Faculty News
Awards:
Congratulations to Prof. Lance Hoffman (CS) on being named to the 2016 National Cyber Security Hall of Fame. Prof. Hoffman and six others will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a gala and inductee ceremony in Baltimore, MD onOctober 20. The National Cyber Security Hall of Fame is composed of individuals who collectively invented the technologies, created awareness, promoted and delivered education, developed and influenced policy, and created businesses to begin addressing the cyber security problem. Since its inception in 2012, the National Cyber Security Hall of Fame has inducted more than 25 individuals.
Research:
Prof. Tian Lan (ECE) has received a $500,000 National Science Foundation collaborative grant awarded to GW and Purdue for the project “Rethinking Erasure Codes for Cloud Storage: A Quantitative Framework for Latency, Reliability, and Cost Optimization.” As erasure coding is increasingly adopted by large-scale storage systems such as Microsoft Azure and Facebook, this project aims to develop an analytical framework that quantifies tail latency and reliability of erasure-coded storage through investigation of novel scheduling and repair strategies, mandating rethinking of erasure codes for online storage. GW and Purdue each will receive $250,000 from this grant.
LMI Research Institute has awarded Prof. Ekundayo Shittu (EMSE) a one-year $50,000 grant for his project, “Developing a Low-Cost Integrated Internet of Things Ecosystem for Asset Management.” This project continues the development of a solution platform based on the use of IoT to create business efficiencies in parts replacement and robust condition-based maintenance, and to enhance worker productivity in certain functional areas. Connor Roberts, a recent SEAS ECE graduate currently pursuing his MS degree in engineering management with Prof. Shittu, is the graduate student affiliated with this project. The U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, MD, where a demo of the outcome of the first phase of this project has been shown, is keenly interested in this project. This is the third GW project with Prof. Shittu as PI that LMI has funded over the past three years.
Prof. Guru Venkataramani (ECE) and Prof. Milos Doroslovacki (ECE) have received $450,000 in funding for three years from the highly competitive and prestigious SaTC/STARSS program, jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC). SRC is a consortium of leading semiconductor companies such as Intel, IBM, and TI. In this project, the PIs will investigate the implications of shared multi-core hardware and their vulnerability to information leakage via covert timing and side channels.
The Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute was awarded a supplement of $1.15 million from the National Science Foundation to their existing $4 million Scholarship for Service grant to pioneer new techniques for creating effective pathways for community college students to a baccalaureate or master’s degree in cyber security at GW and then onward to careers in federal government. This two-year grant will bring six students from Anne Arundel, Prince Georges, and Northern Virginia Community Colleges to GW under a full scholarship program that will include costs of their sophomore year at the community college, and focus special attention on factors that can help community college students succeed at GW and in the federal government. Profs. Lance Hoffman (CS), Shelly Heller (CS), and Costis Toregas (CS) lead the program.
The SEAS Environmental and Energy Management Institute was awarded a $41,519 grant by the U.S. Department of Defense on September 15 to extend its work to provide technical and management support to DOD’s Chemical and Material Risk Management Program. EEMI Senior Research Scientist Dr. Kelly Scanlon is the PI for this award. This is the sixth research grant received by the EEMI since its inception.
Media Mentions:
The Daily Beast quoted Prof. David Broniatowski (EMSE) in its September 21 article “Zika’s Making Some People Sick. It’s Making Other People Crazy.”
The Assoiated Press quoted Prof. Lance Hoffman (CS) in its September 23 article "In Yahoo breach, hackers may seek intelligence, not riches."
Conferences & Presentations:
On September 15, Prof. Shelly Heller (CS) presented “So you want to go to camp!”, a talk on the results of the Middle School Girls Cybersecurity Camp, at the NSA conference on NSA academic outreach. On September 19, she presented “What's a nice girl like you doing in STEM?” at the Meeting the Challenge of Inclusive Excellence Conference at Cleveland State University.”
Prof. Poorvi Vora (CS) gave testimony on September 14 to the Maryland State Board of Elections on the security and ballot secrecy issues with their plans to expand use of online ballot delivery and an online ballot marking tool.
Other News:
Prof. Rachael Jonassen (EMSE, visiting scholar and part-time faculty) is a member of the Climate and Security Advisory Group, which recently released a Briefing Book for a New Administration recommending robust action on climate change by a new administration.
Prof. Omar Mazzoni (ECE, adjunct faculty) has been consulting with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on nuclear plant inspection processes. He participated as a team member in the Component Design Basis Inspections for Sequoia Nuclear Plant in Tennessee, and for Robinson Nuclear Plant in South Carolina.
Student News
EMSE doctoral candidate Gus Ventura, advised by Prof. Joseph Barbera (EMSE), will hold his simulation for his research proof of concept, the Patient Evacuation Resource Classification System (PERCS) for Residential Healthcare Facilities: Patient Classification System Translatable to Healthcare Emergency Evacuation Protocols, System Modeling and Emergency Transportation, on Friday, September 30. Invitations to participate as a panelist are still available. Please call 202-297-0311 or email [email protected].
Other News
GW Benefits Briefing at SEAS
Tuesday, September 27
1:00 – 2:00 pm
SEH, B1220
GW's Human Resources Division and the School of Engineering and Applied Science will host a special briefing session for SEAS faculty and staff to learn more about the benefits changes for 2017. The session is intended to help employees make informed decisions regarding their health benefits in light of changes to the health benefits plans and based on their individual and family needs. An overview of the benefits changes is now available online, and a comprehensive guide will be posted on the benefits website in late September. The university will also offer benefits fairs, forums, and opportunities for one-on-one advising during the open enrollment period, which begins October 3 and runs through October 21. Please direct questions you may have about the briefing to Mr. Aria Varasteh.
The SEAS Environmental and Energy Management Institute and the European Energy Center will offer three remaining professional short courses:
Renewable Energy Management & Finance
Thursday and Friday, October 27-28
Taught by: Michael Ware & Scott Sklar
Environmental Management Beyond Compliance (Implementing an ISO 14001 System)
Monday and Tuesday, November 14-15
Taught by: Joe Cascio
Distributed Generation and Storage
Thursday and Friday, December 8-9
Taught by: Scott Sklar
Circular Economy
Thursday and Friday, March 16-17, 2017
Taught by: Roger Feldman and Ed Pinero
Multi-Aspect Introduction to Solar Photovoltaics
Dates TBA
Taught by: Scott Sklar
SEAS Events
MAE Seminar: “Stochastic Models in Robotics”
Speaker: Dr. Greg Chrikjian, John Hopkins University
Thursday, September 29
2:00 pm
SEH, B1220
ECE Seminar: “Opto-Analytical Spectroscopy, Imaging, and Sensing (OASIS)”
Speaker: Dr. Wei-Chuan Shih, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Houston
Friday, September 30
1:00 - 2:00 pm
SEH, 2000B
Workshop: “Ideas for Action: Global Young Leaders Dialogue on Innovations and Financing for the Sustainable Development Goals and IdeaLab”
Tuesday, October 4
3:00 – 7:00 pm
SEH, B1220
RSVP required
This workshop is hosted by SEAS and organized by the World Bank and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and it will take place during the annual meeting of the World Bank. The number of attendees is limited.
BME Seminar: “Mimicking the Complexity of the Human Body in Vitro”
Speaker: Dr. Mandy Esch, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Monday, October 17
2:00 – 3:00 pm
SEH, B1220
MAE Seminar: “Toward a Low-carbon Future with Automotive Fuel Cells”
Speaker: Dr. Ajay Prasad, University of Delaware
Thursday, October 20
2:00 pm
SEH, B1220
MAE Seminar: “Single Ventricle Palliation with the Assisted Bidirectional Glenn”
Speaker: Dr. Jessica Shang, University of Rochester
Thursday, October 27
2:00 pm
SEH, B1220
MAE Seminar: “Bursting Bubbles and Bilayers”
Speaker: Dr. Steven Wrenn, Drexel University
Thursday, November 17
2:00 pm
SEH, B1220
BME Seminar: “Haptics: The Technology of Touch”
Speaker: Dr. Katherine Kuchenbecker, University of Pennsylvania
Monday, November 28
4:00 – 5:00 pm
SEH, B1220
Career Services Events
IBM Diversity Panel/Networking Event
Tuesday, September 27
7:00 – 9:00 pm
SEH, B1220
This event is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Join us for refreshments and networking at the SEH “green wall” space immediately following the event. Please contact Emmy Rashid, SEAS Career Services director, at [email protected] or 4-7892 if you have questions.
Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Overview & Alumni Panel
Friday, September 30
3:30 – 5:30 pm
Lerner Hall, 301
RSVP: GWork > Events > Career Learning Programs > Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Overview & Alumni Panel
The overview session (3:30 – 4:30 pm) will cover the PMF process and application timeline. Students will learn about the PMF Program, Recent Graduates and Internship programs, and how best to navigate landing these opportunities. The panel session (4:30 – 5:30 pm) will include advice and perspectives offered by PMF alumni.
Entrepreneurship News & Events
Introduction to I-Corps @ GWU
Thursday, September 22 - Thursday, October 6
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Marvin Center
More information
We are now accepting applications for the "Introduction to I-Corps @GWU" workshop in the DC metro area. Preference will be given to teams with two or more members, an Entrepreneurial Lead (EL) and a Principal Investigator (PI). An Industry Mentor (IM) is recommended but not required.
Where Do I Start? Workshop with Lex McCusker
Wednesday, September 28
5:30 – 7:00 pm
Funger Hall, Room 103
Register
This workshop is designed for the aspiring entrepreneur who has an idea for a new venture but does not know where to start. If you have an idea for a product or a service that you believe could have a big impact in the “real world” and you think that a new entrepreneurial venture, a startup, might be the best way to move it from being just an idea into a successful implementation, then this workshop is for you.
External Events
In observance of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the Division of IT is hosting the following events:
Networking & Informational Event: Test Your IT Security Knowledge!
Tuesday, October 3
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Marvin Center Lobby
Information Session: Ransomware: What is it? How to avoid it? How to protect your data ?
Wednesday, October 5
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Gelman Library, Room 702
RSVP
Networking & Informational Event: 2016 techEXPO
Tuesday, October 11
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Mid-Campus Quad
Networking & Informational Event: Password Hack Demo
Monday, October 17
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Marvin Center Lobby
Information Session: Ten Tips to Keep Your Computer and Data Secure
Thursday, October 20
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
VSTC Exploration Hall
Networking & Informational Event: Technical Information Session for IT Teams
Friday, October 28
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
WebEx
Information Session: National Cyber Security Awareness Month Keystone Event
Monday, October 31
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Jack Morton Auditorium