News

The left panel shows a raw image of Xenopus embryo tissue. This tissue is well-known to be extremely scattering, which is evident by the fact that we cannot resolve any structures in the raw image. The right panel shows the result of our computational scatter-correction method, which drastically improves imaging capability. After scatter-correction, cellular boundaries, nuclei, and yolk platelets can be clearly identified with subcellular resolution.

Published at Dell Medical School Visionaries Your brain can be taught to signal a computer. If José del R. Millán has his way, brain-computer interfaces will one day make wheelchairs obsolete. Ten years after his stroke, a man paralyzed from the waist down starts “walking,” operating an exoskeleton with his mind. Researchers led by José del R. Millán, Ph.D., study the electrical activity of the man’s brain indicating when he wants to use the robot to take a right step versus a left one. 

WNCG faculty member Jon Tamir has been named among the inaugural cohort of Oracle Research Fellows. The Oracle Research Fellows program identifies potentially transformative research proposals from current and future research luminaries, and provides them with the funding, Oracle Cloud computing and collaborative opportunities they need. Tamir will work to develop fast, standardized MRI reconstruction methods for faster and cheaper diagnosis and monitoring.

This news feature is part of Dell Med's Voices, a series of profiles that highlight the people of Dell Med as they work to improve health with a unique focus on our community. How can a computer help someone regain motor function? José del R. Millán, Ph.D., a professor in Texas ECE and the Dell Medical School Department of Neurology, tackles this question as he designs brain-computer interfaces that empower people to surpass their limits. Q&A WHAT’S THE PROBLEM YOU’RE TRYING TO SOLVE, AND HOW DID YOU COME TO RECOGNIZE IT?

The spring semester is in full swing, and as WNCG continues on the forefront of research, the group has welcomed a new director. Professor Constantine Caramanis began his three-year term as WNCG Director at the start of the new calendar year. Prior to that, he served as the group’s associate director. With Caramanis stepping into the new role, Professor Alex Dimakis was chosen among WNCG faculty to serve as associate director. WNCG’s leadership system allows the associate director to learn the ropes over the course of the term before serving their own term as director. 

This Spring, WNCG welcomes Intel, NEC, and Western Digital as the newest WNCG Industrial Affiliates Program members. All three companies enter as Level 2 members. Since WNCG’s founding, the Industrial Affiliates Program has played a vital role in the group’s success. It facilitates “cooperation and mutual assistance” between WNCG and Affiliate companies. This collaboration between academia and industry embodies the group’s mission to “support research, provide highly relevant education and opportunities, [and] promote technical innovation, imagination and entrepreneurship.”

Each year, in conjunction with the Texas Wireless Summit, WNCG hosts a board meeting for its Industrial Affiliate members. This meeting invites affiliates to weigh in on current and future research directions and provides them with direct access to students for recruitment and research purposes. Affiliate members also receive sneak peeks into current faculty research.

Every few years, WNCG welcomes a new Director and Associate Director from among its faculty ranks. With an academic culture that encourages openness and research collaborations among equals, the rotation of Directors provides each faculty member with the opportunity to lead WNCG.

The annual WNCG Board Meeting brings together Industrial Affiliates, Board Members, Students and Faculty to share research and successes of the previous year, as well as to discuss the future of WNCG. Two representatives from each affiliate member company attend to keep up-to-date with the latest happenings and groundbreaking research in WNCG.