Author: Michael

Computer Science 4th Advisory Board Meeting

On May 2, 2019, we held our fourth bi-annual Computer Science Advisory Board Meeting. The meeting started with lunch at the top (3rd) floor of Broome library, and continued with a two hour set of presentations in the Handel Evans room, also at Broome.

agenda

  • 12:00 PM – Lunch, 3rd Floor of Broome Library
  • 12:50 PM – Transition to J Handel Evans (Broome Library Rm 2533) 
  • 1:00 PM – Welcome, Agenda Overview & Introductions – Chris Meissner
  • 1:15 PM – Department Overview – Michael Soltys
    • Student numbers
    • Faculty updates and hires
  • 1:30 PM – Welcome from the Dean – Vandana Kohli  
  • 1:40 PM – Student Presentation
    • Robotics – student Steven Romp
    • Beast – students Noelle Abe and Devon Trammell Soltys
    • CS Club – students Julia Maliauka and Ori Weiss
    • CS Coding club – student Michael Petracca
    • CS Girls Club – students Noelle Abe and Maria Contreras
    • CS Cybersecurity Club – student Richie Zins
  • 2:10 PM – Member profile – The Trade Desk – Zak Stengel, SVP Engineering
  • 2:30 PM – Discussion – Chris Meissner and Michael Soltys
    • How do we become a world class department?
    • How do we become a hub of expertise?
    • Examples of where we already achieve partially these goals
    • But we need help from the board to get there
  • 3:00 PM  – Transition to Capstone Showcase, Sierra Hall

presentation slides

AdvisoryBoard-MichaelSoltys

SRomp

ThePasswordBeast

Clubs-2019

NETSEC

Gallery

Pictures from the Capstone Showcase.

AWS update

Recently, Computer Science at CI, has made several new connections with AWS:

  • We are an approved member of the AWS Academy and we are authorized to deliver the AWS Academy Cloud Computing Architecture curriculum. I am the Central Point of Contact (CPOC), so if anyone is interested in being nominated to be an AWS Academy instructor at CI, please get in touch with me. [letter]
  • We are part of the AWS Educate initiative, and we were able to offer our COMP 529 students accounts with some credit. Note that an issue with AWS training accounts is that they close after the course is finished; to those students who are able, I would suggest to open your own (or your company’s) account so that as you learn the material you can build your own permanent infrastructure. A compromise is to build the initial infrastructure on a training account, and use “CloudFormation” to export it for re-instatement elsewhere.
  • Almost finished teaching COMP 529, “Cloud Computing,” for the first time using the AWS resources. We used the AWS Certified Solutions Architect official study guide .
  • I have been selected for the AWS Cloud Ambassador program, which offers educators recognition, professional development, and exclusive benefits for helping students learn about the cloud.
  • I have completed by own AWS certification as a Solutions Architect.

Comp Sci PhD positions at University of Pisa

13 PhD fellowships in Computer Science at the University of Pisa, covering three years: Nov 2019 – Oct 2022

Our PhD program is a joint collaboration between the University of Pisa and the Universities of Florence and Sienna. Among the 13 fellowships: one is specifically devoted to researches on Cyber-security, one on the theme of Big Data, and one on the theme “Human-Robot Interaction”. The others cover the general theme “Computer Science”, thus including Cloud/HPC, AI and Machine Learning, Algorithms, IoT and cyber-physical systems, Smart Communities and Social Networks, FinTech and Industry 4.0, BioInformatics and Smart Health, etc.. We also have 4 more positions without fellowships.

Fellowships are increased by 50% for periods of research visits abroad.  Extra funding is available to PhD students for their participation to international conferences, schools, workshops, and short research visits. The language of the PhD program is English.

The deadline for applications is 29 May 2019 (hr 13:00).

For more info on the call please look at the site: http://shorturl.at/wyA02 (ENG), http://shorturl.at/bfGS5 (ITA). 

Since 1982, when it was established, our PhD in Computer Science aims to train researchers and innovators in Information Science and Technology, so our PhD students are involved since the beginning in research activities of our Faculties and research groups, they are invited to attend monographic courses and international PhD schools, as well as to spend study and research periods in academic and industrial research centers in Italy and abroad. Our PhD offers strong relationships for research projects, internships and job placements with prestigious ICT companies worldwide in the area of Big Data and Web, Cyber-security, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Smart Communities and Social Networks, FinTech and Industry 4.0, BioInformatics and Smart Health, etc. Special attention is in offering opportunities to internships in startups and innovative companies with an international visibility.

At the end of the PhD, our students will be able to contribute to the definition of new models and theories for computation and information processing; foundations, algorithms and SW/HW platforms for the organization, storage and analysis of (Big) data; new languages and tools to support emerging programming paradigms, such as the ones required or designed in the area of Artificial Intelligence, Cloud and Fog computing, Internet of Things, Cyber Security, Networking, Programming paradigms and methodologies, etc..

For more information about the PhD program, please look at:  https://www.di.unipi.it/it/phd or contact Prof. Paolo Ferragina at paolo.ferragina@unipi.it