Year-End Letter from the Director
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As we approach the end of the year, I would like to recognize the many accomplishments made possible by the Qualcomm Institute (QI) team in 2023.
We are currently preparing to celebrate the opening of the Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Center on the first floor of Atkinson Hall with a half-day event including talks, presentations and tours. With its highly accurate and non-invasive functional brain imaging, the facility will support research and clinical activities that include pinpointing seizure sites, mapping brain function ahead of surgery, and developing markers for the diagnosis of brain disorders.
Fittingly, the MEG Center opening falls on December 7, the anniversary of the creation of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), QI’s parent organization, 23 years ago. The MEG Center is just one example of how QI continues to make this vision a reality.
In 2023, QI scientists and affiliates reported an array of research advances. To name just a few, a study in JAMA Internal Medicine provided an early glimpse into the role AI assistants could play in medicine, an international team explored the potential of robotic unmanned surface vessels to collect information from cultural heritage sites submerged in shallow water, and a paper introduced a new technique for increasing access to the 5G-and-beyond millimeter wave network.
Grants awarded over the last year lay the foundation for more discoveries to come. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allocated $17.5 million through QI over five years to a multi-institutional group to develop innovative tools and networks to respond rapidly to emerging disease outbreaks. The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $1 million in initial funding through QI to an interdisciplinary UC San Diego group to build a first-of-its-kind, super-resolution microscope for advances in the biomedical sciences (see story below). QI researchers are also participating in a newly funded project from the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health to develop better ways to prevent and mitigate ransomware attacks. These are only a few of the awards that support our innovative work.
On the arts front, 2023 Gallery QI installations included the thought-provoking shows “Beyond the Metaverse with OurWorlds: Indigenous Stories Are All Around You,” “Biosphere Dreaming,” and “Border Crossers.” Seven Initiative for Digital Exploration of Arts and Sciences (IDEAS) performances showcased new and experimental works in Atkinson Hall spaces. With the goal of breaking barriers among music, visual arts, theater, engineering and oceanography, a generous donation launched the Lei Lab at QI. Further afield, a team debuted a new algorithm that helps create music out of “sound poetry” in Uzeste, France.
Among QI’s educational endeavors, workforce development programs expanded and Engineers for Exploration is finishing its 14th year, with renewed support from the NSF. More exciting developments lie ahead.
Honors to QI people, partners and projects this year abounded. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) bestowed a “Best Practices of Underwater Cultural Heritage” distinction on a team for work in the Yucatan. ALERTCalifornia’s AI wildfire detection tool was selected by TIME as one of the best inventions of 2023. A digital model of the ancient Temple of Bel in Palmyra, Syria, was a winner in the UC San Diego Library’s 2023 Art of Science contest. QI Composer-in-Residence Miller Puckette accepted the Silver Lion Award in Venice. Larry Smarr, founding director of Calit2, received a UC San Diego Revelle Medal. A QI-mentored entry placed first in the national Nanotechnology Entrepreneurship Challenge.
I am proud that QI is making space for high-impact interdisciplinary endeavors, and I look forward to what 2024 will bring! In the meantime, I wish you all the happiest of holiday seasons.
Sincerely,
Ramesh Rao
Qualcomm Institute Director