Institute of Computing and Cybersystems (ICC)

MEDC Cyber and Mobility Division Visits Michigan Tech

MEDC Logo

Michigan Tech’s ICC Center for Cybersecurity and the MTEC SmartZone hosted members of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC’s) Cyber and Mobility division in Houghton, MI, on December 2, 2019.

The group’s visit included presentations by several Michigan Tech faculty who are conducting research in the cyber and mobility space, strategic economic development discussions highlighting Michigan Tech and the local community, and tours of selected Michigan Tech cyber and mobility labs, including GLRC, APS Labs, and the KRC.

The tour concluded with a talk to Michigan Tech students by Karl Heimer of the MEDC regarding information and student opportunities with MEDC-affiliated CyberAuto and CyberTruck competitions.

For more information, contact Associate Professor Guy Hembroff, director of the ICC Center for Cybersecurity and the Health Informatics graduate program.

“Artificial UnIntelligence,” A Keynote Lecture from Meredith Broussard

The Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture’s Algorithmic Culture series continues with “Artificial UnIntelligence,” a keynote lecture from Meredith Broussard, on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Union Building Ballroom B, followed by a Q&A.

Collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a vast number of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally—hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners—that we have stopped demanding our technology actually work.

In this talk, author and professor Meredith Broussard looks at the inner workings and outer limits of technology, and explains why we should never assume that computers always get things right. Making a case against technochauvinism—the belief that technology is always the solution—Broussard looks at whether self-driving cars really work and why social problems persist in every digital Utopia. If we understand the limits of what we can do with technology, Broussard tells us, we can make better choices about what we should do with it to make the world better for everyone.

Meredith Broussard is an associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University and the author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence in investigative reporting, with a particular interest in using data analysis for social good. You can follow her on Twitter @merbroussard or contact her via meredithbroussard.com.

Meet and Greet with Author Meredith Broussard Is Thurs., Dec. 5, 2-3 pm

A Meet and Greet with author and professor Meredith Broussard will take place Thursday, December 5, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm, in Fisher Hall Room 127.

Dr. Broussard will present a public lecture Thursday, December 5, 7:00 pm to 8:30 p.m., in the Memorial Union Building (MUB), Ballroom B.

Our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a vast number of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally—hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners—that we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work.

In this talk, author and professor Meredith Broussard looks at the inner workings and outer limits of technology, and explains why we should never assume that computers always get things right. Making a case against technochauvinism—the belief that technology is always the solution—Broussard looks at whether self-driving cars really work and why social problems persist in every digital Utopia. If we understand the limits of what we can do with technology, Broussard tells us, we can make better choices about what we should do with it to make the world better for everyone.

Download the event flyer.

Nathir Rawashdeh To Present Talk Fri., Dec. 6

Nathir Rawashdeh, College of Computing Assistant Professor of Mechatronics, Electrical, and Robotics Engineering Technology, will present a talk this Friday, December 6, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., in Rekhi 214. Rawashdeh will present a review of recent advancements in Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) applications, hardware, and software with a focus on vehicle localization and autonomous navigation. Refreshments will be served.

Abstract: Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) are being applied in many scenarios including, indoors, outdoors, and even extraterrestrial. Advancements in hardware and software algorithms reduce their cost and enable the creation of complete UGV platforms designed for custom application development, as well as research into new sensors and algorithms.

Algorithmic Culture Series Lecture: Artificial UnIntelligence Is Dec. 5

The Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture’s Algorithmic Culture Series continues with “Artificial UnIntelligence,” a keynote lecture from Meredith Broussard, at 7 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 5) in Memorial Union Building Ballroom B, followed by a Q&A.

Learn more about the Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture here: https://www.mtu.edu/ipec/

Jinshan Tang Receives Research Excellence Fund Award

The Vice President for Research Office recently announced the Fall 2019 Research Excellence Fund (REF) awards. The awardees included College of Computing Professor Jinshan Tang, a member of the ICC’s Center for Cyber-Physical Systems, who was awarded a Portage Health Foundation (PHF) Infrastructure Enhancement (IE) Grants for his proposal, “High Performance Graphics Processing Units.”

The REF Infrastructure Enhancement (REF-IE) grants are designed to provide resources to develop the infrastructure necessary to support sponsored research and graduate student education. Funded projects typically focus on acquisition of equipment, enhancement of laboratory facilities, or enhancement of administrative support structure to expand the research capability of the unit.

For additional information about the Research Excellence Funds, visit the REF website.

Robert Pastel Presents at Social Science History Association Annual Meeting

Robert Pastel (Computer Science/ICC Center for Human Centered Computing), along with Gary Spikberg (MS Industrial Heritage and Archaeology) and Don Lafreniere (SS/GLRC), presented “A Semiautomated approach to Creating Record Linkages and High Resolution Geocoding Across Historical Datasets” at the annual meeting of the Social Science History Association, which took place November 21-24, 2019, in Chicago, IL.

The Social Science History Association is an interdisciplinary organization that publishes a journal, Social Science History, organizes an annual conference, supports graduate student travel to the conference, and awards book prizes. With scholars from history, economics, sociology, demography, anthropology, and other social sciences, the association brings together scholars in thematic networks where they can explore common questions.

Mark Rouleau Interviewed for Article about IDEA Hub

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette
Mary Haber, director of Michigan Technological University’s IDEA Lab, talks with social sciences assistant professor Mark Rouleau at IDEA Lab’s first open house Wednesday.

Mark Rouleau, associate professor of Social Sciences and a member of the ICC’s Center for Data Sciences, was among those interviewed for the article, “Good ideas: Tech holds open house for IDEA Hub,” which appeared on the front page of the Daily Mining Gazette on November 22, 2019. The article was about a November 20 open house hosted by the IDEA Hub, a Michigan Tech incubator where people from different disciplines can find solutions to problems on scales from Tech to the world, which was launched earlier this year by the Tech Forward “Education in the 21st Century” task force.

Alex Sergeyev Quoted in Grand Rapids Business Journal Article

Alex Sergeyev, College of Computing professor and dirtector of the Mechatronics graduate degree program, was quoted in the article “Robotics key to Michigan’s economy,” published in the Grand Rapids Business Journal on November 22, 2019.

The article also mentions Michigan Tech’s 2018 partnership with Bay De Noc Community College to create a robotics and software development program, which offers a hands-on training program and an easy path for transferring from the community college to the university.

Guy Hembroff Invited Speaker at MedFuse ’19

Guy Hembroff, College of Computing associate professor, director of the Health Informatics graduate program, and director of the Institute of Computing and Cybersystem’s Center for Cybersecurity, was an invited speaker at Medfuse ’19, held in Minneapolis, MN, on October 24, 2019. Hembroff’s presentation was titled “Treating the patient holistically and securely.” He also served on the conference panel, “Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) Security.”

Presentation Abstract: We propose a holistic mHealth community model for residents to overcome significant barriers of care and improve coordinated patient health intervention by integrating multiple health and safety data sources through a mobile digital personal health library application. AI algorithms strategically connect residents to community resources and provide customized health education aimed at increasing the health literacy, empowerment, and self-management of the user. Users are able to securely share their health data with others (e.g. physicians, caregivers). Clinicians can better track patients offering improved preventative measures and care management. The architecture’s security includes a touchless biometric feature, capable of large-scale identity management using a novel fingerprint algorithm to establish a unique health identifier (UHID) for each individual, with the use of facial-recognition as a secondary form of validation prior to a user viewing patient data. Standard smartphones and web cameras are utilized in the identify management process where the application is installed.

The MedFuse conference focuses on advancing Medical IoT (IoMT) devices and exploring the future healthcare implications of Health Informatics.