Category Archives: Computer Science

High School Coders Excel in Annual EECS Programming Contest – University of Arkansas Newswire

Austin Cook

From left to right: Deven Nguyen, Jai Gandhi and Nicholas Robinson, members of the winning Asian Sensations team from Rogers High School.

The annual High School Programming Contest, hosted by the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, took place on March 9. This year's contest had more than 80 participants and 130 attendeesfrom 10 schools.

The challenges of the contest were designed for a speed-based programming competition. Each problem required parsing input, processing dataand producing output according to specific rules or conditions. Each submission is judged by various members of the EECS faculty.

The High School Programming Contest offers an opportunity for high schoolers in the state to test their coding knowledge while fostering teamwork in a lively, competitive setting. Through this initiative, contestants engage in hands-on coding exercises, honing their skills while collaborating with fellow teammates.

Nicholas Robinson, a student from Rogers High School and a member of the first-place team, the Asian Sensations, said, "I thought the event was fun; the problems were fun," he remarked. "There were some interesting problems. The contest was a lot about speed, so we got lucky with how the time penalties worked out. But overall, I was happy with the competition. I thought we did well. I enjoyed the problems."

Jeff Anderson, the coach of the Asian Sensations and a teacher at Rogers High School, said, "I'm not surprised they won. But I'm very proud of them. They worked hard this past year. They competed in the state competition and this competition last year. They've been working hard all year to make this happen," Anderson added. "They're all amazing. They're all amazing kids, and they have bright futures ahead of them."

Robinson said, "It felt good to win. We really didn't do as well as we wanted to last year. And we had a good run this year. So, I was happy with our performance. It was better than we expected this year." Robison added, "I would just encourage anybody to come do these competitions. I think it's really fun. Whether it's in-person ones like this or online ones, it's always just fun to solve problems and hang out with people who are awesome and enjoy coding."

At the end of the competition, four trophies were presented, with Dean Kim Needy presenting the first-place trophy, and various prizes were handed out to participants.

First Place Team: The Asian Sensations Members: Deven Nguyen, Nicholas Robinson, Jai Gandhi High School: Rogers High School

Second Place Team: Three Fire Emojis Members: Ellie Feng, Thomas Coolidge, Hudson Ledbetter High School: Conway High School

Third Place Team: The Rubber Duckies Members: Xave Kapity, Ivan Freeman High School: Haas Hall Academy Rogers

Most Creative Team: 3 Tiny Whales Members: Christopher Ramirez-Lazaro, Patrick Jiang, Maddox Sutton High School: Fayetteville High School

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High School Coders Excel in Annual EECS Programming Contest - University of Arkansas Newswire

Vanderbilt to establish a college dedicated to computing, AI and data science – Vanderbilt University News

Vanderbilt has begun work to establish a transformative college dedicated to computer science, AI, data science and related fields, university leaders announced today. In addition to meeting the growing demand for degrees in technological fields and advancing research in rapidly evolving, computing-related disciplines, the new, interdisciplinary college will collaborate with all of Vanderbilts schools and colleges to advance breakthrough discoveries and strengthen computing education through a computing for all approach.

The College of Connected Computing will be led by a new dean, who will report to Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver and to School of Engineering Dean Krishnendu Krish Roy. The search for the colleges dean is scheduled to begin in late August, and recruiting of faculty will begin in the coming months. It will be the first new college at Vanderbilt since the university and the Blair School of Music merged in 1981.

Of all the factors shaping society, few are more influential than the rapid emergence of advanced computing, AI and data science, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. To continue to carry out our mission, prepare all our students for their careers and advance research across the university, Vanderbilt must contribute even more to the study, understanding and innovative application of these fast-changing disciplines. Our aim is to make Vanderbilt a global leader in these fields, ensuring our continued academic excellence and capacity for world-changing innovation.

Our new college will enable us to build upon our strong programs and catapult Vanderbilt to the forefront of breakthrough discovery and innovationin key areas of computer science and also in a wide range of other disciplines that capitalize on advanced computational methods. In launching this new college, we will provide students with highest-caliber educational opportunities at the intersection of these pathbreaking fields, Raver said. The creation of this college represents a tremendous win and will be transformative for our entire university community.

Raver noted the ways that Vanderbilt is forging a bold and distinct strategic path to address burgeoning research and educational opportunities, including increasing demand for expertise in computing-related fields. Moreover, she said, the global interest in AI aligns perfectly with Vanderbilts leading work in that field. She said a dedicated college will enable Vanderbilt to keep making groundbreaking discoveries at the intersections of computing and other disciplines and will more effectively leverage advanced computing to address some of societys most pressing challenges.

The establishment of this interdisciplinary, cross-cutting college is a watershed momentnot only for the School of Engineering, but also for the entire university, Roy said. The future of education, research and thinking in all disciplines is now inherently tied to, and will be greatly influenced by, the knowledge and power of computing. The idea of computing for all is fundamental to the future of learning.

Many of the specific details about the collegeincluding its departments, degree programs and research infrastructurewill be informed by the recommendations of a task force on connected computing composed of faculty from across the university. In addition, Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Padma Raghavan will launch a Computing Catalyst working group that will engage faculty and staff leaders in computing from across campus and solicit their input on strategically expanding the universitys computing resources. The decision to establish this new college is rooted in conversations with faculty, Raver said. We are continuing that faculty engagement with this working group, and were fortunate to have the advice of some of the best minds in these fields as we embark on this exciting journey.

The members of the Connected Computing Task Force include:

Krishnendu Roy, Chair Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering University Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering; Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology; and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Douglas Adams Vice Dean of the Schools of Engineering Daniel F. Flowers Chair Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Affiliate, VINSE

Hiba Baroud Associate Chair and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering James and Alice B. Clark Foundation Faculty Fellow Associate Professor of Computer Science Faculty Affiliate, VECTOR, Data Science Institute

Gautam Biswas Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Computer Science and Computer Engineering Professor of Engineering Management Senior Research Scientist, ISIS Faculty Affiliate, Data Science Institute

Erin Calipari Associate Professor of Pharmacology Associate Professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Director, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Brain Institute

Laurie Cutting Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor and Professor of Special Education Professor of Psychology Professor of Pediatrics Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor of Radiology & Radiological Sciences Associate Provost in the Office of the Vice Provost of Research and Innovation Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Brain Institute

Benoit Dawant Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Electrical Engineering Incoming Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Director and Steering Committee Chair, Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery & Engineering Professor of Biomedical Engineering Professor of Computer Science

Abhishek Dubey Associate Professor of Computer Science Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Director, SCOPE lab at ISIS Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Software Integrated Systems and Data Science Institute

Bennett Landman Stevenson Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor of Biomedical Engineering Professor of Computer Science Professor of Neurology Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE), Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Image Science (VUIIS), Data Science Institute

Michael Matheny Professor of Biomedical Informatics Professor of Biostatics Professor of Medicine Director, Center for Improving the Publics Health Through Informatics

Sandeep Neema Professor of Computer Science Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Chair of the Executive Council, Institute for Software Integrated Systems

Ipek Oguz Assistant Professor of Computer Science Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE)

J.B. Ruhl David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law Director, Program in Law and Innovation Co-Director, Energy, Environment and Land Use Program Faculty Affiliate, Data Science Institute

Jesse Spencer-Smith Professor of the Practice of Computer Science Adjunct Professor of Psychology Interim Director and Chief Data Scientist, Data Science Institute

Jonathan Sprinkle Professor of Computer Science Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Software Integrated Systems

Yuankai Kenny Tao Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences SPIE Faculty Fellow in Engineering Faculty Affiliate, Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery & Engineering

Holly Tucker Mellon Foundation Chair in the Humanities Professor of French Director, Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities

Kalman Varga Vice Chair of the Department of Physics & Astronomy Professor of Physics Director, Minor in Scientific Computing Faculty Affiliate, VINSE

Steven Wernke Chair of the Department of Anthropology Associate Professor of Anthropology Director, Vanderbilt Initiative for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Research Faculty Affiliate, Data Science Institute

Jules White Professor of Computer Science Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics Senior Advisor to the Chancellor for Generative AI in Education and Enterprise Solutions Faculty Affiliate, Institute for Software Integrated Systems, Data Science Institute

Dan Work Director of Graduate Studies in Civil Engineering Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering Professor of Computer Science Faculty Affiliate, VECTOR, Institute for Software Integrated Systems, Data Science Institute

Tracey George ex officio Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Education Charles B. Cox III and Lucy D. Cox Family Chair in Law and Liberty Professor of Law

Tiffiny Tung Ex officio Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Social and Natural Sciences Professor of Anthropology

Members of the Vanderbilt community can learn more about this initiative and share feedback with the faculty working group by visiting vanderbilt.edu/about/computingtaskforce.

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Vanderbilt to establish a college dedicated to computing, AI and data science - Vanderbilt University News

SLU, TGI Researcher Part of Team Using Remote Sensing to Study Permafrost : SLU – Saint Louis University

ST. LOUIS Saint Louis University is one of five universities working together to study permafrost using hyperspectral remote sensing, as part of a grant funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) as part of its Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program.

Vasit Sagan, Ph.D. is a professor of geospatial science and computer science, associate vice president for geospatial science at Saint Louis University and chief scientist for food security and digital agriculture for Taylor Geospatial Institute (TGI). Photo by Sarah Conroy.

Vasit Sagan, Ph.D., professor of geospatial science and computer science, associate vice president for geospatial science at Saint Louis University and chief scientist for food security and digital agriculture for Taylor Geospatial Institute (TGI), is SLUs principal investigator on the project.

The project, Interdisciplinary Material Science for the Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Permafrost (IM SHARP), will explore the physical and chemical properties of permafrost using remote sensing. The permafrost properties will be reviewed under current and potential environmental conditions.

The DoD awarded the highly competitive five-year, $7.5 million overall MURI grants to 30 teams at 73 academic institutions earlier this month after the Army Research Office, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and Office of Naval Research solicited proposals in areas of strategic importance to the Department.

The multidisciplinary IM SHARP research team is led by Tugce Baser, Ph.D., assistant professor of geotechnical engineering at the University of Illinois and a TGI associate. The team also includes Go Iwahana of the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; Michael Lanagan, The Pennsylvania State University; Joel Johnson, Ohio State University; and Sahin Ozdemir, The Pennsylvania State University.

The team will explore the fundamental physical, chemical, electromagnetic, thermodynamic, hydraulic and mechanical properties of permafrost under current and changing environmental conditions that govern the remote sensing of permafrost at various wavelengths.

The project seeks to understand hyperspectral fingerprints of permafrost material chemistry and its dynamics in the context of climate change. To do this, the team will use simulations, remote sensing from multiple scales (drones, crewed aircraft, and satellite imaging), light polarization, and electromagnetic (EM) theory guided by knowledge of permafrost physical processes.

SLU will receive $1.3 million to study hyperspectral signatures and light polarization associated with the physical, chemical, electromagnetic, thermodynamic properties of permafrost under current and future climate conditions.

Specifically, Sagan will lead hyperspectral data collection at permafrost test sites; scan simulated permafrost samples created in the lab with various what if scenarios with benchtop scanning systems, and develop novel spectral algorithms for characterizing permafrost from multiple scales, wavelengths, and polarizations.

Since launching in 1985, DODs MURI program has allowed teams of investigators from multiple disciplines to generate collective insights, facilitating the growth of cutting-edge technologies to address unique challenges for the Department of Defense.

Permafrost plays a pivotal role in regulating Earths climate and offers a living laboratory to accurately characterize the rate and magnitude of a warming climate, Sagan said. This is truly an interdisciplinary science team representing expertise in remote sensing, material chemistry, theoretical modeling, physics, and geotechnical engineering, uniquely positioned to lead this project.

Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nations oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers more than 15,200 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the Universitys diverse community of scholars is SLUs service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place. For more information, visit slu.edu.

TGI is passionate about fueling geospatial science and technology to create the next generation of solutions and policies that the whole world will depend on for sustainability and growth.

The TGI consortium is led by Saint Louis University and includes the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Harris-Stowe State University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Missouri University of Science & Technology, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Washington University in St. Louis. Collectively, these institutions encompass more than 5,000 faculty and 100,000 students.

For more information, visit taylorgeospatial.org.

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SLU, TGI Researcher Part of Team Using Remote Sensing to Study Permafrost : SLU - Saint Louis University

MIT scientists have just worked out how to make the most popular AI image generators 30 times faster – Livescience.com

Popular artificial intelligence (AI) powered image generators can run up to 30 times faster thanks to a technique that condenses an entire 100-stage process into one step, new research shows.

Scientists have devised a technique called "distribution matching distillation" (DMD) that teaches new AI models to mimic established image generators, known as diffusion models, such as DALLE 3, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion.

This framework results in smaller and leaner AI models that can generate images much more quickly while retaining the same quality of the final image. The scientists detailed their findings in a study uploaded Dec. 5, 2023, to the preprint server arXiv.

"Our work is a novel method that accelerates current diffusion models such as Stable Diffusion and DALLE-3 by 30 times," study co-lead author Tianwei Yin, a doctoral student in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, said in a statement. "This advancement not only significantly reduces computational time but also retains, if not surpasses, the quality of the generated visual content.

Diffusion models generate images via a multi-stage process. Using images with descriptive text captions and other metadata as the training data, the AI is trained to better understand the context and meaning behind the images so it can respond to text prompts accurately.

Related: New AI image generator is 8 times faster than OpenAI's best tool and can run on cheap computers

In practice, these models work by taking a random image and encoding it with a field of random noise so it is destroyed, explained AI scientist Jay Alammar in a blog post. This is called "forward diffusion," and is a key step in the training process. Next, the image undergoes up to 100 steps to clear up the noise, known as "reverse diffusion" to produce a clear image based on the text prompt.

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By applying their new framework to a new model and cutting these "reverse diffusion" steps down to one the scientists cut the average time it took to generate an image. In one test, their model slashed the image-generation time from approximately 2,590 milliseconds (or 2.59 seconds) using Stable Diffusion v1.5 to 90 ms 28.8 times faster.

DMD has two components that work together to reduce the number of iterations required of the model before it spits out a usable image. The first, called "regression loss," organizes images based on similarity during training, which makes the AI learn faster. The second is called "distribution matching loss," which means the odds of depicting, say, an apple with a bite taken out of it corresponds with how often you're likely to encounter one in the real world. Together these techniques minimize how outlandish the images generated by the new AI model will look.

"Decreasing the number of iterations has been the Holy Grail in diffusion models since their inception," co-lead author Fredo Durand, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, said in the statement. "We are very excited to finally enable single-step image generation, which will dramatically reduce compute costs and accelerate the process."

The new approach dramatically reduces the computational power required to generate images because only one step is required as opposed to "the hundred steps of iterative refinement" in original diffusion models, Yin said. The model can also offer advantages in industries where lightning-fast and efficient generation is crucial, the scientists said, leading to much quicker content creation.

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MIT scientists have just worked out how to make the most popular AI image generators 30 times faster - Livescience.com

Nvidia CEO Huang: We’re making computers smarter so people don’t have to learn computer science – CNBC

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang sits down with Jim Cramer to talk about how AI is democratizing technology, use of their tech in automation, and more.

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Nvidia CEO Huang: We're making computers smarter so people don't have to learn computer science - CNBC

Q&A: How refusal can be an act of design – MIT News

This month in the ACM Journal on Responsible Computing, MIT graduate student Jonathan ZongSM 20 and co-author J. Nathan Matias SM 13, PhD 17 of theCornell Citizens and Technology Lab examine how the notion of refusal can open new avenues in the field of data ethics. In their open-access report,Data Refusal From Below: A Framework for Understanding, Evaluating, and Envisioning Refusal as Design, the pair proposes a framework in four dimensions to map how individuals can say no to technology misuses. At the same time, the researchers argue that just like design, refusal is generative, and has the potential to create alternate futures.

Zong, a PhD candidate in electrical engineering and computer science,2022-23 MIT Morningside Academy for Design Design Fellow, and member of the MIT Visualization Group, describes his latest work in this Q&A.

Q: How do you define the concept of refusal, and where does it come from?

A: Refusal was developed in feminist and Indigenous studies. Its this idea of saying no, without being given permission to say no. Scholars like Ruha Benjamin write about refusal in the context of surveillance, race, and bioethics, and talk about it as a necessary counterpart to consent. Others, like the authors of the Feminist Data Manifest-No, think of refusal as something that can help us commit to building better futures.

Benjamin illustrates cases where the choice to refuse is not equally possible for everyone, citing examples involving genetic data and refugee screenings in the U.K. The imbalance of power in these situations underscores the broader concept of refusal, extending beyond rejecting specific options to challenging the entire set of choices presented.

Q: What inspired you to work on the notion of refusal as an act of design?

A: In my work on data ethics, Ive been thinking about how to incorporate processes into research data collection, particularly around consent and opt-out, with a focus on individual autonomy and the idea of giving people choices about the way that their data is used. But when it comes to data privacy, simply making choices available is not enough. Choices can be unequally available, or create no-win situations where all options are bad. This led me to the concept of refusal: questioning the authority of data collectors and challenging their legitimacy.

The key idea of my work is that refusal is an act of design. I think of refusal as deliberate actions to redesign our socio-technical landscape by exerting some sort of influence. Like design, refusal is generative. Like design, it's oriented towards creating alternate possibilities and alternate futures. Design is a process of exploring or traversing a space of possibility. Applying a design framework to cases of refusal drawn from scholarly and journalistic sources allowed me to establish a common language for talking about refusal and to imagine refusals that havent been explored yet.

Q: What are the stakes around data privacy and data collection?

A: The use of data for facial recognition surveillance in the U.S. is a big example we use in the paper. When people do everyday things like post on social media or walk past cameras in public spaces, they might be contributing their data to training facial recognition systems. For instance, a tech company may take photos from a social media site and build facial recognition that they then sell to the government. In the U.S., these systems are disproportionately used by police to surveil communities of color. It is difficult to apply concepts like consent and opt out of these processes, because they happen over time and involve multiple kinds of institutions. Its also not clear that individual opt-out would do anything to change the overall situation. Refusal then becomes a crucial avenue, at both individual and community levels, to think more broadly of how affected people still exert some kind of voice or agency, without necessarily having an official channel to do so.

Q: Why do you think these issues are more particularly affecting disempowered communities?

A: People who are affected by technologies are not always included in the design process for those technologies. Refusal then becomes a meaningful expression of values and priorities for those who were not part of the early design conversations. Actions taken against technologies like face surveillance be it legal battles against companies, advocacy for stricter regulations, or even direct action like disabling security cameras may not fit the conventional notion of participating in a design process. And yet, these are the actions available to refusers who may be excluded from other forms of participation.

Im particularly inspired by the movement around Indigenous data sovereignty. Organizations like the First Nations Information Governance Centre work towards prioritizing Indigenous communities' perspectives in data collection, and refuse inadequate representation in official health data from the Canadian government. I think this is a movement that exemplifies the potential of refusal, not only as a way to reject whats being offered, but also as a means to propose a constructive alternative, very much like design. Refusal is not merely a negation, but a pathway to different futures.

Q: Can you elaborate on the design framework you propose?

A: Refusals vary widely across contexts and scales. Developing a framework for refusal is about helping people see actions that are seemingly very different as instances of the same broader idea. Our framework consists of four facets: autonomy, time, power, and cost.

Consider the case of IBM creating a facial recognition dataset using people's photos without consent. We saw multiple forms of refusal emerge in response. IBM allowed individuals to opt out by withdrawing their photos. People collectively refused by creating a class-action lawsuit against IBM. Around the same time, many U.S. cities started passing local legislation banning the government use of facial recognition. Evaluating these cases through the framework highlights commonalities and differences. The framework highlights varied approaches to autonomy, like individual opt-out and collective action. Regarding time, opt-outs and lawsuits react to past harm, while legislation might proactively prevent future harm. Power dynamics differ; withdrawing individual photos minimally influences IBM, while legislation could potentially cause longer-term change. And as for cost, individual opt-out seems less demanding, while other approaches require more time and effort, balanced against potential benefits.

The framework facilitates case description and comparison across these dimensions. I think its generative nature encourages exploration of novel forms of refusal as well. By identifying the characteristics we want to see in future refusal strategies collective, proactive, powerful, low-cost we can aspire to shape future approaches and change the behavior of data collectors. We may not always be able to combine all these criteria, but the framework provides a means to articulate our aspirational goals in this context.

Q: What impact do you hope this research will have?

A: I hope to expand the notion of who can participate in design, and whose actions are seen as legitimate expressions of design input. I think a lot of work so far in the conversation around data ethics prioritizes the perspective of computer scientists who are trying to design better systems, at the expense of the perspective of people for whom the systems are not currently working. So, I hope designers and computer scientists can embrace the concept of refusal as a legitimate form of design, and a source of inspiration. There's a vital conversation happening, one that should influence the design of future systems, even if expressed through unconventional means.

One of the things I want to underscore in the paper is that design extends beyond software. Taking a socio-technical perspective, the act of designing encompasses software, institutions, relationships, and governance structures surrounding data use. I want people who arent software engineers, like policymakers or activists, to view themselves as integral to the technology design process.

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Q&A: How refusal can be an act of design - MIT News

Is a Computer Science Degree Worth It? – Southern New Hampshire University

If working with software, technology and a systems mindset interests you, computer science can be a great fit. Its a field that offers many opportunities to work in cutting-edge technology and can lead to a variety of rewarding career paths.

Computer science is a diverse field grounded in technology, combining elements of project planning, software development, data analysis and more, said Dr. Gary Savard, an associate dean of computer science at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

In addition to work at SNHU, Savard has extensive experience working in the computer science field in other ways. He served in the United States Air Force as an officer, both active and reserve, for more than 30 years. He also worked as a software engineer for many companies and owned a software company himself.

His experience in the field ranges from classified Department of Defense projects to maintenance workflow software, artificial intelligence, medical imaging, large-scale database systems, web development and many other types of software development.

At SNHU, Savard oversees the team responsible for computer science course development and management, among many other responsibilities with both faculty and students.

Computer science is highly in demand across all types of industry, Savard said.* In fact, the field is enjoying exponential growth, both with traditional companies and with cutting-edge start-ups, he said.*

Earning a degree in computer science demonstrates your ability to work in a team as well as your aptitude for learning new technological skills and programming languages. You will also gain a lot of experience with hands-on learning and collaboration, according to Nick LeBoeuf '23.

Since earning his bachelor's degree in computer science from SNHU, LeBoeuf has put his own technological skills to work at his job in web development. To be successful in this role, he needs strong design skills coupled with the ability to put himself in the end-user's shoes.

LeBoeuf enjoys working in a profession that challenges him to keep his skills sharp. What I love most about the computer science field is that you are constantly learning, he said. Technology is ever-evolving, and in computer science, we are (on) the front lines of this ever-changing field, trying to ... adapt our existing applications to new standards.

Any degree can be hard if its the wrong fit. While computer science is no doubt a challenging major for many due to its highly technical and mathematical nature, its a field that can be very rewarding for the right person, said Savard.

It takes some time to develop the skills required (to be successful), but grit and persistence pays off, he said.

As a recent graduate, LeBoeuf said, I do think computer science (may) require more effort than other degrees ... but if you put in that effort and really enjoy what you do, it doesnt seem hard."

Several skills that can be helpful for success in the computer science field, per Savard, are:

There are likely some individual classes you might not want to take, just like with any degree program, but these classes may help you later on in your schooling and career.

For LeBoeuf, "Data Structures and Algorithms" was a challenge. When I was taking the class my sophomore year, it was definitely not my favorite class ... but I stuck with it because I knew it was important, he said.

Two years later, LeBoeuf was able to apply what he learned in this class by serving as a Lead Peer Educator at SNHU for the computer science program. Through this role, he was able to teach other computer science majors the material and help them along in their own schooling. Today, working in the field as a front-end developer, LeBoeuf continues to apply the concepts he learned in that class every day.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows positive job outlooks for a number of professions suitable for people with a bachelor's degree in computer science.* These professions include:

Median incomes for these jobs range from $80,730 for web developers and digital designers to $126,900 for computer network architects, BLS reported.* Job outlooks for each are predicted to increase between 4% (the national average for job growth) for computer network architects and by as much as 32% for information security analysts over the next 10 years, according to BLS.*

According to BLS, you may engage in the following types of work, depending on your specific career choice:

While many computer science jobs require only a bachelor's degree to get started, if you go on to earn a master's degree, you may have even more career opportunities (SNHU does not currently offer a master's degree in computer science).

Working as a computer and information research scientist in software, research and development and computer systems design tends to be among the higher-earning computer science careers, as reported by BLS.* There are also many opportunities to work in the federal government, including the military, as well as academia. While these latter roles may not be as lucrative as more technological jobs, they still pay between $84,440 and $115,400, according to BLS.*

Understandably, it may sound as though artificial intelligence, commonly known as AI, could take over the industry and result in computer scientists losing their jobs.

Its important to remember that AI was originally developed by computer scientists. Because of this, Savard said he feels confident that computer science as a discipline isnt going anywhere. Instead, "AI will help us to progress more quickly in developing new technologies as well as automate some of the more tedious tasks that can consume part of our day, he said.

LeBoeuf agrees that AI is a good thing. People think that AI is going to take jobs, he said. (But) you still need that human aspect to every single job to make sure AI is producing what it's meant to (produce).

After all, computer scientists are the ones who implement AI into websites and applications for people to use, LeBoeuf said.

AI can revolutionize various industries by improving efficiency and decision-making, he said. Through the tons of data you give it, (AI) also might discover new patterns or insights that humans might overlook because of the amount of data (they have before them).

Everyone has their own motivation for choosing a careerfield. If you have an interest in one or more of the following areas, you may find computer science a good path for you, said Savard:

Savard recognizes the unique skill set of computer scientists. He said that the ability to do things that seem like magic to those not in the field is very rewarding. Working first in the military and now in academia, he enjoys being able to put his skills to use educating others.

LeBoeuf's work is with a civil engineering firm. He enjoys the public involvement aspect of the field in particular.

Putting yourself in the users shoes, and understanding where they would look for certain items on a website," is important and useful, LeBoeuf said.

The quickly expanding nature of the computer science field and the many avenues for learning and applying your skills are top benefits to a career in computer science.

Taking advantage of opportunities for collaboration and learning while in school can help prepare you for the rewarding computer science career of your choice.

*Cited job growth projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth. Actual salaries and/or earning potential may be the result of a combination of factors including, but not limited to: years of experience, industry of employment, geographic location, and worker skill.

A former higher education administrator, Dr. Marie Morganelliis a career educator and writer. She has taught and tutored composition, literature, and writing at all levels from middle school through graduate school. With two graduate degrees in English language and literature, her focus whether teaching or writing is in helping to raise the voices of others through the power of storytelling. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Is a Computer Science Degree Worth It? - Southern New Hampshire University

Doctoral students reflect on their journeys to becoming Ph.D. candidates and chosen paths of study – Virginia Tech

Nicholas Corline is investigating how some of the smallest creatures can have a big impact.

Our research is really saying that when you have these high populations of tadpoles, you create biogeochemical hotspots on the landscape, and these are your sites of elevated nutrient cycling and elevated carbon cycling, said Corline, a fourth-year Ph.D. student studying forest resources and environment conservation.

Corline is one of 38 students in Virginia Techs Doctoral Scholars program who will be presenting their research during a poster symposium. The programs annual event will be March 29 from 1-4 p.m. in Kelly Hall on the Blacksburg campus.

Led by the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), the program honors exceptional Ph.D. candidates interested in science and engineering with a competitive graduate fellowship. It currently has 38 students representing the College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and the College of Natural Resources and the Environment. The program is supported by significant contributions from the Virginia Tech Graduate Schoolas well as various Virginia Tech colleges and faculty advisors.

Leading up to the event, Corline and two other scholars Cecelia Wood, a third year Ph.D. student studying geosciences, andWesley Woo, a second year student studying computer science shared their insights about the program, their research, and what they hope to convey on March 29.

Why did you accept the offer to join the Doctoral Scholars program?

Corline: The main thing that made me partial to the fellowship is the idea that I have a lot of flexibility and freedom to explore my own research. I feel like theres a lot of flexibility for me to go off on tangents and explore things, which are relevant to the project but still out there, without feeling bad about it. Theres also all the support that ICTAS gives the professional development and a community of scholars which is cool because its really diverse.

Wood: I think that ICTAS, especially within the Doctoral Scholars program, focuses on the intersection between basic scientific research and how we can apply that to society and todays technology. I think that it was lucky because I see that in my research, and I came to Tech because I was a chemistry major and now Im in geosciences; I wanted to switch from a basic science to a more applied science. I think it all comes back to that intersection.

Woo: Its cool to be part of a public institution which has different research goals and funders than a private research institution. Its really a privilege to not have to worry about funding for a couple years, to have access to ICTASs resources, so I can get a travel grant that Ive used to go to conferences and share my work.

What do you enjoy most about the program?

Corline: Everyone has a lot of pride in the school in Virginia Tech itself and their work. That makes it a fun place to work because everyones excited about what theyre doing. Thats the main thing I picked up.

Wood: I think its the camaraderie. All of us have a passion in making sure that our research means something for the world. I talk to some of the scholars who are studying water availability and some who are looking at animal health and resources, and while all of that is different from my research, I think we connect with the passion of wanting to impact the world. What I also really appreciate about the program is the freedom to take risks in my research and pursue leadership opportunities that I wouldnt have been able to because I dont have to teach with the fellowship. Im actually co-leading my own research symposium in my department, so I get to have the hands-on experience planning everything and coordinating committees.

Woo: Its honestly the freedom. Im constantly reminding myself that its great not to have to worry about funding either through TAing [being a teaching assistant] or research assistant positions. Theres freedom to define my own path and work on problems that I think are important [and explore] work between disciplines and how people are approaching the same problem from different disciplinary backgrounds or angles.

What is the most challenging part of the program?

Corline: The toughest part about the program is that a Ph.D. is such a huge investment in time, and its easy to get bogged down in what youre doing and not feel like youre going anywhere because youre accumulating all this knowledge and putting experiments together. Thats the biggest challenge to not just keep motivated but just to keep going and know that youre still making progress even when everything seems to be really slow.

Wood: I dont know if challenging is the right word, but there are a lot of high expectations for us in the program because we were picked to be the best of the best. Its nice to have high expectations because I like to strive and meet those expectations. We are also encouraged to not just be a good graduate student but to be a good citizen and to get involved. I would say its a challenge in the way that you want to receive it and meet it.

Woo: Just learning how to do a Ph.D. in general is challenging, especially because there are so many ways to do good, valid research so many ways of working or thinking about arguments you want to make. It seems like an individual endeavor of finding your identity as a researcher, figuring out what problems you care about and how to make convincing arguments about these problems and what tools youre going to use to make these arguments. With the freedom that comes with not having to worry about funding, is also, OK, how should I be spending my time? I feel like theres a lot of great ways to serve the community and learn broadly. A personal outlook I have on pursuing a Ph.D. is that, yes, there are tangible career benefits or technical growth that can come from doing a Ph.D. but also growing as a person, having new experiences, and learning new ways of thinking are all tied up in the process of becoming an independent researcher.

How would you describe your current research?

Corline: Im on one large project which is an interdisciplinary shared project between Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, and its out on the Delmarva Peninsula. The overall goal of the project is to understand wetland carbon cycling and nutrient cycling. So like water level in these wetlands, how that changes through time, seasons, or years, or how that might change carbon storage, carbon release, nutrient storage, etc. I also have a strong interest in animal ecology, so I was able to bring how animals affect nutrient carbon cycling within the wetlands in conjunction with hydrology. So I have the hydrology project going on looking at these wetlands, and then I was able to do more of an ecology project coming in there looking at how tadpoles affect nutrient cycling in wetlands and how theyre an important contributor to carbon cycling.

Wood: My research is on heavy metal contamination in fresh water drinking reservoirs. It's close to home because I work with the Western Virginia Water Authority on reservoirs that are in Roanoke. These reservoirs serve as a backup water supply for Roanoke City and Roanoke County. We have the system that we know removes it, but we dont know a lot about that process of how it gets removed and how much gets removed. So we look at those particles in the water and say, okay, this is the type of mineral which means it has these properties.We try to examine those particles to make our system better so that way we can remove even more from the water column and tell other people about it.

Woo:My main area of research looks at different barriers to internet use and high quality internet infrastructure. These barriers might not always be purely technological. One concept that I've been thinking about recently is social internet use - what are the ways people might rely on others to access the internet? This idea appears a lot in work on internet use in the Global South. But even in the U.S., once we leave home, we dont have access to our home internet, so we might be using Starbucks' Wi-Fi or Virginia Tech Wi-Fi. Even if were at home, we may have bad internet and need to interact with our service provider or rely on other people's networks or cell phone hotspots to reestablish connectivity. I'm wondering how we can take the social nature of internet infrastructure use into account when designing the internet itself.

What are you presenting at the poster symposium?

Corline: Im going to be presenting my research on the tadpoles. In that landscape, we have all these different wetlands. There are thousands of these small ponds and some of them host frogs as breeding sites and they have tons of tadpoles in there. Our research is really saying that when you have these high populations of tadpoles, you create biogeochemical hotspots on the landscape and these are your sites of elevated nutrient cycling and elevated carbon cycling. So imagine that you have all these wetlands out there and theyre doing their [own] things. Theyre breaking down leaves. Theyre storing organic matter. Theyre processing nutrients. But then, when you have these tadpole populations in there, it supercharges them, so you have much more breakdown. You have faster nutrient cycling and various effects on microbial activities.

Wood: I have five years worth of data I pulled together. With that data, we can look at how much iron and manganese gets removed every year. We have a test reservoir and a controlled reservoir. The test reservoir has the system, and the control doesnt, so we have five years worth of data that shows our system is effective. It speeds up iron and manganese removal and overall, does what we want it to do which I think is a great response everyone wants to see.

Woo:At the poster session, I'll be presenting ongoing work on the design of future cellular networks. In traditional cellular networks, your phone has one IP address and needs to keep this IP address as you connect to different cell towers. This design makes it difficult to move from one cellular network to another without seeing a significant disruption to your cell phones performance, which impedes the spread of smaller, community-owned and operated cellular networks. The work Im doing now explores how the modern internet no longer needs to rely on this traditional cellular network design, as internet-connected devices can manage their own changing IP addresses more efficiently. If devices can indeed handle mobility by themselves, it will be easier for future internet infrastructure to be owned and operated by the communities it serves.

Some answers were edited and condensed for clarity.

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Doctoral students reflect on their journeys to becoming Ph.D. candidates and chosen paths of study - Virginia Tech

Bulgarian Institute Achieves Landmark Success with Breakthrough in AI Research – Novinite.com

Bulgaria's Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) has achieved a historic milestone, with an unprecedented 16 articles accepted for the prestigious Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), the world's foremost forum for AI and computer vision. This groundbreaking success not only marks a significant achievement for Bulgaria but also positions the country among Europe's top ten in the field of AI research, announced the Ministry of Education and Science on Tuesday.

The Ministry highlighted that Bulgaria's success at CVPR surpasses that of all Eastern European countries combined, underscoring the magnitude of the achievement. INSAIT, in collaboration with St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, has spearheaded this remarkable feat, marking the first time in 40 years that Bulgarian scientists have contributed articles to CVPR.

CVPR is renowned as the premier global platform for AI research, ranking alongside esteemed scientific journals such as Nature, The New England Journal of Medicine, and Science. INSAIT's groundbreaking articles cover six strategic fields, including Generative AI, AI motion caption, AI for understanding video, photos, and text simultaneously, autonomous driving, quantum computing for AI, and end-device AI.

The Ministry further emphasized that INSAIT's achievement places Bulgaria's academic research on par with leading institutions worldwide, surpassing renowned universities in countries such as Israel, the Netherlands, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Spain, and Italy.

The forthcoming edition of CVPR, scheduled to take place in Seattle, USA, from June 17 to 21, will serve as a platform for presenting and discussing INSAIT's groundbreaking research findings. As Bulgaria continues to make strides in AI and technology, this achievement serves as a testament to the country's growing prominence on the global stage of scientific innovation.

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Bulgarian Institute Achieves Landmark Success with Breakthrough in AI Research - Novinite.com

Scientists explore complex pattern of tipping points in the Atlantic’s current system – EurekAlert

image:

Professor Valerio Lucarini from the University of Leicester School of Mathematical and Computer Science

Credit: University of Leicester

An international team of scientists have warned against relying on nature providing straightforward early warning indicators of a climate disaster, as new mathematical modelling shows new fascinating aspects of the complexity of the dynamics of climate.

It suggests that the climate system could be more unpredictable than previously thought.

By modelling the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, one of the main ocean current systems, the team which included mathematicians from the University of Leicester have found that the stability of the system is much more complex than simple on-off states as previously assumed. Switches between these states might lead to major changes in the regional climate of the North Atlantic region, yet a far cry from the massive impacts of a transition between the qualitatively different states.

But some of these minor transitions might eventually upscale to cause a major changeover between the qualitatively different states, with massive global climatic impacts. Early warning signals might be unable to distinguish the degree of severity of the ensuing tipping points. Like a tower of Jenga blocks, removing some blocks may affect the stability of the system, but we cannot be certain which block will bring the whole system tumbling down.

Their findings are published in Science Advances today (22 March) in a paper led by the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is one of the most important fundamental features of the climate system. It transports heat from low to high latitudes in the northern Atlantic, so it helps create positive thermal anomalies in northern and western Europe and in the North Atlantic region downwind. A slowdown of the circulation would result in a relative cooling in this region.

Predicting the behaviour of our climate, as in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, is challenging due to its incredible complexity. Scientists either need a model of the highest possible resolution, or try to understand its behaviour using a less resource intensive model that allows for rigorous statistical analysis.

Professor Valerio Lucarini from the University of Leicester School of Mathematical and Computer Science said: Within each state there is a multiplicity of nearby states. Depending on where or what you are observing, you might find some indicators of nearing collapse. But it is not obvious whether this collapse will be contained to nearby states or lead to a major upheaval, because the indicators only reflect the local properties of the system.

These states are the different ways that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation organises itself at large scales, with key implications for the global climate and especially regionally in the North Atlantic. Under some scenarios, the circulation could reach a tipping point where the system is no longer stable and will collapse. Early warning indicators tell us that the system might be jumping to another state, but we do not know how different it will be.

In a separate investigation we have seen something similar occurring in paleoclimatic records: when you change your timescale of interest just like a magnification lens - you can discover smaller and smaller scale distinct features that are indicative of competing modes of operation of the global climate. Paleoclimatic records of the last 65 million years allowed us to provide a new interpretation of the climate evolution over that time period, and reveal these multiple competing states.

This study paves the way to looking at the climate through the lens of statistical mechanics and complexity theory. It really stimulates a new outlook of climate, in which you have to put together complex numerical simulations, observational evidence and theory in an unavoidable mixture. You have to appreciate and endorse this complexity. There is no shortcut, no free lunch in our understanding of climate, but we are learning a lot from it.

Multistability and Intermediate Tipping of the Atlantic Ocean Circulation

22-Mar-2024

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Scientists explore complex pattern of tipping points in the Atlantic's current system - EurekAlert