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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Sending a 'We Are!' to these Penn Staters
April 20, 2023
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize seven Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
Email scammers tailor methods to target universities
April 20, 2023
Email-based scams sent to members of a university community are more personalized and compelling and present unique risks, such as providing unauthorized access to university systems, compared to those sent to the general population, according to new research from Penn State.
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. The award recognizes a project that best exemplifies Penn State as an “engaged institution.”
App to prevent allergy attacks wins first place in IdeaMakers Challenge
April 10, 2023
Meallergies, an app that can help avoid allergy attacks when ordering meals from restaurants, was the winning idea in the 2023 Bardusch Family IdeaMakers Challenge, held March 22 during Penn State Startup Week. The winning team received the top prize of $4,000 in the final pitch competition, which they’ll use to further explore and grow their idea.
Forty graduate students recognized with prestigious University awards
April 6, 2023
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. The awards recognize and celebrate graduate students who are excelling in teaching, research and service, as well as other academic pursuits.
Commitment to technology, public service set IST alum up for success
April 3, 2023
As a full-time database consulting engineer, an independent financial adviser, and a commissioner in his local community, College of IST alumnus Fred Faylona relies on his Penn State experience to succeed professionally and make a difference in his community.
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.”
Schreyer Honors College announces 2023 Alumni Award recipients
March 31, 2023
Schreyer Honors College honored four Scholar alumni for their achievements and contributions with the 2023 Scholar Alumni Awards. The winners were recognized on March 24 at a luncheon held at the Hintz Family Alumni Center.
5 student startups win funding in Inc.U Competition
March 24, 2023
Student startup Bindr, a dating app that provides a safe space online for bisexual individuals, won $15,000, the largest prize amount, in the 2023 Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition. The competition, part of Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC, saw six Penn State student teams pitch their startups to a panel of judges and compete for up to $30,000 in funding.
Artificial intelligence models aim to forecast eviction, promote renter rights
March 23, 2023
Two artificial intelligence-driven models designed by researchers from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology could help promote the rights of low-income renters in the United States when facing forced eviction.
Center now offering social responsibility consultations for AI researchers
March 21, 2023
Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence is now offering social responsibility consultations to University researchers engaged in AI-related research.
WPSU examines ‘sharenting’ and how it may open a digital door to unwanted guests
March 20, 2023
In the next episode of "Conversations Live," WPSU will take a look at “sharenting” and the possible vulnerabilities and consequences of parents oversharing their children’s lives online.
IST’s 'Be You in Tech' Summit celebrates diversity, encourages empowerment
March 8, 2023
The College of Information Sciences and Technology recently partnered with RMS US LLP to present the 2023 Be You in Tech Summit. The event brought together more than 60 Penn State students with corporate partners in a professional environment to connect, learn, and share ideas, while recognizing the strength and opportunity of diversity in the technology industry.
Entrepreneurs share strategies during Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC
March 7, 2023
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.
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. The program provides preliminary funding to support research activities and generate preliminary results that will eventually lead to bigger projects involving external funding. IST faculty wrote short proposals, which were reviewed by representatives of the college’s diverse faculty.
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. Applications will be accepted through May 1, with projects expected to start on July 1 and last for up to two years.
Thought leaders headline TechCon at Penn State Abington
March 3, 2023
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.
IST Career Spotlight: Nick Leghorn keeps NYT applications secure
March 1, 2023
Nick Leghorn is using his Penn State degree in information sciences and technology to help The New York Times provide high-quality journalism while ensuring the digital experience can be tailored to the reader’s needs. As the news outlet’s director of application security, Leghorn is helping the company make a transformation from a company that focuses on print publications to one that offers online experiences.
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.
IST Career Spotlight: Megan Tucker flies ahead with Boeing
February 21, 2023
As an IT business partner for Boeing, Megan Tucker is the focal point for one of the company’s new defense helicopter programs. She works between the program and the enterprise to ensure all IT requirements are met and communicated.
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.
Virtual Symposium Lite designed to complement in-person TLT Symposium
February 15, 2023
Teaching and Learning with Technology will offer a new virtual complement to the TLT Symposium this year. Symposium Lite is a half-day event on March 23, which will feature prerecorded presentations and live discussions.
A focus on leadership helps World Campus IST student make a difference
February 15, 2023
Being a leader is both a goal and a mission that College of Information Sciences and Technology student Daniel Serfass has set out to accomplish. Now student body president for the World Campus Student Government and founder of Penn State World Campus for THON, Serfass is putting his strongest suit into practice.
IST Career Spotlight: Keith Duemling protects and supports health care tech
February 14, 2023
In his role as director of cybersecurity technology protection for the Cleveland Clinic, Keith Duemling oversees all cybersecurity protection platforms for the clinic’s facilities throughout North America and Europe.
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.
IST Career Spotlight: Heather VanGorder maps Pepsi’s path
February 7, 2023
Heather VanGorder, who earned a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology in 2020, currently works as an IT analyst at PepsiCo Inc. Her team is responsible for setting up the mapping that gets PepsiCo products to their final destinations.
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.
IST Career Spotlight: Ryan Hartzfeld
February 2, 2023
As a lead software engineer at Disney Streaming, Ryan Hartzfeld is leading efforts to make impactful changes to a variety of streaming services offered by the Walt Disney Co.
Penn State cybersecurity team places third in CyberForce Competition
February 1, 2023
A team of Penn State students recently placed third out of 169 universities in the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual CyberForce Competition. The team, which was comprised of members from the University’s Competitive Cyber Security Organization, also earned third place in last year’s event.
IST Career Spotlight: Josh Stine
January 26, 2023
As manager of pricing strategy for Elevate Sports Ventures, Josh Stine is drawing on his industry experience to lead a pricing team serving more than 100 professional and collegiate partners.
IST student wins Westin Scholar Award for skills in privacy and data protection
January 25, 2023
Alexei Hooks, a fall 2022 graduate from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, was recently awarded the 2022-23 Westin Scholar Award for his outstanding skills and dedication to the field of privacy and data protection.
IST students create innovative, user-focused technology solutions
January 23, 2023
Students in the capstone course for the Human-Centered Design and Development program major are asking questions, finding solutions and using knowledge from previous classes to pursue a semester-long group project focused on creating user-centered technology.
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.
College of IST welcomes two new members to Dean’s Advisory Board
January 10, 2023
The College of Information Sciences and Technology recently welcomed two new members to its Dean’s Advisory Board: Andy Duffett, senior vice president, Global Revenue Operations at CrowdStrike, and Corey Lee, enterprise security executive for U.S. Education at Microsoft Corporation.
Mentors help first-generation IST alum find the right path
January 9, 2023
Joel Gill Jr. has established himself in a tech consulting career and has learned from a variety of experiences and mentors. Now, with interests that span technology, business, music and cooking, he’s reflecting on his journey and sharing with current IST students the insights he’s gained — including the importance of team dynamics.
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.
IST students gain real-world experiences in new distributed team project course
December 16, 2022
A new course offered by the College of Information Sciences and Technology is helping students prepare for their required internships by focusing on teamwork and real-world projects.
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.
Arts and Architecture’s fall student marshal is first ever from World Campus
December 8, 2022
Carly Mojica, from Colorado Springs, is the first-ever Penn State World Campus student to serve as student marshal for the College of Arts and Architecture's commencement ceremony.
Real-world internship helps IST student make a meaningful impact
December 7, 2022
Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology senior Djante McLaughlin is bringing his knowledge and passion for cybersecurity to life through his leadership with the IST Student Government and his work with the Department of Homeland Security.
WATCH: Andrew Sears shares perspective on reflecting and realizing opportunity
December 6, 2022
As part of the “Perspective: Leaders at Penn State” video series, Andrew Sears, dean of the College of Information Sciences and Technology, shares his love for spending time with animals as an opportunity to reflect and gain perspective — and then reengage with his work in a more powerful way.
Erica Mi named College of IST student marshal for fall 2022
December 6, 2022
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology will honor Schreyer Honors Scholar Erica Mi as student marshal at its fall 2022 commencement, which will be held Saturday, Dec. 17.
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.
IST student helps make Penn State experience positive through UPUA
November 30, 2022
Serving as a representative and advocate for her fellow Penn State students is a responsibility of which third-year College of Information Sciences and Technology student Nora O’Toole is extremely proud. As speaker of the assembly in the University Park Undergraduate Association, O’Toole oversees the legislative branch of Penn State’s student government and facilitates project execution for its five committees as they work to make the Penn State experience positive for every student.
Penn State shares more stories of faculty and staff veterans
November 17, 2022
This year's Military Appreciation Week celebrated faculty and staff that have served or are currently serving. These members of the Penn State community are an important part of what makes the University special. Three Penn Staters shared their stories about their time in the service and how their journey led them to where they are today.
Alumni couple pays Penn State experience forward through endowed IST scholarship
November 16, 2022
Jason Streeter (class of 2007) and Amanda Brown (class of 2008) have been inspired by their individual Penn State experiences in their motivation to jointly support students at the University. The couple has made a commitment to establish the Jason Streeter and Amanda Brown Dean's Advisory Board Matching Scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
IST resources, technical skills help student expand nation’s terrorism database
November 15, 2022
For Sean Cicchiello, researching radical crimes in the U.S. and determining whether they are acts of terror is part of his job. Through an internship with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terror (START), where he is assisting with expanding the nation’s terrorism database, Cicchiello applies the skills and education he’s gained at Penn State while blending his interests in national security and political science.
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.