AI Research
Wilkes-Barre student, faculty member explore mapping roads with AI in Brazil
DALLAS, Pa. — Nathan “Nate” Crotts, who earned a bachelor’s of science in surveying engineering at Penn State Wilkes-Barre in May, and Salvatore Marsico, associate professor of engineering at the campus, visited the University of Campinas in Brazil to further their research on using artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) to map roadway assets at the end of the spring semester.
They partnered with Henrique Oliviera, a former surveying engineering faculty member at Penn State Wilkes-Barre who returned to his native Brazil and has continued to work on projects with prior colleagues and his current employer, the University of Campinas. The research trip was funded by the Office of Global Programs, Penn State Wilkes-Barre and University College.
The research project began in 2022 as a collaboration between Marsico and Oliveira, to examine electrical distribution lines and roadway networks. It expanded to include investigating how AI might be able to assist in mapping roadway assets, such as guiderails, roadway distresses like potholes and cracks, protective barriers, telecommunications and electrical poles and equipment.
The goal is to train an AI model to recognize specific assets and hindrances, including potholes, cracks that need to be repaired, and power lines or vegetation that need maintenance, from video recorded from a moving car.
“As part of our visit, we went out on local roads and filmed our drive, looking for potholes, road signs, communication lines and things of that nature,” Marsico explained. “Nate will then take the video and input the information into our software, which helps him identify and categorize any potential obstructions.”
At the University of Campinas, Crotts and Marsico met with master’s and doctoral students, who collected aerial data to map delivery systems, and shared their own ground measurement work. The idea is that utility companies or road managers could quickly identify and assess potential problems from the ground or air.
“We’re figuring out the most efficient and effective way to make a futuristic city better able to optimize certain ways using advancements in technology,” Marsico said.
Crotts said his dataset is on an open-source platform (Roboflow.com) that anyone can access for their own needs.
“For the utilities that own these assets, for example, we are able to provide them with a location or a GIS [geographic information system] map to see everywhere that is encumbered by vegetation or needs attention. They can then optimize the way they tackle those issues,” he said.
Two other Penn State Wilkes-Barre students, Mrigakshi Verma and JunJie Cao, also contributed to the project. Prior to the trip, Crotts, Verma and Cao presented the group’s research at the campus’ Celebration of Scholarship in April. Their poster was one selected to represent Penn State Wilkes-Barre during the Eastern Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium at Penn State Brandywine, where it placed third.
Crotts has conducted research since his first year at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
“I wanted to take as many opportunities as I could beyond the classroom,” he said. “I was able to use a variety of new instruments and work on larger projects with Dr. Bolkas, including the levee at the Francis E. Walter Dam. It has been great to implement what I was learning in the classroom on real-world projects. The research experiences have provided me with a good way to learn and understand the process.”
While he had traveled internationally before, this was the first University-related international trip for Crotts, who said he felt “very fortunate and happy to have the opportunity.”
Crotts is continuing in his role with Crews Surveying, a job he started as a student, and working toward becoming a surveyor in training, the first step in becoming a licensed professional surveyor.
“I appreciate that I was able to do undergraduate research that is directly related to my future career,” Crotts said. “I’ve come out of college with many different experiences. As automation continues to develop, I hope to get involved in working with computer science majors and then work with software development and automation in surveying.”
Following the research portion of their trip, Crotts and Marsico spent time exploring Brazil, including a visit to Rio de Janeiro. Crotts said that in addition to being at the University of Campinas, the visit to Rio was a highlight of the trip for him.
“Seeing Rio was absolutely phenomenal. It’s hard to describe how beautiful it is. We were able to see the Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugar Mountain, go on a cable car and more,” he said. “One of my favorite parts came toward the end of our trip, when we were taken in by two families for a true Brazilian experience. Not only did we get to go to the beach with them, but we became more immersed in their culture and their society. We saw how they go about everyday life, right down to the way they cook and do meals. That was a great experience.”
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Radiomics-Based Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Approach for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Systematic Review – Cureus
Artificial intelligence may take over some tasks and transform others, but one thing is certain: it’s reshaping the job market. Researchers at USC’s Information Sciences Institute (ISI) analyzed LinkedIn job postings and AI-related patent filings to measure which jobs are most exposed, and where those changes are happening first.
The project was led by ISI research assistant Eun Cheol Choi, working with students in a graduate-level USC Annenberg data science course taught by USC Viterbi Research Assistant Professor Luca Luceri. The team developed an “AI exposure” score to measure how closely each role is tied to current AI technologies. A high score suggests the job may be affected by automation, new tools, or shifts in how the work is done.
Which Industries Are Most Exposed to AI?
To understand how exposure shifted with new waves of innovation, the researchers compared patent data from before and after a major turning point. “We split the patent dataset into two parts, pre- and post-ChatGPT release, to see how job exposure scores changed in relation to fresh innovations,” Choi said. Released in late 2022, ChatGPT triggered a surge in generative AI development, investment, and patent filings.
Jobs in wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information, and manufacturing topped the list in both periods. Retail also showed high exposure early on, while healthcare and social assistance rose sharply after ChatGPT, likely due to new AI tools aimed at diagnostics, medical records, and clinical decision-making.
In contrast, education and real estate consistently showed low exposure, suggesting they are, at least for now, less likely to be reshaped by current AI technologies.
AI’s Reach Depends on the Role
AI exposure doesn’t just vary by industry, it also depends on the specific type of work. Jobs like software engineer and data scientist scored highest, since they involve building or deploying AI systems. Roles in manufacturing and repair, such as maintenance technician, also showed elevated exposure due to increased use of AI in automation and diagnostics.
At the other end of the spectrum, jobs like tax accountant, HR coordinator, and paralegal showed low exposure. They center on work that’s harder for AI to automate: nuanced reasoning, domain expertise, or dealing with people.
AI Exposure and Salary Don’t Always Move Together
The study also examined how AI exposure relates to pay. In general, jobs with higher exposure to current AI technologies were associated with higher salaries, likely reflecting the demand for new AI skills. That trend was strongest in the information sector, where software and data-related roles were both highly exposed and well compensated.
But in sectors like wholesale trade and transportation and warehousing, the opposite was true. Jobs with higher exposure in these industries tended to offer lower salaries, especially at the highest exposure levels. The researchers suggest this may signal the early effects of automation, where AI is starting to replace workers instead of augmenting them.
“In some industries, there may be synergy between workers and AI,” said Choi. “In others, it may point to competition or replacement.”
From Class Project to Ongoing Research
The contrast between industries where AI complements workers and those where it may replace them is something the team plans to investigate further. They hope to build on their framework by distinguishing between different types of impact — automation versus augmentation — and by tracking the emergence of new job categories driven by AI. “This kind of framework is exciting,” said Choi, “because it lets us capture those signals in real time.”
Luceri emphasized the value of hands-on research in the classroom: “It’s important to give students the chance to work on relevant and impactful problems where they can apply the theoretical tools they’ve learned to real-world data and questions,” he said. The paper, Mapping Labor Market Vulnerability in the Age of AI: Evidence from Job Postings and Patent Data, was co-authored by students Qingyu Cao, Qi Guan, Shengzhu Peng, and Po-Yuan Chen, and was presented at the 2025 International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM), held June 23-26 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Published on July 7th, 2025
Last updated on July 7th, 2025
The Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (SERAM) has collaborated with six other scientific societies to develop an AI-supported urology clinical decision-making project called Uro-Oncogu(IA)s.
The initiative produced an algorithm that will “reduce time and clinical variability” in the management of urological patients, the society said. SERAM’s collaborators include the Spanish Urology Association (AEU), the Foundation for Research in Urology (FIU), the Spanish Society of Pathological Anatomy (SEAP), the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH), the Spanish Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SEMNIM), and the Spanish Society of Radiation Oncology (SEOR).
SERAM Secretary General Dr. MaríLuz Parra launched the project in Madrid on 3 July with AEU President Dr. Carmen González.
On behalf of SERAM, the following doctors participated in this initiative:
- Prostate cancer guide: Dr. Joan Carles Vilanova, PhD, of the University of Girona,
- Upper urinary tract guide: Dr. Richard Mast of University Hospital Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona,
- Muscle-invasive bladder cancer guide: Dr. Eloy Vivas of the University of Malaga,
- Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer guide: Dr. Paula Pelechano of the Valencian Institute of Oncology in Valencia,
- Kidney cancer guide: Dr. Nicolau Molina of the University of Barcelona.
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