Computational engineering student at UI works with NASA to develop AI model

Þorsteinn Elí Gíslason, computational engineering student at the University of Iceland, has recently been involved in an extensive and highly complex collaboration between NASA, the University of Iceland, JSC (the Jülich Supercomputing Centre) and the tech giant IBM. Much of the work on the project took place in Huntsville, Alabama, but contributions were also made in Brazil, the UK, Switzerland and Germany. The project focuses on remote sensing, a subject in which the University of Iceland is a global leader. Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of UI and professor of electrical engineering, is in fact one of the world’s leading scientists in the field. 

Elí worked on the cutting-edge project with a team at NASA to develop an AI model capable of working with highly complex remote sensing data. Remote sensing involves, for example, taking digital images from planes and satellites and using these to extract data about the Earth's surface.

Elí explains that this project builds on the basic models already developed by NASA and IBM. The goal is to further develop these models in order to train them to understand remote sensing images gathered by satellites. Such images are often complex and of limited resolution. According to Elí, the aim of the project is to develop a model that, with additional training, will be fully capable of identifying specific features in remote sensing images. For example, locating wildfire damage. 

The model is based on AI technology and is designed to reduce the time needed to specialise the model for each specific task. 

“Instead of having a model that knows nothing to start with, and needing to teach the model to recognise images and understand which parts are important, we should end up with a model where we have already done that prep work. Then the model just needs to learn the specific knowledge required for each specialised application,” explains Elí.  

Using supercomputing facilities

In order to develop these kinds of solutions, supercomputing facilities are required, which is where JSC comes in. “JSC is providing us with access to supercomputing facilities and their systems to train the models and conduct experiments.”

Elí explains that the team he has been working with in Huntsville is called NASA IMPACT. The team has grown rapidly in the past few years.  “Near the end of my time there, we were told that NASA was planning to change the name of the team and reorganise it to make it stronger and allow faster expansion, so that they would be able to take on more and larger projects.” 

“My stay was a kind of preliminary trial for the partnership between UI and NASA IMPACT. We hope that it will lead to further collaboration between the two institutions, which will create more opportunities for students like me.”

A great honour to work with NASA

Elí was invited to participate as a UI Master's student in computational engineering, and will be able to write about his work in his Master's thesis. He was selected specifically due to his experience of JSC’s systems gained through various courses and summer projects with his supervisors. 

Elí’s supervisors are Gabriele Cavallaro, senior lecturer in remote sensing at UI, and Morris Riedel, professor of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence at UI. 

“Of course it’s a great honour,” says Elí. “Previous projects I’ve worked on with my supervisors have obviously led to them putting their own reputations on the line by setting up these collaboration opportunities with NASA. Of course it gives your self-confidence a boost to know that your supervisors have recommended you to work with such a prestigious institution.”

Experienced a lot of freedom at UI

For part of his time studying at the University of Iceland, Elí has been involved in sharing his subject with compulsory school pupils. He has taken part in the Knowledge Train and Science Centre outreach projects, which are aimed at teaching young people more about STEM subjects. STEM is an international acronym which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

“I’ve experienced a lot of freedom at UI,” says Elí, “to be able to choose the courses that interest me, without needing to worry much about progression, expense or meeting certain requirements. This set up has enabled me to pursue the subjects that I am genuinely interested in. It was these courses that led to the summer projects I’ve done with the professors who later became my supervisors and arranged this collaboration with NASA,” explains Elí. 

“My studies at UI of course formed the foundation of my understanding of the areas I’m working in and will serve me well in the future, whether I go on to further studies or find a job.”

Elí’s experience clearly shows how an education in STEM can open doors and create a huge range of opportunities to use what you have learned to benefit the environment and improve human lives.