October 2025 - Gradstudents - mailman.cs.vt.edu

Hold the Date – GRFP Preparation Workshop (Tuesday, Nov 4th, 5 PM, Gilbert 4001)
by Eli Tilevich 30 Oct '25

30 Oct '25

Dear all, A quick reminder that our GRFP Preparation Workshop will take place this Tuesday, November 4th, at 5:00 PM in Gilbert 4001. If you’re planning to apply to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), this is a great opportunity to pitch your proposal ideas, and receive constructive feedback from a panel of faculty reviewers. Even if you haven’t contacted me before about your GRFP plans, you are welcome and encouraged to participate. To help us organize the session and match faculty expertise to proposal topics, please sign up as soon as possible using the form below: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-M0F7zjE-ve0cnWI3yaQWWO-jiPYSSSPXel… We’re looking forward to a productive and engaging session; please don’t miss it! Best, Dr. T. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Eli Tilevich, Ph.D. Professor and Associate Dept. Head for Graduate Studies Gilbert Place #4204 Dept. of Computer Science Virginia Tech Zoom: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/my/tilevich (540) 231-3475 http://people.cs.vt.edu/~tilevich

1 0

Upcoming CS Events in BBurg
by Coulson, Sara 30 Oct '25

30 Oct '25

Passing along two upcoming events that may be of interest (details attached) * IBM Fireside Chat happening tomorrow (plus pizza and snacks) in Torg 1100 from 3-4pm * CodePath is coming to BBurg on Nov 12th 6:30-8pm (plus food, swag, and prizes) Best, S Sara Coulson Director of Graduate Programs | Computer Science Torgersen 1180B 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061

1 0

Time Sensitive! CS|Source Events, Announcements, and Opportunities
by Hodge, Julie 30 Oct '25

30 Oct '25

[cid:image001.png@01DC44DA.D48F4270] CHCI@VT Fall Distinguished Speaker, Prof. Hiroshi Ishii,-TOMORROW!! Prof. Hiroshi Ishii<https://tangible.media.mit.edu/person/hiroshi-ishii/>, the Associate Director of the MIT Media Lab and this semester's CHCI@VT Distinguished Speaker, will be giving a talk about "Vision-Driven Design: Beyond Tangible Bits toward Radical Atoms, Beyond Telepresence toward TeleAbsence" tomorrow, (Friday, 10/31) at 11AM ET in Gilbert Place 2124. Details of his talk are available in the attached flyer. Please attend in person if you're interested in his talk. A Zoom webinar option is also available for those unable to come in person: https://bit.ly/CHCI_VT_Weekly_Seminar. November 12 Talk: "Translating Interview Speak: What Your Interviewer Really Wants to Know" TECH Talks - Register Now!<https://events.zoom.us/ev/Ak2tibgrQhDcOu6MjeRThE0VkjHaRpaLMg1TggazDt8JjfATh…> Wednesday, November 12 at 12:00 PM ET/17:00 UTC by Professional Career Coach and Consultant Barbara Limmer and Professional Career Coach Laura Browne, authors of the new Manning Publications book, Interview Speak. Have you ever left an interview thinking that you nailed it and all you heard back was a short rejection? What happened? This webinar will help you to have better and less stressful job interviews. You'll learn what's behind the interview questions and what employers are really looking for. This information can help you to develop your best answers for your next job interview. This is based on information from the new book, Interview Speak: What Your Interviewer Really Wants to Know. We'll cover how to: * Answer common questions * Avoid mistakes * Understand how the interview process works Duration: 60 minutes (including audience Q&A) Break Through Tech is getting ready to start recruiting students for our AI Program<https://www.breakthroughtech.org/programs/the-ai-program/> for the 2026-2027 Academic Year. Please see attached flyer. Interested in learning more? Complete our program interest form<https://breakthroughtech.tfaforms.net/wf/eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1Ni…> to join our mailing list and to receive details on upcoming information sessions. The 2026-2027 application will open in December 2025. " ____________ Julie Hodge, Strategic Relationships Manager Virginia Tech | Department of Computer Science (0106) 1180E Torgersen Hall, 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 540 231 1666 | jdhodge(a)vt.edu<mailto:jdhodge@vt.edu> [cid:image002.jpg@01DC4998.F6948F20]

1 0

Distinguished Lecture: Friday, October 31, 2:30-3:45pm, Classroom Building, Rm 260
by Zier, Debbie 29 Oct '25

29 Oct '25

Elisa Bertino Samuel Conte Distinguished Professor of Computer Science Purdue University Friday, October 31, 2025 2:30 - 3:45pm Classroom Building, Room 260 Distinguished Lecture: The Persistent Problem of Software Insecurity Abstract: Software is increasingly playing a key role in all infrastructure and application domains we may think of. One notable example is represented by the increased “softwarization” of computer networks—see the notion of “network programs” as an approach to better control and manage networks and possibly even enhance their security. Unfortunately, software systems are still often insecure despite the fact that the “problem of software security” has been known to the industry and research communities for decades. In this talk, I will first present my view on the current state of software security with examples from security analyses covering mobile applications, open-source software, and emerging domains. I will then discuss why the software is still insecure. Reasons that are often mentioned include the lack of vendor liability, the lack of training of software engineers and developers, the use of insecure languages, and so on. However, it can also be argued that the benefit of software, even if insecure, outweighs its lack of security. After all, could we imagine our society today without software? On the other hand, software security is increasingly a critical need. So, what would it take to convince decision makers at various levels and organizations that software security must be a priority? What we as researchers should do? In the talk I will provide my view about these questions. I will then conclude with a discussion on the role of AI in software security, covering recent AI-assisted approaches to detect vulnerabilities in code or directly generate secure code. Bio: Elisa Bertino is a Samuel Conte Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University. She serves as Director of the Purdue Cyberspace Security Lab (Cyber2Slab). Prior to joining Purdue, she was a professor and department head at the Department of Computer Science and Communication of the University of Milan. She has been a visiting researcher at the IBM Research Laboratory in San Jose (now Almaden), at Rutgers University, at Telcordia Technologies. She has also held visiting professor positions at the Singapore National University and the Singapore Management University. Her recent research focuses on security and privacy of cellular networks and IoT systems, and on edge analytics for cybersecurity. Elisa Bertino is a Fellow member of IEEE, ACM, and AAAS. She received the 2002 IEEE Computer Society Technical Achievement Award for “For outstanding contributions to database systems and database security and advanced data management systems”, the 2005 IEEE Computer Society Tsutomu Kanai Award for “Pioneering and innovative research contributions to secure distributed systems”, the 2019-2020 ACM Athena Lecturer Award, and the 2021 IEEE 2021 Innovation in Societal Infrastructure Award. She received an Honorary Doctorate from Aalborg University in 2021 and an Honorary Research Doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Salerno in 2023. She is currently serving as ACM Vice-president. ________________________ Debbie Zier Administrative Assistant and Office Manager Department of Computer Science (0106) 3160E Torgersen Hall 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 541-231-1369

1 0

FW: New GIA Winter Course on Cybersecurity
by Kinder, Sharon 28 Oct '25

28 Oct '25

Dear CS student, New Government and International Affairs (GIA) full-time faculty, Professor Aaron Brantly<https://experts.vt.edu/6185-aaron-brantly/about> will be teaching a new winter course: GIA/PSCI 6124 Topics in Security Studies: Cybersecurity (3 credits). The CRN for the GIA section is 40212, and the CRN for the PSCI section is 40216. This synchronous, virtual course will take place from Mondays to Fridays, from 9:00 am-12:45 pm. It starts on December 26 and ends on Jan. 16. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about pressing cyber policy issues. Best wishes, Giselle Datz Associate Professor and Chair Government and International Affairs School of Public and International Affairs Virginia Tech Arlington, VA [cid:b85be30d-6926-498d-bee4-a63762ad0a2c]

1 0

PhD defense announcement for Matthew Wilchek
by Luther, Kurt 28 Oct '25

28 Oct '25

Faculty and students, You are cordially invited to the Computer Science PhD defense of Matthew Wilchek. Date/Time: Monday, November 3, 2025, 9:00am ET Location: AB1 room 8402 (Alexandria) or via Zoom: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/83465255902?pwd=uwfDaq7nqeSJBncbRv5VXYHgOMik… Dissertation Title: Human-AI Handshaking: Supporting Extreme Sensemaking through Trustworthy Shared Perception Advisors: Dr. Kurt Luther, Dr. Feras Batarseh (Biological Systems Engineering and CCI) Committee: Dr. Doug Bowman, Dr. Eli Tilevich, Dr. Laura Freeman (National Security Institute), Dr. Wilson Caba (US Army DEVCOM) Abstract: Extreme sensemaking occurs when teams of people must build situational awareness in high-stakes, dynamic environments such as search and rescue, military, or security operations. These contexts are marked by uncertainty, fragmented information, and time-critical decisions that stretch human cognitive and physical limits. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers potential assistance, but distributed AI systems that rely on object detection, such as drone swarms, autonomous vehicles, and large-scale sensor networks, face their own challenges, including fluctuating accuracy, false detections, and fragile resilience under real-world dynamics. This dissertation introduces the "Human-AI Handshake", a novel human-AI interaction technique that incorporates human-in-the-loop (HITL) and crowd-in-the-loop (CITL) components to enhance object detection accuracy and shared perception in distributed systems. The Human-AI Handshake addresses core challenges by combining human feedback with AI model performance to mitigate uncertainties and improve trustworthiness. The foundation of the proposed concept comprises four key components: (1) evaluating HITL concepts for improving computer vision accuracy, (2) enhancing shared perception among distributed AI systems to enable better situational awareness, (3) ensuring AI trustworthiness through a synchronized perception trust framework, and (4) interpreting contextual awareness to help AI systems adapt to diverse, real-time scenarios. The technique is tested in extreme sensemaking applications, including search and rescue, where accurate and reliable object detection is essential. Overall, the Human-AI Handshake provides an assured, scalable solution for improving AI assurance in distributed, dynamic environments, ensuring greater reliability, trust, and performance in critical operations.

1 0

Fw: New GIA Winter Course on Cybersecurity
by Escobar Villatoro, Klaudia 28 Oct '25

28 Oct '25

Forwarding... see below. ________________________________ From: Crist, Kelly <kcrist(a)vt.edu> Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2025 12:52 PM To: Kinder, Sharon <skpotter(a)vt.edu>; Escobar Villatoro, Klaudia <kescobar10(a)vt.edu> Subject: Fw: New GIA Winter Course on Cybersecurity Dear Sharon and Klaudia I’m not sure if you are the correct contacts, but SPIA would like to share the notice below with Computer Science students, as we think the course may be of interest to them. Would you be able to pass it along, or is there someone else you’d recommend I reach out to? Best regards, Kelly D. Crist Manager, Faculty and Student Affairs School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) | Virginia Tech (540) 231-2291 | kcrist(a)vt.edu | https://spia.vt.edu<https://spia.vt.edu/> she / her / hers Book an appointment here<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/f1d3f9703f9044a88d5cd5037ede463c…>. [cid:80ee42f2-f4be-408e-91e0-f5df72591879] Get social with SPIA: LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/school/vtspia/> <https://www.linkedin.com/school/vtspia/> | Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/vtspia/> | Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/vtspia/?hl=en> My working hours may not be your working hours. Please do not feel obligated to reply outside of your work schedule. ________________________________ From: Crist, Kelly <kcrist(a)vt.edu> Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 3:01 PM To: BBurg MPA (bburg_mpa_internal_list-g(a)vt.edu) <bburg_mpa_internal_list-g(a)vt.edu>; BBurg PAPA PHD (cpap_bburg_phd_internal_list-g(a)vt.edu) <cpap_bburg_phd_internal_list-g(a)vt.edu>; MURP_All (uap_masters-g(a)vt.edu) <uap_masters-g(a)vt.edu>; NCR MPA (cpap_novampa_students-g(a)vt.edu) <cpap_novampa_students-g(a)vt.edu>; NCR PAPA PHD (cpap_novaphd_students-g(a)vt.edu) <cpap_novaphd_students-g(a)vt.edu>; pgg-g(a)vt.edu <pgg-g(a)vt.edu>; Richmond MPA (cpap_richmondmpa_students-g(a)vt.edu) <cpap_richmondmpa_students-g(a)vt.edu>; Virtual MPA <cpap_virtualmpa_students-g-g(a)vt.edu>; mpia_masters-g(a)vt.edu <mpia_masters-g(a)vt.edu> Subject: New GIA Winter Course on Cybersecurity Dear SPIA students, New Government and International Affairs (GIA) full-time faculty, Professor Aaron Brantly<https://experts.vt.edu/6185-aaron-brantly/about> will be teaching a new winter course: GIA/PSCI 6124 Topics in Security Studies: Cybersecurity (3 credits). The CRN for the GIA section is 40212, and the CRN for the PSCI section is 40216. This synchronous, virtual course will take place from Mondays to Fridays, from 9:00 am-12:45 pm. It starts on December 26 and ends on Jan. 16. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about pressing cyber policy issues. Best wishes, Giselle Datz Associate Professor and Chair Government and International Affairs School of Public and International Affairs Virginia Tech Arlington, VA [cid:b85be30d-6926-498d-bee4-a63762ad0a2c]

1 0

Mid-Semester Wellness Resources: Squish Your Stress
by Johnson, Paige 24 Oct '25

24 Oct '25

[cid:image001.png@01DC44FF.060851B0] Virginia Tech | Department of Computer Science Student Services Torgersen Hall, Suite 1160 620 Drillfield Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061

1 0

FW: Please share: 2025 Fall Fluid Mechanics Symposium Abstracts are due on Monday, October 27
by Kinder, Sharon 24 Oct '25

24 Oct '25

On behalf of Dr. Mark Stremler and Dr. Mark Paul: Abstracts for the 2025 Fall Fluid Mechanics Symposium<https://me.vt.edu/news/briefs/ffms-2025.html> are due on Monday, October 27. Please also register by November 2 (for free!) if you are planning to attend so that we can prepare properly for the provided breakfast and lunch. We look forward to seeing you there! https://www.ffms.me.vt.edu<https://www.ffms.me.vt.edu/> Please feel free to pass along this announcement to anyone at Virginia Tech who may be interested in attending or presenting. Mark Stremler Mark Paul ********************************************************************* Renee Renee Cloyd | Engineering Mechanics Graduate Program Coordinator Virginia Tech | Department of Mechanical Engineering 225-B Norris Hall | 495 Old Turner Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061 | MC 0220 540.231.1643 | rcloyd(a)vt.edu<mailto:rcloyd@vt.edu> | Renee's Zoom Office<https://virginiatech.zoom.us/my/rcloyd> Advising appointments for Engineering Mechanics students and Accelerated Masters Program: https://vt.campus.eab.com/pal/CbfxJvGaTp Pronouns: she, her, hers Positivity, Adaptability, Woo, Developer, Achiever -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "COE Grad Coordinators" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to coe-grad-coordinators-g+unsubscribe(a)vt.edu<mailto:coe-grad-coordinators-g+unsubscribe@vt.edu>. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/msgid/coe-grad-coordinators-g/MN2PR05M…<https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/msgid/coe-grad-coordinators-g/MN2PR05M…>. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/a/vt.edu/d/optout.

1 0

Time Sensitive! CS|Source: Events, Announcements, and Opportunities
by Hodge, Julie 22 Oct '25

22 Oct '25

[cid:image002.png@01DC4334.6BF83020] Entrepreneurship and Computing Seminar Series -TOMORROW!! CS/Root, (the hub for computer science entrepreneurship at Virginia Tech) is pleased to announce we are hosting a talk from Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan. We invite you to attend if you are interested in startups and/or in learning how research can be successfully transitioned into practice. Please see the details below, along with the attached seminar announcement. Seminar Title: Have an idea ? Profit Date and Time: October 23rd, 2025, 2pm Location: 1100 Torgersen Speaker Bio: Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan has more than two decades of experience architecting and building security products, virtualization platforms, advanced networks, high-performance computing environments, scalable file systems, and storage subsystems. He is currently the Co-Founder and Chief of Cyber Intelligence at Elastio. His industry career includes being Founder and CTO of Cloudistics (acquired by Fungible, Microsoft), Founder and CTO of AppAssure (acquired by Dell), Founder and CTO of Librato (acquired by SolarWinds), and the founder and chief architect of SilverDraft Supercomputing. He also served as VP and General Manager of the Data Protection business at Dell after the acquisition of AppAssure. Previously, Srinidhi was an Associate Professor of Computer Science and the founding Director of the Systems Center at Virginia Tech. Srinidhi is the architect of System X supercomputer at Virginia Tech (built-in collaboration with Apple) - ranked # 3 in the world in 2003. He received the NSF Career Award for Internet-scale network modeling and was honored by MIT Technology Review as one of the top 100 (TR100) young innovators transforming technology. He was also named by HPCWire as one of the top researchers in the field of supercomputing. Srinidhi received his Doctorate in Computer Science from Stony Brook, specializing in computer networks. Join us for the MEng Information & Application Workshop (CSA & CPE) programs We will be hosting a short, practical MEng Information & Application Workshop for the CSA and CPE programs Date/Time: Wed, Nov 5 @ 7:00 pm | Location: Torg 1100 * Seniors-There is still time to apply and double count courses for Spring 2026! * Juniors-This is the perfect time to work on your application and get ready to submit next semester. * Sophomores-It is not too early to attend and learn more about the MEng and how to double count courses. Learn how to complete your MEng application, double count up to 12 credits, and explore project-based graduate options that fit your career goals and meet with your Graduate Academic Advisor, Rebecca Stevenson. She will be there to answer coursework questions and assist you with the Course Designation Form. Please see attached announcement. Click here to register: https://applyto.graduateschool.vt.edu/register/?id=f17e53f5-8290-4aaf-afc2-… Deutsche Bank Technology Learn more about career and internship opportunities with Deutsche Bank by exploring the information located here: : https://careers.db.com/students-graduates/index?language_id=1#/graduate/<https://careers.db.com/students-graduates/index?language_id=1%23/graduate/>

1 0