Title: From Space to Health: Satellites and AI for Environmental Exposure Assessment.
Abstract: Environmental exposures play an important role in human health, but traditional ground monitoring networks have limited coverage and often miss underserved areas. Satellite-based remote sensing techniques, combined with AI algorithms, now make it possible to estimate exposures more consistently across space and time. This talk will introduce a spatial data science approach that integrates satellite data with classical machine learning models to assess environmental exposures from local community to global scales.
Bio: Dr. Hang is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health with a joint appointment in Biostatistics and Data Science. She earned her Ph.D. in Environment and Resources at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, complemented by an M.S. in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and a Graduate Certificate in Energy Analysis and Policy. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in Environmental Health at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. At UTHealth, she directs the Health-Atmosphere Nexus Group (utsph-hang.org), combining satellite remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and community insights to examine how air pollution, water quality, extreme weather events, and related environmental stressors impact human health from local neighborhoods to global populations. Her work has been supported by NASA, NIH, NSF, CDC, NASEM, and CPRIT. Dr. Hang teaches Environmental Epidemiology, an interdisciplinary course engaging students from public health, medicine, and nursing. Her trainees have received prestigious national honors, including the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and NASA’s Future Investigators Award. She also serves as a Council Member of the American Geophysical Union, advocating for early-career researchers and facilitating international scientific collaborations.