Units
The Symbiotic Computing Laboratory is dedicated to the study of the symbiotic relationships between humans and machines. Research foci are centered on the following themes: machines as models of how biological systems represent and learn motor and cognitive skills; primates as inspiration for new robot control and learning techniques; and the interaction of humans with machines.
The OU Microarray and Bioinformatics Core Facilities provide the powerful tools of functional genomics to researchers at the University of Oklahoma . Under the direction of Dr. Tyrrell Conway, the facility is unique in providing a comprehensive microarray database that handles all aspects of this complex technology seamlessly and in a format our users can access anywhere via the Internet. This research infrastructure is supported by grants from NIH-BRIN, NIH-COBRE, and NSF-EPSCoR.
The Advanced Center for Genome Technology (ACGT) at the University of Oklahoma 's Chemistry Department has been a designated Genome Center by the National Institutes of Health, National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH-NHGRI) since 1990 and is one of the first three laboratories involved in the world-wide Human Genome Project. Since then the ACGT has mapped (sequenced) the first completed human chromosome, human chromosome 22, discovering the genes involved in several forms of mental retardation, brain cancer, leukemia and schizophrenia. ACGT's research presently is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, US Department of Agriculture and the Noble Foundation.
The OU Bioengineering Center research includes projects that are essential to tissue engineering and medical imaging which impacts the diagnosis of diseases as well as monitoring the effectiveness of a therapy. Specifically, engineers are designing new RF coils for MRI and improving the resolution of X-ray imaging for earlier detection of breast cancer. In the area of tissue engineering, OU researchers are developing small diameter blood vessels for vascular reconstruction as well as bone implants for orthopedics. Other researchers will use microfluidics in channels as small as 100 microns in size to help understand how leukocyte adhesion and inflammation might play a role in atherosclerosis and heart attack. This bioengineering research funding is provided by National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, American Heart Association (National award) and the Oklahoma Health Research Program.
The Interaction, Discovery, Exploration, Adaptation Laboratory (IDEA Lab) is dedicated to creating and enabling intelligent autonomous agents that can successfully interact and learn while embedded in the real world. We draw from all aspects of artificial intelligence, machine learning, knowledge discovery, data mining, and robotics. The agents that we study are embodied in both software and hardware. Our real-world application areas provide an opportunity to make a significant difference outside of academia. The requirements imposed by real applications stimulate the development of new approaches. Current application areas include severe weather prediction and mobile robotic manipulators.
Dr. Randy Hewes Dr. Hewes' laboratory focuses on the mechanisms by which cells acquire, maintain and regulate neuropeptides, and how changes in neuropeptide signaling controls animal behavior. This research exploits the powerful molecular, genetic, and genomic techniques available in a model organism, the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Research is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology.
Dr. Han Wang Dr. Wang uses the zebrafish (Danio rerio) to study molecular genetics and genomics of circadian rhythmicity, embryogenesis, retinal and blood development as well as human diseases. The laboratory is also interested in studying evolution of development and vertebrate genomes. The research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Whitehall Foundation.