College of Engineering and Computing

Groundbreaking mobile app captures and documents bruises to help survivors of interpersonal violence

mthomp7 — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:47:09 +0000

Groundbreaking mobile app captures and documents bruises to help survivors of interpersonal violence mthomp7 Thu, 06/05/2025 - 12:47

Anonymous donor commits additional $5.3 million to advance research

An interdisciplinary �鶹��Ƶ research team is breaking new ground in using artificial intelligence to support victims of interpersonal violence. Led by Kat Scafide and Janusz Wojtusiak of the College of Public Health and David Lattanzi of the College of Engineering and Computing, the Evidence-based AI Software for Injury Detection (EAS-ID) project has successfully completed Phase 1: development of a working prototype of a mobile app designed to accurately capture and document bruises.

The tool has the potential to transform how clinicians and frontline professionals identify, record, and communicate evidence of injury, particularly in cases of interpersonal violence.

The EAS-ID (Evidence-based AI Software for Injury Detection) project has successfully completed Phase 1: development of a working prototype of a mobile app designed to accurately capture and document bruises. An anonymous donor recently committed an additional $5.3 million to advance the technology. Photo by Mary Cunningham/College of Public Health

The EAS-ID app acts as a digital guidance system—similar to mobile check-deposit apps that help users capture clear, usable images. When a clinician uses the tablet-based tool, the app detects the presence of a bruise and provides real-time guidance to ensure the image meets clinical and legal standards. A rectangle tracks the injury area, much like facial recognition technology, ensuring the final image captures exactly what’s needed to document the bruise effectively.

The research team announced $4.85 million in initial funding from the same anonymous donor in March 2024.

“Initially, we were laser-focused on detection—how to identify whether a bruise was present,” said Scafide, a forensic nurse. “But Phase 1 taught us that detection is only a small part of the clinical and legal challenge. The real complexity lies in documentation.”

That documentation must be both clinically sound and legally reliable. Forensic nurses—the app’s initial target users—often assess injuries while juggling multiple tasks: shining a light, holding a camera, completing paperwork. The EAS-ID tool reduces that burden by enabling simultaneous photo capture and structured documentation.

The app’s workflow is tailored to the real-world conditions of forensic nursing. It walks users through a standardized documentation process built directly into the interface, making it possible to create accurate, consistent records that can hold up in court—even years later.

“The documentation that nurses create is reviewed by many others in the criminal justice system,” noted Lattanzi, a civil engineer. “It must be reliable—not a liability.”

To ensure the app meets forensic standards, the team conducted extensive focus groups with practicing forensic nurses. These sessions were crucial to understanding not just what needed to be documented, but how clinicians make decisions in real time under pressure. Their insights helped shape the app into a useful tool with intuitive guide rails and legal relevance.

Based on Phase 1 progress, the team is preparing to broaden its focus to include a wider range of users. “We’re exploring how to adapt the app for clinicians—and even nonclinicians—who don’t have a forensic background but still need to document injuries,” said Scafide.

Wojtusiak, a machine learning expert, added: “Think of it like TurboTax. You don’t need to be a CPA to file your taxes. We want to make it possible for someone who sees fewer IPV cases—or who isn’t an expert in injury documentation—to still collect reliable evidence.”

Behind the app, a powerful AI engine is being trained to distinguish bruises from other skin discolorations and guide users through appropriate documentation steps. To train the AI, the team is building a massive, diverse dataset. So far, they’ve partnered with Inova Health System and Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center to collect tens of thousands of images across different skin tones, body types, and medical conditions.

“Deep learning requires scale—and the team has set a goal of collecting one million images,” said Wojtusiak.

This summer, the team will launch a crowdsourcing initiative to expand the dataset beyond clinical settings. “All of our current data was collected in labs, under controlled conditions,” explained Scafide. “But real-world data is messier. We need to understand what the photos and data will look like when collected by the public, outside of protocols.”

The app’s architecture was designed with that in mind. Using machine learning, the app evolves over time—each new image improves its performance. This allows for continual refinement, even after the app is deployed.

The project has moved at an unusually fast pace for an academic endeavor, thanks in part to the support of students and research assistants whose contributions have accelerated development while gaining invaluable experience. Continued progress has been made possible by a second round of funding from the same anonymous donor.

With a patent pending on the app’s innovative integration of image capture and health assessment data, the EAS-ID team is now preparing to scale development, deepen partnerships, and explore commercialization pathways.

“Our goal is to get this technology into the hands of people who need it—quickly,” said Scafide. “The faster we can deploy, the faster we can support the professionals working to protect and care for victims.”

“Think of it like TurboTax. You don’t need to be a CPA to file your taxes. We want to make it possible for someone who sees fewer IPV cases—or who isn’t an expert in injury documentation—to still collect reliable evidence.”

Grand Challenge Initiative

Explore George �鶹��Ƶ’s Grand Challenge Initiative addressing the greatest threats to humanity’s ability to live a peaceful, healthy, prosperous, and just existence.

In This Story

Katherine Scafide, PhD, RN, FAAN

Janusz Wojtusiak, PhD

David Lattanzi

Topics

EAS-ID

Bruise Visibility

Research

College of Public Health

College of Engineering and Computing

CEIE Success Stories

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

Advisors from George �鶹��Ƶ receive National Academic Advising Association honors

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 29 May 2025 12:47:53 +0000

Advisors from George �鶹��Ƶ receive National Academic Advising Association honors Lauren Reuscher Thu, 05/29/2025 - 08:47

Two members of George �鶹��Ƶ's academic advising community were honored with regional awards from the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) this spring. These awards recognize excellence in academic advising in NACADA Region 2, which includes Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Joshua Fletcher, undergraduate academic advisor in the Computer Science Department, was honored with the award for Excellence in Advising—Primary Role Advisor.

Barbara Snyder, director of student success and academic advising in the Costello College of Business, received the award for Excellence in Advising—Advising Administrator.

Joshua Fletcher and Barbara Snyder were recognized for excellence in academic advising at the NACADA conference in April. Photo provided

Fletcher and Snyder were formally recognized at the NACADA Region 1 and 2 conference in April in Buffalo, New York.

Academic advisors serve as vital resources as students navigate their academic journeys at George �鶹��Ƶ. Delivering a distinctive and inclusive student experience is one of the university’s strategic priorities, and student advising is a critical part of the student services infrastructure.

Fletcher started working at George �鶹��Ƶ in 2019, after previously working as a school counselor at a Title I middle school in Pinellas Park, Florida. He earned a master’s degree in counseling education from the University of Florida. We asked him to share some insights into his experiences advising students at George �鶹��Ƶ and what it means to be recognized for his work.

What are your main responsibilities in your role? What types of students do you advise?

I advise approximately 2,600 undergraduate computer science and applied computer science students at all stages of their education journey. Academic advising has given me the opportunity to understand and evaluate students in difficult situations, develop a plan of action by utilizing the degree audit system, and take the lead in group advising sessions.

Joshua Fletcher is an undergraduate academic advisor in the Computer Science Department. Photo provided

I also process important documents such as substitutions, waivers, major declarations, re-enrollments, appeals, and many others. In addition, I help with several events throughout the year such as College of Engineering and Computing Visit Days, Fall/Spring Previews, orientations, Spotlight Days, and more.

What do you like best about your job?

I take an approach to meet students where they are. My philosophy on advising is to understand where the student is, but be real about the interworking of their major.

I have a dialogue with my students about their passion, hobbies, and goals. I use this information to help them build a support system for their career goals and encourage them to create alternative paths that will lead them to be successful in the future.

What are some of the biggest challenges in your role?

One of the challenges that advisors face is the caseload numbers. We see a lot of students every day, and it is not surprising that our appointments are booked.

Have you previously attended the NACADA conference? What do you enjoy most about the conference and the organization?

Last year, one of my colleagues and I attended the Regional 2 conference in New Jersey. One of the breakout sessions was called “How to Publish for NACADA,” and we discovered the opportunity to write for NACADA. Because we have so many personal experiences as advisors, we thought it would be a great idea to share some of our stories with other advisors.

To our surprise, our article was published in the September 2024 edition of Academic Advising Today. This is my first published article. Our article, “Academic Advisors' Mental Health Literacy and Experiences Working with Students Facing Emotional and Mental Health Issues,” encourages other advisors to gather information from research and colleagues to become more informed about how to effectively work with students who struggle with mental and emotional health issues.

What memorable moments stand out to you in your academic advising experiences?

The Degree Celebration for the College of Engineering and Computing. The Computer Science advising team always helps out with the event. One year, several of our students came up to us and thanked us for helping them through their journey at George �鶹��Ƶ.

Graduation is a time of celebrating the students’ success, but it also felt good to hear that we are appreciated by our students.

Academic advising at George �鶹��Ƶ

Topics

Faculty and Staff News

Academic Advising

College of Engineering and Computing

computer science

Costello College of Business

Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

Trial by virtual fire: Augmented reality project tailors training for firefighters

Sarah Holland — Thu, 22 May 2025 17:18:32 +0000

Trial by virtual fire: Augmented reality project tailors training for firefighters Sarah Holland Thu, 05/22/2025 - 13:18

For firefighters, even training is a risk. According to the United States Fire Administration, 16.6% of all firefighter fatalities in 2024 took place during training exercises. �鶹��Ƶ researcher Craig Yu is hoping to change that statistic.

Yu, associate professor of computer science, has been developing augmented and virtual reality training for most of his career, and he has a particular interest in exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies could help research on human development and sports science. Through National Science Foundation’s EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) program, Yu and Joel Martin, associate professor of kinesiology, are developing just that: an augmented reality program that could help train firefighters while minimizing risk.

“Firefighters have high rates of injuries and many injuries happen during training. There is a need for training technology that can replicate aspects of emergencies while minimizing the injury risk and physical burn,” said Martin. Martin has spent the past few years working with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue to determine how they can reduce physical strain to firefighters during training exercises. “I think that technology such as immersive reality training can help to meet training needs while minimizing the physical risks of performing certain drills."

A prototype of the virtual training space from their proposal. Image provided.

Augmented—or mixed—reality uses devices such as phones or a headset to overlay 3D computer-generated content onto the real world. An increasingly accessible tool, you can find augmented reality in applications like Ikea furniture previews in your house, dinosaur encounters in the Smithsonian, and catching Pokémon in your neighborhood.

As described in their project proposal, “Adapting Mixed Reality Training Programs to Real-World Scenes to Enhance Human-AI Teaming in Emergency Responses,” the new training would utilize augmented reality to create realistic training scenarios for firefighters.

Based on a 3D digital twin of the room, the program will use AI to analyze what's in the room and create a realistic outbreak of fire: where it is most likely to start and spread, and where civilians are most likely to be.

“The program understands the environment, and it will be refined with additional input from professional firefighters,” said Yu.

Yu also notes that the scenario can be adapted for different experience levels. Simpler scenarios can be developed for new firefighters, which can then be adjusted for increasing sophistication and complexity as the trainees learn and improve. It also allows them to practice scenarios that would be difficult or impossible to replicate in a live burn, such as how to best evacuate and rescue civilians.

Most importantly, it prevents firefighters from being exposed to hazardous conditions while in training.

“I don’t ever see us replacing real fire training,” said Yu, “but this is a means to augment the training to improve the health and safety of the firefighters, as well as make training easier to deploy in a variety of buildings and circumstances. AI allows us to rapidly analyze human performance and then adaptively synthesize training programs to address weakness we observe.”

Martin and Yu are in the early phases of development but hope to deploy their initial training designs with Fairfax County Fire and Rescue soon. They both have hopes for further incorporation of AI and augmented reality technology in firefighting tools, such as headsets that can scan the environment and offer real-time feedback about potential dangers, exit strategies, and health metrics as firefighters enter hazardous zones.

“More and more virtual and immersive reality training is being used [in kinesiology],” said Martin. “I think this project demonstrates the importance of collaboration and interdisciplinary teams to solve challenges in the field.”

Discover how George �鶹��Ƶ is driving AI

In This Story

Craig Yu

Topics

Research

College of Engineering and Computing

College of Education and Human Development

Artificial Intelligence

Community Impact

National Science Foundation

Blast breakthroughs from Brazil bolster international engineering collaboration

Nathan Kahl — Wed, 21 May 2025 12:14:20 +0000

Blast breakthroughs from Brazil bolster international engineering collaboration Nathan Kahl Wed, 05/21/2025 - 08:14

In This Story

Girum Urgessa

A long-standing partnership between the Brazilian Air Force and �鶹��Ƶ’s College of Engineering and Computing is supporting a visiting PhD student’s investigation into explosion research, and enabling faculty to gather data that would otherwise be difficult to obtain.

Anselmo da Silva Augusto, a Brazilian Air Force major, is working with Girum Urgessa, an expert in structural engineering and mechanics, in what Urgessa calls a win-win partnership. “We provide the technical advice and mentorship and gather invaluable data from the tests Anselmo has been conducting,” said Urgessa.

This ongoing collaboration has yielded rapid results, with three peer-reviewed journal papers and five conference papers to be presented in the United States, Brazil, and Portugal.

The results of the blast, which can be digitally sent from Brazil to Anselmo. Photo provided.

Augusto is a trained civil engineer now pursuing his doctorate, who for nearly 20 years has focused on building protection. His military work led him to study explosives—specifically, how to best protect structures against blasts. The Brazilian Air Force sent him abroad, as part of a partnership with universities worldwide, where their service members study for one year.

Urgessa, a professor in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, was happy to host him, having met Augusto during a previous visit to Brazil, where Urgessa was a keynote speaker at an international defense symposium.

Augusto’s work examines how steel sheets respond to near-field blasts and investigates protective systems, such as elastomers, rubber-like polymers that stretch. The technical and safety requirements make these tests impossible to conduct at George �鶹��Ƶ.

“You need to be far from urban areas, and you must have appropriate protocol for the safe handling of explosives,” said Augusto, describing the challenges of setting off an explosive roughly the size of an apple. “Also, there are several people involved, including safety experts, engineers, and technicians.”

High-speed cameras record the explosions, allowing the researchers to see the detonation in detail. “With the camera, recording at 10,000 frames per second, we are able to see the sheet deforming, which happens in about one millisecond.”

The team working in Brazil scans the damaged sheets and sends the data to Augusto, who 3D prints a replica, a completely accurate, small-scale version of the results that he can hold in his hands.

Augusto and Urgessa are using the findings to inform best practices for retrofitting structures against human-induced or accidental explosions. “If you have an existing historical building, you can apply this protective material to enhance its capacity," Augusto said. Or, in other applications, you may have a tank or a military vehicle that needs to be as light as possible and use different types of polymer composites for better protection.”

Urgessa said, “When we think about new construction, having this information helps to determine safe stand-off distances. It supports site planning decisions. We can't predict the exact magnitude of the next threat, but field-scale tests supplemented by computational models help us design resilient and secure structures.”

Topics

civil and infrastructure engineering

Research

College of Engineering and Computing

doctoral students

CEIE Success Stories

George �鶹��Ƶ civil engineering students are helping local communities improve their flood resilience

Katarina Benson — Wed, 07 May 2025 18:04:10 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ civil engineering students are helping local communities improve their flood resilience Katarina Benson Wed, 05/07/2025 - 14:04

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and quickly became the deadliest hurricane in the United States since Hurricane Katrina. It brought catastrophic flooding, storm surge, landslides, and tornadoes, resulting in more than 250 deaths and $78.7 billion in damages, which some estimate may rise to $110 billion. Areas of Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee were devastated by the rainfall it brought, and Southwest Virginia experienced significant flooding.

“Flooding is a growing issue across local communities,” said Celso Ferreira, who leads �鶹��Ƶ’s Flood Hazards Research Lab. “It is one part of engineering that’s not well-solved. Communities want to understand and adapt to flood risk, but it’s expensive. If it were easy and cheap, it would already be solved. That’s where this idea came in—we thought, why not involve students? Not just teach them engineering but help them create useful products for these communities. Can we make a difference without a multimillion-dollar firm? Can we bridge the gap?”

George �鶹��Ƶ PhD student Diana Veronez runs a modeling demonstration for the Flood Hazard Engineering and Adaptation course. Photo provided

Ferreira recently redesigned the CEIE 445/645 Flood Hazard Engineering and Adaptation course to work with community partners to deliver real projects as part of the Institute for a Sustainable Earth’s (ISE’s) NSF Accelerating Research Translation (ART) Seed Translational Research Project (STRP) Program. He taught it for the first time in its new format in fall 2024 and plans to offer it again this fall.

In CEIE 445/645, a course for civil engineering students, undergraduate and graduate students work together on teams to develop flood risk maps and conduct analyses to help real clients in local communities improve their flood resilience. For some communities, especially smaller counties or tribes with fewer resources or no engineers on staff, this can provide critical data to help them address areas at higher risk of flooding.

The student teams used the recently developed Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) models, which provided ground elevation surface (topography), hydraulic friction values, and surface water infiltration values. This served as a common framework each project could be built upon.

The class used Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation models to run scenarios. This figure shows areas of potential flooding in the Town of Quantico. Photo provided

During the first part of the semester, the students learned how to create models like those provided by Virginia DCR. Then, they worked with their clients to address individual case studies on flood mitigation.

“I think it’s transformational for the students,” Ferreira said. “I’m glad we’re able to do that. At the beginning, they wonder what they’ve gotten themselves into, but by then end, they’re proud of the projects they built. [This challenge] really captures their attention, and they get enthusiastic about it.”

Examples of student projects include:

Pamunkey Reservation Flood Resiliency Plan - Located on a peninsula east of Richmond, the reservation is just slightly above sea level, increasing its risk of tidal and pluvial (surface water) flooding. The student team—Jacob Ryan Tomechko, Amanda Mullen, Paul Pacheco, Angela Haines-Perez, and Heriberto Perez—helped identify potential problem spots for roadway flooding including scenarios to address sea-level rise and significant storm events such as hurricanes.
Forwarding Roadway Resiliency Efforts in Mathews County – Matthews County is located on Virginia’s middle peninsula and is at risk of coastal and pluvial flooding due to its low-lying roadways. The student team—Matthew Cantos, Daniel Cardona, Mike DeCarlo, Eglal Salih, and Allyson Skahen—assessed which areas were at a higher risk of flooding due to poorly designed drainage ditches or other characteristics.
Flood Adaptive Roadways in Quantico, Virginia – Located in Prince William County, the Town of Quantico is near the Potomac River and Quantico Creek. The student team—Sebastian Galarza, Marcos Sanchez, Roberto Mejia, and Gabby Wade—helped the town assess roadway flooding scenarios to inform future evacuation efforts.

As part of their work, the student teams created ArcGIS storymaps for each project, available through the course website.

After the course, several students were hired as undergraduate research assistants to continue working on the projects so that they could take them beyond one semester’s work and provide the clients with more advanced projects. They are reviewing and enhancing all the projects to improve alignment with the clients’ requests and developing a standardized product that each client will receive.

One client was interested in using the student maps and analysis to assist with their proposal for funding to address these flooding issues. This is one way Ferreira sees clients being able to use the student projects. He explained that when communities apply for a grant to hire an engineering company for a project, they need to do preliminary analysis as part of this proposal. Many communities don’t have this capacity—they don’t have engineers to do preliminary analysis.

Ferreira worked with a graduate research assistant, two post-docs, and a PhD student over the summer of 2024 to redesign the course. “The funding from the ART program made it possible. It provided the resources to adapt the course in this way. It was key to have those resources, because it was a huge undertaking that couldn’t be done by one faculty member alone.”

The goal of the NSF ART program is to translate science from the university to real solutions for local communities that can help them better prepare for climate-related disasters. The ISE and Virginia Climate Center (VCC) are collaborating with the University of Kentucky and the Center for Climate Strategies on the NSF ART initiative to close this gap and help communities in Virginia improve their resilience.

CEIE 445/645 will be offered in the fall 2025 semester, and applications are still open for local communities to participate as clients.

View the course website

Topics

College of Engineering and Computing

Strategic Direction

GCI-Grand Challenge Initiative

CEIE Success Stories

At 16, Yevin Goonatilake becomes George �鶹��Ƶ’s youngest master’s graduate

Katarina Benson — Wed, 07 May 2025 17:21:14 +0000

At 16, Yevin Goonatilake becomes George �鶹��Ƶ’s youngest master’s graduate Katarina Benson Wed, 05/07/2025 - 13:21

Yevin Goonatilake hasn’t slowed down since becoming �鶹��Ƶ’s youngest graduate with a 4.0 in December. In fact, he’s only picked up speed.

Now 16, the Leesburg, Virginia, native has added another milestone to his remarkable journey—completing a master’s degree in computer science, making him the youngest person in university history to do so.

Along the way, Goonatilake landed a job, earned his learner’s permit, and continued playing professional cricket—all while finishing graduate classwork that would challenge even seasoned scholars.

“Graduate life has definitely been a lot busier and more challenging,” he said. “These last few months have been the most demanding yet.”

Enrolled in the Bachelor’s/Accelerated Master’s (BAM) program through the College of Engineering and Computing, Goonatilake appears on track to finish his master’s with the same 4.0 GPA he held as an undergraduate.

Yevin Goonatilake. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“I’m proud to hold onto the record for the time being,” he said. “I’m sure it will be broken in the future, but it’s nice to be George �鶹��Ƶ’s youngest ever master’s graduate for now.”

Taking four graduate courses this semester—including three advanced-level classes—meant longer hours and greater expectations. But Goonatilake has proven he’s up for the challenge of graduate study.

“One of the biggest differences I noticed in the graduate program is that it requires more independence,” he said. “The specific implementation details are often left to you. The focus shifts from following set instructions to producing meaningful results.”

His academic interests have sharpened, too. He’s especially drawn to cryptography, which involves applying encryption and decryption schemes to messages in order to conceal them.

As a master’s student research assistant, Goonatilake is working with Computer Science Professor and Eminent Scholar Giuseppe Ateniese on cutting-edge research at the intersection of cryptography and large language models (LLMs). His current focus: cryptographic watermarking—embedding hidden signals in artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content to identify its source.

Ateniese said he was “quite astonished” upon learning Goonatilake’s age.

“But age aside, I’m impressed by his maturity, diligence, and ability to grasp extremely complex topics,” he said. “I’m delighted to have him on my team, and I have no doubt that he will continue to achieve remarkable success.”

Despite a demanding schedule, Goonatilake remains committed to cricket, playing for the Baltimore Royals Sunny Sohail (BRSS) Cricket Academy, part of Minor League Cricket. He trains several times per week and played in winter tournaments this past year in both Tampa and Miami.

“Balancing academics and cricket has kept me a little busier than I would prefer,” he said. “But I need both. Cricket keeps me grounded and gives me the outlet to clear my mind, giving me something to look forward to outside of academics.”

Celebrating his 16th birthday earlier this year has made that balancing act a little easier: with a learner’s permit in hand, Goonatilake is beginning to practice driving. “Now that I have my permit, I have been trying to drive whenever I can,” he said with a smile.

As for what’s next? Goonatilake hopes to remain at George �鶹��Ƶ in the fall to pursue a PhD in computer science.

Topics

Graduation

College of Engineering and Computing

Students

Generous gift will name School of Computing, support scholarships

Katarina Benson — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 19:31:52 +0000

Generous gift will name School of Computing, support scholarships Katarina Benson Mon, 04/28/2025 - 15:31

�鶹��Ƶ received a gift with an impact of $36 million from the Kimmy Duong Foundation to name the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong School of Computing within the College of Engineering and Computing. The university’s Board of Visitors approved the name change on April 1, and it will become official pending approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia this summer.

Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

“We are so grateful to Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong for their continued support of the College of Engineering and Computing, now culminating in this generous gift,” said Dean Ken Ball. “We are proud to steward this gift in support of our students and the commonwealth’s Tech Talent Investment Program. George �鶹��Ƶ is honored to be part of their legacy in Northern Virginia.”

This is not the first significant gift to George �鶹��Ƶ from Duong and her husband, who gave $5 million in 2009 for the state-of-the-art Nguyen Engineering Building, a facility providing cutting-edge research and education spaces for a new generation of engineering, computing, and information technology professionals.

"Kimmy Duong and Long Nguyen have been good friends to George �鶹��Ƶ, recognizing the opportunity our university provides for students to succeed,” said �鶹��Ƶ Gregory Washington. “Kimmy came to this country with very little and climbed her way to success, not unlike how many of our students who—whether they are first generation or come from difficult socioeconomic circumstances—overcome their own challenges. George �鶹��Ƶ has been a leader in computing for many years, and this transformational gift will help ensure that remains the case for many more years to come.”

The naming of the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong School of Computing represents a significant milestone for �鶹��Ƶ Now: Power the Possible, George �鶹��Ƶ’s historic $1 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign. Designed to enhance the university’s capacity and broaden its impact, �鶹��Ƶ Now focuses on expanding access to education, driving innovation, and deepening the university’s influence across the region and beyond.

“This transformational gift from the Kimmy Duong Foundation marks a pivotal moment in the �鶹��Ƶ Now campaign,” said Trishana E. Bowden, vice president for advancement and alumni relations and president of the �鶹��Ƶ Foundation. “The naming of the School of Computing stands as a powerful testament to their belief in George �鶹��Ƶ’s mission and their commitment to expanding access—particularly in fields that shape innovation and prepare students for the future.”

Duong was born in Nha Trang, Vietnam, in 1945 and earned a bachelor of science in economics and law from the University of Saigon in 1966. She joined IBM in 1968, where she worked until she left the country in 1975, when she fled Vietnam and arrive in the United States with only $30.

From a refugee camp, she traveled back to the United States, moving to Northern Virginia and continued her work with IBM. In 1994, she joined Pragmatics, where she served as vice chairwoman and CFO. For 30 years, she has overseen their finance, legal, facilities management, and human resources departments, playing a key role in the company’s continued growth.

In 2015, she established the Kimmy Duong Foundation, which supports a range of health, education, and welfare initiatives in the United States and Vietnam. It has given more than $4 million toward scholarship programs with endowments to Washington, D.C.-area universities. According to the foundation website, “Influenced by her Buddhist background, Kimmy Duong has always been concerned about the poor and sick. Being raised in a poor family and coming to the U.S. as a refugee, Mrs. Duong knows the many challenges that poverty brings.”

She has been awarded the �鶹��Ƶ Medal, George �鶹��Ƶ’s highest honorary award for service to the community, state or nation, and the Glen Martin Medal from the University of Maryland.

“Education is the cornerstone of life,” Duong told a gathering of George �鶹��Ƶ students, noting that many in her generation worked multiple jobs to send their children to college. “Now, we are giving back.”

The gift will establish three endowments: two within CEC to provide lasting support for scholarships and student success initiatives—both of which support the commonwealth’s Tech Talent Investment Program—and one for University Life to provide scholarships through the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Scholarship Endowment especially with a preference for students majoring in nursing, education, or journalism

With some of the funds dedicated to computing-specific majors, a portion of the gift would be eligible for matching funds from the Tech Talent Investment Program, thereby amplifying the impact of the gift. The Tech Talent Investment Program of the commonwealth aims to increase the number of graduates with computing degrees and strengthen the workforce by providing financial incentives to colleges and universities that enroll and graduate more students with these skills.

George �鶹��Ƶ’s School of Computing is known for its strengths in computer science, artificial intelligence (AI), and software engineering. It plays a key role in Northern Virginia’s thriving tech ecosystem, particularly due to its proximity to Washington, D.C., and partnerships with major government and industry partners. Among the strengths of the school:

AI and machine learning, with strong research and academic programs in AI, robotics, and human-computer interaction.
Designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security.
Its analytics faculty and students engage in cutting-edge big data research, particularly in health care.
One of the most robust software engineering programs in the region.

Power the Possible

Topics

Campus News

�鶹��Ƶ Now campaign

College of Engineering and Computing

Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)

This campus greenhouse is powered by the sun—and student innovation

Lauren Reuscher — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 17:11:48 +0000

This campus greenhouse is powered by the sun—and student innovation Lauren Reuscher Wed, 04/23/2025 - 13:11

Gardening season is here, and those with green thumbs are preparing their planting strategy for the season. In any garden, plants need basic essentials to grow: sunlight, soil or nutrients, air, and water.

Through a new solar array at �鶹��Ƶ’s Fairfax Campus, the sun will play double duty in the successful growth of plants. Solar energy will power the Presidents Park Greenhouse with the electricity it needs to support the plants growing inside.

The Presidents Park Greenhouse uses hydroponics and aquaponics to grow produce on campus. Photo by Ron Aira/Office of University Branding

Designed by student researchers and partially funded by a research grant, the solar array will help offset the energy consumption for the equipment and temperature controls in the greenhouse, which uses hydroponics and aquaponics to grow produce on campus.

A team of 10 George �鶹��Ƶ student researchers applied for support from the Patriot Green Fund, an annual sustainability fund provided by Facilities and Campus Operations to make George �鶹��Ƶ’s campuses more sustainable through infrastructure improvements. The Patriot Green Fund covers $20,000 of the total $185,000 project cost. The remainder of the budget is provided by Facilities and Campus Operations.

“This student-led project is designed to reduce electricity costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and provide educational and volunteer opportunities for the George �鶹��Ƶ community,” said Demin Zhu, Patriot Green Fund program manager with University Sustainability.

The Presidents Park Greenhouse operates year-round and produces approximately 1,000 pounds of fresh lettuce and salad greens annually, which are served on campus at Ike's dining hall. Other fruits, vegetables, and herbs are donated to the George �鶹��Ƶ community through free produce pickups.

Students are a driving force behind greenhouse operations, working inside for service hours, internships, and experiential learning. They have the opportunity to learn about the greenhouse’s hydroponic and aquaponic food production systems.

“The electricity from the solar panels will feed into the greenhouse to power our fans, pumps, cooling system, and grow lights,” said Doni Nolan, greenhouse and gardens program manager with University Sustainability. “The electrical equipment helps us grow lettuce, baby greens, tomatoes and more in the greenhouse to provide local sustainable ingredients to our dining halls.”

The ground-mounted solar panels will be installed outside the greenhouse and are expected to offset more than 80% of the electricity it requires. The solar array is estimated to produce more than 22,000 kWh per year. The panels will reduce the building’s annual greenhouse gas impact by 13.8 metric tons of CO₂, which is about equal to the carbon footprint of 2.2 typical single-family homes.

The concrete pad under construction will accommodate the new solar array for the Presidents Park Greenhouse. Photo provided

The students developed the project under the guidance of several George �鶹��Ƶ faculty and staff, including Nolan, Christy Hogan, who is senior director of university asset management in Facilities and Campus Operations, and Colin Reagle, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

George �鶹��Ƶ currently has one other on-campus solar array, at �鶹��Ƶ Square. Vertical solar panels on the face of Fuse demonstrate how a solar array can be integrated into a building’s design in an urban setting. A vertical solar array requires less space and captures sunlight from multiple directions throughout the day. The array produces about 1% of the electricity used by the building and is part of a range of sustainable features that help Fuse meet LEED Platinum standards.

The installation at President’s Park expected to be complete by early June.

Crystal Bowers, BS Mechanical Engineering ’23, was one of the students who led the solar array project during her time at George �鶹��Ƶ.

“Working on the Solar Greenhouse Project was one of the most impactful experiences of my time at �鶹��Ƶ,” said Bowers. “It not only deepened my understanding of sustainable infrastructure and project management, but also demonstrated the power of collaboration in transforming ideas into tangible, lasting change on campus.”

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�鶹��Ƶ as a Living Lab

George �鶹��Ƶ bioengineering team’s start-up is the next wave of athletic rehabilitation and performance

Shayla Brown — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 21:09:36 +0000

George �鶹��Ƶ bioengineering team’s start-up is the next wave of athletic rehabilitation and performance Shayla Brown Tue, 04/22/2025 - 17:09

Based on their years of research studying how student-athletes move, �鶹��Ƶ bioengineering professors Parag Chitnis and Siddhartha Sikdar have created a start-up called Myokinetics LLC with the goal of providing personalized rehabilitation programs for injured athletes that can help them recover faster and prevent them from getting injured in the future.

Erica King (left) and researcher testing the Myokinetics device. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

This effort builds on more than $5 million in funding from the Department of Defense for developing wearable ultrasound technologies that help rehabilitate musculoskeletal injuries through a Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs grant, and two Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium awards, which is a funding mechanism that supports fast translation and development of new technologies relevant for military health.

For the past 10 years, Chitnis and Sikdar have been developing the Myokinetics device “to understand not only when musculoskeletal injuries occur, but to help track the recovery process from the injury as well as prevent re-injury,” said Chitnis, who along with Sikdar, co-directs George �鶹��Ƶ’s Center for Advancing Systems Science and Bioengineering Innovation (CASSBI), formerly the Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions.

Their device personalizes the treatments and rehabilitation that's provided so that users can recover in the most optimal manner. Chitnis and Sikdar are also working with multiple collaborators including George �鶹��Ƶ PhD students, George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics, and the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).

Margaret T. Jones is the director of the Patriot Performance Lab within CEHD’s Center for Sport Management. The lab conducts research and provides services that focus on athlete health and performance.

Margaret T. Jones (center right) with student athletes. Photo provided.

“The wearable ultrasound allows you to look at what the muscles are doing underneath the skin when they contract and what the contraction looks like,” said Jones, who has been working with the George �鶹��Ƶ men’s and women’s volleyball teams since August 2024.

“The research methods vary based on the sport, but [the volleyball players] wear the ultrasound device and we go to their practice facility once a week. Since the sport involves a lot of jumping, we have them jump on what's called a force plate, which is sort of a fancy scale, and collect data to share with the bioengineering team that way,” she said.

In addition, Jones and the team monitor the athletes during their practices and games via the wearable microsensor, which assist in the interpretation of their findings from the weekly jumps and ultrasound tests.

As the team’s research scientist, fourth-year PhD bioengineering student Erica King, BS Bioengineering ’21, works closely with Jones and the Patriot Performance Lab.

“I’m using the device for specific applications and testing and validating against other gold standards that are currently in the market,” said King, who spent all four years of her undergrad on George �鶹��Ƶ’s women’s swim and dive team.

“I've seen my fair share of injuries as an athlete, either my own or my friends, and it’s a continuous cycle. You'll rehabilitate the injury, feel better, and then when you go back to your sport or activity, you'll get injured again,” said King, who was in the Honors College.

“Being able to have a device to help understand what's going on at the muscle level during your rehabilitation to ensure that you're doing the exercises correctly to get the desired results and perform your sport while mitigating the risk of reinjury is so beneficial,” she said.

Partner collaborators include North Carolina State University, Cephasonics Ultrasound, and Infinite Biomedical Technologies (IBT). IBT CEO Rahul Kaliki is also a co-founder of Myokinetics LLC.

A close up of the device. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding.

“At CASSBI, different people and resources are pulled in to work on multidisciplinary projects like this one. This collaboration enables a lot of iterative prototyping efforts, which would not have been possible without the center,” said Abhishek Aher, MS Bioengineering ’24.

“I would like to see the Myokinetics device being used nationwide on the fields of major sports leagues. This should enable more metrics for the players,” said Aher, who is the Myokinetics team’s research engineer.

“For example, metrics such as how many points a player scored or how many minutes they ran are discussed pregame or postgame, but with our device, Myokinetic metrics can become an essential conversation point. That’s where I would like to see this go in the next five years,” he said.

King hopes to continue researching human performance after injury and focus on the most safe and effective ways that athletes can get back to their optimal performance.

“I hope to stick with Myokinetics and implement the devices and the metrics that we're currently developing into the rehabilitation setting. This is for the general population, but athletes will always have a special place in my heart,” said King.

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Parag Chitnis

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4-VA team studies wastewater treatment systems

Katarina Benson — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 16:17:50 +0000

4-VA team studies wastewater treatment systems Katarina Benson Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:17

Editor’s note: This story references a grant awarded in 2023. Furst is now at 4Va partner school Virginia Tech.

One of the most pressing issues in human and ecological health is the abundance of poly and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and phthalate esters (PAEs) in our ecosystem—two classes of synthetic chemicals known as “forever chemicals.” In addition to their destructive nature affecting wildlife, soil, and agriculture, they are also responsible for causing human health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues, and cancer.

While scientists worldwide are racing to learn more about how to combat PFAS and PAEs in a variety of settings, �鶹��Ƶ researcher Kirin Emlet Furst has been focused on PFAS AND PAEs in water treatment and wastewater reuse.

Working at the site. Photo provided

Furst, an assistant professor in George �鶹��Ƶ’s Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering Department, reasoned that wastewater treatment facilities are a major avenue through which PFAS and PAEs can contaminate drinking water and air, as many of these compounds are insufficiently removed by typical treatment processes. Furst specifically wanted to explore the air-water interface. PFAS have a high surface activity, which results in their attraction to the air-water interface. And while PAEs have a lower surface activity, they might be attracted to other materials that accumulate at the air-water interface. Research in full-scale treatment systems was needed to understand these interactions.

The 4-VA@George �鶹��Ƶ Advisory Board recognized the importance of this research and awarded Furst’s 4-VA proposal, “The role of the air-water interface in breakthrough of PFAS and phthalate esters during wastewater treatment.”

Joining Furst in the research was 4-VA partner Zhiwu (Drew) Wang, a specialist in wastewater treatment and biological processes at Virginia Tech. Furst also tapped �鶹��Ƶ graduate student Meghana Kuppa who was already developing analytical methods to measure PFAS and PAEs. Ethan Gasper, an undergraduate in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, assisted Kuppa with much of the bench work on the project.

Meghana Kuppa using the sink. Photo provided

Kuppa collected water samples and scum, which is the material that accumulates at the air-water interface, from process unit tanks at a wastewater treatment plant to measure the target contaminants and water quality parameters known to impact partitioning behavior. Their goal? Quantify the role of the air-water interface in enabling breakthrough of PFAS and PAEs in wastewater treatment facilities and identify potential engineering solutions.

Although developing the complex methodologies for the project was a challenge, several important outcomes were realized. First, high levels of multiple PFAS were found in the scum from both the primary and secondary treatment processes. The team concluded that the PFAS levels in the primary scum samples were much higher than they could accurately measure due to interference from particulates and oily substances in the water. However, analysis of the secondary treatment determined any PFAS present are more likely to be found in the treated water and may also contaminate the facility air.

While fewer PAEs were found in the scum samples, Kuppa’s experiments show that phthalates can bind to organic material in the scum. This may contribute to the difficulty in removing phthalates during wastewater treatment.

“The 4-VA award empowered my group to pursue this new line of research and helped to support Kuppa’s innovative thesis projects,” said Furst.

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