News

 Acclaimed entrepreneur, innovator to speak at Penn State Smeal

Acclaimed entrepreneur, innovator to speak at Penn State Smeal

Renowned entrepreneur, innovator and investor Slava Rubin will be a guest of the Penn State Smeal College of Business on March 25 as part of the college's signature speaker series "Executive Insights."

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 IST announces new major in artificial intelligence, enrolling for fall 2025

IST announces new major in artificial intelligence, enrolling for fall 2025

The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology has announced a new undergraduate degree. The Artificial Intelligence Methods and Applications program will prepare students to leverage the strengths and benefits of AI while ensuring its ethical use.

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image of cell phone photographing placenta

Media Mention: Wang, Pan, Mehta—NIBIB

Where: National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, 'Picture this: Using AI to analyze photographs of the placenta'

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 Decorated Marine Corps pilot retires from the College of IST

Decorated Marine Corps pilot retires from the College of IST

Col. Jake Graham, a professor of practice in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, will retire on June 30. Graham came to the college in 2007, after 26 years of services in the United State Marine Corps.

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Media Mention: Sarah Rajtmajer — Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Where: Pennsylvania Capital-Star, ‘DeepSeek AI banned from all Pennsylvania Treasury-issued devices'

Who: Sarah Rajtmajer, assistant professor, Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology 

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 'Cheat-a-thon' contest explores AI’s strengths and flaws in higher education

'Cheat-a-thon' contest explores AI’s strengths and flaws in higher education

Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) will host a virtual "Cheat-a-thon" competition March 3-April 6. The event, open to faculty and students across the U.S., explores the use of generative AI in academic environments. 

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 IST alumna turns research into passion as Black developer in games industry

IST alumna turns research into passion as Black developer in games industry

Adanna Nedd, a Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology alumna, has turned her lifelong love of video games into a career. She is helping to redefine what gaming looks like for people who look like her.

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 Moravia Health president receives IST’s first Dean’s Alumni Excellence Award

Moravia Health president receives IST’s first Dean’s Alumni Excellence Award

Frank Igwé is the first recipient of the Dean’s Alumni Excellence Award in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology. The newly created honor highlights and celebrates the extraordinary work and accomplishments of IST alumni.

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Penn State Cocoziello Institute hosts inaugural Student IdeaLab

The Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation hosted its inaugural Student IdeaLab on the University Park campus in December 2024, bringing together a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students interested in shaping the future of the real estate and built environment sectors.

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IBM accepting applications for spring co-op program

Penn State students interested in pursuing a career in the technology industry now have an opportunity to apply for IBM’s co-op program this spring. The company is looking for individuals from a variety of majors, including business, computer science and engineering, data science and engineering, among others, across academic colleges who want to gain hands-on experience and connections in areas like business consulting, data science, data engineering, technology and sales.

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Kelley Cotter to present at DE&I In Tech Summit

Kelley Cotter, assistant professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, will present a session at the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania’s 2025 DE&I In Tech Summit. The event will take place on March 19 at Penn State Harrisburg. 

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 'Be You in Tech' Summit celebrates authenticity, diversity

'Be You in Tech' Summit celebrates authenticity, diversity

The College of Information Sciences and Technology recently hosted its annual Be You in Tech Summit with more than 100 students, an alumni panel, industry partners and a keynote speaker, Netflix host Ati Williams. 

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 College of IST names new development and alumni relations director

College of IST names new development and alumni relations director

The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology has named Tom Maatta as its new director of development, effective Feb. 5.

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 Q&A: DeepSeek AI assistant and the future of AI

Q&A: DeepSeek AI assistant and the future of AI

Penn State experts discussed the potential technological and financial impacts of artificial intelligence assistant DeepSeek.

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 IST faculty leads international privacy research event at German castle

IST faculty leads international privacy research event at German castle

Shomir Wilson, associate professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, recently organized an interdisciplinary research retreat on privacy research. Thirty-one researchers from 10 countries attended the event at the Schloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz Center for informatics in Germany. 

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 Student cybersecurity team places third in global competition

Student cybersecurity team places third in global competition

The Penn State Competitive Cyber Security Organization placed third at the Global Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

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 Sending a 'We Are!' to these Penn Staters — Jan. 22

Sending a 'We Are!' to these Penn Staters — Jan. 22

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 19 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.   

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 Competition highlights generative AI’s power, pitfalls for medical diagnoses

Competition highlights generative AI’s power, pitfalls for medical diagnoses

The winners of the first-ever "Diagnose-a-thon" were announced by Penn State's Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence. Prizes were awarded for accurate and misleading health diagnoses presented by large language models.

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 Five ways ‘fake’ mobile games fail to meet advertised expectations

Five ways ‘fake’ mobile games fail to meet advertised expectations

The mobile game advertisements that pop up all over social media platforms may promise better, more complete games than they actually deliver. Researchers at Penn State studying these “fake games” — or those that promote inaccurate depictions of their gameplay and development — identified five characteristics that gamers could use when deciding how much time and money to invest in a mobile game.

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 $1.23M NASA grant to support improving satellite weather forecasting with AI

$1.23M NASA grant to support improving satellite weather forecasting with AI

A team led by a Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology researcher received a $1.23 million grant from NASA to improve atmosphere and ocean forecasts by incorporating AI and satellite data into current forecasting models.

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 IST professor Lee Giles selected as outstanding academic leader in data

IST professor Lee Giles selected as outstanding academic leader in data

C. Lee Giles, professor emeritus in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, was recognized by CDO Magazine for his contributions to the field of data science. 

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hands holding dollars at roulette table

Media Mention: Xinning Gui, Yubo Kou, Sam Moradzadeh

Where: Ecoonomia, ‘The Evolution of WallStreetBets: A Look into the High-Risk Trading Phenomenon’

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 Top student teams awarded $4,500 in first phase of Nittany AI Challenge

Top student teams awarded $4,500 in first phase of Nittany AI Challenge

Fifteen student teams using artificial intelligence (AI) to make the world a better place have been awarded a total of $4,500 in the prototype phase of the Nittany AI Challenge. This year’s Nittany AI Challenge includes new partners and resources providing even more opportunities for student success.

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 IST recognizes faculty and staff at annual awards ceremony

IST recognizes faculty and staff at annual awards ceremony

The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology held its annual holiday party and award ceremony on Dec. 18. Faculty and staff were honored for excellence in teaching, research and service. 

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 Placenta assessment tool aims to improve neonatal, maternal care

Placenta assessment tool aims to improve neonatal, maternal care

A multi-national, multi-institutional team led by Penn State researchers developed a new tool that enables doctors to examine placentas right at the bedside using just a phone. The tool could make placental examination more accessible, saving lives and improving health outcomes, the team said. 

 

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Center for Socially Responsible AI awards seed funding to seven diverse projects

The Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence awarded more than $159,000 to seven interdisciplinary research projects across the University. 

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 New course helps students discover how computers make sense of human language

New course helps students discover how computers make sense of human language

A new course, Understanding Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Human Language, will be offered to students in the College of Information Sciences and Technology beginning spring 2025. 

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 IST graduate student offers job search tips for international students

IST graduate student offers job search tips for international students

Kartik Khurana, a graduate student in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, leveraged networking and internships to land a full-time position. He will begin his cybersecurity career following graduation this December. 

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 Cybersecurity professor named 2024-25 IST Statewide Faculty Member of the Year

Cybersecurity professor named 2024-25 IST Statewide Faculty Member of the Year

Joseph Squillace, assistant teaching professor of cybersecurity at Penn State Schuylkill, has been named the 2024-25 Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology Statewide Faculty Member of the Year.

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 IST researcher receives grant to improve scientific captions

IST researcher receives grant to improve scientific captions

Ting-Hao "Kenneth" Huang, associate professor in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology received an award from the Sloan Foundation to improve the way captions labeling images and figures in scientific papers are developed. 

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 IST professor publishes second book on innovative teaching practices

IST professor publishes second book on innovative teaching practices

Jack Carroll, distinguished professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, has published a new book on innovative teaching practices. Twenty faculty members from the College of IST, and seven alumni or current students contributed to the book.

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 College of IST names student marshal for fall 2024 commencement

College of IST names student marshal for fall 2024 commencement

The Penn State College of IST has name cybersecurity major Jenna Fox as the student marshal for the fall 2024 commencement ceremony. 

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network science image

Media Mention: Sarah Rajtmajer — Gigazine

Where: Gigazine, ‘A large number of scientists are migrating from X (formerly Twitter) to Bluesky’ 

Who: Sarah Rajtmajer, assistant professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) 

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Wilson receives Teaching NLP 2024 award

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Shomir Wilson, associate professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) received the Best Teaching Material Award from the Sixth Workshop on Teaching NLP. The workshop was co-located with the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) on Aug.

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 Broadcast police communications may pose privacy risks, especially to Black men

Broadcast police communications may pose privacy risks, especially to Black men

Police radio transmissions contain personally identifiable information that could pose privacy risks for members of the public, especially Black males, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State and the University of Chicago. They also found that a large language model, a widely used artificial intelligence tool, could detect personally identifiable information with high accuracy, highlighting the risk of privacy vulnerability.

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 Nittany AI Alliance partners with IST to amplify AI innovation at Penn State

Nittany AI Alliance partners with IST to amplify AI innovation at Penn State

The College of Information Sciences and Technology and the Nittany AI Alliance are joining forces to amplify AI innovation at Penn State. The transition will be effective Jan. 1, 2025. 

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 Fox Graduate School names recipients of fall 2024 International Travel Grants

Fox Graduate School names recipients of fall 2024 International Travel Grants

The J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School at Penn State and Penn State Global have announced the awardees for the Fall 2024 Graduate Student International Travel Grants. Of 39 applications, seven were selected for $1,500 grants to assist them in presenting their research at international conferences outside the United States. 

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 IST to raise support for student engagement opportunities on GivingTuesday

IST to raise support for student engagement opportunities on GivingTuesday

This GivingTuesday, the Penn State College of IST is calling on alumni and friends to make a gift to the IST Alumni Society Endowment to support the college's student organizations. 

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 IST alumnus creates scholarship to support the next generation of innovators

IST alumnus creates scholarship to support the next generation of innovators

The Matthew Gartland Igwé Family Matching Scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology will address the financial, academic and personal challenges faced by students who are struggling to meet their college expenses. 

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 Family Business Alliance members attend AI presentation at Penn State Scranton

Family Business Alliance members attend AI presentation at Penn State Scranton

Fred Aebli, lecturer of information sciences and technology at Penn State Scranton and creator of GetMeCoding, which teaches computer coding, was the guest speaker for the Family Business Alliance’s (FBA) recent informational program on artificial intelligence (AI) and what it means for employees and businesses. The presentation, “Great Uses of AI in Your Business”, was part of the FBA’s slate of fall offerings.

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 Three Penn State researchers awarded scientific grants from Kaufman Foundation

Three Penn State researchers awarded scientific grants from Kaufman Foundation

The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation has selected three Penn State researchers to receive scientific research grants: Grayson Sipe, assistant professor of biology; David Radice, associate professor of physics and of astronomy and astrophysics; and Romit Maulik, assistant professor of information sciences and technology.

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three people standing in front of brick wall

Donors Visit Chaiken Center for Student Success in IST

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The second-largest donors in Penn State history visited Westgate Building on Nov. 8 to tour the newly dedicated Roz and Gene Chaiken Center for Student Success in the College of Information Sciences and Technology in E103 Westgate Building. 

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IST doctoral student featured on NPR news affiliate podcast

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Jason Lucas, a graduate student pursuing a doctoral degree in informatics in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, was a guest speaker on a podcast hosted by NPR affiliate WXXI in Rochester, New York. 

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 IST students attend tech conference focused on the Black male experience

IST students attend tech conference focused on the Black male experience

Eleven students from the College of IST attended the BLK Men in Tech THRIVE Conference on Oct. 10-13 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. THRIVE is a tech conference designed to foster connections, facilitate learning and promote personal development for all in the tech community, with a special focus on the Black male experience.

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headshot of person with short dark hair

James Z. Wang featured in opinion piece on 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — John H. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton earned the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for their “foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”

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 IST Distinguished Lecture Series to host network security expert on Nov. 18

IST Distinguished Lecture Series to host network security expert on Nov. 18

The Penn State College of IST Distinguished Lecture Series will host Wenke Lee from Georgia Tech at noon on Nov. 18 in E202 Westgate Building at University Park.

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 Contest explores artificial intelligence’s strengths, flaws for medical diagnoses

Contest explores artificial intelligence’s strengths, flaws for medical diagnoses

Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) will host “Diagnose-a-thon,” a competition that aims to uncover the power and potential dangers of using generative AI for medical inquiries. The virtual event will take place Nov. 11-17 with top prizes of $1,000.  

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