The strength of the College of IST is demonstrated through the successes and accomplishments of its students, faculty, alumni, and programs. Read more about how the college and its people are driving innovative change and taking on the challenges of the Information Age.
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IST researchers exploit vulnerabilities of AI-powered game bots
September 23, 2020
Researchers in the College of Information Sciences and Technology have designed an algorithm that was trained to defeat a world-class bot — an AI-driven program that plays on behalf of a human — in the award-winning computer game StarCraft II.
Wastewater sampling may give advanced warning of potential COVID-19 outbreaks
September 20, 2020
Wastewater sampling for coronavirus on campus and in the surrounding community could alert University decision makers to a potential outbreak several days before individuals exhibit symptoms of an infection.
IST alumnus helps drive a major city's data during COVID-19
September 18, 2020
As chief data officer for the City and County of San Francisco, Jason Lally carries the daily responsibility to help each of the city’s approximately 50 departments make the best use of its data. And that responsibility becomes especially critical in the middle of a global pandemic.
IST research aims to understand a global pandemic
September 16, 2020
Since the novel coronavirus began its spread earlier this year, College of Information Sciences and Technology faculty and students have been innovative in addressing a variety of challenges related to COVID-19, including how to equip researchers with the most up-to-date information, how to educa
Study reveals design flaws of chatbot-based symptom-checker apps
September 16, 2020
Millions of people turn to their mobile devices when seeking medical advice. They’re able to share their symptoms and receive potential diagnoses through chatbot-based symptom-checker (CSC) apps. But how do these apps compare to a trip to the doctor’s office?
Artificial intelligence takes center stage at Nittany AI Challenge Celebration
September 10, 2020
The Penn State community is invited to virtually attend the Nittany AI Challenge Celebration, where nine student teams will present their minimum viable product for a chance to share in the remaining pool of $25,000 in funding.
NSF-funded study to examine human-punishment interaction in online communities
September 9, 2020
With a new grant, Yubo Kou, assistant professor of information sciences and technology, will examine how users of online community platforms experience punishments in various forms, such as chat restriction and account suspension, and what can be done to help those punished users, through his aim
Center for Socially Responsible AI accepting seed funding proposals
September 8, 2020
Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence is now accepting proposals for its inaugural seed funding program. The program will provide grants to teams working on AI-related pilot projects that have the potential to secure additional external funding.
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IST alumna Isabella Webster named 2020-21 Young Alumni Ambassador
September 7, 2020
Isabella Webster, a 2020 graduate of the College of Information Sciences and Technology, was heavily engaged on campus during her time at Penn State — with leadership roles in Homecoming, Movin’ On, and the University Park Undergraduate Association.
Space Grant accepting grant applications for education, research and outreach
September 3, 2020
The NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium (PSGC) is accepting applications for its 2020-21 competitive mini-grant program. The program supports and enhances science and engineering education, research and outreach.
Summer Founders program showcases record number of teams
September 1, 2020
Invent Penn State’s 2020 Summer Founders program, a 13-week student startup accelerator, wrapped up Aug. 12 in a virtual showcase after funding seven student-startup teams with $15,000 each to work on their startup, nonprofit, or social good full time over the summer.
Internationally recognized human-computer interaction expert joins IST faculty
August 31, 2020
Shaowen Bardzell, professor of information sciences and technology, has joined the College of Information Sciences and Technology faculty this fall.
Alumna works behind the scenes at fast-food company on third-party integration
August 31, 2020
The last few months of pandemic-stricken quarantine have been anything but monotonous for 2013 Penn State alumna Lindsay Langley, as she has been staying busy with two new roles: working virtually in a new position at a new company and becoming a first-time mother.
Art history, IST faculty win NEH grant to use computer-aided image analysis
August 28, 2020
Elizabeth Mansfield, professor and head of the Department of Art History, and James Wang, professor of information sciences and technology, have received a Digital Humanities Advancement Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a project that will use computer-aided image analysis
IST research well-represented at Knowledge Discovery in Databases conference
August 28, 2020
The College of Information Sciences and Technology was well-represented at the 2020 ACM Knowledge Discovery in Databases Conference, held virtually Aug. 23-27.
Security center announces Fall 2020 Grant Program
August 27, 2020
The Penn State Center for Security Research and Education is announcing its Fall 2020 Grant Program to support security-related scholarship and educational programs at Penn State. University faculty and researchers are eligible to apply by Nov. 2.
The symbol of our best: Penn State Nittany Lion mascot revealed
August 26, 2020
For three years, Class of 2020 graduate Zach Sowa lived a double life: He was a College of Information Sciences and Technology student and the face of Penn State — the Nittany Lion mascot. How did he balance his time and manage to keep one of the University's best-kept secrets?
Siblings pursue parallel doctoral degrees
August 20, 2020
Many students follow in their siblings’ footsteps when attending Penn State, but few share their graduate experience simultaneously.
College of IST welcomes 10 new faculty members this fall
August 19, 2020
Ten new faculty members will join the College of Information Sciences and Technology for the 2020-21 academic year.
Student startup accelerates advancements of augmented reality
August 18, 2020
Two Penn State students have co-founded Xora, a platform aimed at allowing more people to create augmented reality experiences by making them easier to develop, and one of seven startups selected to participate in this year's Summer Founders Program.
Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on increasing privacy risks
August 17, 2020
Penn State researchers have observed that social media users who may be looking for ways to stay connected during isolation appear to be sharing more personal information online.
Multi-university grant extended to advance adaptive cyber defense research
August 14, 2020
A new Army Research Office grant will support efforts to combat cyberattacks by dynamically changing attack surfaces and system configurations, making it more difficult for attackers and providing insights about their methods.
Seven IST students chosen for Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program
August 14, 2020
Seven students in the College of Information Sciences and Technology have been chosen for the prestigious Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program in the 2020 cycle.
An AI algorithm to help identify homeless youth at risk of substance abuse
August 12, 2020
An artificial intelligence algorithm developed by researchers at the College of Information Sciences and Technology could help predict susceptibility to substance use disorder among young homeless individuals, and suggest personalized rehabilitation programs for highly susceptible homeless youth.
2019-20 Teaching and Learning with Technology Faculty Fellows project wrap-up
August 11, 2020
Last academic year, four Penn State instructors worked with teams from Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) to enhance the spaces where students learn.
Program introduces students to machine learning and security research
August 10, 2020
This summer, three undergraduate students from three higher education institutions got an exclusive, in-depth introduction to research topics focused on machine learning in cybersecurity through the Research Experiences for Undergraduates site program sponsored by National Science of Foundation a
Penn State junior Jessica Strait named Cargill Global Scholar
August 7, 2020
Jessica Strait, a Penn State junior studying Applied Data Sciences, has earned a spot in the 2020 Cargill Global Scholars program.
Candice Sheaffer named College of IST student marshal for summer commencement
August 7, 2020
The College of Information Sciences and Technology has named Candice Sheaffer as student marshal for the University’s summer 2020 commencement. Sheaffer will earn her degree in security and risk analysis, information and cyber security option, through Penn State World Campus.
IST professor forges partnership with University of Auckland faculty
August 6, 2020
Following his trip last summer to Kazakhstan, Professor of Information Sciences and Technology Alan Peslak and a contingent of University representatives traveled to New Zealand this past winter to engage in a development workshop with faculty members from the University of Auckland.
Associate dean for undergraduate and graduate studies hired in College of IST
August 4, 2020
Jeffrey Bardzell has been named associate dean for undergraduate and graduate studies in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, effective Aug. 1.
IST alumnus, student partner for virtual pet-adoption-internship experience
July 30, 2020
When College of Information Sciences and Technology alumnus Kurt Heslop needed to update the website for an Oregon-based animal shelter, for which he serves on the board, he sought out a Penn State student to help complete the task.
Building an image classifier to aid in disaster response
July 28, 2020
This spring, students in the data sciences capstone course at the College of Information Sciences and Technology worked with a team of MIT Lincoln Laboratory Beaver Works researchers to make real-world contributions toward improving image classifiers for disaster response.
Nonprofit provides STEAM education to underserved youth in Atlanta
July 28, 2020
Joe Lewis, a 2010 graduate of the College of Information Sciences and Technology, created a nonprofit organization to give children in underserved communities in Atlanta the opportunity to learn about and experience technology after noticing disparities that existed in the city's school syst
Students using AI to help reshape public transportation during COVID-19
July 28, 2020
Penn State students are using artificial intelligence to analyze how COVID-19 is affecting the number of people who telework and the impact that will make on public transportation in Philadelphia.
Project-based learning leads to leadership role for College of IST alumna
July 22, 2020
Shara Beach Ryan’s list of career experiences is quite extensive — she has worked as an advertising campaign manager, front-end developer, business analyst, project and product manager, marketer and user-interface designer.
Learning designers and faculty show quick collaboration in times of change
July 21, 2020
Educators and instructional and learning designers at Penn State have been key elements of the pivot to remote instruction as the University works to overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alumnus-driven startup aids IST students seeking internship experiences
July 20, 2020
When the novel coronavirus pandemic struck, and many College of Information Sciences and Technology students faced challenges in securing summer internships due to public health guidelines, an IST alumnus rose to the occasion to help students get the experience they needed.
Penn State sophomore runs summer STEM program for underprivileged children
July 15, 2020
As a child, Rahil Mehta found that many science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts weren't taught in a participatory way.
IST student awarded Erickson Discovery Grant to further Tumblr research
July 1, 2020
Courtney Smith, a rising Penn State junior studying security and risk analysis, recently received a 2020 Erickson Discovery Grant to further her research on parasocial relationships between 18- to 25-year-old Tumblr bloggers and celebrities.
Center for Security Research and Education announces seed grant awardees
June 30, 2020
The Center for Security Research and Education (CSRE) has selected 13 interdisciplinary projects through its spring 2020 seed grant program.
Hacker bootcamp: Alumnus creates cybersecurity experience for IST students
June 29, 2020
With students in the College of Information Sciences and Technology having offers rescinded from their internship placements, one alumnus launched an eight-week virtual hacker bootcamp to give a group of students professional experiences this summer.
Initial COVID-19 infection rate may be 80 times greater than originally reported
June 22, 2020
A new study from Penn State tracked excess influenza-like illness data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to estimate that the number of early COVID-19 cases in the U.S. may have been more than 80 times greater and doubled nearly twice as fast as originally believed.
Bringing an international conference online
June 19, 2020
With the shift of the International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development to a virtual format due to COVID-19, general chair Carleen Maitland led a team effort to bring the international conference online.
Two College of IST faculty members earn Amazon Research Awards
June 19, 2020
Professor James Wang and Assistant Professor Xinyu Xing — both from the College of Information Sciences and Technology — are among 51 computing experts representing 39 universities worldwide to receive 2019 Amazon Research Awards.
A federal internship in the remote workplace
June 18, 2020
This summer, as many students acclimate to virtual internship experiences due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, one Penn State World Campus student has just successfully completed an eight-month remote internship with the federal government.
Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program inducts six new fellows
June 17, 2020
The Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program in 2020-21 will include six new fellows from Penn State.
A leader from the start: First-year IST student heads new student organization
June 12, 2020
Lauren Pearl never imagined she would become so involved with the newest major at the College of Information Sciences and Technology during the first semester of her first year at Penn State, let alone be elected president of a club for its students.
New cybersecurity master’s degree aims at protecting digital information
June 10, 2020
The College of Information Sciences and Technology will launch a residential master's degree in cybersecurity analytics and operations this fall to help meet the growing demand for professionals who can protect digital information.
Peng Liu, co-authors earn Test-of-Time Award
June 8, 2020
A paper co-authored by Peng Liu, Raymond G.
IST professor receives award, earns reappointment to University College position
June 5, 2020
Penn State Scranton IST professor Alan Peslak has received the International Association for Computer Information Systems’ 2020 Ben Bauman Award for Excellence. Meanwhile, he was reappointed to serve as University College IST discipline coordinator for the 2020-21 academic year.