Project Grant 2420248

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $293,288 Project Grant under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to the University of Missouri System, doing business as Missouri University of Science & Technology (Missouri S&T), with a performance period from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2026. The grant is titled "EAGER: SOLVING REPRESENTATION LEARNING AND CATASTROPHIC FORGETTING WITH ADAPTIVE RESONANCE THEORY" and aims to investigate approaches for overcoming limitations in current machine learning methods, particularly in areas of scalability, credit assignment, and explainability. The project seeks to develop new techniques that combine the advantages of match-based and error-based learning to enable more cost-effective, trustworthy, and less brittle machine learning systems capable of true lifelong learning. The award reflects NSF's mission to advance scientific knowledge and innovation, with broader impacts including mentoring for female and underrepresented minority researchers and undergraduates.