- Gradstudents - mailman.cs.vt.edu

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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Writing Successful Student-Initiated Proposals Workshop
by Sirles, Andrea 18 Sep '25

18 Sep '25

CS grad students, The Graduate School will be hosting the Writing Successful Student-Initiated Proposals Workshop. Details below: Where: Graduate Life Center (GLC) Multipurpose Room When: Monday, September 22 @ 10:00am-12:30pm Lunch?: Yes! Bring your own water bottle or beverage RSVP: https://forms.office.com/r/t0EJAEtE7W - closes Friday, September 18 @12:00pm This workshop is designed to strengthen research proposal writing skills and prepare you to write student-initiated proposals for NSF GRFP, NIH, and several different humanities-oriented programs, as well as for other programs of your interest. This session is timed to support preparation for the upcoming GRFP deadlines (all in late October) and provide practical tools to enhance proposal success. The workshop will offer guidance on proposal development and breakout sessions, each of which addresses a specific type of proposal. Contact jhazelwood4(a)vt.edu<mailto:jhazelwood4@vt.edu> with any questions. Best, Andrea Sirles, Graduate Program Coordinator Virginia Tech | Computer Science 620 Drillfield Dr, Torgersen Suite 1180 Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-8945 | asirles(a)vt.edu

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REMINDER! Bloomberg Events Today and Tomorrow!
by Watson, Joan 17 Sep '25

17 Sep '25

Bloomberg Software Engineering Opportunity Expo - Tabling Event Date: Wednesday, September 17th Time: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Location: Torgersen Atrium Details: Please see flyer attached. Are you looking to connect with current software engineers at Bloomberg? Want more information on our available 2026 full-time and internship software engineering positions? Then stop on by our Engineering Opportunity Expo between 10AM-3PM ET in the Torgersen Atrium! Don't forget your resume. Dress code is casual! Bloomberg x Virginia Tech Engineering Info Session Date: Thursday, September 18th Time: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM RSVP Here: https://bloomberg.avature.net/events/EventDetailsPage?jobId=13838 Details: Interested in Bloomberg Engineering? Well, stop on by our Information Session to learn directly from software engineers about life as an engineer at Bloomberg. They will walk you through some content but will have a lot of time for an open Q&A so bring all your questions to the event! *************** Joan Monahan Watson, Ph.D. Director of Assessment and Strategy Department of Computer Science Affiliate Faculty Center for Educational Networks and Impacts (CENI) Virginia Tech 3160D Torgersen Hall 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 Phone: 540.231.8874 Email: jmwatson(a)vt.edu<mailto:jmwatson@vt.edu> [cid:ad4714c8-a93b-4964-ba31-763e315ac0b1] 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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Time Sensitive! CS|Source Events, Announcements, and Opportunities
by Watson, Joan 16 Sep '25

16 Sep '25

[cid:f6fa094b-3c53-4596-8322-80227fa02889] Bloomberg Software Engineering Opportunity Expo - Tabling Event Date: Wednesday, September 17th Time: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Location: Torgersen Atrium Details: Please see flyer attached. Are you looking to connect with current software engineers at Bloomberg? Want more information on our available 2026 full-time and internship software engineering positions? Then stop on by our Engineering Opportunity Expo between 10AM-3PM ET in the Torgersen Atrium! Don't forget your resume. Dress code is casual! Bloomberg x Virginia Tech Engineering Info Session Date: Thursday, September 18th Time: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM RSVP Here: https://bloomberg.avature.net/events/EventDetailsPage?jobId=13838 Details: Interested in Bloomberg Engineering? Well, stop on by our Information Session to learn directly from software engineers about life as an engineer at Bloomberg. They will walk you through some content but will have a lot of time for an open Q&A so bring all your questions to the event! Competition Opportunity: AutoBoat We are AutoBoat, a student lead design team that focuses on building a fleet of autonomous high speed electric motorboats and autonomous sailboats to compete in the PEP and SailBOT competitions respectively. We are currently recruiting computer science students to help build our ground station application and telemetry server API to view telemetry data and interact with the boat while it's on the water. We are looking for frontend pyqt developers as well as people who can manage the backend systems to communicate with the boat. Knowledge of python, pyqt, web APIs, and flask is required. Please email Chris chrisnassif(a)vt.edu<mailto:chrisnassif@vt.edu> if you are interested in joining the team! Deutsche Bank Technology Innovate with DB: October 20 – 21, 2025 We invite you to join our two-day Innovate with DB event where you’ll participate in a mini-Hackathon with prizes for teams with the best solutions, learn about career possibilities within our Technology, Data, & Innovation Division, and the opportunity to network with software engineers and hear from recent graduates. Interested students must submit an online application to be considered to attend. Innovate with Deutsche Bank<https://db.recsolu.com/app/collect/event/sd3m0jxXd2W0BAG6hJxL9Q> Applications are due September 21st at 11:59PM EDT<https://db.recsolu.com/app/collect/event/sd3m0jxXd2W0BAG6hJxL9Q>. Learn more about TDI at Deutsche Bank here: Think ground-breaking technology. Think Deutsche Bank. - YouTube<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqR3CIYYMr0> Work-Based Learning with Teamship Virginia The Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) has partnered with District C<https://www.districtc.co/> to launch a reimagined, work-based-learning (WBL) experience for students this fall. Students enrolled in the Commonwealth’s public, four-year institutions are provided the opportunity to join Teamship Virginia<https://www.districtc.co/teamship-virginia/> – a free, virtual, project-based WBL program. Why Teamship? This program provides students with hands-on experience from Virginia-based employers while solving real-world workplace challenges. In partnership with District C, V-TOP is providing opportunities for 36 students statewide to participate in these experiences. Seats are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis, while ensuring representation from each of the 15 public four-year institutions. Through Teamship Virginia, students will: * Tackle a real business problem with a team of peers. * Build collaboration and problem-solving skills employers seek most. * Gain hands-on experience that they can highlight in job interviews. Join us on Monday, September 22nd to learn more about Teamship Virginia. Webinar for public four-year institutions: * Date: September 22, 2025 * Time: 10:00 AM * Location: Live on Zoom (recording available if you can’t join live) * Register for the Webinar Here <https://q0wkf.share.hsforms.com/276x9j_xWR0SMDtI64_6Rzg> Study Abroad in Egypt! Program name: Software Engineering in a Global Context Course offered: Computer Science Capstone - CS 4094 Destination: Egypt (Cairo, Alexandria, and Alamein City) Travel dates: March 7-14, 2026 Application link: https://bit.ly/CSVTinEgypt2026 Overview: Since “real-world problems” are becoming more international in nature, students will get to study global factors affecting Software Engineering industry, and the different cultural and background aspects of developing software tools to be used by people from different countries. Student solutions will require significant design experience, where teamwork and written and oral communication with overseas partners are a key part of that design experience. In this program, Virginia Tech students will work with students in Egypt to learn and create solutions while earning capstone credit. Application deadline: October 1, 2025 Decision date: Rolling admission *************** 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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Research assistant position in LLMs & security
by Gao, Peng 15 Sep '25

15 Sep '25

Hi all, I hope your semester is off to a great start. I am currently seeking a few research assistants (wage positions, MS thesis students preferred) to work on projects related to LLM agents for security, LLM governance, and network/cloud security. Ideal candidates should have one or more of the following qualifications: * Strong programming and system-building skills * Experience working with LLMs or LLM agent frameworks * Knowledge of system or network security (experience with eBPF or programmable networks is a plus) If you are interested, please send your most recent CV and transcripts (undergraduate and graduate) to penggao.jobs(a)gmail.com. Use the subject line: “LLM&Security - [Your Name]”. I will follow up with you if there’s a potential match. Best, Peng Gao Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Virginia Tech https://people.cs.vt.edu/penggao/

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Entrepreneurship and Computing Seminar Series: Matt Pfeil Talk: 09-25-25
by Kantarcioglu, Murat 12 Sep '25

12 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 Time and Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025 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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Participants needed for Virtual Reality Research User Study
by Roy, Ayush 12 Sep '25

12 Sep '25

Hello, 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 evaluating how to manage links to improve comprehension and tidiness of the workspaces in VR, and this study compares standard links with nonlinear links with bundling(one to many, many to many) interaction with virtual data and information. The study will make use of state-of-the-art VR technologies such as Oculus Quest 2. Participants in the study will come to the Gilbert Place Building, room 3215. The study will be carried out in 2 sessions : Session 1 (90 minutes): Managing Links Task In this session, participants will work within a 3D workspace to complete tasks focused on managing links. The goal is to understand effective strategies for organizing links to improve the aesthetics of 3D workspaces. Session 2 (90 minutes): Graph Comprehension Task In this session, participants will be provided with a pre-loaded 3D workspace. They will answer a series of questions designed to evaluate how readable and interpretable the workspace is. Please note that it's not necessary for participants to complete both sessions at one go. Also, participants will be audio recorded, and their actions in VR will be recorded on the computer screen. Who Can Participate? We're looking for individuals who meet the following criteria: * Age 18 or older. * Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision (glasses or contact lenses are fine). Interested? For more information, please contact Ayush Roy at ayushroy24(a)vt.edu<mailto:ayushroy24@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, # 25-173. Best Regards, Ayush Roy PhD student, Computer Science https://wordpress.cs.vt.edu/3digroup/author/ayushroy24/ Group: https://wordpress.cs.vt.edu/3digroup/ Department of Computer Science Virginia Tech

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