Computer science; computing; School of Computing

School of Computing Approved by the State Council of Higher Education

Martha Bushong — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 22:17:33 +0000

School of Computing Approved by the State Council of Higher Education Martha Bushong Wed, 04/28/2021 - 18:17

In This Story

Earlier this week, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) approved the move to establish the commonwealth’s first-ever school of computing. The formation of a contemporary School of Computing (SoC)—the first in the Commonwealth of Virginia—provides the university with unprecedented opportunities both to establish computing as one of its strategic differentiators and to assume a leadership role in shaping the future of this growing discipline.

The new school will be housed with the existing Volgenau School of Engineering in George Mason University’s newly created College of Engineering and Computing.

“Launching the new School of Computing will strengthen Mason’s leadership position in the computing fields in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and will provide a new framework to convene Mason researchers and educators from every academic unit for multidisciplinary collaborations involving computing,” says Dean Ken Ball of the College of Engineering and Computing. “The change also provides a stronger identity for our core SoC departments, elevating our computing brand for prospective students looking to enroll in our majors and for research partners looking to collaborate with us.”

“As technology transforms our world on all levels, I am confident that the School of Computing will provide an important platform for Mason to continue leading in this field throughout the region and across the nation,” says Provost and Executive Vice President Mark Ginsberg. “The new School of Computing is where top researchers will shape the way the we use technology and where Mason students will learn how digital-age tools enrich their lives and careers while enhancing the economic development of our community.”

Three departments, Computer Science, Information Sciences and Technology, and Statistics will relocate from the Volgenau School of Engineering and form the core of the SoC. The change formalizes an academic unit designed to coordinate similar disciplinary areas, related initiatives, research activities, and academic and student services. It will provide a discrete location to house these departments that focus on academic programming and research in computing.

“The creation of the School of Computing presents many exciting opportunities for the faculty,” says Sanjeev Setia, interim divisional dean for the SoC. “The Tech Talent Investment Pipeline [TTIP] funding from the state of Virginia, the creation of the IDIA and expansion of the Arlington Campus, and the growing tech sector in Northern Virginia hastened this effort. We need to seize this opportunity to elevate the quality and reputation of the already fine programs and departments in the SoC.”

The latest figures released by the National Science Foundation (NSF) show Mason’s national profile continues to rise through solid research funding in Computer and Information Sciences, which ranked 12th among all universities, 8th among public institutions and No. 1 in Virginia.

Now that the school is approved, the administration will actively pursue building bridges between the SoC and other colleges/schools on campus both through the creation of multidisciplinary programs and through joint faculty appointments and initiatives such as the ongoing TTIP-thematic faculty hiring initiative.

The school’s leadership will explore the curricula of programs offered by the SoC’s departments and search for ways to increase collaboration, reduce duplication, and in general improve the quality of the programs.

Setia says he wants work with departments in the SoC to create a Broadening Participation in Computing plan for the school and its constituent departments and start the work needed to implement it.

“Computing is everywhere in contemporary society. Our students and faculty have a unique opportunity to discover new and exciting ways to make this discipline relevant to our world,” Setia says.

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Computer science; computing; School of Computing

Volgenau School of Engineering

Campus News

Mason's Women in Tech Spotlight: Kelly Glebus

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 19:24:53 +0000

Mason's Women in Tech Spotlight: Kelly Glebus Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/15/2021 - 15:24

Senior computer science (CS) major, Honors College student, and aspiring software engineer Kelly Glebus was surprised by how few women were among her peers. Once Glebus reached higher-level CS classes, she says it wasn’t uncommon for her to be one of four or five women in a class of 30 to 40 students.

Kelly Glebus.

When she was a junior in high school, she enrolled in a pre-AP computer programming class as an elective. While the class wasn’t her first choice, she quickly developed an interest in programming and learned that she was adept at problem-solving.

“On the first day and my teacher got out these huge pieces of butcher paper and had us create these “thread” conversations on them,” says Glebus. “We were answering questions like ‘What jobs are we going to lose to computer automation?’, ‘What are ways that computers make our lives easier,’ and things like that. I thought that it was a very interesting way to begin a class, so I stayed in it.”

Her interest in programming did not go unnoticed by her teacher. Glebus says “he encouraged me to continue (and gave me all the extra work I asked for), and I decided that I was going to college for computer science. He really changed my life, and I’m very grateful for him. We’re still in touch today!”

Since then, Glebus has developed into a young professional. She interned at Forward Integration Technologies as a junior software developer, where she worked with Angular and Python to do full-stack web app development. She is currently a cybersecurity intern at Colvin Run Networks doing user interface design amongst other projects.

Some more notable achievements Glebus is proud of was being “a part of the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates held at George Mason University in 2018, where I did some research with wearable technologies. I’m also currently a class facilitator for CS395: Student-Initiated Class Introduction into the Internet of Things.”

Given her passion for the field, Glebus encourages other women to try computing. She praised George Mason University's Department of Computer Science for being inclusive towards all students.

“I think a lot of super qualified women feel intimidated either by the subject or even by the male-dominated environment,” says Glebus. “Like I said before, computer science is hard, there are classes that you couldn’t pay me to retake, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I wish more women would take the leap and try it; I think they’d find that they’re really good at it. Like I did.”

On March 3, Mason announced a new initiative, Break Through Tech, that aims to propel more students who identify as women and non-binary into tech education—and ultimately tech careers—through curriculum innovation, career access, and community building. The goal of the grant is to increase the number of these students graduating with a tech degree at Mason by 12.5 percent by 2026.

For more information about Break Through Tech at Mason, visit this site.

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Break Through Tech

computing

software development

Computer science; computing; School of Computing

Mason faculty design Break Through Tech Program

Anonymous — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 16:15:32 +0000

Mason faculty design Break Through Tech Program Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/04/2021 - 11:15

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diversity

Break Through Tech

women in computing

Computer science; computing; School of Computing

College of Engineering and Computing

Volgenau; Diversity

information sciences and technology

Learn more about Break Through Tech's program and mission

“Women represent 57 percent of all bachelor’s recipients in the U.S. but only 19 percent of CS graduates,” said Sanjeev Setia, proposed School of Computing Division Dean. “For social equity and inclusion, it is imperative that we work towards gender parity in the technology sector.”

George Mason University received a grant from Break Through Tech to propel more students who identify as women and non-binary into tech education—and ultimately tech careers—through curriculum innovation, career access, and community building.

The grant’s goal is to increase the number of these students graduating with a tech degree at Mason by 12.5 percentage points by 2026.

Mason’s Break Through Tech program will be directed by the Volgenau School of Engineering, the proposed School of Computing, and the Departments of Computer Science and Information Sciences and Technology.

The faculty working on this initiative seek to attract and retain women and underrepresented communities pursuing computing degrees and careers in tech in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Mason’s Break Through Tech program will include:

A summer program for rising first-year students designed to ignite interest in tech by teaching them how to code mission-driven, real-world applications;
A new, innovative introductory sequence of computing courses;
A paid, three-week mini-internship program called a “Sprinternship®” that gives first- and second-year students a resume credential and real-world experience to make them more competitive when applying for a paid summer tech internship;
A networked cohort of individuals who identify as women and non-binary—both peer-to-peer and student-to-professional—in the D.C. metro area to support, engage and motivate one another.

“We are very excited about the opportunities this grant provides for curriculum innovation and industry partnerships that will strengthen our ability to recruit, train, and incorporate more women as successful professionals to the computing disciplines,” said Ozlem Uzuner, chair of the Department of Information Sciences and Technology. “This project will have a lasting positive impact in terms of improving diversity in the workplace, and we are well-positioned to make our mark.”

Department of Computer Science Chair David Rosenblum echoes the importance of curriculum innovation. Notably, adjusting the introductory computing courses offered at Mason.

“An increasing number of institutions, most notably Harvey Mudd College, have experienced tremendous success in attracting female students into their computing programs, through innovations to the design and content of their introductory computing courses,” said Rosenblum. “At Mason, we will apply the best practices that have been established by these pioneering institutions while introducing homegrown innovations of our own.”

Huzefa Rangwala, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and principal investigator for the grant, said that in addition to revamping Mason’s introductory computing course, a free “bootcamp” will be offered over the Summer to prepare students for the course.

“By 2026, estimates are that the U.S. will only be producing 17 percent of the graduates needed to meet the nation’s tech workforce needs. This is a national problem,” said Rangwala.

Break Through Tech at Mason is purposefully working to ensure long-term tech success for the program participants through community building efforts. Volgenau School of Engineering’s Chief Diversity Officer Christopher Carr says Mason is taking a holistic approach.

“From our K-12 outreach, we will utilize structures like our Early Identification Program, which works with communities across the National Capital Region, with particular emphasis on those communities that have been historically oppressed and marginalized,” says Carr. “We will then ensure that all participants have support through not only mentorship and cohort development, but by intentional efforts to connect the participants to all that is Mason - from our student organizations to living-learning communities, and so much more.”

Department of Computer Science poised for growth

Nanci Hellmich — Tue, 26 May 2020 19:06:56 +0000

Department of Computer Science poised for growth Nanci Hellmich Tue, 05/26/2020 - 15:06

Sanjeev Setia, professor and associate dean for computing programs and initiatives for the Volgenau School of Engineering, says the Department of Computer Science is expanding its depth and reach to provide a diverse array of programs and courses in computing to students from all backgrounds and at all levels. Photo by Creative Services

Computing devices permeate all areas of our lives, and computational methods are used in almost every field ranging from the arts and humanities to the sciences and engineering.

Given the importance of computing in today's world, Mason Engineering’s Department of Computer Science (CS) has expanded its depth and reach and is well-positioned to help more students develop expertise in computer science and computing to meet the needs of industry.

“Our goal is to provide a diverse array of programs and courses in computing to students from all backgrounds and at all levels,” says Sanjeev Setia, professor and associate dean for computing programs and initiatives for the Volgenau School of Engineering.

A changing landscape

During the past two years, key developments have created seismic shifts in the computer science landscape of Northern Virginia. The first came when Virginia’s Crystal City won the bid to become the location for Amazon’s HQ2 in 2018. This announcement was coupled with a commitment from the Commonwealth to create more than 25,000 high-paying jobs by 2030.

To meet the needs of Amazon as well as thousands of other Virginia employers constantly searching for world-class computing talent, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam also announced the Commonwealth would invest $750 million to grow Virginia’s tech talent pipeline and to diversify its innovation economy.

This 20-year initiative—the Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP)—seeks to increase the number of Virginia graduates from computer science, computer engineering, and software engineering programs at both the undergraduate and master’s levels.

Computer science programs continue to be robust with growth increasing by 86 percent over the 2015-2019 period. With new TTIP investments in faculty and student success, the university is confident that it can meet its TTIP commitment to prepare 8,410 graduates over the 20-year period largely from the computer science program.

In 2020, the Department of Computer Science enrolled about 2,000 students, making it one of the largest at VSE and at the university.

The university’s draft report on the School of Computing from April 2020 states, “It is within this dynamic environment that Mason will launch its new School of Computing (SoC). Informed by the increasingly pervasive role of computing in society and leveraging TTIP investments from the commonwealth, the university has an unprecedented opportunity to play a leadership role in shaping the future of computing regionally, nationally and globally while also enhancing economic prosperity and the quality of life for residents in the region and beyond.”

Size, numbers, and financial investment matter, but what is even more important is the partnership and vision for computing that a unified school provides. Although the Departments of Computer Science, Information Sciences and Technology, and Statistics will form the core of the School of Computing, the school will strive to enrich computing programs and collaborations across campus in all disciplines.

Huzefa Rangwala, current chair of the Department of Computer Science, envisions that new innovative computer science courses and program offerings will cater to students across disciplines. Photo by Ron Aira.

Huzefa Rangwala, current chair of CS, envisions that new innovative courses and program offerings would be catered to students across disciplines who are interested in computing broadly and the career opportunities it presents. Creating an inclusive and diverse computing workforce is one of the top priorities for the faculty in computing, he says.

Leadership and growth

To prepare for increased enrollment, the department recruited 13 new faculty for full-time positions beginning in August 2020. This brings the total to 50 tenured and tenure-track faculty members, 11 teaching and research faculty, and 500 graduate students, including 200 PhD students.

Incoming chair David Rosenblum, who will take the helm of the department in August 2020, says he is looking forward to returning to the United States after a 16-year absence.

Rosenblum completed his education in the United States, including earning his PhD from Stanford, and he started his career here before moving overseas. He has worked both in industry and in academic institutions on three continents—the University of California Irvine, University College London, and National University of Singapore.

Rosenblum says, “I am thrilled to be joining the Computer Science Department at Mason. I’m greatly impressed by the department’s highly cohesive and collaborative spirit and by its clear ambition to realize the potential that modern-day computing offers to the full range of academic disciplines and industry sectors. The department is ready to become a significant partner with many of the units on the Mason campuses in major research and educational initiatives.

“Our faculty's excellence is reflected in the list of awards including 14 CAREER/Young Investigator awards, seven Mason Emerging Researcher awards, and eleven Mason Excellence in Teaching awards,” Rangwala says.

For instance, professor Jeff Offutt , who received an outstanding teaching award from the university joins his colleague Danny Menasce in earning the state-wide award for faculty excellence. Menasce who earned the award in 2017 says, “Most importantly, what I try to do with my students is tell them they need to learn how to learn.”

Offutt agrees that life-long learning is crucial, and he is constantly adapting to changing technology and helping students become resilient.

Offutt and Menasce have been with the department for many years, but relative newcomer Jonathan Katz sees a tremendous opportunity for computer science in Northern Virginia and at Mason. Katz was hired in 2019 as professor and Eminent Scholar in Cybersecurity and brings impressive credentials and a strong background in cryptology to the department.

He is a recipient of a Humboldt Research Award, and he was recently named an International Association for Cryptologic Research Fellow in recognition of "his broad contributions, especially in public-key encryption and cryptographic protocols, and for dedication to service and education."

Katz says that he is excited by the possibilities opened up by the recently announced School of Computing at Mason, as well as the new cybersecurity department within the engineering school.

Research budget continuing to expand

The Computer Science Department’s annual research expenditures where faculty are either principal investigators or co-principal investigators doubled between 2016 and 2019, rising from $7 million to $14.1 million.

Faculty members have expertise in a wide array of fields including artificial intelligence, algorithms, computational biology, computer graphics, computer vision, cryptography, databases, data mining, parallel and distributed systems, real-time systems, robotics, security, software engineering, and wireless and mobile computing.

Craig Yu, an assistant professor in the department, recently received a prestigious CAREER Award, which recognizes early-career researchers, from the National Science Foundation. Yu is developing a computational design framework that companies can use to develop customized virtual reality programs for headsets more easily and efficiently, which would lower costs.

His research on virtual reality is groundbreaking, Rangwala says. “He is one of the new leaders in the field, and his passion for making this technology available to everyone is exciting for everyone at the university, especially our students.”

Likewise, Eric Osterweil, an assistant professor of computer science, is breaking new ground with his research on creating a more secure, stable infrastructure for the Internet. He spent almost 20 years working in industry, operations, standards, and policy communities to gain insights into cybersecurity. But now, he’s glad to be “with Mason’s talented researchers who have a great reputation in the computer science and cybersecurity communities.”

One of the benefits of being part of an R1 university involves the ability to cross departmental and disciplinary boundaries. CS faculty are actively engaged in inter-disciplinary research collaborations with colleagues from all over campus and other universities. Their efforts include partnerships with data scientists, bioengineers, political scientists, and earth scientists.

“Inter-disciplinary collaboration in research and education is a key component of the department's vision and strategic plan for the future,” says Setia.

Amarda Shehu, a professor of computer science, is one of the leaders of Mason’s new Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership, which is an effort to rethink human-machine partnerships and to design technology in a way that puts people in control. Photo by Ron Aira.

For example, Amarda Shehu, a professor of computer science, is one of the leaders of Mason’s new Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnership.

The purpose of the center is to rethink human-machine partnerships and to design technology in a way that puts people in control, Shehu says.

The interdisciplinary team includes faculty members from six colleges, including VSE, the College of Education and Human Development, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the College of Science, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Schar School of Policy and Government.

The payoff with computer science degrees

Graduates of the program find jobs not only in the technology sector of the economy but also in higher education, financial services, and as entrepreneurs.

Notable alumni from the department include Ronald Ritchey, managing director of JP Morgan Chase & Co.; Peng Ning, director of engineering at Google; and M. Brian Blake, provost at The George Washington University, and Abdur Chowdhury, an entrepreneur and former chief scientist of Twitter.

Computer science alumni live and work all over the world, but many live in the greater metropolitan area of Washington, D.C. The department has an active external advisory board composed of respected leaders in industry and government from a wide spectrum of organizations.

The members provide the department with critical guidance and feedback so that our courses and programs reflect the state of the art in computing technology. The board plays a fundamental role in assisting the department in its goal of graduating students who are well prepared to meet the workforce needs of the commonwealth and the nation.

Putting it all together

As CS begins its next chapter by welcoming a new department chair, new faculty, and returning students the growth and accomplishments of the department point toward continued success.

“We have world-class faculty members with research strengths in almost all areas of computing, and a strong commitment to teaching,” Rangwala says.

Contributing: Nanci Hellmich