List of Announcements (details below):


CS Seminar:  CS Dept.:  Mar 19, 2pm

Title: The Building Blocks of Data Science
Speaker: Sanjay Chawla, Professor, School of Information Technologies, University of Sydney

Wednesday, March 19, 2014
2:00 PM
ENGR 4201

Abstract

In this talk I will make an attempt to flesh out the core components of what is being called Data Science. The umbrella term ``Data Science’’ incorporates elements of Computer Science, Information theory and Statistics expressed in the language of optimization theory. The identification of these core elements will help towards arriving at a declarative framework for Data Science and decouple its use from implementation. This in turn may lead to overcome the “Data Science Crunch” – where organizations own and have access to large quantities of data and appreciate its potential value, but lack human talent and a support framework to exploit it to its fullest.

Bio

Prof Sanjay Chawla, University of Sydney Sanjay Chawla is a Professor in the School of Information Technologies, University of Sydney, Australia. His main area of research is data mining and machine learning. More specifically he has been working on three problems of contemporary interest: outlier detection, imbalanced classification and adversarial learning. His research has been published in leading conferences and journals and has been recognized by several best-paper awards. He serves on the editorial board of IEEE TKDE and Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery. Sanjay served as the Head of School from 2008-2011 and was an academic visitor at Yahoo! Labs, Bangalore in 2012. He received his PhD in 1995 from the University of Tennessee, USA.


Funding Opportunity: Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education in Engineering (NSF)

Department/Agency:   National Science Foundation
Deadline:  May 27, 2014
URL:  http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13656

Summary:  This solicitation aims at introducing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology through a variety of interdisciplinary approaches into undergraduate engineering education. The focus of the FY 2014 competition is on nanoscale engineering education with relevance to devices and systems and/or on the societal, ethical, economic and/or environmental issues relevant to nanotechnology. A well-prepared, innovative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce is crucial to the Nation's health and economy. Indeed, recent policy actions and reports have drawn attention to the opportunities and challenges inherent in increasing the number of highly qualified STEM graduates, including STEM teachers. Priorities include educating students to be leaders and innovators in emerging and rapidly changing STEM fields as well as educating a scientifically literate populace; both of these priorities depend on the nature and quality of the undergraduate education experience. In addressing these STEM challenges and priorities, the National Science Foundation invests in research-based and research-generating approaches to understanding STEM learning; to designing, testing, and studying curricular change; to wide dissemination and implementation of best practices; and to broadening participation of individuals and institutions in STEM fields. The goals of these investments include: increasing student retention in STEM, to prepare students well to participate in science for tomorrow, and to improve students' STEM learning outcomes. Recognizing disciplinary differences and priorities, NSF's investment in research and development in undergraduate STEM education encompasses a range of approaches. These approaches include: experiential learning, assessment/metrics of learning and practice, scholarships, foundational education research, professional development/institutional change, formal and informal learning environments, and undergraduate disciplinary research. Both individually and integrated in a range of combinations, these approaches can lead to outcomes including: developing the STEM and STEM-related workforce, advancing science, broadening participation in STEM, educating a STEM-literate populace, improving K-12 STEM education, encouraging life-long learning, and building capacity in higher education. Related funding opportunities are posted on the web site for the National Nanotechnology Initiative, http://www.nsf.gov/nano In addition, research and education projects in nanoscale science and engineering will continue to be supported in the relevant NSF programs and divisions.

Estimated Number of Awards:  10
Estimated Total Program Funding:  $1,900,000
Award Ceiling:  $200,000
Award Floor:  $100,000


Daniel Fleck and Angelos Stavrou Receive Funding from Invincea Labs & DARPA

Daniel Fleck and Angelos Stavrou of the Computer Science Department received $744K from Invincea Labs, LLC, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for their project, “TAPIO: Targeted Attack Premonition using Integrated Operational data sources.”


Sushil Jajodia Receives Funding from Army Research Office

Sushil Jajodia of the Center for Secure Information Systems received $24K from the Army Research Office for his project, “Cyber Warfare: Building the Scientific Future.”
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Stephen G. Nash
Senior Associate Dean
Volgenau School of Engineering
George Mason University
Nguyen Engineering Building, Room 2500
Mailstop 5C8
Fairfax, VA 22030

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Phone: (703) 993-1505
Fax: (703) 993-1633
http://volgenau.gmu.edu/web/volgenau/senior-associate-dean