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NASA Grant Funds Research Exploring Methods of Training Vision-Based Autonomous Systems

Conducting research at 5:30 a.m. may not be everybody’s first choice. But for Siddhartha Bhattacharyya and Ph.D. students Mohammed Abdul, Hafeez Khan and Parth Ganeriwala, it’s an essential part of the process for their latest endeavor. Bhattacharyya and his students are developing a more efficient framework for creating and evaluating image-based machine learning classification models for autonomous systems, such as those guiding cars and aircraft. That process involves creating new datasets with taxiway and runway images for vision-based autonomous aircraft. Just as humans need textbooks to fuel their learning, some machines are taught using thousands of photographs and images of the environment where their autonomous pupil will eventually operate. To help ensure their trained models can identify the correct course to take in a hyper-specific environment – with indicators such as centerline markings and side stripes on a runway at dawn – Bhattacharyya and his Ph.D. students chose a December morning to rise with the sun, board one of Florida Tech’s Piper Archer aircraft and photograph the views from above. Bhattacharyya, an associate professor of computer science and software engineering, is exploring the boundaries of operation of efficient and effective machine-learning approaches for vision-based classification in autonomous systems. In this case, these machine learning systems are trained on video or image data collected from environments including runways, taxiways or roadways. With this kind of model, it can take more than 100,000 images to help the algorithm learn and adapt to an environment. Today’s technology demands a pronounced human effort to manually label and classify each image. This can be an overwhelming process. To combat that, Bhattacharyya was awarded funding from NASA Langley Research Center to advance existing machine learning/computer vision-based systems, such as his lab’s “Advanced Line Identification and Notation Algorithm” (ALINA), by exploring automated labeling that would enable the model to learn and classify data itself – with humans intervening only as necessary. This measure would ease the overwhelming human demand, he said. ALINA is an annotation framework that Hafeez and Parth developed under Bhattacharyya’s guidance to detect and label data for algorithms, such as taxiway line markings for autonomous aircraft. Bhattacharyya will use NASA’s funding to explore transfer learning-based approaches, led by Parth, and few-shot learning (FSL) approaches, led by Hafeez. The researchers are collecting images via GoPro of runways and taxiways at airports in Melbourne and Grant-Valkaria with help from Florida Tech’s College of Aeronautics. Bhattacharyya’s students will take the data they collect from the airports and train their models to, in theory, drive an aircraft autonomously. They are working to collect diverse images of the runways – those of different angles and weather and lighting conditions – so that the model learns to identify patterns that determine the most accurate course regardless of environment or conditions. That includes the daybreak images captured on that December flight. “We went at sunrise, where there is glare on the camera. Now we need to see if it’s able to identify the lines at night because that’s when there are lights embedded on the taxiways,” Bhattacharyya said. “We want to collect diverse datasets and see what methods work, what methods fail and what else do we need to do to build that reliable software.” Transfer learning is a machine learning technique in which a model trained to do one task can generalize information and reuse it to complete another task. For example, a model trained to drive autonomous cars could transfer its intelligence to drive autonomous aircraft. This transfer helps explore generalization of knowledge. It also improves efficiency by eliminating the need for new models that complete different but related tasks. For example, a car trained to operate autonomously in California could retain generalized knowledge when learning how to drive in Florida, despite different landscapes. “This model already knows lines and lanes, and we are going to train it on certain other types of lines hoping it generalizes and keeps the previous knowledge,” Bhattacharyya explained. “That model could do both tasks, as humans do.” FSL is a technique that teaches a model to generalize information with just a few data samples instead of the massive datasets used in transfer learning. With this type of training, a model should be able to identify an environment based on just four or five images. “That would help us reduce the time and cost of data collection as well as time spent labeling the data that we typically go through for several thousands of datasets,” Bhattacharyya said. Learning when results may or may not be reliable is a key part of this research. Bhattacharyya said identifying degradation in the autonomous system’s performance will help guide the development of online monitors that can catch errors and alert human operators to take corrective action. Ultimately, he hopes that this research can help create a future where we utilize the benefits of machine learning without fear of it failing before notifying the operator, driver or user. “That’s the end goal,” Bhattacharyya said. “It motivates me to learn how the context relates to assumptions associated with these images, that helps in understanding when the autonomous system is not confident in its decision, thus sending an alert to the user. This could apply to a future generation of autonomous systems where we don’t need to fear the unknown – when the system could fail.” Siddhartha (Sid) Bhattacharyya’s primary area of research expertise/interest is in model based engineering, formal methods, machine learning engineering, and explainable AI applied to intelligent autonomous systems, cyber security, human factors, healthcare, explainable AI, and avionics. His research lab ASSIST (Assured Safety, Security, and Intent with Systematic Tactics) focuses on the research in the design of innovative formal methods to assure performance of intelligent systems, machine learning engineering to characterize intelligent systems for safety and model based engineering to analyze system behavior. Siddhartha Bhattacharyya is available to speak with media. Contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.

The Lost Girls of Autism – New book from Aston University emeritus professor Gina Rippon examines autism in women

The Lost Girls of Autism is published on 3 April 2025, coinciding with Autism Awareness Month in April In the book, Professor Rippon explores the ‘male’ history of autism, and why autism in women has been misunderstood and ignored Professor Rippon will give a free public lecture on the book at Aston University on 6 May 2025. Gina Rippon, professor emeritus of cognitive neuroimaging at Aston University Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment (IHN), has written a new book, entitled The Lost Girls of Autism. The book will be released on 3 April 2025, coinciding with Autism Acceptance Month in April. It has the subtitle ‘How Science Failed Autistic Women and the New Research that’s Changing the Story’. Historically, doctors believed that autism was a male condition, and simply did not look for it in girls and women. This has meant that autistic girls visiting a doctor have been misdiagnosed with anxiety, depression or personality disorders, or are missed altogether. Many women only discover they have the condition when they are much older, missing decades of support. In more recent years, it has become apparent that girls and women with autism have different traits and behaviours to boys and men, and are more likely to hide autistic traits to fit in – known as camouflaging. In The Lost Girls of Autism, Professor Rippon explores the emerging science of female autism, and examines why it has been systematically ignored and misunderstood for so long. Professor Rippon will give a free public lecture about her book on Tuesday 6 May 2025 at 18:00 BST at Aston Business School. Visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-lost-girls-of-autism-an-audience-with-author-gina-rippon-tickets-1304020734119 for more information and tickets. Copies of the book will be on sale at the event. Professor Rippon said: “This book reveals how a ‘male spotlight’ problem has biased many aspects of the autism story, from what autism is, to how we recognise it, and even how brain imagers like me search for answers. It shows how and why autistic women have been unrecognised, overlooked and unsupported. It shines a new light on how the story is changing and how we are now beginning to recognise the full spectrum of the autistic experience. It is for anyone with an interest in autism in all its presentations.”

Protect yourself: Scammed by a QR Code? It didn’t have to happen

QR codes are used everywhere nowadays – to pay for metered parking, to read menus at restaurants, to win a free cup of coffee. Cybercriminals are using them, too – redirecting users to harmful websites that harvest their data. The practice is known as “quishing,” derived from QR code phishing, and it is a fast-growing cybercrime. But it doesn’t have to be. University of Rochester engineers Gaurav Sharma and Irving Barron have devised a new form of QR code – called a self-authenticating dual-modulated QR (SDMQR) – that protects smartphone users from quishing attacks by signaling when users are being directed to a safe link or a potential scam. Gaurav is a professor of electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and biostatistics and computational biology. Barron is an assistant professor of instruction in electrical computer engineering. Their creation involves allowing companies to register their websites and embed a cryptographic signature in a QR code. When the code is scanned, the user is notified that the code is from an official source and safe. Gaurav and Barron recently wrote about their technology in the journal IEEE Security and Privacy, and spoke about their work on the National Science Foundation's Discovery Files podcast. They can be reached by email at gaurav.sharma@rochester.edu and ibarron@ur.rochester.edu.

How old is your brain?

University of Delaware researchers have found that measuring brain stiffness is a reliable way to predict brain age. This information could be used to identify structural differences that indicate departure from the normal aging process, potentially identifying and addressing disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In recent findings, Curtis Johnson, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Austin Brockmeier, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, show that measuring both brain stiffness and brain volume produces the most accurate predictions of chronological age. Their findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Biology Methods and Protocols. The pair worked with three current and former UD students to reach their conclusions. “Brain volume is a common measure that we use to study the brain,” Johnson said. “But something has to be happening to cause a brain to shrink. Something is happening at the microscale that causes it to shrink — changes in the tissue that also cause stiffness to change. And that precedes whatever happens when the volume changes.” “The stiffness maps all seem kind of random — until we see a large number of images and the randomness fades away and we start to see common patterns in stiffness,” Johnson said. “We sort of knew there was more [information] in there than what we were extracting." A cutting-edge magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner at UD’s Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging handled the brain scanning. On the artificial intelligence side, the brain maps were analyzed by three-dimensional “convolutional neural networks,” which — as the name suggests — are convoluted and complicated, incorporating many layers and dimensions. To arrange and interview with Johnson or Brockmeier, send an email to mediarelations@udel.edu

A Shift in President Trump’s Messaging on the Economy

Provost Emeritus and the Lawrence Herbert Distinguished Professor Herman A. Berliner was featured in a Newsday story about President Donald Trump’s economic messaging, which has shifted from promises to end inflation to warnings of “a little disturbance” amid lagging consumer confidence and a slumping stock market. “This is a very popular president. He’s listened to by a lot of people in the country. If he says that the economy is going to go through some turbulence, people will believe that,” said Dr. Berliner. “He’s an enormously influential person in terms of both steering the economy and reassuring the country about the economy.”

For autonomous machines to flourish, scalability is everything

The past decade has seen remarkable advancements in robotics and AI technologies, ushering in the era of autonomous machines. While the rise of these machines promises to revolutionize our economy, the reality has fallen short of expectations. That’s not for a lack of intensive investments in research in development, says Yuhao Zhu, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Rochester. The reason we’re not seeing more service robots, autonomous drones, and self-driving vehicles, Zhu says, is that autonomation development is currently scaling with the size of engineering teams rather than the amount of relevant data and computational resources. This limitation prevents the autonomy industry from fully leveraging economies of scale, Zhu says, particularly the exponentially decreasing cost of computing power and the explosion of available data. Zhu recently co-authored a report on the quest for economies of scale in autonomation in Communications of the ACM and is part of an international team of computer scientists focused on making autonomous machines more reliable and less costly. He can be reached by email at yzhu@rochester.edu.

Post-Pandemic Changes in Higher Ed

Provost Emeritus and the Lawrence Herbert Distinguished Professor Herman A. Berliner was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education‘s Daily Briefing on March 14 about what has changed in higher education since the Covid-19 pandemic five years ago.

Fear Of Running Out (FORO)

Summary: The article explores the Fear of Running Out (FORO), a psychological phenomenon that stems from anxiety about resource scarcity, particularly in retirement. FORO is especially common among seniors who fear depleting their financial, physical, or emotional resources as they age. Unlike FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), FORO focuses on the depletion of existing assets, often leading to cautious decision-making, delayed spending, or self-sabotaging behaviours like excessive frugality or social withdrawal. While some instances of FORO are valid—such as retirees who underestimated their living expenses—others are more psychological, with financially secure individuals still feeling paralyzed by fear and unable to enjoy their retirement fully.  There are practical solutions, but they require more than just emotional support.  We also need to address the lack of formal retirement planning and literacy.  Most retirees have insufficient knowledge about tax-efficient asset drawdowns, and the limited guidance from financial institutions exacerbates these fears. We’ve all heard of FOMO (fear of missing out)—that nagging anxiety when everyone else seems to be at a fabulous party while you’re at home scrolling through social media, eating last night’s leftovers straight from the container. As we age, the fears we carry evolve—and for some, they get a little louder, quirkier, and much more challenging to ignore. A unique set of acronyms has emerged for older adults to describe these creeping anxieties. Allow me to introduce you to the unholy trinity of aging fears: FOGO (Fear of Getting Old): This one typically kicks in around our mid-to-late 50s when the realization hits and panic sets in: "Wait... I’m not young anymore?" Have I saved enough? Have I experienced enough? Am I running out of time? Cue the classic symptoms: splurging on bright red sports cars, embarking on bucket-list trips to exotic locales, or dating someone who knows what "Netflix and chill" really means, not cozying up with a movie. And yes, sometimes while still married. It’s all part of the "midlife crisis" package—a desperate attempt to outrun Father Time. But let’s be honest: The comb-over isn’t fooling anyone. FOBO (Fear of Being Old): This stage sneaks in during your 70s, as your "best before" date blinks ominously on life’s metaphorical packaging. Many enter into a state of "defensive denial,"  refusing to acknowledge their age or any limitations, insisting they are still as capable as ever, even when struggling with specific tasks.  In this stage, people can demonstrate "overcompensation - Desperately trying to prove they’re still youthful.  Many will refuse to use mobility aids or decline assistance from family or caregivers out of pride.  Others will shut down anyone who dares to suggest they are old. “Me? Old? Please. I just got a brand-new hip last year!” FORO (Fear of Running Out): Now we get to the show's real star. FORO enters the spotlight as you thoughtfully consider retirement and suddenly takes over the plot. It’s the fear of running out—of money, energy, time, or maybe even snacks at movie night. This one’s a relentless buzz in the background of every decision, from how you spend your savings to whether you should buy name-brand peanut butter or settle for the generic jar. If left unchecked, FORO can steal the joy out of today by worrying too much about tomorrow. We have all heard the stories of people passing away with millions of dollars in the bank, yet they lived in squalor, afraid to spend their money. Now, FORO can manifest in all kinds of ways. Some are almost funny in hindsight. Remember the pandemic toilet paper wars of 2020? Or that panic at a party when you’re convinced you don’t have enough food for your guests, only to find yourself drowning in leftovers? But for seniors in retirement, FORO often takes on a much more serious tone—like running out of money, energy, or health as the years go by. These thoughts can be terrifying for the aged.  And sometimes, this fear is warranted. Imagine a retiree who underestimated their living expenses, burned through savings too quickly, and now faces the stark reality of financial insecurity. That’s a legitimate case of FORO that demands attention, planning, and maybe a shift in lifestyle. But other times, FORO is more like a shadow in the dark—unsettling at first glance but harmless once illuminated. For example, some seniors with reasonable pensions, savings, and even supplemental income streams might still be too paralyzed by the fear of running out to take that dream vacation or help their grandchildren with school. In this situation, it is doubtful that there will ever be enough. This type of FORO can cause harm through neglect. This unfounded FORO can keep people from genuinely thriving during their golden years. There are well-documented cases of individuals who have perished from thirst in the desert while carrying full bottles of water. They were too frightened of running out of water to save their lives by drinking it. Most of us shake our heads and think we would never do that, but FORO represents a compelling fear that can lead to self-sabotaging behaviours. If FORO could result in death in the aforementioned desert scenario, how might it influence decisions regarding our significant assets, such as our homes? Unfortunately, many retirees pinch pennies and go without while living in homes with considerable equity, refusing to access it for fear of running out (FORO). So, how do we know when FORO is a valid warning signal and when it’s just a psychological hurdle? And, more importantly, how can we tackle this fear to ensure it doesn’t stand in the way of living a joyful, fulfilled retirement? Read on; we’ll dive deeper into the concept of FORO—why it exists, how it can sneak into our decision-making, and, most importantly, actionable strategies to manage it. Remember, your golden years shouldn’t be ruled by fear—they should be a time to shine. The Fear of Running Out (FORO) is a psychological concept rooted in anxiety about scarcity or insufficiency, particularly concerning essential resources like money, time, or opportunities. It's akin to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), but instead emphasizes the anxiety of depleting one's existing resources rather than worrying about missed experiences. While FORO has not been as widely studied as FOMO in academic circles, the term has gained traction in financial and psychological contexts, particularly regarding retirement planning, economic behaviour, and decision-making. Although it’s unclear who explicitly popularized the term “Fear of Running Out,” it has become a recurring theme in financial planning discussions and among behavioural psychologists studying how individuals manage uncertainty and risk. The Psychology of FORO FORO is deeply rooted in psychological concepts of scarcity and loss aversion, both key ideas in behavioural economics. Loss aversion, central to Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky’s prospect theory, highlights that the pain of losing something outweighs the joy of gaining an equivalent amount. In the context of retirement, the fear of running out of money reflects this principle—financial depletion carries the weight of losing essential aspects like security, independence, and quality of life, making it feel particularly distressing. The work of researchers like Eldar Shafir and Senthil Mullainathan on the scarcity mindset further illuminates this phenomenon. They suggest that when people are preoccupied with avoiding resource depletion, they often develop tunnel vision, focusing narrowly on the immediate issue. For seniors worried about outliving their savings, this can manifest as excessive caution or hesitation in deciding to spend or draw down resources, even when such concerns may not be warranted. Faced with this dilemma, some seniors develop inertia, choose to do nothing, and ignore the situation altogether. According to a 2024 report by the Ontario Securities Commission, 13% of pre-retirees and 19% of retirees among Canadians aged 50 and older have a formal written retirement plan, which is a significant cause for concern. This reflects a widespread lack of structured financial and retirement literacy. Without a clear strategy, many individuals may not fully understand how to manage their resources effectively throughout retirement, particularly when it comes to de-accumulating (spending) assets in a tax-efficient manner. We can quickly start to see why many older Canadians have FORO. One key issue is that minimal accessible information exists on strategies for drawing down retirement savings to minimize taxes while ensuring long-term financial security. For example, the timing and order in which individuals withdraw from registered accounts like RRSPs, TFSAs, non-registered investments, or access their home equity can dramatically impact their overall tax burden and available income in retirement. Unfortunately, this type of guidance is often overlooked in financial planning resources, leaving most retirees guessing how much money is enough. The financial industry also contributes to this gap. Banks and many financial advisors are primarily compensated through commissions tied to the sale and management of investments, such as mutual funds or other financial products. This model does not incentivize them to provide comprehensive advice on strategically spending down savings. As a result, many seniors are left without the critical guidance they need to navigate the complexities of de-accumulation, leading to suboptimal emotionally driven decisions and increased financial stress. This lack of tailored advice is particularly problematic for Canadians who rely on paying off their homes as their primary financial plan. While homeownership is a valuable asset, it is not liquid, and converting it into usable retirement income can be challenging without proper planning. The fear of running out of money (FORO) becomes especially acute for these individuals, as they may not have the financial and retirement literacy or tools to make informed decisions about how to fund their retirement, especially concerning using home equity. In short, the low prevalence of formal retirement plans, insufficient education on tax-efficient de-accumulation, and the misaligned incentives of financial institutions significantly disadvantage seniors. This gap exacerbates financial insecurity and leaves many retirees vulnerable to the psychological and practical challenges of FORO, particularly those who rely on home equity, an illiquid asset, as their primary financial safety net. Addressing these issues requires a broader emphasis on financial and retirement literacy and unbiased, accessible advice tailored to retirees' unique needs. Key Components of FORO: 1. Scarcity Mindset—Seniors facing FORO might develop a scarcity mindset, which can lead to overly frugal behaviours. For example, they may reduce spending on essential support services or forego social activities to protect their savings, even when financially secure. 2. Emotional Triggers—FORO is tied to deeper emotional needs like safety, independence, and legacy. At its core is the fear that people will have nowhere to live, won’t have enough money to care for themselves, and will not have any money left to leave a legacy. 3. Decision Paralysis - FORO can cause retirees to delay allocating resources, from downsizing a home to sourcing pension-type income. This indecision can lead to missed opportunities or unnecessary sacrifices. 4. Overcompensation—In some cases, the fear of running out can lead to self-sabotage behaviours like hoarding money or withdrawing from social activities. These behaviours reduce quality of life and increase feelings of isolation. The Solution: A comprehensive approach that combines emotional support, practical planning, and mindset adjustments is essential to helping retirees overcome FORO. By addressing their fears and financial realities, they can gain the confidence to enjoy their retirement years without worrying about running out of money. 1. Acknowledgement and Understanding - Listen and empathize: Begin by genuinely listening to the retiree's concerns, recognizing that FORO is an emotional issue tied to deep-seated fears about security and independence. Normalize the fear: Reassure them that the fear of running out of money is common, especially in retirement. Explain the reasons behind this fear: Retirees often can’t return to work to supplement income. Lifespans and healthcare costs are unpredictable, creating uncertainty. The transition from accumulating wealth to spending it feels unnatural to many. 2. Develop a Retirement Spending Plan—Create a tailored plan. Outline a sustainable spending strategy aligning with the client's lifestyle, goals, and resources: Leverage expertise: Collaborate with their bank manager or financial advisor to develop a realistic budget covering essential and discretionary expenses. Focus on balance: Establish a balance between meeting current needs and maintaining future security. 3. Generate Pension-Like Income - Explore income solutions: Help them research ways to create predictable income streams, such as: Purchasing an annuity to convert part of their savings or equity into guaranteed income. Consider equity mortgage products for additional cash flow if they have sufficient home equity. Address misconceptions: Explain how these tools can reduce uncertainty and provide peace of mind. 4. Emergency Fund - Health care may be needed later in life and can be costly. Setting money aside for unexpected expenses will offer great comfort and peace of mind. 5. Mindset Shifts - Reframe perspectives: Encourage retirees to focus on the opportunities their resources provide rather than fixating on worst-case scenarios: Promote enjoyment: Remind them that retirement is a time to enjoy the fruits of their labour, not live in constant fear. Highlight the importance of self-care and experiences that bring joy and fulfillment. 6. Legacy Planning -  Address legacy concerns: Help them create an estate plan or designate resources for loved ones and causes they care about, ensuring their wishes are honoured: Provide clarity: Show how planning for a legacy can reduce anxiety about leaving something behind while meeting their current needs. The Fear of Running Out is more than just a financial concern—it’s a deeply emotional and psychological issue for seniors facing the unpredictability of retirement. By addressing this fear in practical and empathetic ways, we can give retirees the tools and confidence to enjoy their golden years without worrying about depletion or feeling like they need to stockpile financial "water bottles" for a drought that may never come. And there you have it—FORO might be a formidable guest at the retirement table, but it doesn’t have to steal the show. By addressing the emotional roots of this fear, creating practical plans, and shifting the focus to what’s possible, retirees can turn their golden years into precisely that: golden. Remember, retirement isn’t about tiptoeing around scarcity; it’s about celebrating a lifetime of hard work and savouring the moments that make life rich. So, let’s leave FORO in the shadows where it belongs and step confidently into a retirement that truly shines. And let’s be honest, no one wants their legacy to read: "Lived frugally, died rich, and missed the Boat to the Caribbean." Don't retire---Re-Wire! Sue