Mission

The mission of the CATE center at FIU is to foster cross-disciplinary research as a catalyst for our students to train and develop their creative thinking by bringing in synergy the fields of image and signal processing with application to neuroscience and assistive technology research. In the merging of these technologies, we see a productive ground for the development of new methodologies and designs that (1) meet the impending needs in neuroscience as we elicit both the functional mapping of the brain, and the causality of key brain disorders; and (2) design assistive technology tools that address effectively the issue of “Universal Accessibility”, focusing on visual impairment and motor disability. The premise is to translate new theoretical findings into the realm of real-world applicability.

Vision

Establish a research platform for the cohesive study of the human brain by bringing together several hospitals and academic institutions in a consortium that will instigate multi-site collaborative studies with a large number of patients in accordance to standardized protocols and tests.  Create an environment that supports cross-disciplinary initiatives, joint collaborations and programs with access to modern equipment and facilities of unprecedented sophistication and integration.  Extend the scientific reach of these interdisciplinary efforts to overcome the primary barriers in identifying the different factors that influence the functional organization of the brain, as new paradigms and new findings will come to benefit the scientific community as a whole, and to provide critical help to hundreds of patients yearly.  Provide a consolidated infrastructure for neuroimaging that will come in support of a new cohort of Ph.D. students and to a well-trained and skilled workforce able to bridge engineering and computing know-how to the fields of medicine and the biosciences.

Faculty

Niovi Rojas
Research Specialist II
CATE Lab Manager