News
SCI Alumna Sherry Sahebi Receives NSF CAREER Award
SCI alumna Sherry Sahebi recently received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her project "Time-Aware Multi-Objective Recommendation in Online Learning Environments." This research project will focus on recommender systems for online education and how to optimize them to suit students' long-term learning goals. These systems often recommend one type of learning activity, ignore the importance of studying time intervals, and satisfy one learning goal.
Eleanor Mattern to Chair Pitt's Year of Data and Society
The University of Pittsburgh has recently announced that academic year 2021-22 will be the Year of Data and Society and that SCI Teaching Assistant Professor Eleanor "Nora" Mattern will chair this initiative.
Marcia Rapchak Receives Beta Phi Mu Award from the American Library Association
SCI Teaching Assistant Professor Marcia Rapchak was recently selected as the 2021 recipient of the American Library Association's Beta Phi Mu Award, which is given annually to a library school faculty member or another individual for distinguished service to education for librarianship. The award consists of $1,000 and a citation of achievement. Rapchak's work in library science education includes a redesign of a 1-credit course taught at the Gumberg Library of Duquesne University and contributions to the redesign of the Masters of Library and Information Science program at SCI.
SCI's Library and Information Science Programs Ranked 17th by U.S. News and World Report
The School of Computing and Information's Library and Information Science programs were recently ranked 17th out of 55 by the U.S. News and World Report's 2022 Best Grad Schools list. These rankings include public and private schools and are developed based on ratings by academic experts at peer institutions. Other rankings for SCI include 9th in Archives and Preservation, 11th in Information Systems, and 14th in Digital Librarianship.
Computer Science Major Jeremy Olin Joins 412 Connect
When Jeremy Olin came to Pitt as a computer science major, it seemed only logical to get a job in the Student Computing Labs. It offered flexible hours, and it enabled him to gain experience working with customers with varied levels of computer skills. Olin enjoyed the work because it forced him outside of his computer science bubble. “Having a student-facing job gave me a little more perspective on other students with different skills sets,” says Olin.
Women in Computer Science club creates space for community
For one weekend every spring, in the halls of the Information Science Building in North Oakland, clusters of computer science students spend a sleepless weekend over their computer screens coding massive projects. This is SheInnovates, an annual hackathon hosted by Pitt’s Women in Computer Science — or, WiCS — club.
SCI Faculty Members Receive Funding from Momentum Funds Program
This year, nine SCI faculty members across departments received funding from the Pitt Office of Research’s Momentum Funds program.
Student Profile: Kinori Rosnow (SCI '21)
April 5, 2021
Kinori Rosnow (SCI '21) didn’t plan on a career in machine learning or software engineering. He pursued a physics major in undergrad, but his courses in computational physics sparked an interest in programming. After spending time in Japan as an engineer — and as a member of the men’s national lacrosse team — Rosnow came to Pitt to pursue a master’s in information science while his fiancé enrolled in Pitt’s School of Medicine.
Study by Morgan Frank Published in Nature Communications
SCI Assistant Professor Morgan Frank's research was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. The study, titled "Universal resilience patterns in labor markets," explores the connection between the economic resilience of cities and the connectivity within a city's job network. The employment data examined in the study indicate that a higher rate of jobs with overlapping skill requirements allows a city to better withstand labor shocks, which can lead to lower unemployment and higher wages. The study is co-authored with Estaban Moro, Alex Pentland, Alex Ruthe
SCI Faculty and Student Awarded Pitt Cyber Accelerator Grants
SCI faculty members and a PhD candidate are involved with three projects that recently received Pitt Cyber Accelerator Grants. These grants provide support for projects that aim to establish or reinforce Pitt as a place of distinction and excellence in cyber studies and practice.
Student Profile: Lydon Pelletier (SCI '23)
March 15, 2021
School of Computing and Information sophomore Lydon Pelletier has a lot on her plate. Aside from her coursework in computer science, she also interns year-round with SAP — a computer software company — spends 10 hours a week as Travel Director for the Pitt Program Council (PPC), and attends weekly meetings for Women in Computer Science (WiCS). When asked how she juggles everything, her answer is simple.
Dr. Ibrahim shows students the necessity of cybersecurity
March 12, 2021
Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim teaches his students to think like an adversary. An assistant professor in SCI’s Department of Informatics and Network Systems teaching cybersecurity, he often starts his courses with an introduction to threat modeling, where students have to plan for how someone else would attack a networked system they created.
Student Profile: Alexa Spaventa (SCI '23)
March 11, 2021
Before the COVID-19 pandemic limited in-person interactions, Alexa Spaventa found herself at Westinghouse High School several times a month. Some days, she came with her Seminar in Composition Service Learning course, where they would help students write college scholarship essays.
Pitt Startup Makes Exercising ‘SimpL’
Kunal Gandhi was studying on a recent evening when an unexpected message popped up on his LinkedIn: His startup company was being considered for an award by the NFL Players Association.
“They wanted to learn more about our story and the next day, we talked with them,” said Gandhi, cofounder and CEO of SimpL, a fitness technique tracking app.