Walter J. Scheirer, assistant professor of computer science and engineering, has received a 2020 National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. The award is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to young faculty members in engineering and science.
Scheirer’s research interests encompass computer vision, machine learning, biometrics and digital humanities. His CAREER project, titled “Learning at the Edge: An Extreme Value Theory for Visual Recognition,” focuses on the development of new biologically-inspired models of visual recognition for artificial intelligence — how neuronal systems can identify and categorize environmental stimuli similar to humans. These models could significantly impact industry applications, such as self-driving cars and assistive technologies for the disabled. Basic science areas, such as vision science, psychology and neuroscience, also could benefit.
“The brain automatically adapts itself to the input it receives. That’s the secret we want to tap into as we approach machine learning for computer vision.”
— Walter J. Scheirer, assistant professor of computer science and engineering
“It’s amazing when you consider that the human brain can take a flood of very complex information from the world around it, rapidly and accurately extracting meaning from all five senses in milliseconds,” said Scheirer. “The brain automatically adapts itself to the input it receives. That’s the secret we want to tap into as we approach machine learning for computer vision.”
In addition to the focus on research, CAREER projects contain educational components for training future generations. Scheirer will develop workshops on biologically consistent vision for researchers and graduate students. He also will create curricula featuring hands-on research opportunities that will be integrated into undergraduate courses.
Prior to joining the University in 2015, Scheirer served as a research associate and postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, an assistant professor adjoint at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and the director of research and development at Securics, Inc.
He holds four patents and is a member of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Computer Society, IEEE Signal Processing Society, Society of Catholic Scientists and Society for Neuroscience.
— Nina Welding, College of Engineering