Perception of human emotion in movement focus of $2 million NSF grant
May 17, 2023
A Penn State-led research team received a $2 million National Science Foundation to study how machines perceive and process human body language. The research could stimulate advancements in health care applications, including the design of caregiving robots.
IST announces 2023 Dean’s Circle of Teaching Excellence members
May 15, 2023
Ten faculty members in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology were selected to join the Dean’s Circle of Teaching Excellence for 2023.
IST doctoral student receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
May 9, 2023
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 fellowship to broaden the scope and reach of
Positive triggering method reduces nationality bias in large text generators
April 25, 2023
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. Using positive trigger words, like “hopeful” and “hardworking,” when entering prompts can retrain the models and result in less biased responses
IST assistant professor Shomir Wilson receives NSF CAREER Award
April 21, 2023
Shomir Wilson, assistant professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, is the recipient of a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation in recognition of his work, “Large-Scale Exploration and Interpretation of Consumer-Oriented Legal Documents.”
What is ChatGPT and what can it be used for?
April 21, 2023
Penn State artificial intelligence experts offer perspectives on some of the most frequently asked questions.
AI lab for low-resource communities earns 2023 Engagement and Scholarship Award
April 11, 2023
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.
IST assistant professor Fenglong Ma receives NSF CAREER Award
March 31, 2023
Fenglong Ma, assistant professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, is the recipient of a 2022 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation in recognition of his work, “Automated Multimodal Learning for Healthcare.”
College of IST awards seed grants to 8 projects
March 7, 2023
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology recently announced eight projects that will receive funding from the college’s seed grant program.
Center issues seed grant call for 'Big Ideas' in socially responsible AI
March 3, 2023
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.
IT students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre get experience in cybersecurity lab
February 21, 2023
Cybersecurity is a growing field full of career possibilities, and students at Penn State Wilkes-Barre are able to study the field firsthand thanks to an on-campus lab. The lab allows faculty at Penn State Wilkes-Barre to apply the principles they are teaching in lecture courses to real-world examples and scenarios.
Beyond memorization: Text generators may plagiarize beyond 'copy and paste'
February 16, 2023
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.
Information Sciences and Technology faculty, staff recognized with annual awards
February 8, 2023
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.
New AI tool helps provide better care to pregnant women in Kenya
February 6, 2023
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.
Center for Socially Responsible AI awards seed funding to 6 projects
January 11, 2023
The Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence recently announced the results of its third seed funding competition. The center awarded $145,000 to advance six interdisciplinary research projects that feature researchers from eight colleges and institutes.
People open up more to smart speakers that listen actively
December 16, 2022
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.
Researchers propose methods for automatic detection of doxing
December 9, 2022
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 State's College of Information Sciences and Technology
Novel 3D imaging model may show path to more water-efficient plants
December 9, 2022
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.
IST faculty, students develop digital solutions to help mushroom farmers
December 1, 2022
A team of researchers at Penn State is aiming to speed up and streamline the collection of important environmental data that impacts the mushroom farming industry through a new digital solution.
On the Bridge — December 2022
November 30, 2022
A compilation of recent news, highlights, and achievements from the College of Information Sciences and Technology community.
Penn State and Taipei Tech sign memorandums of understanding
November 14, 2022
Penn State hosted a delegation from the National Taipei University of Technology on Oct. 16-18. During the delegation’s visit, the delegation met with Penn State faculty and administrators, and President Neeli Bendapudi and Taipei Tech President Sea-Fue Wang signed two memoranda of understanding between the two universities.
High-tech tool to perform low-cost health screening for newborns and mothers
November 8, 2022
A new, $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering will allow Penn State researchers to develop artificial intelligence-based software that can evaluate the health of a newborn and their mother with only a photograph of the baby’s placenta.
Grant to explore using computers to help groups make better decisions
November 8, 2022
National Science Foundation grants to Penn State and Iowa State could lead to an interactive, computer-aided, decision-support tool that can help groups of people make better choices.
NSF grant to help reimagine first-year experiences through diverse lens
November 2, 2022
A Penn State research team aims to meet the unique needs of increasingly diverse student bodies by reimagining first-year learning experiences in technology-related degree programs at U.S. universities, thanks to a new $296,804 grant from the National Science Foundation.
New coding tool could aid computer programmers who are blind or have low vision
November 1, 2022
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.
IST student diversifies wearable tech health data apps through Google internship
October 26, 2022
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.
Researchers to use $1.2 million grant to study early Alzheimer’s detection
October 26, 2022
A team of Penn State-led researchers received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help fund a project to develop a machine learning system for early Alzheimer’s disease detection.
IST’s Anna Squicciarini named cyberspace program director at NSF
October 18, 2022
Anna Squicciarini, Frymoyer Chair in Information Sciences and Technology, has been named a program director in the Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace cluster of the National Science Foundation, effective Sept. 26.
AI language models show bias against people with disabilities, study finds
October 13, 2022
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 researchers at the Penn State College of Information
Project aims to use artificial intelligence to turn health data into predictions
October 11, 2022
A $599,883 grant from the National Science Foundation could help scientists use machine learning algorithms to use large amounts of data to guide decisions on a range of issues, from disease spread to economic meltdowns to social unrest.
Center for Socially Responsible AI accepting seed funding proposals
September 21, 2022
Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence is inviting short proposals for its annual seed funding program. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 1, with projects expected to start in spring 2023 and last for up to two years.
IST doctoral student named Scholar of Sexology Fellow by Kinsey Institute
September 12, 2022
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.
Art history, IST receive grant to continue collaborative research project
August 29, 2022
The collaborative research project conducted by the Department of Art History and the College of Information Sciences and Technology, titled “After Constable’s Clouds,” is Phase 2 of “Seeing Constable’s Clouds,” which was supported by a level 1 National Endowment for the Humanities grant.
Deepfakes expose vulnerabilities in certain facial recognition technology
August 11, 2022
Mobile devices use facial recognition technology to help users quickly and securely unlock their phones, make a financial transaction or access medical records.
College of IST professor earns fourth consecutive Amazon Research Award
July 20, 2022
James Wang, distinguished professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, has received an Amazon Research Award to advance his team's work on machine learning-based, emotion modeling that is geared toward enhancing the interaction between humans and artificial intelligence (AI) in day-to-day activities.
Good, bad, fair: New algorithms could help fairly distribute goods or chores
July 1, 2022
When organizations need to divvy up indivisible items among multiple parties with different needs and preferences, how can they ensure that everyone gets their fair share?
Sharing source-backed information can help reduce COVID-19 misinformation online
June 9, 2022
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. You could help other users to be less susceptible to misinformation, according to a new study by researchers at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology.
Real-time, accurate virus detection method could help fight next pandemic
June 2, 2022
A method of highly accurate and sensitive virus identification using Raman spectroscopy, a portable virus capture device and machine learning could enable real-time virus detection and identification to help battle future pandemics, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State.
IST assistant professor Hadi Hosseini receives NSF CAREER award
May 23, 2022
Hadi Hosseini, assistant professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, is the recipient of a 2022 Faculty Early Career Development award from the National Science Foundation, which supports junior faculty members who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent teaching, and the inte
Tech designed to aid visually impaired could benefit from human-AI collaboration
April 19, 2022
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. But what happens when existing computer vision technology doesn’t fully support an agent in fulfilling certain requests?
IST academic search engine awarded ‘Best Open Source Project’ by BCS
April 19, 2022
CiteSeerX, one of the world’s earliest open source academic search engines and co-created by C.
IST Assistant Professor Linhai Song honored with NSF CAREER award
April 11, 2022
Linhai Song, assistant professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, is the recipient of a 2022 Faculty Early Career Development award from the National Science Foundation.
Using tweets to predict real-time food shortages
April 11, 2022
The sentiments and emotions expressed in tweets on Twitter can be used in real time to assess where supply chain disruptions due to a pandemic, war or natural disaster may lead to food shortages, according to researchers at Penn State and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar.
IST’s Dongwon Lee receives Fulbright Cyber Security Scholar Award
April 5, 2022
Dongwon Lee, professor of information sciences and technology, is the recipient of a 2022 Fulbright Cyber Security Scholar Award. Lee will complete his Fulbright fellowship in the psychology department at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom as part of his sabbatical leave during the 2022-23 academic year.
New model could have ‘Moneyball’-like impact on baseball players’ value
April 5, 2022
In the movie “Moneyball,” a young economics graduate and a cash-strapped Major League Baseball general manager introduce a new way to evaluate baseball players’ value.
Scientists tap AI betting agents to help solve research reproducibility concerns
March 16, 2022
Scientists are increasingly concerned about that the lack of reproducibility in research may lead to, among other things, slower scientific output and less public trust in science.
College of IST announces eight seed grant recipients
March 14, 2022
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) recently announced eight projects that will receive funding from the college’s seed grant program.
Guided understanding, not rules, could help children stay safer online
March 3, 2022
As an increasing number of children use digital technologies to play, communicate, create, socialize and learn, the number of opportunities for their privacy to be exploited continues to grow.
Facial recognition tech in public could yield perceptions of workplace fairness
March 3, 2022
Many people use facial recognition technology on their personal devices, to quickly and securely enter a password or complete an online transaction. But when that same technology is deployed in public settings — such as to screen airport passengers or to grant access to a secure location — how do individuals whose images are captured feel?