Fall 2023 Semester Begins and MCL Resumes on-campus Activities
USC Fall 2023 starts on the coming Monday, August 21, and MCL will resume the lab weekly activities on campus at the same time. Hope everyone have a great Fall semester!
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Welcome New MCL Member Catherine Aurelia Christie Alexander
We are so happy to welcome a new graduate member, Catherine Aurelia Christie Alexander, joining MCL this summer. Here is a quick interview with Catherine:
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your research interests?
My name is Catherine Aurelia Christie Alexander. I am a graduate student at USC, pursuing my Master’s in Electrical Engineering, specializing in Signal and Image Processing. My research interests include Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Signal Processing and Biomedical Imaging.
2. What is your impression about MCL and USC?
USC’s diversity and huge network is very impressive. There are many resources on and off campus that are very helpful and help one grow into an individual ready to face the world. MCL is one such place that has seen the growth of many students. The lab is full of enthusiastic, focused, and goal-driven students guided by Professor Kuo, who is very dedicated and inspiring. There is so much to learn from each person. Seminar sharing sessions give an overview of research in the lab and are very informative and encouraging.
3.What is your future expectation and plan in MCL?
As a continuation of my summer research, I will be working with biomedical images, specifically on nuclei segmentation, and hope to develop skills and knowledge in this field. I would also like to contribute green AI solutions to the field of healthcare as a part of MCL. I look forward to connecting with all the members and having a great learning experience!
Welcome New MCL Member Jiawei Yu
We are so happy to welcome a new graduate member, Jiawei Yu, joining MCL this summer. Here is a quick interview with Jiawei:
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your research interests?
My name is Jiawei Yu. Currently, I am pursuing my Master’s degree of Computer Science at University of Southern California. I joined MCL as a summer intern this year, and my research interests are related to machine learning and computer vision. For my hobbies, I like playing the piano during my free time. Besides, I like skiing very much.
2. What is your impression about MCL and USC?
MCL is a well-organized lab, and each MCL member is intelligent, creative, hardworking, friendly, and helpful. Besides, I really enjoy working in MCL because there is a good academic atmosphere. I really appreciate the suggestions and guidance provided by Prof. Kuo, and they helped me learn and grow a lot. For USC, the campus is very beautiful. Moreover, USC enjoys a high reputation and has outstanding academic achievements.
3. What is your future expectation and plan in MCL?
Currently, I am working with Prof. Kuo and Qingyang on the project related to point cloud surface reconstruction. This project is interesting and valuable, and I have learned lots of useful knowledge during the process. Besides, I think that MCL is very excellent and promising, and I hope that MCL will continue to thrive and have more outstanding academic achievements in the future.
Welcome New MCL Member Zijing Chen
We are so happy to welcome a new graduate member, Zijing Chen, joining MCL this summer. Here is a quick interview with Zijing:
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your research interests?
My name is Zijing Chen, and I am a second year graduate student here at USC pursuing an Electrical Engineering MS degree, with a focus on Machine Learning and Data Science. In the past, I have created and participated in several projects involving machine learning, such as traffic anomaly analysis and data fraud detection projects. Apart from academics, I enjoy playing music and painting during my free time.
2. What is your impression about MCL and USC?
MCL is an impressive lab consisting of many intelligent and approachable people, fostering a friendly and supportive environment. The amount of help I have received from the lab members and the guidance from Professor Kuo allows for a good research and learning experience. I look forward to knowing more about MCL members and working with them in the future.
3. What is your future expectation and plan in MCL?
So far, and for the rest of this summer, I will be researching demosaicing using green learning and the development of the LNT3 model. I look forward to making connections with other MCL members and facing more challenges in the future.
Welcome New MCL Member Yixing Wu
We are so happy to welcome a new graduate member, Yixing Wu, joining MCL this summer. Here is a quick interview with Yixing:
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your research interests?
My name is Yixing Wu. I am a graduate student majoring in Electrical Engineering at the University of Southern California. This summer, I joined MCL as an intern to work on a medical imaging processing project. My research interests include machine learning and image processing.
2. What is your impression about MCL and USC?
USC provides me with a great environment for my personal and academic growth. I learn a lot of useful techniques and skills from professors and students. The atmosphere at MCL is positive and collaborative. I am very grateful that I receive a lot of help from other members of MCL. Also, the weekly seminar where people share their research benefits me greatly.
3. What is your future expectation and plan in MCL?
This summer, I will work on the medical image processing project under the guidance of Professor Kuo. Looking forward, I expect to continue working in MCL and contribute to the development of the interpretable green learning framework in the future.
Welcome New MCL Member Gagan Ellath
We are so happy to welcome a new graduate member, Gagan Ellath, joining MCL this summer. Here is a quick interview with Gagan:
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your research interests?
My name is Gagan. I am a 2nd-year Graduate student pursuing my Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering. My research interests include Image Processing, Machine Learning, Computer Networks, and Operating Systems.
I am also interested in learning the underlying implementation of complex machine learning algorithms such as GANs and Transformer models and why they work well.
2. What is your impression about MCL and USC?
Doing my Master’s Degree at USC is a great experience. There are people from different regions and cultures who you interact with and help you see different perspectives.
As for MCL, Professor Kuo and all the students currently working in MCL are very smart, the weekly seminars showcase how much work goes into each research topic, and it also helps me
think about different solutions for my research problem.
3. What is your future expectation and plan in MCL?
I want to publish a research paper on adversarial attacks in the green learning pipeline, and in the process, I would like to understand the robustness of the green learning model.
I would also like to interact and get to know everyone from the Lab and learn as much as possible from them.
MCL Genealogical Ancestry Series: Christian August Hausen
Christian August Hausen (1693–1743) was a German mathematician who is known for his research on electricity.
Hausen studied mathematics at the University of Wittenberg and received his master’s degree in 1712. He became an extraordinary professor of mathematics at the University of Leipzig at the age of 21 and later (1726) became an ordinary professor.
Hausen also researched electrical phenomena, using a triboelectric generator. In the introduction to his book on this subject, Novi profectus in historia electricitatis, published posthumously, Hausen states that he started these experiments shortly before his death. Hausen’s generator was similar to earlier generators, such as that of Francis Hauksbee. It consisted of a glass globe rotated by a cord and a large wheel. An assistant rubbed the globe with his hand to produce static electricity. Hausen’s book describes his generator and sets forth a theory of electricity in which electrification is a consequence of the production of vortices in a universal electrical fluid.
There is a crater on the moon named after Dr. Hausen, which is a large lunar impact crater that lies along the south-southwestern limb. The visibility of this crater is significantly affected by libration effects, although even under the best of conditions it is viewed nearly from on edge. It lies along the western edge of the immense walled plain Bailly. A crater is a circular depression likely created by an impact event. On the Moon they are named after deceased scientists, polar explorers, astronauts or cosmonauts.
Reference and Image Credit:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_August_Hausen
[2] https://wenamethestars.inkleby.com/feature/2388
[3] https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/801398-drygalski-hausen-and-the-southwestern-limb/
Welcome New MCL Member Tiankai Yang
We are so happy to welcome the summer intern of MCL, Tiankai Yang. Here is an interview with Tiankai:
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your research interests?
I am Tiankai Yang, a second-year graduate student at USC. My research journey began five years ago. During undergraduate study, I focused on AI operation (AIOps). After one and a half years of hard work, I became a main member of the project in my fourth year. Despite the challenges, I found machine learning and deep learning fascinating then as well as now. However, I soon realized that my basic knowledge was insufficient, which led me to choose Machine Learning and Data Science as my major for graduate study. Currently, I am interested in exploring both practical and theoretical topics related to machine learning.
2. What is your impression about MCL and USC?
At USC, I met great professors and learned from the well-designed graduate courses . It helps me build a strong foundation in machine learning. The MCL group is outstanding and motivated. Professor Kuo and senior students set excellent role models for me with their passion for achieving research goals. Also, the MCL community feels like a big family where people share interesting experiences and learn from each other. It is my pleasure to be part of this group.
3. What is your future expectation and plan in MCL?
I expect to achieve good results on my edge detection project this summer. If possible, I would like to learn about generative AI in green learning, and explore interpretable and reliable machine learning solutions for real scenarios. I also look forward to building lasting relationships with the talented individuals in the lab.
Welcome New MCL Member Lujia Zhong
We are so happy to welcome the summer intern of MCL, Lujia Zhong. Here is an interview with Lujia:
1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your research interests?
My name is Lujia Zhong. I received a Computer Science BS degree from China Agricultural University and am pursuing an Electrical and Computer Engineering MS degree at USC. Because of my training as a Computer Science student, I have strong programming and debugging abilities and have a comprehensive knowledge of compiling, OS, network, software engineering, etc. I have passions for many things, including full-stack software development, machine learning techniques, and modern AI solutions.
2. What is your impression about MCL and USC?
I love studying at USC where I learned a lot besides Computer Science. I met a strongly motivated and intelligent professor at EE 569 and therefore joined his team as a summer intern, where I met many enthusiastic and talented people. I am excited to work with them and learn from them.
3. What is your future expectation and plan in MCL?
My future expectation of the MCL is to learn and make contributions. I foresee immense opportunities for growth, both personally and professionally. I am eager to immerse myself in the challenging and innovative environment that the lab offers. I also hope to make lasting connections with individuals in the lab.
Congratulations to Yao Zhu for Passing Her Defense
Congratulations to Yao Zhu for passing her defense on June 12, 2023. Yao’s thesis is titled “A Green Learning Approach to Image Forensics: Methodology, Applications, and Performance Evaluation.” Her Dissertation Committee includes Jay Kuo (Chair), Antonio Ortega, and Jernej Barbic (Outside Member). Yao received several questions and suggestions from the Committee members. Yao answered the questions professionally.
Congratulations to Yao for this milestone moment in life. MCL News team invited Yao for a short talk on her thesis and PhD experience, and here is the summary. We thank Yao for her kind sharing, and wish her all the best in the next journey.
“Fake images have become a central problem in the last few years, especially after the advent of neural networks. Fake images are usually created by whole generation, partial tampering or information hiding. Image forensics, on the contrary, aims to detect the fake contents or discover the hidden information from fake objects. It leverages the fact that manipulation actions leave detectable traces, making fake images statistically distinguishable from genuine ones.
I specifically talked about two long-standing problems in image forensics: GAN- generated image detection and spatial image steganalysis. The former one aims to detect images that are synthesized by generative models. The latter one focus on distinguishing stego and cover images in spatial domain, where stego images are generated by various content-adaptive steganography algorithms. The stego signal that are embedded into cover images is so weak that the difference in pixel domain in only +1 or -1. The solutions that we propose to these two problems are both ‘green’ solutions, which have significantly small model sizes and computational cost. In the meantime, our methods are mathematically transparent due to the modularized design. Green [...]