information sciences and technology

CEC high impact stories

CEC internships

Myeong Lee’s information network research will guide  the Virginia Board of People with Disabilities

Teresa Donnellan — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 14:57:58 +0000

Myeong Lee’s information network research will guide  the Virginia Board of People with Disabilities Teresa Donnellan Thu, 04/04/2024 - 10:57

Myeong Lee, an assistant professor of information science and the director of the Community Informatics Lab at ��AV, has been working with the Virginia Board of People with Disabilities (VPBD) since presenting at their Information Access Summit in November 2022. 

"It was an event of government staff members, officials, non-profits, and community advocates, discussing the information access challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and their family members," Lee recalled. At the summit, he emphasized the need to address not only tech literacy issues but also structural barriers to information access. His ideas resonated with VBPD members and state government officials, leading to the inception of the Mapping Information Ecology project, for which Lee received a grant of about $150,000 from the VBPD.

Myeong Lee

Lee, whose past research has focused on information access issues in local communities, explained, “At the community level, if information is fragmented across different sources and in different forms, then those structural factors make people's access difficult." Lee’s research approach involved finding a way to measure these structural challenges and mitigate their negative impact. 

The project aims to understand information provision and management practices from both information provider and user perspectives. Lee's team employed a mixed-method approach, conducting interviews with providers and surveying their information sharing patterns to uncover both managerial and structural challenges.  

Based on network analysis of information-sharing patterns, key findings from the project will extend our understanding of obstacles faced by individuals with disabilities and their family members, such as the lack of customized information for diverse populations, outdated information, and reliance on informal sources, such as social media, leading to exposure to misinformation. 

“We are currently designing the survey questionnaire to [further] understand both information providers’ and users’ practices,” said Lee. Using information from the survey, he explained, “We want to visualize those networks—how information is circulated and shared.” The data visualization will help Lee and his team identify “hot spots” and “cold spots” where improvements can be made. Finally, the team will provide recommendations to the VBPD. 

“We want to provide information systems strategies, structural recommendations, and related policy recommendations to the state. That's our goal," said Lee.  

Despite the project's official ending in May, Lee envisions continued collaboration between his team and the VBPD. Looking ahead, he sees potential applications of their approach beyond disability-related issues. Ultimately, Lee hopes to create metrics and tools for assessing information availability and fragmentation at the state level so to assist policymakers in understanding the complicated issue of information access. 

Lee's work exemplifies a holistic approach to information access, bridging the gap between research and policy to empower marginalized communities. He concluded, "It's not just about making recommendations—it's about building systems and developing assessment metrics that empower users and inform policymakers for years to come." 

In This Story

Myeong Lee

Topics

Information Sciences and Technology Department

Disability policy

Community-Based Research

Tech industry professionals describe “A Day in the Life”

Teresa Donnellan — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 17:56:28 +0000

Tech industry professionals describe “A Day in the Life” Teresa Donnellan Mon, 03/25/2024 - 13:56

In This Story

Shahnaz Kamberi

On March 21, 2024, Break Through Tech Mason hosted a panel of tech industry professionals titled "A Day in the Life: Tech Jobs Unveiled." Each panelist discussed their path in the tech industry, as well as the advice they would offer students just starting out.

“Yesterday, we had the privilege of diving deep into the world of tech with Jamie Bowers, site reliability engineer at Microsoft, Veeraj Modi, security analyst at Microsoft, and Cassandra Rothrauff, senior computer engineer at Booz Allen Hamilton,” said Shahnaz Kamberi, a professor of computer science and leader of Break Through Tech Mason. “Their insights illuminated the varied paths to success in the tech industry and the importance of resilience, mentorship, and teamwork along the way.”

Each speaker also shared what a typical day looks like in their current role. Then students were able to ask questions.

Break Through Tech works at the intersection of academia and industry to propel women and underrepresented communities into computing degrees and tech careers. ��AV's partnership with Break Through Tech began in 2019 and includes curriculum innovation, career access, and community building.

"A Day in the Life: Tech Jobs Unveiled" panelists Veeraj Modi, Jamie Bowers, and Cassandra Rothrauff

Kamberi noted that the speakers exemplified the fact that there is no “one-size-fits-all approach” to a career in tech. “From overcoming academic challenges to leveraging mentorship, their stories emphasized the multitude of avenues available to aspiring tech professionals,” she said. “Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just embarking on your journey, their stories serve as a beacon of inspiration for anyone aspiring to make their mark in the tech industry.”

Bowers, Modi, and Rothrauff described how their roles are dynamic to respond to the changing nature of tech. “Whether it’s troubleshooting complex systems, analyzing security threats, or designing innovative solutions, their workdays are marked by diversity and excitement,” said Kamberi.

Kamberi reflected on the main takeaways for students who attended the event, including the importance of work-life balance, learning from mistakes, and collaborating well with colleagues.

A Day in the Life panelists, Shahnaz Kamberi, and Break Through Tech Mason peer leaders

In light of the exciting nature of their industry, speakers emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. “From setting boundaries to prioritizing self-care, they emphasized that success in tech goes hand in hand with personal well-being,” said Kamberi. "The panelists candidly discussed the inevitability of making mistakes and the invaluable lessons gleaned from them. Rather than viewing failures as setbacks, they encouraged embracing them as opportunities for growth and learning,” she added.

Bowers, Modi, and Rothrauff also underscored the power of effective teamwork, noting that synergy is a driving force behind innovation and success.

“‘A Day in the Life: Tech Jobs Unveiled’ provided invaluable insights into the multifaceted world of tech, reaffirming that with passion, perseverance, and a supportive community, anything is possible in this dynamic field,” said Kamberi.

Topics

Break Through Tech

Computer science; computing; School of Computing

professional development

women in computing

Tech Talent Investment Pipeline (TTIP)

TTIP

Tech Talent Investment Program

Sweaty palms safeguarding security

Nathan Kahl — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 19:26:40 +0000

Sweaty palms safeguarding security Nathan Kahl Mon, 10/16/2023 - 15:26

Identity protection and, relatedly, the ability to confidently verify your identity when required, are increasingly important in a digital, connected world. The next-generation security solution may be right at your fingertips…but not in the way you might think.

Emanuela Marasco, an assistant professor at the ��AV Information Sciences and Technology Department and Center for Secure Information Systems, is working on an innovative way to verify human identity by using sweat samples collected from fingertips. According to Marasco, your sweat makes you unique. “There is evidence that sweat on the skin of the finger can discriminate between people,” she said. The key is to properly detect sweat metabolites—small molecules such as lipids or amino acids that result from metabolic processes in your body.

Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), her research uses hyperspectral imaging (HSI) to peer into sweat and look at three specific metabolites. HSI, which is widely used for agriculture, geosciences, and molecular biology, among other fields, can find and identify various materials invisible to the human eye and other technical viewing equipment.

Sweat from your fingers—not just your prints—can help verify your identity.

Marasco said, “Traditional approaches for spoofing are now in danger, because they cannot fool HSI.” According to a paper Marasco recently lead and co-authored, HSI creates a representation of an object by capturing the light bouncing off it, which can relate to its chemical make-up. Among the benefits of sweat analysis for identification is that it is rapid and noninvasive. In addition, according to the paper, it avoids the shortcomings of current systems, which are prone to spoofing (one thing disguised as another) and morphing (the alteration of travel-document photographs, for example), and which do not consistently work across different skin tones. The technology to get around traditional systems has come so far that “fake” fingerprints are so accurate they bypass authentication can be created with something as common as a 3D printer and something as simple as wood glue.

This grant was funded under the NSF EAGER program, which funds research in its early stages. According to NSF, EAGER projects fall under a category of “’high risk, high payoff’ in the sense that it involves radically transformative approaches, applies new expertise, or engages novel disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspectives.

Marasco said, “I see a wide range of applications. Regardless of this research into sweat, simply looking into the application of HSI to skin could yield numerous findings. There are transformative aspects to this; many studies can be enabled from this project.”

Practical applications are likely still many years away. But if you’re a nervous flier who gets anxious at the site of TSA checkpoints, just wait—those sweaty hands of yours perhaps won’t be a nuisance someday… in fact, they may end up helping you get quickly to your gate.

Learn More About Cybersecurity

In This Story

Emanuela Marasco

Student teams tackle tech industry challenges at PatriotHacks 2023

Teresa Donnellan — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 19:05:36 +0000

Student teams tackle tech industry challenges at PatriotHacks 2023 Teresa Donnellan Fri, 10/13/2023 - 15:05

In This Story

Kamaljeet Sanghera

Liza Wilson Durant

More than 500 students, nine sponsors, and 50 volunteers gathered on ��AV’s Fairfax Campus for the fifth annual PatriotHacks hackathon from October 6–8. After working for 36 hours straight, student teams presented 70 projects to a panel of judges and received feedback and prizes.

“Each year, PatriotHacks continues to grow, and students accept the challenge and create truly innovative projects to fulfill the various tracks. The level of technological innovation seen in this one weekend is proof of the caliber of research, work, and experience at ��AV,” said event organizer Kamaljeet Sanghera, executive director of Mason’s Institute for Digital Innovation and a professor of information sciences and technology. She added, “We are very grateful to our sponsors for their contributions. Their support is critical to both the success of this event and the work we do at Mason.”

People at the Amazon Web Services workshop. Photo by Kamaljeet Sanghera

Student organizers worked tirelessly to make the event a success. Computer science major Krishna Purohit, who was in charge of sponsor outreach, noted this year’s event yielded more than triple the number of submitted projects than last year’s hackathon. “We're excited to scale the hackathon and make it one of the largest in Virginia,” he said.

Student teams designed solutions for problems presented by event sponsors, such as Peraton, Amazon, Special Competitive Studies Project–SCSP, Arcfield, GEICO, Salesforce, and the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) NoVa Node.

"CCI NoVa Node is making significant investments in hands-on cybersecurity experiences for the tech talent pipeline in the [Northern Virginia] region,” said Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost for strategic initiatives and community engagement and director of the Northern Virginia Node of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI). “Events like PatriotHacks are an important way to build technical capacity in students, share innovative ideas across disciplines, and support the development of the diverse pipeline of talent we are cultivating in Northern Virginia."

Mason students Akhil Rachure, Sai Kumar Kattera, Sai Preethi Pantangi, and Kevlar Nalankilli joined forces for the hackathon; their team won two tracks, hosted by Peraton and Salesforce, respectively, with two different projects.

From left, Sai Preethi Pantangi, Akhil Rachure, Salesforce representative Brian Coughlin, Sai Kumar Kattera, and Kevlar Nalankilli. Photo by Akhil Rachure

“It was a grueling 36-hour marathon of brainstorming, coding, and innovation, and finally, all the hard work paid off,” said Rachure, who is majoring in data analytics engineering.

“PatriotHacks 2023 was special and different from other hackathons I’ve been to. There were lots of track options to choose from, including sponsored ones and Mason tracks, with experts around to help us out,” said Kattera, who is majoring in computer science. “We all worked together really well, and that’s the main reason we could build our product in just 36 hours. This experience taught me that with a strong team effort, anything is possible.”

The team won the Peraton track with their project, an application meant to help travelers plan safer trips.

“The app displays routes from point A to B and also highlights danger zones, helping users avoid potential crashes,” said Rachure.

The team won a track hosted by Salesforce with a related project. Pantangi, a computer science major, explained, “We leveraged Tableau to craft a comprehensive dashboard. This dashboard is designed to empower car companies with valuable insights into car crashes, categorized by model and body type.”

For students new to hackathons, PatriotHacks 2023 made a positive impression. Computer science major Nathan Albe, who won the Best Powered AI track with teammates Mohamed Shaik, Sanjay Mohan Kumar, and Sami Saifudin, said, “This was my first hackathon, and I can say it was a great first experience.... I felt like I learned how to effectively work toward a project and goal, not just by myself but in a team environment.”

Albe also said, “Thank you to all of the volunteers and sponsors at PatriotHacks for creating such a memorable event. I loved working with my team, and I learned so much. Can't wait for next year!”

Topics

College of Engineering and Computing

Hackathon

Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Tech Talent Investment Pipeline (TTIP)

Strategic Direction

TTIP

Tech Talent Investment Program

Your Path to Tech event introduces new students to computer science, information sciences and technology

Teresa Donnellan — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 16:05:34 +0000

Your Path to Tech event introduces new students to computer science, information sciences and technology Teresa Donnellan Mon, 08/28/2023 - 12:05

Last Friday, students new to the College of Engineering and Computing gathered in the Corner Pocket, a space in the Hub to attend Your Path to Tech, a daylong event hosted by Break Through Tech Mason. The event welcomed students new to the College of Engineering and Computing, especially women, interested in exploring computer science (CS) and information sciences and technology (IST). Students heard from accomplished speakers, practiced skills in hands-on workshops, and connected with both academic advisors and peer mentors.

Missy Cummings, one of the nation’s first female fighter pilots, former advisor for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and current ��AV professor and director of the Mason Autonomy and Robotics Center, gave a keynote address. Afterward, attendees heard from a panel of women with ample tech industry experience and a panel of Mason alumni now working in the field.

“All of their stories were so empowering,” said Pallavi Vegesna, who is starting a Master’s in Data Analytics Engineering this fall. She was inspired by the speakers’ unique paths to working in tech: One panelist majored in psychology before working for the CIA; two others immigrated to the U.S. to pursue their American Dreams.

“It made me emotional because I'm here today as a grad student. And I hope to ... make it like they've made it,” said Vegesna. “They worked really, really hard to be where they are today, and looking at them gives me reassurance that women can make it in tech—and women can make it really, really big in tech.”

“Looking at them gives me reassurance that women can make it in tech—and women can make it really, really big in tech.” —Pallavi Vegesna

Students received hands-on experience through workshops like “A Hands-On Introduction to the AI Pipeline,” led by assistant CS professor Antonis Anastasopoulos, and “Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics Analytics,” led by associate IST professor Humaira Akhtari and Mason alumnus Elijah Bass. The event also offered attendees the chance to talk to CS and IST advisors and be matched with a peer mentor to help them navigate their studies at Mason.

“A Hands-On Introduction to the AI Pipeline,” led by assistant CS professor Antonis Anastasopoulos (Right), and “Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics Analytics,” led by associate IST professor Humaira Akhtari and Mason alumnus Elijah Bass (Left)

“Students had a blast listening to our awesome speakers and being a part of those hands-on workshops – those were big hits!” said Shahnaz Kamberi, an associate professor of CS as well as the event’s organizer. She looks forward to the success of the Pathfindher mentorship program, which teamed upperclassmen with freshmen and transfer students who attended Your Path to Tech. “The mentor-mentee pairs were still in deep conversation even after we wrapped up and closed the venue,” she said.

“I hope the attendees learned a lot from the event,” Kamberi added. “The main takeaway I hope they gained is confidence in their decision to stick with tech. I hope through hearing from these powerful women in the industry, the students learned that even with obstacles and challenges, they can definitely succeed in their path to tech.”

Break Through Tech Headlines

Tech industry professionals describe “A Day in the Life”
March 25, 2024
Student Commencement speaker Shruti Sekar is destined to succeed, helping others along the way
December 14, 2023
Your Path to Tech event introduces new students to computer science, information sciences and technology
August 28, 2023
Break Through Tech Sprinterns collaborate, build community during micro-internships
February 13, 2023
Mason group relishes conference for women in tech
October 6, 2022

See how Mason is building the computing workforce

Catch Missy Cummings in her discussion with Access to Excellence podcast host, Mason President Gregory Washington.

Listen now

Explore the School of Computing

In This Story

Shahnaz Kamberi

Antonios Anastasopoulos

Missy Cummings

Topics

Computer science; computing; School of Computing

Computer Science faculty

Break Through Tech

Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

Strategic Direction

Mason teams shine at three major hackathons

Teresa Donnellan — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 13:46:19 +0000

Mason teams shine at three major hackathons Teresa Donnellan Thu, 06/22/2023 - 09:46

The Mason Nation’s strength was undeniable at several hackathons in spring 2023. ��AV computer science, cybersecurity engineering, information technology, and mechanical engineering students won challenges on March 25 at the University of Virginia (UVA), on April 7-9 at the University of Maryland (UMD), and on April 29-30 at Drexel University.

What’s a hackathon?

Hackathons take place over a limited span of time, usually 24 hours. Teams comprising several students choose which “tracks” they want to compete in, with each track delineating a different challenge. Hackathons are generally free for participants, with travel, accommodation, and food provided, making them a relatively equitable opportunity for students.

At the outset of a hackathon, sponsoring or organizing bodies present on the different tracks and offer workshops on relevant tools for the challenges at hand. The events are thus valuable networking opportunities where participants meet not only industry professionals, but also like-minded entrepreneurial peers.

Over the course of the event, teams build a minimum viable product, submit their project through GitHub, and create a DevPost page to display their project before presenting to a panel of judges during an exhibition period. At the end of the event, prizes are awarded for many of the tracks.

HooHacks 2023 at the University of Virginia

HooHacks team. Photo provided

HooHacks, put on by a student group at the University of Virginia of the same name, comprises six levels of challenges and includes a special element sponsored by Fannie Mae. The event took place over 24 hours, starting at noon on March 25.

Two Mason teams, one comprising upperclassmen and one comprising freshmen, brought home wins including at least $500, respectively.

Seniors Jhonn Cardozo and Ronald Santos Garcia and junior Maya Crosby took home $500 and the pride of winning the primary challenge in one of the 50 biggest hackathons in the country. After being announced as winners, the team was approached by Fannie Mae staffers, who told them they were extremely impressed with their performance.

Snagging Best Overall prize at HooHacks was a team of Mason freshmen. Anthony Perry, Daniel Horvath, and Marco Zamora brought home more than $500 in prizes and an invitation to compete at Pinnacle, perhaps the most competitive collegiate hackathon worldwide. The team had been encouraged to participate in the event by their fellow Mason participants. Although only freshmen, the teammates had an existing relationship, as they had all been on a robotics team in high school.

The team’s project, Dangerous Audio Detection (DAD), is an Alarm System Network that uses machine learning algorithms to accurately identify the sound of gunshots and alerts community members.

“The idea for our project, DAD, stemmed from our desire to answer [Mason President] Gregory Washington’s call to solve the grand challenges in our world,” the team said.

“We are especially excited about participating in Pinnacle, often referred to as the Olympics of collegiate-level hackathons, as we have received a prestigious invitation. This experience has solidified our commitment to continuous learning and participation in hackathons as a means to push our boundaries and contribute to our community’s grand challenges,” the team said.

Bitcamp at the University of Maryland

The BitTales team. Photo provided

An undergraduate and a graduate team garnered acclaim at the University of Maryland’s Bitcamp hackathon, the largest collegiate hackathon on the east coast. The event had five primary tracks, varying from machine learning to quantum computing, and included more than 1,000 students, packed into the Xfinity Center on the College Park campus.

The upperclassmen team from HooHacks—with the addition of Mason alum Katherine Horvath, a information technology graduate and freshman Daniel’s sister—was one of two teams to win awards in two different challenges, including taking first in the Bloomberg Industry Group challenge. The Bloomberg project involved using any public/government data to showcase a specific application highlighting data insights and intelligence. The team’s solution elicited praise from Bloomberg representatives, with the sponsors noting how impressed they were with the product.

A team of international graduate students studying computer science also won two tracks with their project BitTales, a natural language processing-based web application that turns meaningful conversations into personalized bedtime stories. Master’s students Janit Bidhan and Aabha Bothera and doctoral candidate Saurabh Srivastava won both the Best Use of CockroachDB Serverless and the Best Machine Learning Hack awards at the event, bringing home more than $400 in prize money.

DragonHacks 2023 at Drexel University.

Perfect Application for Plant Assistance (PAPA) team. Photo provided

Two members of the victorious HooHacks 2023 freshmen team, Daniel Horvath and Anthony Perry, joined a member of the successful upperclassmen team from the same event, Jhonn Dalton Cardozo, to participate in DragonHacks 2023 at Drexel University. The hybrid team won Best Environmental Hack for their project Perfect Application for Plant Assistance (PAPA). The project “aimed to help solve food insecurities through encouraging sustainable botany practices,” said Horvath and Perry. Mason’s Patriot Pantry inspired the team to use competition as a means of incentivizing efforts to end food insecurity, the team wrote in the project description.

“Our decision to pursue the best environmental hack track at Dragon Hacks stemmed from a desire to explore new territories, engage in a hardware–software integration project, and the enticing prospect of winning some TVs,” Cardozo recalled. “But beyond the prizes, our team was fueled by a genuine commitment to make a difference and create a solution that would contribute to the well-being of the environment.”

Reflections on Three Hackathons

Jhonn Dalton Cardozo gleaned lessons from his experience in each of these hackathons.

“During the UVA hackathon, I discovered that teamwork is the backbone of any successful project,” he noted.

“At Bitcamp, I realized that commitment and dedication to a project can take you far,” he added.

“At Dragon Hacks, the importance of team management became even more apparent,” he said. “Having a talented team is fantastic, but knowing how to leverage their strengths and expertise is the real key to success. Recognizing the value of different perspectives, interests, and potential within each team member was a crucial aspect of creating our final project. While this might sound like common knowledge, I never fully appreciated the challenge and gratification of managing a team while doing the actual work. I am truly grateful for the exceptional group of individuals in my team and deeply appreciate their efforts in bringing our collective vision to life.”

Topics

Department of Cyber Security Engineering

mechanical engineering

Hackathon

Mason's Computing Career Reception connects CS, IST majors with tech industry

Teresa Donnellan — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:11:36 +0000

Mason's Computing Career Reception connects CS, IST majors with tech industry Teresa Donnellan Tue, 03/14/2023 - 09:11

In This Story

Kamaljeet Sanghera

In collaboration with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and Break Through Tech DC, ��AV's College of Engineering and Computing and Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA) hosted a Computing Career Reception following the university-wide career fair on February 22.

Juniors and seniors majoring in computer science and information sciences and technology were invited to network with tech industry representatives from companies such as Appian, Brillient, and Verisign. Students and professionals networked throughout the evening, discussing areas of interest and possible fields to explore further. Christopher Chay, a junior earning a BS in computer science, discussed his interest in artificial intelligence with people from Brillient and Booz Allen Hamilton.

"It was a great experience to talk to recruiters and employers and see the kind of work they did and find any deficiencies in my knowledge and personal experience," says Chay. He adds, "I appreciated the much smaller and quieter atmosphere, as opposed to the larger STEM fair."

"I appreciated the much smaller and quieter atmosphere, as opposed to the larger STEM fair." —Christopher Chay, junior majoring in computer science

The Computing Career Reception was the first computing-specific career event at Mason, and its success has encouraged event organizers to plan future topic-oriented career receptions. "This year the event was held at the Center for the Arts on Mason's Fairfax Campus, but as we build our presence in Arlington, we hope to host events like this at Mason Square," said IDIA executive director Kammy Sanghera.

The Fairfax County EDA was proud to facilitate a potential employment pipeline for local tech talent. "The students at ��AV are doing incredible work, and it's a privilege to be able to connect them with Fairfax County businesses that will give them opportunities to continue doing that caliber of work post-graduation," said Michael Batt, vice president, Talent.

Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) recognized the event as an opportunity to further strengthen northern Virginia's reputation as a hub of innovation. Jennifer Taylor, President and CEO of NVTC, suggested that connecting students with industry members at networking events like this is an important part of expanding the level of innovation that Virginia is known for. "Students are learning the important skills they need to be successful in innovation-related fields and will become a critical part of the industry after college. We help to make these connections now so students can see what is possible in the region," said Taylor.

Students attending the Computing Career Reception, Feb 2023

Part of the IDIA's mission is to facilitate these connections between students and industry. "The IDIA is proud to sponsor events that allow students to connect with industry members. Our students are engaged in cutting-edge research and work that will teach them the skills necessary to thrive in innovation-related careers," said Sanghera. "Connecting our Mason campus with industry members from Fairfax County and beyond is part of our mission and creates not only important opportunities for collaborations and industry growth but opportunities for employment after graduation."

Topics

Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Career Services

Workforce Development

Campus News

Zhisheng Yan nabs Best Student Paper Award

Teresa Donnellan — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 16:36:28 +0000

Zhisheng Yan nabs Best Student Paper Award Teresa Donnellan Thu, 11/03/2022 - 12:36

In This Story

Zhisheng Yan

A recent paper by Department of Information Sciences and Technology assistant professor Zhisheng Yan received the Best Student Paper Award at ACM Multimedia Systems (MMSys) 2022 conference held in Athlone, Ireland. ACM MMSys is a premier conference on multimedia. The awarded paper results from a collaborative project between Yan and researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.https://illinois.edu/

Of his paper, Yan writes, “Image compression standards such as JPEG and its variants designed for human viewing are no longer the optimal choice for emerging video analytics applications where machines and computer algorithms are the end consumers. We show in this paper that it is necessary and feasible to achieve fast and compact image compression while maximizing the accuracy of image classification and object detection algorithms through a machine-centered design.”

To read the paper, “Context-aware Image Compression Optimization for Visual Analytics Offloading,” go to https://mason.gmu.edu/~zyan4/papers/cico_mmsys22.pdf.

Topics

systems engineering

Information Sciences and Technology Department

Zhisheng Yan nabs Best Student Paper Award

Teresa Donnellan — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:57:56 +0000

Zhisheng Yan nabs Best Student Paper Award Teresa Donnellan Wed, 10/05/2022 - 14:57

In This Story

Zhisheng Yan

A recent paper by Department of Information Sciences and Technology Assistant Professor Zhisheng Yan received the Best Student Paper Award at ACM Multimedia Systems (MMSys) 2022 conference held in Athlone, Ireland. ACM MMSys is a premier conference on multimedia. The awarded paper results from a collaborative project between Yan and researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

In his paper, Yan writes, “Image compression standards such as JPEG and its variants designed for human viewing are no longer the optimal choice for emerging video analytics applications where machines and computer algorithms are the end consumers. We show in this paper that it is necessary and feasible to achieve fast and compact image compression while maximizing the accuracy of image classification and object detection algorithms through a machine-centered design.”

To read the paper, “Context-aware Image Compression Optimization for Visual Analytics Offloading,” go to https://mason.gmu.edu/~zyan4/papers/cico_mmsys22.pdf.

Topics