Category Archives: Computer Science
Class Acts: The Researchers – Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom
Welcome back to Class Acts, a celebration of the Class of 2021. This week, we celebrate three graduating students who are leaders in research Churchill Scholar Jessika Baral, Spencer T. Olin Fellow Chelsey Carter and U.S. Army veteran Alex Reiter.
It started back in middle school, when Jessika Baral got glasses and her dad was struggling with his cataracts.
He suggested that we do eye exercises together, Baral recalled. Middle-school Jessika was not down for that.
So she engineered a sort of sombrero festooned with LED lights. By following the blinking lights, users could strengthen their eye muscles. The results were so impressive, Baral was invited to the White House Science Fair, where she met her hero, Bill Nye.
Fast forward to today. Baral is set to earn her undergraduate degree in biology from Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. She has conducted cancer research at Stanford and Washington universities; co-authored papers in leading journals; founded dance education nonprofit Our Chance to Dance; andwon the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and the Churchill Scholarship, which provides a free graduate education at the University of Cambridge, where Baral will study computational biology.
Computer science is going to be a huge part of the future of medicine, said Baral, who most recently used computational biology in the Ding lab at the School of Medicine to determine which protein complex formations can lead to cancer. By integrating the computational and the experimental, we can ask new questions and really accelerate discovery.
Baral ultimately wants to go to medical school to train to be a pediatric oncologist. She also wants to be a mentor to female scientists much as Li Ding at the School of Medicine has been to her. To that end, Baral helped launch WashU Women in STEM, which provides a community, professional development and outreach programs.
I dont know where I would be without all of the amazing mentors in my life, Baral said. I just want to pay that forward.
Diane Toroian Keaggy
Chelsey Carter centers her research on the illness experience of Black and white Americans living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in her hometown of St. Louis. Her experience working in clinics and hospitals in St. Louis and Atlanta helped her to see how structural racism could impact care in different ways, depending on local circumstances.
When youre not willing to talk about racism or to acknowledge that racism could be happening then you start putting blame on individuals instead, Carter said. In St. Louis, many of the clinicians I spoke with werent willing to acknowledge the systems of oppression that are creating inequitable care.
Her dissertation is titled Its a White Disease: ALS, Race, and Suffering in a Divided City. The project demonstrates the ways racism, gender discrimination and class biases complicate the experiences of people living with ALS in St. Louis.
Carter recalled the ice bucket challenge.
I started asking questions about the experiences of having ALS this incurable disease that had a viral moment at the same time that Ferguson was happening, Carter said. St. Louis has a history and a present with extreme racial tensions. How is that impacting people who are considered to have a white disease?
Chelseys groundbreaking work with Black patients with ALS illuminates the pernicious effects of white supremacy in the constitution of medical knowledge and the delivery of care, said Rebecca Lester, professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences and Carters thesis adviser. Through careful, compassionate and rigorous ethnography, she centers the experiences of those who historically have been silenced and leads readers to interrogate their own assumptions about what counts as medical facts, what constitutes responsive care and who is seen to be deserving of quality treatment.
In July, Carter will become a presidential postdoctoral research fellow at Princeton University, where she will continue work on her book. She has accepted a tenure-track position as an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health, beginning in July 2022.
Talia Ogliore
When Alex Reiter was on active duty, one of his responsibilities was designing physical training programs. Sometimes things didnt go well.
People I was in charge of would get overuseinjuries, he said. He saw similar injuries throughout the Army and wanted to understand why.
He imagined getting a biomechanics masters degree, then working in industry.
In 2015, he and his wife, Leigh, were ready for a change. Reiter transitioned to the Army Reserve. Then in Kentucky, he applied to Washington University. The move would put the Quincy, Ill., native and his wife, a Missouri native, closer to family.
Reiter reached out to David Peters, the McDonnell Douglas Professor of Engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering. He shared his background and motivation to earn a masters degree. Peters suggested a PhD.
I didnt even know what a masters student, or PhD student, or even research looked like, Reiter said. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 2010, followed by a six-year active duty military career. Reiter talked it over with his wife.
Leigh is a big reason I have been able to pursue my PhD, he said. Weve had three boys along the way Graham (4), Owen (2), and Jay (4 months).
Reiter researches traumatic elbow injuries and ways that physical therapy-based approaches can restore function.
How can we train the best way possible, meet the demands of the Army, and keep people healthy and safe? he asked.
Now he is about to graduate with a doctorate in mechanical engineering.
Reiter begins this summer as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ultimately, he wants to run a lab researching the biomechanics of military-related injuries.
I thought it would be impossible to do what I wanted because of my background, Reiter said. Looking back, WashU is the best place I could have ended up.
Brandie Jefferson
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Class Acts: The Researchers - Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom
Researchers discover new vulnerability affecting billions of computers globally – Devdiscourse
A team of researchers at the University of Virginia School of Engineering has discovered a new vulnerability affecting billions of computers and other devices across the globe. The newly discovered vulnerability will be much harder to fix, the researchers said.
Led by Ashish Venkat, William Wulf Career Enhancement Assistant Professor of Computer Science at UVA Engineering, the research team uncovered a line of attack that breaks all Spectre defenses. For those unaware, Spectre is a potentially devastating hardware flaw that made news headlines in 2018 for its ability to exploit critical vulnerabilities in modern processors, allowing programs to steal passwords and sensitive data like emails, business documents, photos etc.
The UVA computer scientists found a whole new way for bad actors to exploit something called a "micro-op cache," which speeds up computing by storing simple commands and allowing the processor to fetch them quickly and early in the speculative execution process. According to the researchers, hackers can steal data when a processor fetches commands from the micro-op cache.
The team found two variants of the attacks that can steal speculatively accessed information from Intel and AMD processors.
"Intel's suggested defense against Spectre, which is called LFENCE, places sensitive code in a waiting area until the security checks are executed, and only then is the sensitive code allowed to execute. But it turns out the walls of this waiting area have ears, which our attack exploits. We show how an attacker can smuggle secrets through the micro-op cache by using it as a covert channel," said Venkat.
The vulnerability has already been disclosed to the product security teams at Intel and AMD, with the lead researcher expecting that computer scientists in academia and industry will work quickly together, as they did with Spectre, to find solutions for this newly discovered problem.
The UVA research team will present the new challenge at the annual International Symposium on Computer Architecture (ISCA) conference which will take place virtually in June 2021.
The research is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
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Researchers discover new vulnerability affecting billions of computers globally - Devdiscourse
led Team Awarded $3M Grant to Decarbonize Computing – UMass News and Media Relations
AMHERST Mass. One of the recent revolutions in computing has been the advent of cloud-based platforms, which handle everything from music and video streaming to crunching enormous amounts of data for scientific research. Cloud infrastructure, used by companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and others, is growing exponentially, and demands an ever-increasing amount of energy, and any serious attempt to grapple with global climate change will therefore have to address computings carbon footprint, says a University of Massachusetts expert leading a team to work on the issue.
A multi-university team of researchers, led by Prashant Shenoy, distinguished professor in the University of Massachusetts Amhersts College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS), will be tackling this challenge thanks to a $3 million grant jointly administered by the National Science Foundation and VMware, a private technology cloud-computing company.
Part of the answer to achieving zero carbon computing is in moving to renewable sources of energy, but, says Shenoy, the great challenge of renewables is that the sun doesnt shine all the time in every place, nor does the wind always blow, but computing happens 24/7. How do we get renewable energy from where it is being made to where it is needed by computing tasks? The CarbonFirst team includes UMass researchers Ramesh Sitaraman, Mohammad Hajiesmaili, and David Irwin, professor in electrical and computer engineering, as well as collaborators from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and California Institute of Technology.
The project builds over a decade of research in carbon-aware computing at UMass, which has emerged as a global leader in this area. UMass is really unique globally in the concentration of people it has working at the intersection of computing and sustainability, which, as this project demonstrates, is becoming an increasingly important topic in both industry and society. This concentration of expertise enables us to do `big things at UMass that just arent possible at many other places. says Irwin.
The team envisions building a self-powered, decentralized network of computing hardware, solar batteries, and free cooling hubs that are widely distributed. This is a reversal of the dominant trend in cloud computing, which concentrates computing centers, and energy needs, at only a few locations. Such distributed cloud and edge computing is much more easily able to leverage local renewable energy sources.
This new grant builds on UMass Amhersts already impressive research record in sustainable computing, drawing on the expertise of researchers with considerable experience in this critically important area of computer science, says Laura Haas, dean of CICS. Their work to find new methods for making cloud computing more energy-efficient is a perfect example of our colleges vision of Computing for the Common Good.
The team also plans to virtualize the energy system, which means designing software that can monitor its own energy needs and carbon emissions. If the energy needs at a specific location exceed local renewable energy sources, computing applications can seamlessly move to another site that has surplus renewable energy. And since the massive, energy-intensive cloud computing centers will be around for years to come, the team will be engineering digital carbon-capping policies, that track applications use of traditional grid-based carbon emissions and restricts energy to renewable sources after reaching the cap.
The team will demonstrate their concept at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center in Holyoke, and the fruits of the teams research will be made publicly available. We are going to put out the source code and the data sets, so that others can leverage our findings, says Shenoy.
UMass Amherst has an extraordinary track-record of research and leadership in renewable energy, climate science and sustainability across multiple departments and colleges, says Sanjay Raman, dean of the UMass college of engineering. Recently, we have launched the Energy Transition Institute, focused on transforming our energy systems while also promoting the socioeconomic equity of communities. The important work of Prashant and his team perfectly complements and builds on these ongoing efforts.
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led Team Awarded $3M Grant to Decarbonize Computing - UMass News and Media Relations
Diesslins gift $100,000 of stock to VCC Foundation – The Ely Echo
Local educators and long-time community service members, Blaine Butch Diesslin and Lucille Lucy Barnes Diesslin recently made a $100,000 gift of stock to endow a scholarship with the Vermilion Community College Foundation.When asked why they made the decision to give a large gift to establish an endowment Diesslin said, A major reason for my endowing a scholarship at VCC is my receiving scholarships when I was in college. I am the second oldest child in a family with eight children.I received a Tuition and Fees scholarship when I was earning my Bachelors Degree at Mankato State College (now Minnesota State-Mankato).Over the years, I was able to save and invest a portion of earnings while I was employed. Now that I am comfortably retired, Ive reached a point where I want to give back to others that want a college education by endowing two scholarships; one at VCC and one at UW-Superior.Butch Diesslin made his first trip to Ely at the age of 15 as a member of a Boy Scout Explorer Post in St. Paul, MN to go on a canoe trip through the Region Ten Canoe Base; now known as the Northern Tier High Adventure Canoe Base. It would be the beginning of a life-long commitment to the area.I was the youngest, smallest, lightest and weakest member of the group. I couldnt carry a canoe on portages and could only carry the smallest and lightest pack in our outfitting set. My greatest asset was my experience in campfire cooking for our group.I returned two years later, after getting slightly taller, much stronger, able to flip and carry a canoe and paddle and steer the canoe.It was at this time that Diesslin learned about a three-week long training available for 17-year-old scouts interested in working as staff-members guides for the following summer. He successfully completed the training and worked as a wilderness guide summers throughout college.Diesslin is a St. Paul Johnson High School graduate and participated in an accelerated science and mathematics curriculum of the St. Paul Public Schools.He then attended Mankato State College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with a Major in Mathematics and a Minor in Physics.After Diesslin began teaching, he continued to be a summer staff member of the scout base as a staff trainer and summer maintenance supervisor.Diesslin also continued his support of the base serving as a member of the Northern Tier National High Adventure Base Advisory Committee of the Boy Scouts of America from 1983-2020.Diesslin taught junior high and high school mathematics, physics and physical science in Welcome and Renville, MN and also taught in Forest Lake, MN.He was a participating student in a National Science Foundation Academic Year Institute of Graduate Studies in Physics Education at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and received his Masters of Science in Teaching in 1971.Diesslins opportunity to teach college physics, engineering statics and engineering dynamics for spring quarter 1973, as a temporary full-time employee for one quarter came upon the sudden and unexpected death of the Vermilions physics instructor (two weeks before the end of winter quarter 1972-73).His teaching skill and experience led him to a permanent faculty position. During his tenure at Vermilion, Diesslin developed an introduction to astronomy course as a general education elective, the introduction of personal computers (Apple, IBM PC and Atari) into the facilities of the college.This also necessitated having a computer maintenance person on staff. He completed training courses in computer maintenance, repair and the colleges local area network.In a quickly changing technological world Diesslin explained, I completed additional coursework to be able to develop and teach the colleges introduction to computers computer use and literacy course, which became a mandatory course for A.A. students when not everyone owned or used a computer.Diesslin also played a significant role in facilitating the innovative Access to Excellence or Post-secondary Education Option giving high school juniors and seniors the option to take college level classes through a community colleges curriculum, or to allow high school teachers with a masters degree in their science or math discipline to teach a college credit class - with a quality assurance collaborator from a community college visiting the class periodically to ensure college credit worthiness, comparable content and rigor of the in-high school taught course.He served as the quality assurance instructor through Vermilion for math and science courses being taught by high school teachers at Cherry, Crosby-Ironton, Aitkin, Staples, Babbitt and Ely.In addition to his contributions to education in the Ely area, Diesslin has also served as a member of the Ely-Bloomensen Hospital Community Liaison Committee for over 15 years and served the full allowable term as a board member of the hospital board of directors, has served on the Dorothy Molter Museum board since the early days of the organization and served as president for over 10 years and has been an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Ely for many years.It was during his time taking additional graduate studies in computer science at Bemidji State University that Diesslin met Lucy Barnes. The two had a lot in common; mathematics, teaching and a love of education.Lucille Lucy Barnes Diesslin earned both her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Winona State University, majoring in Mathematics.Lucy taught junior high and high school mathematics in Highland WI, Lake Geneva, WI and St. Anthony Village, MN prior to meeting and marrying Butch and moving to Ely in 1983.Lucy was a member of the faculty at Ely High School and retired after 38 years of teaching at the end of the 1998-1999 school year. Lucy volunteered as a tutor for the after school Homework Club for 15 years.Lucy also served as a volunteer Board member of Northwoods Partners, is a member of the Ely Branch of the American Association of University Woman and continues to volunteer at the special events of Ely Community Resource.Lucy has also established a scholarship at Winona State University and has also contributed to the funding and endowing of the VCC Diesslin Scholarship.When learning of the gift, Interim Provost Chris Koivisto said, Butch and Lucy have long been strong supporters of Vermilion and our work to make the educational dreams and aspirations of students a reality.Butchs service to the college began in 1972 when he joined the Vermilion faculty and it continued into retirement as a member of the Vermilion Advisory Board. Butch and Lucys generous gift to the Vermilion foundation is the latest addition to their legacy of support for higher education, Vermilion, and the larger Ely community.On behalf of Vermilion, we cannot thank Butch and Lucy enough for their generosity and unwavering support. Gifts of scholarship mean more than ever to our students in these difficult times.There are many ways to support the students of Vermilion Community College.Gifts of appreciated stocks, bonds, or mutual fund shares can be a tax-advantaged way to provide immediate support for Vermilion. Gifts of any size benefit students, faculty and our unique programs.As with any gift to Vermilion, it may be directed to a specific degree program.For more information 2visit https://www.vcc.edu/ways-to-give or contact Sarah Guy-Levar at sarah.guy-levar@vcc.edu or 218-235-2166.
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Diesslins gift $100,000 of stock to VCC Foundation - The Ely Echo
Four NYU Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences – NYU News
Four New York University faculty have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences: Marisa Carrasco, Yann LeCun, Kathryn J. Moore, and Adam Przeworski. This years election of 120 new members--59 of whom are women, the most elected in a single year--and 30 international members were chosen in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, the Washington, D.C.-based organization announced.
The historic number of women elected this year reflects the critical contributions that they are making in many fields of science, as well as a concerted effort by our Academy to recognize those contributions and the essential value of increasing diversity in our ranks, said National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt. I am pleased to welcome all of our new members, and I look forward to engaging with them in the work of the National Academies.
A complete list of 2021 elected members may be found on the National Academy of Sciences website.
Marisa Carrasco, Julius Silver Professor of Psychology and Neural Science and Collegiate Professor at NYU, was elected as an international member (Mexico). She investigates the relationship between the psychological and physiological mechanisms involved in visual perception and attention, using a variety of methods from cognitive neuroscience. Her recentresearch centers on the differential effects on performance, sensory representations, brain regions, and mechanisms mediating the deployment of endogenous (voluntary) and exogenous (involuntary) attention. Carrasco has a licentiate in psychology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and masters and doctoral degrees in psychology from Princeton University.
Yann LeCun, Silver Professor of Computer Science at NYUs Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, founding director of and a professor at NYUs Center for Data Science, and vice president and chief artificial intelligence scientist at Facebook, has made breakthroughs in AI and, specifically, deep learning and convolutional neural networks. LeCun, an affiliated faculty member at NYUs Tandon School of Engineering and an associated faculty member in NYUs Center for Neural Science, received a Diplme d'Ingnieur from the Ecole Superieure d'Ingnieur en Electrotechnique et Electronique and a Ph.D. in computer science from Universit Pierre et Marie Curie.
Kathryn J. Moore, Jean and David Blechman Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine, studies how the immune system contributes to the development of atherosclerosis and how genes that control cholesterol deposition in blood vessels might be manipulated by experimental therapies. She also recently engendered notice for her study showing that heart attacks, by changing the immune system, may accelerate the development of breast cancer. She earned a Ph.D. from McGill University and did her post-doctoral training at the Lipid Metabolism Unit of Harvard Medical School.
Adam Przeworski, a professor emeritus in NYUs Department of Politics, studies the interplay among democracy, capitalism, and economic development. The author of States and Markets: A Primer In Political Economy (Cambridge University Press, 2003), among other publications, he holds a masters degree in philosophy and sociology from the University of Warsaw and a doctorate in political science from Northwestern University.
Additional information about the academy and its members is available on its website.
EDITORS NOTE:Founded in 1831, NYU is one of the worlds foremost research universities and is a member of the selective Association of American Universities. NYU has degree-granting university campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai and has 11 other global academic sites, including London, Paris, Florence, Tel Aviv, Buenos Aires, and Accra. Through its numerous schools and colleges, NYU is a leader in conducting research and providing education in the arts and sciences, engineering, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and performing arts, music and studio arts, public administration, social work, and professional studies, among other areas.
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Four NYU Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences - NYU News
Mnoa: Public invited to virtual UH Venture Competition | University of Hawaii News – UHM News
University of Hawaii at Mnoa
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For the first time in the 21-year history of the University of Hawaii Venture Competition (UHVC), the public is invited to watch and participate in the final event as three promising UH startup teams vie for more than $60,000 in cash and in-kind prizes. The live-streamed event, on Wednesday, May 5, 47 p.m., will be interactive allowing participants to share their comments, respond to polls and vote for their favorite in the wild card round. Viewers must register to receive the link on the venture competition website.
The UHVC, which is presented by the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) at UH Mnoas Shidler College of Business, is open to students from all 10 UH campuses. The UHVC has grown to become one of the most exciting signature events of the university entrepreneurial ecosystem and is made possible thanks to title sponsor American Savings Bank. In addition to cash, each winning team will take home a carefully curated prize package of support services. Prize sponsors include Blue Logic Labs, Business Consulting Resources, HiBEAM, Hub Coworking Hawaii, Pineapple Tweed, ProService Hawaii and Vantage Counsel.
The finalists are:
Nimbus AI LLCTeam: Kyle Hart (UH Mnoa computer science graduate student), Peter Sadowski (UH Mnoa information and computer sciences assistant professor) and Giuseppe Torri (UH Mnoa atmospheric sciences assistant professor)Nimbus AI LLC is a company that provides machine learning powered solar forecasts for utilities and individual PV customers.
Pol EnergyTeam: Tate Castillo (UH Mnoa law and business student) and David Ma (College of Engineering interim associate dean)Pol Energy offers reliable renewable ocean energy technology that balances wind and solar while making seawater desalination cheaper and cleaner.
Pulse Utility, LLCTeam: Craig Opie (UH Mnoa information and computer sciences student), Yosef Ben Gershom (UH Mnoa executive MBA student), Anthony Lopez (UH Mnoa electrical engineering student), Joshua ONeill (Honolulu Community College computing, security, and networking technology student), and Isaac Rodrigues (Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory engineer)Pulse Utility, LLC is a utility location service using ground penetration radar with improved location accuracy.
The judges are:
Ben Godsey, president and CEO of ProService Hawaii
Alvin Miyasato, retired region head, finance leadership development, Intel Asia
Tony Mizuno, senior vice president, commercial real estate, American Savings Bank
Wendy (Kuwamoto) Peterson, general counsel of Knobbe Martens
More about the UHVC
The UHVC is an intense, experiential program that provides a platform for UH students and faculty who seek to learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur and start a business venture. Through the competition, participants test the feasibility of a business idea, develop a business plan and pitch to investors.
The UHVC is one of more than 20 programs offered by PACE. PACE offers mentorship, training and resources to all UH students and faculty, and its programs are designed to encourage entrepreneurial thinking across disciplines and inspire entrepreneurs to move their ideas from conceptualization to commercialization. Learn more at PACEs website.
For more information, visit: http://pace.shidler.hawaii.edu/uhvc
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Mnoa: Public invited to virtual UH Venture Competition | University of Hawaii News - UHM News
Gov. Wolf Announces $10.8 Million to Expand STEM and Computer Science in Schools – pa.gov
Continuing the rollout of his groundbreaking PAsmart initiative, Governor Tom Wolf announced $10.8 million in PAsmart Advancing Grants to expand access to computer science and STEM education for Pennsylvania learners. Combined with PAsmart Targeted Grants announced in 2020, the Wolf administration has awarded nearly $20 million to bolster STEM and computer science (CS) in schools during the 2020-21 school year.
Workers in all types of jobs increasingly need to use computers and technology, said Governor Wolf. In order to meet that demand, I launched PAsmart in 2018 to expand science and technology education.
These grants will help our schools and communities to expand STEM and computer science education. That will strengthen our workforce, so businesses can grow, and workers have good jobs that can support a family.
Over the next decade, seven in 10 new jobs in Pennsylvania will require workers to use computers and new technologies.
Projects funded by the PAsmart Advancing Grants include CS and STEM after-school programs in robotics and artificial intelligence; the establishment of innovative STEM partnerships between school districts and higher education partners to provide college credits and industry credentials in STEM and Computer Science; support for diversity and inclusion on esports teams in high-need areas; establishing innovation hubs through collaborations with community colleges, city parks, and libraries to help underserved learners build STEM and computer science skills; establishing mentorships to expose underrepresented learners to STEM careers; and opportunities for rural, urban, and suburban students to gain hands-on experience in coding and robotics.
Other projects will develop CS and STEM internships, teacher training programs to increase the number of instructors in CS and STEM, and a mobile lab to provide STEM experiences for students experiencing homelessness. The onset of the pandemic caused grant distribution, which was originally intended to take place in the spring of 2020, to be placed on hold until now.
The PAsmart initiative has established Pennsylvania as a nationwide leader in computer science and STEM learning, said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. While the pandemic placed a temporary halt in the distribution of PAsmart resources, we are pleased to announce that we are now able to provide these grant funds to schools that are doing great work to advance STEM programs in the commonwealth. The Wolf administration has continued to ensure our students are college ready as evidenced through the success of the PAsmart Advancing Grants.
Among the 26 recipients of the newly announced PAsmart Advancing Grants are:
A full list of recipients, projects, and award amounts can be found at PA Advancing Grants 2021.
Over the last three years, the Wolf Administration awarded 453 PAsmart grants to expand computer science classes and teacher training at over 765 schools across the commonwealth.
These investments in computer science and STEM education complement other commonwealth PAsmart initiatives: PAsmart Registered Apprenticeships, Pre-Apprenticeships, and Ambassador Network Grants, which expand access to apprenticeships and job training, and Next Generation Industry Partnership Grants. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry announced a total of $11.2 million in grant awards through these initiatives in 2020.
For more information about Pennsylvanias education policies and programs, please visit the Department of Educations website at http://www.education.pa.gov or follow PDE on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.
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Gov. Wolf Announces $10.8 Million to Expand STEM and Computer Science in Schools - pa.gov
Head of Dal computer science says $13M in funding will help bolster diversity – CBC.ca
The dean of computer science at Dalhousie University says the department hopes to use millions of dollars in newly announced provincial funding to createmore inclusive programs and bolster diversity within the field.
"We see this as an incredible opportunity to really scale up our desire to have broad representation," Andrew Rau-Chaplin said.
Recently, the province announced $16.8 million infundingto help expand and enhance computer science education at four Nova Scotia universities. A large portion of that $13.3 millionhas been offered to Dalhousie.
Rau-Chaplin saiditwill allow the department to do more work to get more under-represented people into the field. That includesforming connections with local organizationssuch asBlack Business Initiative, and bolstering current Dal programs such asWeAreAllCS (We areAll Computer Science).
The WeAreAllCSinitiative started in 2018with thegoal ofdoubling the number of female students coming into the computer science program. Several scholarshipsand co-op opportunities have also been offered through the WeAreAllCSprogram, but Rau-Chaplin saidthere is still more that needs to be done.
"This under-representation is a really difficult societal problem," saidRau-Chaplin."We've made greatprogress but it's going to take a sustained focus. What this funding gives us is the resources and capacityto maintain that focus, to do more outreach and to build links."
A study releasedby the Brookfield Institutein 2019 and called Who are Canada's Tech Workers?found that only2.6 per centof the tech workforce are Black and that Black employees were the lowest paid. Moreover, it showed that only 20 per centare women and only 1.2 per centidentify as Indigenous.
Although Dalhousie researcher and associate professor Rita Orji was recently nationally recognized for her work in the computerscience field, she saidsuccess did not come easy. Orji, who is from Nigeria, saidshe knows first hand what it's liketo be the only person that looks like her in the room at a conference or board meeting.
After interviewing with four other universities prior to finally choosing Dalhousie, Orji said therewere moments when she even questioned herdesire to beprofessor.
"I was terrified. The way theytreated me,it was already like 'you're not welcomed,"said Orji,
Orji said she chose Dalhousie because she felt at home and was treated as an equal and not as someone who is inferior something she said she experienced during other university interviews.
When Orji was awardedthe Outstanding Early-Career Computer Science Researcher Prizeearlier this month she said she was thrilled. The award recognizestop young faculty members in Canadian computer science departments, schools and faculties who are within the first 10years of their career. It's also something Orji never thought she would receive.
"I'm originally from Nigeria, you know, I grew up in a town calledEnugu State, in a village where we actually had neither electricity or piped water."
Orji said she's hopes some of the government funding heading to Dalhousie will be used to pay for thingslike applicationfees andtext books, and help withother monetary barriers thatmay be standing in the way of many minorities entering computer science.
Rau-Chaplin said the moneywill not only help recruit more students from under-represented groups but will also help ensure the curriculum itself is conducive to everyone's learning.
"We're trying to paint a picture that, this large-scale societal problem, we can bean important catalystin addressing it."
It's a step toward not only making Dalhousie's program one of the most highly regarded in Canada, but also changing the computer science landscape, said Rau-Chaplin.
"The future is being built by computer science," said Rau-Chaplin. "So it's becomecritically important that the people that arebuilding those digital systems reflect us all as a whole."
Rau-Chaplin said inequality can't be fixed by donations alone, and Dalhousierecognizes thatthe lack of diversity within STEM and computer science isan ongoing battle.
"This is really going to allow us to be incredibly ambitious," said Rau-Chaplin.
Orji said she looks forward to seeing more under-represented people in the field of computer science."I want to encourage everyone out there. You are good enough. Just do it," she said.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
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Head of Dal computer science says $13M in funding will help bolster diversity - CBC.ca
ASMS Computer Science Instructor Named Cyber Security Teacher of the Year – Opelika Observer
Contributed by Alabama School of Mathematics and Science
Deborah Gray, computer science instructor at the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science (ASMS) was recognized as Teach Cybers 2020 Cyber Security Teacher of the Year with the Pathways to Cybersecurity Award. This award highlights her dedication to teaching cybersecurity, facilitating outside the classroom opportunities and coaching competitions. According to Teach Cyber, This award recognizes teachers who (in addition to teaching a cybersecurity class) developed cybersecurity programs, host clubs and/or coach competitions. Their efforts have given students multiple means to enter or advance along a cybersecurity path.
Gray received her bachelors degree in electrical engineering from University of Southern California and an M.B.A. from Santa Clara University while working for a high-tech company, Hewlett Packard, in the San Francisco Bay area. Before ASMS, she taught at different international schools and in Baldwin County. Her professional interests include cybersecurity, underwater robotics and data science. As a computer science instructor, she promotes student engagement and project-based learning. Her approach encourages students to participate in computer science competitions and clubs that she sponsors.
When asked why cybersecurity is important to her, Gray describes, Cybersecurity is a critical, timely topic that crosscuts all aspects of our lives. It sparks student interest and deep dives into a wide range of CS topics from Linux to networking to cryptography to cyber ethics. Students have fun solving problems and collaborating in competitions. It opens opportunities for them at universities and in their careers.
At ASMS, Gray has developed new courses for the school including Computer Security Fundamentals and Cyber Ethics. She sponsors the ASMS Cyber Security Club and coaches students in competitions which combine their individual strengths to work together. For example, in CyberPatriots competitions, students fix vulnerabilities in operating systems and secure a network. In Capture the Flag (CTF) events, students solve challenges of various skill levels and points by finding concealed messages, decrypting communications, reverse engineering code, programming and more. Gray says there is something of interest for everyone, and many of these activities help students explore a variety of skills and introduces them to situations they may encounter in a CS field.
Cyber security has quickly become one of the most prominent fields in our world today, and Gray is equipping our students with the experiences they need to be at the forefront. In addition to computer science skills, Grays approach to teaching and learning fosters curiosity, confidence and collaboration among our students. She is both an asset to the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science and the field of computer science education, said ASMS School President Dr. John Hoyle.
Know a high school student interested in computer science and cybersecurity? Current 9th and 10th graders in Alabama can apply now to ASMS for the 2021-2022 school year. Learn more at asms.net/admissions.
About ASMS
The Alabama School of Mathematics and Science is the states only fully public and residential high school for sophomores, juniors and seniors seeking advanced studies in math, science, computer science and the humanities. ASMS is a research-focused learning community committed to innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration and diversity with an aim to empower motivated Alabama students to improve their community, state and nation. Tuition, room and board are free. Learn more at http://www.asms.net.
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ASMS Computer Science Instructor Named Cyber Security Teacher of the Year - Opelika Observer
From computer science to ministry here’s how one Topeka pastor found his way to the church – The Topeka Capital-Journal
Pastor K.O. Noonoo, who was recently selected to lead Topeka's Westminster Presbyterian Church, didn't intend to pursue ministry when he moved to the U.S. from Ghana in 1990.
In fact, when he settled in Jamestown, North Dakota, to attend what is now known as the University of Jamestown as an international student, Noonoo planned to studycomputer science.
"I soon discovered, though, that I did not start (computer) programming early enough, so I opted for something called management information science," he said. "It had enough business in it, not too much programming so I could make that work."
He graduated with that degree; married his wife, Anna, in 1995; and moved to the Chicago area to start a family. He also beganstudyingfor the certified public accountant exam.
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But perhaps his attendance at Jamestown a private Christian university founded by the Presbyterian Church in 1883 was foreshadowing, because his pursuit of accounting didn't last long.
"It was Anna who came to me one day and said:'I don't know, but I'm just wondering. If you continue on this path, in 10 years, do you see yourself happy in this field?'" Noonoo said.
Her question got him thinking, and he returned to an idea ministry that had been introduced to him several years prior.
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During his third year ofhigh school in Ghana, Noonoo said, he was first called to ministry through some of his peers.
He attended an all-boys Catholic boarding school there, and one day, he was invited to lead a prayer meeting.
"When I was done, some of my colleagues in that group said:'Oh, you did a good job. You did a good job. Have you considered full-time ministry, Christian ministry?'" Noonoo said. "I didn't like that because, for one thing, I had my own plans, things I wanted to do. Ministry just wasn't one of them."
But for some reason, he said, the idea stuck. So when Anna posed the question about long-term happiness, Noonoo began thinking again about that call to the church.
"It had never really been on the back burner," Noonoo said. "It was always there, and I had been fighting it."
After that realization, he enrolled in Princeton Theological Seminary, graduating from the school in 2002.
As the son of educators and the oldest of six children, Noonoo said his family in Ghana, with whom he stillkeeps in touch, was hesitant at first to the idea of him pursuing ministry.
"Part of it is being a son, or the first son, in the family," he said. "I had responsibilities for taking care of my parents. That's why I was sent to the United States. I was sent to the United States to study hard, earn a lot of money and send most of it to Ghana, so this is not exactly the kind of profession that fulfills that dream and that goal.
"Responding to this call to ministry, then, wasn't just me. The family had to come along, as well. That was part of the discernment process, part of the journey."
Following his theological studies, Noonoo served a church in Ohio and then wound up in Pittsburg. And almost 20 years after leaving seminary, Noonoo is beginning a new journey in Topeka.
On Feb. 1, he officially stepped into his new role as pastor of the city's Westminster Presbyterian Church.
"He's just been a breath of fresh air for all of us," said Sue Fackler, who has been a member of the congregation for nearly 40 years andwas on the church's pastor search committee."We're excited to go back to church because of him."
Noonoo said he enjoys creating harmony, building community and making the church a place people want to be.
"To make that possible, part of what we need to do is really prepare ourselves to repair relationships," he said.
And repairing relationships is an area where previous training he has hadin mediation and conflict resolution come in handy.
When it comes to building church community, Noonoo indicated the COVID-19 pandemic has posed some challenges,but he has found ways around them by streaming services online, organizing small-group activities and standing up a Facebook series called SoulFeast.
"There have been several ways he's made it feel like we're really getting to know him, even though the pandemic has been a challenge," Fackler said.
With SoulFeast, Noonoo streams roughly 10-minute videos on Facebook of him discussing a variety oftopics related to spirituality.
"The word people use is 'spirituality,' but for me, it's just being real about my experiences with God and finding a place where that can be shared," he said.
Another aspect of his leadership style is bringing people together through music. Noonoo has four African drums in his office, another drum in the church sanctuary and a rainstick instrument. And he uses some of the instruments during church services.
"That's been kind of a novelty for some of us to see and hear about," Fackler said.
Noonoo indicated being able to play the drums is special for him, too.
"In Ghana, there are people who play the drums because it's part of their family heritage. I mean, they are really, really good. They can really play. So there are the people who play, and then there are the people who carry their drums. The people who carry the drums are sort of disciples of the pros," Noonoo said.
"And then there's everybody else," he added."In Ghana, they wouldn't even let me be a drum carrier.So I just offer the little bit (of musicality) that I have. It seems to be appreciated."
He said playing those drums has taught him to bring what you have to the table. It doesn't have to be great, he said, you just have to do it.
According to Noonoo, serving asa pastorhas allowed him to make a difference in people's lives and that, he said, is inspiring.
"There are real challenges in the world. It's no joke," he said. "To be involved with creating a space where people can support one another, discern what God is up to in their lives and find some meaning in what they may do ... that's huge."
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