Helmholtz Imaging Newsletter Issue No. 17

Dear Imaging Enthusiast,

We’re excited to bring you the latest edition of our newsletter, featuring fresh insights and updates from our recent endeavors and partner platforms. Join us as we explore the latest developments in imaging.

With this edition, we’re introducing a new section to keep you informed about upcoming funding opportunities and awards. Always here to boost your research.

• Save the Date: The Helmholtz Imaging Conference returns in June 2025 with inspiring keynotes, engaging discussions, and more.
• Join the Workshop: Learn about Image Prevalidation at the upcoming Helmholtz Reproducibility Workshop in Berlin.
• Challenge Wins: Congratulations to our teams for securing first place in both the PENGWIN and ToothFairy2 challenges!
• Spotlight on Excellence: Lena Maier-Hein wins the Baden-Württemberg State Research Prize.
• Instagram Showcase: Follow us on Instagram for the top scientific images from the Helmholtz Imaging Contest 2024.
• Meet Us: Catch Helmholtz Imaging team members at events in Milano, Marrakech, Dresden, Potsdam and Berlin.
• Platform updates: Discover the latest news from our partner platforms HIDA, HIFIS & HMC.
• Event Spotlight: Don’t miss the two-day workshop “Foundation Models in Science” this March.
• NEW: Funding & Award Opportunities: Learn about the Helmholtz Software Award, Helmholtz AI Project Call, Helmholtz Enterprise Project funding and Helmholtz Doctoral Award.
• Latest Publications & Jobs: Explore recent scientific publications and career opportunities.

Happy reading!

Your Helmholtz Imaging team

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A personal note from us:

Do you have an imaging challenge, no matter how big or small? We’re here to help you, free of charge. Contact us via our support hub. 

Also, if you haven’t yet, join our network of experts, modalities, instruments, and facilities! CONNECT with us.

Interested in receiving our newsletter directly in your mailbox? Subscribe here.

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Helmholtz Imaging Conference 2025: Save the Date

The Helmholtz Imaging Conference returns in 2025, this time taking place from June 26-28. Open to scientists from all Helmholtz research areas, the event is designed for those involved in imaging research or utilizing imaging techniques in their work. Expect inspiring keynotes, engaging discussions, scientific presentations, poster sessions, and more. 

Returning for the second time in 2025 is our session format, “Bring your own imaging challenge”. This is a fantastic opportunity to expand your network, showcase your research, stay updated on the latest imaging trends, and help shape the future of Helmholtz Imaging. The venue details will be announced soon.

Get in touch with us if you would like to organize a thematic workshop prior to the conference.

Save the date and stay tuned for more information

Interested in Image Prevalidation? Join us at the Helmholtz Reproducibility Workshop 

As part of the fourth Helmholtz Reproducibility Workshopon October 24, 2024 at MDC Berlin, we’re pleased to offer a workshop on image prevalidation. In this workshop, Deborah Schmidt from our Engineering and Support Unit at MDC will introduce the importance of ensuring that image data is suitable for the analysis it is intended for. 

Images can contain hidden quality issues, inconsistencies, or artifacts that can impact analysis results, often in subtle ways. Through real-world examples, we will explore how to detect these challenges early on, discussing image quality and consistency across data collections. We aim to create an open, interactive environment where participants can share their experiences and challenges with image data. We will introduce practical approaches to assessing image data before analysis begins, while encouraging discussion on best practices and common pitfalls. Our goal is to foster communication and mutual learning, helping everyone to improve their image validation workflows.

Register by October 10 to participate in this workshop

Helmholtz Imaging Team wins Two Challenges: PENGWIN & ToothFairy2

We’re thrilled to announce that first place at the PENGWIN and ToothFairy2 Challenges has been secured by a team from the Helmholtz Imaging Applied Computer Vision Lab and the Division of Medical Image Computing at DKFZ. Both challenges are powered by nnU-Net. The results will be presented at the MICCAI 2024 at the beginning of October in Marrakesh, Morocco.

First Place in PENGWIN Challenge for Fracture Detection Method in Pelvic and Sacral Bones

The task revolved around the detection of fractures of the pelvic and sacral bones. The goals were to detect the individual fragments and assign them anatomical labels. Accurate segmentation of pelvic fractures is a critical step in trauma diagnosis and image-guided surgery. Our team developed a novel method for instance segmentation tailored towards complex three-dimensional structures. A corresponding publication is in the making.

Read more about the PENGWIN segmentation challenge

First Place in ToothFairy2 Challenge for Dental Structure Segmentation

The competition involved segmenting anatomical structures and teeth in CBCT images, with a particularly difficult task of assigning each tooth to its FDI notation amidst severe artifacts, missing teeth, and prostheses. 

Learn more about the ToothFairy2 Challenge

Lena Maier-Hein wins 100k Euro State Research Prize

Congratulations to Lena for winning the Baden-Württemberg State Research Prize for excellence in applied research! The jury recognized her pioneering work in developing and validating innovative AI-based imaging methods.

Lena Maier-Hein, one of Helmholtz Imaging’s Center Coordinators at DKFZ, specializes in the intersection of artificial intelligence and surgical imaging. Her research aims to improve oncological surgeries by leveraging AI-based techniques, offering surgical teams deeper insights into internal body processes.

The award will be presented at a ceremony on October 22.

Explore the Best Scientific Images from the Helmholtz Imaging Contest 2024 on Instagram

Our weekly Instagram showcase of the top 20 scientific images from the Helmholtz Imaging Contest 2024 is well underway! We kicked off the campaign with Paul Morocho Jaramillo’s 1st Place Jury Award-winning image, “More than just fat,” and will continue to feature the fascinating images in the coming weeks. Each image highlights the incredible research and creativity within our imaging science community, offering a unique window into scientific discovery.

Get ready: The Best Scientific Image Contest will be back in 2025, and we’ll soon be calling for submissions! Stay tuned here for more details – the official call will be going out this fall. 

Follow us on Instagram @HelmholtzImaging to catch up on the campaign and see the upcoming images: bit.ly/HIonInstagram

Meet Helmholtz Imaging

Say hello to Helmholtz Imaging team members at the following events:

• Meet Tim Rädsch at the European Conference on Computer Vision on October 1-4, 2024 in Milano, Italy. 
• Say hello to Fabian Isensee, Paul Jäger, Lena Maier-Hein & Annika Reinke at MICCAI on October 6-10, 2024 in Marrakech, Morocco. 
• Say hi Deborah Schmidt at the 1st Conference on Experimental Endocrinology on October 13-14, 2024 in Dresden.
• Meet us at the GFZ Open Science Day on October 23, 2024 in Potsdam.
• Meet Deborah Schmidt at the Helmholtz Reproducibility Workshop on October 24, 2024 in Berlin.

News from our Partner Platforms

Event Spotlight: Foundation Models in Science

The Synergy Unit of the Helmholtz Foundation Model Initiative is organizing a two-day workshop on “Foundation Models in Science “. The workshop will be held at Alte Mütze in Berlin on March 18-19, 2025. It aims to bring together leading figures in the field of Foundation Model research and is co-organized with the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS). 

Stay tuned here for more details. Registration will open in late fall.

Funding Opportunities & Awards

• Helmholtz Software Award: Apply by October 31, 2024 for the Helmholtz Software Award in one of the following categories: Best Scientific Software, Sustainability, or Newcomer. 
• Helmholtz AI Project Call 2024: Secure funding for high-risk, high-gain research projects in applied machine learning and artificial intelligence. Submit your project proposal by November 14, 2024. 
• Helmholtz Enterprise Project Call: Support for founders at the Helmholtz Centers: Get funding for field studies and / or the establishment of start-ups. Submit your project proposal by September 27, 2024. 
• Helmholtz Doctoral Award: Promote your doctoral researchers. Submit your nominations by February 1, 2025.

New publications

Quality Assured: Rethinking Annotation Strategies in Imaging AI by Tim Rädsch, Annika Reinke, Vivienn Weru, Minu D. Tizabi, Nicholas Heller, Fabian Isensee, Annette Kopp-Schneider, Lena Maier-Hein

Discover all publications by Helmholtz Imaging

Job openings

FZ Jülich
Computational Fluid Dynamics / HPC / AI Specialist

GSI
Engineer as scientific-technical employee for high-precision 3D surveying and alignment of the accelerator facilities ­

GFZ
Postdoctoral researcher “Digital Twin for Critical Zones under Climate Change”

More jobs