With an eye on the ocean, this EEd student is making waves in new AIS program
April 14, 2025
Meet AIS graduate student Douglas Ta
Douglas Ta
Major: Artificial Intelligence Systems
Department: Engineering Education
Advisor: Kamran Mohseni, Ph.D.
University of Florida graduate student Douglas Ta grew up in Central Florida with sports at the center of his youth. He played soccer and tennis and contends his time on those teams sharpened a competitive drive that serves him well as a Gator engineering student.
“Growing up, I knew that whatever I ended up doing would hopefully give me a ton of freedom to create and build projects from the ground up,” he said.
These days, his ground-up projects include artificial intelligence, as Ta is part of the inaugural Artificial Intelligence Systems (AIS) master’s program in the Engineering Education Department. He is working with Professor Kamran Mohseni, Ph.D., on computer-vision models that recognize different species of fish.
“The goal behind this research is to be able to utilize these computer-vision models to potentially aid in monitoring marine habitats such as fisheries,” Mohseni said. “The relevance of why we believe this research will be beneficial in the future pertains to making the process of monitoring marine life much more efficient.”
Launched in 2024 to meet demand for skilled AI professionals, the AIS degree program is designed to equip students with a comprehensive skill set that merges computer science, mathematics, engineering and ethics. This interdisciplinary, non-thesis program comprises 30 credit hours. Students benefit from access to the HiPerGator supercomputer and state-of-the-art research facilities, preparing them for careers across various industries such as healthcare, finance, robotics and aerospace.
“I think that the new AIS program has done a really good job in providing students with experience toward entering the workforce,” Ta said.
Here is more about this student researcher who already is making waves in the new AIS master’s program.
Question: Describe your work in the new AIS master’s program.
Ta: I am currently developing a startup called UFish. Our company objective is to combine AI with underwater drone technology to help ocean conservation research in the future.
Q: How does it feel to be in the inaugural AIS class?
Ta: It is nice knowing you are a part of something big like a new program. Hopefully, I can live up to the expectations of being one of the first graduates from this program.
Q: What is your research field?
Ta: Computer Vision – specially developing better computer vision models centered around capturing marine life.
Q: As a researcher, how would you like to change the world?
Ta: I’d like my research to contribute to saving our oceans. I think there should be more of a focus on ocean conservation efforts because the ocean is such a vital part of Earth’s ecosystem.
Q: What made you want to be a researcher/scientist?
Ta: What inspired me was my initial interest of utilizing the skills I am developing in AI to solve real-world problems such as oceanic habitat observation.
Q: What bits of pop culture are you consuming currently?
Ta: My favorite artist right now is Hozier. I’ve been listening to his music since I started college and haven’t stopped since.