December 2021 - Gradstudents - mailman.cs.vt.edu

New course in software development concentration for spring term
by Sara Hooshangi 03 Dec '21

03 Dec '21

This post mainly concerns the MEng students. Over the past week, I have received multiple requests about more course offerings in the software development and applications concentration during the spring 2022 semester. The department is now willing to offer an ONLINE section of CS5984 – Software Project Management. While this course is not officially in the list of acceptable courses for the software concentration (mainly because it is a new course), you can indeed count it as one of the three courses in that concentration. As such, if you are currently in CS5704 Software Engineering this fall term, and looking for a related course for next term, CS5984-Software Project Management will be a good choice. Attached, please find a short description of the course. However, before we can commit to offer the course next term, we would like to hear from you. If you are interested in taking this course, please express your interest by taking about 30 seconds to fill out the survey linked below by December 10. https://forms.gle/UwvxDyfZRzgLrRSg8 <https://forms.gle/UwvxDyfZRzgLrRSg8> If there is enough interest, a follow-up email will be sent with details of the course offering. Please be honest and only fill out the form if you have a genuine interest in taking this course. The course can solidify your knowledge of agile development process, improve your project-based learning skills, and give you a chance to work with case studies that are relevant to the real world. Thank you Dr. Hooshangi ---------------------------------- Sara Hooshangi, Ph.D. Collegiate Associate Professor Director, MEng Program Department of Computer Science Virginia Tech

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PhD Qualifier Spring 2022 Registration Reminder
by Denis Gracanin 03 Dec '21

03 Dec '21

Hi CS grad students, A reminder that the PhD Qualifier Spring 2022 Web Page is available at https://www.cs.vt.edu/~gracanin/qualifier/2022/ <https://www.cs.vt.edu/~gracanin/qualifier/2022/> Your participation in the survey did not register you for any exam. 6 December 2021 (by 11:59 PM EST) is the last day to commit to taking the exam Please contact the chair of the area you are interested in for any further questions. Thanks, Denis Gracanin -- Denis Gracanin Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech 2202 Kraft Drive, Room 1135 Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA Phone: (540) 231-2060

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CS|SOURCE - EMPLOYER JOB POSTINGS AND EVENTS
by juliapc7＠cs.vt.edu 03 Dec '21

03 Dec '21

CS|SOURCE - EMPLOYER JOB POSTINGS AND EVENTS View the following job opportunities and events. For other available positions, click <https://career.vt.edu/job-search/Handshake.html> Handshake. Click <https://cs.vt.edu/cs-source/cs-source-events.html> CS|Source for a list of current companies and events. OPPORTUNITY 1 Career & Professional Development congratulates graduating seniors in December and winter term 2022. Please see the attached flyer to complete your First Destination Survey before commencement. Flyer attached. OPPORTUNITY 2 CGI is seeking a Chief Engineer - Hydraulics for their team in Havelock, NC (Cherry Point Marine Corp air Station). Job posted at: <https://cgi.njoyn.com/CGI/xweb/XWeb.asp?Page=JobDetails&Jobid=J0921-0772&BR ID=856328&SBDID=1&clid=21001&lang=1#.YZuwUsXp3fA.link> https://cgi.njoyn.com/CGI/xweb/XWeb.asp?Page=JobDetails&Jobid=J0921-0772&BRI D=856328&SBDID=1&clid=21001&lang=1#.YZuwUsXp3fA.link. OPPORTUNITY 3 OPPORTUNITY 4 VT Student-Athlete Academic Support Services is hiring for paid tutor positions Spring 2022 semester. Flyer attached. Looking to build your network, obtain flash mentoring, and receive insight from alumni in the field? Join the <https://mentoring.career.vt.edu/hub/virginiatech/groups-v2/computer-science -information-technology/discussion> Computer Science and Information Technology group in Hokie Mentorship Connect! Julia Costello Strategic Partnership Coordinator Virginia Tech | College of Engineering | Department of Computer Science 2202 Kraft Drive | Blacksburg, VA 24060 Email: <mailto:juliapc7@cs.vt.edu> juliapc7(a)cs.vt.edu | <https://cs.vt.edu/cs-source/cs-source-events.html> CS|Source Events Stay up-to-date on CS|Source job and event opportunities <https://cs.vt.edu/cs-source.html> CS|Source Website | <https://www.cs-source.cs.vt.edu/> CS|Source Portal | <https://twitter.com/vt_CS_Source> CS|Source on Twitter

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Molly Hickman Master's thesis exam
by Sang Won Lee 02 Dec '21

02 Dec '21

Hi, You are cordially invited to Molly Hickman's Master's thesis exam. The details are below. Sang Won Lee *When/Where* 12/3/2021 (Friday) 12PM-2PM https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/6667056891?pwd=UHMrejhSTFMwOFpuVHFFaWlEQWxpd… *Committee* Sang Won Lee (Chair) Benjamin Jantzen Shaddi Hasan *Title*: Understanding Wikipedia Practices Through Hindi, Urdu, and English Takes on an Evolving Regional Conflict *Abstract*: Wikipedia is the product of thousands of editors working collaboratively to provide free and up-to-date encyclopedic information to the project's users. This article asks to what degree Wikipedia articles in three languages --- Hindi, Urdu, and English --- achieve Wikipedia’s mission of making neutrally-presented, reliable information on a polarizing, controversial topic available to people around the globe. We chose the topic of the recent revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which, along with other recent events in and concerning the region of Jammu and Kashmir, has drawn attention to related articles on Wikipedia. This work focuses on the English Wikipedia, being the preeminent language edition of the project, as well as the Hindi and Urdu editions. Hindi and Urdu are the two standardized varieties of Hindustani, a lingua franca of Jammu and Kashmir. We analyzed page view and revision data for three Wikipedia articles to gauge popularity of the pages in our corpus, and responsiveness of editors to breaking news events and problematic edits. Additionally, we interviewed editors from all three language editions to learn about differences in editing processes and motivations, and we compared the text of the articles across languages as they appeared shortly after the revocation of Article 370. Across languages, we saw discrepancies in article tone, organization, and the information presented, as well as differences in how editors collaborate and communicate with one another. Nevertheless, in Hindi and Urdu, as well as English, editors predominantly try to adhere to the principle of neutral point of view (NPOV), and for the most part, the editors quash attempts by other editors to push political agendas.

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Participants Needed for Virtual Reality Study
by Ibrahim Asadullah Tahmid 02 Dec '21

02 Dec '21

Good Morning Everyone, The 3D Interaction (3DI) group at Virginia Tech is inviting you to participate in a research study with virtual reality (VR) technologies. Our team is investigating the best ways to interact with clusters in VR, and this study compares various methods of cluster interaction with virtual data and information. The study will make use of state-of-the-art VR technologies such as the Varjo XR-3. Participants in the study will come to the *Sandbox, room 160 in the Moss Arts Center*. Participants will be asked to complete interaction tasks such as navigation, data manipulation, and object selection while wearing a VR headset. Participants will be asked for their comments about these innovative interaction techniques. The entire experimental session will take approximately *60 minutes*. Participant actions in VR will be recorded on the computer screen. Participants need to be at least 18 years old and have *normal vision (or corrected vision with contact lens)*. Upon completion, participants will be awarded with a *$15 Amazon e-gift card*. Participation will be on a first come first serve basis. Feel free to schedule an appointment with the following link: https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cMBJXmHZ3ukfrP8 For more information, please contact *Ibrahim Tahmid* at iatahmid(a)vt.edu. The project is supervised by Dr. Doug A. Bowman in Computer Science. This experiment has been approved, as required, by the Virginia Tech Institutional Review Board, # 21-836. *Regards,* *Ibrahim A Tahmid* *Ph.D. Student* *Virginia Tech*

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Student innovation camp from CCI — deadline December 9
by Samantha Pipkin 01 Dec '21

01 Dec '21

Good morning, all! I’d like to draw your attention to a great student opportunity with an upcoming deadline (December 9). Faculty members, please share this with your students. Check it out below! The CCI Innovation Bootcamp When: Jan. 3-7 Deadline to apply: Dec. 9 at 5pm Where: Arlington, VA Cost: CCI will be covering food and lodging, students will be responsible for travel to Arlington. About: This camp is designed for undergraduate and graduate students from Virginia public institutions to get hands-on with real-world innovation challenges. Entrepreneurs, who know firsthand where the pain points are and how to overcome them, will advise students. Make connections, get answers, and learn how to turn your ideas into products! How to apply: Submit a 60-second personal pitch video by 5 p.m. Dec. 9 about why you should be admitted into the Innovation Boot Camp. Send videos to <mailto:proposals@cyberinitiative.org> proposals(a)cyberinitiative.org. <https://cyberinitiative.org/events-programs/2021/cci-innovation-bootcamp.ht…> Here’s a link where you can learn more about this opportunity and how to apply. Thanks! -- Kelly Izlar Communications Specialist Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) Southwest Virginia ICTAS II, Suite 110, 1075 Life Science Circle, Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-9578 | kizlar(a)vt.edu <mailto:kizlar@vt.edu>

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Regarding CS5254 Mobile Application Development Course
by Sara Hooshangi 01 Dec '21

01 Dec '21

The demand for CS5254 Mobile Application Development has greatly exceeded the department's capacity and the number of available seats in this course for Spring 2022. In fact, we got four times as many requests this year from CS students as took the course last Spring. Due to this level of interest, we plan to offer the course again in Fall 2022. This should allow any student who plans to graduate by December 2022 the opportunity to take the course during the Fall 2022 semester. We believe we should be able to accommodate all of you who were not successful in getting the course this term. Please do not attempt to register or put in a force-add request for CRN 13414. That CRN is restricted to MIT students. CS5254 is a cross-listed course and we share the course with the MIT program. Some seats are reserved for their students, many of whom register for the course in January. You can be sure that we will fill any unused seats with CS students by the time that classes start. If you plan to graduate this coming spring or summer term and so won’t have another chance to take CS5254, please put a new request through the force-add form (if you have already submitted one, SUBMIT A NEW ONE). Please make sure to clearly and concisely state in the comment section that you are graduating at the end of Spring 2022 or Summer 2022 term. Please be honest, and only put a request if you are indeed graduating. We will check student records. While other classes are full, none of them are under the serious enrollment pressure that CS5254 faces. We hope to be able to accommodate many of the force-add requests being made for these by the time that classes start in January. Aside from CS5254, the primary reason why courses are full is because of people signing up for more courses than they actually plan to take. Once/if people drop their extra courses, more seats should become available. In the meantime, if you are an MEng student and unable to find a desired course in your chosen concentration this coming term, I suggest you focus on taking some of your elective courses and explore other areas. We recommend that MEng students only take three courses in their area of concentration and use the remaining credits in the degree to broaden their skillset. The MEng program is designed to give you a broader range of skills than just a single concentration, so please explore other courses that are offered and are still open. And if you have signed up for five or six courses, please be considerate of other students and drop the courses that you do not intend to keep. Thank you Dr. Hooshangi ---------------------------------- Sara Hooshangi, Ph.D. Collegiate Associate Professor Director, MEng Program Department of Computer Science Virginia Tech

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