Latest News

Prof. Karam initiated the World’s First Multimedia Star Innovator Award. Awards given at IEEE ICME 2019.
Four Award Finalists selected by the Multimedia Star Innovator Award Board (in Alphabetical Order):
Achin Bhowmik, Chief Technology Officer and Executive VP Engineering, Starkey Hearing Technologies, “For leading the development and market launch of the world’s first multi-function hearing augmentation device with embedded sensors and artificial intelligence”
Rajan Pateli, Senior Director, and Aparna Chennapragada, Vice President, Google, “For Google Lens: Search What You See”
Touradj Ebrahimi, Professor, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), “For Quality of Experience assessment solutions with application to multimedia standardization”
Henrique (Rico) S. Malvar, Chief Scientist, Microsoft Research, “For new multimedia interface technologies to improve the lives of persons with disabilities”
ICME 2019 Audience Choice Awardees can be found at the IEEE ICME 2019 website

Judge on Vision Tank 2019 – Start-Up Competition in Silicon Valley, Embedded Vision Summit, Santa Clara, CA (May 22, 2019)

Interview with Phoenix Business Journal – Waymo and Self-Driving Truck Testing
Also available (with subscription) at the Phoenix Business Journal site

Check out our Call For Papers, IEEE Special Issue on Autonomous Driving

Join us for a fireside conversation and interactive panel at this event on Self-Driving Cars on March 21 at 6pm:
Let’s Talk Self-Driving: A Fireside Conversation with Waymo’s Tekedra Mawakana

Interview with FOX 10 News – Cities and Driverless Cars

Intel-sponsored A-SPACE Initiative (pre-launch phase tasks) for definining the next-generation of safe and efficient automated mobility at scale.
Publication on work sponsored under this grant:
J.R. Medina, K.E. Kaloush, and L.J. Karam, “Analysis of Infrastructure Needed to Test Pre-Crash Scenarios,” Report TR-AV-INFR-101-102018, Oct. 2018.
Listen to podcast below for additional information.

Podcast on Driverless Cars (31 August 2018):
Listen as we discuss: current and future trends in driverless car tech

Dr. Lina Karam selected by the IEEE Region 6 Awards Committee to receive the 2018 IEEE Region 6 “Outstanding IEEE member who promoted Women in Engineering” Award. IEEE Region 6 membership spans across western 12 states of United States of America with 37 Sections and more than 56,000 members.

Dr. Lina Karam has been named Editor-In-Chief (EIC) of the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing. Her term as EIC starts on January 1, 2019.

Invited Talk/Plenary Lecture on DNN-based Generative Sensing:
2018 Embedded Vision Alliance Summit Invited Talk
2018 Plenary Lecture – NCC – IIT Hyderabad

News Article:
ASU Full Circle Article – Visual tech visionaries honored with innovation awards,
& the corresponding World’s First Visual Innovation Award YouTube Video – Finalists’ Keynotes

Awards and Honors

• IEEE Fellow.
• EEE Region 6 “Outstanding IEEE member who promoted Women in Engineering” Award, 2018.
• IEEE Signal Processing Society’s Best Paper Award (IEEE Transactions Journal Paper), 2014
• Intel Outstanding Researcher for the development of computer vision and image processing systems for high-volume semi-conductor manufacturing
• Outstanding Faculty Award, IEEE Phoenix Section, February 2012
• QoMEX 2012 Best Paper Award
• American University of Beirut Distinguished Alumnus Award, May 2011
• Certificate of Merit, IEEE Signal Processing Society, 2009
• NASA Technical Innovation and Recognition Award for development of perceptual-based visual compression systems, 2006
• Outstanding Technical Contributions, IEEE Phoenix Section, 2005
• US National Science Foundation CAREER Award
• Professional Leadership and Service Recognition, IEEE Signal Processing and IEEE Communications Societies, 1999
• Society of Women Engineer Outstanding Graduate Student Award (Georgia Tech)

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Research Interests

Dr. Karam’s current research interests are in the areas of image and video processing, compression, and transmission; computer vision; machine learning; visual quality assessment; perceptual-based processing; human visual perception; signal processing for intelligent systems and robotics; human-machine interactions; multidimensional signal processing; error-resilient source coding; digital filter design; and bio-medical imaging.

Biography

Lina J. Karam received a BA in engineering from the American University of Beirut in 1989, and MS and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1992 and 1995, respectively. She is currently a full professor, Computer Engineering Director, and the Director of the Image, Video, and Usability (IVU) Lab Lab at ASU. She is also the President of PICARIS,LLC, a consulting company on media processing, compression, understanding, and analytics.
Dr. Karam is an IEEE Fellow, the highest grade level in IEEE which is conferred each year to no more than one-tenth of 1% of all IEEE voting members, for her contributions in the image and video processing, visual communications, and digital filtering areas.
Her industrial experience includes image and video processing and compression development at AT&T Bell Labs (Murray Hill), multi-dimensional data processing and visualization at Schlumberger, and collaborations on computer vision, image/video processing, compression, and transmission projects with various industries including Intel, Qualcomm, Google, NTT, Motorola, Freescale, General Dynamics, and NASA.
Dr. Karam is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, NASA Technical Innovation Award, the Intel Outstanding Researcher Award, the IEEE SPS Best Journal Paper Award, and the IEEE Phoenix Section Outstanding Faculty Award. Dr. Karam served on the IEEE PSPB Strategic Planning Committee, and the editorial boards of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, IEEE Journal on Selected Topics in Signal Processing, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, and IEEE Signal Processing Letters. She served as a Lead Guest Editor for the Proceedings of the IEEE, IEEE JSTSP, and as a Guest Editor for the IEEE SP Magazine and EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing. She served as the General Chair of the 2016 IEEE ICIP, Technical Program Chair of the 2009 IEEE ICIP, General Chair of the 2011 IEEE DSP/SPE Workshops. She cofounded the International Conference on Quality of Multimedia Experience (QoMEX). She is currently serving as General Co-Chair for the IEEE International Conference on Multimedia and Expo (ICME). She is also currently serving on the IEEE SPS Board of Governors and on the IEEE CAS Fellow Evaluation Committee. She is on the Foundation and Trends in Signal Processing Journal Editorial Board. She is a member of the IEEE SPS IVMSP TC and IEEE CAS DSP TC. She has been selected by the IEEE Signal Processing Society to serve as the new Editor-In-Chief of the IEEE Journal on Selected Topics in Signal Processing (IEEE JSTSP) starting January 2019.

Patents

Tinku Acharya, Lina J. Karam, and Francescomaria Marino, “The Compression of Color Images Based on a 2-Dimensional Discrete Wavelet Transform Yielding a Perceptually Lossless Image,” US Patent 6,154,493. Filed 1998 by Intel. Issued 2000.

Tinku Acharya, Lina J. Karam, and Francescomaria Marino, “Real-time Algorithms and Architectures for Coding Images Compressed by DWT-Based Techniques,” US Patent 6,124,811. Filed 1998 by Intel. Issued 2000.

Glen P. Abousleman, Tuyet-Trang Lam, and Lina J. Karam, “Communication System and Method for Multi-Rate, Channel-Optimized Trellis-Coded Quantization,” US Patent 6,717,990. Filed 2000 by Motorola. Issued 2004.

Katherine S. Tyldesley, Glen P. Abousleman, and Lina J. Karam, “System and Method for Transmission of Video Signals using Multiple Channels,” US Patent. Filed 2003 by General Dynamics.

Glen P. Abousleman, Wei-Jung Chien and Lina J. Karam, “Method and Apparatus for Network-Adaptive Video Coding,” US Patent. Provisional filed 2007 by ASU. Full patent filed 2008 by ASU.

Lina J. Karam and Asaad Said, “Automatic Cell Migration and Proliferation Analysis,” United States Patent 9,082,164. Issued July 14, 2015. Applications: Cancer Diagnosis, Drug Discovery, Cell Migration Rate, Cell Count, biomedical imaging

Lina J. Karam and Samuel Dodge, “Systems, Methods, and Media for Identifying Object Characteristics Based on Fixation Points,” United States Patent 9,501,710 B2. Issued November 22, 2016.

Lina J. Karam and Jinjin Li, “Stereo Vision Measurement System and Method,” United States Patent 9,704,232 B2. Full Patent Filed March 18, 2015. Issued July 11, 2017.
Technology Licensed by Intel through Arizona Technology Enterprises (AzTE).

Lina J. Karam and Tejas Borkar, ¿Systems and Methods for Feature Corrections and Regeneration for Robust Sensing, Computer Vision, and Classification,¿ Provisional Patent Application 62/650,905 filed on 30 March 2018.

Technology Transfer

Dr. Karam has directed projects that led to successful technology transfer. Some select projects and patents are listed below.

Dr. Karam directed the development of coputer vision and machine learning systems for assistive technologies include ADAS technologies for smart cars. The developed real-time forward collision warning system prototype was demonstrated by our Intel industry collaborators at the 2015 Consumers’ Electronic Symposium (CES) in Las Vegas. Dr. Karam directed the development and evaluation of image/video-based gender and age estimation systems for industry partners. Dr. Karam directed the development of scalable visual compression technologies that outperform existing video codecs in low-bandwidth environments. The developed codecs were commercialized by General Dynamics as SelectFocus Image and SelectFocus Video and were integrated as the core of General Dymanics’ OTUS Integrated Mobile Situational Awareness System . More details can be found in Chien, Sadaka, Abousleman, and Karam, “Region-of-Interest-Based Ultra-Low-Bit-Rate Video Coding,” SPIE Symposium on Defense & Security, March 2008.

Dr. Karam has directed the development of visual processing, computer vision, and machine learning algorithms for automated defect detection in semi-conductor units and 3D characterization. The developed systems are currently being used at Intel for automatically identifying issues early during the assembly and test process. The developed void detection system helped in enabling two industry standards, JEDEC JC 14-1 void guideline and IPC-7095C. More details can be found in Said, Bennett, Karam, and Pettinato, “Robust Automatic Void Detection in Solder Balls and Joints,” IPC Printed Circuit Expo, April 2010, and in Said et al., “Automated Void Detection in Solder Balls in the Presence of Vias and Other Artifacts,” to appear in the IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology. The developed image-based non-wet solder joints detection system was granted a Divisional Recognition Award by Intel. More details can be found in Said, Bennett, Karam, and Pettinato, “Automated Detection and Classification of Non-Wet Solder Joints,” IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, Jan 2011. More details about the 3D Characterication including mage-based solder ball height and warpage measurements can be found in Li, Bennett, Karam, and Pettinato, “Stereo Vision Based Automated Solder Ball Height and Substrate Coplanarity Inspection,” IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 757-771, April 2016. Details about machine learning based computer vision for defect detection can be found in Haddad, Yang, Karam, Ye, Patel and Braun, “Multi-Feature, Sparse-Based Approach for Defects Detection and Classification in Semiconductor Units,” accepted and to appear in the IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, 14 pages, 2016. Dr. Karam was granted the 2012 Intel Outstanding Researcher Award in High-Volume Manufacturing.

Dr. Karam has directed the development of perceptual-based visual compression methods and algorithms. The work on JPEG2000 Encoding with Perceptual Distortion Control enabled the integration of adaptive perceptual-based visual processing and compression in the JPEG 2000 image coding standard and demonstrated improved performance in terms of visual quality and compression while maintaining full compatibility with the JPEG 2000 standard. For this significant contribution, Dr. Karam received a Technical Innovation Award from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Dr. Karam directed the development of automated biomedical image analysis i algorithms that enable high-thoughput cancer diagnostics and drug discovery. The developed automated image analysis technologies have been commercialized by Muscale, LLC, and have been used for cancer research at different institutions, including the Translational Genomics Institute (TGEN) and the New York School of Medicine.

Dr. Karam has developed as a consultant for PICARIS, LLC, image mosaicing technologies.

Selected Publications

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Samuel Dodge and Lina J. Karam, “Quality Robust Mixtures of Deep Neural Networks,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, Accepted June 2018.

Samuel Dodge and Lina J. Karam, “Visual Saliency Prediction Using a Mixture of Deep Neural Networks,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 27, no. 8, pp. 4080-4090, August 2018.

S. Alireza Golestaneh and Lina J. Karam, “Synthesized Texture Quality Assessment via Multi-scale Spatial and Statistical Texture Attributes of Image and Gradient Magnitude Coefficients,” IEEE CVPR Workshop, NTIRE: New Trends in Image Restoration and Enhancement Workshop and Challenges, 7 pages, June 2018.

Jinane Mounsef and Lina J. Karam, “Augmented Sparse Representation Classifier for Blurred Face Recognition,” IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP), 2018.

Samuel Dodge, Jinane Mounsef, and Lina J. Karam, “Unconstrained Ear Eecognition using Deep Neural Networks,” IET Biometrics, 8 pages. Accepted January 2018. doi: 10.1049/iet-bmt.2017.0208

Lina J. Karam, Tejas Borkar, Junseok Chae, Yu Cao, “Generative Sensing: Transforming Unreliable Data for Reliable Recognition,” IEEE Multimedia Information Processing and Retrieval (IEEE MIPR), Apr. 2018. (invited paper)

Samuel Dodge and Lina Karam, “Can the Early Human Visual System Compete with Deep Neural Networks?,” 7 pages, International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV), Workshop on Mutual Benefits of Cognitive and Computer Vision (MBCC), Oct. 2017. Oral Presentation.

Samuel Dodge and Lina Karam, “A Study and Comparison of Human and Deep Learning Recognition Performance Under Visual Distortions,” 7 pages, International Conference on Computer Communications and Networks (ICCCN), July-Aug. 2017.

S. Alireza Golestaneh and Lina J. Karam, “Spatially-Varying Blur Detection Based on Multiscale Fused and Sorted Transform Coefficients of Gradient Magnitudes,” IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), July 2017.

Milind S. Gide and Lina J. Karam, “Computational Visual Attention Models,” Foundations and Trends® in Signal Processing: Vol. 10: No. 4, pp 347-427, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/2000000055 (invited)

S. Alirezah Golestaneh and Lina J. Karam, ¿Reduced-Reference Quality Assessment Based on the Entropy of DWT Coefficients of Locally Weighted Gradient Magnitudes,¿ IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 25, no. 11, pp. 5293-5303 (11 pages), Nov. 2016.

Bashar M. Haddad, Sen Yang, Lina J. Karam, Jieping Ye, Nital Patel, and Martin Braun, “Multi-Feature, Sparse-Based Approach for Defects Detection and Classification in Semiconductor Units,” accepted and to appear in the IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, 14 pages, 2016.

Milind Gide and Lina J. Karam, “Locally Weighted Fixation Density-Based Metric for Assessing the Quality of Visual Saliency Predictions,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 3852-3861, Aug. 2016.

Mahesh Subedar and Lina J. Karam, “3D Blur Discrimination,” ACM Transactions on Applied Perception, vol. 13, issue 3, article no. 12, 13 pages, May 2016, doi 10.1145/2896453.

Srenivas Varadarajan and Lina J. Karam, “A No-Reference Texture Regularity Metric Based on Visual Saliency,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, pp. 2784 – 2796, Sept. 2015. Srenivas Varadarajan and Lina J. Karam, “A No-Reference Texture Regularity Metric Based on Visual Saliency,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, pp. 2784 – 2796, Sept. 2015.

Jinjin Li, Bonnie Bennett, Lina J. Karam, and Jeffrey S. Pettinato, “Stereo Vision Based Automated Solder Ball Height and Substrate Coplanarity Inspection,” IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, 15 pages, March 2015.

Charan D. Prakash, Jinjin Li, Farshad Akhbari, Lina J. Karam, “Sparse Depth Calculation Using Real-Time Key-Point Detection and Structure from Motion for Advanced Driver Assist Systems,” Advances in Visual Computing, Volume 8887, Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pp 740-751, Dec. 2014.

Tong Zhu and Lina J. Karam, “A No-Reference Objective Image Quality Metric based on Perceptually Weighted Local Noise,” EURASIP Journal on Image and Video Processing, 2014 (8 pages). Available online: http://jivp.eurasipjournals.com/content/2014/1/5.

Qian Xu, Srenivas Varadarajan, Chaitali Chakrabarti, and Lina J. Karam, “A Distributed Canny Edge Detector: Algorithm and FPGA Implementation,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 23, issue 7, pp. 2944-2960, July 2014.

Lina J. Karam, W. Bastiaan Klein, and Karon MacLean, “Perception-based Media Processing,” Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 101, issue 9, pp. 1900-1904, Sep. 2013.

Gaurav Sharma, Lina Karam, and Patrick Wolfe, “Select Trends in Image, Video, and Multidimensional Signal Processing,” IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, pp. 5-8, Jan. 2012. <br
Lina J. Karam, Nabil G. Sadaka, Rony Ferzli and Zoran A. Ivanovski, “An Efficient Selective Perceptual-Based Super-Resolution Estimator,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 20, no. 12, pp. 3470-3482, Dec. 2011.

Touradj Ebrahimi, Lina Karam, Fernando Pereira, Khaled El-Maleh, and Ian Burnett, “The Quality of Multimedia: Challenges and Trends,” IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, pp. 17 & 148, Nov. 2011.

Shyamprasad Chikkerur, Vijay Sundaram, Martin Reisslein, and Lina J. Karam, “Objective Video Quality Assessment Methods: A Classi?cation, Review, and Performance Comparison,” IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 165-182, June 2011.

Niranjan D. Narvekar and Lina J. Karam, “A No-Reference Image Blur Metric Based on the Cumulative Probability of Blur Detection (CPBD),” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 20, no. 9, pp. 2678-2682, Sep. 2011.

Asaad F. Said, Bonnie L. Bennett, Lina J. Karam, and Jeff Pettinato, “Automated Detection and Classification of Non-Wet Solder Joints,” IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 67-80, Jan. 2011.

Asaad F. Said, Bonnie L. Bennett, Lina J. Karam, and Jeff Pettinato, “Robust Automated Void Detection in Solder Balls and Joints,” OnBoard Technology Magazine, Issue of the Decade on Quality, pp. 36-41, Sep. 2010.

Lina J. Karam, Lossless Image Compression, in The Essential Guide to Image Processing, Al Bovik Editor, Chapter 16, pages 385-417, Elsevier Academic Press, 2009.

Wei-Jung Chien and Lina J. Karam, “Transform-Domain Distributed Video Coding with Rate-Distortion Based Adaptive Quantization,” IET Image Processing Journal, Special Issue on Distributed Video Coding, pages 340-354, vol. 3, no. 6, Dec. 2009.

Lina J. Karam, Ismail AlKamal, Alan Gatherer, Gene Frantz, David Anderson, and Brian Evans, “Trends in Multi-Core DSP Platforms,” IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, Special Issue on Signal Processing on Platforms with Multiple Cores, pages 38-49, Nov. 2009.

Wei-Jung Chien and Lina J. Karam, “BLAST-DVC: BitpLAne SelecTive Distributed Video Coding,” Springer Multimedia Tools and Applications Journal, Special Issue on Distributed Video Coding, July 2009, DOI 10.1007/s11042-009-0314-8. [ </br
pdf ]

Lina J. Karam, Touradj Ebrahimi, Sheila Hemami, Thrasos Pappas, Robert Safranek, Zhou Wang, and Andrew B. Watson, “Introduction to the Special Issue on Visual Media Quality Assessment,” IEEE Journal on Special Topics in Signal Processing, Special Issue on Visual Media Quality Assessment, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 189-192, April 2009. [ pdf ]

Rony Ferzli and Lina J. Karam, “A No-Reference Objective Image Sharpness Metric Based on the Notion of Just Noticeable Blur (JNB),” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 717-728, April 2009. [ pdf ]

Brian Lenoski, Leslie C. Baxter, Lina J. Karam, José Maisog, and Josef Debbins, “On the Performance of Autocorrelation Estimation Algorithms for fMRI Analysis,” IEEE Journal on Special Topics in Signal Processing, Special Issue on Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, vol. 2, no. 6, pp. 828-838, Dec. 2008. [ pdf ]

Lina J. Karam and Naji Mounsef, Introduction to Engineering: A Starter’s Guide With Hands-On Digital Multimedia Explorations and Robotics , Morgan-Claypool, 2008.

Lina J. Karam and Naji Mounsef, Introduction to Engineering: A Starter’s Guide With Hands-On Analog Multimedia Explorations , Morgan-Claypool, 2008.

Lina J. Karam and Tuyet-Trang Lam, “Selective Error Detection for Error-Resilient Wavelet-Based Image Coding,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 16, no. 12, pp. 2936-2942, Dec. 2007. [ pdf ]

Hands-On Digital Multimedia Explorations and Robotics , Morgan-Claypool, 2008.

Lina J. Karam and Naji Mounsef, Introduction to Engineering: A Starter’s Guide With Hands-On Analog Multimedia Explorations , Morgan-Claypool, 2008.

Lina J. Karam and Tuyet-Trang Lam, “Selective Error Detection for Error-Resilient Wavelet-Based Image Coding,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 16, no. 12, pp. 2936-2942, Dec. 2007. [ pdf ]

Zhen Liu, Lina J. Karam, and Andrew B. Watson, “JPEG2000 Encoding with Perceptual Distortion Control,” IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 15, no. 7, pp. 1763- 1778, Jul. 2006. [ pdf ]

Zhen Liu and Lna J. Karam, “Mutual Information-Based Analysis of JPEG 2000 Contexts”, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 411-422, April 2005. [ pdf ]

Lina J. Karam, James H. McClellan, Ivan Selesnick, and C. Sid Burrus, “Digital Filtering,” in CRC Digital Signal Processing Handbook (Vijay Madisetti and Douglas Williams, Editors), Jan. 1998.

Links

• Image, Video, and Usability Lab
• International Workshop on Quality of Multimedia Experience (QoMEX)
• International Workshop on Video Processing and Quality Metrics for Consumer Electronics (VPQM)
• IEEE Signal Processing Society
• IEEE Circuits and Systems Society
• IEEE Communications Society