Department of Computer Science faculty and students presented two posters, a paper, and chaired a session at the 26th Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE), conducted online June 26 to July 1, 2021.
“A Visualization for Teaching Integer Coercion,” a poster presented by James Walker with Steven Carr, Ahmed Radwan, Yu-Hsiang Hu, Yu Chin Cheng, Jean Mayo, and Ching-Kuang Shene, was one of three posters that received the conference’s Best Poster Award.
The poster describes the Expression Evaluation (EE) visualization tool. The tool is designed to aid students in understanding type conversions that take place implicitly in C. Understanding type conversions is essential to avoid Integer errors in C which continue to be a source of security vulnerabilities.
An additional paper and poster were presented at the conference, below. Dr. Linda Ott chaired a conference session on Students: Diversity.
Poster: Modeling the Growth and Spread of Infectious Diseases to Teach Computational Thinking by Meara Pellar-Kosbar, Dylan Gaines, Lauren Monroe, Alec Rospierski, Alexander Martin, Ben Vigna, Devin Stewart, Jared Perttunen, Calvin Voss, Robert Pastel and Leo Ureel II
The poster discusses a simulation model developed to teach middle school students about the spread of infectious diseases augmented with affordances to help students develop computational thinking skills. The simulation was partially developed as a Citizen Science project in the courses CS4760 and CS5760, User Interface Design and Human Computer Interaction.
Presentation: Frozen in the Past: When it Comes to Analogy Fears, It’s Time For Us to “Let it Go” by Briana Bettin and Linda Ott
This position paper describes a fundamental difference in attitudes toward the use of analogy in the computer science education community versus other STEM education communities. Additionally, it provides suggestions for how to address concerns in the CS education research community in order to advance research into the use of analogy in computing education
The 26th annual conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE) was sponsored by ACM, the ACM Special Interest Group on Computing Education (SIGCSE), the ACM Europe Council, and Informatics Europe.
The College of Computing is pleased to welcome new Department of Computer Science faculty members Dr. Dukka KC and Dr. Xinyu Lei.
Dr. KC, associate professor, comes to Michigan Tech from Wichita State University (WSU); he was also on the faculty at North Carolina A&T University. His expertise is in applied deep learning and bioinformatics.
Dr. Xinyu Lei, assistant professor, joins Michigan Tech directly following his PhD completion at Michigan State University. Dr. Lei’s speciality is cybersecurity.
Dennis Livesay, Dave House Dean of Computing, has known Dr. KC for more than 20 years. “Most recently, we worked together at WSU,” Livesay says. “Dukka built the WSU Data Science programs and a number of large interdisciplinary research teams, including a high-profile disaster resiliency effort that enables formation of research clusters to address some of today’s most pressing challenges.”
“Michigan Tech and the College’s research successes are drawing world-class faculty to our campus, and creating exciting new learning and research opportunities for our students,” Livesay notes.
Dean Livesay, who joined MTU earlier this year, is pursuing a steep growth trajectory for the College. Hiring additional faculty bolsters both student success and research capacity, two of Livesay’s four strategic areas of emphasis in the College’s growth initiative, “Forward Together.” Additional strategic initiatives are growing diversity and inclusion and expanding partnerships with industry.
College of Computing Dean Dennis Livesay will resume in-person open drop-in office hours every Friday from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., beginning Friday, August 24, 2021, through the spring 2022 semester, while classes are in session.
All faculty, staff, and students who wish to chat with Dr. Livesay are invited to “drop in.” Appointments are not needed.
Dean Livesay’s office is in Rekhi Hall, Room 223. Email the dean at dlivesay@mtu.edu.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is hiring a Bulk Power System Cybersecurity Specialist to join a team working with industry to help advance the concepts of a cyber-physical system and integration of cyber and physical security into conventional grid planning, operations, design, and restoration activities.
The position requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university.
Download more information about the position here.
Visit the NERC Career Opportunities webpage here.
Position Summary
The Bulk Power System Cybersecurity Specialist is responsible for providing cyber and physical security subject matter expertise in support of the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) Enterprise evaluation and management of risks to reliability, security, and resilience of the bulk power system (BPS). This role will assist, lead, and manage various projects related to supporting industry integration of cyber and physical security into all aspects of system planning, operations, and restoration. It will also help industry with integrating new technologies and addressing emerging reliability and security issues. The role will coordinate with other departments within NERC as well as with the E-ISAC. This position reports to the Senior Manager of Bulk Power System Security and Grid Transformation.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is a not-for-profit international regulatory authority whose mission is to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid. NERC develops and enforces Reliability Standards; annually assesses seasonal and long‐term reliability; monitors the bulk power system through system awareness; and educates, trains, and certifies industry personnel.
The Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) Advanced Computing Technologies Innovation Hub, hosted at Wayne State University, has opened a Request for Proposal period lasting until Aug. 31.
Commercialization-focused MTRAC grants provide funding to address the “valley of death” and guidance from an experienced oversight committee comprised of venture capitalists, seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts. Eligible technologies include cognitive technologies, immersive technologies, cybersecurity, internet of things, industry x.o, blockchain and next-generation computing.
If you have questions about specific project eligibility or the proposal process, please reach out to Nate Yenor at nryenor@mtu.edu.
For additional information about the program, please visit Wayne State’s MTRAC Advanced Computing Technologies web page.
Soner Onder (CS/ICC) is the principal investigator on a project that has received a $149,996 research and development grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The project is titled “IRES: Track I: Collaborative Research: Supporting FSU and MTU Student Research with NTNU Faculty on Automatic Improvement of Application Performance.”
The Security and Privacy Lab is looking for an hourly-paid Research Assistant. The student will work on IoT security, mobile security, or cloud computing security.
The student is expected to be:
- 1) Eager to solve problems
- 2) Familiar with operating systems
- 3) Familiar with system programming (C is preferred)
If you are interested, please send your resume to Professor Bo Chen (bchen@mtu.edu), Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science.
Dr. Chen’s website: https://cs.mtu.edu/~bchen
SnP Lab website: https://snp.cs.mtu.edu
by Computer Science
We are looking for volunteers to take part in a study exploring how people may interact with future augmented reality (AR) interfaces.
During the study, you will record videos of yourself tapping on a printed keyboard. The study takes approximately one hour, and you will be paid $15 for your time. You will complete the study at your home.
To participate, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must have access to an Android mobile phone.
- You must have access to a printer.
- You must be a fluent speaker of English.
- You must be 18 years of age or older.
- You must live in the United States.
If you would like to take part, please contact Reza Habibi at rhabibi@mtu.edu.