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

��Vlog��ý Little Rock grad explores use of blockchain for state’s agricultural operations

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 15:05:25 +0000

Picking out the best fresh produce can be a difficult task for many shoppers looking for the best food for their families, but a University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate student is researching ways to make the process much easier for shoppers and local food producers.�� Karen Watts DiCicco of Bryant will graduate Saturday, Dec. 14, with a master’s degree in information science. As part of her graduate work, she’s studying how local food producers can use blockchain technology to safely and securely store and share their data. “Imagine going to the store or the farmers market and looking at two apples,” Watts DiCicco said. “One apple has a QR code you can scan with your smartphone to learn when it was picked, if it’s organic, if any pesticides were used, etc. Will you go with the apple that you can scan and know the origin of the produce or the apple that you know nothing about? Shoppers, especially those who shop local, want to know where their food comes from.” For her master’s thesis, Watts DiCicco investigated how blockchain applications are used in agriculture. Originally developed for bitcoin, a blockchain is a growing list of records, called blocks, that are linked using cryptography. Blockchains are resistant to modification and are becoming an increasingly popular way to store, share, and protect data. In the spring, Watts DiCicco will continue her education and research as a doctoral student in computer and information science at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. In addition to agricultural research, she’ll research strategies to fight disinformation campaigns online using blockchain technology with the Collaboratorium of Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), where she works as a graduate assistant. The research group is led by Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and distinguished professor in the Department of Information Science. The two will publish a book chapter in 2020 entitled, “Blockchain Technology-based Solutions to fight Misinformation: A Survey.” Armed with the knowledge of what works and doesn’t work regarding agricultural-related blockchain programs, Watts DiCicco’s next step is to create a survey for consumers, farmers, restaurant owners, and farmers markets in the Little Rock area through her work at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. This will help her determine what information customers want to see when shopping for food and what information local food producers want to track. The project is being created with financial support from Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s office. “My goal is to create a pilot program using blockchain technology with 6 to 10 local food producers,” she said. “They will enter their agricultural information on a blockchain application that I create. Consumers will be able to know where their food comes from, and producers will receive data analytics from their data.” Following her pilot study, Watts DiCicco will do a follow-up survey to see how her app can be improved and how it can be used by other agricultural vendors in the area. She also plans to conduct workshops and webinars that will educate the public on the benefits of using blockchain. “A lot of people still think blockchain is only for bitcoin,” she said. “A lot of people don’t realize that Walmart and other large corporations already use blockchain. Using blockchain is about trust and authenticity. Blockchain will be a value for them.” Watts DiCicco first joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2009 as a freshman majoring in information science. As the mother of two sons with special needs, she found it difficult to go to school full time, work, and raise her sons. She left school in 2010, got her cosmetology license, and opened Artistik Salon, which catered to children and adults with special needs.

Karen Watts DiCicco(left) and Michael DiCicco (right)

“I had people travel from all over the state because they couldn’t go anywhere else to have their children’s haircut,” 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.”�� After returning to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2016, Watts DiCicco graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in information science and a graduate certificate in data science in 2018. In January, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture hired her as the division’s first digital and IT innovation manager. She explores new and emerging technologies and how they can be implemented with Division of Agriculture applications. While an undergraduate at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Watts traveled the country competing in hackathons – events in which coders compete or collaborate to create usable software within a limited time. In August, she married her ��Vlog��ý Little Rock hackathon partner, Michael DiCicco. The family lives in Bryant.

Watts lands new position as first digital and innovation manager at University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 13:20:49 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate student will pair innovative ideas with the latest technology in her new role as the ’s first digital and innovation manager.�� Karen Watts, a graduate student in information science, was hired for the full-time position after interning with the Information Technology unit for the past 18 months. “No other extension office has this position. We are setting a trend,” Watts said. “I wanted to help agents and producers and make a difference in their lives.” Watts graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a Bachelor of Science degree in information science as well as a graduate certificate in data science in December 2018. In her new role, she will look at new and emerging technologies and how they can be implemented with Division of Agriculture applications. “I love learning about emerging technologies and I get to learn the newest technologies every day,” she said. “This job is like a hackathon. I look to see what works, develop a proof of concept, and prototype the new technology for us. It’s going to put us ahead in innovation.” Sam Boyster, chief operating officer for the Cooperative Extension Service, said he was looking forward to seeing how Watts will integrate emerging technologies into the division’s daily mission. “We hear a lot about blockchain, AI (artificial intelligence), and machine learning,” Boyster said. “This position will allow us to stay abreast of these innovations and their application across agriculture, as well as our other supported program areas. The goal is to see how we can leverage these technologies to the advantage of Arkansas producers and help us educate our agents and clientele in these areas.” The Division of Agriculture conducts research through its Agricultural Experiment Station and transfers discoveries to the public through the Cooperative Extension Service. At a recent conference, Watts saw researchers using AI in rice genome work. “Artificial intelligence isn’t the future,” she said. “It’s the present.” Watts presented a litany of potential avenues to put agriculture and technology together, including blockchain; advanced climate software using machine learning to do predictive analysis; nano trackers and sensors; chatbots and other virtual assistants; data mining and data visualization; and the new possibilities offered by 5G mobile platforms. She will also continue her work in application development, including e-commerce and business intelligence and “educating in the use of the new technologies and also pursuing and obtaining grants.” After completing her master’s degree in December, Watts plans to pursue 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 the Collaboratorium of Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), where she works as a research assistant. The research group is led by Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and distinguished professor in the Department of Information Science. While an undergraduate at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Watts traveled the country competing in hackathons – events in which coders compete or collaborate to create usable software within a limited time. This is another concept she’s bringing to the Division of Agriculture. She helped develop RockCity Hacks, the first hackathon designed for grades 9-12, where all the case uses will be ag-based.

��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.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students reach hackathon finals

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 13:00:21 +0000

University of Arkansas at Little Rock student teams took two of the nine final spots at the ��Vlog��ý BlockChain Hackathon at the University of Arkansas held Sept. 28-29. The hackathon featured 21 teams from Arkansas colleges and universities and was sponsored by nine large businesses such as IBM, Tyson, Heifer International, and J.B. Hunt, who provided challenges focused on using BlockChain technology for teams to present during the competition. Each of the nine sponsors chose a team to advance to the finals where they presented their results against the winners of other challenges. “BlockChain refers to a distributed database platform that allows for the secure processing and management of transactions across a network,” explained Dr. Liz Pierce, chair of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Information Science. “It is the technology behind BitCoin and is also of great interest to companies like J.B. Hunt and Walmart who want to be able to track transactions across many different producers and suppliers.” Two ��Vlog��ý Little Rock teams, representing J.B. Hunt and ArcBest, each won in their challenges and presented their developments in the finals. All of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s competitors were undergraduates with little to no prior BlockChain experience or knowledge, while most of their competition came from graduate students from the University of Arkansas’ BlockChain Center of Excellence. Students Karen Watts, Michael DiCicco, and Brenda Nyangweso won J.B. Hunt’s challenge and went on to represent them in the finals, along with Aaron David, Brock Butler, Hunter Wright, Ian Thompson, and Sunny Singh from the ArcBest team. An additional 25 more ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students also took part in the competition: Thomas Emmerling, Naveed Siddiqui, Brenda Chepkorir, Yinqi Chen, Ryan Moore, Peter Israsena, Hengchang Liao, Nicholas Stewart, Zhenlin Jin, Kyle Hooks, Zachary Long, Bushra Sajid, Saba Khalid, Christopher Lewis, Brady Moore, Moteet Bakeman, Mughal Minhaj Uddin, Lucas Rayburn, Hitaxiben Patel, Donovan Valestin, Shibani Lal, Richard Young, Malik El-Amin, Christian Aqui, and Kristen Stewart. Butler, a junior information science major from Hot Springs, and his team created a driver registration system for ArcBest with the goal of improving driver retention. “For the use case, we chose to create a system that would bring in information from government, law enforcement, and independent company databases and api’s. We would store the information within ledgers that would be interconnected through a BlockChain, and that chain of ledgers would be sorted and rated by a neural network,” Butler said. “A neural network is basically a self-improving algorithm that would learn and adapt like the human brain. Our neural network would be able to pull up ledgers about ��and assign ratings towards the drivers within a mobile app that both drivers and employers could use. The mobile app would allow drivers to see in real-time how well they’re performing and it could become a tool for them to use when looking for a job, and because they could see how they’re doing in their current position.” Watts, a senior information science major from Bryant, and her team, sudoIntellectual, created an electronic bill of lading system for J.B. Hunt that they named “Truck Hunt.” “How does Truck Hunt work? When a carrier arrives at the shipper, as pallets are loaded into the truck, RFID or smart pallets can track what is loaded in the truck. Then the carrier gives a tablet to the shipper that then uses facial recognition to cryptographically sign the bill of lading. As the carrier goes from point A to point B, there are sensors in the truck that collect the temperature data, GPS, and acceleration,” Watts said. “Once the carrier arrives at the receiver, the truck is unloaded and the receiver verifies that everything was arrived in order and they both cryptographically sign the bill of lading. At the point the pdf is finalized and the hash is stored on the blockchain. If there is a dispute then the data from the sensors is also stored on the BlockChain.” further explained Watts, who’s team has since been invited to present their project to J.B. Hunt’s executive committee. Watts’ teammate Michael DiCicco, a junior information science major from Benton, credits ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with providing him with the opportunity to travel, network, and compete at hackathons across the country. “I’ve enjoyed getting to travel so much, and I’ve gotten to go everywhere from Las Vegas to Alabama,” DiCicco said. “It’s also helped me become a better communicator, and I always come back with good takeaways.” Pierce and the rest of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s information science faculty could not be more pleased with their students’ performance. “I think it’s amazing that they went in and did so well against competitors with more experience than them, I’m always looking forward to what they’ll show us next!” she said. Eight ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students reached the hackathon’s finals, including (from L to R): Ian Thompson, Michael DiCicco, Karen Watts, Brock Butler, Aaron David, and Hunter Wright.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock students win Alabama hackathon with cryptocurrency prototype app

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 13:00:51 +0000

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock students are looking to make a name for themselves in the world of hackathons.�� Michael DiCicco, sophomore information science major from Benton, and Karen Watts, senior information science major from Bryant, took home a big win as first place winners of CrimsonHacks, a Major League Hacking event held April 14-15 at the University of Alabama. DiCicco and Watts, working in conjunction with two students from the University of Alabama and Florida Institute of Technology, beat out 28 other teams for the top prize, a 3D printer, for their project, . They also won the Best Use of Amazon Web Services award, which comes with a $250 Amazon Web Service credit. “Tweety Wallet is a multicurrency cryptocoin wallet,” DiCicco said. “It can hold any type of cryptocurrency, but it is configured for Bitcoin, Zcash, Ethereum, and Litecoin.” During a hackathon, teams have 24 hours to develop a prototype app. DiCicco and Watts wanted to build an app that concentrated on data and visualization while a third team member wanted to focus on cryptocurrency. Their interests seemed to be a match made in heaven to combine the three trending topics. DiCicco and Watts utilized skills they have learned while working as student researchers at COSMOS (Collaboratorium for Social Media and Behavioral Studies) – a research group led by Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair of Information Science, to help build 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.

Karen Watts (left) and Michael DiCicco (right). Photo by Ben Krain.

“Cryptocurrency can change in an instant,” Watts said. “Whether it is positive or negative is going to tell if it is going up or down in price. The sentiment analysis is a faster prediction than stock market prices.” Safety is also of paramount concern to the hackers. In order to log in to the app, a user must enter a password and be verified as the account owner through facial recognition. A text alert is also sent to the user’s cell phone to tell them that the account has been accessed. Last year, DiCicco and Watts also won the Best Use of Amazon Web Services for their project, “Atrocious Apartments,” a website that allowed apartment hunters to view crimes that occurred within a one-quarter mile radius of an apartment complex and provide a description of the incidents and when they happened. DiCicco and Watts will compete in the HackHLTH competition in Las Vegas in May. This is a bigger competition with bigger stakes. Hacker teams will have 36 hours to build a health-related prototype app, and there are $80,000 worth of prizes and sponsorships up for grab. The Department of Information Science and the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology are providing DiCicco and Watts with $750 each to sponsor their travel to the event.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock student hackers win big in Alabama

Jenny Lambert — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 15:38:25 +0000

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock information science students won Best Use of Amazon Web Services for their project, “Atrocious Apartments,” during the 2017 CrimsonHacks event March 25. For 24 hours, the University of Alabama hosted 200 students from the southeast region for the first Major League Hacking event in the state. Michael DiCicco, freshman, and Karen Watts, junior, worked with two students from the University of Alabama to create a website that would make apartment hunting easier and safer for college students in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The execution of their project won the team a $250 Amazon Web Service credit. During the event, the group worked to create an online system that would allow apartment hunters to view crimes that occurred within a one-quarter mile radius of an apartment complex and provide a description of the incidents and when they happened. They made these distinctions using Tuscaloosa’s Open Data Portal, which allowed them access to crime reports in all available areas. In addition, the team gathered information using building permits to include sites of nearby construction as a warning to students who enjoy napping during the day or dislike noise and traffic. According to the group’s written project, “This is a very relevant tool for a college community. Not only does it help students search for apartments that are historically safe, but it allows for more personalized decisions when picking an apartment.” When accessing the group’s website, Atrocious Apartments, viewers can access heat maps of building permits or crime data to easily view apartments in areas of town that they’re interested in living. Along with helping students make the best choice of residence, the group also hoped their tool would encourage managers of apartment complexes to improve their standards to better meet the demands of renters. The expectation of their website’s ability helped establish the next step in the team’s project, which is to incorporate 311 calls, making students aware of any sanitary complaints within the complex, including trash, rats, and cockroaches. The group also hopes to determine public opinions of each apartment complex using social media keywords, such as great, good, dirty, and terrible to assist students in making residential choices. For more information, visit .

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

����Vlog��ý Little Rock grad explores use of blockchain for state’s agricultural operations

Watts lands new position as first digital and innovation manager at University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

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

����Vlog��ý Little Rock students reach hackathon finals