AI for Social Impact and Human Rights
Dr. Robert Pless
Arnold C. Meltzer Endowed Professor of Computer Science
The George Washington University, School of Engineering and Applied Science Robert Pless is the Chair and Patrick and Donna Martin Chair of the Computer Science Department. His research focus is geometric and statistical approaches to Computer Vision, with applications to robotics, environmental and social justice. He has a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from Cornell University in 1994 and a PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2000. He was on the faculty of Computer Science at Washington University in St. Louis from 2000-2017. His research focuses on geometrical and statistical Computer Vision. He has served as Program Chair for WACV 2016, and CVPR in 2024.
Katherine Hugins
Associate Director, Admissions & International Partnerships
The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science (GW Engineering) Katherine Hugins is the Associate Director of Admissions & International Partnerships at The George Washington University's School of Engineering & Applied Science. With over eleven years of experience in graduate admissions, she specializes in international recruitment and partnership building. Katherine previously served as Assistant Director of International Graduate Admissions, playing a key role in enrollment strategies for global students. She is dedicated to facilitating smooth admission processes for diverse applicants.
Arnold C. Meltzer Endowed Professor of Computer Science
The George Washington University, School of Engineering and Applied Science Robert Pless is the Chair and Patrick and Donna Martin Chair of the Computer Science Department. His research focus is geometric and statistical approaches to Computer Vision, with applications to robotics, environmental and social justice. He has a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from Cornell University in 1994 and a PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2000. He was on the faculty of Computer Science at Washington University in St. Louis from 2000-2017. His research focuses on geometrical and statistical Computer Vision. He has served as Program Chair for WACV 2016, and CVPR in 2024.
Associate Director, Admissions & International Partnerships
The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science (GW Engineering) Katherine Hugins is the Associate Director of Admissions & International Partnerships at The George Washington University's School of Engineering & Applied Science. With over eleven years of experience in graduate admissions, she specializes in international recruitment and partnership building. Katherine previously served as Assistant Director of International Graduate Admissions, playing a key role in enrollment strategies for global students. She is dedicated to facilitating smooth admission processes for diverse applicants.In this talk, I will give an accessible technical introduction to TraffickCam, a system that supports sex trafficking investigations by recognizing hotel rooms in images of trafficking victims. This system is currently in use in the U.S. at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. I will explain the foundational models we use to represent and search over millions of hotel rooms, then highlight the importance of multimodal search in enabling investigators to apply their expertise to the search process. I will conclude with the technical challenges we are currently addressing, including visualizing network attention to understand why some searches fail and calibrating the model to estimate its own confidence in the search results.
Learn Ethical use of AI
Learn how data accelerates victim rescue
Explore how image recognition enables identification
Plan Your GWSEAS Journey
Exclusive Application Fee Waivers
Career Insights and Opportunities
Networking and Access to Expert Insights
Exclusive GWSEAS Scholarships from SEED Scholarship Fund
Located at the heart of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area, the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science (GW Engineering) is a beacon for transformative education, research, and innovation. Driven by a deep commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, GW Engineering empowers students to become tomorrow's problem-solvers, equipping them to address the world's most pressing challenges. Ranked among the top engineering schools, GW Engineering boasts an impressive network, with nearly 300 leading companies such as Amazon, Cisco, Google, and The World Bank actively recruiting its graduates. With its unique location in Washington, D.C., the school leverages its proximity to government agencies, businesses, and international organizations, empowering students and faculty to make impactful contributions globally. SEAS prioritizes ethical leadership, academic excellence, and the pursuit of innovation in the service of humanity.
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08 February 2026
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19 February 2026
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