From the Dean
Greetings from snowy Michigan Tech! As we embark on the Spring 2020 semester, and reflect upon our progress throughout the fall semester, we wanted to take some time to share some news. It has been an exciting, fast-paced six months since the launch of the College of Computing launch on July 1.
I am so grateful for all the hard work, passion, and dedication exhibited by College faculty, staff, and students as we got this new administrative unit off the ground. Heartfelt thanks also go out to our alumni and friends for all the support, encouragement, and gifts we have received over the past several months.
We welcomed a record incoming freshman class of 188 excellent students in September, who joined 459 returning undergraduates. Prospective student applications have seen a phenomenal rise this fall and we are looking forward to breaking more records in the 2020-21 academic year.
The College of Computing is growing and that means we need additional faculty members. A nationwide search has been underway since October for six new assistant and associate professors in the Computing disciplines. We have also begun the Tomorrow Needs Faculty and Scientist Seminar Series, which provides opportunities for advanced Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars to learn about Michigan Tech and interact with University researchers.
Please enjoy the following articles about College of Computing students, alumni and donors, and faculty and staff. And keep an eye on our website and blog, as these are updated frequently.
With warm regards,
Adrienne Minerick, Dean
December 2019
Persistence is a Key to Success
The College of Computing has established the Persistence in Computer Science Scholarship Fund and the Persistence in Applied Computing Scholarship Fund to help undergraduate students persist in the pursuit of their Computing degrees. Please consider making a gift or pledge to one of these scholarships so we can encourage the persistence of many Computer Science students, now and for years to come. Please visit mtu.edu/computing/giving to make your gift online, or phone Adam Johnson at 906-487-1087.
Fall Undergrad Enrollment a Record-breaking 688 Students
The College of Computing welcomed 188 new first-year students and 459 returning undergraduates for total student enrollment this fall of 688 undergraduates.
Events and Outreach
Computing Week, October 12 to 17, formally introduced the new College to our campus and community. Computing Week activities included a Google Cloud Hero student competition, a seminar led by researchers of the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI), a Tech Talks research forum and poster session by ICC and College of Computing faculty and students, an Open House at which College programs and research were on display, and a Faculty Forum at which faculty and graduate students discussed innovative teaching and learning methods and curriculum being used in the College.
Aspire IT Leaders Sarah Larkin and Miriam Eikenberry-Ureel, both Michigan Tech Computer Science students, led a one-week Code Ninjas workshop August 19-24 in Rekhi Hall for 24 participants from local middle and high schools. The free annual Code Ninjas workshop is funded by the National Center for Women in Computing (NCWIT).
Two week-long GenCyber Camps were held the week of June 17 for 30 middle school and high school students, and the week of August 12 for 30 K-12 STEM teachers. Funded by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). the nationwide GenCyber program aims to increase interest in cybersecurity careers and build diversity in the national cybersecurity workforce.
Dr. Theda Daniels-Race, the Michael B. Voorheis Distinguished at Louisiana State University, presented a seminar September 9. The seminar was presented by the Institute of Computing and Cybersystems, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Michigan Tech Visiting Professor Program.
Alumni
EET alumnus Aaron Zarembski was named one of 20 emerging leaders by Production Manufacturing magazine. The magazine's annual list recognizes professionals under the age of 40 who are making a difference in the precision machined parts industry.
Computing Faculty
- Bo Chen and Soner Onder were recipients of this year's ICC Achievement Awards, Chen for his significant contributions to research and education in cybersecurity of mobile devices; Onder for exceptional contributions to research in next-generation architectures and as Director of the ICC Center for Scalable Architectures and Systems. LEARN MORE
- The College of Computing welcomed three new faculty members this fall: Yakov Nekrich, associate professor, Computer Science; Nathir Rawashdeh, assistant professor, MERET; and Weihua Zhuo, assistant professor, Health Informatics.
- The College of Computing has undertaken a search for new faculty members: Assistant or Associate Professor, CNSA/MERET/HI Division; Assistant Professor, Computer Science; and Assistant or Associate Professor. LEARN MORE
- A seminar series to bring advanced PhD students and postdoctoral scholars to Michigan Tech has been launched by the ICC, in partnership with the Colleges of Computing, Engineering, and Sciences & Arts, and the Great Lakes Research Center. LEARN MORE
- Two Computing faculty received Fall 2019 Research Excellence Fund (REF) awards: Professor Jinshan Tang received a Portage Health Foundation Infrastructure Enhancement Grant; Assistant Professor Jung Yun Bae (ME-EM/CS), who was awarded a Research Seed Grant. LEARN MORE
- For his paper, "University, Community College and Industry Partnership: Revamping Robotics Education to Meet 21st Century Workforce Needs – NSF Sponsored Project Final Report," Professor Alex Sergeyev was awarded Best Paper Award in the Engineering Technology Division at the 2019 American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) conference. LEARN MORE
- Professor Soner Onder presented a keynote lecture July 8, 2019, at the International Conference on Embedded Computer Systems: Architectures, Modeling and Simulation (SAMOS XIX) on Samos Island, Greece, which was held July 7-11. Onder's talk was titled, "Form Follows Function: The Case for Homogeneous Computer Architectures." LEARN MORE
Mechatronics Playground
Donald Engineering, (DE), an engineering and distribution company headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI, along with several additional companies, has generously funded modular equipment for a new Mechatronics Engineering Lab that DE has dubbed The Mechatronics Playground. Several modules will be ready and delivered before the end of 2019.
Computing Students
Gary Tropp, a sophomore Computer Network and System Administration (CNSA) undergraduate, has been named a University Innovation Fellow (UIF) by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. The global UIF program trains student leaders to create new opportunities for their peers to engage with innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking, and creativity.
For his CS 4099 Directed Study class this fall, senior Computer Science undergraduate Keith Atkinson developed and deployed a Food Inventory System (FIS) for the Husky Food Access Network Food Pantry. The Inventory System will allow pantry staff to quickly know what they have in their inventory.
RedTeam@MTU, a Michigan Tech National Cyber League (NCL) team, placed 8th out of 689 teams in the NCL Fall 2019 cyber competition team game. The team consists of seven College of Computing undergraduate and graduate students. Two Red Team members ranked in the top 100 out of 4149 players in the individual game.
Research and the ICC
The Institute of Computing and Cybersystems is the research arm of the College of Computing. In the first five months of FY2020 ICC researchers were awarded 13 new grants and contracts, and a total of 36 projects are currently active.
Algorithmic Culture Series
The new Institute for Policy, Ethics, and Culture (IPEC) got the techno-cultural conversation going this fall with the Algorithmic Culture Lecture Series. Three distinguished speakers addressed questions such as Why does algorithmic integrity matter? How are algorithms designed and under what policies are they implemented? and What are the ethical choices we are making about the data included and excluded in algorithms, and what cultural biases support or challenge our technical choices?
Computing Degree Programs
College of Computing BS Degrees
Computer Network and System Administration—BS
College of Computing MS and PhD Degrees
Add'l Computing-Related Degrees
Applied Cognitive Science and Human Factors
Computational Science and Engineering
Marketing and Communications
The College of Computing is grateful to the University's Marketing and Communications team for the excellent marketing and communications efforts they've undertaken on behalf of the College, which include a digital marketing campaign, a recruitment website, media outreach, and print materials.
We're Social!
You can stay up-to-date with College of Computing and ICC news in a number of ways, including our News Blogs.