gained experience with medical equipment and hospital operations.

At the clinic, Belainass observed preventive maintenance procedures and ensured devices were safe and ready for patient care by inspecting, maintaining, and troubleshooting medical equipment, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography scanners, ultrasound systems, patient monitors, ventilators, infusion pumps, and electrocardiogram machines.

“This opportunity has strengthened my technical ability, broadened my perspective on health care, and reinforced my commitment to improving patient care through medical technology,” said Belainass, who plans to complete her master’s in 911��’s Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master's Program.

In addition to working with hospital equipment, she also gained experience with beauty center technologies such as Derma View, Alma IQ, high intensity focused ultrasounds, and Pico Laser systems.

Belainass, who has a concentration in imaging and devices, said the internship has given her insight into a different health care system while strengthening both her technical and professional skills.

“During this internship, I helped ensure medical equipment is safe, accurate, and reliable, supporting health care professionals in providing effective patient care,” said Belainass. “The skills I'm developing are invaluable, and I know I’ll take them with me throughout my medical career.”

Belainass’s greatest strength is her genuine passion for learning, according to her mentor and supervisor at Clinique Al Madina, biomedical engineer Fatima Zahra Fakhrouni.

Meriam Belainass interning at Clinique Al Madina in Casablanca, Morocco. Photo provided.

“Meriam adapted to the clinical environment really quickly,” said Fakhrouni. “Her commitment to understanding the equipment and taking on new challenges was particularly impressive. This kind of mindset will undoubtedly serve her well throughout her career.”

Belainass continues to build an impressive academic and professional resumé outside of this internship as well.

Before transferring to 911��, she earned two associate degrees from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA)—one in architecture and one in engineering. She’s currently on track to complete a third associate degree in computer science from NOVA this fall.

“I was surprised by how much biomedical engineers contribute behind the scenes to keep medical equipment functioning safely and efficiently,” she said. “I learned that attention to detail, teamwork, and preventive maintenance are essential for ensuring patient safety and reliable health care technology.”

For students interested in a similar path, Belainass encourages them to seek out as many hands-on opportunities as they can.

“Take advantage of internships and study-abroad opportunities,” she said. “Hands-on experience is one of the best ways to build technical skills, gain confidence, and prepare for a career in biomedical engineering.”

Learn about Internships at 911��

Topics

Bachelor’s to Accelerated Master’s

Bioengineering

internships

Students

From bioengineering to big bands, 911�� camps focus on well-being

sholla4 — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:12:05 +0000

From bioengineering to big bands, 911�� camps focus on well-being sholla4 Wed, 08/12/2026 - 16:12

Year-round, 911��'s colleges, centers, and labs are taking a people-first integrated approach to human health and well-being that advances science, develops talent, and strengthens communities. That includes the summer, when labs and studios open their doors for the community to learn how innovations in art and science can make our world a healthier place.

From bioengineering to big bands, these summer programs are teaching all ages that 911��'s Grand Challenge Initiative solution of "improving human health, well-being, and preparedness" is about more than numbers in a medical chart.

BioE Buzz summer campers learn about bioengineering by testing exoskeletons and biomechanics while interacting with 911�� faculty and students .Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

BioE Buzz

In its third year, BioE Buzz introduces high school students to the greater field of bioengineering and groundbreaking research at 911��. Rising juniors and seniors get hands-on experience with bioengineering technologies like 3D printing and ultrasound, learn about nanofabrication and tissue engineering, meet faculty and researchers from the Department of Bioengineering, and compete as a team for a one-week internship in one of 911��'s research labs.

"We love when campers connect with one another over a shared passion for solving problems in biology and medicine," said Khadija Zaidi-Rashid, assistant professor in the College of Engineering and Computing and codirector of BioE Buzz camp.

This year's 24 campers designed cardiac stents, extracted collagen and created polymers from animal tissues, and controlled a hand prothesis with bio signals. They also got a taste of college life: eating in dining halls, touring facilities, and learning team-building at The Edge on the Science and Technology Campus. Current 911�� undergraduates and graduate students serve as coordinators, counselors, and teachers for the camp as well, so campers can see a full picture of what's possible at 911��.

"Whether our campers select a path in health policy, medical sciences, academic research, or entrepreneurship, they are all united in their passion for making a true impact on humanity," said Zaidi-Rashid.

AI in Health

A new camp for 2026, the AI in Health Camp introduces rising high school juniors and seniors to how artificial intelligence is used in health care and public health and how it can be designed and evaluated responsibly.

"The camp is designed to prepare the next generation to use AI responsibly to improve patient safety, expand access to reliable health information, and make the information more accessible and understandable through inclusive design," said Maria Uriyo, an associate professor in the College of Public Health. "By reaching high school students early, the camp helps them explore emerging careers at the intersection of AI, health care, and public health while contributing to a more inclusive future health workforce."

Over the course of one week, students build foundational skills in AI literacy, practicing user-centered and inclusive design and safe and responsible AI use through daily AI Maker Labs. Graduate students in the Department of Health Administration, Policy and Informatics coach campers through designing and building community health chatbots. On the last day of camp, students present their work at a student showcase.

"We want students to understand that AI can be a powerful tool for health, but it always needs human judgment, safety checks, and inclusive design to provide meaningful and responsible benefits," said Uriyo.

911�� Jazz Camp

Human health and well-being is more than a matter of science. "Jazz music is said to 'wash away the dust of life,' improve our mental agility, and help us discover our true selves," said John Kocur, an associate professor of jazz studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

911�� Jazz Camp has existed in various forms since 2005, with its current form in its fifth year. This year, 87 students attended to learn music theory, practice improvisation, work with master musicians, and perform. Each day ends with a concert by a professional musician. The goal: developing the creative capacity of each musician and immersing them in the culture so they can experience the benefits of jazz throughout their lives.

"We hope each student remembers what it feels like to express yourself through your instrument spontaneously while jamming along with others," said Kocur.

And at 911�� Jazz Camp, these experiences are open to all. This year's cohort included 12 adult students, demonstrating how finding wellness through music can be done at any age.

"This music has served vital roles of survival for over a century, and it still has many lessons to teach us about cooperation, personal expression, and peace," said Kocur. "Whether you are an experienced improviser or just getting started, the expert faculty will help you realize your potential and grow into the musician you want to become."

Roxy Coss, the Artist-in-Residence for the 2026 911�� Jazz Camp with faculty on the Center for the Arts stage, Fairfax Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

See how 911�� is improving human health, well-being, and preparedness

Topics

Students

Summer Camps

College of Visual and Performing Arts

College of Public Health

911�� Jazz Camp

Bioengineering

Katherine Scafide, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAAFS

911��’s Injury Analytics Lab receives patent for AI bruise detection system

Heather Carroll — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:11:25 +0000

911��’s Injury Analytics Lab receives patent for AI bruise detection system Heather Carroll Mon, 08/10/2026 - 10:11

Newly patented AI technology helps get bruise detection tools into the hands of clinicians, law enforcement, and researchers

Can new technology make it easier to understand bruises? That's the question researchers at 911��'s Injury Analytics Lab (IAL) are answering with a patented technology that combines artificial intelligence, advanced imaging, and clinical data to give clinicians, forensic professionals, and researchers better information about skin injuries.

This technology reflects years of collaboration among experts in nursing, health informatics, and engineering, who worked together to transform research into a practical tool for injury assessment.

How the technology works

Image by College of Public Health.

The newly patented technology addresses current challenges in injury assessment by analyzing images of the skin alongside relevant clinical and demographic information from electronic health records. Similar to popular plant identification apps that combine image data with location information, the system uses AI to detect and assess bruise lesions.

"Documenting injuries accurately is essential for both medical treatment and seeking justice for victims of violence," said Associate Professor of Nursing and IAL Co-Director Katherine Scafide. "This patent recognizes our innovative approach that combines artificial intelligence, advanced imaging, and clinical data to help professionals make more informed decisions."

The patented artificial intelligence technology is built on a dedicated injury platform, which includes a large repository of injury images used by computer vision systems, and data from electronic health records that work together to support accurate injury assessment and real-world use. Development of the platform that hosts the data and systems, and related software is led by Professor of Health Informatics and IAL Co-Director Janusz Wojtusiak, while Professor of Engineering and IAL Co-Director David Lattanzi leads development of the computer vision systems and user-centered design.

One of the most innovative aspects of the patented technology is its ability to tailor imaging conditions such as light wavelength and camera filter to each individual.

Rather than relying on a standard lighting setup, the system can determine a person's skin color and select the most effective light wavelengths, filters, and imaging conditions for capturing injury evidence. By optimizing imaging for each person, the technology can improve injury detection and assessment across a wide range of skin tones, especially for people with darker skin tones, whose injuries can be harder to identify with traditional imaging.

But the technology goes beyond simply determining whether a bruise is present.

The system can estimate characteristics such as a bruise's age, size, color, and shape while also providing information about the confidence of its predictions. By combining visual data with information such as medical history, medications, demographics, and skin color, the technology can account for factors that influence how injuries appear, resulting in more accurate and reliable assessments than images alone.

Why the technology matters

Janusz Wojtusiak and Katherine Scafide in the Injury Analytics Lab. Photo provided

Bruises and other skin injuries have traditionally been difficult to identify and assess. Factors such as skin tone, lighting conditions, and the age of an injury can affect how visible an injury appears, creating challenges for clinicians, forensic professionals, and researchers.

This patented technology helps address those challenges by providing more objective, consistent injury assessments. More accurate documentation can help clinicians make informed treatment decisions, strengthen forensic evidence, support investigations, and give researchers better data to improve future care. By improving injury detection across diverse skin tones, the technology also has the potential to reduce disparities in how injuries are documented and evaluated.

It was also shaped by the needs of the professionals who will use it in real-world settings. “This technology is the result of a user-centric research process that included countless hours of interviews and workshops with health care providers and forensic professionals,” explains Lattanzi. “These groups told us that they need easy-to-use tools that make documentation faster and more reliable. So that’s exactly what we’re building.”

Built on years of research

The patented technology is supported by a library of more than 100,000 images of bruises and other skin characteristics collected through years of interdisciplinary research and collaboration.

The technology identifies and analyzes a wide range of skin features, including bruises, burns, scars, birthmarks, rashes, eczema, psoriasis, and other conditions. This extensive dataset helps train the system's deep-learning models and enables it to recognize patterns that may be difficult for the human eye to detect consistently.

Moving research into practice

The patent marks an important milestone in IAL's broader effort to develop evidence-based technologies that can improve injury assessment and documentation.

Beyond protecting the intellectual property behind the innovation, the patent creates opportunities for new partnerships, commercialization, and broader adoption of the technology. Researchers envision future applications that support health care providers, forensic specialists, law enforcement professionals, researchers, and patients through interfaces tailored to their specific needs.

As the technology continues to advance, the goal remains clear: transforming cutting-edge research into practical tools that improve accuracy, support equity, and help professionals make better-informed decisions when injury documentation matters most.

About the Injury Analytics Lab

Launched in 2026, 911��’s IAL brings together researchers from clinical science, engineering, and health informatics to advance ongoing research focused on injury detection, assessment, and documentation. The lab serves as a hub for interdisciplinary projects that build on years of research to improve patient care, investigations, and legal proceedings.

IAL is directed by an interdisciplinary team including Katherine Scafide (School of Nursing, College of Public Health [CPH]), who leads the lab’s clinical research; Janusz Wojtusiak (Department of Health Administration, Policy, and Informatics, CPH), who leads development of the injury platform and software systems; and David Lattanzi (Volgenau School of Engineering, College of Engineering and Computing), who leads development of the computer vision systems and user-centered design.

Key Takeaways

911�� researchers received a U.S. patent for technology that helps identify, document, and assess bruises and other skin injuries.
The technology tailors imaging to each individual, helping improve injury detection across a wide range of skin tones, particularly for people with darker skin tones.
The patented technology is the result of interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers in nursing, engineering, and health informatics, demonstrating how expertise across multiple fields can advance injury assessment and documentation.
The patent creates opportunities to bring the technology into healthcare, forensic, and research settings, supporting better clinical care, investigations, and future innovation.

In This Story

Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD

David Lattanzi

Topics

injury analytics lab

Bruise Visibility

Artificial Intelligence

patent

College of Public Health

GCI-Digital

911�� computer scientist receives DOE Genesis Award for breakthrough AI–HPC research

ckearney — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:26:41 +0000

911�� computer scientist receives DOE Genesis Award for breakthrough AI–HPC research ckearney Tue, 08/04/2026 - 13:26

911�� computer science professor Keren Zhou has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a prestigious Genesis Award, part of the Trump Administration’s national Genesis Mission—an initiative designed to accelerate scientific discovery through advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and high‑performance computing.

Keren Zhou. Photo provided

The Genesis Mission aims to build an integrated scientific discovery platform that unites national laboratories, universities, industry partners, and philanthropic organizations to drive breakthroughs in energy, discovery science, and national security. Nearly 300 projects were selected nationwide following what DOE described as the largest response to a funding opportunity in its history.

Zhou’s project, “An End‑to‑End AI Framework for Performance Prediction and Optimization in High‑Performance Computing (HPC) Applications,” received $750,000 in Phase I funding, supporting a nine‑month research period. His work tackles a challenge that affects nearly every field that relies on supercomputers—from climate science to drug development. Today, even small changes to scientific software can require days or months of trial‑and‑error testing to make sure programs run efficiently on different machines. That slows down research and delays discoveries.

Zhou’s goal is to remove that bottleneck. “Today’s HPC applications may need days or even months of tuning every time a parameter changes or a new hardware configuration is introduced,” he explained. “We want to eliminate that costly cycle by building a proxy model that can rapidly estimate performance—reducing simulation time from months to seconds.”

In practical terms, his system acts like a “speed‑check” for scientific computing: Instead of running full, time‑consuming tests, researchers could quickly predict how their programs will perform and automatically identify faster, more efficient ways to run them. With AI systems now capable of rewriting code and suggesting improvements, Zhou’s framework could help scientists optimize their work in minutes rather than weeks.

Zhou is the sole 911�� investigator on the project but will hire postdoctoral researchers as the work advances. Through the Genesis Mission’s shared platform, 911�� students will gain access to industrial partners such as AWS, OpenAI, and Google, along with AI tokens and cloud computing resources that support hands‑on research. He is also collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Brookhaven National Laboratory.

As Phase I progresses, Zhou aims to show that his approach works across different scientific applications and hardware systems, delivers significantly faster performance, and does so without requiring long simulation runs. Strong results would position his team for Phase II funding, which the DOE expects to award next year.

For Zhou, the Genesis Award marks an important milestone. “It’s a recognition of my past contributions to strengthening U.S. scientific discovery,” he said. “It also motivates me to continue collaborating with national labs and advancing this domain.” The project aligns closely with his long‑term goal of making advanced computing systems easier to program while maintaining high efficiency.

“The Genesis Mission rests on a clear premise: AI is becoming an instrument of science, not only an object of it. Professor Zhou’s framework is a clear case, a model that predicts and optimizes the systems on which discovery now depends, compressing months of tuning into seconds,” said Amarda Shehu, 911��’s vice president and chief AI officer. “911��’s AI strategy is aimed precisely at this layer, the capability that makes every other field move faster.”

Andre Marshall, 911��’s vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact, said this award underscores the university’s growing role in advancing the nation’s scientific and technological capabilities. “Professor Zhou’s project elevates our visibility in the federal research ecosystem and demonstrates how 911�� is contributing to the next generation of AI‑driven discovery.”

Zhou hopes the project will serve as a catalyst for future partnerships and position 911�� as a leading contributor to the next generation of AI infrastructure—advancing both national scientific priorities and the university’s growing research impact.

Explore Artificial Intelligence at 911��

Topics

Learn more about 911��'s Grand Challenge Initiative

Department of Energy

Artificial Intelligence

Genesis Award

911�� licenses cancer imaging technology to biotech company

ckearney — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 14:54:52 +0000

911�� licenses cancer imaging technology to biotech company ckearney Fri, 07/31/2026 - 10:54

SonoVanta™, a patent-pending contrast agent that improves the precision of cancer margin imaging, is the second technology from 911�� to be licensed through the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation’s (VIPC) Lab-to-Launch (L2L) Program, which accelerates the commercialization of promising research breakthroughs emerging from Virginia’s universities.

From left, John Hart, president and CEO of NanOptical; Amy Adams, executive director of Nexus234 Innovation District; Remi Veneziano, associate professor, bioengineering, 911��; and Helena Kondow-McConaghy, business development manager, PWCDEDT. Photo provided

SonoVanta™ originated from research conducted at 911�� bioengineering researchers Parag Chitnis and Remi Veneziano. NanOptical Biomedical Inc., a biotechnology company working on next-generation contrast agents for photoacoustic imaging, has licensed the technology. Photoacoustic imaging combines laser light and ultrasound to produce high-resolution views of tissue. The effectiveness of the technology depends in part on contrast agents that enhance the visibility of diseased tissue.

Successful commercialization of contrast agents depends on biocompatibility and scalable manufacturing. NanOptical Biomedical's platform addresses these challenges.

“SonoVanta™ was created to address one of the biggest barriers to the broader adoption of photoacoustic imaging,” said Chitnis. “By using an FDA-approved near-infrared dye, we devised a platform that enables disease-specific targeting and makes manufacturing and implementation easier.”

The company anticipates commercial availability this fall as an advanced tool for cell, tissue, and organ imaging, with applications across numerous areas of biomedical research and development. They hope to expand the technology's use in surgical oncology, with the goal of optimizing visualization of breast tumor margins during cancer procedures.

The L2L initiative, developed through a collaboration between VIPC and the state’s six R1 research university partners, aims to significantly increase the number of start-ups emerging from Virginia’s universities and help move technological breakthroughs to the marketplace, through a “fast track license.” Instead of taking months, a licensing agreement can now take weeks.

911�� bioengineering researchers Parag Chitnis and Remi Veneziano. Photo provided

NanOptical Biomedical's arrival represents an important milestone in bringing university-developed technology into research and clinical imaging.

“NanOptical Biomedical was formed to translate a strong university innovation into a commercially viable platform with meaningful market potential,” said John Hart, president and CEO of NanOptical Biomedical. “Our initial focus is to serve research customers in academia, biotech, and the pharmaceutical sector, while also pursuing the regulatory pathway for future clinical applications in surgical oncology. We believe SonoVanta™ offers a valuable solution to deliver more precise imaging and address a critical need in cancer care.”

"Eight years ago, Dr. Chitnis and I were standing in front of a whiteboard tossing ideas back and forth," said Veneziano. "We’re excited to watch this technology grow from an idea into a new biotechnology company."

NanOptical Biomedical began operations at the Endeavor life science incubator in the Nexus234 Innovation District in Prince William County, Virginia. Hart said the company chose Prince William County as its first operating location to stay close to 911�� and the region's thriving life sciences industry. The company is joining Nexus234, Northern Virginia's first innovation district, which Real FDI named one of the Top 10 Life Sciences Projects globally in March 2026.

“NanOptical Biomedical is exactly the kind of company Nexus234 was created to attract and empower,” said Christina Winn, executive director of the Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism. "This achievement reflects the strength of the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem and the environment Prince William County has built for start-ups, research commercialization, and the life sciences industry."

NanOptical Biomedical's establishment in Nexus234 reinforces the region's commitment to cultivating an ecosystem that helps translate research and entrepreneurship into company success and job creation.

Earlier this year, 911�� was Virginia’s first R1 research institution to commercialize a product under the L2L initiative. In January, the 911�� Research Foundation entered into a license agreement with serial entrepreneur Anthony Fung and his company Valorlox LLC for the patented technology Dynamic Low Visibility Pneumatic Cofferdam, a coastal resilience system designed to protect against flooding.

Topics

Discover more GCI climate research >>

The little water treatment plant that could

tdonnel — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:51:24 +0000

The little water treatment plant that could tdonnel Thu, 07/30/2026 - 12:51

On a small organic farm in rural Puerto Rico sits a revolutionary water treatment facility ready for action: the AguaClara PF250, a compact, nonelectric drinking water treatment plant designed specifically for small communities. 911�� researchers Daniel Smith and Catherine Akplah are combining engineering innovation, field research, and community partnership to participate in piloting the facility and assess its viability throughout the island nation.

While most Puerto Ricans receive water from the territorial utility system, 100,000 in rural areas rely on small, community-managed water systems that often struggle with aging infrastructure, limited resources, and vulnerability to hurricanes and power outages.

Unlike conventional treatment facilities, the PF250 operates using hydraulic principles and gravity, entirely without electricity. The system uses the same fundamental processes found in large municipal plants, including coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and chlorination, but in a smaller, prefabricated design that can be installed in remote locations. The PF250 was designed and fabricated by the nonprofits AguaClara Reach and Agua Para el Pueblo.

AguaClara PF250 water treatment facility at Plenitud PR. Photo provided.

Smith, an assistant professor in 911��’s Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, has spent much of his career working on drinking water treatment systems around the world. His connection to PF250s stretches back nearly two decades through the AguaClara program in Honduras.

“It will be very fulfilling to see something that was a concept 15 or more years ago become a practical solution for communities that need it,” he said. “It's a drinking-water treatment plant that has all of the processes you typically find for big town but, with clever engineering, made as small as possible and able to work without any electricity.”

The 911�� team is partnering with VersaWater, a National Science Foundation (NSF) Convergence Accelerator initiative that includes Cornell University, Syracuse University, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, and AguaClara Reach. VersaWater focuses on technology development and deployment, and 911��’s role is to help understand how the PF250 performs with respect to organic matter removal and determine where in Puerto Rico it is most likely to succeed.

Smith and Akplah are working directly with community water boards across Puerto Rico, equipping communities with turbidity meters that measure how cloudy local water supplies become throughout the year. This data will help identify systems where advanced treatment is most needed.

Akplah (left) and Smith (R) in Puerto Rico. Photo provided.

“It's the very first thing you need to know to decide which treatment option is going to be a potentially good fit,” said Smith.

Akplah, a PhD student in Smith's lab whose research focuses on sustainable water treatment, sees the project as an opportunity to create tangible benefits for communities.

“A win for me would be to see one community where we're able to transition this system into something that people can rely on to get drinking water” she said.

The team will operate a pilot PF250 installation at Plenitud PR, an organic permaculture farm in Las Marías, Puerto Rico, to study how well it removes organic matter and controls disinfection byproducts, an important step toward meeting U.S. drinking water regulations. Ultimately, they hope their work will provide communities with data they can use to secure infrastructure funding and improve public health.

If successful, the PF250 could provide a model not only for rural Puerto Rico but also for small, underserved communities across the United States that face similar drinking water challenges.

In This Story

Daniel W. Smith

This research supports the Grand Challenge Initiative's goal of building a more climate-resilient society.

Learn about other solutions >>

Topics

Drinking water; environmental engineering; byproducts

environmental engineering

water resource engineering; civil and infrastructure engineering

GCI-Climate

National Science Foundation

NSF CAREER award allows researcher to look under AI’s hood

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:30:48 +0000

NSF CAREER award allows researcher to look under AI’s hood Nathan Kahl Mon, 07/20/2026 - 12:30

In This Story

Ziyu Yao

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are now part of everyday life, writing software, tidying up your shopping list, and answering questions. While we know they sit on top of large language models (LLMs), we still understand surprisingly little about what happens inside these systems or what is helping them generate responses.

Ziyu Yao. Photo provided

911�� Department of Computer Science Assistant Professor Ziyu Yao received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award for $674,100 over five years to peel the layers back on AI. Specifically, Yao will develop new methods for understanding the internal mechanisms of LLMs. Her research aims to make these AI systems more transparent and useful.

"We use language model–powered products every day, but we have very limited understanding of how they actually work," Yao said. Most efforts to evaluate AI systems focus on their behavior. Researchers give a model a prompt and judge the quality of its response. Yao's work instead focuses on mechanistic interpretability, an emerging field that examines what happens inside a language model as it processes information.

"If we send something to the model, we want to see how it extracts features or signals from my input and gradually performs computations before producing an answer," she said.

As language models have grown dramatically in size, that task is increasingly difficult. Today's leading models contain potentially hundreds of billions of parameters. And Yao said, "The interpretability research community has not caught up. Many traditional approaches cannot be efficiently applied to today's language models."

The project focuses specifically on AI-powered code generation, in which users describe a programming task in natural language and an AI system generates software code. Code generation is an increasingly important application of LLMs, with uses including software engineering and scientific research.

Yao's team will investigate how LLMs apply programming syntax, recall semantic knowledge, and perform deliberate reasoning while writing code. The researchers will also study how training data and learning methods influence those internal mechanisms and explore how interpretability insights can be used to improve AI coding systems.

Current interpretability studies often require researchers to manually design experiments, collecting internal model signals and analyzing the results. Yao plans to develop a framework that automates much of that process using AI itself, allowing researchers to study LLMs more efficiently.

At the same time, she wants interpretability research to produce practical benefits rather than simply satisfying scientific curiosity.

"We want to build the bridge between what we discover about language models and how that knowledge can improve them," Yao said. "Can interpretability actually help us build better AI systems?"

Although commercial AI systems such as ChatGPT are proprietary, Yao and colleagues primarily study open-weight language models that are downloadable. These models are becoming increasingly competitive with commercial systems while supporting the transparency needed for scientific research.

An expectation with the award and a hallmark of the CAREER program is a plan for broader impact. Yao hopes to expand AI literacy through outreach programs, create new curricula and open-source educational resources, provide undergraduate research opportunities, and foster collaborations between researchers in artificial intelligence and software engineering.

"I think we should encourage the younger generation to embrace AI," Yao said. "But at the same time, they should be skeptical, think critically, and be careful about what they are reading from AI."

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911�� researcher develops an affordable helping hand for stroke recovery

Nathan Kahl — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:25:34 +0000

911�� researcher develops an affordable helping hand for stroke recovery Nathan Kahl Tue, 07/14/2026 - 15:25

For millions of stroke survivors, something as simple as picking up a glass of water or holding a sandwich is a daily challenge. Quentin Sanders wants to make those moments easier through wearable robotic technology designed to restore hand function.

The 911�� assistant professor is developing a new generation of hand exoskeletons that may help people regain independence after stroke. His lab is testing wearable devices that amplify a user's remaining muscle activity, allowing them to open and close their hand more effectively while remaining affordable enough for broader use.

Sanders' prior work focused on lower-limb prosthetics. Photo by Ron Aria/Office of University Branding

The latest prototype resembles a lightweight glove that fits over the hand and upper arm. As users attempt to move their hand, the device detects their remaining muscle activity and assists the motion.

"We instruct them to try to open their hand," Sanders explained. "When they try to open their hand, we sense whatever residual activity they have, and then the exoskeleton amplifies that."

One version of the device seeks to use wearable ultrasound technology developed in collaboration with 911�� researcher Siddhartha Sikdar, a professor in the Department of Bioengineering and director of the Center for Medtech Innovation. The system will use wearable ultrasound sensors to monitor how muscles deform as they contract, translating those signals into movement. Another simpler version uses a button embedded in the glove that users press to control the device.

While brain-controlled devices remain the long-term aspiration for many in the field, Sanders is focused on a more practical solution that builds on the muscle activity people retain after a stroke. "I would say brain-controlled systems is kind of the holy grail. In my lab, we're going one level lower to see if we can use muscle activity to control it."

The need for better rehabilitation tools is growing. Sanders noted that roughly 800,000 people experience a stroke each year in the United States, while millions more live with its long-term effects. Advances in medicine mean more people survive strokes, but many struggle to access the lengthy rehabilitation needed to regain function.

"We're at this point where you're living a long life, but you have this need for rehab," Sanders said. "You need either consistent opportunities for movement or some type of device that can help improve your quality of life."

Commercial hand exoskeletons remain scarce in the United States, and many existing systems cost tens of thousands of dollars. Making the technology more affordable and accessible has become one of the driving goals of his research.

"You've got this large population of people who need these devices who aren't getting them," Sanders said. "I'm hoping we can make this kind of low-cost, accessible version that people can use to improve some aspect of their life."

Sanders is also working to broaden who can benefit from rehabilitation technologies. Many research studies enroll only patients who meet narrow eligibility criteria, leaving others without solutions tailored to their needs.

"I think that's the other breakthrough people are working on that my lab is working on," he said. "How can we make these devices work for a larger population?"

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In This Story

Quentin Sanders

Siddhartha Sikdar

Topics

Prosthetic Arm

Bioengineering

mechanical engineering