Michael Sacks, professor in The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, gave the plenary lecture at the 2024 International Conference on Computational & Mathematical Biomedical Engineering (CMBE).
His talk, A Neural Network Finite Element Approach for High-Speed Cardiac Simulations, focused on a new computer simulation method to help doctors understand how the heart functions.
Since the heart is very complex organ, traditional computer simulations are slow and not practical for physicians to use in a clinical setting. Sacks and his team created a new method known as a neural network finite element (NNFE). This approach combines neural networks with traditional methods to quickly simulate how soft tissues in the heart behave.
The goal of the new approach is simulations that are fast enough to be useful in the clinical setting to help physicians determine the best treatment for their patients.
At UT, Sacks is also the director of James T. Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling & Simulation and holds the W.A. Tex Moncrief, Jr. Endowment in Simulation-Based Engineering and Sciences - Endowed Chair No. 1.
Each year, the CMBE brings together fellow researchers and academics, specialists of several disciplines, practitioners and graduate students with a common interest, to discuss the current state of the art of computational biomedical engineering research. The themes of the conference are broad ranging, with coverage of more theoretical or fundamental aspects, as well as implementation of new methodologies, assessment, verification/validation and varied applications.
WRITTEN BY JOSHUA KLEINSTREUER
