- Gradstudents - mailman.cs.vt.edu

Pouyan's Ph.D. defense
by Sharath Raghvendra 28 Aug '25

28 Aug '25

Dear Faculty and Students, You are cordially invited to attend the PhD thesis defense of *Pouyan Shirzadian*. The defense will be held in person, and all are welcome to join. *Date:* Friday, August 29, 2025 *Time:* 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (EST) *Title:* *Overcoming Computational Complexity Barriers for Optimal Transport in Discrete and Semi-Discrete Settings* *Location:* Gilbert Place, 4001 *Abstract: *Measuring the similarity of two probability distributions is a fundamental task in many machine learning applications. Optimal Transport (OT) captures this similarity as the minimum cost required to transport mass between distributions and has found numerous applications in computer science due to its ability to define meaningful distances. OT has been studied in various settings. For instance, when one distribution is continuous and the other discrete, the problem is called semi-discrete OT. In many real-world scenarios, a distribution is represented as an empirical distribution using finite samples drawn from the underlying distribution. When both distributions are empirical, OT is equivalent to the minimum-cost bipartite matching problem. Other variants of interest are the partial transport (ignoring a fraction of mass) and robust transport (regularizing with other distances). This thesis presents (i) new approximation algorithms for semi-discrete OT, (ii) a characterization of optimal solutions to semi-discrete robust OT along with a novel combinatorial algorithm, (iii) a faster algorithm for Euclidean bipartite matching with provably improved performance on stochastic point sets, and (iv) an exact algorithm for the offline k-server problem via reduction to partial bipartite matching.

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CS Grad Student Mentoring Program
by Moussad, Bernard 28 Aug '25

28 Aug '25

Hey folks, For new students, welcome to Virginia Tech! And to everyone else, welcome back! I hope everyone is settling into their first week of classes! I'm Bernie Moussad, your CS Grad Council President for this academic year. I just have a few things I want to share with you so you can start to think about ways to get plugged in here and meet each other. 1. We are looking for new PhD students who want help in general navigating life in the CS department (finding labs, finding buildings, finding great students to get to know). 2. We are looking for older PhD students who want to help new folks find their way around our department. If either of the above sounds like you, we'd love for you to fill out this survey<https://forms.gle/JNz9kh1cKp9cGEUc9>! If you're a Masters (not MEng) student looking for mentorship, reach out to @Sirles, Andrea<mailto:asirles@vt.edu> to get connected! With that, we are planning to host a type of round table discussion for new students to get the opportunity to ask older students any questions they may have! This is tentatively planned for September 17th at 12 pm! Be on the lookout for more info on this in the coming weeks. This will be open to all grad students (not just PhDs)! We'll also be starting up Grad Council meetings next week so keep an eye on your email for when and where those will be! It's a great way to get an idea of how our department works and have your voice be heard. That's all I have for now, but if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me or any of our other council members! Wishing all the best, Bernard Moussad PhD student CS@VT Phone: 256-668-7571<tel:256-668-7571> Website: Bernym12.github.io<https://Bernym12.github.io>

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Visit of Dr. Simone Silvestri, September 19, 2025
by Wang, Xuan 28 Aug '25

28 Aug '25

Dear colleagues and students, We are pleased to host Dr. Simone Silvestri (University of Kentucky) on Friday, September 19, 2025. Dr. Silvestri will be giving two talks during his visit: * Morning Seminar Talk: Towards the Internet of Agricultural Things: Optimization, AI, and Communication Solutions for Modern Farming * Graduate Seminar: The PhD Journey: Essential Strategies for a Successful PhD Journey Flyers for both talks are attached for more details. We have also prepared a sign-up sheet for meetings or breakfast/lunch/dinner with Dr. Silvestri. Please add your name to an available time slot if you would like to meet with him: [cid:0caf88f5-b62a-4474-b91f-4bcf8c67e81c]Simone Silvestri_Seminar Talk_9.19.25.xlsx<https://virginiatech-my.sharepoint.com/:x:/g/personal/debzi5_vt_edu/EbJ2HNw…> This will be a great opportunity to learn about Dr. Silvestri’s research and engage in discussions. We encourage faculty and students to attend. Best regards, Xuan -------- Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics Virginia Tech

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Participate in 45-Minutes User Study
by Ubur, Sunday 28 Aug '25

28 Aug '25

We invite you to participate in a research study focused on evaluating real-time captioning systems enhanced with emotional cues, such as emojis, and tags. This study is part of a broader project titled: "Design Guidelines for Emotive Captioning Systems: Cultural Differences in XR." What’s This About? This stage of the study examines how individuals perceive and interpret emotions embedded in captions when using Augmented Reality (AR) headsets. We are specifically exploring cultural differences in understanding nonverbal emotional cues in AR-based captioning systems. What Will You Do? * Wear an AR headset and interact with real-time captioning prototypes (20 mins) * Experience various captioning styles (e.g., symbolic vs. explicit cues) * Complete a post-interaction survey about your experience (25 mins) Who Can Join? * Adults (18+) * Experience using captioning systems (e.g., in classrooms, meetings, videos) * Comfortable using wearable devices like AR/VR headsets When and Where? * In-person at DVE Lab at Virginia Tech, – 220 Gilbert St, Room 3213, Blacksburg, VA. * Duration: ~45 minutes total Why Participate? * Contribute to accessibility innovation for diverse cultural communities * Help researchers design inclusive AR-based communication systems * Paid research study — in appreciation of your time, we will provide a $20 Amazon Gift Card If you're interested, please complete the brief sign-up form here: https://forms.office.com/r/mdXKtVsFaq We hope you’ll consider lending your insights to help build more inclusive technologies. Sincerely, Sunday Ubur, DVE Lab, Virginia Tech, Department of Computer Science

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nvitation to Participate in AR Research Study (IRB #25-275)
by Sajid, Maha 27 Aug '25

27 Aug '25

Hello, We are conducting a user study supervised by Dr. Brendan David-John and Dr. Bo Ji at Virginia Tech (IRB #25-275). We invite you and a friend to participate in a paired research study exploring collaboration in mixed reality environments. In this study, you will use an augmented reality headset (Microsoft HoloLens 2) to complete a collaborative point-and-shoot game with your partner. The session will take place in Gilbert Place, 3rd Floor, and will last approximately 120 minutes. Participants will be compensated with $15 for their time. Eligibility Requirements: * At least 18 years old * Proficient in reading and writing in English * Normal vision (contact lenses are fine; glasses are not supported) Participation is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please note that your involvement will not affect your employment, grades, or academic performance in any way. [Fill out this form<https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=hGiVYK0Q-kCGPU8yweOjepX…>] to sign up for the study. For more information or to coordinate scheduling, please contact: Maha Sajid (mahas(a)vt.edu) Best regards, Maha Sajid

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Mock Career Fair - Next Week
by Welch, Makayla 26 Aug '25

26 Aug '25

Happy Fall Semester! Please see below for information regarding Mock Career Fair Fall 2025. Click here to RSVP<https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=hGiVYK0Q-kCGPU8yweOjerR…>. [cid:image001.png@01DC1663.B4FC01A0] Makayla Welch Receptionist & Events Coordinator Department of Computer Science 3160 Torgersen Hall

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CALL FOR VR TEAMS!
by Coulson, Sara 25 Aug '25

25 Aug '25

[Bcc - gradstudents(a)cs.vt.edu] Forwarding as requested. PDF attached **** CALL FOR VR TEAMS! Experience a Military Battle Drill! The Extended Reality & Artificial Intelligence (Xrai) Lab at Virginia Tech is inviting you to participate in a research study focused on figuring out how groups of people and virtual humans perform as a military team in virtual reality (VR). The data collected will be used to develop multimodal and machine learning models of team performance based on a VR battle drill simulation. Eligible participants: • Are 18 to 64 years old, • Have 20/20 vision without or with contacts (glasses are not permitted during the study), • Can walk and use both hands, • Are willing to attend a 2-hour in-person experimental session in Gilbert Place, • Are willing to participate as a team with up to three other participants, • Are proficient in reading, writing, listening, and speaking English, • Are U.S. Citizens, • Are NOT pregnant, • Do NOT have pre-existing binocular vision abnormalities or psychiatric disorders, • Have NOT recently undergone any medical procedure (including cosmetic procedures), and • Do NOT suffer from a heart condition or other serious medical condition. Participants will receive a $45 Amazon gift card in compensation for participating in and completing the study, if they are not military personnel. If you are interested in more information, please review the consent form document for the study and verify your eligibility here: https://forms.gle/mFMMrzLx2NuztWZa8 After completing the online survey, the research team will reach out to you via email to confirm a time for the research session. This project is supervised by Dr. Ryan P. McMahan (rpm(a)vt.edu, 540-231-9722) from the Department of Computer Science. This experiment has been approved, as required, by the Virginia Tech Institutional Review Board. Sara Coulson Director of Graduate Programs | Computer Science Torgersen 1180B 620 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061

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FW: ISE/CS 5714 (Usability Engineering) for Fall 2025
by Kinder-Potter, Sharon 25 Aug '25

25 Aug '25

From: Parks, Hannah <hsswiger(a)vt.edu> Sent: Monday, August 25, 2025 1:10 PM To: Kinder-Potter, Sharon <skpotter(a)vt.edu> Cc: Gabbard, Joe <jgabbard(a)vt.edu> Subject: ISE/CS 5714 (Usability Engineering) for Fall 2025 Sharon, Please forward the following to CS graduate students. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ISE/CS 5714 (Usability Engineering) for the Fall 2025 semester still has seats available if you still wish to enroll. Since this is a cross listed CS/ISE class we keep enrollment at 0 so that we can add students and ensure there is a good balance of students from both programs. Given we have seats available, if you want to be added to the class, please fill out the request form here: https://forms.office.com/r/QGatdY3j1NLinks to an external site. [cid:24226236-f6e4-4a5c-baf1-f8485298ae78] Pronouns: she/her/hers Academic Record Disclosure: You are receiving this information as determined by the educational right to know disclosure guidelines of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If you are not the intended recipient, please do not disclose, copy or distribute this information. Please notify the sender immediately.

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Recruiting Participants: User Study on LLM-Supported Graphic Reporting System (Paid)
by Tang, Xuxin 20 Aug '25

20 Aug '25

The InfoViz group invites you to participate in a research study on Large Language Model (LLM) technologies. Our team is investigating how to enhance LLM-supported analysis report writing through visual workspaces similar to Miro. Participants in the study will come to Room 466, Data and Decision Sciences, 727 Prices Fork Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24060. Participants will be given two tasks involving LLM-supported report writing of intelligence analysis and travel planning. The participants will try to solve the cases with an LLM-powered system while seated in an indoor environment within 90 minutes. Participants will be compensated $20 for their time and effort upon completion of the user study. Participants need to be proficient in reading and writing in English, at least 18 years old. Participants should not have any symptoms or known recent exposure to COVID-19. Participation will be on a first come first serve basis. Please contact Xuxin Tang at xuxintang(a)vt.edu<mailto:xuxintang@vt.edu> to schedule a session. The project is supervised by Dr. Chris North in Computer Science Department. This experiment has been approved, as required, by the Virginia Tech Institutional Review Board under protocol #24-803. Best regards, ----- Xuxin Tang (She/Her) Computer Science PhD Student Center for Human-Computer Interaction Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics Virginia Tech

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FW: Cybersecurity Training for Student Employees
by Dr. Eli Tilevich 19 Aug '25

19 Aug '25

Please see the information below about Cybersecurity training for student employees. This is mandatory for student-wage and assistantship positions. Annual cybersecurity training is required for all employees by the university’s IT Security Standards. To help student wage employees meet this requirement, a new, online IT security training course specifically for student employees was launched on August 14. This new course, Cybersecurity Essentials for Student Employees, covers common cybersecurity topics including how to recognize social engineering and phishing attacks, protecting sensitive data, safe online browsing, and how to report suspicious activity. The course is mobile-friendly and will take 15 to 20 minutes for most to complete. The course will be available in the PageUp Learning Management System, and each student employee will receive an email notification from PageUp when the training is assigned. Once assigned, all student wage employees will have 90 days to complete the course. We encourage all supervisors to mention this training requirement in onboarding materials for student employees this fall. To assist in this process, the Division of IT has created the following guide with information for your students as well as instructions for accessing the PageUp LMS: Cybersecurity Essentials for Student Employees - Instructions for Student Wage Employees. <https://virginiatech.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/ProjectManagementOffice/EbBS0k4dn…> For information about Virginia Tech’s annual IT security training requirements, please see <https://safeonline.security.vt.edu/training/annual-training-FAQ.html> Annual IT Security Training for Employees: FAQs. You can also contact 4Help IT Support at <https://4help.vt.edu/> 4help.vt.edu with any questions; please mention IT Security Training – Student Wage in your inquiry. Thank you for your help in making Virginia Tech more secure!

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