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

Kieran Siek MS Defense
by Back, Godmar 25 Sep '25

25 Sep '25

Faculty and grad students are cordially invited to Kieran Siek's MS defense tomorrow at 8:30am in Gilbert 4001. Please find the abstract below. * Godmar Back Kieran Siek, MS Defense Where: Sep 26, 8:30am, Gilbert Place 4001 Zoom: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/5407394117 An Undergraduate Computer Systems Curriculum Using Rust ------------------------------------------------------- We present the design and evaluation of an undergraduate computer systems curriculum taught in the Rust programming language. Traditionally, such courses have relied on C to introduce students to fundamental concepts including processes, memory management, concurrency, and networking. While C has historical and practical significance, it also exposes students to memory safety errors and undefined behavior that can hinder learning. Rust offers comparable performance and systems-level control while enforcing memory and thread safety, but the steep learning curve may preclude its use as an instructional language for operating systems education. We investigate the feasibility of Rust as the teaching language for a computer systems course through three primary contributions. First, we designed a course curriculum that adapts the structure of a traditional computer systems class to Rust. We redesigned and reworked core systems assignments to leverage Rust's ownership model and safety guarantees. Second, we document the challenges of integrating Rust into undergraduate teaching, including addressing its steep learning curve and balancing language instruction with systems concepts. Third, we offer pedagogical strategies and reusable materials that can support instructors considering Rust for similar courses. We evaluated the curriculum in a single semester offering at Virginia Tech. Data from student surveys and qualitative feedback show that although Rust's ownership and borrowing rules required additional guidance, students successfully completed systems-level Rust projects and reported improved understanding of the associated systems theory. This work contributes both a concrete curriculum and an empirical case study supporting the integration of Rust into computer science education.

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Volunteers Needed: Assessment and Optimization of Human Performance in Mixed Reality Attacks
by Giovannelli, Alexander 25 Sep '25

25 Sep '25

Hello, The 3DI Group at Virginia Tech is working on a project to mitigate the effect of cognitive attacks on Mixed Reality (MR) systems with the Department of Defense. MR systems are see-through eyeglasses that enable text, symbols and other graphics to be overlaid onto the user’s view of the real world. Typical MR systems include HoloLens, Magic Leap, etc. We are currently recruiting participants 18 years of age or older with no known hearing, speech, uncorrected vision or motor/facial movement disorders for a two-hour research study. We will be using collected data to evaluate mitigation strategies against cognitive attacks. The cognitive attacks include information flooding, planting real world objects to clutter displays, etc. We will give you $20 OR volunteer hour credit for a 90-minute session. Note: Data collection will take place on campus at the Gilbert Place Building. If you would like to participate, complete the following form to proceed with the pre-screening and scheduling process. https://forms.office.com/r/5DeU7ggfQU Contact the research coordinator, Alexander Giovannelli at agiovannelli(a)vt.edu, if you have any questions. Best, Alexander Giovannelli ---------------------------- Ph.D. Candidate, Computer Science and Applications Virginia Tech agiovannelli.github.io<https://agiovannelli.github.io>

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Seminar Talk: Friday, September 26, 2:30-3:45pm, Classroom Building, Room 260
by Zier, Debbie 25 Sep '25

25 Sep '25

JunYi Yoon Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech Friday, September 26, 2025 2:30 - 3:45pm Classroom Building, Room 260 Seminar: Towards Edge AI: Collaboration of Connected Devices Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to spread across nearly every field, but AI systems mostly rely on remote cloud servers. As the number of users and requests grows, this leads to communication bottlenecks and thereby increased latency. Cloud AI also raises severe privacy concerns, since users must upload all raw private data to use the service. More importantly, cloud AI becomes unavailable during network disconnections or server outages. Fortunately, there are numerous edge devices, such as smartphones, laptops, Internet-of-Things (IoT), or sensors, located near to users. To this end, edge AI has emerged as a promising approach by deploying AI directly on edge devices, thus alleviating the reliance on clouds and providing more reliable, local processing. However, individual edge devices often lack sufficient data, computational power, and resource capability. Although shifting towards edge-side poses these challenges, at the same time, it also brings the advantage of having more usable devices, enabling a potential collaboration among edge devices. In this talk, we will explore collaborative learning paradigms of connected edge devices for on-device AI, including efficient AI, federated/split/distributed learning, and knowledge transfer approaches. Bio: JinYi Yoon is a presidential postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech. She has received her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering from Ewha Womans University, South Korea. Dr. Yoon has broad interests in the intersection of Edge Networks and AI. ________________________ Debbie Zier Administrative Assistant and Office Manager Department of Computer Science (0106) 1180 Torgersen Hall 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 541-231-1369

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Attachment from CS|Source Events Email
by Watson, Joan 25 Sep '25

25 Sep '25

Apologies, All -- In the previous email, I neglected to attach the seminar announcement flyer (now attached to this email!) for the Entrepreneurship and Computing Seminar discussion with CS alumnus Matt Pfeil this afternoon. Hope you’re able to participate! Best, Joan *************** Joan Monahan Watson, Ph.D. Director of Assessment and Strategy Department of Computer Science Faculty Affiliate Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI) Virginia Tech 3160 Torgersen Hall 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 Phone: 540.231.8874 Email: jmwatson(a)vt.edu<mailto:jmwatson@vt.edu> [cid:image001.png@01DC0078.85E20550] Author of Learning with AI: The K-12 Teacher’s Guide to a New Era of Human Learning<https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/54027/learning-ai?srsltid=AfmBOooALyy…>

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Today at 4pm on ZOOM: Entrepreneurship and Computing Seminar Series: Matt Pfeil Talk
by Kantarcioglu, Murat 25 Sep '25

25 Sep '25

Dear All, CS/Root (the hub for computer science entrepreneurship at Virginia Tech) is pleased to announce the launch of our new Entrepreneurship and Computing Seminar Series. As part of this series, our first talk will be given by Matt Pfeil, a Virginia Tech alum and serial entrepreneur. We hope you can attend if you are interested in startups and/or in learning how research can be transitioned into practice. Please see the details below and the attached seminar announcement. Seminar Title: A fireside chat with Matt Pfeil on building software startups Date and Time: Thursday, September 25, 2025, 4pm Location: Online: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/85843444041?pwd=aJoVRu1km9gGu2cXuEqrG7wjt3qa… Meeting ID: 858 4344 4041 Passcode: 369702 Speaker Bio: Matt Pfeil is currently the Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at Top Tier Capital. Previously, he was the co-founder of DataStax (acquired by IBM), a cloud database solution and early stage employee at Mailtrust (acquired by Rackspace). He graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in computer science. When not spending time with his wife and 2 children in Austin, TX, he enjoys debates on macro economics, options trading, and playing cornhole. Best Regards, Murat ==================================== Murat Kantarcioglu, Ph.D. Professor, and CCI Faculty Fellow Virginia Tech, Department of Computer Science www.kantarcioglu.net ====================================

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Master’s Thesis Defense Announcement: Taylor Neller
by Cho, Jin-Hee 23 Sep '25

23 Sep '25

Dear Faculty and Students, You are cordially invited to attend the Master’s thesis defense of Taylor Neller. The defense will be held virtually, and all are welcome to join. Date: Tuesday, August 5, 2025 Time: 8:00 AM (ET) Title: Towards Better Turn-Based Strategy Planning Agents: Turn-Based Evolutionary Tree Search Location: Online only Zoom Link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/my/jicho Committee: * Professor Jin-Hee Cho (Chair, Virginia Tech) * Professor Lifu Huang (Co-chair, University of California, Davis) * Professor Dawei Zhou (Virginia Tech) Abstract: While AI performance in many board games has surpassed human capabilities, turn-based strategy (TBS) games remain a significant challenge. Unlike classical games such as Chess, TBS games involve multiple decisions per player turn, resulting in an exponential increase in the branching factor. Human players excel by abstracting high-level strategic reasoning, but state-of-the-art algorithms such as Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) and Rolling Horizon Evolutionary Algorithm (RHEA) struggle in this domain. This thesis introduces Turn-Based Evolutionary Tree Search (TBETS)—a novel hybrid search method that combines principles from evolutionary algorithms and MCTS, tailored specifically for turn-based environments. We evaluate TBETS in the Turn-Based Strategy Academic Package (TUBSTAP) and benchmark it against strong baselines including RHEA, EMCTS-FH, and MCTS. Results show that TBETS achieves superior performance in both efficiency and scalability, offering a promising direction for AI in complex strategic planning. We hope to see you there! Thanks! Jin-Hee ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jin-Hee Cho (she/her/hers), Ph.D., IEEE Senior Member Associate Professor | Department of Computer Science Stephen and Cherye Tyndall Moore Junior Faculty Fellow | Computer Science Faculty Fellow | College of Engineering Affiliate Faculty | National Security Institute Virginia Tech 900 N Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22203 Email: jicho(a)vt.edu<mailto:jicho@vt.edu> Phone: (703) 538-8302 (ex: 88302) Homepage: http://people.cs.vt.edu/~jicho/ Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wToVkEUAAAAJ&hl=en&authuser=1<https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wToVkEUAAAAJ&hl=en&authuser=1> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Dr. Simone Silvestri's talk in Torgersen 1100
by Wang, Xuan 19 Sep '25

19 Sep '25

Hi everyone, Dr. Simone Silvestri's talk is happening in Torgersen 1100. You are all welcome to come and join the talk and discussions! Best, Xuan -------- Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics Virginia Tech

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The SAR Evaluation Notification Issue
by Eli Tilevich 18 Sep '25

18 Sep '25

Dear all, I want to personally apologize for a serious oversight regarding the SAR evaluation notifications. Due to a technical failure, the email reminders that should have been sent last May were never delivered. As head of the graduate program, I find this lapse extremely frustrating and disappointing, and I am truly sorry for the confusion it has caused. You can still review your evaluations by logging in at: https://gpc.cs.vt.edu/#/statusstudent To prevent similar issues in the future, the SAR process will be moving to Canvas. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we address this technical glitch. 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

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Seminar Talk: Friday, September 19, 10:00am, 1100 Torgersen Hall
by Zier, Debbie 18 Sep '25

18 Sep '25

Simone Silvestri Professor, Department of Computer Science University of Kentucky Friday, September 19 10:00 - 11:00am 1100 Torgersen & Zoom Join Morning seminar via Zoom: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/j/81014465618?pwd=Pw3NojauKTy5MaCoFFlXEbTOVfyH… Meeting ID: 810 1446 5618 | Passcode: 111846 Seminar: Towards the Internet of Agricultural Things: Optimization, AI, and Communication Solutions for Modern Farming Abstract: Agriculture faces growing challenges, including rising costs, labor shortages, and the increasing need for efficiency and product quality. The Internet of Agricultural Things (IoAT) offers promising solutions through technologies such as weather and soil sensors, automated feeders, RFID tags, and computer vision systems, enabling data-driven decision-making. However, widespread adoption is hindered by constraints such as limited broadband connectivity, low-power device capabilities, costs, and farmer acceptance of new technologies. In this talk, we first provide an overview of IoAT technologies and their impact on modern farming. Motivated by connectivity challenges, we present iCrop+, a LoRa-based crop disease detection system that integrates on-device AI with deep learning for remote processing. We evaluate iCrop+ using a real-world prototype, demonstrating its viability for deployment in resource-constrained agricultural environments. Subsequently, we discuss the use of IoAT technologies for disease detection in diary calves. We present a framework that efficiently performs cost-aware feature selection to provide high accuracy in detecting Bovine Respiratory Disease while reducing the cost for farmers. We conclude by providing some feature research directions and open problems. Bio: Simone Silvestri is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Kentucky. Before joining UK, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Pennsylvania State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2010 from Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Dr. Silvestri’s research has been supported by several national and international agencies, including NIFA, NATO, and the NSF. He has contributed to projects totaling more than $6 million in funding and received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award in 2020. He has published over 100 papers in leading international journals and conferences, and has served in the organization of several conferences and events, including serving as General Co-Chair of IEEE ICNP and Technical Program Co-Chair of IEEE SECON, IEEE SmartComp, ACM ICDCN, and IEEE DCOSS. He also serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals, and received the Excellent Editor Award from IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering and Elsevier Pervasive and Mobile Computing. In addition, he has served on the technical program committees of more than 100 ACM and IEEE conferences. ________________________ Debbie Zier Administrative Assistant and Office Manager Department of Computer Science (0106) 1180 Torgersen Hall 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 541-231-1369

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Seminar Talk: Friday, September 19, 2:30-3:45pm, Classroom Building, 260
by Zier, Debbie 18 Sep '25

18 Sep '25

Simone Silvestri Professor, Department of Computer Science University of Kentucky Friday, September 19 2:30 - 3:45pm Classroom Building, Room 260 **coffee and donuts will be served after the talk** Seminar: The PhD Journey: Essential Strategies for a Successful PhD Journey Abstract: The PhD journey is a pivotal experience, filled with opportunities, challenges, and defining decisions that shape both academic and professional futures. This talk will explore the critical elements of a successful PhD experience, beginning with effective goal-setting—aligning research objectives with long-term career aspirations and developing strategies to stay on track. We will then examine common pitfalls faced by PhD students and practical ways to avoid them. Among these challenges, we discuss how to deal with a paper rejection, analyzing the most common reason for rejection as well as best practices for resubmission. Furthermore, we focus on the impostor syndrome, a widespread issue in academia that undermines confidence and well-being; we will discuss how to reframe success, recognize personal growth, and cultivate resilience against self-doubt. The talk will conclude by highlighting key soft skills that are essential for thriving during the PhD and beyond, along with actionable advice to maximize success in both academic and professional careers. Bio: Simone Silvestri is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Kentucky. Before joining UK, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Pennsylvania State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2010 from Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Dr. Silvestri’s research has been supported by several national and international agencies, including NIFA, NATO, and the NSF. He has contributed to projects totaling more than $6 million in funding and received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award in 2020. He has published over 100 papers in leading international journals and conferences, and has served in the organization of several conferences and events, including serving as General Co-Chair of IEEE ICNP and Technical Program Co-Chair of IEEE SECON, IEEE SmartComp, ACM ICDCN, and IEEE DCOSS. He also serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals, and received the Excellent Editor Award from IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering and Elsevier Pervasive and Mobile Computing. In addition, he has served on the technical program committees of more than 100 ACM and IEEE conferences. ________________________ Debbie Zier Administrative Assistant and Office Manager Department of Computer Science (0106) 1180 Torgersen Hall 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 541-231-1369

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