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UND, partners lead Arctic research supercomputing initiative

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Research partners unite to develop predictive analytics platform for extreme cold weather operations

In the same way a helmsman guides a ship through turbulent waters, a team of researchers led by the University of North Dakota (UND) is developing an AI-powered system to navigate the growing complexities of the Arctic.

At the core of this initiative is a powerful Kubernetes (K8s) cluster — named after the Ancient Greek term for “helmsman” — which will drive the Arctic Knowledge-Based System (A-KBS), an advanced computational platform designed to support decision-making in cold weather environments using real-time data analytics and long-term forecasting. (Editor’s note: As Google explains, a Kubernetes cluster is a single, unified system composed of multiple computers that cooperate to execute applications.)

Why it matters

The Arctic is a challenging environment for operations.  Advancements in AI and machine learning are enabling the analysis of vast amounts of satellite, lidar, geological, and geospatial data to enhance situational awareness leading to more efficient and resilient operations.  Supported by a research contract from the US Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center, the A-KBS marks the first deployment of a Kubernetes cluster with supercomputing capabilities at UND.

“Challenges in the Arctic require supercomputing-level support for advanced situational awareness, real-time monitoring, and predictive analytics,” said Principal Investigator Timothy Pasch, professor of Communication (UND College of Arts and Sciences), associate director of the UND AI Research (AIR) Center and director of the UND ARCTIC Lab.

“As the Arctic increasingly becomes a global focal region, leveraging AI-driven modeling, Earth-scale data science, and remote sensing technology is essential for maintaining stability, sovereignty, and resilience.”

Co-leading the project is Naima Kaabouch, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and director of the UND AI Research (AIR) Center in the College of Engineering and Mines, with Aaron Bergstrom, senior computational scientist at UND’s Computational Research Center (Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development) managing the University’s High Performance Computing Cluster.

A computing powerhouse — accessible from anywhere

The A-KBS will handle an unprecedented amount of data including satellite imagery, LiDAR scans of Arctic infrastructure, and global-scale geospatial datasets as inputs into AI-driven decision support tools. For some of the most complex datasets, a Science Gateway developed in collaboration with the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) led by Matt Jones together with Ian Nesbitt, will deploy the Globus Compute system to securely transmit data to the San Diego Supercomputing Center (under the supervision of Rick Wagner, chief technology officer) for large-scale processing with the EXPANSE Supercomputer, where Pasch has been allocated NSF ACCESS computational credits. https://www.sdsc.edu/systems/expanse/

“This advanced cyberinfrastructure enables geospatial forecasting extending 5, 10, or even 20 years — critical for Arctic infrastructure investment and national preparedness,” said Bergstrom. “These predictive analytics reduce costs and improve resilience in an extreme cold weather environment changing at extraordinary speed.”

A national collaboration for Arctic resilience

The UND-led initiative brings together researchers from across the country. A $100,000 subaward supports collaborative research with SUNY Stony Brook, where Dr. Dilip Gersappe, chair of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, is developing new sustainable freeze-resisting materials, called hydrogels, aiming to mitigate extreme cold weather damage to infrastructure and helping to reduce the billion-dollar costs of Arctic degradation and repair.

Sherif Abdelaziz, professor of Engineering at Virginia Tech, is also a major collaborator on the A-KBS project, focusing on engineering resilient extreme cold weather infrastructure, including extreme cold temperature effects on soils. He will work with students and faculty partners leveraging UND computation to help analyze permafrost stability, soil-structure interactions and long-term Arctic infrastructure resilience.

UND team and research integration

At UND, graduate students Andrew Wilcox (MS, Earth Systems Science) Mya Geisinger and Sheridan Parker (MA/PhD, Communication), Mary Soaper and Hayden Patterson (BS/MS Geology), and Research Engineer II Aymane Ahajjam (PhD, Computer Science), alongside faculty Xudong Yu (Comm), DjeDje Kossu Zahui (CEM) and Marcus Algaier (Physics) collaborate closely with Pasch. Computer Science PhD students Saisri and Srinilla Pogalla, Software Engineers Stephen Miller and Walker McKee, CI Engineer Brad Traver, and System Administrator Robert Peterson collaborate on A-KBS computational development with Aaron Bergstrom.

Computer Science graduate students William Valentine, Meissam Shayeghmoradi, Kyle Foerster, David Jumar Bacallo, David Pappe, Howard Hottinger, and Nafiul Nawjis work closely with Kaabouch. Partners from UND’s Research Institute for Autonomous Systems (RIAS) including Scott Keane, Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, Zach Reeder and others are contributing to data collection efforts in Alaska, leveraging a combination of aerial and terrestrial sensors. Project Manager Kyle Buzek ensures integration and optimization of all research.

Pasch emphasized the importance of collaboration, citing UND’s Grand Challenges of Computational and Data Science and National Security and Space: “We are incredibly enthusiastic about this research,” he said. “The scope of the Kubernetes Cluster we are constructing has the speed and capability to provide real-time situational awareness and decision support — allowing us to predict and visualize Arctic geospatial change with unparalleled accuracy in one of the world’s most rapidly evolving frontiers.”



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Advance, which develops artificial intelligence (AI) technology specializing in commerce, announced ..

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Enhanced CI

Advance, which develops artificial intelligence (AI) technology specializing in commerce, announced AI commerce solution “CommerceOS” at DevCon 3 of Palantir Technologies, a global AI platform company, held last month.

DevCon, held by Palantir, is a conference for developers and is an event where developers and Palantir partners attend to share the latest technologies.

Founded in 2021, Startup Ens is a company that provides commerce automation solutions using LAM, which performs real actions with AI.

Unlike Large Language Model (LLM), which specializes in language generation, LAM is characterized by performing real tasks directly and self-judging and executing tasks that can improve sales and operating profit.

By utilizing AI models specialized in commerce and retail, InS supports the entire process of data collection and refining, AI inference and analysis, and automation execution.

The “Commerce OS” announced at DevCon 3 is a solution specialized in the retail and e-commerce markets, where AI optimizes inventory and sets prices while monitoring sales of competitors’ products in real time on online marketplaces.

In May, Ince, which was selected as Palantir’s ‘Startup Fellowship’, showed the practicality and scalability of AI agent technology in the commerce area through the demonstration of ‘Commerce OS’, an AI-based commerce solution built in cooperation with Palantir at the Devcon.

“Through the announcement of DevCon 3, we have introduced our technical capabilities as a ‘Palantir in the commerce world’ to the world,” said Lee Seung-hyun, CEO of Ins. “We will spread cases of global business use in the commerce sector and open the era of AI agents in earnest.”



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Amadeus announces Demand360®and MeetingBroker® to be enhanced with artificial intelligence

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Amadeus has partnered with Microsoft and is leveraging OpenAI’s models on Azure to develop a suite of AI integrations that enhance its Hospitality portfolio. The two latest AI tools will provide hoteliers of any background easy access to industry-leading insights and dramatically improve the efficiency of group bookings.

Amadeus Advisor chat is coming to Demand360: Making sophisticated insights instantly available

To help hoteliers stay agile and respond quickly to the fast-changing travel industry, Amadeus is integrating Advisor Chat, its Gen AI chatbot, into its industry-leading Demand360 data product. Powered by Azure OpenAI, Advisor chat offers immediate and intuitive access to crucial insights for teams across various functions, including sales, operations, marketing, and distribution.

Demand360 currently captures the most comprehensive view of the hospitality market to inform hotel strategies. Based on insights from 44,000 hotels and 35 million short-term rental properties, Demand360 provides a 12-month, forward-looking view of a hotel’s occupancy and its market ranking as well as two years of retrospective data.

Amadeus Advisor chat was rolled out to Amadeus Agency360® in 2024. In the year since, customers have enjoyed instantaneous insights. In some cases, Amadeus Advisor has saved analysts approximately a day each week as the bulk of requests can now be handled directly by the wider team.
Amadeus plans to make Advisor available within Microsoft Teams, making it easier than ever to understand performance and make informed decisions.

Transforming group sales with AI: Email to RFP

Amadeus is introducing new AI functionality, Email to RFP, within MeetingBroker to help hotels streamline the handling of inbound group booking requests, a valuable, growing segment of the market.

With Email to RFP, customers will be able to email inbound RFPs directly to MeetingBroker, where AI is then used to evaluate it and create an instant RFP response. To provide accurate, up-to-date information that is specific to each location, Email to RFP will be trained to retrieve additional, relevant information from reliable sources. Email to RFP is powered by Azure OpenAI.

Omni Atlanta Hotel, the first pilot customer, has seen significant returns with faster responses and near autonomous RFP handling.

This builds on the current functionalities of Amadeus MeetingBroker, a centralized hub for managing all group inquiries, no matter how or where they originate. By consolidating leads into a single workflow, MeetingBroker helps hotel sales teams respond faster, reduce missed opportunities, and convert more business.

Amadeus plans to introduce individual AI agents for each of its products, helping travel companies to gain more value by answering queries more easily and more quickly. Amadeus is also working to develop AI agents that will draw on multiple sources when responding to queries, unlocking new levels of insight from across Amadeus’ portfolio.

“As an industry, we’re at an important juncture where the next year of AI development and implementation will shape decades of travel and hospitality. It’s becoming increasingly clear that AI is here to make sense of complexity and support productivity in order to enhance efficiency, return on investment and ultimately increase conversions,” says Francisco Pérez-Lozao Rüter, President of Hospitality, Amadeus.



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Lehigh University Professor Awarded NSF Grant to Advance AI Literacy

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BETHMEHEM, PA — Dr. Juan Zheng, assistant professor in the Teaching, Learning, and Technology program at Lehigh University’s College of Education, has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to support her groundbreaking project, “Meta-Partner: Hybrid Intelligence for Self-Regulated Learning.”

Over the next two years, Dr. Zheng and her research team will develop Meta-Partner, an artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to help students set learning goals, adjust strategies, monitor progress, and reflect on their educational journeys—all while building critical AI literacy and self-regulation skills.

The project addresses a pressing national need: preparing a diverse and inclusive workforce for the rapidly evolving AI-driven future. “Millions are already using AI, but few people know how to use it in an informed and strategic way,” Dr. Zheng explained. “Our goal is to teach students not just the concepts of AI, but how to approach problems, think critically, and regulate their learning, skills that are essential for success in any field that will use AI as a tool.”

Meta-Partner will be integrated into AIResolver, an existing online problem-based learning platform. The system will guide students through complex problem-solving scenarios, such as designing classification systems for scientific research, by providing real-time, personalized support. As students interact with the platform, Meta-Partner will generate initial learning goals, create automated notes, visualize progress, and compose reflections, all of which students can review and refine. This iterative, human-AI collaboration is designed to deepen metacognitive engagement and foster independent learning.

The research will focus on high school and undergraduate students from non-computer science backgrounds, particularly in rural areas, to ensure the benefits of AI education reach underserved communities. Through a robust evaluation involving both quantitative and qualitative methods, the project will examine how Meta-Partner impacts students’ cognitive, motivational, and emotional engagement with AI problem-solving.

“We believe that by making AI education more accessible and engaging, we can help bridge the digital divide and empower students who might otherwise be left behind,” said Dr. Zheng.

Beyond teaching the technical concepts of AI, the project aims to equip students with software skills, critical thinking abilities, and the self-regulation strategies needed to thrive in a workforce where AI is ubiquitous. Dr. Zheng emphasized the importance of learning to use AI strategically and responsibly: “Just as the internet and online learning brought both opportunities and risks, AI will reshape how we learn and work. Our research will help students navigate these changes and use AI as a partner in their learning.”

Meta-Partner’s open-source design ensures that its impact will extend far beyond the initial study, allowing other educational institutions and platforms to adopt and adapt the technology. By pioneering the integration of hybrid intelligence into self-regulated learning, Dr. Zheng’s work has the potential to transform AI education practices and prepare the next generation for a future where human and artificial intelligence work in tandem.

ABOUT LEHIGH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Lehigh’s College of Education offers premier graduate-level programs focused on high-impact research, interdisciplinary applications, evidence-based practices, and partnerships at the local, national, and international level.

 

For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN.



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