AI for Nature: From Science to Action
Huck Distinguished Lecture Series

Abstract:
Emerging technologies, such as GPS, high-definition and autonomous imaging, eDNA, bioacoustics, and crowdsourcing, now generate multimodal, multiscale, multisensory data about life on Earth at unprecedented richness. Yet our ability to extract insight from these data still lags behind our ability to collect them.

This gap is urgent: we are in the middle of the sixth mass extinction, losing biodiversity faster than we can measure it. In many cases, we lack even the basic knowledge of which species are disappearing, limiting our ability to understand drivers, forecast ecosystem impacts, and inform policy.

This talk will explore how AI can push the boundaries of state-of-the-art analysis to turn these vast data streams into high-resolution information about living organisms. It will introduce imageomics, a new field of science, and present a vision for AI as a trustworthy partner in scientific discovery and biodiversity conservation.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Tanya Berger-Wolf is a Professor of Computer Science Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at the Ohio State University, where she is also the Director of the Translational Data Analytics Institute. A pioneer in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for ecology, biodiversity, and conservation, she leads the NSF-funded Imageomics Institute and the US-Canada co-funded AI and Biodiversity Change (ABC) Global Center.

Dr. Berger-Wolf serves as a scientific advisor and board member for many organizations, including the US National Academies Board on Life Sciences, US National Committee for the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI)/OECD, National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), and The Nature Conservancy. She co-founded the AI for conservation non-profit Wild Me (now part of Conservation X Labs), creator of Wildbook, recognized by UNESCO for advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Her contributions have earned numerous honors, including recognition as the AI 100 Global Thought Leaders by H20.ai and the OSU College of Engineering Lumley Interdisciplinary Research Award. She is an elected Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).

Contact

  Christina Grozinger
  cmg25@psu.edu