Data Science Institute (DSI) UHasselt

🌿 Can citizen science help protect the environment in the Philippines? Join us for our next VLIRUOS Community Talk, where we explore how citizen science is building environmental resilience in the Philippines. Faced with habitat degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change, the need for public engagement in science has never been greater. The International Training Programme “Co-CiPhil” brought together Hasselt University, KU Leuven, Visayas State University, and Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology to co-create capacity in environmental citizen science. Through training and collaboration, the programme empowered Filipino educators and researchers to design and lead citizen science initiatives across academic and community settings. In this session, we will reflect on the process, share key lessons, and present how the initiative continues to spark new research and education projects. 🎤 Speakers: • Prof. dr. Thomas Neyens, Hasselt University & KU Leuven (Belgium) • Prof. Daisy Lou Lim-Polestico, Ph.D., Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (Philippines) 📅 27/08/2025 | 🕚 11:00–12:00 CET | 💻 Online 🔗 Sign up: https://lnkd.in/dXMthzGu

𝐕𝐒𝐂 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 AI meets oncology in the fight against lung cancer! The PIDGIN Project at Hasselt University brings together oncologists, pathologists, biomedical scientists, and data experts to transform lung cancer diagnosis. By digitizing microscopic tissue slides and applying deep learning techniques such as U-Net, the team can: 🔍 Detect tumor heterogeneity at the pixel level 🧠 Classify cell types without expensive staining 📊 Analyze spatial interactions between cells to reveal patterns linked to disease progression and treatment response 💡 With the support of VSC Tier-1 infrastructure, the project gained: 📂 Secure, high-capacity data storage 💻 Computing power to train deep neural networks 🧠 Memory resources to handle large-scale image datasets The result? Objective, reproducible, and more accurate diagnoses — accelerating personalized treatment for lung cancer patients. 🎥 Featuring: 🎙 Esther Wolfs, Associate Professor – Hasselt University 🎙 Dirk Valkenborg, Professor – Hasselt University 🎙 Christel Faes, Professor – Hasselt University 📺 Watch the full Success Story here: https://lnkd.in/eWchGK6R 📺 If you want to watch the first story of the PIDGIN Project on Data Entry & Data Retrieval, click here: https://lnkd.in/eD8De9xc ____________________________________________________________ 🧬 This research was featured as part of our VSC #ShareYourSuccess campaign. ✨ You could be next! ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eN32AP4S #AI #CancerResearch #HPC

I am deeply honored and proud to have received the Early Career Award from the International Society for Virtual Rehabilitation yesterday at RehabWeek in Chicago! It's a tremendous recognition from a group of professionals I highly respect. Being recognized by such an esteemed group of professionals is truly humbling. During my acceptance talk, I had the opportunity to reflect on my career journey and highlight how gaming technology is not only transforming motor and cognitive rehabilitation but also serving as a powerful tool for functional evaluation. I also shared the exciting developments of our TechnoRehabLab, with initiatives spanning Belgium and Africa. I'd like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my past colleagues who have inspired me and helped shape me into the researcher I am today Bart Jansen Serge Van Sint Jan Veronique Feipel Barbara Sahakian Cornelia M van Duijn Judith Deutsch I'm also thankful for my current students and collaborators, without whom none of this would have been possible. Your support and hard work are what make our research impactful, and I'm grateful to be part of such a talented team. Van Hove Olivier Kim Daniels Anna Kushnir Joanna Mourad Jean MAPINDUZI Paul Boma Muteb Jules Panda Bekelu Teka Chala Diriba Kenea Diriba Dereje Olana DESALEGN GARUMA Muhammad Osama Oyéné Richard Kossi Martin Jacobs Peter Feys This award is not just a recognition of my own work, but also a testament to the dedication and passion of our entire team. I'm excited to continue pushing the boundaries of rehabilitation technology and exploring new ways to improve lives. I am also very thankful to VLIRUOS for their support in developing technology-supported rehabilitation in Africa through various grants and projects. Faculteit Revalidatiewetenschappen UHasselt Data Science Institute (DSI) UHasselt #Rehabilitation #ISVR #TechnoRehabLab #InnovationInRehabilitation #Collaboration #Gaming #VR

🧬 Should we protect your proteins? While DNA data is heavily protected under regulations like GDPR, protein data often lacks the same safeguards. When you participate in a study, protein data may end up in open-access databases to support open research and collaboration among scientists. This data is essential for scientific breakthroughs and medical research. 🤔 How can we advance science while respecting individual privacy? Bioinformatician Frédérique Vilenne (VITO - UHasselt), in collaboration with ethicists, explores how we can balance scientific progress with safeguarding your personal data — every step of the way. 🎥 Watch the video 👇 #Bioinformatics #Science #Data #medicaldata #ethics #privacy #dna #proteins