Two Faculty awarded High-performance Computers for Research

In this modern age, technological tools and methods of research are constantly evolving. Staying on the cutting-edge of research often requires being innovative with the latest and greatest technology available to us. Image display is one such area where technology is rapidly improving. Recently, 4K Ultra HD has changed the face of image quality, offering four times the picture resolution of 1080p Full HD. The difference in detail and image clarity is astounding, and harnessing such technology for the purpose of research and video production could certainly produce amazing results. 

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) recognized the potential of 4K resolution and how it could aid the UMBC research community. This past April, Drs. Tulay Adali and Craig Saper were each awarded a brand new next-generation Mac Pro, the first Apple computer that can drive 4K monitors to use for their scholarly work. Drs. Adali and Saper were selected based on the quality and significance of their current research projects. 

The research focus of Dr. Adali, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, is analysis and fusion of medical imaging data. The project that will primarily benefit from the new Mac Pro is a joint effort with Dr. Kelly Westlake at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The goal is to objectively assess the recovery of motor function in patients following a stroke through the analysis of imaging data acquired following two major treatment interventions, unimanual and bimanual training. Stroke is the leading cause of long-term neurological disability and number one reason for seeking rehabilitative services in the US. By objectively assessing the recovery in response to two different treatments in use today, Dr. Adali’s research will help support clinical decisions to administer the proper treatment protocol that will help individualize and maximize motor recovery in patients following stroke. Use of the Mac Pro will expand the project’s ability to perform the complete analysis, evaluation, and visualization of the research results. 

In addition to the Mac Pro aiding in the sciences, it will also provide opportunities for those involved in the humanities. In collaboration with other UMBC faculty and graduate students, Dr. Craig Saper, Professor and Director of the Language, Literacy, and Culture Ph.D. Program, is working on a large-scale video project that will map the cultures, architecture, history, everyday lives, and places in Baltimore City. 

Ultimately, the project will result in the publication of a major digitally produced collection of scholarship on multiple aspects of Baltimore. Final Cut, the program being used to process the videos, takes advantage of the New Mac Pro architecture, which will help significantly in rendering videos and production design.

Having the Mac Pro will not only benefit Dr. Saper’s project, but also LLC Doctoral Program and its faculty as a whole. Nearly all of the projects taken on by LLC faculty greatly depend on high-speed processing of ethnographic interviews, and cultural and language practices in Baltimore. It will also allow them to put out a call for projects to a larger community of scholars working on Baltimore’s culture and language practices. 

The UMBC community looks forward to seeing the results of these spectacular projects come to fruition with the help of the Mac Pro computer systems. Congratulations to Dr. Adali and Dr. Saper!