http://www.wptz.com/news/vermont-new-york/burlington/Coders-designers-hack-for-change/-/8869880/20394732/-/13wdolaz/-/index.html

The UVM Computer Science Crew (CS Crew) is located in the Student Resource Center Votey 332, created to provide students with help with Computer Science (CS) homework, or for advice on computer-related issues. 

This CS Crew works to connect undergraduate students with upperclassmen and grad students who provide help on a volunteer basis, and who work to foster relationships with the community.

For more information on the CS Crew visit: www.uvm.edu/~cscrew/.

For questions, contact: CS Crew (cscrew@uvm.edu)

This one-hour seminar presents the top-10 data mining algorithms identified by the IEEE International Conference on Data Mining (ICDM). Dr. Wu provides a description of each algorithm and discussesits impact, as well as current and further research on each algorithm.

Because both versions of this video are large, we recommend downloading to your computer (Windows users: right-click and choose "Save Link As..." [Firefox] or "Save Target As..." [Explorer]):

Don't have QuickTime? Download it now.

“Our College and the university as a whole are truly proud to have Dr. Wu receive this prestigious honor,” says Interim Dean, Bernard “Chip” Cole. 

Dr. Wu was also elected to an IEEE Fellow in 2010 (Class of 2011) and recently received the 2012 IEEE Computer Society Technical Achievement Award for his “pioneering contributions to data mining and applications”. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a non-profit professional association dedicated to advancing technical innovation.  He was also the first at UVM to receive the Computing & Communication Foundation (CCF) medium-size collaborative grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research entitled, “Integrating and Mining Bio-Data from Multiple Sources in Biological Networks.”

Dr. Wu’s research on rule generation for data mining in large, noisy data sources, and on innovative data mining applications in Web and video information processing, has been widely cited in the research community.  He is a well-recognized world leader in data mining, and has won both the ACM SIGKDD Service Award (2004) and the IEEE ICDM Outstanding Service Award (2006).   

Others from UVM also elected in the past as AAAS Fellows are:

Physics: Wesley L. Nyborg, University of Vermont, Burlington, USA
(Nyborg was also a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and passed away in 2011 at the age of 94)
Medicine and Biochemistry: Burton E. Sobel, University of Vermont, Colchester, USA
Biochemistry: Gary S. Stein, University of Vermont, Burlington, USA
Biology: Judith Van Houten, University of Vermont, Burlington, USA

Contact: Dr. Xindong Wu <xwu@cems.uvm.edu>

For more information on AAAS visit: http://www.aaas.org

The five began the competition armed only with a concept for their app and, per the rules of the contest, no other work completed ahead of time. Using an array of programming languages -- HTML5, CSS3, PHP, MySQL and Javascript -- and a handful of data sets provided by the organizers -- weather and farm information and a recipe database, for example -- they set to work. Fueled by free food from local vendors and yes, the occasional energy drink, they emerged 24 hours later with a tool that would allow users to decide where to source local produce and farm goods based on precipitation around the state. Locations with average rainfall are indicated as the best bets for quality, local produce. The program is also designed to find a recipe using the ingredients selected.

"It was a good app," Erickson says of the group's efforts at the hackathon. "Conceptually it's fantastic. It solves a problem. That's what computer science is all about, and those problems can exist in any space."

The team credits their win, in part, with how they chose to package and present the tool to the judges. Although weary from being awake for 34 hours at that point, they were agile enough to focus the presentation on a main point of the competition: providing a service to the state. "Sell them Vermont," Eldridge says was his mantra when presenting. "Don't sell them my app -- sell them Vermont." Of service in that mission was the savvy design, which featured a picturesque background photo taken by a friend of blue skies, fall foliage and a split-rail fenced field and an earthy, green, brown and blue color scheme.

Although the back-end functionality is in place to carry out each of the app's features, a time crunch prevented the group from synching up the recipe mechanism, for example, with the user interface. "If we only had three more hours!" Eldridge says. Completing the app is a project the group may take up back at 332 Votey, when not occupied by the academic support they provide to peers or the programming jobs they occasionally work on for professors or community members.

The CS Crew experience, they say, was a strong foundation for the success they found at HackVT. "In programming classes, you learn how to program by yourself," Eldridge explains, "but out in the real world, you don't typically program by yourself. You program with a group of people. CS Crew is there so you can meet all your peers and form a community and a network with them."

"I was so impressed that everybody was so on top of their own specific stuff and everyone was willing to help out," Vendeville says of the group. "It was a fantastic team environment. There were no jagged edges."

With the hackathon behind them and the end of the fall semester looming, each of the seniors are beginning to ponder their options post graduation. Google is mentioned by a few, particularly Vendeville, who earlier this year was one of eight nationwide recipients of a Google Student Veterans Association Scholarship for Computer Science. That award came with $10,000 and an all-expense paid trip in June to the Googleplex in Mountain View, Ca. "That's the dream job," he says.

When considering his next step, MacEwan, energized by the win at HackVT, turns to his friends and asks with a grin, "Start-up, anyone?"

Johnson graduated summa cum laude from Marlboro College in 2005 with a B.S. in Computer Science/Geoinformatics.  At UVM, he is one of the primary technical developers of the NSF-funded ARIES (Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services) project. His faculty advisors are Drs. Robert Snapp, Jon Erickson, and Austin Troy.

The 2012 IEMSs theme was: “Managing Resources of a Limited Plant: Pathways and Visions under Uncertainty.”  The iEMSs goal is to enhance understanding of environmental processes and decision making by fostering the discussion and interchange of challenges, solutions, ideas, new methods and techniques, and future research lines in environmental modelling and software.  The meetings of iEMSs are joint events integrating different research groups, such as BESAI, ERCIM, ISEM, ISESS, MODSS, and TIAS.

Session participants presented innovative research work within nine thematic streams: Environmental Information; Human Health and Environmental Risks, Mitigation of and Adaption to Climate Change, Model Development, Analysis and Application: Methodological Aspects; Participatory Modelling and Stakeholder Involvement; Resource Management and Sustainability; Knowledge, Data and Semantic Processing for Environmental Research; Socio-Environmental Systems, and Issues in Water Resources Management.

Johnson’s research interests include  ecosystem service modelling, data and model scaling, neural and evolutionary computation, machine learning, stochastic processes, knowledge representation and reasoning under uncertainty, decision and game theory, statistical modelling, image analysis, functional programming, spatial statistics, and pattern classification.

Contact: Email: gwjohnso@uvm.edu

For more information on iEMSs visit: http://www.iemss.org/society/

The iRobots are part of the new CS20 course being offered through the Department of Computer Science that incorporates engineering and has been designed for collaborative learning between computer science and engineering.

“ In doing this project, students discovered it was fun to apply computer science skills to simulate a real world scenario.“ , says Jackie Horton, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science.

For more information contact:  

 Jackie Horton <jlhorton@uvm.edu>

 Phone:  656-4398

“This is a tremendous accomplishment and a well-deserved award for Phelan,” says Jackie Horton, lecturer in the Department of Computer Science.

In 2012 the SVA joined in partnership with Google to provide student veterans with scholarships in computer science, one of America’s most in-demand degrees. The Google-SVA Scholarships are available to student veterans who pursue degrees in computer science in the U.S.  The goal of SVA and Google is to reward and recognize high caliber student veterans and encourage further study through $10,000 scholarships that can be used for university expenses, such as tuition, books and lab fees. The awards also provide the students with the unique opportunity to meet other top students in the U.S. as well as Google engineers in a personable and fun environment such as through the Annual Scholars' Retreat.

“I am honored and humbled I am by this award, and I look forward to attending the Scholars’ Retreat in CA,” says Phelan. 

Phelan came to UVM after spending 4 years in the U.S. Navy.  His interest in Computer Science stems from his experience with the connections technology can facilitate between people.

For more information on the SVA Scholarship Awards visit:  http://www.studentveterans.org/?page=Google_SVA_Scholars

For more information on SVA, visit: http://studentveterans.site-ym.com/Login.aspx

To contact Phelan Vendeville email:  <phelan.vendeville@gmail.com>

Here is a link to the YouTube video of him accepting the award.
Contact:
Dr. Xindong Wu

For information on this award by IEEE visit:  
http://www.computer.org/portal/web/awards/technicalachievement

This article entitled, “Data-Driven Cluster Reinforcement and Visualization in Sparsely-Matched Self-Organizing Maps” proposes a new method using artificial neural networks (a form of computational intelligence inspired by the way the brain operates) for automatically detecting and visualizing clusters in high-dimensional data.  As an example of its usefulness, the authors use the method to automatically determine the boundaries of a groundwater contaminant plume surrounding a leaking landfill using 209 microbial community profile variables measured at each of 22 monitoring wells.

The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is the world's largest technical professional society that promotes the development and application of electrotechnology and allied sciences for the benefit of humanity.  This particular journal “is devoted to the science and technology of neural networks, which disclose significant technical knowledge, exploratory developments, and applications of neural networks from biology to software to hardware.”

 “This method is really neat” says Prof. Eppstein, “because it lets you automatically detect and visualize hierarchical clusters of relationships in very complex data. We’re now starting to apply this method to other areas, such as mapping functional relationships in the brain.  It seems ironic that we are using brain-inspired computing methodologies to try to understand how the brain works!”

“This research showcases some of the innovative ideas and technologies being explored by so many of our talented faculty and students at the University of Vermont,” says Bernard “Chip” Cole, Interim Dean of the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences. 

The journal web site is:  http://ieee-cis.org/pubs/tnn/

In this interview, Dr. Snapp’s response is that although being able to create little avatars that mimic their makers may be entertaining, it is not central to science and may be counterproductive.

Penni was nominated by the Department of Computer Science for her wide-ranging institutional experience as Administrative Assistant to the Department. 

Excerpts from her nomination letter reflect Penni’s many talents and abilities:

“Penni exhibits the qualities of humanity, generosity of spirit, and dignity, especially under the pressure of deadlines and those pesky technology hurdles.  She is responsible for planning the wide-ranging logistics associated with guest speaker visits, student-run technical evenings, and outreach activities.  She works with patience and respect, camaraderie and the genuine affection appropriate of educators towards our students, humor, and a tenacious resolve to overcome whatever stumbling blocks may arise.

Penni’s disposition and helpful, trustworthy, proactive attitude ensure the smooth running of the Department, as she maintains cordial working relationships with staff colleagues across the College and UVM.”

 Penni is described as a key player for the Department in coordinating course schedules, double-checking the myriad details involved, and keeping abreast of the systemic changes, especially involving the mechanisms by which we enroll our Continuing Education students and schedule labs, and in handling day-to-day operations, even under pressure.

 Our congratulations to Penni on this award and for her amazing ability to interact so well with us all!

Over thirty-five students attended the 3^rd peer to peer advising night on November 9, offered by the UVM Computer Science Crew (CS Crew) in their Student Resource Center located in Votey 332.   The CS Crew was created to provide students with help with Computer Science (CS) homework, or for advice on computer-related issues. 

During the CS Crew ‘peer to peer advising night’ students learned about class offerings for the Spring 2012 semester and got to ask questions.  Some students stayed after the presentation for one-on-one advice.   Student feedback indicates the session was a big success:

"I met with an advisee who attended, and he came with a well thought out list of classes he wants to take,” said Jackie Horton, CS Lecturer.  “He spoke very highly of the event and of the CSCrew in general!"

This CS Crew works to connect undergraduate students with upperclassmen and grad students who provide help on a volunteer basis, and who work to foster relationships with the community.

For more information on the CS Crew visit: www.uvm.edu/~cscrew/.

For questions, contact: CS Crew (cscrew@uvm.edu)

Members of the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) Frozen Landscapes Projecthave just completed field work in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. This Project is part of Snowcloud, an environmental engineering project that involves the creation of wireless sensor network architecture for environmental monitoring in cold climates

Drs. Chris Skalka (Computer Science) and Jeff Frolik (Electrical Engineering) travelled with UVM graduate students Sam Ogden and Sarah Greenberg (Computer Science), and Chris Tardie (Electrical Engineering), to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to deploy their environmental sensor system that will generate data to study the effects of climate change in the high desert environment of the Eastern Sierra Mountains. The Frozen Landscapes Project took a year to organize at UVM and was done in collaboration with VT Technical College, and UC Santa Cruz (the lead for the environmental science component of the project).

The project involved the creation of multiple sensor stands that collect data on snow depth, soil moisture, and leaf area index. The team also constructed a "gateway" station designed to collect and report data through the Internet. The system is wireless and self-sustaining, and will report data throughout the winter.

The members of this group are interested in a wide range of technologies applicable to ad-hoc wireless sensor networks and their applications. Their projects deal with languages, architectures and algorithms to characterize and improve the performance of these systems. The group is also involved in developing real-world deployments for applications having interdisciplinary interest.

To view pictures and slideshow of field trip visit:
https://picasaweb.google.com/christian.skalka/MammothSnowcloudDeploymentOctober2011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOj0paTly5xW&feat=directlink

For more information on this research visit: http://www.uvm.edu/~cems/?Page=research/swe.php

Contact: Associate Professor, Christian Skalka, skalka@cs.uvm.edu

“This prestigious award reflects the high quality of innovative research being accomplished within our College,” says Bernard “Chip” Cole, Interim Dean of the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.

“I am truly honored to be one of the recipients of this prestigious Presidential award,” said Bongard, “and look forward to meeting President Obama and other researchers being recognized.” 

This Presidential award is in recognition of Bongard’s National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, awarded to him by the NSF’s Division of Information & Intelligent Systems. The award will aid Bongard to further his early career-development activities and to integrate research and education within the context of the mission of UVM.  Bongard will travel to Washington, DC to receive the award on October 14, 2011 and will attend three individual ceremonies culminating with a Recognition Ceremony at the White House with President Obama.

Awards History

The awards were established by President Clinton in 1996 and are coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach. Sixteen Federal departments and agencies join together annually to nominate the most meritorious scientists and engineers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for assuring America’s preeminence in science and engineering and contributing to the awarding agencies' missions.

Bongard’s History

Dr. Bongard’s research has received national and international attention, and has been featured in Science 360, the Boston Globe, The Voice of America’s “Our World” Science Program, Wired Magazine’s Gadget Lab, Popular Science, and most recently, in January 2011, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Dr. Bongard’s research features robots that evolve more complex body plans and neural networks: these evolutionary innovations allow them to perform more cognitive tasks than their simpler forebears.

Dr. Bongard also received the prestigious and highly competitive New Faculty Fellowship from Microsoft Research in 2007 for research related to self-healing robots – one of only five given nationwide.  He was named by MIT as one of the world’s top innovators under 35 and has participated in a National Academy of Engineering symposium to discuss 21^st century frontiers in research.

To view the White House press release visit:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/26/president-obama-honors-outstanding-early-career-scientists

See the WCAX news coverage (9Mb MP4 format).

Contact information:
Dr. Josh Bongard Office: 329 Votey
Tel: (802) 656-4665
E-Mail: josh.bongard@uvm.edu

Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society that is focused on advancement of computing as a science and a profession, with leading-edge publications, conferences, and career resources.  The ACM’s Research Highlights provides readers with a collection of outstanding research articles, selected from the broad spectrum of computing-research conferences. Articles must be first nominated by Editorial Board Members or Approved Nominating Organizations and are then subject to final selection by the Editorial Board. Only then are authors invited to submit their article.

 “ACM Research Highlights feature the greatest hits of recent research,” says Christian Skalka, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science.  "Papers published as Research Highlights are distinguished by ACM's formal nomination process."

 ABSTRACT

Predictive models are fundamental to engineering reliable software systems. However, designing conservative, computable approximations for the behavior of programs remains a difficult and error-prone process for modern high-level programming languages.

 To access this paper visit:

 http://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2011/9/122788-abstracting-abstract-machines/abstract

For more information on this award by IEEE click here

Fall 2009: CS 195 - Hands On Robotics

• Mindstorms Strikeout Baseball
  Mark Cooper, Shawn Bonneau and Mike Wheeler had fun implementing a baseball game that uses two independent Lego Mindstorm bricks — one for the pitcher, one for the batter.
• Egg-Sorting Robot
  Chris Swanson, Wiliam Purcell and Jorge Logan Arias explored factory automation with their egg sorter.
• NXJ Piano Player
  Bernadette Gill, Noah White-Hammerslough and Al Harnisch taught their Lego Mindstorm to play the keyboard.
• RecycleBot
  Austin Emmons, Borja Garcia Sanchez and Naomi Pollica created a robot that sorts recyclables.
• Rover
  Ron Magnuson, Phil Plourde and Evan Selleck created a robot that is controlled using a Wii remote and wireless internet signals; both the robot and the controlling computer have webcams.

The Department of Computer Science (CS) recognizes students with outstanding academic records and leadership qualities. The CS Faculty selects students from several categories and honors them with certificates and other tokens.

This year presentations were made in classes and gatherings with peers and faculty, except for the Senior Award which is presented at CEMS graduation.

Sophomore Award

• Matthew Joseph Ferrante was chosen to receive the Sophomore Award in recognition of academic performance, level of interest, commitment to the computing profession, and overall character

Junior Award

• Michael T. Torchio was chosen to receive the Junior Award for excellence in performance and greatest promise of success.

Senior Award

• Robert Rohr was chosen to receive the Senior Award for excellence of judgment and understanding of the principles of computer science.

Graduate Award

• Joshua Levi Payne was chosen to receive the Graduate Award for outstanding performance and greatest promise of success.

Association of Computing Machinery Faculty Award

• Gary Johnson was chosen to receive the Association of Computing Machinery Faculty Award for great professional interest, immense spirit and outstanding leadership

Fall 2008: CS 195 - Hands On Robotics

• Baldur, the BiPed Robot
  JoyLee Flahive, Joshua Miner, Samir Omerovic and Ben Symonds created a biped walker controlled using two NXT bricks connected via Bluetooth on a Mac running Windows XP.
• The Barista
  Jared Model, Steve Brooks, Matt Bansak and Conor Dow created "The Barista," a Lego Mindstorm robot designed for the purpose of refilling drinks at a cafe.
• Guitar Hero: 2.0
  Team Alpha Wolf Squadron — Simone Willett, Travis Rohlin, Ken Austin, Jon Paquette — created a Lego Mindstorms NXT robot that uses LeJOS to play Guitar Hero.
• Robo Pup
  Mike Garnsey, Russ Hirschorn, Caleb Searles and Craig Nally made a robot dog with Lego Mindstorms that follows, obeys remote controls and plays in "dog" mode.
• Wii Control
  Thomas Stirling, Joel Blouin, Ryan Mannigan and Glenn Rachlin designed a robot to take commmands via Bluetooth through a Nintendo Wiimote.