UAF tapped as part of new National Science Foundation institutes
Rod Boyce
907-474-7185
Nov. 19, 2021
Two researchers at the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks Geophysical Institute will participate in a new five-year $75 million effort by the National Science Foundation to increase collaboration among scientists and engineers to handle key problems.
The NSF has established five institutes, each with a specific focus. UAF is a part of the Institute for Harnessing Data and Model Revolution in the Polar Regions.
Geophysical Institute research associate professor Andy Aschwanden, a glaciologist and climate scientist, is a co-leader in one of that institute色视频下载檚 four focus areas. Aschwanden uses computer models to study glaciers and ice sheets and will be collaborating with Geophysical Institute researcher Mark Fahnestock, an expert in satellite observations.
Andy Aschwanden
The polar regions institute will be led by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and has been allocated $13 million.
The explosion in satellite data as computers have become increasingly powerful means researchers need help from data scientists to avoid becoming bogged down in time-consuming data acquisition and preparation. Data isn色视频下载檛 presented in a uniform way among researchers and can include 色视频下载渘oise,色视频下载 or data not germane to research.
色视频下载淲e are not data scientists,色视频下载 Aschwanden said. 色视频下载淎nd they are not glaciologists or climatologists. We all have our specialty.色视频下载
色视频下载淭he more data we as researchers have and need, the more important the intersection between the researchers and data scientists becomes,色视频下载 he said. 色视频下载淎 big part of this institute is having the data science people help us make the data more useful and more easily accessible.色视频下载
Within the polar-focused institute, Aschwanden will co-lead a focus group working to improve computer modeling to better predict the extent of melting of the Earth色视频下载檚 ice sheets. Rapidly melting ice sheets contribute to sea level increase.
色视频下载淕laciology or polar science was a data-starved field 20 years ago,色视频下载 Aschwanden said. 色视频下载淲e didn't have observations. We barely even knew how our ice sheets were changing.色视频下载
Harnessing the Data Revolution is one of the National Science Foundation色视频下载檚 色视频下载10 Big Ideas,色视频下载 which were chosen in 2017 and funded in 2019.
The four other institutes established in the Harnessing the Data Revolution effort include the following:
&苍产蝉辫;色视频下载 NSF Institute for a New Frontier of Biological Information Powered by Knowledge-Guided Machine Learning, led by The Ohio State University
&苍产蝉辫;色视频下载 NSF Institute for Accelerated AI Algorithms for Data-Driven Discovery, led by the University of Washington
&苍产蝉辫;色视频下载 NSF Institute for Data Driven Dynamical Design, led by Colorado School of Mines
&苍产蝉辫;色视频下载 NSF Institute for Geospatial Understanding through an Integrative Discovery Environment, I-GUIDE, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The five institutes are one part of the NSF色视频下载檚 Harnessing the Data Revolution effort. The two other parts are Transdisciplinary Research in Principles of Data Science Phase I and Data Science Corps.
色视频下载淭hese new institutes will lead innovation in data science,色视频下载 said Manish Parashar, office director for NSF's Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. 色视频下载淭hey position our nation at the cutting edge of global science and engineering by bringing together diverse perspectives to support convergent research."
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Andy Aschwanden, 907-474-7199, aaschwanden@alaska.edu.
NOTE TO EDITORS: A photograph of Aschwanden is available with this press release at the Geophysical Institute .
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