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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Six receive Faculty Scholar Medals
April 11, 2022
Six University faculty members have received 2022 Faculty Scholar Medals for Outstanding Achievement.
Bardzell honored with 2022 McKay Donkin Award
April 11, 2022
Jeffrey Bardzell, associate dean of undergraduate and graduate studies in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, has earned the 2022 McKay Donkin Award.
Huang recognized with Undergraduate Program Leadership Award
April 11, 2022
Sharon Huang, associate professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, is the recipient of Penn State's 2022 Undergraduate Program Leadership Award.
Fonseca, Harrell-Levy, Schocker named 2022 Penn State Teaching Fellows
April 11, 2022
Fred Fonseca, associate professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology; Marinda Harrell-Levy, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State Brandywine and Jessica Schocker, associate professor in social studies education and women's studies at Penn Sta
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.
Lecture on explainable machine learning to be presented April 12
April 6, 2022
Umang Bhatt, a doctoral candidate in the Machine Learning Group at the University of Cambridge, will present a free public lecture titled “Challenges and Frontiers in Deploying Transparent Machine Learning” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 12.
2022 Graduate Exhibition Award winners announced
April 6, 2022
Sixty-eight Penn State graduate students received awards for their research and creative scholarship in the 37th annual Graduate Exhibition. A complete list of winners is available below.
IST ConnectX
April 5, 2022
A special shoutout to College of Information Sciences and Technology alumni who returned to Penn State for IST ConnectX and a Happy Valley Networking Social on Friday, March 25. During the day, alumni speakers presented in two different IST classrooms to share their professional experiences
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 durin
IST student blends tech and creative skills to help build platform for dancers
April 5, 2022
Fourth-year cybersecurity analytics and operations student Eugene Ryoo is drawing on the technical and soft skills he's gained in the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology to make a positive change in a niche domain: the professional ballet industry.
Penn State social scientists anticipate Ukrainian refugees’ needs, challenges
April 5, 2022
In one of the largest mass migration flows in recent history, approximately 3.4 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine since late February.
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.
College of IST names Garraway assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion
March 31, 2022
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology has named Jocelyn Bennett Garraway assistant dean of diversity, equity and inclusion. Holding three degrees from the University, Bennett Garraway has more than 30 years of experience as a counselor, educator and administrator.
National Guard hosts third annual Cyber Wi-Fighter hacking event at IST
March 30, 2022
On March 16, approximately 45 Penn State students gathered in the Westgate Building to compete in a three-hour Cyber Wi-Fighter Hacking Challenge hosted by the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Army cyber team in collaboration with the College of Information Sciences and Technology.
Weebly Founder, IST alumnus David Rusenko speaks on 'Dare to Disrupt' podcast
March 29, 2022
David Rusenko, founder of Weebly and a 2007 Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology graduate, appears on the latest episode of the "Dare to Disrupt" podcast.
Westin Scholar Award strengthens security skills for IST, Schreyer student
March 29, 2022
Kathryn Frankenberg’s exemplary dedication and interest in the world of data privacy is highlighted throughout her experiences both inside and outside of the classroom at the College of Information Sciences and Technology. She recently was selected as a Westin Scholar.
IST Identity Talks series presents ‘Strength in Diversity’ on April 5
March 29, 2022
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join the College of Information Sciences and Technology for “IST Identity Talks – Strength in Diversity,” to be held virtually from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5.
Lecture on bias in language technologies to be presented April 5
March 28, 2022
Su Lin Blodgett, a postdoctoral researcher in the Fairness, Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics group at Microsoft Research Montréal, will present a free public lecture titled “Towards Equitable Language Technologies” at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 5.
On the Bridge - March 2022
March 28, 2022
A compilation of recent news, highlights and achievements from the College of Information Sciences and Technology community.
6 student startups each receive $15,000, selected into Summer Founders program
March 23, 2022
Six Penn State student startups with representation across three different campuses plus the Graduate School at Penn State have been selected into the 2022 Invent Penn State Summer Founders program.
Tech activist Timnit Gebru to deliver distinguished lecture on ethical AI
March 21, 2022
Timnit Gebru, a widely respected leader in artificial intelligence ethics research who said she lost her job at Google for raising issues about their AI practices and discrimination in the workplace, will present a free public lecture titled “The Quest for Ethical Artificial Intelligence” at 2 p.
11 prominent young Penn Staters to be honored with Alumni Achievement Award
March 17, 2022
The Penn State Alumni Association will honor 11 prominent young alumni at the Alumni Achievement Awards Ceremony on Friday, March 18. The ceremony will be livestreamed at 6:30 p.m.
Longtime donor honors parents by endowing technology scholarship in IST
March 16, 2022
For Elizabeth King, the opportunity to attend Penn State was made possible thanks to her parents as well as through scholarship support she received.
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.
Pomerantsev to deliver lectures on misinformation, Ukraine March 31 and April 1
March 15, 2022
Peter Pomerantsev, a senior fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, will visit Penn State's University Park campus March 31 and April 1 to present two lectures on his work. The first lecture at 4 p.m.
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.
Lecture on leveraging machine learning in nonprofits to be presented March 15
March 8, 2022
Ryan Shi, a doctoral candidate in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, will present a free, public webinar titled “From a Bag of Bagels to Bandit Data-Driven Optimization” at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15.
Be You in Tech Summit to celebrate, recognize strength of diversity in tech
March 8, 2022
Penn State students are invited to attend the inaugural 2022 Be You in Tech Summit: Bringing Your Authentic Self to the Information Age, to be held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at Hyatt Place in downtown State College.
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.
Lecture on 'AI for Cyber-Safety' to be presented March 4
March 1, 2022
Srijan Kumar, assistant professor at the College of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology, will present a free public lecture titled “Advances in AI for Cyber-Safety” at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 4.
Three industry experts, Penn State alumni join IST Dean’s Advisory Board
March 1, 2022
The College of Information Sciences and Technology recently welcomed three new additions to its Dean’s Advisory Board: Doug Balog, founder and president of DB Group Consulting LLC and recently a senior executive at IBM; Angela Govila, executive director, product lead for embedded banking at J.P.
IST sets graduates up ‘to do well in life,’ says member of first class
February 28, 2022
For Maggie Sapovchak, one of the members of the first class of graduates of the then-School of Information Sciences and Technology who earned their degrees in 2003, the impact of being a part of a tight-knit group of students who worked together to grow a program has been life-changing.
Lecture on data privacy to be presented March 1
February 24, 2022
Praneeth Vepakomma, a doctoral student at MIT, will present a free public lecture titled “Differential Privacy for Measuring Nonlinear Correlations between Sensitive Data at Multiple Parties,” at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1.
Insights from Experts: COVID-19 and the mental health of essential workers
February 24, 2022
Johnna Blair, IST doctoral candidate at Penn State, is investigating how essential workers used Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic to connect with others about shared experiences, from coping with mental health conditions to voicing workplace concerns.
Doctoral student draws on IST skills in startup for AI-driven diagnostic tool
February 23, 2022
Thanh Le, doctoral student in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, and his fellow Moichor co-founders are setting out to change old-school veterinary diagnostics through their software that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to leverage data-driven image learning to
Penn State establishes the Geroscience and Dementia Prevention Consortium
February 22, 2022
The overarching goal of the Penn State Geroscience and Dementia Prevention Consortium is to accelerate the scientific discoveries that will prevent or delay age-related neurodegeneration.
Science federation highlights Penn State proposal to combat diseases of despair
February 17, 2022
The Federation of American Scientists has chosen to highlight a proposal by Penn State researchers for the U.S.
6 Penn State student startups set to compete for $30,000 in Inc.U Competition
February 17, 2022
Six Penn State student startup teams have been selected as finalists in the Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition and are set to compete for $30,000 in funding on “The Investment,” a WPSU Shark Tank-like television production that will be livestreamed during Penn State Startup Week powered by PNC.<
IST Identity Talks series Feb. 28 presents ‘Women in Tech’
February 16, 2022
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join alumni of the College of Information Sciences and Technology for "IST Alumni Identity Talks – Women in Tech," to be held virtually from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28.
NASA scholarship puts IST student on path to fulfill childhood dream
February 16, 2022
For Rajiv Thummala, a third year Schreyer Honor’s Scholar studying cybersecurity analytics and operations in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, his Penn State education, further supported by a recent NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium scho
James Wang named distinguished professor of IST
February 16, 2022
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
February 15, 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
February 8, 2022
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
February 3, 2022
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.
IST Identity Talks series Feb. 8 presents, ‘Celebrating Black History’
February 1, 2022
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
February 1, 2022
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 p
Anna Squicciarini named Frymoyer Chair in IST
January 28, 2022
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
January 27, 2022
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
January 27, 2022
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.