Institute of Computing and Cybersystems (ICC) Blog

Day: February 9, 2021

ICPC Programming Competition Info Session Is Feb. 11, 6 pm

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What: Info Session: ICPC Programming Competition
When: Thursday, February 11, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Where: Zoom

An information session about the ICPC Programming Competition will take place this Thursday, February 11, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.

ICPC Programming Competition, North America North Central Regionals, will be held, Saturday, February 27, 2021. The contest will be held remotely using the Kattis contest system and Zoom for team communication.

Practice contests will be organized prior to the event.   

Please contact Associate Professor Laura Brown (lebrown@mtu.edu), Computer Science, with questions.

What are programming competitions? 

Programming competitions are team events (groups of 3 students) that test student knowledge through the answering of programming questions, correctly and quickly.  Top teams at the various events can go on to compete against top teams in the world. 

Why do you want to participate?

The programming contest tests your skills against other teams and universities, helps in developing problem solving skills, and can aid in preparation for job interviews, offering practice in solving problems quickly.

When and how you can participate?

The programming contest is usually held in the Fall, but runs virtually in spring 2021.  Student eligibility rules are listed here: https://icpc.baylor.edu/regionals/rules, which basically indicate that the student 1) can compete a maximum of five times at the regional levels, 2) started college in 2016 or later, and 3) was born 1997 or later. First year graduate students may be able to participate under these rules. 

Forming teams

Students who are interested and eligible may sign up to form teams of up to three students.

If you are unable to attend the information session, please complete the form linked to below to indicate your interest, register teammates, or notify organizers that you are looking for teammates.
https://forms.gle/AYtCmJzxNyf2YWGb6

Fine more information and resources at https://bit.ly/3aLiu1O.

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Dean Livesay Asks Students to Share Diversity and Inclusion Experiences

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“My goal — nay our goal — is to make the College of Computing a place where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. And admittedly, I don’t know how to do that, which is why I am asking for your help.”

Dean Livesay

Dean Dennis Livesay wants to hear your story. What has your experience been with regard to diversity and inclusion at Michigan Tech?


What does the Dean need to be aware of as he starts his new position? What is working? What needs to change? How can we improve?

“My commitment to you, in this request and as dean, is that you will always have a forum to speak and be heard on topics of concern to you and our educational community,” Livesay says. “I will ask questions, listen to your responses, seek to understand your experiences, and proactively address your concerns.

Please reach out to Dean Livesay via email (dlivesay@mtu.edu) if you’d like to schedule a time to talk.

“I know that speaking truth to power can be uncomfortable, so please feel free to bring a friend. Our conversation will be completely confidential,” Livesay stresses.

Learn more about Dean Livesay’s commitment to diversity and inclusion here.

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Yakov Nekrich Paper Accepted for Top Computing Conference

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A publication by Associate Professor Yakov Nekrich, Computer Science, has been accepted to the 53rd Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC).

The paper, “Optimal-Time Dynamic Planar Point Location in Connected Subdivisions,” describes an optimal-time solution for the dynamic point location problem and answers an open problem in computational geometry. 

The data structure described in the paper supports queries and updates in logarithmic time. This result is optimal in some models of computation.  Nekrich is the sole author of the publication.

The annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC), is the flagship
conference of SIGACT, the Special Interest Group on Algorithms and
Computation Theory, a special interest group of the Association for
Computing Machinery (ACM).

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Registration Open for Graduate Research Colloquium

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by Graduate Student Government

Registration for this year’s virtual Graduate Research Colloquium (GRC) is open. Due to the continuation of the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic, the GRC will be held virtually on Thursday and Friday, April 1and 2.

The GRC is a great opportunity to work on your presentation skills and prepare for upcoming conferences. Students are free to give an oral presentation, a poster talk, or both. All talks will be scored by judges from the same field as the presenter.

Cash prizes are available for the top three places in both oral and poster presentations (1st – $300, 2nd – $200, and 3rd – $100). Registration closes Tuesday March 2, at 11:59 PM. Register today.

Poster presentations will take place in a pre-recorded video style. The deadline for video submission is Monday, March 22. A short Q&A session will take place with judges between 4-6 p.m. on April 1. Oral presentations are limited to 12 minutes plus a Q&A session.

The GRC will be capped off with a virtual awards ceremony. All participants and judges are invited to attend. The ceremony will be held on April 2, from 5-7 pm. Full information can be found on our website.

Feel free to contact Sarvada Chipkar if you have any questions or concerns.

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MTU Creates Dave House Deanship in College of Computing

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by University Marketing and Communications
Read the Michigan Tech press release here. (Published Feb. 8, 2021)

Michigan Technological University has appointed Dennis Livesay to hold the inaugural Dave House Deanship in the College of Computing effective February 1, 2021. 

View a video of the announcement from the Feb. 5 Michigan Tech Alumni Board meeting.

Michigan Tech launched the College in 2019 to meet the technological, economic and social needs of the 21st century, and answer industry demand for talent in artificial intelligence (AI), software engineering, data science and cybersecurity. In doing so, Tech became the first University in the state with a college of computing.

The gift from Dave House ’65 to endow the dean position reinforces the University’s commitment to computing.

“The College of Computing is central to the future of Michigan Tech. Thanks, in part, to Dave’s visionary gift and Dennis’s leadership, the college is poised for tremendous success on both the national and international stage,” said Rick Koubek, President. 

House, whose many career accolades include growing Intel’s microprocessor product business from $40 million to $4 billion per year, has championed Michigan Tech’s efforts in computing.

“Computing is centric to all disciplines, and Michigan Tech has been wise to move forward with a focus on computing,” said House. “This endowed position will allow the new college to attract the best faculty and the brightest students and the University to continue to be the leader in computing education.”

Livesay, who most recently served as dean of the College of Engineering at Wichita State University, brings 20 years of experience in higher education to Michigan Tech. With a diverse background spanning the biomedical sciences, computing and engineering, he plans to work with partners across campus to address the digital transformation happening in every discipline.

Provost Jackie Huntoon stated she is very happy that Livesay is joining Michigan Tech. “His deep understanding of computing and its impact on all aspects of modern life make him well suited for the deanship of the College of Computing,” she said. “He brings an entrepreneurial perspective to the dean’s role that will enhance efforts currently underway in the College of Computing and across campus.” 

Livesay shares House’s conviction that computing is fundamental to all disciplines.

“Every discipline is a computing discipline,” said Livesay. “When I first started saying this a decade ago, it was more of a tagline, but it is absolutely true today. The modern economy is defined by our ability to create data, transmit it in a secure way and then translate it into action. This is particularly true in science, engineering and business, but also in the social sciences, humanities and the arts. Going forward, we want to be a critical partner in all of those areas.”

The Dave House Dean of Computing is Michigan Tech’s first endowed deanship. The University has nine endowed department chairs and dozens of endowed faculty positions, allowing it to maintain a world-class faculty.

“We thank Dave again for his vision and commitment to Michigan Tech’s future. We are indeed fortunate to have alumni like him who care so deeply for our students,” said Bill Roberts, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement.

View the announcement below about the new deanship from a recent meeting of the Michigan Tech Alumni Board.

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Spend 1010 with Dean Dennis Livesay, Feb. 17, 5:30 pm

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You are invited to spend one-zero-one-zero—that is, ten—minutes with Dr. Dennis Livesay on Wednesday, February 17, from 5:30 to 5:40 p.m. EST.

Dr. Livesay is the Dave House Dean of Computing and a professor in the Department of Applied Computing.

In this informal discussion, Dean Livesay will talk about his journey from chemist to engineer to informatician, with computing being the common thread.

He will also answer any questions you might have about the College of Computing at Michigan Tech.

We look forward to spending 1010 minutes with you!

Visit the 1010 with … webpage here.

Did you miss the January 20 “1010 with Tim Havens?” Watch the video below.

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