- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to offer new bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity

John Hill — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 16:02:20 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is introducing a new four-year degree program in cybersecurity in the fall 2021 semester to help meet the rising demand for cybersecurity professionals. The Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity will prepare students for challenging and rewarding careers dedicated to protecting the privacy of individuals, the security of society’s infrastructure, and national security. Graduates will be prepared for positions in high-demand fields, including security architect, digital forensics analyst, security systems administrator, and security analyst. “The Department of Computer Science has been actively involved in research and teaching in cybersecurity and information assurance for about 10 years,” said Dr. Albert Baker, interim chair of the Department of Computer Science. “The addition of a B.S. in cybersecurity is an exciting evolution of the department’s commitment to this aspect of national security. We are coordinating with the Arkansas Department of Education, representatives from Arkansas military contingents, and area industry leaders in the development of this program. Graduates of this program will be protecting all aspects of our digital lives.” The new degree program will attract more government and industry jobs to the region, while helping to fill a growing need for more trained cybersecurity professionals. The estimates that there will be 1.8 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2022. “Cybersecurity is a part of the daily lives of corporations, governments, and, now with many working from home, a part of our home lives,” said Dr. Lawrence Whitman, dean of the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. “Our outstanding faculty are able to provide cutting edge classes and equip the cybersecurity professionals of the future. I look forward to the first graduates of this program.” With the recent rise of people working at home as well as the rise in unemployment across the country, cybersecurity is more important than ever to protect online security as well as a great option for adults looking to learn new skills in a growing field. “The studies show an expected deficit of millions of jobs in cybersecurity around the world,” said Philip Huff, assistant professor of computer science and coordinator of the cybersecurity program. “The regional need for cybersecurity professionals is strong, and it’s not something that can be easily outsourced. The workforce needs far exceed the capacity of universities to prepare enough graduates to fill the need for cybersecurity jobs. Every university is and should be looking at how to prepare students to be competitive in the cybersecurity arena.” Students will also have the opportunity to work in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Cyber Gym, a state-of-the-art, cloud-based lab that provides a scalable, accessible, and almost no-cost cybersecurity curriculum for high school students in Arkansas.

Philip Huff, left, and Sandra Leiterman, right, head the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Cyber Gym. Photo by Ben Krain.

“Philip Huff and the cyber team at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock have been great to work with,” said Lee Watson, CEO and founder of the Forge Institute as well as a member of the state’s Computer Science and Cybersecurity Task Force. “The Cyber Gym is a next-generation academic training program that will help prepare Arkansas students for much needed, high-paying jobs in cybersecurity.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has partnered with the Forge Institute to create workforce development and research opportunities as well as to provide internship opportunities for college students. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock and The American Cyber Alliance powered by Forge Institute are building some best practices that can be replicated across Arkansas, our region, and nation,” Watson said. “Collaboration in operational research is opening doors for a variety of opportunities. These efforts in training and operations will help better position our companies and our State to defend against growing adversarial threats.” The new degree also builds upon Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s emphasis on computer science in K-12 education. Students who had the opportunity to take computer science classes for years are now entering college and eager to continue their studies in a challenging and engaging curriculum. “Undergraduate students being able to do research on computer science and computing technologies, such as with Phillip Huff at the Cyber Gym and their Cybersecurity Program, is really something that should promote institutions like ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and their programs above those that are not doing research, that are not engaging in those activities that give their students a meaningful reason for the work they’re doing,” said Anthony Owen, state director of computer science at the Arkansas Department of Education. “It’s really the difference between the theoretical approach to computer science education that I received versus a hands-on and applicable approach to teaching computer science and its important concepts.”

Shroat-Lewis receives Faculty Excellence in Public Service Award for Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology

John Hill — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 17:12:48 +0000

, assistant professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, has been awarded the 2020 Faculty Excellence Award for Public Service in the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. Shroat-Lewis is well known for her tremendous efforts in serving the public good. She has compiled an impressive record of service, including women in the geosciences, K-12 teachers and students, and the university community. Shroat-Lewis currently serves on eight ��Vlog��ý Little Rock committees, including the Faculty Senate, and is a member of the Donaghey Scholars program teaching faculty. Nationally, Shroat-Lewis serves on the Association of Women Geoscientists Chrysalis Scholarship committee. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock is a better place because of Dr. Shroat-Lewis’ actions and accomplishments,” said Dr. Margaret McMillan, chair of the Department of Earth Sciences. McMillan noted that in the eight years Shroat-Lewis has been a member of the faculty, she has dedicated her expertise as a geoscience educator and researcher in service to the community, state, and nation in the areas of science advocacy and outreach and in providing opportunities for geoscience students. “This is extremely important, as a better understanding of science by all is needed to help us confront the societal challenges of natural hazards such as flooding and earthquakes, energy resources such as the use of fossil fuels versus renewables, and the impacts of a changing climate,” said McMillan. Shroat-Lewis has given public presentations on the paleontology of Arkansas, coral reefs, Darwin and the Galapagos Islands, and the geology and ecology of the Bahamas. She has also served as a fossil expert at the Museum of Discovery. She provides science content and merit badges for the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of America as well as serves as a judge for numerous science fairs and the Arkansas Science Olympiad. Shroat-Lewis received a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and M.S. and B.S. degrees from the University of North Carolina, Willmington.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to research smart health in Arkansas, West Virginia with NSF grant

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 14:38:35 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is one of five institutions sharing a $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a multi-scale integrative approach to digital health. This collaborative, multi-institution grant will be used to promote smart health in Arkansas and West Virginia. Dr. Nitin Agarwal, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy endowed chair and professor of information science, will receive $600,000 for the study, entitled “Multi-scale Integrative Approach to Digital Health: Collaborative Research and Education in Smart Health in West Virginia and Arkansas,” which runs from August 2019 to July 2023. The other university partners include the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, West Virginia University, and West Virginia State University. “Healthcare costs are on the rise nationally and significantly more so in Arkansas and West Virginia. This is due to high poverty rates in these states and a significantly large population that is affected by cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and a general lack of physical activity,” Agarwal said. “To address these issues, we will conduct a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and a multi-scale integrative approach to trigger smart health initiatives with the goal to lower healthcare costs using artificial intelligence and big data analysis approaches. In addition to developing a big data and smart health research infrastructure, we will create education and outreach components to enhance the workforce in both states.” To accomplish these goals, Agarwal will develop novel social media mining algorithms to study health behaviors in Arkansas and West Virginia, including health attitudes, intentions, health conditions, lifestyle choices, overall sentiment, and mood. “Tapping into such an invaluable data trove is often challenging but rewarding,” Agarwal said. “We will study the effectiveness of health communities around predominant health issues in Arkansas and West Virginia and study the validity of social media data for examining patient-reported outcomes, assessing trust, influence, and misinformation in social media pertaining to health discourse.” Agarwal heads the at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, which aims to be at the forefront of the ever-evolving field of social computing. COSMOS is leading several collaborative projects with total funding of more than $10 million from various U.S. federal funding agencies to address some of the most challenging problems of knowledge extraction from big social data and develop methodologies to diagnose novel pathologies of online social media.

Milanova named NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute University Ambassador

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 13:11:58 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor has been selected as a teaching ambassador and has been granted essential resources and tools to teach deep learning skills to students, researchers, and professors in Arkansas. Dr. Mariofana Milanova, professor of computer science, has joined NVIDIA’s Deep Learning Institute (DLI) University Ambassador Program. Ambassadors are a select group of DLI-certified instructors committed to teach free instructor-led workshops at universities, academic conferences, and events exclusively for academic students, staff, and researchers. Deep learning is a branch of artificial intelligence covering a spectrum of machine learning research and industrial innovation that provides more efficient algorithms to deal with large-scale data over a broad range of fields, including neurosciences, computer vision, speech recognition, language processing, human-computer interaction, drug discovery, biomedical informatics, healthcare, robotics, cybersecurity, and games. As an ambassador, Milanova will receive free cloud-based training platform and lecture materials for workshops and events, reimbursement for travel and catering expenses, and early access to new training materials. Ambassadors are required to hold two workshops per year, but Milanova plans to hold at least six trainings or more per year based on demand. Since becoming an ambassador in April, she had already held a training on April 26 and May 14. Milanova thinks the high demand for the workshops is due to the fact that potential employers are looking to hire students who have these skills. “We had 40 participants for each workshop, and there is still a waiting list,” Milanova said. “This is one way students can be prepared for future jobs. Hiring companies constantly ask if students have skills in Python and deep learning. Many companies require these skills from our computer science, information science, and engineering students. Students need to know what industry employers want and how to use those skills with real-world applications.” The experience has also been beneficial to her teaching assistants for workshops, Suzan Anwar, Lamarcus Coleman, Kyle Hooks, and Esther Mead, who are graduate students in the Department of Computer Science. “The benefits are tremendous because the students can learn the advanced techniques in deep learning,” Milanova said. “I would like to say thanks to all my TAs for their wonderful support. They are all applying to become university ambassadors as well.” Anyone who completes the workshop will earn a certificate in deep learning from NVIDIA.

College of Engineering and Information Technology Announces Award Winners

Wed, 22 May 2019 13:43:49 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology recently held its annual awards ceremony on May 3. This year’s award winners include: EIT College Awards Outstanding Associate Degree – Christa Hindman Outstanding Bachelor’s Degree – Patrick Elliot and Jason Simmons Outstanding Master’s Degree – Jeffrey Baggett Outstanding Ph.D. – Dan Li EIT Undergraduate Awards First Place – Samuel Willis Second Place – Jacob Jackson Third Place – Blake Johnson EIT Graduate Awards First Place – Abbas Al-Wahhamy Second Place – Xinming Li Third Place – Kiran Bandeli EIT Abstract Awards First Place – Coenrad de Jager Second Place – Xinming Li Third Place – Wei Dai Elevator Speech Awards Grand Prize – Coenrad de Jager Honorable Mention – Lamarcus Coleman, Kassandra Castrillo, Trigun Maroo, Elias Reyes, and Samuel Willis Mainstream Technologies Awards Applied Innovation Award – Chance Melby Professional Presentation Award – Zaire Husband Complete Solution Award – Lamarcus Coleman Arkansas Research Alliance Rewards First Place – Zachary Stine Second Place – Thomas Marcoux Third Place – Ahmed Alazzawi Austin Bridge and Road Awards Best Construction – Kassandra Castrillo Best Use of Technology in Construction – Donna Mantione Best of the Best in Construction and Civil Engineering – Benjamin Beggs Faculty Excellence Awards Research – Dr. Mary Yang Teaching – Dr. Jin Wook Lee Service – Dr. Beth McMillan Department of Computer Science Awards Top Freshman – Gaige Ehrenworth Top Sophomore – Zach Johnson Top Junior – Alexander Rutledge Top Senior – Colin Chu Top Master’s – Kyle Hooks Top Ph.D. – Suzan Anwar Best Teaching Assistant – Lamarcus Coleman Best Graduate Assistant – Matt Kennett Best Mentor – Connor Young Outstanding Service – Mark Barnes Outstanding Volunteer – Nicholas Stewart Awesome Attitude – Zaire Husband Most Dedicated Graduate Student – Alexander Jaeger Rookie of the Year – Cecily Mobely Most Thriving – Cindy Monterroza Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering Excellence Award for Academic Scholarship – Benjamin Wells, Blake Johnston, Cody Davis, Mason Cato, Alex Graves, Jose Alvarez, Rachel Runnels, Stephen Enderlin, Joseph Hickey, Rajeev Lakanavarapu, and Benjamin Beggs ASCE Student Chapter Service Award – Kassandra Castrillo Department of Earth Sciences Presentation at a Professional Meeting – Matt Horn, David Hough, Tyler Kee, Patrick Paladino, Olivia Pate, Kalyca Spinler, and Jason Spencer 2019 Field Camp Award – Amelia Gould, Tristan Gregory, Izak Harville, Jacob Holland, Matt Horn, Patrick Paladino, and Cody Smith Outstanding Laboratory Assistant – Izak Harville, Shannon Bione, David Hough, and Aleigha Smith Laboratory Assistant of the Year – David Hough Outstanding Graduate Assistant – Kalyca Spinler Outstanding Senior – David Hough Central AR Gem, Mineral, and Geology Society Field Camp Scholarship – Matt Horn, Olivia Pate, and Cody Smith Sigma Gamma Epsilon Graduating Students – David Hough, Olivia Pate, and Kalyca Spinler W.A. Tarr Award – Olivia Pate Philip L. and Marietta T. Kehler Endowed Scholarship – Juliann Fiallos Department of Engineering Technology Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology Freshman Award – Tony Hester Sophomore Award – Alexandria Smith Junior Award – Gregory Riley Senior Award – Daniel Cox Outstanding Senior Project – Ali Alwan Mechanical Engineering Technology Freshman Award – Thomas Lewis Sophomore Award – Noah French Junior Award – Abdulrahman Alotaibi Senior Award – Pablo Centeno Outstanding Senior Project – Ethan Hutchins, James Joiner Departmental Awards Departmental Service Award – Jannice Bonilla Outstanding Graduating Mechanical Engineering Technology BS – Gordon B. Ward IV Outstanding Graduating Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology BS – Abdellatif Elmansouri Outstanding Graduating Mechanical Engineering Technology AET – Danial Habib Al-Farah Outstanding Graduating Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology AET – Samuel Zargari Outstanding Graduating BS – Gordon B. Ward IV Outstanding Graduating AET – Christa Hindman Department of Information Science BS Information Science Outstanding Graduate – Karen Watts Outstanding Senior – Michael DiCicco and Brock Butler Outstanding Junior – Brenda Nyangweso and Trenton Burroughs Student Entrepreneurial Award – Luke Tyhurst and Benjamin Harrison BA Web Design and Development/ITEC Minor Outstanding Senior – Sunny Singh and Leslie Haller Outstanding ITEC Senior – Ryan Hood Bioinformatics Graduate Program Outstanding Research Award – Dan Li Outstanding Service Award – Skylar Connor Information Science Graduate Program (COSMOS) Outstanding Research Award – Muhammad Nihal Hussain, Adewale Obadimu, and Zachary Stine Information Quality Graduate Program Graduate Certificate in Information Quality Outstanding Research Award – Kris Anderson MS in Information Quality Outstanding Graduate – Yumeng Ye Outstanding Research and Academic Achievement – Marinda Huisamen and Coenrad de Jager Outstanding Service and Academic Achievement – Yi Yin Ph.D. in Information Quality Outstanding Graduate – Yu Nie Outstanding Research and Academic Achievement – Zhan Wang, Awaad Al-Sarkhi, and Bingyi Zhong Outstanding Research and Service – Xinming Li IQ Academic and Service Recognition – Stephen Wallace, Brian Blake, Loy Rogers, James True, Anthony Davis, Awaad Al-Sarki , Kevin Casey, Bingyi Zhong, Wei Dai, Janaki Koppulu, Purviben Parmar, Huzaifa Fahad Syed, Wenxue Jiang, Lisa Novier, Divya Dugyala, Priyanka Bejugam, and Swetha Tamma Department of Systems Engineering Mechanical Systems Engineering (MSEG) Outstanding Sophomore – Caleb Head Outstanding Junior – Hayden Boyd Outstanding Senior – Andrew Cherry Outstanding Capstone Project – Andrew Cherry, Kendall Butzlaff, William Kerr, Nikki Mullen, Richard Nowroski, Estevan Padilla, and Spencer Sullivan Electrical and Computer Engineering (ESCE) Outstanding Sophomore – William Brockman Outstanding Junior – Ahmad Abu Hantash Outstanding Senior – Brock Mudie Outstanding Capstone Project – Brock Mudie, Josh Crowder, and Craig Jimmerson In the upper right photo, Dr. Jin Wook Lee (third from left) is shown with the Outstanding Capstone Project Award winners from the Department of Systems Engineering – Andrew Cherry, Kendall Butzlaff, William Kerr, Nikki Mullen, Richard Nowroski, Estevan Padilla, and Spencer Sullivan.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor selected for DeepLearn 2019

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 13:57:39 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor has been selected as one of the pioneers in the field of deep learning who will teach the subject during a prestigious international summer program in Warsaw, Poland, from July 22-26. Dr. Xiaowei Xu, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor of information science, was chosen as a teacher for, a research training event with a global scope aiming at updating participants about the most recent advances in the critical and fast developing area of deep learning. Renowned academics and industry pioneers will lecture and share their views with the audience. Deep learning is a branch of artificial intelligence covering a spectrum of machine learning research and industrial innovation that provides more efficient algorithms to deal with large-scale data over a broad range of fields, including neurosciences, computer vision, speech recognition, language processing, human-computer interaction, drug discovery, biomedical informatics, healthcare, robotics, cybersecurity, and games. Xu will teach introductory and advanced classes on “Multi-resolution Models for Learning Multilevel Abstract Representations of Text.” The class will cover new deep learning models that comes out of Dr. Xu’s own research in collaboration with his Ph.D. students. “The new multi-resolution model can comprehend natural language text like human beings,” he said. “It is fundamental for many applications including question answering and virtual assistants such as Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and Amazon Alexa.” Xu earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Nankai University, a Master of Science in computer science from the Chinese Academy of Science, and a Ph.D. in computer science from Ludwig-Mizimillians-Universität. His research includes data mining, big data, and machine learning. In November, 2018 Xu and Tolgahan Cakaloglu, a doctoral candidate in computer science, received a $20,000 research grant for their research in artificial intelligence and machine learning for their project, “Contextual Advanced Text Representation via Improved Deep Language Model by Utilizing Side Information.”

Applications available for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s free EIT summer camps

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 13:46:09 +0000

Every summer, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology hosts free summer camps to enrich the minds of middle and high school students through summer camps that are focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Vernard Henley Jr., assistant dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, sees these camps as an important way to help students in fifth-through-11th grade stay interested in STEM areas and to major in one of these fields in college. “We are invested in adding diversity to the STEM pipeline. Thanks to our corporate partners, we are able to remove virtually all of the obstacles for students and their parents that prevent underserved students from learning about careers in STEM,” Henley said. “All of our programs have a residential component and are free. We cover all necessary expenses for each admitted student, so there’s no reason why an interested student shouldn’t be able to attend one of our summer camps. Many students have the aptitude for engineering and computer science, but aren’t able to interact with someone from either discipline until they attend college. Students can’t be it if they don’t see it. ” These programs are aimed to increase the number of students earning STEM degrees in Arkansas through exposure to hands-on projects, off-campus excursions, and interaction with industry. Additionally, each program includes counseling and advising sessions to assist students in preparing for college and features academic and lab sessions on various STEM disciplines. The camps include the Civil and Construction Engineering Camp, the Computer Science Summer program, the EIT Middle School Summer Science Camp, Engineering Scholars program, Geology Camp, High School Research program, and Windstream’s Girls Coding Camp. Applications for the summer camps are due April 19. Contact Ashley Henry-Saorrono at 501-569-8597 or alhenry@ualr.edu for more information. The camps and their dates include: Civil and Construction Engineering Camp Dates: June 16-28 Grades: 8-11 Computer Science Summer Program Dates: June 23-29 Grades: 8-11 Dates: Session 1: June 16-22 Dates: Session 2: June 23-29 Grades: 8-11 Dates: Session 1: July 7-13 Dates: Session 2: July 14-20 Grades: 5-7 Dates: June 9-15 Grades: 8-11 Dates: July 7-26 Grades: 8-11 Windstream: Girls Coding Camp Dates: July 21-26 Grades: 7-8

Haller finds her place in a new city

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 19:41:11 +0000

It’s hard to believe that junior web design and development major Leslie Haller ever found it difficult to find her place at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. As an ambassador for the university’s George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, it’s hard to miss her on campus today. However, when Haller, a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, arrived in 2016, she knew no one on campus or in Little Rock and struggled to adapt to life in a new city. “My greatest challenge to overcome was branching out and accepting change. Moving to Little Rock by myself was a big change for me,” Haller said. “I found myself missing my parents and the life that I had in Blue Springs. There were times that I wished that I could just go back in time and not have to worry about all the changes that comes with becoming an independent adult.” After visiting the university’s counseling services, she quickly realized that she was living in her own “bubble” and set out to become more involved on campus. “At first, I had a hard time branching out and finding my place here. There were many different organizations and programs that I could join, but I wasn’t sure which would be the right one for me,” she said. “As an EIT Scholar, I was required to spent a lot of time in the EIT lab. I made a few friends who were EIT Ambassadors and after talking to them, I knew that I wanted to become an ambassador and represent the college.” Becoming an EIT Ambassador was only the first step in Haller’s journey to truly find her place on campus. In the spring of 2018, she was accepted for an internship at Team SI, a Little Rock- based digital marketing agency, where she continues to build a well-connected network and develop professionally in a city that only recently had still felt new and uncertain. During the fall 2018 semester, she also served as a resident assistant in South Hall after developing a passion for campus leadership. “Being involved on campus in leadership positions has really taught me a lot about being responsible and helping others,” Haller said. “Juggling school, being an ambassador and RA, and having an internship has not been and will not be easy. I know there will be long nights of hard work, but I believe that the experiences and things that I will learn will all pay off in the end.” After graduation, she plans to move again, this time equipped with the skills she needs to adapt to change and thrive in a new city. “I plan to move to a new state and start my career in web design and development after I graduate,” Haller said. “Even though Little Rock has opened many doors for me, I want to have the experience of living in another city and build my life from there. I think it is important to branch out and have new experiences in life instead of settling for the same thing you have always known. It really helps to shape who you are and exposes you to different experiences and lessons that you may not have had if you stayed in one area.” For any students who feel like they don’t have a place on campus or who may be afraid to reach out for assistance, Haller offers the following advice: “If I had one piece of advice for anyone, it would be to not be afraid to reach out and go outside of their comfort zone,” Haller said. “Having these opportunities to become involved on campus has given me ways to meet more people and strengthen important life skills. This helped me find my place here, and I’m sure it can help you too.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock ranked among colleges with best online computer IT programs

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 15:06:51 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has once again been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as having some of the in the country. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence, with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock being selected as 15th on the list, up from 27th in 2018. This ranking assesses online master’s degrees in computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, information systems, and information technology. For ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, this consists of the Master of Science in Information Science and the Master of Science in Information Quality online degree programs. “As we provide a mix of delivery modes to meet student needs, our online offerings grow,” said Dr. Lawrence Whitman, chair of the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. “Dr. Elizabeth Pierce, chair of the Information Science Department, has done an excellent job of implementing technology in a manner that is most effective for student learning. This ranking is the fruit of her and many others’ efforts to implement state-of-the-art technology in student learning.” Both programs offer night courses that are convenient for working professionals. All courses in the online program are tied to a live class, so online students get much of the same educational experience as on-campus students. “The students really like our format, which is different from many schools,” said Dr. John Talburt, coordinator of the information quality graduate programs. “We don’t use the old correspondence-style course. Every online class is anchored to an on-campus class. All students get their assignments and take their exams at the same time. Online students can participate during a live class or watch the recorded lectures when it is convenient for them.” The Master of Science in Information Science is a 33-credit-hour program designed to familiarize individuals with the advanced knowledge, skills, and technologies for working with large amounts of complex data. This degree also serves as a stepping stone toward pursuing other graduate degrees, such as the Ph.D. in Computer and Information Science. The online master’s program began in 2007 and currently has 17 students with 23 more students in the doctoral program. Graduates often work in data quality management and in data governance. The information science discipline is expanding rapidly thanks to an ever-present demand for new innovations in information retrieval, storage, processing, and analysis tools and techniques. “There is a huge emphasis on data quality, data governance, data science and how to get more value out of information. We were one of the first universities to offer graduate degrees in information quality,” Talburt said. “A lot of our online students are already working professionals, so having an online program in their area is very attractive.” The Master of Science in Information Quality is a career-oriented program focusing on practice, skills, and theory. The 33-hour program, which began in 2017 and can be completed in 18 months, is designed to prepare students for careers in industry and government as well as advanced graduate studies. The curriculum balances information quality theory with industry best practices using state-of-the-art tools and technology. The course content has been developed with the support of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Information Quality Program and with additional help from leading practitioners and researchers within the information quality community. “Our intention is for the program to be challenging to people who do have a computing background, while being an option for more mature students who want to get into the computing field without having an undergraduate computing degree,” said Dr. Daniel Berleant, professor of information science and advisor for the graduate program. “Graduates are prepared for new jobs in data analysis and data manipulation, or to advance in their present jobs. The program electives help tailor the student to the type of position they want to get.” For the 2019 rankings edition, U.S. News evaluated schools on five general categories, including engagement, faculty credentials and training, expert opinion, services and technologies, and student excellence.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock grad is taking the Information Technology world by storm

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 14:10:58 +0000

As a sophomore information science major at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2010, Karen Watts of Bryant faced a difficult choice. Watts is a single mother of two children with special needs, and the youngest, Gabe, now 11, was in and out of the hospital with health issues. “I wanted to stay in school, but I couldn’t do both,” Watts said. “I had to leave after my first year at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. I got my cosmetology license, so I could work around my boys’ appointments and schedules.” Inspired to help other families, Watts opened Artistik Salon, which catered toward children and adults with special needs. The business was even recognized by local broadcast station with a Pay It Forward Award. “I had people travel from all over the state because they couldn’t go anywhere else to have their children’s hair cut,” Watts said. “A lot of the children have sensory issues, so it could easily be too loud or crowded, so I catered to each child that came in. It was really hard to close in 2017, but I really wanted to finish my degree. It was a really hard decision since I helped a lot of kids.” Watts returned to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2016 and was accepted into the Accelerated BS to MS program, enabling her to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. In addition, Watts took four graduate classes as a senior. When she graduates from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock on Dec. 15, she will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Science as well as a Graduate Certificate in Data Science. At ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, she is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, an ambassador for the College of Engineering and Information Technology, and a research assistant with the Collaboratorium of Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), a research group led by Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and distinguished professor in the Department of Information Science. She credits Agarwal, Dr. Elizabeth Pierce, chair of the Department of Information Science, and all the information science professors with helping her succeed. “Dr. Elizabeth Pierce and Dr. Nitin Agarwal are my mentors, but every professor I’ve had in information science has been wonderful and supportive. Dr. Pierce supported me going to different hackathons to gain skills and network. It’s been great to continue my research with Dr. Agarwal at COSMOS. It’s a big change from working at a salon.” As part of her burgeoning hackathon career, Watts and her teammate, Michael DiCicco, beat out 28 other teams as the first place winner of CrimsonHacks in April for their multicurrency cryptocoin wallet called “Tweety Wallet.” The prototype app retrieves tweets from Twitter with hashtags that correspond to cryptocurrency. The app then runs a sentiment analysis to determine if current views of the digital currency are positive or negative. This information helps users determine if they should buy, sell, or hang on to their digital currency. In October, she also won the J.B. Hunt Use Case Award at the ��Vlog��ý Blockchain Hackathon along with DiCicco and Brenda Nyangweso. Watts and her team, sudoIntellectual, created an electronic bill of lading system for J.B. Hunt that they named “Truck Hunt.” That led the team to travel to J.B. Hunt’s corporate headquarters in Lowell, Arkansas, where they made a presentation to the company’s executives. Watts has received a promising job offer from the company, which would allow her to work with emerging technologies. “I stay busy, and I don’t sleep a lot,” Watts said of her hectic schedule. “It’s very important for my kids, Blakely, 12, and Gabe, 11. They are my life. Everything I have done is for them. I always knew I wanted to come back and finish my degree. The time came, and I was able to, and I hit the ground running. I’m the first woman in my family to get a college degree.” Watts has also interned at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service for over a year, where she has completed some innovative information technology projects. She collaborated with her boss, Amy Cole, to develop the Arkansas Extension chatbot platform, VeggieBot, which is likely the first extension chatbot developed in the U.S. A chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate conversation with people. In the case of VeggieBot, the chatbot will answer basic questions about gardening, which will free up time for the employees and provide a self-service channel that can respond at any time. Additionally, Watts created a new internal employee website. She also assisted in developing a new web app, replacing an outdated system, that assists Arkansas rice producers in managing their rice crops for a senior capstone project. She presented this project at the College of Engineering and Information Technology Open House in April and received the Mainstream Technologies Professional Presentation Award. After completing her master’s degree in December 2019, Watts plans to earn a Ph.D. in computer and information science at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, where she will research strategies to fight disinformation campaigns online using blockchain technology with COSMOS. “��Vlog��ý Little Rock has given me opportunities to be involved in a research group that opened a whole lot of new doors and helped me decide on my master’s degree,” she said. “The hackathons were another opportunity I wouldn’t have had outside ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. I don’t know of any other schools that offer the 4+1 program where I could earn my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years and work on my graduate certificate during my senior year. The professors here are incredible and full of knowledge.”

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to offer new bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity

Shroat-Lewis receives Faculty Excellence in Public Service Award for Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology

����Vlog��ý Little Rock to research smart health in Arkansas, West Virginia with NSF grant