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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James Wang named distinguished professor of IST
James Wang, professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, has been conferred the title of distinguished professor, the highest professorial distinction at the University.
Penn State names 21 new distinguished professors for 2022
Penn State's Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs has named 21 distinguished professors for 2022.
Twenty teams compete for $50,000 prize pool in the 2022 Nittany AI Challenge
Twenty student teams using AI for good in the fields of health, environment, education and humanitarianism will compete for a pool of $50,000 by creating solutions to real-world problems during the 2022 Nittany AI Challenge.
Students propose human-centered tech solutions in capstone course
In the first-ever capstone course for the human-centered design and development program, two teams of students put the skills they’ve learned at IST to the test through a semester-long project. The objective: use human-centered approaches to investigate a research question, develop a prototype of an application, and evaluate it with the target audience.
IST Identity Talks series Feb. 8 presents, ‘Celebrating Black History’
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join alumni of the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) for "IST Alumni Identity Talks – Celebrating Black History," to be held virtually from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Dope Labs podcast creators to host science communication workshops at Penn State
Dope Labs podcast creators and hosts Titi Shodiya and Zakiya Whatley will present Dope Labs Science Communication Week at Penn State, a four-day remote event that will introduce researchers to the broader science communication community and teach them to use social media, storytelling and a web presence to network with other scientists and engage with broad audiences. The event takes place Feb. 7-10.
Anna Squicciarini named Frymoyer Chair in IST
Anna Squicciarini, Penn State professor of information sciences and technology, has been named Frymoyer Chair in Information Sciences and Technology, effective Dec. 1.
Alumna promotes privacy and information security at Penn State
Recent World Campus graduate Holly Swires is using the knowledge she gained at Penn State to give back to the University by building forward-thinking privacy and information security programs in her dual roles as chief privacy officer and assistant chief information security officer at Penn State.
Penn State alumna Amy Stever named IST’s assistant dean for academic services
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology announced that Amy Stever has assumed the role of assistant dean for academic services, effective Jan. 1. She has been serving in the interim role since September.
Center for Socially Responsible AI awards seed funding to seven projects
The Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence recently announced the results of its second seed funding competition, awarding more than $96,000 to advance seven interdisciplinary research projects that feature researchers from 11 colleges and institutes.
On the Bridge - January 2022
A compilation of recent news, highlights and achievements from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology community.
AI for Social Impact series continues Jan. 28 with the 'Science of Science'
Presented by the Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence, the AI for Social Impact Seminar Series will continue with a talk by Dashun Wang, professor of management and organizations at the Kellogg School of Management and the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. Wang’s talk, titled “Initial Progress on the Science of Science,” will be held from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Jan.
U.S. News ranks Penn State World Campus online graduate and bachelor's programs
Penn State World Campus has been included in the 2022 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Online Programs rankings, with placement in the top 20 or better among graduate degree programs that include engineering, business, education, and information technology; bachelor’s degree programs; and the best programs for veterans.
'Black box gaslighting' challenges social-media algorithm accountability
Kelley Cotter, assistant professor in Penn State's College of Information Science and Technology, examined ongoing debate between social media influencers who claim their content is algorithmically suppressed and the social media platforms that deny it but do not provide transparent information on how they operate.
Penn State awarded $3.4 million contract to target plastic waste
Penn State has been awarded a $3.4 million contract from the REMADE Institute to fund research targeting the inefficient methods currently used to process and upcycle mixed plastic waste.
IST alumnus builds a brand as Pittsburgh food influencer
Alex Goodstein, who graduated from the College of Information Sciences and Technology in 2009, has a palate-pleasing side hustle as a Pittsburgh-area food influencer. He will share his food influence with the Penn State community during a live cooking session as part of the Penn State Cooking Classic — a four-week cooking event series this spring sponsored by the Penn State college and campus alumni societies — at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, on Zoom.
'Socially Responsible AI' lecture series to highlight early career researchers
Sherry Tongshuang Wu, a doctoral candidate in computer science and engineering at the University of Washington, will deliver the inaugural lecture of the Young Achievers Symposium organized by the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence. Wu’s talk, “Interactive AI Model Debugging and Correction,” will be held Jan. 18 via Zoom.
Have an idea to change the world? Submit it in the Nittany AI Challenge
Penn State students from University Park, all Commonwealth Campuses and Penn State World Campus are invited to form a team and submit ideas about how to improve the world using the power of artificial intelligence by entering the 2022 Nittany AI Challenge. The teams chosen will compete for a prize pool of $50,000; the deadline to submit an idea is Jan. 31.
Paper on geovisual analytics wins “Test of Time” award
A 2011 paper authored by Penn State researchers outlining a geovisual analytics approach to support geographically grounded situational awareness of crisis events using social media was selected to receive the 2021 IEEE Symposium on Visual Analytics Science and Technology Test of Time award.
Happy Valley LaunchBox supports company serving underrepresented students
With help from Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank, Joel Sakyi founded Vybrnt, a startup that provides underrepresented students better access to resources and opportunities that help them succeed during their time at college.
Nandita Suresh honored as College of IST student marshal
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology will honor Nandita Suresh as student marshal at fall 2021 commencement, which will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, in the Bryce Jordan Center. “Being a student marshal is in one word, unbelievable,” she said. “There are so many bright, hardworking students here at the College of IST, and being able to represent our class is one of the most gratifying and humbling experiences of my life.”
IST grad student intern applies data science skills in construction industry
As a College of Information Sciences and Technology student pursuing a master’s degree in informatics, Kristen Williams had the opportunity this past summer to apply what she’s learned through her concentration in data science in a summer internship in the construction manufacturing industry.
IST World Campus graduate, PA Guard captain pays education forward at Penn State
Pennsylvania Army National Guard Capt. Francis Killeen has served in the Army for nearly two decades. After two deployments in Iraq and being promoted to sergeant in 2009, he took a short break from the military then reenlisted in 2013 with the goal of becoming an officer. He attended Officer Candidate School, where he commissioned as a second lieutenant.
IST Blue Band Silk Squad leader blends academic drive with performance passion
After a year off the field during the pandemic, College of Information Sciences and Technology third-year student Jenna Fitzpatrick is happy to be back performing at Beaver Stadium. As a Squad Leader of the Silk section in the Penn State Marching Blue Band, Fitzpatrick blends her academic drive to earn a degree in cybersecurity analytics and operations with her experience with and passion for spinning flags.
Penn State faculty receive funds to explore students’ participation
The Flemming CEED Center faculty members and faculty members from Penn State recently received funding from the Penn State Social Science Research Institute’s (SSRI) "Reducing Social Disparities" initiative.
Penn State team wins Big Ten Augmented Intelligence Bowl
An interdisciplinary team from Penn State took home first prize in the Big Ten Augmented Intelligence Bowl, where academic teams from around the Big Ten Conference square off to determine how artificial intelligence can create the biggest bang in reducing health disparities. The Penn State team, with representatives from the College of Medicine and College of Information Sciences and Technology, received high marks for their proposal which could save the U.S.
College of Information Sciences and Technology honors Military Appreciation Week
During Penn State Military Appreciation Week, and every day, the College of Information Sciences and Technology recognizes and honors the members of the College of Information Sciences and Technology and larger Penn State community who have served or are currently serving in the military, including current students U.S. Army veteran Vincent Cannady; U.S. Air Force Reserve Cyber Surety Specialist Katie Latter; and U.S.
Army SWAT commander draws on IST foundation as military police officer
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Koby Allen is an active-duty SWAT commander and military police officer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in security and risk analysis from Penn State in 2018 and is currently pursuing a master of business administration with a concentration in cybercrime from American Military University. He is stationed at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, where he lives with his wife, Leticia, and baby son, Kaius.
Dual degrees shape military career, lead to accolades for IST World Campus grad
Recent Penn State World Campus graduate Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Bryan Hill was beyond appreciative that he was able to participate virtually in his August commencement ceremony from his home in North Carolina. Hill completed the last two semesters of his security and risk analysis program while on a domestic deployment this spring, overseeing a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Philadelphia.
Active-duty Marine makes Penn State a stepping stone on military career path
The path to Penn State was less than traditional for Gunnery Sergeant Charles Hickey. An active-duty Marine, Hickey enlisted in the military shortly after graduating from high school in 2008, and completed two deployments in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011.
IST Alumni Identity Talks series, 'Military and Veterans in Tech,’ on Nov. 17
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join the College of Information Sciences and Technology for IST Alumni Identity Talks – Military and Veterans in Tech, to be held virtually from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17. The event is co-sponsored by Penn State World Campus.
IST student's research involves tracking elephant movement
Gregory Glatzer, a junior majoring in applied data science, spent his summer helping to evaluate how technology could be used to track elephant movement in national parks in Africa to help prevent poaching. “The research that I did has opened my eyes to the many amazing applications of data science that exist in various domains.”
Hozza to discuss ‘things learned on teaching journey’ in IST McMurtry Lecture
David Hozza, lecturer in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State, will share “Things I’ve Learned on This Teaching Journey” when he delivers the college’s annual George McMurtry Award Lecture at noon Thursday, Nov. 11 in E202 Westgate Building on the University Park campus. The lecture also will be livestreamed.
Penn State Hazleton's Barbara Brazon named IST Faculty Member of the Year
Penn State Hazleton Associate Teaching Professor of Information Sciences and Technology Barbara Brazon has been recognized with the College of Information Sciences and Technology Faculty Member of the Year Award.
IST Alumni Identity Talks series, ‘First-Generation Students,’ on Nov. 10
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join the College of Information Sciences and Technology for IST Alumni Identity Talks on Nov. 10, featuring a panel discussing their experiences as first-generation students.
Talk to provide insights on designing useful and usable privacy interfaces
Lorrie Faith Cranor, director and Bosch Distinguished Professor of the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, will present a talk, “Designing Useful and Usable Privacy Interfaces,” at 11:45 a.m. Friday, Nov. 12, as part of the College of Information Sciences and Technology Distinguished Lecture Series.
New IST scholarship honors friendships formed at Penn State
Two College of Information Sciences and Technology alumni recently came together to establish a scholarship in memory of their friend and fellow classmate, Jimmy Lee Brown, who died in 2019. According to the donors, Desmond Lamptey and Michelle Ngo, Brown had a natural ability to bring diverse groups of students together at Penn State, and played a major role in helping them to build connections and feel at home at the University.
How Penn State is applying immersive technology on WPSU's 'Digging Deeper'
Penn State President Eric Barron and a pair of University experts will talk about immersive technology and how it’s applied in the classroom during the next episode of WPSU’s “Digging Deeper” on Sunday, Oct. 31.
Fostering community across geographically dispersed university campuses
Many U.S. universities comprise a main campus and several branch campuses distributed throughout the state. Researchers in the College of Information Sciences and Technology investigated whether students at these various campuses feel that they belong to a unified university community.
IST Alumni Identity Talks series, 'Disability Awareness,' on Oct. 27
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join alumni of the College of Information Sciences and Technology for IST Alumni Identity Talks - Disability Awareness, to be held virtually from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27.
IST research represented in 11 papers at 2021 CSCW
Eleven papers that involve researchers at the College of IST were accepted to this year’s Association for Computing Machinery’s 2021 Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, a top venue for human-computer interaction research that will be held virtually Oct. 23-27. Additionally, one short paper on research conducted by IST experts appears in the conference companion.
Interactions with unreliable infrastructures could be key to smart city design
Research from the College of Information Sciences and Technology found that smart city designs should consider the daily experiences of citizens or allow them to adapt their own solutions, particularly in areas with historically unreliable infrastructures.
IST background helps Homecoming tech director deliver an engaging celebration
Penn State students, families, faculty and alumni are all familiar with the parade, weeklong spirit events, and spectacular football game that exemplify Penn State pride during Homecoming Week. But few pull back the curtain to see the evolving technology that makes the annual celebration engaging and entertaining.
New game can help users identify, avoid online echo chambers
Researchers at the College of Information Sciences and Technology have developed a theory-based game that enables a player to test their own awareness of content that could result in an echo chamber and to observe how echo chambers are accelerated by the spread of misinformation.
Search engine could help researchers scour internet for privacy documents
Researchers say a search engine, which uses an artificial intelligence called natural language processing, could be an important tool for researchers trying to find ways to design a safer internet.
On the Bridge - October 2021
A compilation of recent news, highlights and achievements from the College of Information Sciences and Technology community.
IST intern collaborates on software engineering design at Rockwell Automation
To graduate, students in the College of Information Sciences and Technology are required to complete an internship within their field. However, many students, including Nick Alico, take advantage of the opportunity to go beyond the minimum requirement and explore multiple professional opportunities before earning their degrees.
IST, Schreyer student co-founds blueStart festival to inspire entrepreneurs
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, College of Information Sciences and Technology senior Hayden Long wants to inspire other Penn State students to learn from like-minded self-starters and receive support for their innovative ideas. So, through his role in the student entrepreneurship organization Innoblue, Long co-created the inaugural blueStart festival, happening this week.
What was really the secret behind Van Gogh's success?
Before developing his famed “drip technique,” abstract artist Jackson Pollock dabbled in drawing, print making and surrealist paintings of humans, animals and nature. According to a new study involving researchers at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, this period of exploration followed by exploitation of his new drip technique set up Pollock for a “hot streak,” or a burst of high-impact works clustered together in close succession.
Vasant Honavar named Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and AI
Vasant Honavar, professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence by the University’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.