Graduate Student News

Photo of Siyu Wu

Informatics student to attend MIDAS future leaders summit

Siyu Wu, a graduate student pursuing a doctorate in information in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, was selected to attend the Future Leaders Summit hosted by the Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS).

Read more...

Photo of Korey Wallace

Annual IST summit celebrates diversity and authenticity in tech

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) hosted its third annual Be You in Tech Summit on February 7 at the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub in State College.

Read more...

Group photo of IST Students at THON

IST represents at THON 2024

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Six students from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) were among the 700 dancers at THON 2024. The event raised a record-breaking $16.9 million, surpassing last year’s record by nearly $2 million. 

Read more...

Competition helps expose demographic and cultural biases in generative AI tools

Competition helps expose demographic and cultural biases in generative AI tools

Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence announced the winners of its first-ever “Bias-a-thon.” The competition, held Nov. 13–16, asked Penn Staters to identify prompts that led popular generative AI tools to produce biased or stereotype-reinforcing outputs.

Read more...

IBM Consulting internship information session on Jan. 12

IBM Consulting will hold an internship information session on Jan. 12 for second- and third-year students at Penn State.

Read more...

Nick and Melinda Berardi’s gift names College of IST student engagement center

Nick and Melinda Berardi’s gift names College of IST student engagement center

Alumnus Nick Berardi and his wife, Melinda, recently made a gift to transform and name the new student engagement center in the College of IST. 

Read more...

Gift from Keith and Lisa Hegner creates new scholarship in the College of IST

Gift from Keith and Lisa Hegner creates new scholarship in the College of IST

Penn State alumni Keith and Lisa Hegner recently established a new scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology. The gift includes a corporate match from Microsoft, where Keith serves as the director of customer success. 

Read more...

True: Fact checkers tend to agree on validity of news claims, researchers say

True: Fact checkers tend to agree on validity of news claims, researchers say

Fact-checking organizations like Snopes and Politifact have generally agreed on the validity of news claims, according to researchers from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology. 

Read more...

Trained AI models exhibit learned disability bias, IST researchers say

Trained AI models exhibit learned disability bias, IST researchers say

Artificial intelligence tools, such as sentiment analysis and toxicity detection models, often exhibit biases toward people with disabilities, according to a new paper from researchers in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology.

Read more...

Search launched for the next dean of Penn State’s College of IST

Search launched for the next dean of Penn State’s College of IST

Penn State is seeking nominations and candidates for the next dean of the College of Information Sciences and Technology. Nominations and applications will be accepted until the position is filled, and interested parties are encouraged to submit applications by Jan. 8, 2024.

Read more...

Nittany AI Challenge Ideation Workshop set for Nov. 30

Nittany AI Challenge Ideation Workshop set for Nov. 30

The Nittany AI Challenge Ideation Workshop: Agriculture and Environmental Sustainability on Nov.

Read more...

Penn Staters invited to compete to find bias in generative AI tools

Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence will host “Bias-a-thon,” a competition to expose biases in current-day AI tools. The virtual event will take place from Monday, Nov. 13, to Thursday, Nov. 16, and is open to anyone with an active Penn State email address. 

Read more...

Enterprise architecture and business transformation program marks 10 years

Enterprise architecture and business transformation program marks 10 years

The Penn State master's degree in enterprise architecture and business transformation has now been available for 10 years.

Read more...

Most websites do not publish privacy policies, researchers say

Most websites do not publish privacy policies, researchers say

Penn State researchers crawled millions of websites and found that only one-third of online organizations made their privacy policy available for review.

Read more...

Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference shines spotlight on innovation

Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference shines spotlight on innovation

Penn State students, faculty and alumni entrepreneurs joined with venture firms and startup founders from across the United States for the 2023 Invent Penn State Venture & IP Conference, held Oct. 16-17 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey. 

Read more...

IST researchers earn best paper award at natural language generation conference

IST researchers earn best paper award at natural language generation conference

A paper authored by students and faculty from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology received the Best Long Paper award at the 16th International Natural Language Generation Conference.

Read more...

New course examines opportunities, challenges, concerns around generative AI

New course examines opportunities, challenges, concerns around generative AI

“Emerging Technologies in Popular Culture,” a new course offered by the Penn State College of Information Systems and Technology, invites undergraduates to explore the questions, opportunities and challenges related to generative artificial intelligence.

Read more...

College of IST announces Office of Enrollment, Engagement and Belonging

College of IST announces Office of Enrollment, Engagement and Belonging

The Office of Enrollment, Engagement and Belonging is the new name of a collaborative unit in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology. The new unit includes three offices: inclusion and diversity engagement, undergraduate recruiting and student engagement.  

Read more...

IST, World Campus graduate student named cybersecurity scholar

IST, World Campus graduate student named cybersecurity scholar

Joshua D'Ottavio, a College of Information Sciences and Technology and World Campus student at Penn State, was named an RSA Conference Security Scholar. He joined thousands of cybersecurity professionals at the 32nd annual RSAC in San Francisco. 

Read more...

IST doctoral student receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

IST doctoral student receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Jeff Brozena, a second-year doctoral student in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State, was selected as a 2023 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program awardee. With a focus on human-computer interaction for mental health, Brozena plans to use his

Read more...

Congratulations Graduates

Congratulations Graduates

A gallery of photos providing a look at just a few of the more than 14,000 newest Penn State graduates as they complete their successful journey at spring 2023 commencement ceremonies.

Read more...

Student team places 3rd in Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition regional finals

Student team places 3rd in Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition regional finals

A team of Penn State students recently took third place in the regional finals of the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.

Read more...

Head of FEMA set as College of IST commencement speaker

Head of FEMA set as College of IST commencement speaker

Deanne Criswell, the 12th administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will present the commencement address for the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology on May 6. The ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. in Pegula Ice Arena. 

Read more...

Positive triggering method reduces nationality bias in large text generators

Positive triggering method reduces nationality bias in large text generators

Large language models that use internet files to learn how to respond to user prompts about different countries worldwide repeat biased ideas – both positive and negative – found online.

Read more...

AI lab for low-resource communities earns 2023 Engagement and Scholarship Award

AI lab for low-resource communities earns 2023 Engagement and Scholarship Award

The RAISE Lab in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, which focuses on leveraging artificial intelligence to imagine a brighter future for low-resource communities around the globe, has received the 2023 Penn State Award for Community Engagement and Scholarship.

Read more...

Forty graduate students recognized with prestigious University awards

Forty graduate students recognized with prestigious University awards

Forty Penn State graduate students were named recipients of Penn State’s most prestigious annual graduate student awards, administered by the Graduate School in collaboration with several Penn State units.

Read more...

Entrepreneurs share strategies during Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC

Entrepreneurs share strategies during Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC

Each spring, Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC brings together the best and brightest Penn State student and alumni entrepreneurs and innovators for a weeklong celebration of what happens when Penn State’s inspired doers put their ideas into action.  

Read more...

College of IST awards seed grants to 8 projects

College of IST awards seed grants to 8 projects

The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology recently announced eight projects that will receive funding from the college’s seed grant program.

Read more...

Center issues seed grant call for 'Big Ideas' in socially responsible AI

Center issues seed grant call for 'Big Ideas' in socially responsible AI

Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence is inviting short proposals for a special off-cycle round of "Big Idea Grant" seed funding earmarked for early concepts and research that has transformational potential.

Read more...

Thought leaders headline TechCon at Penn State Abington

Thought leaders headline TechCon at Penn State Abington

Technology thought leaders will share their vision for building smart, sustainable communities at the TechCon and Innovation Challenge at Penn State Abington on Saturday, March 25. The event is open to the public.

Read more...

Beyond memorization: Text generators may plagiarize beyond 'copy and paste'

Beyond memorization: Text generators may plagiarize beyond 'copy and paste'

Language models, possibly including ChatGPT, paraphrase and reuse ideas from training data without citing the source, raising plagiarism concerns, according to a Penn State-led research team that conducted the first study to directly examine the phenomenon.

Read more...

Information Sciences and Technology faculty, staff recognized with annual awards

Information Sciences and Technology faculty, staff recognized with annual awards

Faculty and staff in the College of Information Sciences and Technology were recognized at the college’s annual awards event this week. Recipients were nominated by their IST colleagues and selected by a review committee for their excellence in teaching, research and service.

Read more...

New AI tool helps provide better care to pregnant women in Kenya

New AI tool helps provide better care to pregnant women in Kenya

A new AI-based tool developed by a team of researchers from Penn State and Jacaranda Health has been shown to improve health outcomes for new and expectant mothers in Kenya by providing better and more immediate access to maternal health care services.

Read more...

People open up more to smart speakers that listen actively

People open up more to smart speakers that listen actively

Adding random, short expressions of understanding in a conversation may turn smart speakers, such as Alexa and Siri, into robot therapists that allow people to open up more without violating their privacy, according to a team of researchers.

Read more...

Researchers propose methods for automatic detection of doxing

Researchers propose methods for automatic detection of doxing

A new automated approach to detect doxing — a form of cyberbullying in which certain private or personally identifiable information is publicly shared without an individual's consent or knowledge — may help social media platforms better protect their users, according to researchers from Penn Stat

Read more...

Novel 3D imaging model may show path to more water-efficient plants

Novel 3D imaging model may show path to more water-efficient plants

A new computational pipeline for analyzing three-dimensional imaging data can help biologists more accurately and quickly see how the cells in a plant’s leaves respond to the environment and identify plants that more efficiently use water, according to researchers.

Read more...

On the Bridge — December 2022

On the Bridge — December 2022

A compilation of recent news, highlights, and achievements from the College of Information Sciences and Technology community.

Read more...

New coding tool could aid computer programmers who are blind or have low vision

New coding tool could aid computer programmers who are blind or have low vision

A new tool could help make code reading, navigating and editing more accessible and efficient for blind and low-vision computer programmers, according to Penn State researchers.

Read more...

IST student diversifies wearable tech health data apps through Google internship

IST student diversifies wearable tech health data apps through Google internship

This summer, Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology doctoral student Sahiti Kunchay put her knowledge and skills to the test as a research intern at Google. 

Read more...

AI language models show bias against people with disabilities, study finds

AI language models show bias against people with disabilities, study finds

The algorithms that drive natural language processing technology — a type of artificial intelligence that allows machines to use text and spoken words in many different applications — often have tendencies that could be offensive or prejudiced toward individuals with disabilities, according to re

Read more...

IST doctoral student named Scholar of Sexology Fellow by Kinsey Institute

IST doctoral student named Scholar of Sexology Fellow by Kinsey Institute

Mia Hua, a Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology doctoral student, is the recent recipient of a competitive Scholars of Sexology Fellowship from the Kinsey Institute — a renowned source at Indiana University for critical issues in sexuality, gender and reproduction.

Read more...

Aspiring professor pursues dual IST graduate degrees

Aspiring professor pursues dual IST graduate degrees

By the time Antonio Girona receives his doctorate degree, which he expects to earn in 2025, he will have been a student in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) for more than a decade.

Read more...

Deepfakes expose vulnerabilities in certain facial recognition technology

Deepfakes expose vulnerabilities in certain facial recognition technology

Mobile devices use facial recognition technology to help users quickly and securely unlock their phones, make a financial transaction or access medical records.

Read more...

IST intern aids in SiriusXM/Pandora user experience research

IST intern aids in SiriusXM/Pandora user experience research

Through a summer internship with SiriusXM/Pandora, Renkai Ma is studying how music listeners and creators interact with the company’s product features.

Read more...

Sharing source-backed information can help reduce COVID-19 misinformation online

Sharing source-backed information can help reduce COVID-19 misinformation online

If you see fake news about COVID-19 circulating on your social media feeds, say something — if you have a reliable source to back it up.

Read more...

26-year-old IST student to earn second doctorate this spring

26-year-old IST student to earn second doctorate this spring

This weekend, as thousands of Penn Staters earn their degrees, one 26-year-old graduate of the College of Information Sciences and Technology will be presented with not her first, but second, doctorate.

Read more...

Tech designed to aid visually impaired could benefit from human-AI collaboration

Tech designed to aid visually impaired could benefit from human-AI collaboration

Remote sighted assistance technology — which connects visually impaired individuals with human agents through a live video call on their smartphones — helps people with low or no vision navigate tasks that require sight.

Read more...