Our Work Is Local, but Our Impact Is Global

One of the main tasks of any city government is to keep infrastructure such as roads, signs, accessibility ramps, and sewers in perpetual working order. The first step of maintenance is the timely identification of a problem. However, many infrastructure defects are left undetected and unattended for long periods of time

The widespread use of service robots has been predicted to be just around the corner for decades. This project seeks to overcome the prevailing technical and social hurdles to deploying these robots by building and studying them in communities where they will be used rather than just in laboratories and warehouses.

How can scientists effectively measure mood and stress over time? What are the best ways to partner with communities with access to fewer resources? A team from the UT School of Nursing partnered with Del Valle Independent School District to help answer those questions over the course of an 8-week mindfulness program in 2019.

The Austin History Center, the City of Austin, and UT Libraries maintain substantial collections of scanned maps, which are needed for historical reference when conducting research or planning new projects. Unfortunately, these scanned maps can be difficult to use due to the challenges involved with discovering, processing, and analyzing map images in their current digitized form.

Preparing for floods and heat waves by designing new maps and tools that can be used by first responders, neighborhood associations, city governments, and planners.

Optimizing ambulance allocation and routing is one of the most efficient ways for EMS to save more lives at virtually no cost. However, current EMS software was developed under models that assume normal demands.

The overall objective of this project was to investigate relationships among climates, cultures and ecosystems over the 20,000 years in Texas.

Parenting in a pandemic presents unique challenges that may affect the physical, emotional and behavioral health of parents and children alike, and the academic progress of children. 

Postpartum mood and anxiety disorders affect as many as one in five women globally. Left untreated, these can have major negative effects on maternal and child health and well-being. While effective treatments are available, nearly 60% of mothers with symptoms are undiagnosed, and 50% of diagnosed mothers are left untreated.

This project addresses the conflict between convenience and privacy inherent to computer vision with the goal of developing future computer vision technologies that support diverse users with visual impairments, especially those who are traditionally underserved.