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

Facebook launches campaign at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to promote computer science education in Arkansas

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 15:02:52 +0000

Facebook has inspired the next generation of technology industry leaders in Arkansas with the launch of the “Tech Take Over” campaign at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Nearly 200 high school students from central Arkansas attended an exciting display of virtual reality technology from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock on Sept. 26. The high school students learned about opportunities in the computer science industry from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students and tech industry leaders during the event at the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. “Tech Take Over” is part of the between Facebook and the state of Arkansas, which was announced earlier this year to generate student interest in computer science education and careers. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, , , the , and the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock STEM Education Center partnered to bring a technology roadshow to five universities in the state, beginning with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Arkansas is a very forward-thinking state with all the governor is doing to push computer science education,” said Peipei Zhou, director of growth with Facebook’s TechStart program. “We want to help the state with its advancement of computer science, and we want to provide these students with a better future.” Over the next two weeks, Facebook and the Emerging Analytics Center team will bring the “Tech Take Over” event to universities in Jonesboro, Magnolia, Fayetteville, and Pine Bluff. More than 100 high schools from around the state are expected to participate in the events.

Arkansas high school students learn how to use virtual reality apps developed by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Emerging Analytics Center during the Sept. 26 “Tech Take Over” event.

“One of the most exciting areas of computer science is virtual reality,” said Dr. Carolina Cruz-Neira, director of the Emerging Analytics Center, who delivered a speech on developing virtual reality applications during the event. “Everything the students are experiencing here will go on the road to locations all across the state. We will reach over 1,000 ninth-through-12th graders around the state to get them interested in virtual reality and computer science.” Facebook’s education initiative helps high school students explore computer science through modern technology. In spring 2017, Facebook donated 400 virtual reality classroom kits to 265 high schools in Arkansas. The kits included computers, cameras, and Oculus Rift equipment. In August, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that Facebook expanded the donation and will provide virtual reality kits to all of the more than 360 public high schools. Each school will receive an Oculus Rift touch controller and 30 virtual reality viewers. Expanding computer science education was a core campaign promise for Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who believes producing a tech-savvy workforce will be a boon to the state’s economy and help secure future jobs in the technology industry. In 2015, Hutchinson requiring public high schools to offer classes in computer sciences. “This is part of Gov. Hutchinson’s campaign promise to bring computer science education to every student in Arkansas,” said Anthony Owen, director of computer science education with the Arkansas Department of Education. “This is also an aspect of his job creation promise and commitment to Arkansas. Computer science is one of the fastest growing industries. We’ve already been able to expand and attract computer and technology industry companies based on our expansion of K-16 computer science education in the state.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student hopes to be Construction Intern of the Year

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 13:35:00 +0000

has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps to become an engineer. “When I was young, growing up in my native Poland, he often took me to his job sites, which became my oversize playgrounds,” Osieczko said. “For years, I watched him in his work and came to love and sometimes understand what he did. I fell in love with the same profession.” Now she is hoping for a little help fulfilling that dream by competing in the Construction Intern Awards, where $50,000 in scholarship money is up for grabs. “All of my family is Europe, so I need my family at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to help me get votes,” she said. Osieczko needs your votes to move to the next round of the, which is offering a top scholarship of $10,000. You can once every 24 hours until 4 p.m. Oct. 3. The eight candidates who receive the most online votes will become semifinalists along with nine candidates selected by a committee. The scholarship program is designed to recognize the strongest construction interns in the industry and the companies with the best construction internship programs in the country. After moving to America with her husband, Thomas, and daughter, Noemi, Osieczko spent five years living in Alaska before the family made the move to Arkansas in 2007. As her daughter grew older, Osieczko realized it was the right time to go back to school. “I was thinking that if I don’t go back to school now, I will never go back,” she said. “I always wanted to be educated, but I never had the chance.” After joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2015, Osieczko is now treasurer of the ��Vlog��ý Little student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers and will serve as the bridge team captain at this year’s competition. She is also a member of the Society of Women Engineers. As a student, Osieczko will complete more than 800 hours of internship experience before graduating. For Osieczko, that meant finding the right company. “I decided to seek one in a company known for the kind of projects I hope to work on in my professional life,” she said. “I was fortunate enough to be offered an internship by Austin Bridge and Road of Irving, Texas.” At Austin Bridge and Road, Osieczko learned how to use computer programs, like AutoCad, AutoMath, and BeanPro, to manage concrete calculations and engineering designs. “Maybe the most important thing that I have taken away from my internship is consciousness of the need for keeping safety in mind at every stage of a project,” she said. “Every detail that can be calculated should be in the interest of immediate safety and long-term quality, which results in safety for all who work on and finally use the structure.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student competing for Construction Intern of the Year

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 17:37:49 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student is vying for $10,000 and the title of Construction Intern of the Year. , a junior civil and construction engineering student, needs your votes to help move to the next round of the Construction Intern Awards, which is offering a grand prize $10,000 scholarship as well as $40,000 in additional scholarships. As of Sept. 21, Hayworth was beating out 120 other contestants to appear first on the with the most online votes. A second ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student, , a civil and construction engineering major from Little Rock, is also competing for Construction Intern of the Year. A story featuring Osieczko is coming soon. The scholarship program is designed to recognize the strongest construction interns in the industry and the companies with the best construction internship programs in the country.

Harrison Hayworth, who is competing for Construction Intern of the Year, visits the construction site of the Windgate Center. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

A Donaghey Scholar, Hayworth came to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to play for the women’s soccer team. This past spring, Hayworth’s soccer career came to an abrupt end after she received her fifth concussion that forced her to leave the sport behind. “While I miss playing soccer, I realized in time that it was a blessing in disguise, because leaving the sport opened my eyes to the possibilities that working in construction had to offer, and my enthusiasm for the industry.” In April, Hayworth was one of the first of 10 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students to form a team to compete in the concrete canoe challenge at the American Society of Civil Engineers Deep South Student Conference. “Helping to start this team at my university and being involved in this project gave me a genuine appreciation for all of the possibilities and intrinsic benefits construction has to offer—as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort,” she said. “Before my college experience, I had no exposure to construction, but I was fortunate enough to attend a university where construction is a valued path and integral part of the civil engineering and construction engineering degree program.” After meeting with during the Engineering and Information Technology Career Fair, Hayworth spent the summer interning with the construction company in Dallas. She learned how to use survey equipment, complete bridge calculations, and draft alignments and structures from construction plans. “The Austin Bridge and Road internship was a great opportunity to dive into construction head on and learn as much about this industry as possible,” she said. “Watching real decisions and compromises being made helped me understand the industry out of an academic setting. Austin Bridge and Road taught me that the construction industry thrives in an environment that uses all resources, technology, and people available to create the best possible outcome.” You can once every 24 hours until voting ends at 4 p.m. Oct. 3. The eight candidates who receive the most online votes will become semifinalists along with nine candidates selected by a committee. The top four finalists will be announced Nov. 14.

Donors establish innovative workshop to promote transportation and telecommunications research

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 13:10:50 +0000

A recent anonymous donation to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will fund a workshop designed to promote academic breakthroughs and career counseling for academics studying the intersection of transportation and telecommunications research. The Chan Wui and Yunyin Rising Star Workshop brings together early-career academics and senior fellows with at least 30 years of experience for a unique, one-week workshop to promote collaborative research and career success. “Transportation and telecommunications research is what I would call the cutting edge of the future of transportation,” said Dr. Yupo Chan, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor of systems engineering who has been selected as director of the Rising Star Workshop. Chan pointed to the development of driverless cars as a well-known application of transportation and telecommunications research and a potential research topic that could be discussed at the upcoming conference. “The benefits are quite tremendous,” he said. “Theoretically speaking, driverless cars would allow a lot more traffic on the street to be accommodated. If everyone drives at the same speed, there would be no congestion and no accidents. There would be very smooth traffic flow.” The Rising Star Workshop will be held in the Como Lake region of north Italy, near Bellagio, in summer 2019. The anonymous donors agreed to pay for all expenses for the workshop and each participant’s travel. In addition, the donors signed a second gift agreement to contribute $27,000 annually to support a graduate assistant in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock George W. College of Engineering and Information Technology who will help plan and promote the workshop. Mustafa Alassad, a first-year doctoral student in the systems engineering program, is the first graduate assisted to be funded through the Chan Wui and Yunyin Research Assistantship Fund. During the workshop, participants will have in-depth discussions about the critical research questions raised by recent changes in transportation and telecommunications. Additionally, the senior fellows will provide career advice and guidance to the early-career academics on the skills essential for success in academic careers. After the workshop, each participant will author a paper for publication in an academic journal. Research papers written by participants of the first Rising Star Workshop, held in 2016, will be published in a 2017 edition of the Transportation Research Record Journal, a widely recognized journal of the Transportation Research Board, National Academy of Sciences and Engineering. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is partnering with Imperial College, the University of Munich, and the University of Kentucky in a joint Steering Committee to plan and operate the workshop. For more information, contact Dr. Chan at 501.569.8926 or yxchan@ualr.edu. In the upper right photo, Christian O’Neal, vice chancellor for university advancement, shakes hands with Rising Star Workshop Director Yupo Chan in front of the portrait of the Baileys in the Bailey Alumni Center.

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

Facebook launches campaign at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock to promote computer science education in Arkansas

����Vlog��ý Little Rock student hopes to be Construction Intern of the Year

����Vlog��ý Little Rock student competing for Construction Intern of the Year

Donors establish innovative workshop to promote transportation and telecommunications research

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

Facebook launches campaign at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to promote computer science education in Arkansas

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student hopes to be Construction Intern of the Year

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student competing for Construction Intern of the Year