{"683301":{"#nid":"683301","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Listening to the Wild: How One OMSCS Student Is Using Machine Learning to Decode Himalayan Birdsong","body":[{"value":"\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWe want to understand the big patterns of life on Earth and ensure that today\u2019s incredible biodiversity will persist into the foreseeable future.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe mission of the Mountain Bird Lab at Georgia Tech is ambitious, but Online Master of Science Computer Science (OMSCS) student Vanessa Prema is doing her part to realize it from her home in San Diego, California. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrema is researching acoustic analysis of songbirds in the high Himalayas. Specifically, she is developing a classifier to identify specific song types of the Hume\u2019s Leaf Warbler. The project aims to uncover whether specific songs correspond to behaviors such as breeding activity, time of day, or elevation. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUnderstanding bird behavior through their sounds, and how that relates to the environment, is crucial,\u201d said Prema. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about species identification but understanding what each vocalization might signal in terms of behavior or environmental context. That level of complexity gave me a new appreciation for how birds communicate.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBlending Passion with Purpose\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EComing from a materials science background, Prema realized she was drawn more to software and digital systems than physical ones. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI never loved the hands-on tinkering side of materials science,\u201d said Prema. \u201cWhat I really enjoyed was problem-solving and building systems on the computer.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo deepen her technical knowledge while continuing to work, Prema enrolled in Georgia Tech\u2019s OMSCS program. Through OMSCS, she discovered the Human Augmented Analytics Group (HAAG), a virtual research lab founded by Ph.D. student Breanna Shi that connects online students with in-person research. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHAAG introduced Prema to the Mountain Bird Lab, led by Benjamin Freeman. The lab combines ecological fieldwork with computational tools to study bird behavior and biodiversity. The project was a natural fit for Prema who had long been interested in birdwatching and conservation. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EA Global Team with a Shared Mission\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMy interests in birds, animals, and biology made the bird audio research opportunity feel like a perfect fit,\u201d said Prema. \u201cIt allows me to merge my personal passion with technical skills.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat personal connection continues to motivate her. Prema said the experience has significantly broadened her perspective on what\u2019s possible within computer science, especially regarding interdisciplinary applications. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cLearning both ecological and biological information alongside advanced machine learning techniques from other group members has shown me the incredible potential of combining diverse fields to address complex, real-world problems,\u201d said Prema. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA typical day in the lab involves significant collaboration with researchers across continents. For Prema, the most rewarding aspect has been working alongside those with deep domain expertise in ecology and biology. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCollaborating with people who know so much about birds and seeing how our technical work translates into meaningful biological insights has truly been inspiring and has given me a much richer understanding of the entire research pipeline,\u201d said Prema. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EUsing Birdsong Data to Understand and Protect the Planet\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPrema believes technology has a critical role to play in protecting ecosystems. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy using technology to better collect and analyze bird audio data, we can more effectively monitor bird populations, understand how they react to environmental changes, and ultimately assess the health of our ecosystems,\u201d said Prema. \u201cThis information is crucial for making informed decisions about protecting wildlife and their habitats and even identifying broader environmental changes before they become visible elsewhere.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe hopes to demonstrate how technological advancements can directly support crucial conservation efforts, improve data collection methods, and provide valuable insights for protecting the planet\u2019s biodiversity. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI hope my work contributes to advancing practical, deployable technology for ecological conservation,\u201d said Prema. \u201cAfter this project and program, I\u2019m excited to continue exploring how machine learning can be applied to environmental and biological challenges.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EMaking Her Mark Virtually\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHer work hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed by those around her. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cVanessa has become an invaluable mentor and technical leader to her team, streamlining complex machine learning pipelines that benefit researchers across disciplines,\u201d said Shi. \u201cAs the founder of HAAG, I\u2019m thrilled to champion Vanessa as a brilliant researcher not only advancing her own project but actively elevating the entire HAAG community. I look forward to seeing what she accomplishes next.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhat\u2019s Next: Sharing, Publishing, and Moving Forward\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn July 30, Prema will share her work with the WildLabs Community at their monthly variety hour. She is currently preparing for her first publication submission by the end of 2025. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe mission of the Mountain Bird Lab at Georgia Tech is ambitious, but Online Master of Science Computer Science (OMSCS) student Vanessa Prema is doing her part to realize it from her home in San Diego, California. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The mission of the Mountain Bird Lab at Georgia Tech is ambitious, but Online Master of Science Computer Science (OMSCS) student Vanessa Prema is doing her part to realize it from her home in San Diego, California.  "}],"uid":"36249","created_gmt":"2025-07-25 19:01:41","changed_gmt":"2025-07-25 19:03:25","author":"Sara Franc","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-07-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-07-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677493":{"id":"677493","type":"image","title":"Vanessa Prema","body":null,"created":"1753470178","gmt_created":"2025-07-25 19:02:58","changed":"1753470178","gmt_changed":"2025-07-25 19:02:58","alt":"Vanessa Prema","file":{"fid":"261396","name":"vanessa_headshot.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/25\/vanessa_headshot.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/25\/vanessa_headshot.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4912598,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/25\/vanessa_headshot.jpg?itok=dQkvOSN4"}}},"media_ids":["677493"],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1808","name":"graduate students"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sara.franc@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESara Franc\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ECommunications Officer\u003Cbr\u003EOffice of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}