Montana State faculty member Brittany Fasy wins prestigious PECASE award

BOZEMAN - Montana State University faculty member Brittany Terese Fasy was recently awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. She was one of approximately 400 recipients announced Jan. 14. According to the White House, the PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers.

Fasy is an associate professor of computer science in the Gianforte School of Computing in MSU's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, as well as an affiliate faculty member of mathematical sciences in the College of Letters and Science.

"I was surprised when they told me I had won a PECASE award," Fasy said. "When they announced the award recipients, I started getting congratulations emails from program officers across NSF. I was in disbelief at first."

Fasy, whose research interests include computational topology and geometry as well as computer science education, previously won a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, providing her with $600,000 to pursue research in computational topology in 2021. As an undergraduate in 2006 she also received a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship.

"Brittany's research success is due to many factors," said John Paxton, director of MSU's school of computing. "First, she applies her research to significant social problems. For example, she applies her computational topology work to help doctors more accurately diagnose prostate cancer stages. Second, she collaborates with a broad network of talented researchers, both internally and externally. Finally, due to these first two factors, she is able to attract talented graduate students to her research program."

The PECASE award was established in 1996 to recognize scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award recognizes innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, expands awareness of careers in science and engineering, recognizes the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhances connections between research and impacts on society and highlights the importance of science and technology for the nation's future.

Fasy describes her work as "finding shape and structure in data."

"I work at the intersection of mathematics and computer science, and a little bit of statistics," Fasy said.

Much of Fasy's work done with researchers from other fields of study who have complex data sets that need new methods to understand them. One such project involves Mark Owkes, associate professor in MSU's Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.

Owkes has developed numerical methods to improve the accuracy and robustness of fluid simulations, including simulations of sprays, such as those from fuel injectors. Fasy is working with Owkes to use topological and geometric shape descriptors to create a database of so-named "atomization events" to assist with future simulations.

"Those simulations are very expensive, so we're using this computational work to make those simulations faster," she said.

Fasy's work in topological data analysis often relies on looking at filtered, or parameterized, data. Without parameterization, one would summarize data or shapes by a collection of numbers or labels. With the parameterized approach, more nuanced information can be captured. She likens this approach for studying data to looking at a painting from various distances.

"If you were to look at van Gogh's 'Starry Night' up close, you could see the brushstrokes," she said. "But only when you step back can you see the moon and the stars in the painting. There is no perfect distance to see the painting. To see the painting, you have to view it from multiple distances."

Fasy earned a dual Bachelor of Science in mathematics and computer science from Saint Joseph's University in 2007 and a doctorate in computer science from Duke University in 2012. She also held two postdoctoral positions, one at Tulane University and one at Carnegie Mellon University.

"I am so pleased to see Dr. Fasy receive this recognition for her unique research accomplishments and potential," said Alison Harmon, MSU's vice president of research and economic development. "We know how fantastic our faculty are, and it is rewarding to have that validated by national honors."