The UCF School of Visual Arts and Design is proud to welcome artist Noelle Mason as part of the SVAD Distinguished Artist Series on April 8. The SVAD Distinguished Artist Series is an initiative that introduces the UCF students and community to professional and emerging contemporary artists in various fields of study.Artist Biography:Noelle Mason is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work is about the subtle seductiveness of power facilitated by systems of visual and institutional control. Noelle has shown nationally and internationally in a variety of non-traditional spaces, galleries, and institutions including the National Museum of Mexican Art, Orlando Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She is the recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation Artist Grant, Jerome fellowship, Santo Foundation Individual Artist Grant, the Florida Prize for Contemporary Art and the Southern Prize. In 2004 Noelle was a resident at the Skowhegan school of Painting and Sculpture. She holds a BA in both theatre and fine arts from the University of California, Irvine and received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Noelle currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Art at the University of South Florida and is the Founding Director and Curator of Parallelogram Gallery in Tampa, FL.

Title: AI-Enhanced Photonic SensingAbstract: The fusion of AI and photonic sensing is transforming how we detect, analyze, and interpret optical signals, with applications spanning biomedical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and industrial automation. In this talk, I will present my research on AI-enhanced photonic sensors, demonstrating how machine learning algorithms can significantly improve sensitivity, selectivity, and unlock new sensing capabilities. I will discuss key innovations in AI-enhanced photonic sensing, including optical resonance barcodes, AI-driven multiparameter sensing, and cavity-enhanced photoacoustic detection, leveraging whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) microresonators as a sensing platform. These resonators, with their ultrahigh quality factors and strong light-matter interactions, enable ultra-sensitive, label-free detection. Beyond enhancing sensing performance, AI-enhanced sensors unlock capabilities beyond conventional sensors, enabling adaptive, real-time detection in dynamic and complex environments with enhanced robustness and precision. The techniques developed for WGM-based sensors provide a transferable framework that can be adapted to other sensing systems. Looking ahead, I will outline future research directions that integrate AI, photonics, and microfabrication to develop intelligent sensors with broad applications in healthcare, manufacturing, and security.About the Speaker: Jie Liao is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington University in St. Louis. He obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis in 2023. He received his M.S. and B.S. in Optics and Photonics from Fudan University, China, in 2017. His research focuses on AI-enhanced photonic sensing techniques and systems, with a particular emphasis on their applications in biosensing and diagnostics. He is a recipient of the Danforth Scholar recognition at Washington University in St. Louis.Virtual Location URL: https://ucf.zoom.us/j/96981631939

Host: UCF SIAM Graduate Student Chapter What: Weekly Seminar on Topics in Math or Applied Math When: 11 a.m. - Noon, Wednesdays Where: MSB 318Speakers vary by week

[Mathematics Biology Seminar](https://sciences.ucf.edu/math/mathbio/mathematical-biology-seminar/) 2-3 p.m., Wednesday, April 2, 2025 MSB 318Speaker: [Christen Fleming, Ph.D.](https://sciences.ucf.edu/biology/person/christen-fleming/) Department of Biology University of Central FloridaTitle: Resource selection and habitat suitability in animal movement and species distributionAbstract: There is currently a divide between mathematical and applied models of animal movement in the context of spatial covariates, where individuals move in a way to select resources and avoid risks. Whereas mathematical biologists tend to consider animal movement as advection-diffusion equations, applied ecologists tend to consider animal movement in a discrete choice framework. While advection diffusion-equations provide continuous-time mathematical descriptions of movement, they generally require unrealistic assumptions regarding the continuity of spatial covariates. On the other hand, while discrete choice models can be easily fit to data, their discrete-time structure limits inferential capabilities. This seminar will explore integrating these approaches to enhance our understanding of resource selection and habitat suitability. By constructing continuous-time models of resource selection, we aim to develop a comprehensive framework that can accurately predict resource utilization patterns and inform conservation and management strategies.

Cyrus Zargar, Ph.D., the Department of Philosophy's Endowed Al-Ghazali Distinguished Professor in Islamic Studies, will present "Persian Sufi Poetry and Contemporary Cinema: The Gaze according to Majid Majidi." Majid Majidi's films capture contradictions in Iranian life: anonymity and identity; poverty and joy; and disability and extraordinary skill. To do so, Majidi draws from the classical Persian Sufi literary tradition. His focus on themes related to sight, as well as his neorealist style, centers the gaze as one of the most powerful themes in his work.

A webinar providing an overview of the marketing process for small business, as well as a close look at all elements of a marketing plan. Marketing is the driver of revenue growth and an imperative for small business success. Topics include the traditional four "P's" of marketing - Product, Place, Promotion, and Price - as well as three new "P's" with special application to small businesses - Positioning, People, and Planning.Virtual Location URL: https://events.blackthorn.io/en/6g3Q8Wa7/marketing-basics-webinar-5a1eVO6ifqP/overview Registration Link: https://events.blackthorn.io/en/6g3Q8Wa7/marketing-basics-webinar-5a1eVO6ifqP/overview