Research in the Wilson Lab revolves around nonlinear optical microscopy, picosecond time-resolved spectroscopy, and deep learning methods for image and hyperspectral image analysis. Example goals for a summer project could include:

• To use multiphoton-excited fluorescence of NADH and FAD+ to identify metabolic differences between two different cell lines.
• To use transient absorption microscopy to identify malaria-infected cells in blood smears.
• To use transient absorption microscopy to measure excited-state lifetimes in solar energy materials
• To use a neural network to discover spectroscopy signatures of land cover (crops, forest, buildings, etc) in hyperspectral satellite or aerial images.

Further reading

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11964266/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6916744/
• https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-physchem-042018-052605
• https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9096565

Prerequisite skills for nonlinear microscopy projects: ability to prepare / handle samples being investigated (e.g. cell culture, blood smear prep, etc).

Prerequisite skills for deep learning / image analysis projects: working knowledge of Python and NumPy, loading and displaying images, basic image analysis and filtering operations.

Skills to be gained: nonlinear microscopy fundamentals and instrument operation, image acquisition and analysis. Laser safety. Neural network training, validation, analysis, and visualization of results using either Pytorch or TensorFlow.

Contact: For additional information and to apply, please contact Prof. Jesse Wilson (jesse.wilson@colostate.edu).