Applied Research and Technology (ART) Group

The Applied Research and Technology (ART) group partners with clients to solve complex challenges through customized, prototype-driven solutions. Our team of professional software developers and research scientists—drawing expertise from industry, government, and academia—offers services that include professional software development, workforce and technology adoption support, applied research implementation, and project and program management. We collaborate closely with stakeholders to translate research into practical, scalable outcomes that meet real-world needs.

Research

Artificial Intelligence
The ART group is leveraging AI algorithms to develop everything from a comprehensive risk model for Aids to Navigation (ATONs) in waterways to new models for donor prioritization and forecasting to an annotation tool that can separate surrounding material from core text in a digital textual repository, among many other efforts.

Supporting Science Data Collection, Processing and Management
Research staff are advancing data-driven science through projects such as developing a processing pipeline to extract hydrogen density measurements in Earth’s exosphere from geocoronal Ly-α images; preparing AIFARMS Institute data for AI applications by ensuring it is accessible, interoperable, well-documented, and appropriately licensed; and delivering algorithms for tasks like picking, assembly, safety, scheduling, and digital twin creation to enable a reconfigurable factory of the future.

Technology Adoption and Workforce Development
Projects in this area focus on understanding and addressing workforce challenges. Efforts include conducting research on nurse burnout and job satisfaction to provide evidence-based recommendations; supporting a workforce program partner in addressing gaps such as low engagement among job seekers and hiring teams; and collaborating with coastal protection organizations like the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative to identify and respond to urgent needs in Great Lakes communities across the US and Canada.