Ashok Veeraraghavan Awarded Texas’ Top Academic Honor for Pioneering Contributions in Computer Engineering

Los Angeles, Feb 26, 2024
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh

Rice University’s Ashok Veeraraghavan has been recognized with the esteemed Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Engineering by the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST). This accolade stands as one of the highest academic honors in the state, highlighting Veeraraghavan’s outstanding contributions to the field of engineering.

Ashok Veeraraghavan, a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University, has been honored with the 2024 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Engineering by the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST). In a statement, TAMEST commended Veeraraghavan for his group’s groundbreaking work in “revolutionary imaging technology that seeks to make the invisible visible.”

These are the breakthroughs by Texas’ rising stars in research being honored with the 2024 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards by TAMEST (Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science & Technology):

• Medicine: Benjamin Deneen, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine
• Engineering: Ashok Veeraraghavan, Ph.D., Rice University
• Biological Sciences: Vincent Tagliabracci, Ph.D., UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Physical Sciences: Shengqian Ma, Ph.D., University of North Texas
• Technology Innovation: Kimberly A. Hambuchen, Ph.D., NASA Johnson Space Center

The O’Donnell Awards, presented annually, recognize exceptional researchers in Texas who demonstrate pioneering contributions in medicine, engineering, biological sciences, physical sciences, and technology innovation. This year, Veeraraghavan stands out for his remarkable achievements in the realm of engineering. At Rice University, Veeraraghavan leads a computational imaging lab that takes a holistic approach to researching imaging processes. This encompasses advancements in optics and sensor design, coupled with innovative machine learning processing algorithms. The lab’s focus on addressing imaging challenges beyond the current technological capabilities has earned Veeraraghavan this prestigious accolade from TAMEST. The award underscores his dedication to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the field of engineering.

Ashok Veeraraghavan’s groundbreaking research challenges the conventional design of imaging systems by emphasizing the importance of co-design, where optics, sensor design, and machine learning processing algorithms are integrated. This holistic approach, according to Veeraraghavan, opens up new possibilities, enabling imaging functionalities and performance capabilities that were previously unattainable when these components were designed separately.

The focus of Veeraraghavan’s work is on overcoming the challenges posed by imaging scenarios where the visualization target is obscured by the scattering of light in participating media. Examples include situations like driving in fog, where fog acts as the scattering medium, or satellite imaging through clouds. In biological imaging, skin can act as an obscurant, hindering the visualization of blood cells or vascular structures.

Luay Nakhleh, the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering at Rice, congratulated Veeraraghavan for his achievement, highlighting his innovative and creative contributions. This recognition comes as a consecutive honor for the school, with Jamie Padgett receiving the O’Donnell Award the previous year. Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice’s executive vice president for research, praised Veeraraghavan’s work and emphasized its broad impact on various fields, including human health, microscopy, national security, autonomous vehicles, and photography.

The formal recognition of the 2024 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award recipients, including Ashok Veeraraghavan, will take place during a ceremony in Austin in February. Additionally, they will present their work at the TAMEST 2024 Annual Conference.

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