2008 News
Computing Professor Honored by the White House
Assistant Professor Nick Feamster has been recognized as one of the nation’s top young scientists with a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The ceremony was held today at the White House. Source: Georgia Tech Communications and Marketing
Robot Babysitters Pose Dilemmas
Babysitting robots, once the province of futuristic fiction, are on the market. They make conversation, recognize faces and keep track of kids. But some researchers worry kids could be harmed. Roboticist Ronald Arkin says, "This stuff absolutely warrants further study." Source: Wired
Newest Threats to Cyber Security Difficult to Fight
Computer Science Assistant Professor Jonathon Giffin says the greatest danger to Internet security today are bots and botnets, which have infiltrated up to 15 percent of all computers linked to the Internet. The worst part? It's difficult for individual computer users to protect themselves. Source: Minnesota Public Radio
Manycore Center Is Building Hardware Today for Tomorrow’s Challenges
Georgia Tech’s Center for Manycore Computing has been named one of “10 really cool university networking labs.” Director Tom Conte says, “We're shrinking the technology that made the Internet possible and implementing it inside a single microchip.” Source: Network World
Botnets Are Number 1 Internet Security Threat
The Georgia Tech Information Security Center estimates that
15 percent of online computers worldwide are part of botnets: millions of
computers infected with malicious code that lets attackers turn them into
"zombies" for their own evil electronic deeds. That's up from 10
percent a year ago. Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
Entrepreneurial Alumnus Cashes Out Just in Time
Ali Suleman, who graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s in computer science, founded a company last year called Esgut—a portfolio of Facebook applications—that became a genuine viral hit. In April, he sold the company to the Social Gaming Network for seven figures. Source: cnn.com
Computing for Good: Web Technology to Solve Human Problems
A course called Computing for Good gave two Ph.D. candidates the opportunity to solve a life-or-death problem: monitoring the safety of blood supplies in African nations ravaged by HIV and AIDS. Source: Network World
Student Helps Bloggers Overcome Writer’s Block
Atlanta (December 9, 2008) —If you write a blog and haven’t been to Skribit (skribit.com) perhaps it’s just a matter of time. Paul Stamatiou created the service as a tool to help cure blogger’s block (writer’s block for bloggers) a little over a year ago, and already it gets about 4 million hits per month from the more than 4,000 blogs using it. Source: GT Communications and Marketing
Georgia Tech, CDC Develop Web-Based Tool to Boost Safety of African and Caribbean Blood Supply
ATLANTA – December 9, 2008 – The Georgia Tech College of Computing, with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, has developed a Web-based tool for tracking blood safety.
The tool is expected to help developing countries improve the adequacy
and safety of their national blood supplies through better monitoring
and evaluation. Source: Office of Communications
Thieves Winning Online War, Maybe in Your PC
Researchers at the Georgia Tech Information Security Center reported that the percentage of online computers worldwide infected by botnets is likely to increase to 15 percent by the end of this year, from 10 percent in 2007. Source: New York Times
Helper Robot Gets In-Home Testing
A Marietta artist and others with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, are testing a helper robot developed by robotics researcher Charles Kemp. Source: CNN
The Ethics of Programming Robots for War
Professor Ron C. Arkin says it’s time to focus on aspects other the efficiency and safety of soldier robots, such as programming them to comply with the Laws of War and the Rules of Engagement. Source: The Takeaway
Can Robots Be More Ethical Than Soldiers?
Computing Professor Ronald C. Arkin, who designs software for battlefield robots, says that “intelligent robots can behave more ethically in the battlefield than humans currently can.” Source: New York Times
Georgia Tech Ranked 8th Worldwide for IT
U.S. News & World Report ranked Georgia Tech 8th in the world for engineering and information technology programs. Source: U.S. News and World Report
Robotics Researcher Makes Arctic Exploration Safer
Associate professor Ayanna Howard of the Robotics and Intelligent Machines Center helped build robots that someday will gather weather and climate data from remote parts of the Arctic and Antarctic that are too dangerous for scientists to traverse. Source: USA Today
Georgia Tech Plans Manycore Computing Center
The Georgia Tech Colleges of Computing and Engineering are embarking on a joint research effort that will include the creation of the Georgia Tech Center for Manycore Computing, a research center for innovations in computer architecture. Source: Dr. Dobb’s Portal
Cellular Networks Not Designed for Mass Texting
Virginia Tech's text-message alert system failed when the sound of gunfire was heard on campus last week. Patrick Traynor, computer science assistant professor, said text-alert systems that use current cellular networks can overwhelm the system and cause partial or complete failure. Source: eSchool News
Home-Care Robots Could Be Ready in Time to Serve Aging Baby Boomers
The average disabled American pays $16,000 for a properly trained service dog and waits years for one, says Charlie Kemp, an adjunct professor in the School of Interactive Computing. But robots now in development could soon be available commercially for $5,000. Source: Health.com
Georgia Tech Announces Plans For New Manycore Computing Research Center
AUSTIN, Texas (SC08) – November 18, 2008 – The Georgia Institute of
Technology, a national leader in high-performance computing research
and education, announced plans to create the Georgia Tech
Center for Manycore Computing, a joint research center of the Colleges of Computing and Engineering that will pursue innovations in
computer architecture. Source: Office of Communications
GT Information Security Center Identifies Five Growing Threats for 2009
In its "Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2009," the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) named five trends that will drive threats and countermeasures in the coming year: malware, botnets, cyberwarfare, threats to VoIP and mobile devices and the evolving cybercrime economy. Source: Networkworld
High Performance Computing Heavyweights Join Georgia Institute of Technology
AUSTIN, Texas (SC08) – November 17, 2008 – Georgia Tech, a national leader in high performance computing research
and education, announced the addition of six distinguished researchers
to its current roster of experts and luminaries in supercomputing. Source: Office of Communications
Researchers Examine Human Interaction with Music
Interactive Computing Professor Melody Moore Jackson and Music Professor Parag Chordia are using brain imaging techniques to learn how the brain reacts during the creative process, especially improvisation by musicians. Source: Georgia Tech Communications and Marketing
Robotic Helpers Are on Their Way
Robots that help disabled people the way service dogs do are expected
to be available to the public within the next several years, and they would
be cheaper and easier to get, says Professor Charlie Kemp of the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines. Source: Fox 5 Atlanta
Hackers Threaten Critical Infrastructure in U.S.
The same hackers who infiltrated computer systems of the White House and the McCain and Obama campaigns also threaten power grids, water systems, transportation, communications and the commercial sector, said Howard Schmidt, a professor at the Georgia Tech Information Security Center. Source: Investors Business Daily
Giving a Hand to Would-Be Pianists
Interactive computing researchers have developed technology to help beginners learn to play piano. Piano touch is a light-weight glove, outfitted with electronics, that cues the musician with vibrations on each finger to tell him or her which one to use to play the next note. Source: Georgia Tech Communications and Marketing
Georgia Tech Enters the Spotlight at Supercomputing Conference
ATLANTA (November
11, 2008)—The Georgia Institute of Technology will command a significant presence at
next week’s SC08, the international conference on high-performance computing,
networking, storage and analysis being held Nov. 15-21 at the Austin Convention
Center in Austin, Texas. Source: Office of Communications
Smart Phones Among Top 5 Cyber Threats
“As these devices have richer functionality, you’re going to be able to install applications, and we’re going to run into the same kind of problems” that laptops and desktops have, said Mustaque Ahamad, director of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center. Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Researchers Aim to Make Sense of Massive Data
“If we rely solely on traditional science and technology methodologies, scientific problems are going to become more and more difficult to solve," says Professor Haesun Park of Computational Science and Engineering. Park heads up the Foundations of Data and Visual Analytics research initiative. Source: Genome Technology
Researcher Develops Models of Flow Physics
A team led by Adjunct Professor P.K. Yeung of Computational Science and Engineering is investigating fundamental problems of dispersion in turbulent fluid flow, which affect pollutant transport in both atmospheric and oceanic environments. Source: National Institute for Computational Sciences
Georgia Tech Ranked Eighth in the World for Information Technology Programs
The Georgia Institute of Technology recently was listed among the top
world universities in engineering and technology in two separate global
rankings. Source: Georgia Tech Communications and Marketing
Inexpensive Robots Could Substitute for Scarce and Costly Service Dogs
Charlie Kemp, a biomedical engineering professor affiliated with the Georgia Tech Robotics and Intelligent Machines Center, is developing a robot that could offer the same kind of help as service animals. Source: EETimes
Growing Security Threats Call for Better Defenses
Emerging cyber-threats like the botnets described in the recent Georgia Tech Information Security Center report underscore the need for more and better internet security tools. Source: The News & Observer
Data Theft Becoming an Organized Criminal Industry
A security expert who attended the recent Security Summit on Emerging Cyber Security Threats sponsored by Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) says, “Data will continue to be the primary motive behind future cyber crime.” Source: Homeland Security Today
Mobile-Botnet Threat 'a Ticking Time Bomb'
A report released by the Georgia Institute of Technology's Information Security Center predicts that botnets will infiltrate the mobile space next year. Viruses, worms, Trojans and spyware are already targeting the mobile platform. Source: ZDNet.co.uk
Criminals May Be Drawn to Colleges’ Networks
Mustaque Ahamad, director of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC), says the large and fairly open computer systems at institutions of higher education could be hit especially hard by malware, botnets and viruses. Source: Campus Technology
First Foley Scholars Named
The Foley Scholars Endowment has named Kelly Caine, a Ph.D. student in the School of Psychology, and Christopher Le Dantec, a Ph.D. student specializing in human-centered computing from the School of Interactive Computing, as the 2008-2009 Foley Scholars.
Robotics Researchers Look to Helper Animals for Inspiration
Charles Kemp, an assistant professor affiliated with the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, believes that animal helpers may offer the ideal model for robotic assistants. Kemp and graduate student Hai Nguyen have studied helper monkeys and are now studying dog assistants. Source: MIT Technology Review
Curriculum Should Emphasize Multi-Threading and Parallel Computing, Faculty Say
Faculty at the Center for Experimental Research in Computer Systems want students to be exposed to multi-threading and parallel computing early and often. Research scientist Matthew Wolf says, “It’s something students should be learning in the course of everything else they’re doing.” Source: Intel Software Insight
Spam Threat May Go Mobile, Report Warns
Spam may soon spill out beyond your inbox and start slithering onto your cellphone, warns a new report from the Georgia Tech Information Security Center. Source: PC World
Information Security Center Warns of Online Threats
Malware and botnets are among the top security concerns online for 2009, according a report released Wednesday at a summit hosted by the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC). Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle
Researchers Expect Hackers to Prey on Cell Phones
Hackers can infect thousands of PCs with special viruses and lash the machines together into "botnets" to pump out spam or attack other computers. Cell phones may be the next target, says a new report by researchers at the College of Computing. Source: Associated Press
Georgia Tech Information Security Center Releases Emerging Cyber Threats Forecast for 2009
ATLANTA (October 15, 2008) – The Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC), a national leader in information security research and education, today announced the release of the GTISC Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2009, outlining the top five areas of security concern and risk for consumer and enterprise Internet users for the coming year. Source: Office of Communications
Supercomputing Aims to Advance All Science
A recent report identified 10 breakthroughs in U.S.
computational science during the past year, and six of those involved science
done with high-performance machines at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “Breakthrough science - that's what it's all
about," said Thomas Zacharia, ORNL's scientific computing leader and joint
professor in Computational Science and Engineering. Source: Knoxville News
Sentinel
Apple not the First or Only to Offer Apps
In the first month after the App Store debuted alongside the new iPhones on July 11, users downloaded more than 60 million of the programs. Interactive computing Professor Blair MacIntyre has downloaded dozens of apps to his own iPhone but points out that Apple hasn't exactly broken new ground. Source: TopTech News
Advances in Robotics Require Discussion of Ethics
An annual "Turing Test" will start Sunday to see if computers can fool judges into believing the computer is human. If humans ever create a “conscious” robot, Henrik Christensen, director of the Center of Robotics and Intelligent Machines, said, “[the robots] would want to have rights, and they probably should." Source: Digitaljournal.com
Computing Alumnus Selected as Chair of GTISC Industry Advisory Board
Paul Judge, who earned both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in computer science at the College, has been appointed Chairman of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) Industry Advisory Board. Source: MarketWatch
Computing Paper Wins Awards at Major Software Engineering Conference
A paper by Ph.D. student Raul Santelices, former visiting researcher
Pavan Kumar Chittimalli, alumnus Taweesup Apiwattanapong and Professors
Alessandro (Alex) Orso and Mary Jean Harrold—all of the School of
Computer Science—received a “Best Paper Award” and a “Distinguished
Paper Award” at the 23rd IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated
Software Engineering. Source: Office of Communications
New Supercomputing Processor Architecture Holds Promise for Protein, Gene Studies
Professor David Bader is working with a new processor
architecture that can transform days or weeks of work by a cluster or
supercomputer into a job that takes minutes or even seconds. Source:
Genome Technology
Researchers Develop Self-Training Gene Prediction Program for Fungi
Mark Bodorovsky, Regents’ Professor of computational science and engineering and his team have developed a computer program that trains itself to predict genes in the DNA sequences of fungi. Source: Georgia Tech Research News
Exploring Governance in the World of Open Source
How much governance should there be in open source software? Open source developers often argue for little or none and point to such “ungoverned” successes as Wikipedia. But grad student Andrea Forte and IC Associate Professor Amy Bruckman describe Wikipedia as an organization with highly refined policies, norms and a technological architecture. Source: Open Source Magazine
Augmented Reality Poised for Commercial Impact
When explaining AR technology, interactive computing Professor Blair MacIntyre often invokes the virtual first-down marker seen as a yellow stripe in televised football games. “The technical challenge of AR is to do something similar but more complex with the live video feed from a cell phone camera and without the 10-second delay.” Source: Scientific American
Report: Text-Message Alert Systems Flawed
Text-message alert systems may be ineffective in the event of large-scale emergencies, suggests a new report by Assistant Professor Patrick G. Traynor of the School of Computer Science. Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
HP Labs Aims at Exascale Computing
Exascale data centers, such as the ones Professor Karsten Schawn is working toward with help from HP Labs, would harness farms of petaflop-caliber computers to achieve 1,000-fold increases over the world's fastest computers. Source: EE Times
Researchers Explore Exascale Computing
Having crashed through the petaflop barrier of a thousand trillion calculations per second back in June, scientists including Computing Professor Karsten Schwan are working to achieve the next benchmark in supercomputer performance—exascale computing. Source: GizMag
New Research on Cellular Text Messaging for Emergency Alert Services
Universities and municipalities are buying text messaging or SMS services as a way to deliver critical information during disaster events, but computer science Assistant Professor Patrick Traynor says, “Unfortunately, such systems typically will not work as advertised.” Source: MarketWatch
The Future is Exascale: HP Award Will Lay Groundwork for Next Generation Computers
ATLANTA, GA. (September 17, 2008) - While most personal computers today can process a few hundred thousand calculations per second, computer scientists at the College of Computing are laying the groundwork for exascale machines that will process more than a million trillion – or 1018 – calculations per second. Source: Office of Communications
DeMillo joins Carter Partnership Foundation board
Dr. Richard A. DeMillo, The John
P. Imlay Jr. Dean of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, has
joined the Board of Directors of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter
Partnership Foundation (JRCPF), the former president and first lady’s
Atlanta-based foundation that provides grants and awards to recognize
the best practices in campus-community partnership programs and the
best new ideas for student-led community service projects to solve
community based problems.
Magic for the iPhone
Apple may not have invented the concept of the mobile application, but the company's ultra-hip iPhone takes it to a new level of convenience and ease-of-use, says Blair MacIntyre, associate professor in Interactive Computing. Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
How the Large Hadron Collider May Change the Web
The fire hose of data that is expected to result when the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) begins smashing protons together this fall will challenge not only physics but computing as well. David Bader, executive director of high performance computing at Georgia Tech, said “The one thing that the Web hasn't been able to do is manage a phenomenal wealth of data.” Source: Scientific American
Klaus Building’s Eco-Friendly Design and Construction Garner ‘Green’ Award
Green building practices and many energy- and water-saving features helped the Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building (KACB) win a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. Source: Southface Journal
Atlanta: Rising Star in Internet Security
Experts trace the roots of Atlanta’s security business to Internet Security Systems, a company started in 1994 by former Tech students Christopher Klaus and Tom Noonan, and other companies germinated through the Georgia Tech Information Security Center have helped make the city a center for cyber-security startups. Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
Foley Talks to Summer Grads about Success
Interim Dean Jim Foley gave the commencement address at the Summer 2008 Commencement before more than 500 graduates, their families and friends on August 1 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Click below to read the full text.
Gadgets of the Future 'Disappear Into Your Life'
Researchers at the College of Computing are developing futuristic gadgets that can help blind people find their most-prized possessions with the click of a button and alert adult children if an elderly parent has fallen in his or her home and can't get up. Source: ABC News
Alumnus Succeeds in Industry, Sets Sights on Bridge and Poker
Phil Gordon, who graduated in 1991 with a B.S. in Information and Computer Science and helped found a tech company that later sold for $95 million, now seeks to triumph in the world of professional card playing. Source: New York Times
Schwan Wins HP Labs Innovation Research Award
Computer science Professor Karsten Schwan has won an HP Labs Innovation Research Award, which fund strategic joint research projects between academic research institutions worldwide and HP Labs. The award provides project funding of up to $100,000 for one year and is renewable for a total of up to three years. Source: Hewlett-Packard Company
Computing Students Help Community Center
During the summer session of Operation P.E.A.C.E., a community center in downtown Atlanta, kids chatted and networked, did learning assignments and played games using a single Internet portal created by College of Computing students as part of a class assignment. The course led some students to Africa to work on public health and policy issues. Source: ajc.com
When Worlds Collide
Interactive computing Professor Blair Macintyre talks about the AR Second Life project that interfaces Second Life client code with augmented reality technologies. One of the project's experiments brings avatars out of the virtual world of Second Life and into the real world to interact with real people. Source: The Escapist
Asking the Hard Questions about New Technology
Engineers, scientists, philosophers, ethicists and lawyers are talking about the ethical implications of emerging technologies in scholarly journals, online discussions and conferences. “It’s a hot topic,” said Ronald Arkin, a College of Computing professor who advises the Army on robot weapons. “We need ... to be aware of the consequences of our research.” Source: New York Times
Controlling Crowded Web Challenges Comcast
Don't block video files, FCC orders. It doesn't, company says, it merely delays some big-file deliveries to avert clog-ups. Good service, or discrimination? Computer Science Professor and Chair Ellen Zegura gives her take. Source: ajc.com
Robotics: The 4th “R” for Computer Science Education
The Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE), a joint program of the College of Computing, Bryn Mawr College and Microsoft Research, has given out $250,000 in grants to help establish robotics-based curriculum at 28 high schools and universities. Source: Gizmag
Tech Gets Federal Grant to Help Analyze Data
In today's digital age, scientists and government agencies are experiencing what many can relate to: information overload. For help, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation are turning to a group of scientists at the College of Computing to lead a nationwide research effort in data and visual analytics. Source: Cox News
Foley Named Interim Dean of the College of Computing
On June 26 the Office of the Provost announced that James D. Foley, professor in the School of Interactive Computing, will take over as interim dean of the College of Computing, effective July 1, 2008. Foley will work together with Rich DeMillo, the current John P. Imlay Jr. Dean of Computing, who announced in a June 12 letter that he will step down in November.
Dangerous Security Gaps in Wireless Networks Put Personal Information At Risk
Computer science Professor Jonathon Giffin hits the road with an assistant and a laptop to show there are thousands of open wireless access points that allow hackers to gain entry into someone else's network. Source: CNN
28 Colleges and High Schools to Use Personal Robots in Class
The Institute for Personal Robots in Education, a partnership between the Georgia Institute of Technology, Bryn Mawr College, and Microsoft Research, has awarded grants to 28 colleges and high schools throughout the country to use personal robots to teach basic computing skills. Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
College Gets $3 Million Grant to Establish New Research Approach
As scientists explore new ways to sift through huge troves of information and transform them into tidbits that researchers, health officials and even police officers can act on, Georgia Tech announced Wednesday it had received a $3 million grant aimed at establishing visual and data analytics as a distinct research field for the first time. Source: Associated Press (Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The Canadian Press, cnbc.com, msnbc.com, red.orbit.com et al)
Georgia Tech to Analyze Massive Data Sets Using Visual Analytics
ATLANTA (August 6, 2008)—Enormous amounts of data are being generated in health care, computational biology, homeland security and other areas, but analyzing these massive and unstructured data sets has proven cumbersome and difficult. An emerging research field known as data and visual analytics is helping sift through such mountains of information to find and put together individual pieces of a picture. Source: Office of Communications
Georgia Tech, Bryn Mawr College and Microsoft Fund New Curriculum Using Personal Robots at 28 Schools
ATLANTA (August 6, 2008)—Through the Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE)—a partnership between Georgia Tech College of Computing, Bryn Mawr College and Microsoft Research—28 high schools and universities are being provided the opportunity to enhance their introductory Computer Science curriculum using personal robots as a context for teaching foundational computing skills. Winners will share $250,000 and receive paperback book-sized robots called Scribblers, enhanced with special IPRE hardware technology, along with the IPRE software and class text. Source: Office of Communications
Computing Researcher Warns of Major Internet Flaw
A first-of-its-kind flaw in the Internet's infrastructure makes it easy for hackers to divert users to fake Web sites where their personal information—passwords, e-mails, etc.—is vulnerable. "The range of potential abuses [is] disturbing and alarming," said College of Computing researcher David Dagon. Source: ABC News
Interactive Computing Professor Wins Navy Research Grant
Andrea Thomaz, assistant professor in interactive computing, has been
selected as an Office of Naval Research 2008 Young Investigator for her
work to develop robots that are capable of social learning.
Georgia Tech/Carnegie Mellon Team Takes 2nd Place at RoboCup 2008
GT/CMUnited’08, a team made up of members from Georgia Tech Computing
and Carnegie Mellon University, placed second in their league at
Robocup 2008, an international robotic soccer competition held July
14-20 in Suzhou, China.
Space Technology Applies to Earth, Too
Interactive Computing Adjunct Professor Ayanna Howard, a member of NASA's Mars technology program team that developed an autonomous, next-generation Mars rover, believed that robotics could lead to new discoveries in the Arctic. The result? Snomotes. Source: SnoWest Magazine
Out of Africa: Text-Messaging Religion
Grad student Susan Wyche and Professor Beki Grinter of the School of Interactive Computing compare how people in Nairobi and Atlanta use information technology and examine how religious behavior is influenced by new information technologies, and vice versa. Source: IEEE Spectrum online
Robotic Snowmobiles Aid Study of Climate Change
Professor Ayanna Howard of the Robotics and Intelligent Machines (RIM) Center led the team that built the SnoMote—a new remote control snowmobile funded by NASA to help scientists in polar regions collect climate data without venturing onto treacherous ice sheets. Source: Popular Science
Computing Alumna and Ph.D. Candidate Named as ‘Movers and Shakers’
Three-time College of Computing graduate (Ph.D. 1997, M.S. 1992, and B.S. 1990) Annie Anton and Ph.D. candidate Erika Poole are among the most accomplished and influential women in technology and government, according to a prominent blogger who writes about politics and women. Source: The Political Voices of Women
Computer Graphics Conference to Draw 30,000
SIGGRAPH 2008 will offer a smorgasbord
of art, education and commerce at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Aug.
11-15. “These presentations give us a glimpse into a future with highly
realistic computer games, stunning feature film special effects, intelligent
cameras, and rich photo manipulation tools,” said associate professor Greg Turk.
Source: TVTechnology.com
College Gives Funds for Creative Technology Camps
With financial help from Computing, the Savannah campus of Georgia Tech is hosting summer camps where elementary through high school students can learn to create original computer animations and games and build and program robots. Source: Effingham Herald
Aquariums Teach Students to Think Below the Surface
Using computer modeling of how aquarium fish are affected by their environment helps middle school science teachers demonstrate how complex systems function, according to an article co-authored by interactive computing Associate Professor Ashok Goel, senior research scientist Spencer Rugaber and Ph.D. student Swaroop Vattam. Source: Science Scope
Video Game Chip Could Help Find Oil Reserves
Computational science and engineering Professor David Bader has been working with IBM on developing its PowerXCell processor, a supercomputing chip originally designed for the Playstation 3, to search for oil reserves in what is called “ultradeep water” – 5,000 feet or more deep. Source: Financial Times
Multithreaded Supercomputer Seeks Software For Data-Intensive Computing
RICHLAND, Wash. (July 14, 2008) -- Georgia Tech is part of a multi-institutional collaboration that received $4 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop software for the newest generation of supercomputers. This was announced today by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Researchers Rebuild Their Effort to Rebuild the Internet
As researchers explore possible "replacements" for the Internet, Professor and Chair Ellen Zegura of Computer Science says streamlining network protocols may make networks easier to maintain, which would save colleges and industry a lot of money. Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
Ram Talks CBR for Game Artificial Intelligence
Interactive Computing Associate Professor Ashwin Ram gives a Google Tech Talk about the application of case-based reasoning in game artificial intelligence. Source: Talk of the Car
The Cell Processor Builds Its Mojo
Professor David Bader calls the Cell Broadband Engine™ “ahead of its time” and says the buzz surrounding the recent renewal of Georgia Tech’s Sony-Toshiba-IBM (STI) Center of Competence could help build consensus to standardize development environments for different Cell form factors. Source: HPC Wire
Center Finds New Uses for Video Gaming Chip
Researchers at the College's Sony-Toshiba-IBM Center of Competence have developed seven new pilot projects using the Cell processor, the heart of the Sony PlayStation 3 game console, including a kind of early warning system to alert pilots to potentially catastrophic problems with the aircraft. Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Austin American-Statesman
Sony Group, Toshiba and IBM Renew Cell Broadband Engine™ Center of Competence with Georgia Tech
ATLANTA (July 9, 2008) — The Georgia Tech College of Computing today
announced the renewal of the Sony Group-Toshiba-IBM Center of
Competence, based on Georgia Tech’s exceptional work in research for
the Cell Broadband Engine™ technology. (Beyond3D Forum, Campus Technology, EDN, EETimes, Electronic News, Electronics Weekly, MarketWatch, PR-Inside.com, RTTNews, SuperComputingOnline.com, Tech-On!, TMCnet)
Georgia Tech Team Develops Interactive Comics
Is a comic book in three dimensions still a comic book? That’s the question the people behind Embodied Comics—including Yanfeng Chen, who recently graduated with a master’s in human computer interaction—are asking with their interactive digital creation that lets “readers” physically participate in the action. Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dean Demillo Resigns; Foley Named Interim Dean
College of Computing Dean Richard Demillo announced last week his resignation as of November 1 and his intention to return to the faculty as a professor. Provost and Interim President Gary Schuster named as the interim dean Interactive Computing Professor James Foley, effective July 1. Source: Technique
Future Generations of Cell Phones Could Mean Augmented Reality On-The-Go
Interactive Computing professor Blair MacIntyre and his team
in the Augmented Environments Lab are working on technology that could someday
let people use their mobile phones to play virtual tennis on a real table or
turn ordinary objects into information-rich hyperlinks. Source: CNN.com
Universal Broadband Access Necessary, Interactive Computing Professor Says
A new lobbying group—InternetForEveryone.org—wants to make broadband access for all an issue in the upcoming general elections. “Broadband is where a lot of innovation is heading in the technology industry," Professor Beki Grinter says. Source: Tech News World
Atlanta Tech Jobs Growing after Five-Year Decline
Atlanta is the Southeast's largest cybercity and the nation's 10th largest by high-tech employment, according to a report published by the technology trade association AeA. Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle
Sex Will Affect Robotics, Professor Says
Interactive computing professor Ron Arkin says it’s unwise to discourage discussion about the potential for human-robot relationships. "It's gonna be here before we know it," he says. "If the questions aren't asked, the technology will just show up on your doorstep." Source: Chronicle of Higher Education (Subscription Required)
Spammer Innovations Make Many Solutions Temporary, Grad Student Says
Security researchers work hard and fast to keep up with spammers, computer science grad student David Dagon says. “Antispam technology has become pretty mature in the last few years, but a lot of innovation still has to occur because the problem is so dynamic." Read the full article here. Source: Wall Street Journal
Klaus Building Wins Environmental Design Award
The Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building (KACB), home to the College of Computing and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.Visit the photo gallery.
Computing Faculty Member Named to AP Test Development Team
Barbara Ericson, director of computer science outreach at the College,
has been named to the national College Board committee that helps guide and
shape policies governing the use and direction of the Advanced
Placement exam in computer science.
Robots Transitioning from Traditional Uses to Service and Retail Applications
A robot designed by Charlie Kemp, a faculty
member with the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines at the College of
Computing, and other researchers at Georgia Tech and Emory University is among a new generation of robots that show great promise for
commercial and personal applications. Source: Electronic Design
Computer Predicts Anti-Cancer Molecules
Jeffrey Skolnick, an adjunct professor in the Computational Science and Engineering Division, led a Georgia Tech research team in creating a computerized method of analyzing cellular activity that correctly predicts the anti-tumor activity of several molecules. Read the research in Molecular Cancer. Source: UPI
Prof Helps Put the Pieces Together Against Organized Crime and Terrorism
Interactive Computing Professor John Stasko was in Australia last week to brief law enforcement and intelligence officers about Jigsaw, a data-analysis prototype he helped develop that can make a big difference in crime and security investigations. Source: Australian IT
Computing Professor in Alaska to Test Mini Robotic Snowmobiles
Professor Ayanna Howard of the Robotics and Intelligent Machines (RIM) Center at Georgia Tech is in Juneau this week to test the prototype of an autonomous robot she developed that will help scientists monitor climate change in Antarctica. Source: The Capital City Weekly
Robotics Researchers Look to Swarms and Colonies
Computing Professor Ron Arkin is collaborating with faculty at the University of Pennsylvania to create robots that will work in concert like a swarm of ants or bees, creep like spiders or hover like hummingbirds. Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
Computing Professors Develop High Tech ‘Seeing-Eye Dog’
College of Computing professors Bruce Walker and Frank Dellaert have developed a wearable system that tracks a blind person's position using GPS and emits sounds to alert them of obstacles such as fire hydrants or park benches. Source: Textiles 21
3D Modeling a Load-Bearing Technology for Architecture, says Computing Prof
Chuck Eastman, a professor in the College of Computing and the School of Architecture, has long championed a design tool called building-information modeling (BIM), a much more powerful approach to building design than the old-fashioned two-dimensional elevation and plan drawings. Source: The Economist
Computing Center at Forefront of Augmented Reality Research
Universities are typically on the leading edge of new technologies, and right now researchers at the GVU Center are working on something that may affect the way everyone consumes -- augmented reality. Source: Game Daily
Popular Widget Designed by Computing Undergrads
DialPrice, a free price-checking service that lets consumers use a
simple phone to instantly compare prices on products at different
stores, is one of the most popular widgets on Yahoo!’s mobile platform.
It was developed by College of Computing students Roger Pincombe and
Juan C. Villa during the Yahoo! Hackfest held here in March. Source:
Yahoo! Research
Computing Professor Named Interim Director of Health Sciences Institute
Gregory Abowd, Distinguished Professor in the School of Interactive
Computing, has been named interim director of the Health Systems
Institute (HSI) at Georgia Tech.
Computing Alumnus Wins NSF Career Award
Anind K. Dey, who earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Computer
Science from the College of Computing, has received the National
Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Award,
the agency’s most prestigious award for junior faculty.
Robots Go Where Scientists Fear To Tread
Scientists are working hard to understand how and why the world’s ice shelves are melting, but gathering on-site data from volatile ice sheets is too dangerous for humans. Ayanna Howard, of the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines, led a project to create specially designed robots to traverse these potentially dangerous ice environments. Source: Eurekalert
Media Power Donates $5M to GVU Center
ATLANTA (May 28, 2008) –– Media Power Inc., a global developer of
high technology products, today announced it is donating $5 million
over the next five years to Georgia Tech's GVU Center for research and
educational activities in Augmented Reality (AR) and mobile computing.
Shwetak Patel Wins Best Paper at Pervasive Computing 2008
Shwetak Patel, a Ph.D. candidate in the School of
Interactive Computing (SIC) took home the Best Paper Award from the Pervasive
Computing 2008 conference, which was held May 19-22 in Sydney, Australia.
School of Computer Science to Host Women's Leadership Workshop
A two-day workshop for senior women in technology titled “Leadership: The Final Frontier” and sponsored by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology will take place at the College of Computing June 30-July 1.
Foley Elected Vice President of SIGGRAPH
Jim Foley, professor in the School of Interactive Computing, has been
elected to a three-year term as vice president of SIGGRAPH (Special
Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques), the largest
special interest group of the Association for Computing Machinery.
Robots Hit the Soccer Field
Interactive Computing Professor Tucker Balch is co-chair of the RoboCup 2008 U.S. Open, a three-day event being held in Pittsburgh this week that aims to foster education and research in artificial intelligence and robotics by using soccer as a testing ground. Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Visiting Students CRUISE through Summer
Seventeen students from colleges around the country arrived at the
College of Computing this week to take part in a summer research
internship that will give them an opportunity to gain valuable research
experience while getting acquainted with Georgia Tech.
College Enrollment Numbers Rising Faster in Atlanta
Metro Atlanta colleges are enrolling and graduating more students than most major metropolitan areas in the U.S., according to a new study. Atlanta's success comes from soaring population growth and the rising national prominence of such schools as Georgia Tech. Read the study here. Source: Associated Press
UK Leads in Use of Face Recognition Technology
The British are embracing facial recognition technology to help raise compliance with certain laws, but Americans and others may not be as enthusiastic. "[In Great Britain] there's just a large use of cameras in support of crime reduction in general," said Aaron Bobick, chairman of the School of Interactive Computing. Source: ABC News
'Smart Clothes' Wear Technology Well
The concept of "smart clothes" may sound like something out of James Bond or "Minority Report," but the enabling technology already exists. Though not much is available commercially yet, you can see prototypes of wearable technology in the Contextual Computing Group lab at Georgia Tech, which is in the forefront of research in this area. Look at photos of "wearable" computers here. Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fashion for Techno-Geeks?
Thad Starner, a pioneer and leader in the field of mobile computing and professor in the School of Interactive Computing, wears his computer wherever he goes. It comprises a hand-held nine-button keyboard, a battery pack slung over his shoulder, and a tiny monitor attached to his glasses an inch from his left eye. Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tech Grad Looks to Merge Wristwatch, Computer
As more people use their cellphones to check the time, the wristwatch moves closer to being primarily a fashion accessory. Daniel Ashbrook, a graduate research assistant in the School of Interactive Computing, is working on technology that could make the wristwatch a cool gadget once more. Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Computing Ph.D. Candidate Develops New Surveillance System
Shwetak Patel, a doctoral candidate in the School of Interactive Computing, has developed a device that can turn a home's ventilation system into a surveillance system by measuring minute changes in air pressure in the rooms. Patel says his approach is much cheaper than motion sensors, because it simply modifies existing systems. Source: New Scientist
Robotic Maids Will Be Common in 20 Years, Christensen Says
Robots will play greater roles in the lives of average people as scientists learn to instill robots with more intelligence. "The personal robot market is already growing 400% per year," says Henrik Christensen, director of Robotics and Intelligent Machines Center. Nexi--MIT Media Lab's new humanoid robot that can see, hear, and smile--is symbolic of the widespread research interest in future applications for personal robots. Source: Industry Week
College of Computing Scientists Create Digital Model of Urban Development
Frank Dellaert, associate professor at the School of Interactive Computing, Ph.D. student Grant Schindler and scientists at Microsoft Research are at work on “4D Cities,” a project to create an image database using decades' worth of photos to show a city's evolution as a kind of virtual time-lapse film. Source: Architect Magazine
Jaguar Upgrade Brings ORNL Closer to Petascale Computing
Upgrades to Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Jaguar supercomputer have more than doubled its performance, increasing the system's ability to deliver far-reaching advances in climate studies, energy research, and a wide range of sciences. "This is an important advancement," said Thomas Zacharia, part-time professor in the Computational Science and Engineering Division and ORNL associate laboratory director for computing and computational sciences. Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Pre-Teens Re-Invent Themselves on the Web
As interactive websites for children proliferate, more and more kids and ‘tweens are developing alter egos to explore life in cyberworld. “Get used to it,” said interactive computing professor Amy Bruckman, who studies how children interact with computers. “Identity formation is a key part of what kids go through, and these sites offer that opportunity.” Source: The New York Times
Computer Science and Engineering Grad Student Wins Best Poster
Kamesh Madduri won the best poster award in the Ph. D. Forum at the 22nd IEEE International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium (IPDPS) held April 14-18 in Miami. Madduri’s research in computational science and high-performance computing beat out 72 other submissions to win one of two prizes in the competition.
Security Experts Focus on VOIP
Many of the vulnerabilities that have made e-mail security problem are spreading to voice-over-IP systems, raising the specter of a new generation of security threats. “There is no reason to believe the bad guys will not exploit this,” said Mustaque Ahamad, professor of computer science and director of Georgia Tech’s Information Security Center. Source: Government Computer News
Computing Dean Named to Corporate Advisory Board
Certess, Inc., a provider of functional qualification tools for systems on a chip (SoCs) and intellectual property (IP) blocks, has formed a technical advisory board (TAB) that includes Dean Richard DeMillo and other academic leaders in computer science. Source: Business Wire
Your Phone Knows Where You Are
Ling Liu, associate professor in the School of Computer Science, spoke at Northwestern University recently about the work she and her colleagues are doing on location-based computing. “Everybody has cell phones and wireless laptops and we are all turned on in terms of connectivity, and therefore people know where we are,” she said. Source: Medill Reports
SIGGRAPH 2008 Papers Selected
A jury of industry and academic experts considered a record-breaking 518 submissions before choosing 90 papers for presentation at SIGGRAPH 2008. "These presentations give us a glimpse into a future with highly realistic computer games, stunning feature film special effects, intelligent cameras, and rich photo manipulation tools," said SIC Associate Professor Greg Turk, chair of the Technical Papers Jury. Source: Business Wire
Animal Behavior Study Could Lead to Better Robots
Three faculty members from the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines are participating in a new $7.5 million study, led by the University of Pennsylvania and involving eight universities, that will “focus on the development of biologically inspired cooperative strategies for large teams of unmanned robots, including aerial and ground robots.” Source: University of Pennsylvania
Six Computing Students Win 2008 Anita Borg Memorial Scholarships
The Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship, a $10,000 academic award, is given
annually by Google to women studying computer science who show a
commitment to advancing women in technology. Three other CoC students
and one student in ISyE were finalists for the award, each winning $1,000.
The Spy Who Bugged Me
Ron Arkin, Tucker Balch, Henrik Christensen and Frank Dellaert of the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines are participating in a $38 million project involving nine universities and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to build insect-sized robots for government spying operations. Source: New Hampshire Union Leader
Computerized Combat Glove Takes the Load Out of Wearable Computers
A recent start-up company formed by students at MIT has developed the Handwear Computer Input Device (HCID), a lightweight computer glove that could greatly improve on earlier, heavier military technology. Thad Starner, an associate professor of computing at Georgia Tech University, says "The problem with most new soldier technologies is that people are trying to do too much.” Source: InventorSpot
17th Annual Honors & Awards Celebration
The College of Computing at Georgia Tech hosted its 17th
Annual Awards Celebration on April 22, 2008. Master of Ceremony and CoC Dean Rich DeMillo led the
College in congratulating students, faculty and staff on another
exciting and productive year.
Former GVU Affiliate to Direct School of Computing at Clemson
Larry F. Hodges has been named director of the School of Computing in the College of Engineering and Science at Clemson University effective July 1. In 1988, Hodges and colleague Bill Ribarsky started the Georgia Tech Computer Graphics Interest Group, or TechGraph, which eventually led to the founding of GVU in 1991. Source: Clemson University
Christensen to Lead National Team in Roadmapping Robotics Growth
Henrik I. Christensen, KUKA Chair of Robotics at CoC, will head a group of academic leaders from 11 universities in an effort to develop a unified research agenda for robotics across government, industry and academia, Georgia Tech and Carnegie Mellon University announced today in a joint statement.
SIC Professor to Speak about Wearable Computers
Thad Starner, an associate professor in the School of Interactive Computing, will present a lecture about wearable computers Wednesday at Berry College. “Reading Your Mind: Interfaces for Wearable Computing” begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, in the Berry College science auditorium. Admission is free. Source: Rome News Tribune
Robot 'Bouncer' Raises Ethical Concerns
The owner of a downtown Atlanta pub is using a homemade, remote-controlled robot to patrol the area and discourage people from loitering. Henrik Christensen, director of Georgia Tech's Robotics and Intelligent Machines Center, says the so-called "Bum Bot" exploits the anxiety that underlies Hollywood stereotypes of violent robots. Source: The Washington Post.
2008 UROC Symposium a Manifold Success
Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 UROC! Seventeen teams competed for cash and prizes in this year's annual Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Computing Research Symposium, which took place April 16.
CoC Grad Student Wins 3rd Place in Biz Competition
A team consisting of a CoC graduate student in computer science and two
other Georgia Tech grad students took third place in the University of
Oregon’s New Venture Championship. Shwetak Patel (Ph.D. Computer Science) and his two teammates
won $5,000 to invest in their business, ElectriSense.
Swarm Intelligence Inspired by Animal Behavior
Research into the sometimes coordinated behavior of birds and bees is helping scientists create computer programs that can enhance surveillance photos, quickly sort through military reports and even enable individual robots to navigate within an army of fellow automatons. Tucker Balch, associate professor in the School of Interactive Computing, said “swarm intelligence” applied to some problems can result in pretty good solutions pretty quickly. Source: MSNBC
CoC Undergrads Win Research Awards for Summer
A half dozen undergraduates in the College of Computing have won President’s Undergraduate Research Awards (PURA) and will receive a salary to do research over the summer.
Six from CoC Receive Georgia Tech Honors
Georgia Tech has honored three faculty members and three staff members from the College of Computing with awards for their service to the Institute.
Damballa Discovers New BotArmy
A security company spun off from research conducted at The
College of Computing has discovered a new botnet – Kraken – that allegedly has
infected more than 400,000 computers worldwide to generate spam. CoC Associate Dean Merrick Furst, Associate Professor Wenke Lee, and Ph.D. student David Dagon founded Damballa.Source: Washington Post
CoC Faculty Member Testifies Before Congressional Committee
Professor Seymour (Sy) Goodman, jointly appointed to the College of Computing and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, returned to Capitol Hill for a fifth time last week to testify before lawmakers about ways to create a safer and more secure cyberspace.
New Book by CoC Alumna Hits the Stores
Following on from her well-received title Taking Your iPhone to the Max, Mac Guru and CoC alumna Erica Sadun switches her attention to Apple's newest super-gadget with her new book, Taking Your iPod touch to the Max. Sadun earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1996. Source: TechPedia
Humans Form Emotional Bonds with Robots
Some homeowners assign names and genders to their Roombas. Others dress them in school colors, or refer to them as "my baby." A survey of nearly 400 Roomba owners conducted late last year by SIC Associate Professor Beki Grinter and grad student Ja-Young Sung shows the human-robot connection takes myriad forms. Source: New ScientistTech
Georgia Tech and Top Italian Universities Launch Dual Master’s Programs
The College of Computing and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering are partnering with two leading Italian universities, the University of Trento and the Politecnico di Torino, to offer dual master’s degrees in computer science and electrical and computer engineering.
Make Robots, Not War
As military robots grow more sophisticated, some of their
designers are trying to prevent autonomous ones making decisions or being used as killing machines.
But CoC Regents' Professor Ronald Arkin says that because robots' judgments
will be unclouded by fear or other emotions, they will be less likely than
human soldiers to break the ethical conventions of war. Source: New Scientist Tech.
IT on Campus: What the Future Holds
Information technology permeates every aspect of the campus these days. At The Chronicle's Technology Forum, three experts – including Richard A. DeMillo, dean of the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology – spoke about what the future may hold for IT. "For good or bad, we are in the position of having to simultaneously react to what is going on in the IT industry and anticipate it," said DeMillo. Source: Chronicle of Higher Education.
The College of Computing Jumps in National Rankings
CoC jumped into the Top 10 in the latest rankings of graduate computer science (CS) programs by U.S. News & World Report. Now ranked 9th in the nation overall, the CoC moved up from the 11th position held in 2007 and is now tied with the University of Texas-Austin. In CS specialty areas, the College moved up in Artificial Intelligence to 7th and in Systems to 10th. Theory was ranked 9th again, as last year.
Killer Robots a Threat to Humanity?
Increasingly autonomous, gun-toting robots developed for warfare pose a threat to humanity and may one day unleash a robot arms race, warns a top Canadian expert on artificial intelligence. But CoC Regents' Professor Ronald Arkin, who has worked closely with the US military on robotics, says the shift toward autonomy will be gradual and that robots may have a place on the front lines. Source: Canada.com
IBM, Universities Launch Research Collaboration for Cloud Computing
IBM announced yesterday that it will collaborate with Georgia Tech and Ohio State University on an initiative to develop new autonomic technology for cloud computing. “(W)ithout the coordinated use of hardware, operating systems, middleware and applications, it will simply not be possible to meet the demands of tomorrow's critical applications and systems that support them," said Karsten Schwan, CERCS Director at Georgia Tech. Source: CNNMoney.com
Hackers Unite in Yahoo! HackUniversity
Have you ever been at a store and found what seems to be a good deal on a big-ticket item, but you wish you could find out right then and there what competing retailers are charging for the same thing? The winning hack at the recent Yahoo! Hackfest at CoC makes it possible.
Georgia Tech Partners with IBM in 'Cloud Computing' Test
Georgia Tech and Ohio State University are planning today to announce a partnership with IBM Corp. to develop new technologies to advance autonomous computing on the Internet. Specifically, the researchers will focus on "cloud computing" initiatives, which combine the resources of computers in different locations using the Internet. Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
CoC Students Take a Whack at the Nationals
The Georgia Tech Table Tennis Club Team, whose eight members include five students from the College of Computing, has qualified for the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association National Championship, which will be held April 11-13 in Rochester, Minn.
Getting Students Interested in Robots
Students in robotics start out trying to maneuver a $100 robot, move onto studying robotic vacuum cleaners, and – if they stay in the program long enough – can even work on a driverless car. ”We take them forward, all the way through the undergraduate program and on to the new Ph.D. program,” said Associate Professor Tucker Balch of the School of Interactive Computing. Source: WGCL-TV
Defending Laptops from Zombie Attacks
Researchers at Intel have developed laptop-based security software that adjusts to the way an individual uses the Internet, providing a more dynamic and personalized approach to detecting malicious activity. Nick Feamster, assistant professor in the School of Computer Science, says that the behavioral approach to security hasn't been applied to laptops because there was no automated way of developing personalized rules. But behavioral botnet protection is "very well suited for machine learning," he says. Source: Technology Review
Cha-ching! Computing Grads Make More Money
Graduates of computing programs are in demand and land higher-paying first jobs on average than graduates in most other fields, according to a recent article on Yahoo! Hot Jobs. A survey of 2007 Georgia Tech grads shows that those graduating with a B.S. in Computer Science reported the highest starting salary offer ($84,000) and the second highest median starting salary offer ($60,000) of all students graduating that year. Source: Yahoo! Hot Jobs
CoC Undergrad Wins Undergraduate Research Award
David Rutter, a senior Computer Science major, has been selected by the College of Computing as this year's Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher. The award includes a certificate and a monetary stipend sponsored by the Georgia Tech Research Corporation. Selection for this award was based on David’s long-term, high-quality research work and for recognition of his work outside Georgia Tech.
Intel, Microsoft Fund University Chip Research in Parallel Processing
Intel and Microsoft Corp. will invest $20 million over the next five years to fund software research at UC Berkeley and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to develop a new multicore chip that will put a slew of mini-processors, or cores, on a single sliver of silicon. "This is a really new time in the history of computing, truly a paradigm shift," said David Bader, associate professor in the Computational Science and Engineering Division. Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Oak Ridge National Laboratory Announces Partnerships with Universities
Oak Ridge Associated Universities will fund a series of high-performance computing grants for faculty and student teams. Thomas Zacharia, part-time professor in the Computational Science and Engineering Division and associate laboratory director for ORNL’s Computing and Computational Sciences Directorates, said “We all become stronger if we can bring the best of what the lab has to offer coupled with the best of what the university community has to offer.
Source: The Oak Ridger
Turbulence Study Uses Worlds Largest Supercomputer for Open-Science Research
P.K. Yeung, adjunct professor in the Computational Science and Engineering Division and a leading scholar in the field of turbulence, is working on a study that, when completed, is expected to be a truly unique resource for the international research community and will play a key role in helping re-establish U.S. leadership in large-scale turbulence studies. Source: Grid Today
Finding Industry Funding
For the past 2 years, a response to an RFP has netted two unrestricted grants of about $40,000 for Associate Professor Frank Dellaert of the School of Interactive Computing to develop new online three-dimensional mapping technologies for Microsoft's Virtual Earth. Dellaert says the RFP application process is far less cumbersome than some federal grant applications, which require technical proposals 15 to 60 pages long. "With Microsoft, you write one page of text; there is no budget, just a back-of-the-envelope calculation. It's extremely painless." Source: AAAS Science Magazine
DeMillo Re-Elected to CRA Board
Distinguished Professor and Dean of Computing Richard DeMillo has been re-elected to the Computing Research Association (CRA) Board of Directors. DeMillo’s new three-year term begins July 1, 2008. Two other CoC affiliates also are current CRA Board members: Professor Mary Jean Harrold of the School of Computer Science and alumna Annie I. Anton, a three-time graduate of the College of Computing (Ph.D. 1997, M.S. 1992, and B.S. 1990). Source: CRA
Laser-Guided Robot Creates a “Clickable World”
A robot that can pick up objects and hand them to people suffering from degenerative diseases, co-created by Assistant Professor Charlie Kemp of the Robotics and Intelligent Machines Center (RIM@GT), was unveiled March 12 at a conference in Amsterdam. Kemp, who is also director of Georgia Tech's Center for Healthcare Robotics, said his team focused on the ways the robot could interact with humans, not act like one. "How can you make robots that are actually useful? That was bugging me," Kemp said. "And it's a hard question to answer — that's why I'm happy with this." Source: AJC
Curriculum Changes Draw New Students
“Georgia Tech has done a lot to revise their curriculum, and besides robotics they have a pretty cool media computation program that is attracting a lot of students,” said Alfred Thompson, K-12 Computer Science Academic Relations Manager for Microsoft, about reports that the number of newly declared undergraduate majors at doctoral-granting computer science departments is up for the first time since 2000. Source: MSDN
CAPTCHAs Don’t Work Anymore
In a blog post last month, Distinguished Professor and Dean of Computing Richard DeMillo described CAPTCHAs, the distorted text used as a security test to thwart Spammers and other Web site abuse, as “a leaking levee facing a hundred-year storm.” Now ABC News reports that Spam originating from Google's Gmail domain doubled last month, indicating that spammers are still defeating the CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart). Source: Virtual Blight
CHI Academy to Induct College of Computing Professor
School of Interactive Computing's Distinguished Professor Gregory Abowd will join the Computer Human Interaction Academy, an honorary group of scientists who are leading and shaping the study of HCI, at the CHI 2008 conference in Florence, Italy in April. “[Abowd’s] mathematical background is evident in the rigorous analysis that is the basis of his many research papers, and his work has led the way in demonstrating how ubicomp can solve real problems in our everyday lives,” according to the group’s website.
CoC Team Wins Funding for Research into Early Diagnosis of ASD
Distinguished Professor Gregory Abowd, Associate Professor James Rehg, and Senior Research Scientist Rosa Arriaga – all of the School of Interactive Computing – have been awarded $50,000 in research funds by Microsoft Research for their work in developing behavioral imaging technologies to help in the early detection of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). They are working to develop an automated system for searching and coding video of social interaction studies.
CoC Alumnus Receives $50,000 for Alzheimer’s Research
Anind Dey (Ph.D. in Computer Science, 2000) has been awarded a research grant from Microsoft’s Intelligent Systems for Assisted Cognition RFP for his work on creating a system to help patients with Alzheimer’s recall episodic memories more effectively. Dey, now an Assistant Professor in the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, is developing and evaluating a memory prosthesis that uses contextual cues and automated techniques for determining what cues will help with memory recollection.
Shift Towards Autonomy will be Gradual
"Robotics systems may have the potential to out-perform humans from a perspective of the laws of war and the rules of engagement," Ronald Arkin, Regents' Professor, told a conference on technology in warfare at Stanford University last month. He agrees that the shift towards autonomy will be gradual. Source: The Age
Ethical Control Systems for Military Robots
Ronald Arkin, Regents' Professor, suggests trying to design ethical control systems that make military robots respect the Geneva Convention and other rules of engagement on the battlefield. He is using computer simulations to test whether ethical control systems can be used in battlefield scenarios, some of which are modeled on real-life events. Source: NewScientist
Headed Toward an International Robot Arms Race?
Robotics experts are at odds over ethical concerns in what some see as the beginning of an international robot arms race. The concern arises over having robots decide when to “pull the trigger.” Ronald Arkin, Regents' Professor, points out that human combatants are far from perfect on the battlefield. “With a robot I can be sure that a robot will never harbour the intention to hurt a non-combatant. Ultimately they will be able to perform better than humans.” Source: ThomasNet
Computer Science is the New Sexy
Giselle Martin, student recruitment director at the College of Computing, credits the new revised curriculum and ever widening job prospects for a 15 percent increase in undergraduate applications this year. “We’re placing students in Silicon Valley and all over the United States of course, but also in health care firms in Chile and embassies in Japan,” Martin said. “This is geek chic. Our students are getting sexy jobs.” Source: Inside Higher Ed
HP to Unveil Big Revamp in its Famed Labs
Associate Professor David Bader, Executive Director of High-Performance Computing, comments "There has to be a shorter time span between innovative ideas and that tech transfer. It changes the traditional model of doing research and doing a slow handoff to industry and seeing it in a product in 10 to 20 years. Instead it's down to two and half to three years." Source: MarketWatch
Autonomous Robots: Friend or Foe?
Regents' Professor Ronald Arkin and others are discussing robot ethics at length at a symposium called "The Ethics & Legal Implications of Unmanned Vehicles for Defence and Security Purposes," hosted by the Royal United Services Institute in London. Source: MSNBC
Computer Scientists and Journalists Look for a Common Agenda
One of the most memorable aspects of the Computation + Journalism Symposium was the fact that there were almost as many people live blogging the event as there were people in the room giving presentations. Source: NSDL
Computing Alum Noel Rappin Announces Newest Book: “Professional Ruby on Rails”
Pathfinder, a leading agile development and user experience design firm, announces the release of Noel Rappin’s newest book “Bullet Professional Ruby On Rails”. Rappin is Pathfinder’s Director of Ruby on Rails Practice and has previously co-authored “wxPython in Action” and “Jython Essentials”. Source: Pathfinder
Computing Assistant Professors Nick Feamster and Adam Kalai Win Sloan Fellowships
Two School of Computer Science faculty members, Nick Feamster in the
Networking and Telecommunications Group and GTISC, and Adam Kalai in
the Theory Group and ARC ThinkTank, have been awarded the prestigious
Alfred P. Sloan fellowships for 2008.
Computing + Journalism – A Great First Date
More than 200 people -- a mix of academics and professionals, editors and reporters, journalists and Web developers (including the two Knight Challenge journalist-programmer scholarship winners) -- came together to talk about the ways technology is changing journalism. Source: PBS
Leadership Forum: Computing Dean Discusses Top IT Trends in Higher Ed
"Technology on campuses is starting to borrow customer-service techniques from Amazon and other online businesses. Or at least it needs to in order to meet the growing demands for such services from students," argued Richard A. DeMillo, Dean of Computing and Distinguished Professor. Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
Kitchen Science Investigators Get the Gray Matter Cooking
Kitchen Science Investigators, a research project led by Regents' Professor Janet Kolodner, is focused on implementing an educational program in which elementary and middle school students learn science and scientific reasoning through cooking. Watch CNN Coverage
First Journalism 3G Conference Brings Together Journalists and Computer Scientists
The Journalism 3G conference on February 22-22 will allow journalists and computer scientists, students and professionals, to share perspectives on the intersection of journalism and technology. Speakers include Krishna Bharat, principal scientist at Google and creator of Google News; Michael Skoler, executive director of the Center for Innovation in Journalism at American Public Media. Source: PBS
"Bionic" Contact Lens May Create Tiny Personal Displays
A new contact lens embedded with electronic circuits could be the seed for "bionic eyes" that can see displays overlaid on a person's field of view, researchers say. "If it works, it would be fabulous," said College of Computing Associate Professor Blair MacIntyre, who heads the Augmented Environments Lab. Source: National Geographic News
DNS Flaw Makes Phishing Scams Invisible
"Corrupted DNS Resolution Paths" was presented by College of Computing researchers David Dagon, Chris Lee and Wenke Lee, and Niels Provos of Google, at the Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (NDSS) in San Diego. Source: PC Advisor
Georgia Tech Creates New Ph.D. Program in Computational Science And Engineering
The Colleges of Computing, Engineering, and Sciences at Georgia Tech today announced the creation of a new doctoral degree in Computational Science and Engineering (CSE), a cooperative, truly interdisciplinary effort between the three academic units spearheaded by the Computational Science and Engineering division in the College of Computing.
Interactive Computing Professor Jim Foley Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
Dr. Jim Foley, founding director of the GVU Center, former CEO of Yamacraw, SIGCHI Lifetime Achievement Award winner, SIGGRAPH Steven Coons Award winner, Georgia Tech grad student superlative “Most Likely to Make Students Want to Grow Up to be Professors” winner, AAAS, ACM, and IEEE fellow, professor and author, has been elected to one of America’s most prestigious engineering institutions. Source: National Academy of Engineering
Encryption Is Easy Way to Keep Prying Eyes Out of Your Hard Drive
Assistant Professor Jonathon Giffin comments on how long it could take to break into hard drives protected by an encryption program. "The expected time it would take is years, decades, unless you have extremely powerful computers." Source: ABC News
Lockheed to Continue DARPA Work
Lockheed Martin Corp. is teaming up with College of Computing Associate Professor Ashwin Ram and researchers at other research institutions to develop technology designed to keep pilots safe while flying over battlefields. Source: Washington Technology
Researchers Design a Breath-Operated Computer Interface
The Blowable and Localized User Interaction interface that doctoral candidate Shwetak Patel and professor Gregory Abowd developed could help people work with computers when they can’t use their hands because they are either busy with other tasks or have a disability or injury. Source: IEEE Computer Magazine
Home Safe Home - For Those Eager To Grow Old In The Comfort Of Home, High-Tech Solutions Help
As people age, staying at home has become much more of a
luxury. Computing distinguished professor Gregory Abowd demonstrates how
advances in technology are helping people care for their loved ones under their
own roof. Source: CBS Evening News
Georgia Tech to Offer First Truly Interdisciplinary Robotics Ph.D. in the U.S.
The Colleges of Computing and Engineering at Georgia Tech today
announced the nation’s first truly interdisciplinary doctoral degree in
robotics to be offered at Georgia Tech. The program, which starts fall
semester of 2008, was developed through Georgia Tech’s Center for
Robotics and Intelligent Machines (RIM@Georgia Tech).
Book on the Transformative History of HCI Includes Perspectives from Influential Computing Faculty
Three College of Computing faculty members have written chapters in the recently published book by MIT Press titled HCI Remixed: Reflections on Works That have Influenced the HCI Community.
The book is a collection of fifty-one essays on a range of works in a
variety of forms that chart the emergence of many new fields in
Human-Computer Interaction.
Computing Faculty Member Mark Riedl Wins Best Paper Award at INTETAIN 2008
College of Computing faculty member Mark Riedl's paper titled "Toward Intelligent Support of Authoring Machinima Media Content: Story and Visualization" has received the Best Paper award at the 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Technologies for Interactive Entertainment (INTETAIN) at Playa del Carmen, Cancun Mexico. The conference was organized in cooperation with ACM SIGCHI and took place January 8-10, 2008.
Georgia Tech's Digital Media Demo Day on CNN
College of Computing and School of Literature, Communication and Culture faculty members have devoloped the AR SecondLife client as part of the AR digital performance project, which is a step in combining the digital and virtual worlds into a single conflated space between two. Watch Video
Pathfinder Names Computing Alum Noel Rappin Director of Ruby on Rails Practice
Pathfinder has named Noel Rappin, a College of Computing alum and author of
"Professional Ruby On Rails" as Director of it's growing Ruby on Rails Practice.
Rails is a full-stack web application development framework for developing rich,
powerful applications. Source: PR Web
Web Sites to Keep You on Budget
Mustaque Ahamad, College of Computing professor and director of the Georgia Tech
Information Security Center comments on using the online money-management tools.
He advises to check in regularly to make sure your information isn't being
abused or used in a way one didn't expect. Source: Wall Street Journal
Networking Issues Top Agenda
Blair MacIntyre, a School of Interactive Computing associate professor is
going to speak on "Mobile Augmented Reality Experiences" at the Optical Fiber
Communication Conference and Exposition and the National Fiber Optic Engineers
Conference (OFC/NFOEC) at San Diego. Source: Photonics.com
Interactive HPC Laboratory Launches New Multi-Core Focus Facility
The Interactive High Performance Computing Laboratory, celebrating its 12th year of hosting cluster computing resources and cutting-edge research for the GT community, has announced its newest facility. The new facility cores are focused at several levels and are now available for the wider campus community.
