Insight and Outreach: Interdisciplinary Research through Visualization

Abstract

Visualization is an inherently interdisciplinary field that facilitates discovery and exploration of data through the use of principles from computer graphics, perception and interaction. With the large amounts of data being generated in the world today, it is becoming increasingly difficult to reasonably analyze and comprehend it.

In this talk, I will discuss some of the visualization techniques I have developed to facilitate data exploration and discovery in domains ranging from neurosurgery to atmospheric physics. For neurosurgery, I developed visualization techniques that allow neurosurgeons to explore pre-operatively acquired multimodal data (MRI, fMRI, SPECT) for improved treatment of epileptic foci in the brain. For vascular neurosurgery, my work has focused on developing visualization techniques that are being used to effectively convey depth when visualizing vessels connected to an aneurysm. In the field of atmospheric physics, my research led to innovative visual representations of hurricanes that allowed researchers at NASA and University of Maryland Baltimore County to predict dissipation and intensification in a hurricane.

Through these visualizations, I will highlight the benefits of data visualization for collaborative research as well as community outreach.