University of Utah
School of Computing
Salt Lake City, Utah

I am currently a Research Assistant at the Scientific Computing Institute (SCI), with a Ph.D. in Scientific Computing. My research focuses on developing new methods for extracting features from Electron Microscopy data to aid in neural circuit reconstruction.

Research Interests

Neuroscientists at the University of Utah are developing new imaging techniques to better understand the complex structure of the retina and optic tract. This is an important area of research because it closely models the behavior of the neural system in the brain, but on a smaller scale. Also, understanding how the retina and optic nerve process signals helps scientists develop cures for debilitating eye diseases.

The complexity and size of this data makes human interpretation a labor intensive task. To aid in the analysis, we are developing segmentation techniques for identifying neurons and axons in image data acquired from a transmission electron microscope. The extremely anisotropic resolution of the data makes segmentation and tracking across slices difficult. In addition, the thickness of the slices can make the membranes of the neurons can be hard to identify. Tools designed to handle inconsistent data must be flexible enough to account for the changes and uncertainty in the neuron segmentation.

For more information: Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS)

M. Seyedhosseini, R. Kumar, E. Jurrus, R. Guily, M. Ellisman, H. Pfister, and T. Tasdizen, "Detection of Neuron Membranes in Electron Microscopy Images using Multi-scale Context and Radon-like Features" Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention (MICCAI 2011)

L. Hogrebe, A. R. C. Paiva, E. Jurrus, C. Christensen, M. Bridge, J.R. Korenberg, and T. Tasdizen, " Trace Driven Registration of Neuron Confocal Microscopy Stacks," 2011 IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging, March 30 2011-April 2 2011

E. Jurrus, A. R. C. Paiva, S. Watanabe, J. Anderson, B. Jones, R. Whitaker, E. M. Jorgensen, R. Marc, and T. Tasdizen, "Detection of Neuron Membranes in Electron Microscopy Images using a Serial Neural Network Architecture," Med Image Anal. 2010 Dec;14(6):770-83

A. R. C. Paiva, E. Jurrus,, and T. Tasdizen, " Using Sequential Context for Image Analysis," Proc. IEEE Intl. Conference on Pattern Recognition, (Istanbul, Turkey), Aug. 2010

E. Jurrus, A. R. C. Paiva, S. Watanabe, R. Whitaker, E. M. Jorgensen, and T. Tasdizen, "Serial Neural Network Classifier for Membrane Detection using a Filter Bank," Workshop on Microscopic Image Analysis with Applications in Biology, Sept 2009

J.R. Anderson, B.W. Jones, J.-H. Yang, M.V. Shaw, C.B. Watt,
P. Koshevoy, J. Spaltenstein, E. Jurrus, Kannan U.V., R.T. Whitaker, D. Mastronarde, T. Tasdizen, and R.E. Marc, "A Computational Framework for Ultrastructural Mapping of Neural Circuitry," PLoS Biol 7(3), March 2009

Kannan U.V., A. Paiva, E. Jurrus, and T. Tasdizen, "Automatic Markup of Neural Cell Membranes Using Boosted Decision Stumps," Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro, 2009. ISBI '09. IEEE International Symposium on , vol., no., pp.1039-1042, June 28 2009-July 1 2009

E. Jurrus, T. Tasdizen, P. Koshevoy, P. T. Fletcher, M. Hardy,
C. Chien, W. Denk, and R. Whitaker, "Axon Tracking in Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy," Medical Image Analysis, Volume 13, Issue 1, February 2009, Pages 180-188, ISSN 1361-8415, DOI: 10.1016/j.media.2008.05.002.

E. Jurrus, T. Tasdizen, S.Watanabe, M. Wayne Davis,
E. M. Jorgensen, and R. Whitaker; "Abstract: Semi-Automated Reconstruction of the Neuromuscular Junctions in C. elegans;" MICCAI Workshop on Microscopic Image Analysis with Applications in Biology, 2008. (see the poster)

T. Tasdizen , E. Jurrus, and R. T. Whitaker; "Non-uniform Illumination Correction in Transmission Electron Microscopy," MICCAI Workshop on Microscopic Image Analysis with Applications in Biology, 2008.

E. Jurrus, R. Whitaker, B.W. Jones, R. Marc, and T. Tasdizen,
“An Optimal-Path Approach for Neural Circuit Reconstruction,” Biomedical Imaging: From Nano to Macro, 2008. ISBI 2008. 5th IEEE International Symposium on, pp.1609-1612, 14-17 May 2008

E. Jurrus, T. Tasdizen, P. Koshevoy, P. T. Fletcher, M. Hardy,
C. Chien, W. Denk, and R. Whitaker, "Axon Tracking in Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy," Workshop on Microscopic Image Analysis with Applications in Biology, MICCAI October 2006