April 2022 - Gradstudents - mailman.cs.vt.edu

M. Maruf's Ph.D. preliminary proposal [April 28 at 10 am]
by Anuj Karpatne 22 Jul '22

22 Jul '22

Hello everyone, You are cordially invited to the PhD preliminary proposal presentation of M. Maruf on Thursday, April 28 at 10 am. Zoom Link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/81021409068 Title: Knowledge-guided Machine Learning for Prediction and Segmentation Problems Involving Images Committee: Dr. Anuj Karpatne (advisor) Dr. Ismini Lourentzou Dr. Lifu Huang Dr. T.M. Murali Dr. Wei-Lun Chao (from Ohio State University) Abstract: Deep neural networks have made significant advancements in a number of recognition tasks involving image data, such as image classification, object detection, and segmentation. However, conventional neural network models learn solely from the annotations in the training data, which are challenging to prepare in many real-world applications. Additionally, neural network models demonstrate poor generalization performance in some domain-specific applications due to the scarcity of labeled data. To address these challenges, Knowledge-Guided Machine Learning (KGML) aims to inform machine learning models with the scientific knowledge available in diverse forms in different domains. Knowledge graphs are the most common forms of structured knowledge in applications such as biolog. In this thesis, my objective is to develop new KGML approaches that use knowledge graphs to guide the learning of machine learning methods involving images. In particular, I am interested in predicting and localizing semantic features (i.e., objects of interest) from an image by incorporating domain-specific knowledge supervision. The focus of this thesis is two-fold: (i) predicting semantic features in images using knowledge-guided supervision, and (ii) localizing (or segmenting) semantic features/objects in images using knowledge-guided supervision. Achieving both of these objectives would alleviate the current limitations of deep neural networks in many scientific applications. Thanks, -Anuj ------------------- Anuj Karpatne Assistant Professor Computer Science, Virginia Tech https://people.cs.vt.edu/karpatne/

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Survey on Federal Cybersecurity Workforce
by Sara Hooshangi 30 Apr '22

30 Apr '22

Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy is conducting research on the federal government’s cybersecurity hiring. We invite students considering a career in cybersecurity to participate in a survey about career priorities and federal programs. Completing the survey (Survey link <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe496oVimtHfgFaOlqY8EGpkBcrIbql0sT…>) will take about 10 minutes, and you will be entered into a raffle to win a $100 Amazon.com <http://amazon.com/> gift card. You will also have the option to volunteer for a 30-minute follow-on interview, and if you participate in an interview, you will additionally receive a $10 Amazon.com <http://amazon.com/> gift card. In order to participate, you must be currently enrolled at a U.S. college or university, considering a career related to cybersecurity, planning to enter the workforce within the next 2 years, and at least 18 years old. Thank you for sharing your time and opinions!” Survey link <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe496oVimtHfgFaOlqY8EGpkBcrIbql0sT…>

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CS|Source - Career and Professional Development First Destination Report
by juliapc7＠cs.vt.edu 28 Apr '22

28 Apr '22

Congratulations to Virginia Tech seniors* graduating May and summer 2022! Best wishes as your wrap up your semester and look forward to commencement! What's next after your undergraduate degree? Employment? Continuing education? Seeking? Military service? Volunteering? As part of your <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.regis trar.vt.edu%2Fgraduation-multi-brief%2Ftimeline%2Findex.html&data=05%7C01%7C childrec%40vt.edu%7C9ffbb75df26b4b1f6d7308da26dad505%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4 f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C637865018569701885%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4 wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdat a=ggnGehe4fwQSH%2F8BXWMH%2Boq1rUMe0r4COGXCcomh4So%3D&reserved=0> Graduation Timeline, all grads completing undergrad degrees should complete your <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.joinh andshake.com%2Ffirst_destination_responses%2Fnew%2F9NfmHhAdq4PY9IJ74PbpkH6er -OtaoQFK3mOaulENM18cAlOddahtwv&data=05%7C01%7Cchildrec%40vt.edu%7C9ffbb75df2 6b4b1f6d7308da26dad505%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C63786501 8569701885%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBT iI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=AIzrud6WOcJz7pGUqo6BokZXewHV iBVV%2FYte72o%2BjLg%3D&reserved=0> First Destination Survey before commencement. * The survey is also for students completing an associate's degree at Virginia Tech. More details: * The survey is quick, easy, confidential. Allow about five minutes to complete it. Your name and individual responses are not given to anyone. * Still seeking a job or admission to graduate school? That's very common, so you can update your response up to six months later. We'll remind you. * <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcareer.vt .edu%2Fabout%2Ffirst-destination%2Fwelcome.html&data=05%7C01%7Cchildrec%40vt .edu%7C9ffbb75df26b4b1f6d7308da26dad505%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7 C0%7C0%7C637865018569701885%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQ IjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WQ01OMGQViN NO7xBGL1Jkqu4qbSFgzXSay4EtgsmHRM%3D&reserved=0> More information for May and summer 2022 grads about reporting your first destination. * <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fregistrar .vt.edu%2Fgraduation-multi-brief.html&data=05%7C01%7Cchildrec%40vt.edu%7C9ff bb75df26b4b1f6d7308da26dad505%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C6 37865018569701885%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMz IiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=m%2BIAKU%2B3n8jEPE7eg OY7jtpz%2BlI23rMy7BQsvxoUgv4%3D&reserved=0> Graduation information from the University Registrar, including your <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fregistrar .vt.edu%2Fgraduation%2Fundergraduate%2Ftimeline%2Findex.html&data=05%7C01%7C childrec%40vt.edu%7C9ffbb75df26b4b1f6d7308da26dad505%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4 f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C637865018569701885%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4 wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdat a=deLvBW1V0i4hSbDU3nTbhUmyWgbrO3EXGZlv%2BsmC%2F54%3D&reserved=0> Graduation Timeline. <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcareer.vt .edu%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cchildrec%40vt.edu%7C9ffbb75df26b4b1f6d7308da26dad505% 7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C637865018569701885%7CUnknown%7C TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0% 3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=uL2A0nZfHwE71R0M7wkkzZfVGNdfBuAszEyiXXihj7s%3D&rese rved=0> Career and Professional Development continues to be available to new graduates to <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcareer.vt .edu%2Fadvising.html&data=05%7C01%7Cchildrec%40vt.edu%7C9ffbb75df26b4b1f6d73 08da26dad505%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C637865018569701885 %7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWw iLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WNZfnW%2FqLpFnkLeLHziN5Y%2FKhvFJdmXe1l TsYtzdUg0%3D&reserved=0> advise you in seeking employment, applying to continue your education, and exploring your career options. With appreciation, on behalf of Virginia Tech. <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcareer.vt .edu%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cchildrec%40vt.edu%7C9ffbb75df26b4b1f6d7308da26dad505% 7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C637865018569701885%7CUnknown%7C TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0% 3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=uL2A0nZfHwE71R0M7wkkzZfVGNdfBuAszEyiXXihj7s%3D&rese rved=0> career.vt.edu

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CS|SOURCE - EMPLOYER JOB POSTINGS AND EVENTS
by juliapc7＠cs.vt.edu 28 Apr '22

28 Apr '22

CS|SOURCE - EMPLOYER JOB POSTINGS AND EVENTS Current opportunities with employers are listed below. View other positions in <https://career.vt.edu/job-search/Handshake.html> Handshake. View <https://cs.vt.edu/cs-source/cs-source-events.html> CS|Source for upcoming events. OPPORTUNITY 1 URGENT DEADLINE for Undergraduate Research. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded an ongoing 5-year project on computational epidemiology called Global Pervasive Computational Epidemiology <https://computational-epidemiology.org/> https://computational-epidemiology.org/. To apply, please email your resume, unofficial transcript, and a brief statement of areas of interest to Professor Lenwood S. Heath, heath(a)vt.edu by April 29, 2022. Flyer attached. OPPORTUNITY 2 The SAIL lab is inviting student researchers who identify as Black or African-American as part of a research project examining online racial microaggressions targeting Black individuals/groups on social media communities. We invite you to a series of discussions (which will be available in both remote & in-person format) in identifying and discussing instances of acts and recalls of online racial microaggressions. Length and depth of involvement in the project (e.g., type or scope of analysis and annotation), as well as recognition of contribution to the project, can be further discussed. The workshop session will be conducted between May 6-10 at the Corporate Research Center. Email Uma at <mailto:umasushmitha@vt.edu> umasushmitha(a)vt.edu or <mailto:eugenia@vt.edu> eugenia(a)vt.edu if you are interested. OPPORTUNITY 3 Graduating seniors - Vectrus is seeking entry level software development roles in Dahlgren and Richmond locations. View <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vectr us.com%2Four-company%2F&data=05%7C01%7Clboothe%40vt.edu%7C08b2db09da784448d1 ef08da2863772e%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C6378667057954636 91%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1ha WwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=uztxgC2j7bLbgUtqQWsfGb6uFt0oPGhrTgoZ paFvGP4%3D&reserved=0> Our Company | Vectrus; <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vectr us.com%2Fconverged-environment%2F&data=05%7C01%7Clboothe%40vt.edu%7C08b2db09 da784448d1ef08da2863772e%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C637866 705795463691%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJ BTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2BFCQVHQ7k%2BYwHaJiSvmqc7 6oHJwOKDnQMC0qb4lzkHI%3D&reserved=0> Converged Environment (vectrus.com); <https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcareers.v ectrus.com%2Fwhy-vectrus%2F&data=05%7C01%7Clboothe%40vt.edu%7C08b2db09da7844 48d1ef08da2863772e%7C6095688410ad40fa863d4f32c1e3a37a%7C0%7C0%7C637866705795 463691%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6I k1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mZKeN5RSwKxyXSkv9l0%2FxnXnbaGVq0 J7k36iqrWEcfA%3D&reserved=0> Vectrus Careers. OPPORTUNITY 4 Triple Point Security is looking to fill their cybersecurity internship program this summer (June 6-August 12). Flyer attached and posted on Handshake. OPPORTUNITY 5 Kingsmen Software is seeking engineer apprentices to kick-off in early June. Flyer attached and view <https://kingsmen-software.breezy.hr/p/e11aec7d63fd> https://kingsmen-software.breezy.hr/p/e11aec7d63fd. OPPORTUNITY 6 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! CORPORATE STAKEHOLDERS Julia Costello Strategic Partnership Coordinator Virginia Tech | College of Engineering | Department of Computer Science 2202 Kraft Drive | Blacksburg, VA 24060 540.250.6121 | <mailto:juliapc7@cs.vt.edu> juliapc7(a)cs.vt.edu CS|Source Website: <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcs.vt.edu %2Fcs-source.html&data=04%7C01%7Cgcaufman%40peraton.com%7C274bbb94bdea4a9c7b 0408d8e8aaee69%7C1c6258462b0a448383dde024820875b3%7C0%7C0%7C6375151681480464 16%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1ha WwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=VBHHIabAuZqQzfNpOVOGp0RpKf9LGzMs7qY3UNy3pm0%3 D&reserved=0> https://cs.vt.edu/cs-source.html 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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Fwd: Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) PhD Scholars Program Recommendations
by Cliff Shaffer 28 Apr '22

28 Apr '22

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Hill, Ehren <ehren(a)vt.edu> Date: Thu, Apr 28, 2022 at 9:51 AM Subject: Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) PhD Scholars Program Recommendations To: Hooshangi, Sara <shoosh(a)vt.edu>, Shaffer, Cliff <shaffer(a)vt.edu>, Lu, Chang-Tien <clu(a)vt.edu> Cc: Downer, Sarah <sldowner(a)vt.edu>, Khan, Sadnima <tiasha(a)vt.edu> Dear Colleagues, The Hume Center for National Security and Technology is now accepting applications for the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) PhD Scholars Program. The program is geared towards U.S. citizen students who are in the last 2-years of their Ph.D. program (as of Fall 2022) at VT and who want to work in academia in a cybersecurity role after graduation. Students selected by the sponsor will receive full tuition and fees, including a $35,000 annual stipend, in return for a service commitment to stay in an academic position for up to 4-years after graduation. We currently have 10 undergrads in a similar scholarship program from the same sponsor and feel that we have a good chance of funding a couple students under this new initiative. We need student applications by May 6, interested students should fill out the form (here <https://forms.gle/ZVU14HDRtriHdtJu9>) so we can reach out to describe the program in more detail. Please reach out to Tiasha or I if you have any questions, and we would appreciate if you could forward this information to students who you think would be a good fit for the program. *“The DoD is seeking Doctoral candidates, who are interested in working in a faculty positions in cybersecurity and other cyber-related disciplines. These candidates must be U.S. citizens and are at least 18 years of age. Students must be within two years of completion or graduation of the PhD program. Students selected as Cyber Scholars will receive two years of tuition, books (from the institution/degree specific required book list, not books which are optional for the class), required fees (including health care), travel to attend one cyber-related conference within the United States where the student is presenting a paper (No foreign travel will be authorized), and a stipend of $35,000. Disabled students may receive additional allowances.* *NCAE-C PhD Scholars will be expected to begin working in a faculty positions at either their parent institution, a designated NCAE-C institution, or in some instances at a non-designated minority serving institution within 6 months of completion of the degree or graduation. NCAE-Cs will assist scholars in finding open vacancies either through their own institution, utilizing the NCAE-C network, or faculty vacancies posted on the CAE Community Website. NCAE-C PhD Scholars must qualify for the positions they apply to. This requires the student to agree to serve four years of service to the institution, upon graduation.”* Thank you! *Ehren Hill* Associate Director for Education & Outreach Hume Center for National Security and Technology Virginia Tech National Security Institute 540-231-5104 (o) 202-679-5955 (c) https://www.hume.vt.edu/ -- Dr. Cliff Shaffer Professor and Associate Department Head for Graduate Studies Department of Computer Science Phone: (540) 231-4354 Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061 WWW: www.cs.vt.edu/~shaffer

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Updates/Reminders to Fall Registration - includes Department Limits on Course Registration
by Mayo, Trey 27 Apr '22

27 Apr '22

Below are a few updates/reminders on fall registration. You will see some of these messages again throughout the summer. Add/Drop Window for Fall 22 Registration * Unlike previous years, the add/drop window for Fall 22 registration will run all summer long until the last day to add which is currently slated for August 26th (roughly four months out). * This means you'll be able to adjust your schedule on your own in HokieSpa throughout the summer. * This *only* applies to graduate students at VT. Department Limits on Course Registration Please remember the following department limits on course registration: * Students on assistantship: 2 regular courses * Other MS/PhD: 3 regular courses * MEng: 4 regular courses "Regular" courses do not include CS 5944 Graduate Seminar or CS 5994/7994 research hours. A number of students who signed up for extra classes may have done so thinking they need the class credits to meet the total minimum requirements (e.g., to meet full time status or assistantship status). All students can take CS 5994 and CS 7994 research hours. There is no limit to how many of these you can take. So if you are having trouble with dropping a course due to a minimum hours restriction, then just sign up for (or increase your number of) research hours to get to the credit total that you need. To adjust the number of credits for research hours, please see this email that was sent on Monday, April 25th: http://mailman.cs.vt.edu/pipermail/gradstudents/2022-April/000788.html So what if I'm not in compliance with the Department Limits on Course Registration? (see above) We will be running reports all summer long (every few weeks to be exact) to ensure that everyone is in compliance. If you don't want to be on that report, please drop the extra classes soon. You can expect that we will remove people from courses that are full to free seats for those on the force add request list.

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FW: [Event: Guest Lecture from Google Research] Thursday 4/28: SS: Trustworthy ML
by skpotter＠vt.edu 26 Apr '22

26 Apr '22

Dear all, This Thursday, Dr. Chiyuan Zhang from Google Research will give us a guest lecture on Neural Network Memorization in Vision and Language Models. The teaching staff from ECE 5984 (Trustworthy Machine Learning) is inviting anyone from the VT community who is interested in this guest lecture. You may attend the lecture via this zoom link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87681568527?pwd=RnpJNGlDYTlVNlRrSENoN0doUUcr…. Meeting ID: 876 8156 8527 Passcode: 024027 You may find information about the talk here: Time: Thursday 4/28, 11am-12pm Title: Neural Network Memorization in Vision and Language Models Abstract: Deep learning algorithms are well-known to have a propensity for fitting the training data very well, often fitting even outliers and mislabeled data points. Such fitting requires memorization of training data labels, a phenomenon that has attracted significant research interest but has not been given a compelling explanation so far. In this talk, we introduce a notion of 'counterfactual memorization' which formally characterizes what neural networks memorize during training. We show experiments from both image classification and language modeling to demonstrate memorization behaviors. We further discuss the impact of neural network memorization on its generalization performance, which sheds light on why large overparameterized neural networks tend to generalize better despite heavier memorization. Bio: Chiyuan Zhang is a research scientist at Google Research. He is interested in analyzing and understanding the generalization and memorization of deep neural networks and their connections to related areas such as systematic generalization and reasoning, as well as differentially private learning. Chiyuan Zhang holds a Ph.D. from MIT (2017), a Bachelor's (2009), and a Master's (2012) degree in computer science from Zhejiang University, China. Hope you can joint!

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Talk of Dr. Chiyuan Zhang from Google Research
by Alvi Md Ishmam 25 Apr '22

25 Apr '22

Dear all, This Thursday 11am-12pm, Dr. Chiyuan Zhang from Google Research will give us a guest lecture on Neural Network Memorization in Vision and Language Models. The teaching staff from ECE 5984 (Trustworthy Machine Learning) is inviting anyone from the VT community who is interested in this guest lecture. You may attend the lecture via this zoom link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87681568527?pwd=RnpJNGlDYTlVNlRrSENoN0doUUcr… <https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87681568527?pwd=RnpJNGlDYTlVNlRrSENoN0doUUcr…> Meeting ID: 876 8156 8527 Passcode: 024027 You may find the information of the talk here: Title: Neural Network Memorization in Vision and Language Models Abstract: Deep learning algorithms are well-known to have a propensity for fitting the training data very well and often fit even outliers and mislabeled data points. Such fitting requires memorization of training data labels, a phenomenon that has attracted significant research interest but has not been given a compelling explanation so far. In this talk, we introduce a notion of 'counterfactual memorization' which formally characterizes what neural networks memorize during training. We show experiments from both image classification and language modeling to demonstrate the memorization behaviors. We further discuss the impact of neural network memorization on its generalization performance, which shied lights on why large overparameterized neural networks tend to generalize better despite heavier memorization. Bio: Chiyuan Zhang is a research scientist at Google Research. He is interested in analyzing and understanding generalization and memorization of deep neural networks, and the connection to related areas such as systematic generalization and reasoning, as well as differentially private learning. Chiyuan Zhang holds a Ph.D. from MIT (2017), and a Bachelor (2009) and a Master (2012) degrees in computer science from Zhejiang University, China. Best, Alvi Md Ishmam PhD student Department of Computer Science Virginia Tech

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FW: National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) PhD Scholars Program - Applications Due May 6th
by Roxanne Paul 25 Apr '22

25 Apr '22

Dear CS graduate students, Please see below a funding opportunity with the Hume Center and NCAE-C. Roxanne Nersesian Paul Administrative & Program Specialist Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering Northern Virginia Center 7054 Haycock Road, Room 312A Falls Church, VA 22043 703-538-8370 roxpaul(a)vt.edu ---------- The Hume Center for National Security and Technology is accepting applications for the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) PhD Scholars Program. The program is geared towards students who are in the last 2-years of their Ph.D. program (as of Fall 2022) at VT and who want to work in academia in a cybersecurity role after graduation. Students selected by the sponsor will receive full tuition and fees, including a $35,000 annual stipend, in return for a service commitment to stay in an academic position for up to *4-years* after graduation and who are *US citizens*. Student applications are due May 6th. *“The DoD is seeking Doctoral candidates, who are interested in working in a faculty positions in cybersecurity and other cyber-related disciplines. These candidates must be U.S. citizens and are at least 18 years of age. Students must be within two years of completion or graduation of the PhD program. Students selected as Cyber Scholars will receive two years of tuition, books (from the institution/degree specific required book list, not books which are optional for the class), required fees (including health care), travel to attend one cyber-related conference within the United States where the student is presenting a paper (No foreign travel will be authorized), and a stipend of $35,000. Disabled students may receive additional allowances.* *NCAE-C PhD Scholars will be expected to begin working in a faculty positions at either their parent institution, a designated NCAE-C institution, or in some instances at a non-designated minority serving institution within 6 months of completion of the degree or graduation. NCAE-Cs will assist scholars in finding open vacancies either through their own institution, utilizing the NCAE-C network, or faculty vacancies posted on the CAE Community Website. NCAE-C PhD Scholars must qualify for the positions they apply to. This requires the student to agree to serve four years of service to the institution, upon graduation.”* *TO APPLY* If you are interested in receiving the application, please click here <https://forms.gle/ZVU14HDRtriHdtJu9> If you have any questions about the application process, please contact *Tiasha Khan* at tiasha(a)vt.edu. ----------- Thank you, *Stephanie Travis* *Director, Senior Military College Cyber Institute* Intelligent Systems Division Hume Center for National Security and Technology National Security Institute Virginia Tech 900 North Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22203 www.hume.vt.edu

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Sk Adnan Hassan's MS defense - May 4, 10am
by Francisco Servant 25 Apr '22

25 Apr '22

Dear all, You are cordially invited to attend the M.S. defense of Sk Adnan Hassan. All the details are below. Sk Adnan Hassan Advisor: Francisco Servant Committee: Na Meng, Muhammad Ali Gulzar DATE/TIME: Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT ZOOM LINK: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/my/fservant TITLE: Theory and Patterns for Avoiding Regex Denial of Service ABSTRACT: Regular expressions are ubiquitous. They are used for diverse purposes, including input validation and firewalls. Unfortunately, they can also lead to a security vulnerability called ReDoS(Regular Expression Denial of Service), caused by a super-linear worst-case execution time during regex matching. ReDoS has a serious and wide impact: since applications written in most programming languages can be vulnerable to it, ReDoS has caused outages at prominent web services including Cloudflare and Stack Overflow. Due to the severity and prevalence of ReDoS, past work proposed mechanisms to identify and repair regexes. In this work, we set a different goal: helping developers avoid introducing regexes that could trigger ReDoS in the first place. A necessary condition for a regex to trigger ReDoS is to be infinitely ambiguous (IA). We propose a theory and a collection of anti-patterns to characterize infinitely ambiguous (IA) regexes. We evaluate our proposed anti-patterns in two complementary ways: quantitatively, over a dataset of 209,188 regexes from open-source software; and qualitatively, by observing humans using them in practice. In our large-scale evaluation, our anti-patterns characterized IA regexes with 100% precision and 99% recall, showing that they can capture the large majority of IA regexes, even when they are a simplified version of our theory. In our human experiment, practitioners applying our anti-patterns correctly assessed whether the regex that they were composing was IA or not in all of our studied regex-composition tasks. Best, Paco -- Francisco Servant Distinguished Researcher, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Adjunct Faculty, Virginia Tech http://www.fservant.com

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