A talk by Jerome Zhengrong Liang entitled, Machine Learning from Original Images to Texture Patterns: A Paradigm Shift from Non-Medical Application to Medical Diagnosis. Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) research for medical diagnosis started soon after human began to use computer, initially called artificial neural network (ANN) and now convolutional neural network (CNN). ANN has been mainly explored to classify the experts' handcrafted features from the original (or raw) images, while CNN has been mainly explored directly on the raw images for both tasks of extracting abstract features and classifying the features. Experimental evidences have been shown that CNN can be trained by a large number of the raw images with experts' scores (or labels) to match or even surpass the experts' performance for both non-medical and medical diagnosis applications. However, the performances of the CNN models as well as the experts on medical diagnosis dropped dramatically when the labels of the raw images were replaced by the corresponding medical pathological reports. Accumulated medical knowledge reveals that the lesion heterogeneity is a footprint of lesion evolution and ecology, and the heterogeneity is an indicator of lesion progress and response to medical intervention. The heterogeneity can be reflected by the image contrast distribution (or texture patterns) across the lesion volume. Image textures have been shown as an effective descriptor of the lesion heterogeneity for computer-aided diagnosis. Can we map the raw images into texture patterns (or images) and train CNN to learn from the texture images? This question is the central theme of this presentation with application to CT Colonography or virtual colonoscopy, a game from AlphaGo to PolypGo. Bio: Jerome Zhengrong Liang, PhD, IEEE Fellow Imaging Research and Informatics Laboratory Department of Radiology, Stony Brook University
Do Natural Language Understanding Systems Learn to Understand or to
Find Shortcuts? (Naoya Inoue, http://naoya-i.github.io/)

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have suggested that natural language understanding (NLU) systems learn to exploit superficial, task-unrelated cues (a.k.a. annotation artifacts) in current datasets. This prevents the community from reliably measuring the progress of NLU systems. In this talk, I will discuss two latest studies from our research team: (i) analysis of annotation artifacts in commonsense causal reasoning and (ii) creation of benchmark for evaluating NLU systems' internal reasoning.
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Learning graph-structured sparse models (Baojian Zhou, https://baojianzhou.github.io/) 

ABSTRACT: Learning graph-structured sparse models has recently received significant attention thanks to their broad applicability to many important real-world problems. However, such models, of more effective and stronger interpretability compared with their counterparts, are difficult to learn due to optimization challenges. In this talk, we will discuss how to learn graph-structured sparse models under stochastic and online learning settings. Some interesting related problems will also be discussed.

Abstract: The development of embodied AI has largely focused on scaling data and computational power, often at the cost of energy efficiency. In contrast, biological intelligence achieves remarkable adaptability with minimal resources, inspiring a shift toward neuromorphic AI, an approach that mimics the structure and dynamics of biological neural systems. In this talk, I will explore the promises and challenges of neuromorphic computer vision from three key perspectives: algorithms, robot actions, and data. First, I will discuss algorithmic advances, including continuous visual hull reconstruction, continuous-time human motion field estimation, and unsupervised independent motion segmentation. Next, I will illustrate how neuromorphic vision enables agile robotic actions by leveraging event-based perception for real-time decision-making. Finally, I will address challenges in training data-driven models with event data, highlighting strategies to enhance data availability and efficiency. By integrating these elements, neuromorphic AI paves the way for energy-efficient, high-performance embodied intelligence in dynamic real-world environments.

Speaker Bio: Ziyun (Claude) Wang is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing & Perception (GRASP) Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, advised by Professor Kostas Daniilidis. His research focuses on developing algorithms for neuromorphic computer vision and integrating them with real hardware to enable agile perception in embodied AI systems. Prior to his Ph.D., he worked at the Samsung AI Center New York, where he developed 3D reconstruction techniques for robotic applications and earned three patents. He also contributed to the Apple Vision Pro team, enhancing user comfort for AR glasses. His research work has been recognized at major computer vision, robotics, and machine learning venues including the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV), International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) workshops, and IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (R-AL), with an oral presentation at ECCV placing in the top 2.7%. His research aims to drive the development of next-generation bio-inspired AI systems, enabling more efficient, adaptive, and intelligent embodied perception.
CSE 600 Seminar Series | Fall 2025



Abstract:

We often talk about AI as if it begins with a dataset and ends with an application. But behind every model lie two sets of actors who are rarely acknowledged in technical documentation: the workers who train AI systems and the researchers who try to make sense of them. This talk brings both groups into view.
Dr. Ben Zhang will offer an on-the-ground examination of the prevailing values and invisible labor that underpin commercial AI production and data production. Drawing on ethnographic research inside AI data annotation centers in China, he introduces the concept of precision labor to unpack the labor dimension of constructing, managing, and performing technical accuracy. This concept highlights the hidden and excessive labor required to reconcile the ambiguity and uncertainty involved in AI training. A precision labor lens challenges the legitimacy and sustainability of the relentless pursuit of technical accuracy, raising new questions about its consequences and implications.
On the other end of the pipeline, as LLMs become embedded in society, social scientists like Dr. Jieshu Wang is scrutinizing their potential biases while employing them as research tools. She will present her recent work auditing LLM responses across different contexts, revealing that LLMs exhibit varying levels of environmental awareness and disproportionately reward institutional prestige in peer-review simulations. She also demonstrates how LLMs can serve as useful tools in social-science pipelines, e.g., extracting location information, inferring demographics, parsing citations, mapping social networks, and analyzing occupational data.
By placing these two worlds side by side - the labor of training AI and the scholarly efforts to study it - we show why responsible AI should go beyond the deployment phase - emphasizing fairness audits, and model explainability. It requires reimaging the values, labor regimes, and social science practices that shape AI systems from annotation to analysis.


Bios:

Dr. Jieshu Wang is an interdisciplinary researcher studying the human and social dimensions of artificial intelligence (AI) and how people can thrive in an AI-integrated future. She combines computational methods with qualitative insights to trace technology trends and understand their broader societal impact. She earned her Ph.D. in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology from Arizona State University, after earlier degrees in Civil Engineering, Economics, and Science and Technology Studies. She has also worked as a patent examiner, an editor at a popular science magazine, and co-founded Synced (机器之心), an AI-focused media company in China. Her research looks both backward and forward. Backward-looking, she examines how AI are created, who creates them, and who is missing from the process. Forward-looking, she studies how AI is transforming the way we live, connect, invent, work, and adapt, as well as how AI might help address challenges such as climate change and workforce transitions.
Dr. Ben Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Technology. His research explores the production and sociotechnical impacts of AI systems in critical areas such as work, health, and sustainability. Drawing from his background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human-Centered AI, and Science and Technology Studies (STS), he employs a life-cycle-centered approach to holistically examine the promises and harms of these systems and to inform the design of responsible AI infrastructures across their development, deployment, and governance. Ben received his Ph.D. in Information Science from the University of Michigan. Ben's work has been supported by competitive awards and fellowships, including the University of Michigan Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship and the Weizenbaum Fellowship. His research has appeared in premier computing venues, including ACM CHI, ACM CSCW, and AAAI ICWSM.

Location: NCS 120

You are cordially invited to attend the biweekly Brookhaven AI Mixer (BAM). BAM includes one short talk on AI research happening at BNL, followed by an open mixer over coffee and snacks for everyone to network and discuss all things AI. The first half hour will consist of presentations that will be available via ZOOM, and the second half hour will be for in person only networking.

Join us every other Tuesday at noon in CDSD's Training Room (building 725, 2nd floor) to learn about interesting AI methods and applications, engage with potential collaborators, prepare for pending FASST funding calls, and build a community of AI for Science at BNL.

HPCortex - a new, general-purpose machine learning library for HPC

Abstract: I will introduce HPCortex, a lightweight, C++, MPI-native machine-learning library for heterogeneous HPC systems. It implements many common architecture patterns including transformers, graph neural networks, and convolutional networks, and delivers performance portability across NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel GPUs while depending only on MPI and standard compiler/BLAS stacks. I will illustrate its capabilities via a surrogate model for the RHIC AGS Booster digital twin, a simple GNN for a coupled spring system, and a compact language model, then outline the roadmap.

Biography: Christopher is a research scientist and head of the Scientific Computing Applications Group in the Computational Science Department at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Previously he was an assistant staff scientist in the Physics Dept. at Columbia University, and held physics postdoctoral research positions at both Brookhaven and Columbia. He earned his Ph.D in Theoretical Physics from the University of Edinburgh, UK.
His scientific background is in lattice QCD and high performance computing, but since joining Brookhaven in 2020 his research interests have expanded to include machine learning, applied mathematics and performance analysis, with a particular emphasis on building tools to support scientific research on HPC systems.

Location: CDS, Bldg. 725, Training Room

Join ZoomGov Meeting: https://bnl.zoomgov.com/j/1604143373?pwd=hHT2yaIjahBIQ6tieURFqs8Pwex9gU.1

Meeting ID: 160 414 3373
Passcode: 277410



Abstract:
Large language models (LLMs) have transformed the way humans write code, bringing unprecedented automation to software development. In this talk, I will first provide an overview of my research on enhancing LLMs' code intelligence, optimizing each step of the development pipeline towards more complex software engineering tasks. I will then delve into my key contributions, focusing on how to equip LLMs with a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of software programs. Finally, I will discuss the future of AI-driven software engineering, envisioning a new era of automation that is more reliable, intelligent, and cost-efficient.

Bio:
Yangruibo (Robin) Ding is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University. His research is at the intersection of Software Engineering and Machine Learning, focusing on developing large language models (LLMs) for code. He trains LLMs to generate, analyze, and refine software programs and constructs benchmarks to systematically evaluate LLMs in solving software engineering tasks. He also studies how to improve LLMs' reasoning capability to tackle complex programming tasks, such as debugging and patching. His interdisciplinary research has been published in top-tier conferences of software engineering, programming languages, natural language processing, and machine learning. He won an ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Award, an IEEE TSE Best Paper Runner-up, and received an IBM Ph.D. Fellowship.
Location:
NCS 120
The Future Histories Studio will host Young Maeng, an artist and professor at California State University, Fresno, for a talk exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and traditional painting, examining how two seemingly disparate fields can converge to create new artistic expressions.

The lecture is part of the Future History Studio series at Stony Brook University, a platform dedicated to examining the evolving relationship between technology, art, and society.

Young will discuss her innovative approach to expanded painting, an integration of AI-generated images and traditional techniques such as Korean ink and acrylic painting. Through this fusion, she visualizes complex philosophical and ethical questions about the coexistence of humans, nature, and AI companion robots. The lecture will highlight the broader implications of AI in the art world, touching on how AI technologies challenge conventional notions of creativity and human-centric perspectives in art.

Speaker Bio:

Young Maeng is an artist and professor at California State University, Fresno, whose work explores the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and traditional painting techniques such as Korean ink and acrylic.

Maeng's innovative approach to expanded painting blends AI technology with traditional methods to visualize complex philosophical and ethical questions surrounding the coexistence of humans, nature, and AI companion robots.

Location: Future Histories Studio
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ai-and-painting-tickets-1021050809457?aff=oddtdtcreator

Time: Jan 26, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

All are welcome!

Zoom Meeting:
https://stonybrook.zoom.us/j/93818552212?pwd=ajZkT2x4a2tiaDJUL1h3VFhLZEgwQT09

Meeting ID: 938 1855 2212
Passcode: 802722

Title: Data-Driven Document Unwarping

Abstract: Capturing document images is a common way to digitize and record physical documents due to the ubiquitousness of mobile cameras. To make text recognition easier, it is often desirable to digitally flatten a document image when the physical document sheet is folded or curved. However, unwarping a document from a single image in natural scenes is very challenging due to the complexity of document sheet deformation, document texture, and environmental conditions. Previous model-driven approaches struggle with inefficiency and limited generalizability. In this thesis, I investigate several data-driven approaches to tackle the document unwarping problem.

Data acquisition is the central challenge in data-driven methods. I first design an efficient data synthesis pipeline based on 2D image warping and train DocUNet, the pioneering data-driven document unwarping model, on the synthetic data. A benchmark dataset is also created to facilitate comprehensive evaluation and comparison. To improve the unwarping performance by training on more realistic data, I introduce the Doc3D dataset and DewarpNet. Supervised by 3D shape ground truth in Doc3D, DewarpNet is significantly better than DocUNet. DocUNet and DewarpNet depend on the synthetic data for the ground truth deformation annotation. To exploit the real-world images, I propose PaperEdge, a weakly supervised model trained with in-the-wild document images with easy-to-obtain boundary information. PaperEdge surpasses DewarpNet by utilizing both the synthetic data and weakly annotated real data in the Document In the Wild (DIW) dataset. Finally, I propose to incorporate the 3D physical constraints in training DewarpNet and PaperEdge. The constraints regulate the possible deformations on document papers. I also propose to augment the Doc3D and DIW dataset by introducing an online document segmentation model and better hardware.