faculty

ACM Recognizes Faculty Trio for Their Transformative Computing Contributions

admin — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 13:14:41 +0000

ACM Recognizes Faculty Trio for Their Transformative Computing Contributions admin Mon, 01/27/2025 - 08:14

Three Georgia Tech faculty members are being recognized as 2024 ACM Fellows for significant contributions to computing.

College of Computing Professors Michael Bailey, Dana Randall, and Thad Starner are among 55 Fellows named today by ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, for their “transformative contributions to computing science and technology.”

"Computing technology has had a tremendous impact in shaping how we live and work today,” said ACM President Yannis Ioannidis. “The ACM Fellows program honors the creativity and hard work of ACM members whose specific accomplishments drive innovation and make broader advances possible.”

According to its news release, ACM is recognizing Bailey, founding chair of the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy, for his “contributions to cybersecurity and internet measurement.” Bailey has authored more than 90 papers on the performance and security of complex distributed systems.

Randall is a professor with joint appointments in the School of Computer Science and the School of Mathematics. The ACM fellowship acknowledges her “contributions to the theory of Markov chains and programmable active matter.” Her research in randomized algorithms and stochastic processes connects computer science, discrete mathematics, and statistical physics.

A professor in the School of Interactive Computing, Starner is being honored as an ACM Fellow for “contributions to and leadership in the wearable computing research community.” His research combines wearable and ubiquitous computing technologies with AI, pattern recognition, and human-computer interaction.

Starner, Randall, and Bailey are longstanding ACM members. The 2024 ACM Fellows were selected by the ACM membership “for making possible the computing technologies we use every day.”

"We congratulate Michael Bailey, Dana Randall, and Thad Starner on this significant achievement. Their contributions to the field of computing have not only advanced knowledge but have also benefited society,” said College of Computing Dean Vivek Sarkar.

“We are fortunate to have such distinguished colleagues from different schools in our College. Their achievements are a source of pride for us at Georgia Tech and will continue to inspire future generations of computer scientists."

ACM will formally recognize the 2024 Fellows at its annual awards banquet on June 14 in San Francisco. Additional information about the 2024 ACM Fellows is available through the ACM Fellows website.

Summary sentence

College of Computing Professors Michael Bailey, Dana Randall, and Thad Starner are among 55 Fellows named by ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery.

Summary

College of Computing Professors Michael Bailey, Dana Randall, and Thad Starner are among 55 Fellows named by ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery.

Dateline

Wed, 01/22/2025 - 12:00

Contact

Ben Snedeker, Communications Manager

Georgia Tech College of Computing

albert.snedeker@cc.gatech.edu

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Mon, 01/27/2025 - 08:13

Cybersecurity Team Wins $2 Million in Grand Challenge Semi-Final

dgivens8 — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 17:21:41 +0000

Cybersecurity Team Wins $2 Million in Grand Challenge Semi-Final dgivens8 Tue, 08/20/2024 - 13:21

For three days, a cybercriminal unleashed a crippling ransomware attack on the futuristic city of Northbridge. The attack shut down the city’s infrastructure and severely impacted public services, until Georgia Tech cybersecurity experts stepped in to stop it.

This scenario played out this weekend at the DARPA AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) semi-final competition held at DEF CON 32 in Las Vegas. Team Atlanta, which included the Georgia Tech experts, were among the contest’s winners.

Team Atlanta will now compete against six other teams in the final round that takes place at DEF CON 33 in August 2025. The finalists will keep their AI system and improve it over the next 12 months using the $2 million semi-final prize.

The AI systems in the finals must be open sourced and ready for immediate, real-world launch. The AIxCC final competition will award a $4 million grand prize to the ultimate champion.

Team Atlanta is made up of past and present Georgia Tech students and was put together with the help of SCP Professor Taesoo Kim. Not only did the team secure a spot in the final competition, they found a zero-day vulnerability in the contest.

“I am incredibly proud to announce that Team Atlanta has qualified for the finals in the DARPA AIxCC competition,” said Taesoo Kim, professor in the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy and a vice president of Samsung Research.

“This achievement is the result of exceptional collaboration across various organizations, including the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), industry partners like Samsung, and international academic institutions such as KAIST and POSTECH.”

After noticing discrepancies in the competition score board, the team discovered and reported a bug in the competition itself. The type of vulnerability they discovered is known as a zero-day vulnerability, because vendors have zero days to fix the issue.

While this didn’t earn Team Atlanta additional points, the competition organizer acknowledged the team and their finding during the closing ceremony.

“Our team, deeply rooted in Atlanta and largely composed of Georgia Tech alumni, embodies the innovative spirit and community values that define our city,” said Kim.

“With over 30 dedicated students and researchers, we have demonstrated the power of cross-disciplinary teamwork in the semi-final event. As we advance to the finals, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, and I firmly believe the resulting systems from this competition will transform the security landscape in the coming year!”

The team tested their cyber reasoning system (CRS), dubbed Atlantis, on software used for data management, website support, healthcare systems, supply chains, electrical grids, transportation, and other critical infrastructures.

Atlantis is a next-generation, bug-finding and fixing system that can hunt bugs in multiple coding languages. The system immediately issues accurate software patches without any human intervention.

AIxCC is a Pentagon-backed initiative that was announced in August 2023 and will award up to $20 million in prize money throughout the competition. Team Atlanta was among the 42 teams that qualified for the semi-final competition earlier this year.

Summary sentence

A group of Georgia Tech students and alumni were among the winners of $2 million in DARPA's AI Cyber Challenge and will compete in the final competition next August.

Summary

A group of Georgia Tech students and alumni were named finalists at the DARPA AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) semi-final competition held at DEF CON 32 in Las Vegas.

Team Atlanta, which included the Georgia Tech experts, will now compete against six other teams in the final round that takes place at DEF CON 33 in August 2025. The finalists will keep their AI system and improve it over the next 12 months using the $2 million semi-final prize.

Dateline

Tue, 08/20/2024 - 12:00

jpopham3@gatech.edu

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John Popham

Communications Officer II at the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy

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676113

Source updated

Tue, 08/20/2024 - 13:21

Tech Faculty Receive 2023 Regents’ Distinctions

admin — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 12:26:31 +0000

Tech Faculty Receive 2023 Regents’ Distinctions admin Wed, 08/16/2023 - 08:26

The University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents announced 12 first-time Georgia Tech appointments to Regents’ distinctions for 2023 and affirmed the renewal of existing distinctions for four esteemed faculty members.

Regents’ distinctions may be granted for a period of three years by the Board of Regents (BOR) to outstanding faculty members from Georgia Tech, Augusta University, Georgia State University, the University of Georgia, and, in special circumstances, other USG institutions. A Regents’ professor, researcher, or entrepreneur distinction is awarded only after unanimous recommendation from the president of the recipient’s university, their chief academic officer and dean, as well as three additional members of the faculty who are named by the university president. Approval by the chancellor and the BOR Committee on Academic Affairs is also required. These distinctions are given to those who make outstanding contributions to their respective institutions.

Georgia Tech faculty named as Regents’ Professors include:

Srinivas Aluru, Professor, School of Computational Science and Engineering, College of Computing
Rafael L. Bras, K. Harrison Brown Family Chair and Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Professor, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Sciences
Thomas Orlando, Professor, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Sciences
Frank T. Rothaermel, Russell and Nancy McDonough Chair in Business and Professor, Scheller College of Business

Jeffrey Skolnick (renewal), Mary and Maisie Gibson Chair, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Computational Systems Biology, and Professor, School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences
Vigor Yang (renewal), Professor, School of Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering
Lisa Yaszek (renewal), Professor, School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
Ellen Zegura (renewal), Stephen Fleming Chair in the College of Computing and Professor, School of Computer Science, College of Computing

Faculty named as Regents’ Researchers include:

Maribeth Coleman, Director of Research and Associate Director of Interactive Media, Institute for People and Technology
Douglas Denison, Laboratory Director, Advanced Concepts Laboratory, GTRI
Mehmet Talat Odman, Principal Research Engineer, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Linda Viney, Principal Research Engineer and Chief, Systems Integration Division, Applied Systems Laboratory, GTRI

Faculty named Regents’ Entrepreneurs — granted to outstanding full-time, tenured faculty members who have established reputations as successful innovators and who have taken their research into a commercial setting — include:

J. David Frost, Elizabeth and Bill Higginbotham Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Jennifer Olson Hasler, Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Raghupathy Sivakumar, Vice President of Commercialization, Chief Commercialization Officer and Wayne J. Holman Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering

Todd Sulchek, a professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering within the College of Engineering, has been named a Regents’ Innovator.

“We are thrilled to have so many distinguished members of our community honored in this way by the Board of Regents of the USG,” said Steven W. McLaughlin, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Georgia Tech is known for the strength of our academics, research, innovation, and the brilliant entrepreneurs who emerge from all corners of the Institute. We are deeply grateful for their contributions.”

To learn more about the requirements for USG Regents’ distinctions, visit the Board of Regents Policy Manual.

Summary sentence

Summary

USG Regents' distinctions are given to those who make outstanding contributions to their respective institutions and may be granted for a period of three years to faculty members from Georgia Tech, Augusta University, Georgia State University, the University of Georgia, and, in special circumstances, other USG institutions.

Dateline

Wed, 08/16/2023 - 12:00

brittany.aiello@gatech.edu

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Brittany Aiello

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Source updated

Wed, 08/16/2023 - 08:19

An Age of Empowerment: Meet Joycelyn Wilson

admin — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 20:57:12 +0000

An Age of Empowerment: Meet Joycelyn Wilson admin Mon, 06/05/2023 - 16:57

Joycelyn Wilson didn’t just grow up around music, she grew up around the lyrics. She wanted to know what artists were singing and why.

“I remember sitting and writing the lyrics,” she said. “They spoke to me. Music has been a learning space for me for a long time. It’s just in me.”

Wilson’s research examines hip-hop and what it says about the world we live in. A pioneer of hip-hop education as a practice, she uses it to address issues of civic engagement, race, and politics and to inspire future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math.

A graduate of Atlanta’s Mays High School, Wilson is assistant professor of black media studies and an educational anthropologist in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication. One of her most popular classes uses the music of Outkast, Kendrick Lamar, and other artists as texts to explore larger issues.

Read the full story

Summary sentence

Wilson’s research examines hip-hop and what it says about the world we live in.

Summary

Dateline

Tue, 02/26/2019 - 12:00

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Kristen Bailey

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618453

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Tue, 02/26/2019 - 09:06

Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council Gets To Work

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 16:12:00 +0000

Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council Gets To Work admin Fri, 01/27/2023 - 11:12

Members Take Action Through Three Working Groups

Last November, more than 50 Institute faculty, staff, and students gathered for the initial meeting of the Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (GTDEIC). The campus representatives were appointed by President Ángel Cabrera, and the group was tasked with monitoring and assessing the Institute’s progress toward becoming a model campus community for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In the months ahead, it will also submit recommendations to Cabrera and the Institute’s executive leadership team for consideration in developing strategic actions.

Enhancing diversity has been one of Cabrera’s top priorities. “Our Diversity and Inclusion Council is one of several action steps announced this past summer to deliver on our promise of inclusion,” Cabrera said in 2020. “As outlined in our new strategic plan, we are striving to remove barriers to access and success, and to build an inclusive community where people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to learn and contribute to our mission.”

Since that initial November meeting, the GTDEIC has launched three working groups comprised of Council members and issue-area experts from across the campus: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan; Campus Climate Assessment; and Covid-19 Impacts on Faculty.

“A diverse and inclusive campus is an empowered and engaged campus,” said Archie Ervin, vice president for Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and GTDEIC chair. “A focus on diversity helps improve productivity, recruitment, and retention. Through these working groups, we will address immediate areas for DEI improvement.”

Pearl Alexander, executive director of Staff Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement and GTDEIC vice chair, added, “One of our groups is crafting a comprehensive DEI plan that will be a blueprint with actionable strategies for implementation within the next five years. Another is redesigning our climate assessment to align with Institute goals for culture transformation, while the third is addressing the impacts of Covid-19 on women faculty and faculty of color. Each working group’s co-leads are working methodically and inclusively to identify strategies that will close gaps and deliver the greatest DEI impact possible. There will be many opportunities for leading, modeling, and living our values to make significant and lasting change.”

The Working Groups

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan Working Group is developing a blueprint that mobilizes the DEI-related objectives of the new strategic plan, which include: amplify our impact, champion innovation, connect globally, expand access, cultivate well-being, and lead by example. The group will work across three focus areas: creating an inclusive and equitable community; recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff; and supporting innovative and inclusive scholarship and teaching. The final draft of the blueprint will be submitted to Cabrera for review by the beginning of June. The group’s efforts will be supported by Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting (GTSC).

“Diversity today unlocks innovation tomorrow and creates unlimited opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff,” said Rashaad Owens Sr., GTSC consultant. “I believe Georgia Tech is poised for a brighter future with its renewed commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the new strategic plan.”

The Campus Climate Assessment Working Group will be led by Keona Lewis, associate director of Institute Diversity Research, and Joseph Ludlum, assistant director for Academic Effectiveness.

“One of the most enlightening tools we have for identifying racial and gender disparities is our campus climate survey,” Lewis said. Originally developed between 2011 and 2013, the survey has provided valuable information on individual and community experiences and their impact on people’s sense of belonging at Tech. “Over the past eight years, we have used what we have learned to address issues such as racial discrimination and bias and the lack of opportunities for the professional development of women staff — and launching Leading Women@Tech, the Inclusive Leader's Academy, and workshops to address bias in hiring promotion retention.”

The group’s goal is to create new research questions to capture data needed to measure the strategic plan’s DEI goals as well as the impact of current initiatives and programming. The Campus Climate Assessment group has formed three sub-teams for survey revisions: faculty, staff, and students. “This will allow us to measure our progress on achieving many of the new DEI objectives in the strategic plan through an exploration of the lived experiences of the Georgia Tech community,” Lewis said.

There are many reasons to be concerned about the short-and long-term impacts of Covid-19 on the well-being and advancement of faculty. “Data strongly suggest that the pandemic might exacerbate existing structural inequities in academia, as the burden of caregiving, differential access to resources, and mental health challenges exact a higher toll on women and underrepresented minority groups,” said Dana Randall, ADVANCE Professor for the College of Computing. “For this reason, the ADVANCE Professors formed this working group to develop a systemic approach to mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on the well-being and career progression of women faculty at Tech.”

“The overarching themes and outcomes we expect from a working group are twofold,” Kim Cobb, ADVANCE Professor for the College of Sciences, added. “First, our effort will aim to prevent the impending loss of women and underrepresented minority faculty from Georgia Tech, either through recruitment elsewhere, negative tenure or promotion outcomes, or by choice due to dissatisfaction with current working conditions and opportunities for advancement. Second, we will aim to improve the well-being and support for those faculty most negatively affected.”

The Covid-19 Impacts on Faculty Working Group will be co-chaired by an ADVANCE Professor and another member of the GTDEIC, with approximately 10 additional tenure-track faculty members. Specific areas the group plans to tackle include: campus climate and workplace satisfaction, promotion and tenure, retention, and the coordination of research and activities around Covid-19 and its impact on faculty.

“Establishing the GTDEIC represents the Institute’s commitment to engage all sectors of the Tech community,” Ervin said. “By identifying opportunities to achieve our aspirations for an inclusive community, and by demonstrating our value to be a community that thrives on diversity as a critical element of campus culture and climate, we are doing just that.”

Summary sentence

The Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council has launched three working groups comprised of Council members and issue-area experts from across the campus.

Summary

The Georgia Tech Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council has launched three working groups comprised of Council members and issue-area experts from across the campus.

Dateline

Wed, 03/10/2021 - 12:00

Contact

Courtney Hill
Communications Manager
Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
courtney.hill@gatech.edu

Location

Atlanta, GA

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645197

Source updated

Wed, 03/10/2021 - 12:18