On Thursday, August 17th, the UCSF Center for Intelligent Imaging (ci2) and the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging hosted the ci2 Fourth Annual Summer Symposium. The symposium spotlighted the innovative research within both the center and the department. This symposium marks the conclusion of an enriching summer internship program and showcases the results of the diligent efforts of five interns.
The event commenced with welcoming remarks and introductions from Abhejit Rajagopal, PhD and Jae Ho Sohn, MD, MS, co-directors of ci2's Education Pillar which organizes the summer internship program and symposium with administrative support from Annie Liu.
The symposium provided each intern with the platform to present their projects, a culmination of their collaborative efforts with faculty sponsors and respective labs during the internship period. Each intern had 20 minutes to present their projects and participate in a Q&A with the audience.
Meet the Interns
Isabel (Izzie) Yu is a rising junior at UC Berkeley, pursuing a double major in Molecular and Cell Biology, with a focus on Neurobiology and Data Science. Under the guidance of faculty sponsor Galateia Kazakia, Izzie's project encompassed the validation of time-lapse HR-pQCT 'virtual bone biopsy' and the automation of musculoskeletal feature segmentation from clinical CT scans. "Ci2 was a great experience for me, coming from a more biology-focused background, to learn more about machine learning while implementing it into a research project I helped create and was extremely excited about."
Meet Phil Xie, a rising third-year student at UC Berkeley, deeply engrossed in the realms of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, with a minor in Bioengineering. Guided by faculty sponsor Peder Larson, Phil's project examined the world of generalization methods, aiming to predict and enhance the performance of deep learning through innovative approaches.
Lucia Ward, a sophomore at Georgetown University, is immersed in the domains of math and computer science. With faculty sponsor Ashish Raj's guidance, Lucia embarked on an insightful journey, exploring the intricate intersections of these fields.
Patrick Liu, also a sophomore at Georgetown University, shares Lucia's academic pursuits in math and computer science. Working under the mentorship of faculty sponsor Srikantan Nagarajan, Patrick investigated projects that are set to make meaningful impacts. "I'm deeply grateful to my mentors, colleagues and the entire team at ci2. I'm really thankful to my mentor, Dr. Srikantan Nagarajan, for his guidance and suggestions on the steps involved in the project. During my research internship, I delved into the intricate world of fMRI functional connectivity. I employed advanced machine learning techniques, including neural networks, to discern patterns in Tinnitus patients. This experience was a robust interdisciplinary field of neuroscience and computer science, broadening my research horizon."
David Mikhael, a senior at Minerva University, shines in the fields of Data Science and Cognitive Neuroscience. With faculty sponsor Melanie Morrison, David's project held the captivating promise of predicting deep brain stimulation outcomes in Parkinson's disease using a multidimensional MRI approach. "During the ci2 2023 fellowship, I had the privilege to work on a research project that has high clinical significance and a direct impact on the treatment effectiveness of Parkinson's disease. I utilized my fMRI analysis skills in Python and MATLAB with Machine Learning algorithms and used specialized software to process the fMRI data and reach important results."
We commend the interns, who showcased remarkable achievements. The fruits of their labor are evident, and it is our hope that their experience as UCSF ci2 interns has been both rewarding and enlightening. We also extend our gratitude to the esteemed faculty PIs and supervisors, whose mentorship has been invaluable throughout the summer journey.
The symposium was a success and celebrated the dedication, innovation and collaboration of all participants while reinforcing the mission of both ci2 and the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at UCSF.
