These “packet-level simulations” model individual data packets as they travel through a computer network. Downloading a web page to one’s home computer or sending an e-mail message typically involves transmitting several packets through the Internet. Packet-level simulations provide a detailed, accurate representation of network behavior (e.g., congestion), but are very time consuming to complete.
Engineers and scientists routinely use such simulations to design and analyze new networks and to understand phenomena such as Denial of Service attacks that have plagued the Internet in recent years. Because of the time required to complete the simulation computations, most studies today are limited to modeling a few hundred network components such as routers, servers and end-user computers.
“The end goal of research on network modeling and simulation is to create a more reliable and higher-performance Internet,” says Fujimoto. “Our team has created a computer simulation that is two to three orders of magnitude faster than simulators commonly used by networking researchers today. This finding offers new capabilities for engineers and scientists to study large-scale computer networks in the laboratory to find solutions to Internet and network problems that were not possible before.”
The Georgia Tech researchers have demonstrated the ability to simulate network traffic from over 1 million web browsers in near real time. This feat means that the simulators could model a minute of such large-scale network operations in only a few minutes of clock time.
Using the high-performance computers at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, the Georgia Tech simulators used as many as 1,534 processors to simultaneously work on the simulation computation, enabling them to model more than 106 million packet transmissions in one second of clock time -- two to three orders of magnitude faster than simulators commonly used today. In comparison, the next closest packet-level simulations of which the research team is aware have simulated only a few million packet transmissions per second.
The research team plans to present their findings at the IEEE International Symposium on Modeling, Analysis and Simulation of Computer and Telecommunication Systems (MASCOTS) in October. Team members include: Mostafa Ammar, Regents professor of Computing; Kalyan Perumalla, post-doctoral/research faculty; George Riley, assistant professor in School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Fujimoto. Graduate students involved in this project include Alfred Park, Computing and Talal Jaafar, Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Major funding was provided by the Network Modeling and Simulation Program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the National Science Foundation. The cluster computing platforms at Georgia Tech were obtained through a grant from Intel.
More information about the Modeling & Simulation Research & Education Center is available at the MSREC website.
]]>Dr.Richard A. DeMillo, Imlay Dean and Distinguished Professor of Computing, announced today three additions to the College of Computing (CoC) administrative team. Effective February 1, Ellen W. Zegura became associate dean for research and graduate programs. Zegura's duties include overall responsibility for overseeing the College’s extensive research budget, and promoting and developing new research projects and initiatives. She also will oversee all aspects of the College's graduate programs and graduate student services. Zegura will retain her former duties related to space and facilities, and will continue to maintain her personal research activities in GCATT.
Ellen's considerable administrative skills became apparent to all of us during her recent tenure as interim dean of CoC, so I am personally thrilled that she has agreed to bring her intelligence and energy to the dean's office on a permanent basis,” DeMillo said.
Merrick Furst has joined the College's faculty and the dean's administrative team as professor and associate dean for undergraduate programs and faculty development. Furst is a distinguished scholar and brings further strength to the College’s already strong theory group. Furst and DeMillo have been colleagues, collaborators and friends for many years.
Beyond his academic experience at Carnegie Mellon and Berkeley, he has commercial, entrepreneurial and administrative experience I value,” said DeMillo. “I have on many occasions relied on his good sense and judgment, so it gives me great personal pleasure to have him join us here at Tech.”
Furst has overall responsibility for all aspects of the College's undergraduate programs, including (jointly with Ellen Zegura) supervisory responsibilities for the office of Student Services. In addition, Furst will establish and monitor a systematic mentoring infrastructure aimed at the professional development of the College's junior faculty - particularly those faculty who join the College fresh from Ph.D. programs. Furst's challenge will be to aggressively enhance the College of Computing’s stature as a national leader in undergraduate computing education, a priority for the College and the Institute. With a focus on innovation and technology, and CoC’s access to a remarkably talented student body, the goal is to be as celebrated for the educational achievements as the College’s research achievements.
Also on February 1, Maureen Biggers becomes assistant dean for diversity and special programs. Biggers has overall responsibility for promoting diversity and diversity-based programs with the College. Bigger's role is to weave diverse student populations and programs into an innovative approach to diversity that places CoC and Georgia Tech among the top ranked institutions in this area. Biggers also has responsibility for a number of programs and initiatives that require dedicated attention from the dean's office.
“Biggers has an extensive background in college-level administration and brings a dedication to diversity goals to this new position,” DeMillo said.
The Georgia Tech College of Computing houses one of the largest computer science programs in the country with 68 academic faculty and 35 research faculty. The College strives to provide high quality instruction and to integrate computing knowledge into other academic disciplines as well as aspects of daily life. Approximately 1900 students are enrolled in the college; including approximately 1500 undergraduates and more than 400 graduate students, some 260 of which are Ph.D. students.
]]>Recent Georgia Tech graduate V. Blair Dowling, who is passionate about mathematics and is a fierce competitor in Ultimate Frisbee, will soon become part of a much larger team. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has selected her to receive one of 100 fellowships in the new Homeland Security Scholars and Fellows Program. More than 2,500 students nationwide applied for the 100 openings available to undergraduate and graduate students studying a variety of disciplines related to scientific and technological innovations that can be applied to the DHS mission. Dowling graduated in May with degrees in applied mathematics and computer science and a minor in economics. Dowling will use the three-year graduate fellowship, which includes a stipend and full tuition, to pursue her doctoral degree in mathematics at Princeton University. Her long-term goal is to be a professor of mathematics.
I fell in love with math at a very early age,” said Dowling. “Initially my only goal was to make a contribution to theoretical mathematics – a beautiful result on a pedestal. Over the last four years, my goal has expanded to include the innovation of new applications of mathematics to societal problems – such as the HIV project I’m working on now. I’m looking forward to learning the foundations of mathematics at Princeton, and hope to be able to then teach them to the next generation.”
Dowling feels this fellowship will give her the freedom to concentrate on her studies. In April when she received an e-mail from one of her math professors suggesting she apply for the fellowship, she had already been offered a teaching fellowship at Princeton, which covered all expenses for four years. Dowling felt the Homeland Security Fellowship provided more flexibility. As part of the fellowship, Dowling will be required to complete an internship with DHS the summer after her first year.
Dowling, an outstanding student who graduated from Tech with a perfect 4.0 GPA, has received many honors. She was a finalist for the highly prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, which included an intensive application and interview process that she found very thought provoking. She also received the Phi Kappa Phi Scholarship Cup, awarded each year to the graduating senior with the most outstanding scholastic record in the class.
As an undergraduate, she pursued several research projects. She worked on a joint Georgia Tech - Emory University research project with Dr. Dana Randall, associate professor in the College of Computing and adjunct in the School of Mathematics at Georgia Tech and Dr. Guido Silvestri, assistant professor of medicine at the Emory Vaccine Research Center & Yerkes National Primate Research Center. The project’s goal is to develop a mathematical model of HIV infection in vivo, along with computer software allowing biologists, to visualize the progression of the disease. For this project, she won first place in the annual UROC (Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Computing) competition. Dowling is involved in ongoing research with the project, and anticipates publication of their work sometime in the next year. Another project was a National Science Foundation-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates focusing on elliptic curves and quadratic residue tournaments.
Blair completely embodies the type of student that made me want to become an academic,” said Randall. “She demonstrated such extreme professionalism and scientific integrity in our HIV modeling research project that it is hard to believe that she was still an undergraduate. For the project, Blair had to comprehend the immunological dynamics involved in HIV infection at the level of a graduate student in biology, she had to understand partial differential equations used in mathematical modeling and reinterpret them as stochastic equations, and she had to demonstrate proficiency in programming methodologies. Her enthusiasm and dedication elevated this joint Georgia Tech-Emory project to a level far beyond our original expectations, and we were incredibly fortunate to have her work with us.”
Dowling, from Savannah, Ga., enjoys teaching. At Georgia Tech she worked as a teaching assistant for Calculus II courses. One summer, she served as head counselor for a math camp for high school students at Boston University called PROMYS – the Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists.
Despite her heavy academic load, Dowling found time for extracurricular activities as well. She played on the Georgia Tech Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team and additionally served as captain of an intramural ultimate team all four years. Dowling served as president of the Georgia Tech chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the National Math Honor Society, and faculty credit her with reviving this organization and transforming it into a vibrant group that promotes excellence in mathematics and interactions among department faculty and students. Also, Dowling was an active member of Westminster Christian Fellowship and helped organize and raise funds for the renovation of their on-campus building in the spring of 2003.
Through this education program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security supports the growth and mentoring of the next generation of scientists as they study ways to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recovery efforts from attacks that occur. More than 100 experts from a variety of fields reviewed the applications. About one-third of the awards were given to students from engineering disciplines, followed by computer science and math, psychology and social sciences.
More information about the Homeland Security Scholars and Fellows Program is available online at the program website.
]]>“The committee is the direct outgrowth of work by College of Computing professors Beth Mynatt and Amy Bruckman over the past few months to determine the feasibility of a new degree program in this area,” said Dr. Richard DeMillo, Imlay Dean of Computing.
Using "Human-Centered Computing" as a working title, the committee is charged with developing a Ph.D. program proposal that meets the following goals:
Further establish Georgia Tech and the College of Computing as a leader in research and education at the intersection between computing and the myriad ways in which humans use and are affected by computers
Create a cutting-edge program that will differentiate us from other schools with similar programs
Clearly and definitively signal to ourselves, Georgia Tech and the world the breadth and diversity of the College of Computing
Leverage Georgia Tech's strengths in computing, HCI, psychology, cognitive science, multimedia and media studies, human factors, ergonomics, assistive technologies and industrial design
Create stronger synergies between CoC faculty in HCI, AI, Intelligent Systems, Cognitive Science and Learning Science, and create a Ph.D. program that is highly relevant to faculty working in many of these areas
Attract the very best students and faculty whose interests are research and education at the intersection between computing and humans
The committee will initially focus on developing a CoC Ph.D. degree with a strong interdisciplinary orientation, with subsequent plans to work with interested schools to develop a multiple-entry degree similar to degrees in bioinformatics, HCI, and algorithms, combinatorics and optimization (ACO).
“The Ph.D. in HCC is yet another step toward broadening the College’s intellectual base,” said Foley. Nersessian agrees. “We see this as a step in fulfilling and further articulating our vision to extend the boundaries of computing,” she said.
]]>Jones returned to the University of Virginia in 1997 after being sworn in as the director of Defense Research and Engineering for the U.S. Department of Defense in June 1993. In that position, she was responsible for the management of the science and technology program which included the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the DoD laboratories, as well as being the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense for defense-related scientific and technical matters.
Jones is a member and former vice-chair of the National Science Board. She is also a member of the Defense Science Board and the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Corporation. She co-chairs the Commonwealth of Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission and has served on other government advisory boards and panels for NASA, the National Research Council, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
Jones is currently a member of the board of directors of Science Applications International Corporation and Avaki Corp. Other private sector experience includes serving as a founder and vice pal articles and two books in the area of computer software & systems and cyber-security. Jones holds an A.B. from Rice University in mathematics, a Master of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University.
Thomas E. Noonan is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Internet Security systems, Inc. (ISS), a leading global provider of information protection solutions that secure IT infrastructure and defend key online assets from attack and misuse. Established in 1994, ISS has soared under Noonan’s leadership with over 1200 employees, operating in 22 countries with an annual revenue of nearly $250 million. Noonan’s management style and vision have been recognized by industry leading publications and associations including Forbes, Business Week and Fortune magazine. He was Ernst and Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1999 and was recently appointed by President Bush to the newly formed National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), as part of homeland defense. Noonan holds a mechanical engineering degree form Georgia Tech and a business degree from Harvard University.
]]>The Georgia Tech Student Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (gtACM) won 2nd place at the Southeastern Regional of the 2003 ACM programming competition held in Daytona Beach, Fla. Now, the students start practicing for the March finals and look forward to representing Georgia Tech and Atlanta in the international competition.
Georgia Tech sent four teams, each with three students, to the Southeastern Regional. Out of the 88 teams from 39 universities at the competition, Georgia Tech teams placed second, seventh, 13th, and 22nd. Trayton Otto, Topraj Gurung, and Ryan Wilson made up the top team. Tech was also represented by nine other student participants: Christopher Oezbek, Ankur Kalra, Tyler Weston, Ram Gandhapuneni, Hitesh Kanwathirtha, Michael Sulak, Frank Rietta, Hussain Ali, and Nick Clift.
The ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC), established in 1970, is the most prestigious programming competition for the world's universities and colleges. The contest fosters creativity, teamwork and innovation in building new software programs and demonstrates how students perform under pressure. The contest takes place in two stages, first regional competitions and then a worldwide final competition with the winners from each regional.
Two months prior to the competition, students dedicated their Sunday afternoons to seven-hour practices with coach David Van Brackle. TheGeorgia Tech team traveled to Daytona with three College of Computing staff members: Dan Colestock, GTACM chapter sponsor; Maureen Biggers, assistant dean, and Monica Sweat, lecturer.
Thousands of teams compete world-wide in regional contests held from September to December 2003, but only seventy-two teams advance to the World Finals in Prague, Czech Republic on March 28-April 1, 2004. Awards, prizes, scholarships and bragging rights will be at stake for some of the world's finest computing students at the Obecni Dum (Municipal House) of the Czech Republic, courtesy of Mayor Bem and hosts at The Czech Technical University Prague and Charles University.
While the Yellow Jackets’ seat at the World Finals is not yet certain, traditionally, the top two teams from the southeast region advance to the March competition.
Founded in 1947, ACM (the Association for Computing Machinery) is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated toadvancing the arts, sciences, and applications of computer science and information technology. ACM is the professional society for computing professionals. GTACM is the primary student organization for Georgia Tech computer science majors. Activities include organized corporate and faculty presentations and other events, which benefit both undergraduate and graduate students. GTACM also provides an avenue for students to develop corporate leadership skills.
]]>DeMillo returned to academia in 2002 after a career as an executive in industry and government. He was chief technology officer for Hewlett-Packard, where he had worldwide responsibility for technology and technology strategy. Prior to joining HP, he was in charge of Information and Computer Sciences Research at Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore) in Morristown, New Jersey, where he oversaw the development of many Internet and web-based innovations. He has also directed the Computer and Computation Research Division of the National Science Foundation.
The author of over 100 articles and books, DeMillo's research has spanned several fundamental areas of computer science and includes fundamental innovation in computer security, software engineering and mathematics. His present research interests are focused on information security and nanotechnology. He is active in many aspects of the IT industry, serving on advisory boards and panels, and he is an advisor for several early-stage technology companies. He is a member of the board of directors for RSA Security.
The first annual Atlanta SecureWorld Expo will feature the most advanced physical and digital security products offered by top regional and national manufacturers and solution providers. In addition to keynote presentations, the event will focus on three educational conference tracks that address the most critical security issues today, including public/private partnerships, IT security, workplace violence, security management, bioterrorism, integration of physical and digital security and so much more.
The SecureWorld Expo has partnered with the Georgia Tech Information Security Center, Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), American Society of Industrial Security (ASIS), Southeast Cyber-Crime Institute, Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), InfraGard Atlanta, Information Systems Forensic Association, Georgia Technology Authority, FBI and the GBI.
SecureWorld is the first regional conference combining both physical and information security under a public private partnership. In 2003 SecureWorld Expo will host events in Baltimore, Atlanta, Seattle and Detroit. For additional information on SecureWorld Expo, and details on additional features within the event go to: www.secureworldexpo.com.
]]>In an effort to achieve that goal, the Atlanta Fire Department approached Georgia Tech about developing a fire command training simulator to better prepare their officers to react in emergencies. Collaborating with the Atlanta Fire Department, Georgia Tech researchers are refining a training application using virtual environment technology—immersive computer-generated experiences—to better train fire commanders directing teams of firefighters.
“The key here is the safety of the firefighters,” says Captain W.G. May, special projects coordinator, Atlanta Fire Department. “By reducing the dangers involved in training, we can greatly lower the chance of a firefighter injury.”
This application simulates the progress of a fire in a single-family home and responds to the orders made by the fire commander on the scene. The virtual environment allows the user to navigate around the fire scene and view a house on fire from any angle; to direct firefighters and watch them execute commands; and see realistic fire and smoke behavior reacting to changes in the environment such as the opening of windows.
By reducing the dangers involved in training, we can greatly lower the chance of a firefighter injury." - Captain W.G. May
“The world that firefighters work in is incredibly complex. Every fire and every situation is different, so a virtual environment, which can be changed fairly easily, is a good fit for this type of training,” says Dr. Chris D. Shaw, senior research scientist in Georgia Tech’s College of Computing and faculty member of the Graphics, Visualization and Usability (GVU) Center, who leads the project.
The Firefighter Command Training Virtual Environment is designed as a training tool to be used by the fire company officer, who usually commands a four- to eight-person company of firefighters who respond to fire emergencies. The officer usually has a number of years of experience as a firefighter and has trained to be an officer in the classroom and by practicing command procedure at the fire department’s training ground.
However, these training methods are limited. First, not all fire companies see all types of emergencies in equal amounts; some companies may see many more fires than others. The overall number of fires has declined over the years -- only about 3 percent of calls to the Atlanta Fire Department are for fires. Second, practice training always takes place at the training ground in exactly the same fireproof building, so realism and the element of surprise are limited. The virtual environment, on the other hand, can provide a variety of scenarios in a more realistic way and with less risk and expense than training with real fires.
“When I came to Georgia Tech for graduate school, I was interested in working in computer graphics and with virtual reality, so this project was a good fit,” said Tazama St. Julien, third year computer science Ph.D. student. “The visit to the actual fire training ground and seeing fires up close and personal was pretty interesting and fun.”
In the prototype application, Shaw and his team of students created a virtual environment with a furnished one-story house with a garage, a fire truck, firefighters, tools, and fire hydrant. The user, the fire company officer, sees the house on fire on a computer screen or a head-mounted display and gives verbal commands as he would in a real fire. The system operator types the officer’s commands into the computer system via code. The project team decided to handle the command input in this fashion rather than incorporating a voice recognition system to translate the voice commands due to their unreliability for multiple users. Also, having an operator input the commands rather than the user allows the user to concentrate on evaluating the situation and making decisions. This arrangement also allows the operator to set up mistakes or traps for the user, again creating a more realistic experience. The officer then sees animated firefighters reacting to his commands, such as laying hoses or climbing onto the roof to cut a hole over the fire. Also, every 15 seconds the visuals of the smoke and fire change in reaction to the officer’s commands.
“Due to the number of factors involved, the project has proven technically challenging. The Atlanta Fire Department told us that accuracy is important. If the fire in our virtual environment doesn’t respond like a real fire would to a door opening, for example, then it’s not very useful as a training tool. So we’ve concentrated on accuracy in the amount of smoke and fire produced, for example, which is a huge amount of data to calculate,” said Shaw.
Significant improvements have been made since the original prototype was created. Originally, the animated firefighters moved like robots; now the application includes motion scripts to make the firefighters’ movements more realistic.
“It has been amazing to see this project develop. The early stages were simply cylinders representing firefighters that hopped through a house with little candle flames sprouting from the floor. Now, we have firefighters that can walk, climb ladders, ventilate a roof, spray water, etc. The fire is very realistic, not only in the way it looks but in its behavior as well. For example, if the house has a limited oxygen supply, the fire will smolder and burn slower,” says May.
Due to the complexity of calculating the amount of smoke and fire produced, the team turned to the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), which studies why firefighters die and compiles extensive data on this problem. The Georgia Tech team is using NIST’s Fire Dynamic Simulator to compute realistic physical fire and smoke behavior. Due to the lengthy time to accurately compute the volume of fire and smoke, the team pre-computed the data for the entire house at one-second increments, and the system uses the pre-computed data to visualize and animate the fire and smoke in the virtual environment. On a current PC, the Fire Dynamic Simulator takes about eight hours to compute one minute of data, making it impossible to calculate the smoke and fire in real time.
“The majority of my work has been on the volume renderer,” said St. Julien. “I worked with the Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) to simulate the fire and smoke data, then render or draw a visualization of that data in the virtual environment. This took learning the input and output file format for FDS, learning how to use FDS, and learning how to efficiently render the data. My other main contributions are path finding, the hose animation, control of the firemen, and the fire simulation.”
Other challenges for this project include the need to develop compression techniques to make the huge data files manageable. The exponential growth of choices and conditions -- such as opening doors, spraying water -- result in an exponential increase in data. Also, the team had to create realistic-looking 3-D visuals of fire and smoke to accurately indicate to the officer the amount of soot, heat and smoke. At the scene of a real fire, officers look for these factors to determine the cause and type of fire to guide their decisions.
“The firefighter project had a compelling blend of the technical challenges I’m interested in: graphics and artificial intelligence, as well as concrete, real-world applicability,” said Dan Cunning, senior in computer science. “I am currently working on creating a more realistic looking fire simulation, exploring the possibilities of using different textures and transparency for different parts of the fire, and possibly using fragment and vertex shaders, a fairly cutting-edge technology. Most undergrads have no clue how easy it is to start working with one of the research groups on campus.”
The Firefighter Command project has provided hands-on experience to a number of computer science seniors and graduate students. Typically, a student is assigned to work on a specific component of this complex project. The team continues to refine the technical aspects of the application including developing a more complex path selection of the various choices a commander might make.
Housed in the new Technology Square Research Building, the Graphics, Visualization and Usability (GVU) Center, an interdisciplinary research center at Georgia Tech, fosters collaborations in computing and information technology research among Georgia Tech faculty and students. With more than 40 faculty and 150 affiliated students from the disciplines of Computing; Psychology; Architecture; Literature, Communication and Culture; and Electrical and Computer Engineering, GVU has gained international recognition in the research areas of graphics, animation, virtual reality, human-computer interaction, ubiquitous computing, augmented reality, wearable computing, 3-D compression, robotics, perception, collaborative web spaces and online communities.
]]>After all, two other researchers -- Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman -- received the prestigious Marconi Foundation award in 2000 for advancing PKI technology, which paved the way for virtually every secure online transaction. But Merkle accepts that notoriety is fickle and understands that his well-documented contributions are known to anyone truly interested in infosecurity. Most Stanford University patents for public keys credit his work, and Merkle's research, which he began in the early 1970s, is cited in dozens of cryptography books.
"The awareness of people's specific contributions in highly technical areas is often highly variable," Merkle says. "I actually feel quite fortunate to have as high a level of recognition as I have had. Looking at it objectively, quite a few people in the industry are aware of my contributions."
One reason why Merkle's work may have been somewhat overlooked is that he hasn't devoted his entire career to infosecurity. For years, he devoted most of his attention to cutting-edge nanotechnology research, most recently with a startup in Dallas. He did, however, continue some infosecurity work on the side.
When the Georgia Institute of Technology called with an offer to take over its Information Security Center, Merkle knew the time had come to focus more on infosecurity.
"Interest in computer security is driven by events, and the number of events is increasing dramatically," he says. "That means that resources are now available that weren't 10 or 20 years ago. When there were no resources, working on the problem was a lot less interesting. Now that there's been this huge shift, it makes the whole thing a lot more fun."
Rich Demillo, the dean of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, says that as soon as Merkle surfaced as a candidate, the university moved to land him. And while not all of his students know of his seminal contributions to the field, they quickly realize he has a lot to offer.
"He's such an understated guy," Demillo says. "But the students catch on real quick. They can tell right away there's a lot of substance there."
More Information:
Information Security Magazine Article
“With this recognition Georgia Tech celebrates your long-term accomplishments in the field of networking and your exemplary teaching and educational leadership, and your service to the profession and to the Institute,” said Dr. Bob McMath, professor of history and vice provost for undergraduate studies. “This elevation to the rank of Regents' Professor brings with it universal recognition on the Georgia Tech campus as an intellectual and educational leader of the highest order,” he said.
Georgia Tech is allowed to nominate up to two individuals per year for appointment as Regents' Professors. Those considered already hold the rank of (full) professor and are nominated by their colleges based on excellence in research and teaching and contributions to their profession and to Georgia Tech over a considerable period of time. A committee made up of Regents' Professors and other chaired professors representing all six of the colleges considers the nominations and makes a recommendation to the Provost.
“Mostafa is very deserving of this prestigious award for his years of world-class research, teaching and leadership in networking,” said Dick Lipton, professor and Frederick G. Storey Chair in Computing who represented the College on the Institute’s selection committee.
Ammar joined the College of Computing in September 1985 (then the School of Information and Computer Science) as an assistant professor. He is a member of the College’s Networking and Telecommunications Group and is also a faculty member of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center. His research is in the area of computer networks architectures, protocols and services with specific interests and contributions in multimedia and multicast communication, scalable content distribution services, large-scale network simulation and peer-to-peer networks.
Ammar became an IEEE Fellow in 2002, cited “for contributions to the design of scalable multimedia services and their network support.” He has served as Editor-in-Chief for the IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking journal since 1999.
The Georgia Tech College of Computing houses one of the largest computer science programs in the country with 68 academic faculty and 39 research faculty. The College strives to provide high quality instruction and to integrate computing knowledge into other academic disciplines as well as aspects of daily life. Approximately 1900 students are enrolled in the college, including approximately 1500 undergraduates and more than 400 graduate students, some 260 of which are Ph.D. students.
]]>The NNIN, expected to launch in January, will be led by Cornell University. Other member universities are Georgia Institute of Technology; Harvard University; Howard University; North Carolina State University; Pennsylvania State University; Stanford University; the University of California, Santa Barbara; the University of Michigan; the University of Minnesota; the University of New Mexico, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Washington.
Goals for the network go beyond academic research. They will also include educational efforts involving students from kindergarten through high school as well as industry outreach activities.
]]>This year’s event on April 16 drew some 28 research projects, the most to date. In addition, “the quality of all of the projects was truly outstanding,” according to UROC co-chair and assistant professor Amy Bruckman, and the competition becomes stiffer each year. The event involves exhibits of students’ projects, while a panel of faculty judges choose winners, and a separate set of winners are picked by popular vote. Microsoft Corporation sponsored the event and generously donated prizes for the student winners. Handspring also donated products for student awards and raffle prizes.
UROC is modeled after the UROP program at MIT where Bruckman received her Ph.D. from the Media Lab's Epistemology and Learning group in 1997. UROC ensures that undergraduate research assistants are able to make meaningful contributions, while enhancing their educational experience. “Whether going on to industry or graduate school, all students should include research as part of their experience at Tech,” Bruckman said. Assistant Professor and UROC co-chair Tucker Balch agreed and added that he is pleased to see a growing cultural appreciation and awareness of the importance of research among CoC students.
Following is the list of winner’s from the 2003 UROC Symposium:
JUDGES' AWARDS
1ST PLACE:
Blair Dowling
"A Stochastic Model for HIV Infection"
Advisor: Dana Randall
2ND PLACE:
Ravi Ruddarraju
"Fast Multiple Camera Head Pose Tracking"
Advisor: Irfan Essa
3RD PLACE:
Yushi Jing
"Speaker Detection"
Advisor: Jim Rehg
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS:
221 ballots cast
1ST PLACE:
Akshay Dayal, Jeffrey Tchang, Lili Lili, Shivank Dua, and Umang Dua
"Biometric Interface using a Galvanic Skin Response System"
Advisor: Melody Moore
2ND PLACE:
Yushi Jing
"Speaker Detection"
Advisor: Jim Rehg
3RD PLACE:
Stephen Frowe Ingram and Pravin Bhat
"Volume Analogies"
Advisor: Greg Turk
The action-packed agenda offers keynotes from Leonard Haynes of Southern Company and Dr. Richard DeMillo, Dean of Computing at Georgia Tech along with speakers from companies such as Earthlink, Equifax, Ga. Department of Revenue, Experient, Noro-Moseley, Ga. State University, Gyst Group and others. For the first time the conference will also include a track dedicated to legal issues covering topics on electronic contracting, identity theft and data privacy. Attendees can even receive CLE credits toward continuing education.
EC Day 2003 exhibitors currently include AeA, B2B Technologies, Ceridian, Easylink Services, ForestExpress, IT Manna, Kennesaw State University, King & Spalding, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Sevista, Segue Software, Sterling Commerce, Southern Company, User Insight and Valicert. Conference attendees will visit with these organizations during breaks to learn more about the latest in e-Commerce trends and technologies.
The conference will feature respected electronic commerce thought leader, Leonard Haynes, executive vice president of Southern Company, as the morning keynote. Mr. Haynes’ remarks will include a discussion of the e-business strategy for America’s most admired Electric and Gas Utility, according to Fortune magazine’s 2002 and 2003 lists.
Dr. Richard DeMillo, Dean of Computing at Georgia Tech and past CTO for Hewlett-Packard will provide the luncheon keynote address on the topic of security. He will share his insights into how corporate, government and academic communities can work together to help achieve a common goal of providing a more secure world that contributes to, rather than detracts from, the bottom line.
Ideal for mid-level and senior executives who need to understand the latest issues surrounding electronic commerce, EC Day 2003 offers a total of four tracks that encompass strategies and tactics, public policy, future trends and legal issues. The complete agenda with registration information is available at www.atlecf.org. The seminar is only $225 for members or $275 for guests.
The AECF is the oldest and largest non-profit trade association in Georgia, focused exclusively on business and technology issues relating to electronic commerce. Via a strong membership base that includes Atlanta’s largest companies as well as emerging technology firms, the organization is able to provide an environment that fosters the development of best practices in e-commerce while maintaining an unbiased, non-commercial atmosphere.
GECA is a not-for-profit partnership of public and private sector organizations working together to reshape public policy for a knowledge economy. GECA advocates a favorable environment for electronic commerce and government by supporting public policy that is market driven, predictable, sustainable, simple, fair, technology and media neutral and harmonized.
]]>Pictured from left to right are moderator Chip White (ISyE Chair of Transportation and Logistics), Rich DeMilllo, Chris Klaus (Founder and CTO of Internet Security Systems and Georgia Tech alumnus), and Doug Lewis (CIO of Six Continents Hotels).
In his keynote address, DeMillo said that today's security threats are asymmetric in that there is not one common perimeter of defense to consider but multiple points of entry that could be targeted indirectly and from the inside.
Klaus agreed and added that more investment in information technology is needed in terms of people, education and training. He also recommended that companies build security into their plan rather than after, and that they set common standards for pushing security throughout an organization.
Lewis noted that information technology discussion is increasingly moving into the board room due to security's impact on a company's revenue, accountability and brand.
Created and sponsored by the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Georgia Tech Business Network holds quarterly meetings on a wide variety of topics. For more information, visit www.gtbn.org.
]]>Recent studies by the American Association of University Women show that the kinds of concerns voiced by Georgia Tech students have had an especially negative impact on female participation in CS. Margolis and Fisher’s book titled “Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing,” suggests that many students view computing courses as overly technical, boring, and lacking opportunities for creativity and relationships to real application. The book suggests that women in particular find this view of computing unappealing enough to stay away.
One course offered as a pilot this spring in the College of Computing, however, may forever change the landscape for non-CS majors. Titled “Introduction to Media Computation,” the pilot offering of the course included 120 students, two-thirds of whom were women. The course uses “computation for communication” as a guiding principle. CS1315 students study and create programs that manipulate sound, images and movies. Students program in Jython (JES), an implementation of the programming language Python integrated with Java. Specialized technology for the course was developed by a team of undergraduate students and includes an environment for programming in JES and a suite of applications that support students’ exploration of media.
“The technology built for the course was more effective than we anticipated, given the pilot nature of the course and the software,” said Associate Professor Mark Guzdial, who created and taught the pilot course. “The results in our first offering of the course have been remarkable,” he said. Ph.D. student and research assistant Andrea Forte said, “while we are still in the process of exploring its effectiveness as a learning environment, I think the simplicity of JES’ design contributed to students’ success.”
By drop day, only three students out of 120 had dropped the class, resulting in one of the highest retention rates in CoC history for an introductory programming course for non-majors.
“Many students run in fear of CS1321, and it is a lot of pressure for non-CS majors, so we decided to develop a pilot course (CS1315) that was less intimidating, but equally challenging,” said Guzdial.
Computer science classes traditionally emphasize issues such as speed of solutions because historically computers were slow in solving generalized problems. Instead, CS1315 emphasizes real-world applications of computing and creative social experiences with computing. Students learn to program in the context of learning how to use computers for communication, as opposed to calculation, an important distinction for non-CS majors.
When asked what they like about the class, students affirmed that the pilot program is succeeding at establishing a course that students recognize as relevant even among non-CS majors. One female student said, “I dreaded CS, but all of the topics thus far have been applicable to my future career and personal plans. There isn’t anything I don’t like about this class!”
Georgia Tech requires all students to take an introductory course in computing, including programming skills. The traditional course is undoubtedly one of the most unpopular courses on campus, especially among non-CS majors. Results from the pilot course in media computation, however, indicate that the new approach appeals to liberal arts majors and yet retains a focus on programming.
Guzdial says, “Programming and computation will inevitably become part of a general liberal education, but computing courses will need to continue evolving for this to happen.”
Students in the pilot offering of Media Computation were surveyed at the beginning of the course this past spring along with students from 2 other introductory computing courses— CS 1321 (required for CS majors) and COE1361 (required for engineering majors). Andrea Forte wrote the survey with input from Guzdial, and responses were collected and analyzed with assistance from Rachel Fithian and undergraduate Lauren Rich. The survey responses indicated that at the beginning of the semester, students in different introductory CS courses had different perceptions about computer science. By the end of the courses, however, perceptions among students were much more similar, suggesting that parallel conceptions or understanding about CS arose from students in all three courses. Results also indicated that students in Media Computation appreciated the relevance of the course and even found computer science interesting. Students wrote eight programs (six collaboratively and two individually) involving the creation or manipulation of pictures, sounds, HTML pages and movies, with some of their programs reaching over 100 lines of code. Some students reported that they did programming on their own time “just for fun,” to do things like play songs backwards or manipulate their personal photographs.
Teaching assistants who helped make the pilot offering successful were undergraduates Jim Gruen, Angela Liang, Larry Olson, Matt Wallace, Adam Wilson, and Ph.D. student Jose Zagal. Guzdial will teach two sections in the fall with an expected enrollment of 240 students. CoC Associate Professor Colin Potts and CoC Assistant Professor Blair MacIntyre will join Guzdial to teach CS1315 in the spring of 2004. The expected enrollment for spring is 360 students.
Other colleges and universities have taken notice of the pilot’s success and some have started implementing the approach as well. Gainesville College started a Media Computation class this summer with 12 students (9 female). Charles Fowler of Gainesville is working closely with Guzdial’s team to evaluate how the class works to adapt materials at a variety of institutions. Other schools in the University System are talking with Guzdial about how to adapt the approach for their curricula as well.
]]>Merkle will be joining the College of Computing faculty as Professor of Computing and director of GTISC, reporting to the Office of the Provost, effective September 8. Merkle fills the position currently held on an interim basis by Richard A. DeMillo, the Imlay Dean of the nationally ranked College of Computing.
"Ralph brings his undisputable expertise and worldwide name recognition in the field of information security, an important area of focus for Georgia Tech," said Jean-Lou Chameau, provost and vice-president for academic affairs. "His extensive research experience, credibility, and leadership will enhance GTISC's successes."
Merkle is widely recognized for his award-winning work in the field of cryptography as one of the co-founders of public-key cryptography. The New York Times said, "Dr. Ralph C. Merkle is celebrated as an inventor of the encryption technology that allows secure transactions over the Internet." More recently, he has focused in theemerging area of nanotechnology, also called molecular manufacturing, gaining a reputation for achievement in that field as well.
"Ralph Merkle, together with Martin Hellman and Whitfield Diffie, invented modern cryptography," said DeMillo. "Today there are millions of ordinary people -- internet users, cell phone subscribers, bank customers, soldiers in the battlefield -- who depend on Ralph's inventions for security and trust in cyberspace. He really provided the key insight that led to the explosion of security innovation that we see today. We are, needless to say, very excited that Ralph will be joining our community and leading information security research here at Georgia Tech."
"Ralph's selection is great news," said Christopher W. Klaus, founder and chief technology officer of Internet Security Systems. "It'll be a good time for him to bring leadership to GTISC and be a part of the next big security wave. I look forward to working with him."
Computers have exploded into every facet of our lives as never before. They shape what we know, what we can do, and what is done to us - and yet we cannot and do not trust them. That must change, and the time for that change has now come, said Merkle. "It is both an honor and a pleasure for me to return to my first loves of computer security and cryptography to help Georgia Tech play a pivotal role in this coming transformation."
Merkle comes to Georgia Tech from Zyvex LLC, a nanotechnology start-up company headquartered near Dallas, where as principal fellow he led the company's nanotechnology research efforts since 1999. During this time he kept up his interests in security by consulting with, among others, Xerox PARC, Securify, and various confidential clients.
From 1988 - 1999, Merkle pursued research in both computer security and computational nanotechnology as a research scientist at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). From 1980 - 1988, he was manager of compiler development at Elxsi Corporation, a Silicon Valley start-up company.
Merkle has published and spoken extensively and holds 11 patents. He holds the fundamental patents on many of the major technologies in cryptography and cryptographic protocols. Notable are his patents with Martin Hellman and Whitfield Diffie on public key distribution and public key cryptosystems.
Merkle has published extensively in such leading journals as IEEE Spectrum, MIT Technology Review, Nanotechnology, Journal of Cryptology, and Crypto. His influential books include "Secrecy, Authentication, and Public Key Systems," UMI Research Press (1982).
He was co-recipient of the 1998 Feynman Prize for Nanotechnology for Theory. For his security work he received the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) Kanellakis Award for Theory and Practice, the 2000 RSA Award in Mathematics and the Kobayashi Award of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
He served for many years as the executive editor of the journal Nanotechnology. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, and the IEEE. He sits on the Board of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation and serves as vice president for technology assessment at the Foresight Institute, a Palo Alto based non-profit focused on nanotechnology.
Dr. Merkle received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
The Georgia Tech Information Security Center, a National Security Agency (NSA) Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education, conducts interdisciplinary research and development on all aspects of information security, including systems-vulnerability assessment, theory development, and public and organizational security policies. GTISC's three-pronged mission includes: conducting research that will lay the foundations for a discipline of information security and that contributes to the development and testing of systems, devices, strategies, policies, practical concepts, and techniques; educating and training information security professionals through degree and continuing-education programs, and to insure that information security awareness is instilled in all Georgia Tech students; and assisting industry, non-profit organizations, government, and individuals to solve information security problems through outreach programs and support of groups devoted to information security.
The interdisciplinary center is housed in the College of Computing and involves faculty from Computing, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, and the School of Public Policy.
]]>Christopher Messer, Master of Science in International Affairs, and Charles “Chad” Sellers, Master of Science in Computer Science with a concentration in Information Security, were selected for the NSF’s Scholarship for Service program for students studying information security. Georgia Tech as a Center of Academic Excellence for Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE) coordinates these efforts through the Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC). At Georgia Tech, the College of Computing and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts both offer graduate-level information security concentration or degrees.
“Cyber Corps is intended to cover the broad spectrum of information security from policy to technology,” said Mustaque Ahamed, professor of Computing and co-director of GTISC. “That the first two Cyber Corps graduates from Georgia Tech are graduating with degrees in International Affairs and Computer Science really fits the mission of the program.”
“The best part of my studies here at Georgia Tech has been exploring the cutting edge of security,” says Sellers. “At Georgia Tech, I have been able to explore the technologies of tomorrow, as well as analyze the technologies of today in order to improve upon them.”
Messer has accepted an offer to work in the Information Assurance Directorate of the National Security Agency (NSA) and will focus on information security policies and procedures. Sellers, a self-described “technical guy,” plans to work in network security with the NSA Information Assurance Directorate as well.
“The Cyber Corps program has given me the opportunity to get in on the ground level of a field of huge importance to national security,” says Messer. “It has helped me to make professional and career contacts with leading scholars and practitioners across the country, and it has provided the finances necessary to do this.”
Georgia Tech as a Center of Academic Excellence has a unique relationship with three historically black colleges and universities in Atlanta. Georgia Tech has partnered with Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College for a NSF Scholarship for Service grant, enabling each school to award scholarships to qualified information security students.
The Georgia Tech Information Security Center, a National Security Agency (NSA) Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education, conducts interdisciplinary research and development on all aspects of information security, including systems-vulnerability assessment, theory development, and public and organizational security policies. GTISC's three-pronged mission includes: conducting research that will lay the foundations for a discipline of information security and that contributes to the development and testing of systems, devices, strategies, policies, practical concepts, and techniques; educating and training information security professionals through degree and continuing-education programs, and to insure that information security awareness is instilled in all Georgia Tech students; and assisting industry, non-profit organizations, government, and individuals to solve information security problems through outreach programs and support of groups devoted to information security.
The interdisciplinary center is housed in the College of Computing and involves faculty from Computing, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, and the School of Public Policy.
Cyber Corps Scholarship Programs
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