Dr. Xiaochen Guo and her team at Lehigh University are leading the way in cutting-edge research into artificial neural networks, mimicking the way the brain learns so similar systems can be implemented in computers.
To create a more energy-efficient and brain-like system for use in artificial intelligence, Guo’s novel approach is to create a living neural network—a machine using actual human cells—to run learning applications.
As pioneers in this area of research, Guo, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, and her collaborators face many unknowns, including challenges with experimental setup and a lack of published material on the subject to reference.
“Being first in the field, there’s just nowhere to know where you are going,” says Guo. “Initially, we thought this is cool, and we don’t even know how many challenges we are facing … We have to solve one set of challenges and then another set of challenges [will be] thrown onto us.”
Guo shares more about the risks and rewards of her team's research in this recent Mountain Talk webinar, “Engineering Living Neural Networks for Learning,” hosted by Jennifer Cunningham, the university's assistant vice president of alumni engagement.
Story by Madison Hoff '19, a student writer for the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science
