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The NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography (AI2ES) focuses on creating trustworthy AI for a variety of environmental and Earth science phenomena. AI2ES includes leading experts from AI, atmospheric and ocean science, risk communication, and education, who work synergistically to develop and test trustworthy AI methods that transform our understanding and prediction of the environment. Trust is a social phenomenon, and our integration of risk communication research across AI2ES activities provides an empirical foundation for developing user‐informed, trustworthy AI. AI2ES also features activities to broaden participation and for workforce development that are fully integrated with AI2ES research on trustworthy AI, environmental science, and risk communication.

 

Abstract We introduce the National Science Foundation (NSF) AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography (AI2ES). This AI institute was funded in 2020 as part of a new initiative from the NSF to advance foundational AI research across a wide variety of domains. To date AI2ES is the only NSF AI institute focusing on environmental science applications. Our institute focuses on developing trustworthy AI methods for weather, climate, and coastal hazards. The AI methods will revolutionize our understanding and prediction of high-impact atmospheric and ocean science phenomena and will be utilized by diverse, professional user groups to reduce risks to society. In addition, we are creating novel educational paths, including a new degree program at a community college serving underrepresented minorities, to improve workforce diversity for both AI and environmental science. 

Abstract Intercellular electrical coupling is an essential means of communication between cells. It is important to obtain quantitative knowledge of such coupling between cardiomyocytes and non-excitable cells when, for example, pathological electrical coupling between myofibroblasts and cardiomyocytes yields increased arrhythmia risk or during the integration of donor (e.g., cardiac progenitor) cells with native cardiomyocytes in cell-therapy approaches. Currently, there is no direct method for assessing heterocellular coupling within multicellular tissue. Here we demonstrate experimentally and computationally a new contactless assay for electrical coupling, OptoGap, based on selective illumination of inexcitable cells that express optogenetic actuators and optical sensing of the response of coupled excitable cells (e.g., cardiomyocytes) that are light-insensitive. Cell–cell coupling is quantified by the energy required to elicit an action potential via junctional current from the light-stimulated cell(s). The proposed technique is experimentally validated against the standard indirect approach, GapFRAP, using light-sensitive cardiac fibroblasts and non-transformed cardiomyocytes in a two-dimensional setting. Its potential applicability to the complex three-dimensional setting of the native heart is corroborated by computational modelling and proper calibration. Lastly, the sensitivity of OptoGap to intrinsic cell-scale excitability is robustly characterized via computational analysis. 

One challenge in capitalizing on the affordability, sustainability, and accessibility of biohybrid solar energy conversion, including devices based on Photosystem I (PSI), is the identification of metal‐free electrode materials to replace the inorganic substrates commonly found in solar cell development. Herein, commercially available Toray carbon paper (CP) is investigated as a high surface area, carbon electrode for the development of photoactive bioelectrodes consisting of PSI and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). Mediated anodic photocurrent is achieved at both PSI multilayer and PSI–polymer composite films on CP electrodes subjected to flame pretreatment. Film preparation is optimized by utilizing potential sweep voltammetry in place of potentiostatic conditions for polymerization. The optimized PSI–PEDOT:PSS films achieve a threefold increase in polymer growth under potential sweep conditions, quantified through net charge consumed during electropolymerization, resulting in a fourfold increase in photocurrent density (−53 vs −196 nA cm⁻²). The ability to prepare photoactive PSI‐polymer films on metal‐free CP electrodes opens the door to a rapidly scalable system for biohybrid energy production ultimately leading to more affordable, sustainable, and accessible energy.