NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
Summer 2010 - Computer Vision and Multi-Agent Systems
Department of Computer Science, Utah State University

  Name:

  Frank James

  Major:

  Computer Science

  School:

  University of South Florida

  Home Town:

  Dover, Florida

About Me

I am a fourth year Computer Science major at the University of South Florida and have lived in Dover, Florida my entire life. When I am not working on the computer, I enjoy giving the right side of my brain some exercise through drawing, making music, or doing anything creative.

I applied to a handful of REU programs earlier this year, but Utah State University was my first choice, not only because of the research topics, but also because of the gorgeous landscapes that I had seen in pictures. My home town does not offer a whole lot in terms of scenery, so I was more than thrilled when I was accepted into the REU program here at Utah State.

There are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy in Logan, including hiking, canoeing, cycling, and rock climbing. The school also provides its REU participants with access to a gym and swimming pool. Another impressive service that Logan has to offer is a free (yes, FREE) shuttle system. Traveling by bus is quick and makes trips to the grocery store, or anywhere else, easy on both the wallet and the legs.

Project

This summer I have implemented a system that recognizes faces that are partially occluded or varying in facial expression. I modeled my work off that of Tan, Chen, Zhou, and Liu in Face Recognition Under Occlusions and Variant Expressions with Partial Similarity , where faces are recognized by comparing similar subsections of face images, rather than the images in their entireties.

Results

I implemented two methods for determining similar and dissimilar portions of compared face images. I was able to achieve fairly robust results using both of these techniques. For more details, please view my final presentation or final project.

Feel free to contact me at: