CEC Communications

George �鶹��Ƶ student project presents sticky situation for hackers

Teresa Donnellan — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 20:56:10 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ student project presents sticky situation for hackers Teresa Donnellan Wed, 12/17/2025 - 15:56

When a cloud computing class at �鶹��Ƶ called for a team project, master’s student Kevin Landry saw an opportunity to share what he knew and give classmates a taste of real-world cyber defense.

A seasoned cybersecurity enthusiast, Landry introduced his team to the concept of a honeypot—a decoy system designed to lure and monitor cyber attackers. As he put it, honeypots allow you to “reach out and touch actual attackers,” bringing textbook concepts to life in a way few classroom exercises can match.

“You’ll never look at the internet the same way again after running a honeypot,” Landry said. “It’s eye-opening to see how many bots are out there scanning for vulnerabilities.”

For his teammates—many of whom had never built home labs—the project offered hands-on experience that mimicked an enterprise environment and bridged the gap between theory and practice. Honeypots aren’t just academic tools; companies maintain them to study hacker activity, identify patterns, and share intelligence that helps reveal common vulnerabilities.

Kevin Landry. Photo provided.

“It’s a low-investment, high-yield product that’s passive,” Landry explained. “You do all the coding and setup, then just let it run and watch attackers come in.”

The team deployed Cowrie, an open-source honeypot that simulates a Linux shell. But Landry didn’t settle for the default configuration.

“I changed every standard setting possible,” he said. “Fake encryption keys, fake password files, fake directories—everything to make it look like a lazy or incompetent sysadmin left the doors open.”

Those tweaks made the trap convincing enough to attract hundreds of attackers, from automated bots to human hackers.

Once customized, the honeypot started buzzing—logging intrusion attempts almost immediately. To make the experience even more interactive, the team integrated real-time alerts through Discord, receiving up to 500 notifications a day whenever an attacker engaged with the system.

At one point, the attack volume was high enough that Discord temporarily rate-limited the alerts, thinking they were automated traffic. Landry resolved the issue by rotating through multiple webhooks and fine-tuning the alert frequency to keep everything running smoothly.

Over the course of 48 days, the honeypot captured an extensive dataset. Landry even created an interactive visualization of the activity for the team’s class presentation, showing where attacks originated and how they unfolded over time.

To make the project even more aligned with industry practices, Landry’s team uploaded the attackers’ IP addresses to Gray Noise Intelligence, a company that allowed him to use its enterprise-grade platform for the project. The software analyzes IP addresses and assigns confidence levels indicating how likely each one is malicious, giving students a window into professional threat intelligence workflows.

“It makes me feel good that I’m wasting hackers’ time or bots’ time,” Landry said.

For Landry—who served ten years in the U.S. Coast Guard and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Mary Washington before pursuing his master’s in applied information technology at George �鶹��Ƶ—the honeypot was both an academic milestone and a career-building moment. He believes projects like this are essential for breaking into cybersecurity.

“Cybersecurity jobs—even entry-level—want three years of experience, but you can’t get experience without getting a job,” he noted. “Home labs and projects like this help build a portfolio and show employers you can do the work.”

As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, George �鶹��Ƶ’s applied approach to technology education ensures students are ready to meet them head-on. For Landry, the honeypot was not only a class assignment but also a chance to turn passion into practice—and to share that experience with others.

An image from the interactive visualization of the project. Full visualization available here: https://gemini.google.com/share/24b205428724.

Topics

applied information technology graduate programs

Cybersecurity

innovative classes

Students

George �鶹��Ƶ hackathon team turns heads online with award-winning cat robot

Teresa Donnellan — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:22:27 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ hackathon team turns heads online with award-winning cat robot Teresa Donnellan Mon, 11/17/2025 - 09:22

�鶹��Ƶ’s College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) made a splash on an online stage when students from four different departments joined forces to compete at Saucethon 2025, a hardware-focused hackathon hosted by Open Sauce and the National Havoc Robot League. Their second-place finish didn’t just earn bragging rights—it highlighted the CEC’s breadth of expertise and collaborative spirit for thousands of viewers following the event online.

From left to right: Alexia Marie De Costa, Irene Hossain, Meah Chambers, and Luis Anchundia. Photo provided.

The challenge began with a $500 combat robot kit and a mission: modify the base design to complete a rescue scenario in an apocalyptic setting. YouTubers Michael Reeves and William Osman participated, filmed, and commentated throughout the event, amplifying the competition to thousands of viewers.

“Usually hackathons are software focused, so building a robot was so much fun,” said computer science major and Honors College student Alexia Marie De Costa. “The challenges were really fun as well.”

Majoring in computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and information technology, respectively, the team joined forces with two other participants, a virtual reality specialist and a programming expert, to develop a cat-themed design.

“I decided that I wanted to add cat ears just because I thought it’d be cute,” said information technology major Irene Ashma Hossain. Those playful touches evolved into practical enhancements: static paws for herding, a pan-tilt tail for maneuverability, and modified wheels for stability.

The team's robot. Photo provided.

“It ended up being really effective,” said De Costa.

The 24-hour event tested endurance and ingenuity. Against a backdrop of camera crews and livestreams, George �鶹��Ƶ’s team stood out for its creativity and adaptability. Even after a late-night power outage forced participants to improvise, the team completed two rescue runs, performing “emergency surgery” with duct tape between rounds. Their determination paid off: second place, ahead of the prominent YouTubers’ team.

“We were really just having a lot of fun building, so seeing it succeed was exciting,” said De Costa.

By blending creativity, technical skill, and resilience, the team demonstrated George �鶹��Ƶ’s interdisciplinary strength, innovative mindset, and ambition.

“This experience was really, really fun,” De Costa reflected. “We’re definitely planning to attend the next one—and maybe even host it closer to �鶹��Ƶ.”

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Hackathon

CEC students

College of Engineering and Computing

Students

From �鶹��Ƶ to the majors, George �鶹��Ƶ statistics students are driving athletic success

Teresa Donnellan — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 18:08:03 +0000

From �鶹��Ƶ to the majors, George �鶹��Ƶ statistics students are driving athletic success Teresa Donnellan Fri, 11/07/2025 - 13:08

�鶹��Ƶ students are proving a statistics degree can take you all the way to the pros. Students gathered in the Johnson Center on November 5 for a Sports Analytics Networking Event to learn about how data science is transforming athletics—and how George �鶹��Ƶ students and alumni are leading the charge.

“Sports teams increasingly use data for developing strategies, boosting player performance, and improving fan engagement,” said Department of Statistics Assistant Professor Jonathan Auerbach. “Sports analytics allows students to turn their passion for sports and statistics into a high-impact and highly visible career.”

The first panel at the Sports Analytics Networking Event. From left to right: Moderator Associate Professor Brett Hunter, Cole Boller-Pinkham, David Buxton, and Abby Finch.

"The future of sports is data, and we have been working hard with our colleagues from statistics to provide new opportunities for our students,” said Sports Analytics Professor Craig Esherick.

The event, hosted by the Department of Statistics in collaboration with the School of Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management; �鶹��Ƶ Athletics; the �鶹��Ƶ student chapter of the American Statistical Association; and the Sport Management Society featured two panels and a networking session designed to connect students with alumni working in sports analytics and those currently helping George �鶹��Ƶ athletes thrive.

From �鶹��Ƶ to the Majors

“Every team I’ve worked on, we have a lot of data, and nobody knows what to do with it,” explained Abby Finch, an alum who worked in Baseball Technology for the New York Mets after graduating from George �鶹��Ƶ statistics, during the first panel. “Having somebody who understands the player development side of baseball as well as what these data points mean—and being able to translate that data in a way that coaches understand—has been very valuable.”

The Department of Statistics recognized Abby Finch (left) and David Buxton (right) as outstanding alumni. Photo provided.

Finch's fellow panelists included Cole Boller-Pinkham, a Honors College junior majoring in statistics with a concentration in sport analytics, currently interning with the United Soccer League, and David Buxton, an alum and specialist in player information for the Milwaukee Brewers. The panelists advised students interested in sports analytics careers to focus on developing the skill of interpreting and presenting data as well as analyzing it.

"Your goal isn’t necessarily to share your statistical knowledge,” said Buxton. “It’s to change people’s actions and help them buy into data-driven decision making.”

Analytics in George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics

The second panel, moderated by Esherick, explored how George �鶹��Ƶ integrates analytics into collegiate athletics.

“We use data supported insights to guide how we develop our athletes,” said Associate Director of Strength and Conditioning Faith Brown, whose academic research focuses on load monitoring in team sports. “We look at trends over time, adjust training loads, and even analyze preseason volume and intensity to reduce injury incidence. It’s not just lifting weights—it’s everything that goes into performance.”

The second panel at the Sports Analytics Networking Event. From left to right: Moderator Professor Craig Esherick, Derek Vigon, and Faith Brown. Photo provided.

Sports psychology also plays a critical role, noted Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Sport Psychology Derek Vigon, who has consulted for the National Football League (NFL)’s Detroit Lions and worked with athletes in the National Basketball Association (NBA), NFL, and MLB. “I interpret psychological data to help athletes and coaches understand stress responses and focus issues,” he said. “It’s all data, and it can be flipped to improve performance.”

Advice for Students

In addition to networking at events like this one, panelists advised students interested in sports analytics careers to be persistent and seize opportunities—such as joining George �鶹��Ƶ’s Analytics Team, participating in prediction competitions and hackathons, and exploring internships in George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics’ Patriot Performance Lab—when they come.

“If you’re passionate about it, keep moving forward and try not to take no for an answer,” advised Vigon. “Network, apply, and apply again. Eventually, it’ll happen.”

With alumni thriving in sports analytics, students contributing to cutting-edge research, and faculty integrating analytics into every facet of athletic performance, George �鶹��Ƶ is positioning itself as a leader in sports analytics education. For students who dream of turning numbers into wins, George �鶹��Ƶ can be the place where those dreams start.

More on Statistics at George �鶹��Ƶ

In This Story

Jonathan L. Auerbach

Craig R. Esherick

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Engineering better vision: George �鶹��Ƶ professors lead $1.17M NIH project

Martha Bushong — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 19:12:10 +0000

Engineering better vision: George �鶹��Ƶ professors lead $1.17M NIH project Martha Bushong Wed, 07/30/2025 - 15:12

In This Story

Ningshi Yao

Quentin Sanders

Qi Wei

Understanding and treating complex eye movement disorders like strabismus has long been a challenge for clinicians. Now, researchers at �鶹��Ƶ are pioneering a new approach using robotics and artificial intelligence to engineer a better future for vision care.

Ningshi Yao, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been awarded a prestigious $1.17 million R01 grant to lead a groundbreaking four-year project. The award comes from the joint National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) "Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science (SCH)" program.

The funded project, "Study Coordinated Human Eye Movement and Strabismus Using a Novel Artificial Muscle-Driven Robotic Eyes," will be conducted in collaboration with co-investigators Qi Wei and Quentin Sanders from George �鶹��Ƶ’s Department of Bioengineering and consultant Joseph Demer in the Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles.

From left: Qi Wei (Bioengineering Department), Ningshi Yao (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department), and Quentin Sanders (Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering Departments). Photo provided

At the core of the research is the creation of robotic eyes powered by artificial muscles that replicate the precise, coordinated movements of human eyes. “Strabismus affects more than 18 million Americans, yet current treatments often fall short, with success rates ranging from 30 to 80%,” said Yao. “Our goal is to use robotic systems and artificial intelligence to better understand how the eyes work—and ultimately improve how we diagnose and treat these disorders.”

The research team will build robotic eyes that closely mimic human biomechanics and use them as tools to study the underlying causes of strabismus. These systems will allow for a level of control and repeatability not possible in human subjects, offering a unique window into how eye muscles and connective tissues—especially the so-called “pulleys”—work together to guide vision.

To make the robotic system truly intelligent, the project will also apply reinforcement learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to discover how humans naturally control eye movements. By training the robots with real patient data and expert-informed objectives, the team hopes to reverse-engineer the strategies humans use—leading to better understanding and new treatment pathways.

In the final phase of the project, the team will integrate patient-specific data into the robotic system to simulate different surgical outcomes. This will allow ophthalmologists to test and refine treatment strategies before operating, increasing precision and improving long-term results.

The project’s impact extends beyond eye health. The robotic muscle actuators and control models developed here could advance robotics, AI, biomechanics, and even the design of soft, adaptive machines.

In addition to scientific discoveries, the research team will build educational tools and training platforms using the robotic eyes, helping to prepare the next generation of vision specialists.

Topics

CEC faculty research

Bioengineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

National Science Foundation

National Institutes of Health

Research

Washington Post quotes Missy Cummings on Tesla's Autopilot

Rena Malai — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 17:11:55 +0000

Washington Post quotes Missy Cummings on Tesla's Autopilot Rena Malai Mon, 06/12/2023 - 13:11

In This Story

Missy Cummings

A Washington Post article titled '17 fatalities, 736 crashes: The shocking toll of Tesla's Autopilot' quotes Missy Cummings, director of �鶹��Ƶ's Autonomy and Robotics Center, on the troubling surge in Tesla crashes.

"Tesla is having more severe — and fatal — crashes than people in a normal data set,” she said in response to the figures analyzed by The Post.

One likely cause, she said, is the expanded rollout over the past year and a half of Full Self-Driving, which brings driver-assistance to city and residential streets.

“The fact that … anybody and everybody can have it. … Is it reasonable to expect that might be leading to increased accident rates? Sure, absolutely.”

She says in the article the number of fatalities compared to overall crashes was also a concern.

Read the full article here.

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In the Media

robotics and autonomous systems

�鶹��Ƶ Autonomy and Robotics Center

CyberSlam 2023 introduces area high schoolers to cyber career opportunities

Rena Malai — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 19:44:26 +0000

CyberSlam 2023 introduces area high schoolers to cyber career opportunities Rena Malai Thu, 01/12/2023 - 14:44

Students at CyberSlam 2023 were surprised to get anonymous Air Drop alerts to their phones.

High school students fly drones during CyberSlam 2023. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Luckily it was part of a test set up by U.S. Secret Service members Michael Johns, Matt O’Neil, and Michal Condor to demonstrate that cyber-related hacks can happen anytime, anywhere. They also highlighted the illicit use of cryptocurrency.

“Hopefully, what you’ll get out of this is one, don’t accept any of those Air Drops you may have been seeing, and two, watch your social media,” said O’Neil, an expert in cyber-related crimes who leads Secret Service’s Global Investigative Operations Center (GIOC) and Cyber Intelligence Section (CIS).

The Secret Service members joined Homeland Security experts, high school teachers, �鶹��Ƶ faculty and more than 400 students from five counties and 22 high schools for the hands-on cybersecurity event held on Jan. 9.

Last year’s event was open to Loudoun County students, but with increased interest and participation, the Johnson Center at �鶹��Ƶ’s Fairfax Campus was the ideal venue.

Students flew drones, tested their cybersecurity knowledge, and even blocked a theoretical cyber hack. They also got career advice, including guidance on keeping their social media feeds clean.

Professor and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement in the College of Engineering and Computing Liza Wilson Durant also spoke about the importance of cybersecurity.

“You’re here because of your interest in cybersecurity,” Durant said. “We hope that for the next several years, those skills you’ve been honing develop into a real expertise that’s going to have an impact on the quality of our lives and even the security of nations around the world.”

In Virginia alone there are more than 60,000 open cybersecurity jobs right now, a number Durant said will continue to grow in the coming years.

“Energy grids, autonomous vehicles, even your doorbell, your microwave, refrigerator, think about medical systems, [all of these] are things that have to be secure now and that are vulnerable,” says Durant. “This is a critical time for the work you’re going to be doing.”

�鶹��Ƶ established a first-of-its-kind cyber security engineering department in Virginia in 2020. The College of Engineering and Computing will be a key part of Fuse at �鶹��Ƶ Square (formerly Arlington Campus), which will house a mix of university R&D and related education programs, as well as corporate innovation labs, incubators, accelerators, and co-working facilities when it opens in 2025.

The event was put on with the assistance of members of �鶹��Ƶ’s Systems Engineering and Operations Research department along with teachers from Briar Woods and Loudoun County high schools.

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A biofilm epic in the making

Rena Malai — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:09:34 +0000

A biofilm epic in the making Rena Malai Wed, 10/12/2022 - 10:09

There are a lot of ways to cut film, as many cinemas and directors can attest. But biofilms—which settle on numerous surfaces, including skin—can contain harmful bacteria and get in the way of healing wounds.

�鶹��Ƶ researchers Jeffrey Moran, Rémi Veneziano, and Monique van Hoek, Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Assistant Professors Jeffrey Moran in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Rémi Veneziano in the Department of Bioengineering at George �鶹��Ƶ have a shared interest in using nanotechnology for medical applications, as well as a shared history. Both worked as postdocs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but it wasn’t until they started working at �鶹��Ƶ that their paths crossed. Partnering up with Professor Monique van Hoek, a microbiologist in the School of Systems Biology at George �鶹��Ƶ, they applied for and recently won the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) R21 Trailblazer award.

Through the award funds, the team will use their backgrounds and spend about three years developing a brand-new technology that dissolves harmful biofilms, without harsh removal methods.

“You can think of a biofilm as a ‘city for microbes.’ Biofilms are functional communities of microorganisms, such as bacteria, encased in a slime-like matrix,” says Moran. “Bacterial biofilms often grow on catheters, IVs, open wounds, burn injuries, and more, and they play a major role in many hospital infections. We’re going to develop a safe and effective method to remove topical biofilms that doesn’t get in the way of the body’s natural healing process.”

Some biofilms are relatively benign, and many folks have them on the surfaces of their teeth. But harmful biofilms can develop throughout the body for many reasons, like on the skin surface as a result of trauma, and cause potentially fatal infections.

Moran’s primary research focus is on “nanoswimmers"—tiny particles that propel themselves in liquids or biological media. Many researchers are developing them to use in the body, to deliver therapeutic payloads (like antibiotics) to hard-to-reach locations.

“One major challenge with bacterial biofilms is how to make them disassemble," says van Hoek. “There are three major parts to a biofilm—DNA, protein, and complex sugars. Destroying any one of these three things often leads to biofilm collapse. My idea was to use a sugar cleaving enzyme to attack the sugars in the biofilm, and to attach this enzyme to the front of the nanoswimmers so that they can drill deep into the biofilm.”

“What we’re trying to do is develop self-propelled particles that penetrate deep into the thick matrix of the biofilm, dissolving it and also serving as a carrier to deliver antibiotics at the same time,” says Veneziano.

To manufacture the self-propelled particles, the team is relying on Veneziano’s specialty: DNA origami, which is a method that involves precisely assembling DNA molecules into tiny two- and three-dimensional shapes.

“With DNA origami, you have the ability to produce tailor-made particles with phenomenal control over the size, shape, and the cargo they carry," says Veneziano. "DNA origami’s versatility will enable the particles to be decorated with various cargoes, such as antibiotics or enzymes that dissolve the biofilm matrix, leaving the bacteria vulnerable to conventional antibiotic treatments.”

Although using enzymes to dissolve the biofilms isn’t new, attaching them onto DNA origami nanoparticles is, which is the trailblazing path Veneziano, van Hoek and Moran will follow.

“It all started with a ‘what if we tried this?’ type of conversation. We bounced ideas off each other, talking about ways we might make DNA nanoparticles swim, and how that capability might be useful in certain medical situations. That back-and-forth eventually led to this award,” says Moran. “We’re excited to get started.”

The R21 Trailblazer Award is an opportunity for new and early-stage investigators to pursue research programs of high interest to the NIBIB at the interface of the life sciences with engineering and the physical sciences. A Trailblazer project may be exploratory, developmental, proof of concept, or high risk/high impact, and may be technology design-directed, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven.

In This Story

Remi Veneziano

Jeffrey Moran

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�鶹��Ƶ hosts workshop for researchers addressing global warming from aircraft clouds

Tama Moni — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:13:49 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ hosts workshop for researchers addressing global warming from aircraft clouds Tama Moni Fri, 09/23/2022 - 16:13

In This Story

Lance Sherry

John Shortle

More than 220 researchers from three continents participated in a virtual workshop hosted by �鶹��Ƶ and NASA Langley Research Center on Wednesday September 7, 2022.

The workshop was the first time that airlines, air traffic controllers, climate scientists, aircraft and jet engine engineers, and policymakers gathered to share the science and understand the practical operational constraints for contrail mitigation. �鶹��Ƶ was the natural host of the meeting given its previous work and its reputation in the field.

The workshop aimed to foster information exchange and discuss opportunities to address the global warming from clouds generated by aircraft. Lance Sherry, associate professor of system engineering, leads an inter-disciplinary team of researchers and students at George �鶹��Ƶ who conduct pioneering research in this area.

“Contrails are the thin white clouds you see trailing behind aircraft,” explains �鶹��Ƶ PhD student Amy Tal Rose. “Water and soot emitted from jet engines form ice crystals at high altitudes that lead to the formation of high clouds. These ice-clouds are like a blanket that traps ‘thermal radiation’ emitted by the Earth and leads to global heating.”

“The thing that surprised me most about the global heating effect of contrails,” says Brian Romero Lopez a system engineering student working on the research team, “is that contrails account for two percent of the total human made global heating. Green-house gases account for 98 percent of global warming, and contrails make up the remaining two percent. No one talks about this.”

“Mitigating the effects of contrails is considered a Wicked Problem,” explained co-host of the workshop, Chief Technologist for Future Airspace Operations at NASA Andy Lacher. “There are multiple stakeholders with complex interactions that require delicate tradeoffs. The science and practical operational constraints must be fully understood before any mitigation steps can be taken.”

“The time to act is now!” said Ulrich Schumann, from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Center at the workshop. A sentiment echoed by other participants in attendance.

“Wicked Problems are the bailiwick of System Engineering,” adds System Engineering Department Chair John Shortle. “The complex climate related opportunities cannot be solved by politicians or economists alone. It requires system engineers to fully understand the science and the needs of all the stakeholders involved. Sherry and the team have been applying the latest sophisticated System Engineering methods and techniques to these climate opportunities.”

Sherry and Lacher are optimistic that the workshop will be the first of a series of workshops that will lead to a roadmap of evidence-based activities to take this opportunity to contribute to reduce global warming.

“The time to act is now!” said Ulrich Schumann, from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Center at the workshop. A sentiment echoed by others who attended the conference.

For more information on System Engineering and climate adaptation research contact John Shortle, chair of the Systems Engineering & Operations Research Department.

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Developing a techno-ethical mindset

Rena Malai — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 14:35:12 +0000

Developing a techno-ethical mindset Rena Malai Wed, 08/24/2022 - 10:35

In This Story

Aditya Johri

When it comes to technology, ethics can be complicated. With the rapid pace and evolution of digital technology, it can be tricky to understand how ethics plays a role, let alone stay on top of challenges, protocol, and procedures.

That’s why Ashish Hingle, PhD student and graduate researcher at George �鶹��Ƶ, is helping students navigate the ethics terrain. Through an NSF grant titled Situated Algorithmic Thinking: Preparing the Future Computing Workforce for Ethical Decision-Making through Interactive Case Studies, Hingle will work alongside School of Computing’s Aditya Johri and Huzefa Rangwala, and Alexander Monea in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Their work will help technology-focused students think through ethical dilemmas, and provide the tools to imagine how ethics plays a role at school and work.

“To develop an ethical mindset, it is critical that students in IT, computing, and engineering learn to examine a problem, design, or a possible solution from different viewpoints and perspectives,” says Johri. “They should be able to take a morally sound and humanistic appraisal of the impact they have in the world through the technology they design, build, and deploy.”

Through role-play, case studies, and other activities Hingle hopes students will be engaged in technology ethics in a more creative and hands- on way.

“We want students to develop situational learning skills, and make the learning process more engaging, rather than encouraging the notion that technology ethics is closely associated with catastrophic or inequality driven events,” says Hingle. “Our job is to help students feel ready and to think of their own course of action to any ethical challenge they face with the technology they use or create.”

According to Hingle, sometimes the immediate solution is to solve ethical issues within technology, by applying more technology. This reliance on technology was a central theme of the Summer Institute of Technology Ethics at Santa Clara University, a research residency program where Hingle was selected as a research scholar. He says by giving students the tools to imagine their own course of action, it could be a more productive solution.

“We want ethics learning in technology to be more of an inclusive, fair, and transparent conversation, rather than students getting a history lesson of what went wrong in the past,” says Hingle. “Our students have been very receptive to exploring what technology ethics looks like in 2022, and are especially engaged when they realize how ubiquitous and pervasive technology can be. We want to continue to find ways to make technology ethics more approachable and adaptable.”

He says while digital technology is a relatively new concept, technology ethics have been discussed for decades. In our current landscape, they are often an afterthought. But by starting students on the path to an ethical mindset as it applies to technology, it could help prevent issues before they start.

“I’m excited about the work we do,” says Hingle. “When it comes to technology ethics, it makes sense for people to be at the center of our choices, not the tech.”

This work is partly supported by U.S. NSF Award #1937950. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agencies.

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Gurdip Singh named Divisional Dean for the College of Engineering and Computing’s School of Computing

Martha Bushong — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 12:32:37 +0000

Gurdip Singh named Divisional Dean for the College of Engineering and Computing’s School of Computing Martha Bushong Wed, 07/27/2022 - 08:32

Gurdip Singh. Photo provided

We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Gurdip Singh as the divisional dean of the School of Computing and as a professor in the College of Engineering and Computing. The School of Computing, together with the Volgenau School of Engineering, comprise �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Engineering and Computing.

Singh will officially join �鶹��Ƶ on August 1, 2022, but will then be assigned to the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) to complete his work there as Director, Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS) in the Computer and Information Science Engineering (CISE) Directorate. He will join �鶹��Ƶ full-time in January 2023.

As division director, he oversees 27 program officers, 12 administrative staff, and a budget of $240 million. Sanjeev Setia, who has been leading the School of Computing as interim divisional dean, will continue on as acting divisional dean until that time.

Singh earned his MS and PhD in computer science from SUNY, Stony Brook, in 1989 and 1991 respectively, and his B.Tech in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in 1986. Singh is an accomplished researcher and educator whose experience aligns well with our plans for the growth and development of academic and multidisciplinary research programs in our School of Computing, completion of the Fuse Building at �鶹��Ƶ Square, broadening participation in the Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP), and advancing inclusive excellence throughout the school.

Prior to his work at NSF, Singh was associate dean for research and graduate programs of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University. He also served as a program director in the Division of Computer and Network Systems in the CISE Directorate at NSF from July 2014 to August 2016. From 2009 to 2014, he was the head of the Computer Science Department at Kansas State University, and graduate program director from 2006 to 2009. His service to engineering education includes a stint on the Board of Directors of the ASEE Engineering Research Council from 2018 to 2020.

Singh has served on numerous program committees, advisory boards, panels, workshops, and other engagements as invited speaker at both domestic and international venues. He is a strong advocate of multidisciplinary teaching and research and building academic-industry partnerships. He was instrumental in starting several multidisciplinary programs and academic-industry partnerships at NSF. He has also been involved in significant curriculum development, K-12 outreach, and diversity initiatives.

His research and teaching interests include real-time embedded systems, sensor networks, network protocols, and distributed computing. His research has been funded by NSF, ARO, National Institutes of Health, DARPA and several industrial organizations. He received the NSF Research Initiation Award in 1992 and the NSF CAREER Award in 1995.

Please join us in welcoming Professor Gurdip Singh to the College of Engineering and Computing and �鶹��Ƶ.

The role of Divisional Dean is a great opportunity to leverage the �鶹��Ƶ computing landscape and regional ecosystem to position the School of Computing as a leader in innovative research and education programs.

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College of Engineering and Computing

School of Computing

Campus News

CEC Communications

George �鶹��Ƶ student project presents sticky situation for hackers

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George �鶹��Ƶ hackathon team turns heads online with award-winning cat robot

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From �鶹��Ƶ to the majors, George �鶹��Ƶ statistics students are driving athletic success

From �鶹��Ƶ to the Majors

Analytics in George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics

Advice for Students

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Engineering better vision: George �鶹��Ƶ professors lead $1.17M NIH project

In This Story

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Washington Post quotes Missy Cummings on Tesla's Autopilot

In This Story

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CyberSlam 2023 introduces area high schoolers to cyber career opportunities

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A biofilm epic in the making

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