DEPARTMENT NEWS
Research shows how artificial intelligence can help groups stay effective in classroom, beyond
Can an artificial intelligence agent improve how we work together in groups? A CSU research team led by Assistant Professor Nikhil Krishnaswamy has developed a model that would enable an AI agent to monitor and potentially referee group interactions to encourage better collaboration. This project is part of ongoing joint research through the NSF AI Institute for Student-AI Teaming.
Collaborative research team awarded for novel use of AI to secure industrial control systems
Researchers from AI and cybersecurity have teamed up to create a Resiliency Graph framework that identifies and mitigates potential cyberthreats to digitalized industrial control systems. Graduate students Shadaab Bashir and Rakesh Podder, and faculty members Sarath Sreedharan, Indrakshi Ray and Indrajit Ray won a Best Paper Award for this work at the IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications.
Sudeep Pasricha named IEEE Distinguished Lecturer
Sudeep Pasricha is a professor in computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and systems engineering. As one of only four lecturers chosen this year, he was selected to promote the field of electronic design automation to the scientific community and public at large. Sudeep’s research includes software algorithms, hardware architectures, and hardware-software co-design for energy-efficient, fault-resilient, real-time, and secure computing.
AI and elections: how do we navigate visual imagery in the AI era?
Department Chair Bruce Draper shares his insights about why seeing may no longer be believing. From manufactured images of Kamala Harris appearing onstage with the communist flag to the deep fake photos of “Swifties for Trump,” artificial intelligence is changing the discourse surrounding the 2024 election in ways that haven’t been seen before.
Faculty honored with College of Natural Sciences awards
Professor Darrell Whitley and Assistant Professor Nikhil Krishnaswamy are recipients of College of Natural Sciences Teaching and Mentoring Awards. Darrell received the Dean’s Recognition Award, and Nikhil received the Early Career Faculty Excellence in Teaching and/or Mentoring Award. The awards’ purpose is to recognize superior teachers and mentors in the college and our commitment to excellence in education.
What do we need to know about election security?
Election security has come a long way since the days of “hanging chads” and the infamous Florida recount in 2000. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still questions about the process. Professor Indrajit Ray has been studying election security for decades and shares his insights about what is done to ensure your vote is safe.
Q&A with data science alum Austin Lackey
“The mosquitoes were annoying.” Austin Lackey (’24) talks with CNS SOURCE about his passion for data science, his undergraduate experience with CSU’s Data Science Program, and how an internship automating survey responses for the National Park Service launched his career.
Researchers explore the health benefits of outdoor recreation
Mounting research evidence suggests outdoor recreation reduces blood pressure, heart rate and stress, and improves mood, focus and cognitive performance. But what if you cannot physically access nature? The Natural User Interaction Lab, led by Associate Professor Francisco Ortega, is working with a collective of CSU researchers to study the health benefits of virtual environments.
Students win awards at premier conference for diversity in computing
Two students brought home awards from the CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration this fall. Zahra “Faeze” Borhani, Ph.D. researcher in the NUILAB, won 3rd place in the Graduate Student Research Competition. Jalynn Nicoly, undergraduate researcher in the NUILAB and now graduate student at CU, won 2nd place in the Undergraduate Student Research Competition. The ACM Tapia conference is the premier venue to acknowledge, promote and celebrate diversity in computing.
Cybersecurity team awarded for research on protecting computing systems
Graduate student Rakesh Podder, alumnus Jack Sovereign (’23) and Professor Indrajit Ray won a Best Paper Award at the IEEE International Conference on Software Quality, Reliability, and Security. In collaboration with industry partner AMI, the research team addressed a big security threat to computing systems – malicious firmware modifications.
Students recognized for foundational AI teaming research
CSU and Brandeise University research team Videep Venkatesha, Abhijnan Nath, Ibrahim Khebour, Avyakta Chelle, Mariah Bradford, Nate Blanchard, Nikhil Krishnaswamy, Jingxuan Tu and James Pustejovsky won a Best Student Paper Award at the Educational Data Mining Conference (EDM). Their winning paper “Propositional Extraction from Natural Speech in Small Group Collaborative Tasks” lays the groundwork for using AI to help people collaboratively solve problems in the classroom and workplace.
CSU Outstanding Grad: Lucas Pacheco
More than 2,000 students are graduating from Colorado State University this fall, and each one of them has a story of perseverance and success. As Lucas Pacheco prepares to graduate with a degree in data science and a concentration in computer science, he reflected on the transformative journey that has shaped both his academic career and his personal growth.
Multi-institutional research team investigates Twitter discourse, wins award
CSU students Shadaab Bashir and Thomas Harris, and Professor Indrakshi Ray, together with researchers at the University of San Francisco and Stony Brook University, received a Best Paper Award at this year’s International Symposium on Security and Privacy in Social Networks and Big Data (SocialSec 2024). Their paper is titled, “Investigating Influential COVID-19 Perspectives: A Multifaceted Analysis of Twitter Discourse.”
Researchers awarded for novel work to develop reliable cyber-physical systems
Graduate student Bassem Ghorbel and Assistant Professor Vinayak Prabhu were recognized with a Best Paper Award at the ACM-IEEE International Symposium on Formal Methods and Models for System Design (MEMOCODE). Their winning paper is titled, “Fast Robust Monitoring for Signal Temporal Logic with Value Freezing Operators (STL*)”. This research team uses techniques from formal methods, control theory, and software analysis to develop reliable embedded and cyber-physical systems.
Data science undergraduate recognized for research on human behavior and virtual reality
Data science senior Trevor Chartier won the CYBER Student Award at the annual CyberPsychology, CyberTherapy, and Social Networking Conference (CYPSY27). Trevor was awarded for his talk on the research project “Using Eye Gaze to Differentiate Internal Feelings of Familiarity in Virtual Reality Environments: Challenges and Opportunities.” The CYBER Award for students recognizes research led by Ph.D. and/or M.S. students that focuses on the use and validation of digital technologies, including VR, AR, XR, and AI, to better understand and/or intervene in human behavior.
Online bachelor’s AI/ML concentration ranked among the nation’s best
Our online bachelor’s in the AI/ML concentration has been ranked #3 in the nation by informational guide MastersInAI.org. Their annual rankings are based on data about admissions selectivity, graduation rates, student earnings, external awards, research activity, and more. Thank you MastersInAI.org!
NEW FACULTY AND STAFF
Bianca Trinkenreich
Assistant Professor
Ravi Mangal
Assistant Professor
Fabio De Abreu Santos
Computer Science Scholar
Edith Valenzuela
Student Staff Assistant
As we work together to explore, invent, and achieve at the lightening-fast pace our field requires, we encourage you to stay connected with the Department of Computer Science. Thank you and enjoy!
Send your Computer Science news, events, and story ideas to lisa.knebl@colostate.edu
