Featured Stories
PACT, Summer 2023
“Picture a room full of students hard at work on math problems. Some draw graphs on the chalkboard, testing out algorithms. Others shuffle complicated algebraic expressions, trying to simplify a summation. Still, others stare intently at a piece of paper, trying to find the one necessary final lemma to complete a proof or to understand a recent result.
The students are all working hard, but they are also having fun, as the air is ripe with the excitement of discovery. These are not college students, though they are studying at a college campus, and learning material that is not normally taught until the undergrad or even the graduate level. Rather, these are mostly high school students, spending their summer learning and enjoying themselves, studying theoretical computer science.” Created by the PACT team, https://algorithmicthinking.org/
Grace Murray Hopper: Pioneering the Digital Frontier
Born in 1906 in the bustling heart of New York City, Grace Murray Hopper emerged as a trailblazing figure in the world of computer science. Her academic journey began at Vassar College, where she graduated in 1928 with degrees in Mathematics and Physics. Hopper furthered her education with a Master’s in Mathematics from Yale in 1930, later becoming a pioneering force in the male-dominated field.
Team RAVE
History was made this past Friday, May 3, 2024 when two of our CIS Senior Design Teams took home two out of the four prizes at the SEAS Competition Final. The last time an award was won was in 2017. Congratulations to both teams!!
Pictured: Team RAVE (Won Best Social Impact Award)
Team Parallex
History was made this past Friday, May 3, 2024 when two of our CIS Senior Design Teams took home two out of the four prizes at the SEAS Competition Final. The last time an award was won was in 2017. Congratulations to both teams!!
Pictured: Team Parallex (Won Best Leadership Award)
Data Science at Penn
Penn’s Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) in Data Science prepares students for a wide range of data-centric careers, whether in technology and engineering, consulting, science, policy-making, or understanding patterns in literature, art or communications.
Penn provides the perfect environment for data science enthusiasts, with its strong cross-disciplinary traditions. Biomedical informatics, communications and public policy, robotics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and data privacy are of broad interest across campus.
AI Month, NSF Fellowship, & Enhancing Language Models
In celebration of AI Month, we are thrilled to extend our congratulations to Andrew Zhu, under the guidance of Chris Callison-Burch, for his remarkable achievement in receiving the prestigious 2024 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Andrew’s dedication and innovative vision have earned him this esteemed recognition, marking a significant milestone in his academic journey.
“Andrew’s work has the potential to revolutionize how we develop AI systems, paving the way for more powerful and versatile AI applications that go beyond ChatGPT’s current abilities of understanding and generating natural language to also include the abilities to create and manipulate code.” – Chris Callison-Burch
Recognizing Joe Devietti: Faculty Advising Award Recipient
Joseph Devietti, serving as Associate Professor and Undergraduate Curriculum Chair in the CIS Department, has recently been honored with the Ford Motor Company Award for Faculty Advising. This accolade underscores his unwavering commitment to guiding students towards achieving their academic, professional, and personal aspirations.
“I felt honored to join so many colleagues from CIS who have been previous winners. I’ll try to continue to live up to the high standards we’ve set for advising!”
Advancing Quantum Computing: NSF Career Award Fuels Innovative Research
Assistant Professor Gushu Li has been honored with the prestigious NSF Career Award, signaling a groundbreaking venture into the world of quantum computing. The central challenge Gushu is tackling revolves around creating programming systems that can support larger-scale quantum computers. Imagine our current systems as tailor-made for small prototypes, limiting the true potential of these advanced quantum machines.
The focus of Gushu Li’s research is on enhancing the way we write and execute programs for quantum computers. The obstacle lies in the fact that existing systems are like specialized tools for small tasks. They are not equipped to handle the complex demands of larger-scale quantum computers. To address this, Gushu is essentially upgrading the software that controls quantum computers, making it smarter and more adaptable.
Aaron Roth Awarded 2023 Hans Sigrist Prize
Aaron Roth, a Professor of Computer Science and Cognitive Science at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded the prestigious Hans Sigrist Prize by the University of Bern.
Roth’s research, spanning over 15 years, has focused on critical issues such as algorithmic fairness and differential privacy. Algorithmic fairness is concerned with ensuring that algorithms do not perpetuate biases against specific demographic groups, particularly in areas like job applications. Roth highlights the importance of careful algorithm design to avoid unintentional bias based on historical data.
PACT, Summer 2023
“Picture a room full of students hard at work on math problems. Some draw graphs on the chalkboard, testing out algorithms. Others shuffle complicated algebraic expressions, trying to simplify a summation. Still, others stare intently at a piece of paper, trying to find the one necessary final lemma to complete a proof or to understand a recent result.
The students are all working hard, but they are also having fun, as the air is ripe with the excitement of discovery. These are not college students, though they are studying at a college campus, and learning material that is not normally taught until the undergrad or even the graduate level. Rather, these are mostly high school students, spending their summer learning and enjoying themselves, studying theoretical computer science.” Created by the PACT team, https://algorithmicthinking.org/
Grace Murray Hopper: Pioneering the Digital Frontier
Born in 1906 in the bustling heart of New York City, Grace Murray Hopper emerged as a trailblazing figure in the world of computer science. Her academic journey began at Vassar College, where she graduated in 1928 with degrees in Mathematics and Physics. Hopper furthered her education with a Master’s in Mathematics from Yale in 1930, later becoming a pioneering force in the male-dominated field.
Team RAVE
History was made this past Friday, May 3, 2024 when two of our CIS Senior Design Teams took home two out of the four prizes at the SEAS Competition Final. The last time an award was won was in 2017. Congratulations to both teams!!
Pictured: Team RAVE (Won Best Social Impact Award)
Team Parallex
History was made this past Friday, May 3, 2024 when two of our CIS Senior Design Teams took home two out of the four prizes at the SEAS Competition Final. The last time an award was won was in 2017. Congratulations to both teams!!
Pictured: Team Parallex (Won Best Leadership Award)
CIS Events
Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering Symposium Honoring Kurt Petersen: “Small Tech, Big Impact: The Development and Commercialization of MEMS Sensors & Actuators”
ASSET Seminar: “Neurosymbolic Program Synthesis: Bridging Perception and Reasoning in Real-World Applications”
Announcements
Why Penn CIS?
The Department of Computer and Information Science (CIS) at Penn Engineering is uniquely positioned to propel future intellectual leaders, entrepreneurs, thinkers and innovators to success. As an Ivy League institution, and the first university in the nation, The University of Pennsylvania ensures its students a transformative experience. Computer science at Penn comes in a variety of forms to meet your specific interests.
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