We are pleased to invite you to our upcoming colloquium featuring Meghna Agarwala, Associate Professor in the Department of Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Ashoka University. This event marks the first in a series of interdisciplinary seminars where scholars from different fields engage in dialogue. Together, they will explore how Computer Science informs and is informed by various areas of study. The session will be divided equally between a structured presentation and a moderated Q&A.

Event Details:

Date: April 16, 2025

Time: 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Location: AC04-004

Title: Using ML and AI in Environmental Science and Policy

Abstract: Understanding earth and environmental systems requires large amounts of data on geological, meteorological, hydrological, ecological, and socio-economic processes. In this presentation, I will talk about using tools from computer science for helping with data analysis in 3 use cases. In the first case, I discuss how I use ML and AI in analysing satellite imagery to create meaningful geo-spatial data and use it to answer questions related with climate and land use policy (and economics of pollution!). I also discuss ongoing work using thermal drones on fires in the Himalayas, among others. In the second case, I discuss how we use ML and AI to analyse microscope imagery for climate forecasting that includes previously unknown interactions. Finally, in the third case, I talk about how we hope to use ML and AI to decode elephant language (a recent study found elephants had specific names for each other). There are so many environmental problems in the world today and not as many skilled people who can work on these issues. I hope the discussion will motivate students to skill up to address environmental problems.

About the Speaker: Bio: Meghna Agarwala is an Associate Professor at Ashoka University. She has an MS from Yale and a PhD from Columbia University, and has obtained research funding from CIFOR, NASA, NSF, SERB, EU, among others. Her research optimises methods from remote sensing, palaeosciences and ecology to address important environmental issues, and she has opportunities for ML work in the forests and agricultural landscapes of Arunachal, Assam, Aravallis, Himachal, Nepal, MP, Odisha, Tamil Nadu. Last year, she hosted the NASA South Asia conference at Ashoka.