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

��Vlog��ýLR, MIT create first institute for chief data officers

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 15:19:26 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (��Vlog��ýLR) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have partnered to create the first academic institute devoted solely to the professional development of chief data officers. The primary role of the Institute for Chief Data Officers will be to train professionals who will take on the role of chief data officers and to provide opportunities for doctoral students to conduct research on chief data officers. “Think of a chief data officer as a person who is primarily responsible for the data at a company, making sure it is of the right quality and that the use of it is warranted,” said Dr. Lawrence Whitman, dean of the ��Vlog��ýLR George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. “For most large organizations, including universities, data is one of the biggest assets we own.”

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According to the Stamford, Connecticut-based information technology research company Gartner, will have a chief data officer by 2019. The has also entered into a partnership with the new institute. In addition to donating $25,000 to the creation of the institute, the society will provide research topics and input for doctoral students to conduct research at the institute. Dr. Richard Wang will lead the institute as the executive managing director after a decade at MIT, where he serves as the co-director for MIT’s. In 2006, Wang helped Dr. John Talburt, a professor of information science who will serve as the ��Vlog��ýLR campus director at the institute, create the ��Vlog��ýLR Information Quality Graduate Program, which offers a graduate certificate, master’s degree, and doctoral program. “We will now be leaders in not only information quality, but also in the training of chief data officers,” Talburt said. “There is a movement in industry and government that information needs to be managed as an enterprise asset. In order to make this happen, there needs to be an executive-level leader of data strategies for the company who will determine how will they monetize and create value from their data assets.” Whitman will serve as chairman of the institute’s board of advisors. Program Manager Nihal Erian and Co-Director for China Programs Ningning Wu will also join the institute at ��Vlog��ýLR. At MIT, Dr. Stuart Madnick will serve as the campus director. The first training course offered by the institute will be “Foundations for Chief Data Officers.” The course will be held Sept. 26-29, 2016, and Feb. 6-9, 2017, at ��Vlog��ýLR. It will cover the definition and landscape of chief data officers, introductions to big data concepts, data analytics, data integration, and data policy, strategy, and governance. Whitman, who announced the creation of the institute at the opening session of the MIT on July 12, said there was great interest in the institute throughout the conference. “People came up to me the entire conference to talk about being involved with the Institute for Chief Data Officers,” Whitman said. “Students inquired about starting their doctoral program with us. Others are interested in proposing research topics and doing research with the institute. Most people were interested in hiring our graduates for positions in big data.” For more information about the Institute for Chief Data Officers, visit the website or contact iCDO@ualr.edu. In the upper right photo,��Dr. Lawrence Whitman announces the creation of the Institute for Chief Data Officers at the opening session of the MIT Chief Data Officers and Information Quality Symposium on July 12. Pictured, from left to right, are Dr. Richard Wang, executive managing director of the institute; Dr. Larry Whitman; Dr. Elizabeth Pierce, chair of the ��Vlog��ýLR Department of Information Science; and Dr. John Talburt, ��Vlog��ýLR campus director of the institute.��

��Vlog��ýLR graduate finds success at LM Wind Power

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 16:58:54 +0000

In 2011, Kari Payton arrived at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as a decorated athlete with a bright college basketball career ahead of her. An injury and a change of heart led Payton to give up basketball and her athletic scholarship to focus on her academic career in the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology.

After earning one of the university’s most prestigious scholarships, the went on to a successful academic career, double majoring in systems engineering and sociology. Payton, a May graduate, already has a full-time position as an industrial engineer with LM Wind Power in Little Rock. The company, which manufactures wind turbine blades, has plants throughout the world, including sites in Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, India, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey, and the U.S. The wide variety of locales provides Payton with a great opportunity to travel internationally. She flew to Bangalore, India, in June and is scheduled to go to Amsterdam in October. Payton’s work focuses on creating simulations that support operations for the company’s plants. She is learning C++ programming language, modeling software, and plant operations.

Changing pursuits

A , Payton arrived at ��Vlog��ýLR in 2011 on an athletic scholarship, but her college basketball career was short lived. An injury took her off the court her first semester, and she had little playing time during her second semester.

Kari Payton, a May graduate of ��Vlog��ýLR, is now an industrial engineer in global plant support with LM Wind Power in Little Rock. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ýLR Communications.

“It was a struggle for me,” she said. “I suffered a back injury, and I think I only recorded seven minutes of play time the whole season. I finally decided to pursue engineering and let basketball go.” After basketball, Payton stayed at ��Vlog��ýLR, earning a scholarship from the Donaghey Scholars Program. She’s thankful to Kathryn Young, director of admissions, Jennifer Moody, associate director of admissions operations, and Dr. Simon Hawkins, director of the Donaghey Scholars Program, for helping her pursue her dreams. “The people in Donaghey Scholars were very influential in me staying at ��Vlog��ýLR,” she said. “They listen to you and encourage you to follow the wildest ideas in your life. I was blessed with a scholarship, and that time was some of the best four years of my life.” The secret to Payton’s success was a combination of activities inside and outside the classroom. Although her studies were devoted to science and math, Payton also discovered an unexpected love for social science. “I took a social science class about race concepts in America in the Donaghey Scholars program, and the idea blew my mind,” Payton said. “I have never thought about anything but math and science, but one of my teachers told me I have a gift for this.” Payton graduated with two majors, a Bachelor of Science in systems engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. She thinks the sociology skills will be useful when traveling to different countries and working with people from other cultures. In addition to her coursework, Payton participated in three undergraduate research fellowships. Because of her hard work, she earned the Engineering and Information Technology Outstanding Senior award and the Systems Engineering Outstanding Senior Award in May. Payton also studied Spanish in Nicaragua and completed two internships. Her first internship is what led to her current position. She worked as a quality and operations engineering intern at LM Wind Power in 2013. While searching for a job this spring, she contacted the company to ask about open positions. “��Vlog��ýLR gave me a lot of opportunities,” she said. “Those experiences in college are invaluable. It helps you to learn how to apply your education to a professional work environment.”

Giving back to the community

Payton is a volunteer with . After serving as a mentor to an eighth-grade girl, Payton was inspired to start a pilot program to introduce students to science and engineering. “These kids are from neighborhoods where, historically, there has been a lot of crime, and I want to give them the opportunity to understand that education is very important to their lives,” Payton said. “I want them to know that if they have the skills and the interest and apply themselves, they can do anything.” Participating students took a career skills assessment test. Those who had an aptitude for technology were invited for some Saturday workshops in February and March that focused on robotics and other technical challenges. Out of the 12 students she invited, eight from junior high and high school attended Payton’s “Imagination Camp.” She plans to continue the program in the future. “It’s one of my passions to reach out to people who are underrepresented and share with them my struggles and help them get to where they want to be,” she said. ��

��Vlog��ýLR professor Nitin Agarwal earns grant to support social media research

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 18:07:02 +0000

Dr. Nitin Agarwal, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor continues to garner national and international support for his research into how groups use social media for potentially destructive acts. Dr. Nitin Agarwal, the ��Vlog��ýLR Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy endowed chair and a professor of information science, recently received a $186,692 grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to fund his exploration of cyber campaigns. It’s his fourth major grant in the past academic year. This new grant enables Agarwal to continue his investigation into the practices, tactics, and motivations of organizers of web-based mass movements and their participants. His project focuses on deviant, often deceptive online movements, or cyber campaigns, that manifest in physical behaviors and events. The goal for many of the groups behind these campaigns is to “provoke hysteria, influence mass opinions, stoke civil unrest, effect civil conflict, or even coordinate cyberattacks,” Agarwal said. The effects of these cyber campaigns have been seen all over the world, with major transnational crime organizations utilizing social media to recruit, spread propaganda, and encourage action. Their tactics are complex and diverse, ranging from publishing fake pictures to hiring armies of “trolls” that spread propaganda on blogs and social media. To help combat this growing issue, Agarwal and a graduate student assistant will use cyber forensics and deep web searching to study cyber campaigns. With this data, they will develop models for detecting and predicting the online behavior of deviant groups. The researchers will determine the universal characteristics of cyber campaigns, including how they project a group identity and motivate followers. This new project, titled “Analyzing Integrated Social Media-Facilitated Propaganda Campaigns Using Social Network Analysis and Cyber Forensics,” builds on Agarwal’s already significant body of social media research and behavioral modeling. It is part of a larger research program in his COSMOS (Center Of Social Media and Online behavioral Studies) lab. The research program is funded by the , , , and . More details on these projects can be found on Agarwal’s project website. This project is sponsored by the Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research. Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Naval Research.

��Vlog��ýLR College of Engineering and Information Technology names new chairs

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 16:43:55 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology has named new chairs for three departments. “The new chairs will strengthen the college as we strive to serve students and engage the community,” said Lawrence Whitman, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology. “The college looks forward to their leadership and we welcome them in their new roles.” The new department chairs, whose appointments begin July 1, include:

Dr. Margaret E. “Beth” McMillan, chair of the Department of Earth Sciences
Dr. Ibrahim “Abe” Nisanci, chair of the Department of Systems Engineering
Dr. Srikanth Pidugu, chair of the Department of Engineering Technology

McMillan is a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences who focuses on geomorphology, sedimentology, and geographic information systems. She holds a doctorate in geology from the University of Wyoming, a master’s degree in environmental science and engineering from Colorado School of Mines, and a bachelor’s degree in geology from Colorado College. Nisanci is a professor of mechanical engineering technology. He holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in industrial engineering from Orta Dogu Teknik University in Turkey and a master’s degree and doctorate in engineering production from Loughborough University in England. �� Pidugu is a professor of mechanical engineering technology who was instrumental in establishing ��Vlog��ýLR’s American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers student chapter. He received a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Old Dominion University, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai (Madras), India, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India.

��Vlog��ýLR interns work to prevent pollution ��

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 22:03:13 +0000

With the support of a grant from the U.S. (EPA), four University of Arkansas at Little Rock students have the opportunity to intern with a local industry partner this summer. The internships will focus on pollution prevention. Interns will shadow and assist engineers, scientists, and other personnel at local participating industries, including North Little Rock’s L’Oréal USA manufacturing facility, Little Rock Wastewater, and Alcoa Inc. The $21,975 grant is funded through the EPA’s Pollution Prevention (P2) Program and was awarded to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, the primary environmental protection agency in the state. ��Vlog��ýLR is partnering with the state agency to develop and run the internship program. Participating industries are contributing an additional $5,040 to support the positions. Dr. Lashun Thomas, P.E., ��Vlog��ýLR assistant professor and program coordinator of environmental engineering will lead the university’s portion of the program, and the Office of Undergraduate Academic Advising will provide support for the intern selection process. Open to qualifying graduate and undergraduate students in the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, the program will match students with paid positions at participating industries that will provide excellent professional growth and insight into the field of pollution control. Not only will the interns gain hands-on experience, but they also will be paired with a ��Vlog��ýLR professorial mentor, receive pollution control training from the state Department of Environmental Quality, and have the opportunity to present their outcomes to and get feedback from a panel of industry professionals. Project leaders intend to provide students with both enriching summer positions and preparation for future career paths. According to the Department of Environmental Quality proposal, “this joint program will help develop a pipeline of talent that can bring to light the business case for pollution prevention.” New or current students: Learn more about environmental engineering degree opportunities at ��Vlog��ýLR.��

��Vlog��ýLR summer guide for students of all ages

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 19:55:37 +0000

Looking for an engaging summer program to keep a motivated student academically challenged, exploring a new interest, or building up athletic skills during the long summer months? Check out the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Guide to Summer Programs for children of all ages. This list will be updated as new activities are announced. June 13-17 Grades 3-5 Cost: $125 Pam Maisen, 501.951.6574 June 27 – July 1 Grades 9-12 Cost: $125 Greg Graham, gxgraham@ualr.edu July 11-22 Grades K-8 Contact 501.569.3410 or giftedcenter@ualr.edu

Trojan Athletics summer camps

Jon Trilli, jmtrilli@ualr.edu, or Tangie Jones, tlcampbell@ualr.edu

Students participate in the 2015 Little Rock Basketball Camp.

Van Compton, vxcompton@ualr.edu Hitter/Setter Camp: June 6-7, Grades 8-12, $50 Serve/Serve-Receive Camp: June 8-9, Grades 8-12, $50 Defensive Specialist Camp: June 10, Grades 8-12, $35 Individual Camp: June 20-23, Grades 4-12, $150 Senior High Team Camp: July 25-26, $50 Junior High Team Camp: July 27-28, $50 Matt Farmer, mefarmer@ualr.edu Summer Youth Camp: June 6-8, Grades K-4, $125 Summer Skills Camp: June 20-22, Grades K-5, $125 Contact: Amy Burgess, amburgess1@ualr.edu Session I: June 6-9, June 13-16, Ages 4-12, $75 for 8 lessons Session II: June 20-23, June 27-30, Ages 4-12, $75 for 8 lessons Session III: July 11-14, July 18-21, Ages 4-12, $75 for 8 lessons Session IV: July 25, 27-29, Aug. 1-4, Ages 4-12, $75 for 8 lessons Contact: Adrian Blewitt, ablewitt@msn.com Individual Summer Camp: June 7-10, Ages 5-6 (half day), $120, and ages 7-13 (full day), $190 Individual Summer Camp: June 14-17, Ages 5-6 (half day), $120, and ages 7-13 (full day), $190 Extended ID Camp: July 23-26, Grades 7-12 (girls only), $250 Session I: June 13-16, Grades K-3 (morning), $110, and Grades 4-12 (afternoon), $200 Session II: June 27-30, Grades K-3 (morning), $110, and Grades 4-12 (afternoon), $200 Session III: July 11-14, Grades K-3 (morning), $110, and 4-7 (afternoon), $200 Steve Wiedower, slwiedower@ualr.edu, or Robert Dallimore, rjdallimore@ualr.edu Team Camp 1: June 17-19, $180 per day Team Camp 2: Aug. 1-3, $180 per day Advanced Skills Camp: June 25-26, Grades 9-12, $100 Alicia Cash, alcash@ualr.edu, or Asriel Rolfe, axrolfe@ualr.edu Individual Camp: June 20-23, Grades 5-12, $150 Mini Camp: June 20-23, Grades 1-4, $75 To add a ��Vlog��ýLR summer program to this list, contact Angie Faller at 501.907.9320 or amfaller@ualr.edu. In the upper right photo, local students participate in Golden Touch Soccer Camp.��

��Vlog��ýLR announces interim Graduate School dean

Shanna Fitzgerald — Fri, 20 May 2016 14:13:56 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has chosen Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya to serve as its interim leader for the Graduate School. �� Bhattacharyya — who already is heavily involved in research and graduate studies at the university — will fill the interim leadership position of vice provost for research and dean of the ��Vlog��ýLR Graduate School. His new role begins July 1. Bhattacharyya currently is the associate dean of the ��Vlog��ýLR Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology (EIT) and previously served as the college’s interim dean and the applied science graduate coordinator. As associate dean of the EIT college, he collaborated with colleagues in the college and throughout campus as faculty developed accelerated Bachelor of Science plus Master of Science (BS+MS) programs. He also played a pivotal role in administering the ��Vlog��ýLR-��Vlog��ýMS joint graduate program in bioinformatics and served as ��Vlog��ýLR’s representative on the Science Advisory Committee of the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers recently elected him as an ASME Fellow, recognizing his significant contributions to the mechanical engineering community. Bhattacharyya will replace Paula Casey, who announced her retirement after serving in the position since 2013. “I want to express my gratitude to Dean Casey for her contributions in advancing our graduate school and our research,” said Dr. Zulma Toro, executive vice chancellor and provost. Bhattacharyya was a great fit based on his academic and research experience and knowledge of the needs, vision, and goals of the university, Toro said.

About Dr. Abhijit Bhattacharyya

Bhattacharyya joined ��Vlog��ýLR in 2002 as an associate professor. His research is in materials engineering with a focus on smart materials and thin films. The Department of Defense, NASA, the Department of Energy and NSF-EPSCOR have funded Bhattacharyya’s research for a total of about $1.3 million, and he is the author of nearly 90 publications. Bhattacharyya has mentored high school and undergraduate students, and also has mentored and taught Ph.D. and Master of Science students. His experience and leadership roles include:

EIT Graduate Curriculum Committee chair (2005-08)
Graduate Council member (2007-09)
Applied science graduate coordinator (2006-10)
EIT associate dean (2011-14 and July 2015 to present)
EIT interim dean (January to June 2015)
��Vlog��ýLR representative on the Science Advisory Committee of the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority (2010-2013)

Grant helps fund research into violent flash mobs

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 04 May 2016 19:34:31 +0000

Thanks to a new grant, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock researcher is expanding his investigation of cyber flash mobs — particularly those that lead to violent or damaging behavior. A U.S. Army Research Office grant will provide nearly $300,000 during the next three years to further the research of Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Jerry L. Maulden-Entergy endowed chair and ��Vlog��ýLR professor of information science. The award — Agarwal’s third in the past six months — is funded by the under the Social and Cognitive Networks program within the Network Sciences division. It provides Agarwal with $82,338 for the first year of his project, “Towards Predictive Modeling Deviant Cyber Flash Mobs: A Socio-Informatics Driven Hypergraph Framework.” �� Agarwal’s project will analyze the formation of cyber flash mobs, investigating how and why the gatherings occur and why they’re so effective. A relatively new phenomenon rooted in Internet communities such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, cyber flash mobs are defined by Agarwal as “self-organized groups of individuals who get together at a public place or even Internet (cyber) spaces, perform an unpredicted act, and quickly disperse into anonymity.” Though the activities of these groups can range from dance performances to peaceful protests, numerous groups promote violent, extremist, or otherwise negatively disruptive behavior. The project will focus on the science behind the mob-building tactics of these online groups that may have a physical manifestation. The central goal of the research is to develop an accurate, practical model for predicting how and if an extremist group will launch a cyber flash mob. To accomplish this, Agarwal and graduate student assistants working with him will gather data on past violent cyber flash mobs. They will then analyze the information, pinpointing the common elements in the groups’ strategies. Agarwal suggests that rhetoric and network ties are critical for flash mob mobilization. By creating a unified identity through their online messages, these groups can heavily influence the thinking and steer the behavior of their audience. This new project builds on Agarwal’s already significant body of social media research and behavioral modeling. It is part of a larger research program in his social computing lab, including efforts that are funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Office of Naval Research, U.S. Air Force Research Lab, and U.S. Army Research Office. More details on these projects can be found on Agarwal’s project website.

��Vlog��ýLR engineer students compete in design competition

Shanna Fitzgerald — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 17:22:08 +0000

The ��Vlog��ýLR American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Student Chapter participated in the ASME Student Professional Development Conference (ASME/SPDC) Student Design competition. This year’s competition team consisted of mechanical engineering technology students Ben Morin, Garrett D’Amato, Anthony Elkins, Harrison Blume, and Joseph Early. Although this year’s team did not win the competition, its unique design became quite popular, and many of the students and faculty advisors came by after the competition and inquired about it. The unique thing about the ��Vlog��ýLR design is that the concept can be seen in action, as high-strength transparent polycarbonate tubes were used. Several of the team members enjoyed the project enough that they decided to work to perfect the device even though it will not compete again. The design competition was held Saturday, April 16, at Oklahoma State University at Stillwater. Faculty Advisor Dr. Srikanth Pidugu said he was very proud of the competition team and its hard work. The ASME Student Design Problem Statement is . �� Students also were given the opportunity to take the. Two of the team members, who had previously completed ETME 2333 Advanced CAD, took and passed the exam. The team thanked:

The Office of Campus Life for providing partial funding for the project and conference expenses
Prof. David Luneau for providing technical support on the electronics issues
Prof. George Tebbetts, chair of the Engineering Department for providing partial funding and strong support
Armand Tomany for helping students with suggestions regarding mechanical aspects of the design
Amy Frets, administrative assistant of the Engineering Technology Department, for her support of the students
Dr. Pidugu with travel, material purchasing and moral support

EIT to host open house

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 15:37:56 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus community and the general public are invited to an open house at the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. From noon to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, attendees can check out student exhibits showcasing their work. During the event, students will conduct demonstrations on topics that include robotics, and they will display posters as well as their research and capstone projects.

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

����Vlog��ýLR, MIT create first institute for chief data officers

����Vlog��ýLR graduate finds success at LM Wind Power

����Vlog��ýLR professor Nitin Agarwal earns grant to support social media research

����Vlog��ýLR College of Engineering and Information Technology names new chairs

����Vlog��ýLR interns work to prevent pollution ��

����Vlog��ýLR summer guide for students of all ages