February 2023 - Gradstudents - mailman.cs.vt.edu

Jie Bu's Ph.D. defense [Feb 9 at 4 pm]
by Anuj Karpatne 02 Dec '24

02 Dec '24

Hello everyone, You are cordially invited to the final defense of PhD student Jie Bu on Thursday, Feb 9 at 4 pm. Zoom Link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/5142223333 Title: Achieving More with Less: Learning Generalizable Neural Networks With Less Labeled Data and Computational Overheads Committee: Dr. Anuj Karpatne (advisor) Dr. Adrian Sandu Dr. Ismini Lourentzou Dr. Naren Ramakrishnan Dr. Anish Arora (from Ohio State University) Abstract: Recent advancements in deep learning have demonstrated its incredible ability to learn generalizable patterns and relationships automatically from data in a number of mainstream applications. However, the generalization power of deep learning methods largely comes at the costs of working with very large datasets and using highly compute-intensive models. Many applications cannot afford these costs needed to ensure generalizability of deep learning models. For instance, obtaining labeled data can be costly in scientific applications, and using large models may not be feasible in resource-constrained environments involving portable devices. This thesis aims to improve efficiency in machine learning by exploring different ways to learn generalizable neural networks that require less labeled data and computational resources. We demonstrate that using physics supervision in scientific problems can reduce the need for labeled data, thereby improving data efficiency without compromising model generalizability. Additionally, we investigate the potential of transfer learning powered by transformers in scientific applications as a promising direction for further improving data efficiency through domain adaptation. On the computational efficiency side, we present two efforts for increasing parameter efficiency of neural networks through novel architectures and structured network pruning. Thanks, -Anuj ------------------- Anuj Karpatne Assistant Professor Computer Science, Virginia Tech https://people.cs.vt.edu/karpatne/

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Room Available in Torgersen Hall for CS Graduate Students
by Mayo, Trey 29 Aug '23

29 Aug '23

A reminder for all that in spring 2022 we opened a room in Torgersen Hall available exclusively for CS Graduate Students. Torgersen Hall 3200 (TORG 3200) is located directly across from the CS Office of Graduate Programs (TORG 3210). Photos are attached. It provides space for students to meet as a group to work on projects or individuals who just need to a quiet place to study or hang out between classes. The room should not be used for personal/group meetings/parties or classes/tutoring sessions. It is not a reservable space. Access is available to any currently enrolled CS graduate student regardless of degree program or campus. Access to the room is controlled with your Hokie Passport (Student ID card). The room is available 24/7 as long as Torgersen Hall is open. If you have trouble accessing the room with your Hokie Passport, please visit the CS Office of Graduate Programs in TORG 3210 and we'll research the matter. (We believe we've resolved all previous access issues reported). Please note that this room is only for CS Graduate Students. If we find an abuse of the facilities, we will investigate and remove access. Please do your part as a responsible Hokie and help us keep the room clean and in good shape. We hope you enjoy. ============================================================== Trey Mayo, Ed.D. Director of Graduate Programs Virginia Tech | Department of Computer Science Torgersen Hall Suite 3210 620 Drillfield Drive (MC 0106) | Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-0780 | treymayo(a)vt.edu<mailto:treymayo@vt.edu> | http://cs.vt.edu<http://cs.vt.edu/>

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more interesting faculty candidate talks this coming week
by Calvin Ribbens 01 Mar '23

01 Mar '23

Four more visitors this coming week, including one with an in-person talk option. Join us for 3 virtual and 1 in-person seminar February 27 – March 2! **Please note the late afternoon start of Pinar Yanardag’s seminar in 1100 Torgersen on March 2** *Monday, February 27*: James Pierce *Seminar: Trust, Privacy, and Social Tensions in Smart Product Design: Improving the Multi-User Experience of Networked and Artificially-Intelligent Everyday Technologies* *Join Seminar via Zoom @ 11:00 AM:* https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87620707438?pwd=QmxMYkZsSk1IaGV3NVZvOHd0Y1h5… Meeting ID: 876 2070 7438 | Passcode: 575976 Announcement attached. *Wednesday, March 1*: Mina Lee *Seminar: Designing and Evaluating Language Models for Human Interaction <https://cs.vt.edu/News/Seminars/Mina-Lee.html>* *Join Seminar via Zoom @ 11:00 AM:* https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/87161527207?pwd=ZlJEZ0JKVUpBMGlHbEFGdW5GQ1NR… Meeting ID: 871 6152 7207 | Passcode: 825515 *Thursday, March 2*: Yi Ding *Seminar: A Holistic View on Machine Learning for Systems <https://cs.vt.edu/News/Seminars/Yi-Ding.html>* *Join Seminar via Zoom @ 11:00 AM* https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/81218565344?pwd=S1dwQ1N6WGpVMS9idi80cHpKUUh6… Meeting ID: 812 1856 5344 | Passcode: 860041 *Thursday, March* *2*: Pinar Yanardag *Seminar: Interpretable Deep Generative Models <https://cs.vt.edu/News/Seminars/Pinar-Yanardag.html>* *4:00 PM - 1100 Torgersen Hall* Zoom Option: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/81713922711?pwd=TVpUVmp2bVdEMGN0SnBzSDNqQ0Fy… Meeting ID: 817 1392 2711 | Passcode: 602389

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FW: Seminars February 20 - 23
by Debbie Zier 27 Feb '23

27 Feb '23

From: Debbie Zier <debzi5(a)vt.edu> Sent: Friday, February 17, 2023 1:56 PM To: faculty(a)cs.vt.edu Subject: Seminars February 20 - 23 Good Morning, Another round of candidate talks next week, February 20 - February 23. Talk information and Zoom links are listed below. I have also attached the seminar flyers that you can share with your students. All candidate talks are scheduled via Zoom at 11:00 AM. Monday, February 20: Mai ElSherief Seminar:Moderating a Brave New World: Identifying Emerging Disorders in Online Media Ecosystems <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICp0-G_u1TRfXnsJ31EERy92juFqgT1c/view?usp= sharing> https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/82568230266?pwd=UkhlT2FxcjdHdUl3TnBMNVd5R0hGU T09 Meeting ID: 825 6823 0266 | Passcode: 605492 Tuesday, February 21: Anastasia Ostrowski Seminar: Equity and Justice in Robot and AI Design Processes <https://cs.vt.edu/News/Seminars/Anastasia-Ostrowski.html> https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/83682838601?pwd=M3hHWkRsbmM3UzB5c0hTandONzlYZ z09 Meeting ID: 836 8283 8601 | Passcode: 820605 Wednesday, February 22: Kirshanthan Sundararajah Seminar: Abstractions for Taming Irregularity at the Top <https://cs.vt.edu/News/Seminars/Kirshanthan-Sundararajah.html> https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/81187036137?pwd=S1oxNHVPajFWaFRmOXVRTVVnS1lnU T09 Meeting ID: 811 8703 6137 | Passcode: 396539 Thursday, February 23: Sainyam Galhotra Seminar: Context-aware Responsible Data Science <https://cs.vt.edu/News/Seminars/Sainyam-Galhotra.html> https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/81816881280?pwd=L1BvTkZHU0h6RFNrL3lOUzhCRFMyZ z09 Meeting ID: 818 1688 1280 | Passcode: 471260 Have a great weekend! Debbie _________________ Debbie Zier Administrative Assistant Department of Computer Science (0106) 1180 Torgersen Hall 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 540-231-9195

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GPSS Meeting 2/25/2023 Notes
by frantzme＠vt.edu 25 Feb '23

25 Feb '23

To CS Graduate Students, As a senator and a representative of the CS Grad School on GPSS, please find some highlights of the meeting held today listed below. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know and I will make sure to bring it up. Links to GPSS, Meeting Information, and their official notes are at the bottom of the email. If there are any links missing or you would like to know more information, please email me, Wesley Woo, or the GPSS directly. These notes were taken post-mortem. Living Wage Task Force The Report is finally released, and you can find the webpage here: https://vtx.vt.edu/articles/2023/02/graduate-student-assistance-task-force-…. You can open the report directly here, https://www.provost.vt.edu/content/dam/provost_vt_edu/Graduate%20Assistants…. The Virtual Board of Visitors meeting will be on March 2nd, 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM. The BoV page can be found here, https://bov.vt.edu/. VT Privacy & Security The VT admins indicate they would plan to use an AI to go through the data of any device (computer, phone, smart watch, etc...) connected to the the university network. This AI is said to use the data to detect cyber-security threats with little information about the details or implementation of this plan. There is an ongoing petition that you can look into and sign if you'd like located here, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l-SQ0QlUjpqCUK54VMKDNFxFn3AbIUaUDx3zzsN…. Student Health Insurance Survey There is a completely anonymous survey put together to help get information about about problematic issues with the current plan and advocate for better plans. You can find the link to the survey here, https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey?tt=bk3nSKCER%2B4ECHrPeIW9…. Graduate Research Development Plan Reviewers The Graduate Research Development Plan (GRDP) is a committee to provide monetary support for graduate students research. The GDRP is currently looking for reviewers, with a minimum time of 1.5 hours from Jan. 30th to March 10th. If you are interested you can fill out the form here, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfUwImJwKv2jzuA5Ds50wC3samGMRc4Ae0…. You can also find additional information here, https://gpss.vt.edu/programs/grdp.html. Travel Funding Travel funding from GPSS is still open and is due by Midnight (EDT) February 27, 2023. Please find the link here: https://gpss.vt.edu/programs/tfp.html. Parking Survey If you have any opinion or interesting experiences with parking at VT, please fill out the form here, https://virginiatech.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey?tt=OcMZsn2q8pM%3D. Earthquake Relief The Turkish Student Association has created a campaign to help those in need linked here, https://donate.tpfund.org/team/479874. Please find the links to GPSS pages listed below: GPSS Main Page Resolutions Meeting Minutes Meeting Calendar Zoom Meeting Link

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CS|SOURCE - EMPLOYER JOB POSTINGS AND EVENTS
by Julia Costello 24 Feb '23

24 Feb '23

CS|SOURCE - EMPLOYER JOB POSTINGS AND EVENTS OPPORTUNITY 1 <https://www.cgi.com> CGI to host their inaugural Consulting Challenge to introduce students to the consulting industry. Sign up to attend on campus events on March 20 - coffee chats <https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E44AEAF2DA7FEC70-cgiconsulting> HERE and info session at 5:30pm, Smith Career Center, Meeting Room A <https://app.joinhandshake.com/emp/events/1246099> HERE. Virtual session links: March 2: <https://tinyurl.com/CGICC0302> tinyurl.com/CGICC0302; March 8: <https://tinyurl.com/CGICC0308> tinyurl.com/CGICC0308; March 14: <https://tinyurl.com/CGICC314> tinyurl.com/CGICC314; March 29: <https://tinyurl.com/CGICC329> tinyurl.com/CGICC329. Flyer attached. 2023 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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Re: [Gradstudents] CRA Annual Student Survey - Last Call
by Mayo, Trey 24 Feb '23

24 Feb '23

A final reminder that there's still time to participate in this survey. It closes Monday, February 27th at 9 a.m. From: Mayo, Trey Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2023 4:01 PM To: gradstudents(a)cs.vt.edu Subject: RE: CRA Annual Student Survey A friendly reminder if you have not yet had a chance to complete this survey. We appreciate your participation. From: Mayo, Trey Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2022 3:30 PM To: gradstudents(a)cs.vt.edu<mailto:gradstudents@cs.vt.edu> Subject: CRA Annual Student Survey Dear Student, The Computing Research Association (CRA) is interested in career development among students in computing fields. To that end, I encourage you to complete their survey, which will take about 25 minutes to complete. Your contribution to this research helps us understand factors related to academic retention and persistence. In exchange for your time, you will be given the opportunity to enter a raffle to win one of ten $20.00(USD) Amazon gift cards! * If you are interested in completing the survey, please follow the link below: https://cerp.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_81cgEL39xCZ8Ap8/?id=vt_cs Note that if you completed a survey for CRA in the past, you may have been contacted directly by CRA. If you have already completed this survey, please disregard this message. Many thanks! ============================================================== Trey Mayo, Ed.D. Director of Graduate Programs Virginia Tech | Department of Computer Science Torgersen Hall Suite 3210 620 Drillfield Drive (MC 0106) | Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-0780 | treymayo(a)vt.edu<mailto:treymayo@vt.edu> | http://cs.vt.edu<http://cs.vt.edu/>

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CAPWIC 2023 Conference
by Mayo, Trey 23 Feb '23

23 Feb '23

Please see the opportunity below. Please direct any questions to Dr. Mohammed Seyam at seyam(a)vt.edu<mailto:seyam@vt.edu> From: Mohammed Seyam <seyam(a)vt.edu> Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2023 4:05 PM ------------ CAPWIC is the ACM Capital Region Celebration of Women in Computing and provides a low-cost, regionally tailored, small conference for women and minorities in computing. The participants include women (students, faculty, and professionals), as well as all supporters of women in computing. The conference will be hosted by Virginia State University, on March 31 - April 1, 2023. All levels of experience are welcome. For more information on the conference, visit https://capwic.org/ The Computer Science Department at Virginia Tech is offering a number of fully-funded scholarships for interested students to attend the conference. If you are interested in attending the conference, please apply through this link: https://bit.ly/CAPWIC2023CSVT . Deadline for submission is March 3, 2023. Applicants who will be offered scholarships will be notified via email. Please contact Dr. Mohammed Seyam (seyam(a)vt.edu<mailto:seyam@vt.edu>) if you have any questions. -------------- -- Mohammed Seyam<https://website.cs.vt.edu/people/faculty/mohammed-seyam.html>, PhD Collegiate Assistant Professor Coordinator for Experiential Learning<https://xl.vt.edu/> Department of Computer Science<http://cs.vt.edu/> Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VirginiaTech<http://www.vt.edu/>). Website<http://people.cs.vt.edu/seyam>|LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/in/msseyam/> | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/MSSeyam>

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FW: Call for Research Projects and Ph.D. Student Fellowships: Amazon - VT Initiative for Efficient and Robust ML - DUE MARCH 1
by Sharon Kinder-Potter 23 Feb '23

23 Feb '23

Sharon Kinder-Potter Graduate Program Coordinator Virginia Tech Department of Computer Science 3210 Torgersen Hall; (MC 0106) 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 540.231.6932/ <mailto:skpotter@vt.edu> skpotter(a)vt.edu <https://cs.vt.edu/> https://cs.vt.edu **BE COMMITTED. BE WELL** From: Shalaby, Wanawsha <wanah92(a)vt.edu> Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2023 7:00 PM To: Saville, Rachel <saville(a)vt.edu>; Wall, Kelsey <kelseys1(a)vt.edu>; Spradlin, Liza <lizaas14(a)vt.edu>; Martin, Sarah <shmartin(a)vt.edu>; Kinder-Potter, Sharon <skpotter(a)vt.edu>; Pipkin, Samantha <samanthap(a)vt.edu>; Villada Esquivel, Laura <vlaura(a)vt.edu>; Burns, Lisa <lkburns(a)vt.edu>; Knott, Tamara <knott(a)vt.edu>; Parks, Hannah <hsswiger(a)vt.edu>; Hill, Cathy <hillcath(a)vt.edu>; Jones, Allison <arjones(a)vt.edu>; Grandstaff, Kim <grandska(a)vt.edu>; Crotto, Michelle <mcrotto(a)vt.edu>; Paul, Roxanne <roxpaul(a)vt.edu>; Kovanis, Vassilios <vkovanis(a)vt.edu>; Hopkins, Carrie <carrieh7(a)vt.edu> Subject: Call for Research Projects and Ph.D. Student Fellowships: Amazon - VT Initiative for Efficient and Robust ML - DUE MARCH 1 Could you please forward this email to faculty and graduate students in your department? Thank you! ____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________ Hello, This is a friendly reminder about the Call for Research Projects <https://sanghani.cs.vt.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-Amazon_VT-CFP_Pr ojects-2.pdf> and Call for PhD student fellowships <https://sanghani.cs.vt.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Amazon-VT-CPF_Fe llowships_Updated.pdf> from the Amazon - Virginia Tech Initiative for Efficient and Robust Machine Learning <https://sanghani.cs.vt.edu/amazon-virginia-tech-initiative/> . As stated in the CFP, all submissions are due March 1, 2023 (5pm EDT). Please refere to the FAQ <https://sanghani.cs.vt.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Amazon-VT-Initiative- FAQ_Updated-June-7_22.pdf> for additional information. Proposal/fellowship nomination submissions and any questions about proposal/fellowship nomination submissions should be addressed to Wanawsha Shalaby, Manager of Operations at the Sanghani Center, wanah92(a)vt.edu <mailto:wanah92@vt.edu> . Thank you, Wanawsha Wanawsha Shalaby Manager of Operations UrbComp Program Coordinator Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics - Virginia Tech 900 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22203 Phone: (571) 858-3361 E-Mail: <mailto:wanah92@vt.edu> wanah92(a)vt.edu

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Kirshanthan Sundararajah Faculty Candidate Seminar (Wed, Feb 22, 11:00am via Zoom)
by Eli Tilevich 22 Feb '23

22 Feb '23

Dear all, Please join us for the CS faculty candidate seminar by Dr. Kirshanthan Sundararajah on Wednesday, February 22nd at 11am via Zoom: Zoom: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/85392080183?pwd=Y0xtTXpJeU9TWUtoL21LY2I3ZmthU T09 Meeting ID: 853 9208 0183 | Passcode: 043119 You should be able to log into the Zoom room using these credentials, at the time designated for the talk. The attached flyer contains the talk's abstract and the candidate's bio. Best regards, ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eli Tilevich, Ph.D. Professor Dept. of Computer Science Virginia Tech (540) 231-3475 http://people.cs.vt.edu/~tilevich "There is no substitute for intelligence, experience, common sense,and good taste." Bjarne Stroustrup

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