The strength of the College of IST is demonstrated through the successes and accomplishments of its students, faculty, alumni, and programs. Read more about how the college and its people are driving innovative change and taking on the challenges of the Information Age.
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'Black box gaslighting' challenges social-media algorithm accountability
January 19, 2022
Kelley Cotter, assistant professor in Penn State's College of Information Science and Technology, examined ongoing debate between social media influencers who claim their content is algorithmically suppressed and the social media platforms that deny it but do not provide transparent information o
Penn State awarded $3.4 million contract to target plastic waste
January 17, 2022
Penn State has been awarded a $3.4 million contract from the REMADE Institute to fund research targeting the inefficient methods currently used to process and upcycle mixed plastic waste.
IST alumnus builds a brand as Pittsburgh food influencer
January 13, 2022
Alex Goodstein, who graduated from the College of Information Sciences and Technology in 2009, has a palate-pleasing side hustle as a Pittsburgh-area food influencer.
'Socially Responsible AI' lecture series to highlight early career researchers
January 12, 2022
Sherry Tongshuang Wu, a doctoral candidate in computer science and engineering at the University of Washington, will deliver the inaugural lecture of the Young Achievers Symposium organized by the Center for Socially Responsible Artificial
Have an idea to change the world? Submit it in the Nittany AI Challenge
January 11, 2022
Penn State students from University Park, all Commonwealth Campuses and Penn State World Campus are invited to form a team and submit ideas about how to improve the world using the power of artificial intelligence by entering the 2022 Nittany AI Challenge.
Paper on geovisual analytics wins “Test of Time” award
January 10, 2022
A 2011 paper authored by Penn State researchers outlining a geovisual analytics approach to support geographically grounded situational awareness of crisis events using social media was selected to receive the 2021 IEEE Symposium on Visual Analytics Science and Technology Test of Time award.
Happy Valley LaunchBox supports company serving underrepresented students
January 3, 2022
With help from Happy Valley LaunchBox powered by PNC Bank, Joel Sakyi founded Vybrnt, a startup that provides underrepresented students better access to resources and opportunities that help them succeed during their time at college.
Nandita Suresh honored as College of IST student marshal
December 8, 2021
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology will honor Nandita Suresh as student marshal at fall 2021 commencement, which will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, in the Bryce Jordan Center. “Being a student marshal is in one word, unbelievable,” she said.
IST grad student intern applies data science skills in construction industry
December 3, 2021
As a College of Information Sciences and Technology student pursuing a master’s degree in informatics, Kristen Williams had the opportunity this past summer to apply what she’s learned through her concentration in data science in a summer internship in the construction manufacturing industry.
IST World Campus graduate, PA Guard captain pays education forward at Penn State
November 19, 2021
Pennsylvania Army National Guard Capt. Francis Killeen has served in the Army for nearly two decades. After two deployments in Iraq and being promoted to sergeant in 2009, he took a short break from the military then reenlisted in 2013 with the goal of becoming an officer.
IST Blue Band Silk Squad leader blends academic drive with performance passion
November 19, 2021
After a year off the field during the pandemic, College of Information Sciences and Technology third-year student Jenna Fitzpatrick is happy to be back performing at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State faculty receive funds to explore students’ participation
November 18, 2021
The Flemming CEED Center faculty members and faculty members from Penn State recently received funding from the Penn State Social Science Research Institute’s (SSRI) "Reducing Social Disparities" initiative.
Penn State team wins Big Ten Augmented Intelligence Bowl
November 18, 2021
An interdisciplinary team from Penn State took home first prize in the Big Ten Augmented Intelligence Bowl, where academic teams from around the Big Ten Conference square off to determine how artificial intelligence can create the biggest bang in reducing health disparities.
College of Information Sciences and Technology honors Military Appreciation Week
November 18, 2021
During Penn State Military Appreciation Week, and every day, the College of Information Sciences and Technology recognizes and honors the members of the College of Information Sciences and Technology and larger Penn State community who have served or are currently serving in the military, includi
Army SWAT commander draws on IST foundation as military police officer
November 17, 2021
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Koby Allen is an active-duty SWAT commander and military police officer.
Dual degrees shape military career, lead to accolades for IST World Campus grad
November 15, 2021
Recent Penn State World Campus graduate Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Bryan Hill was beyond appreciative that he was able to participate virtually in his August commencement ceremony from his home in North Carolina.
Active-duty Marine makes Penn State a stepping stone on military career path
November 11, 2021
The path to Penn State was less than traditional for Gunnery Sergeant Charles Hickey. An active-duty Marine, Hickey enlisted in the military shortly after graduating from high school in 2008, and completed two deployments in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011.
IST Alumni Identity Talks series, 'Military and Veterans in Tech,’ on Nov. 17
November 9, 2021
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join the College of Information Sciences and Technology for IST Alumni Identity Talks – Military and Veterans in Tech, to be held virtually from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov.
IST student's research involves tracking elephant movement
November 4, 2021
Gregory Glatzer, a junior majoring in applied data science, spent his summer helping to evaluate how technology could be used to track elephant movement in national parks in Africa to help prevent poaching. “The research that I did has opened my eyes to the many amazing applications of data
Hozza to discuss ‘things learned on teaching journey’ in IST McMurtry Lecture
November 3, 2021
David Hozza, lecturer in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State, will share “Things I’ve Learned on This Teaching Journey” when he delivers the college’s annual George McMurtry Award Lecture at noon Thursday, Nov.
Penn State Hazleton's Barbara Brazon named IST Faculty Member of the Year
November 3, 2021
Penn State Hazleton Associate Teaching Professor of Information Sciences and Technology Barbara Brazon has been recognized with the College of Information Sciences and Technology Faculty Member of the Year Award.
IST Alumni Identity Talks series, ‘First-Generation Students,’ on Nov. 10
November 1, 2021
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join the College of Information Sciences and Technology for IST Alumni Identity Talks on Nov. 10, featuring a panel discussing their experiences as first-generation students.
Talk to provide insights on designing useful and usable privacy interfaces
November 1, 2021
Lorrie Faith Cranor, director and Bosch Distinguished Professor of the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, will present a talk, “Designing Useful and Usable Privacy Interfaces,” at 11:45 a.m. Friday, Nov.
New IST scholarship honors friendships formed at Penn State
October 29, 2021
Two College of Information Sciences and Technology alumni recently came together to establish a scholarship in memory of their friend and fellow classmate, Jimmy Lee Brown, who died in 2019.
How Penn State is applying immersive technology on WPSU's 'Digging Deeper'
October 26, 2021
Penn State President Eric Barron and a pair of University experts will talk about immersive technology and how it’s applied in the classroom during the next episode of WPSU’s “Digging Deeper” on Sunday, Oct. 31.
Fostering community across geographically dispersed university campuses
October 21, 2021
Many U.S. universities comprise a main campus and several branch campuses distributed throughout the state. Researchers in the College of Information Sciences and Technology investigated whether students at these various campuses feel that they belong to a unified university community.
IST Alumni Identity Talks series, 'Disability Awareness,' on Oct. 27
October 21, 2021
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join alumni of the College of Information Sciences and Technology for IST Alumni Identity Talks - Disability Awareness, to be held virtually from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27.
IST research represented in 11 papers at 2021 CSCW
October 21, 2021
Eleven papers that involve researchers at the College of IST were accepted to this year’s Association for Computing Machinery’s 2021 Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, a top venue for human-computer interaction research that will be held virtually Oct. 23-27.
Interactions with unreliable infrastructures could be key to smart city design
October 20, 2021
Research from the College of Information Sciences and Technology found that smart city designs should consider the daily experiences of citizens or allow them to adapt their own solutions, particularly in areas with historically unreliable infrastructures.
IST background helps Homecoming tech director deliver an engaging celebration
October 19, 2021
Penn State students, families, faculty and alumni are all familiar with the parade, weeklong spirit events, and spectacular football game that exemplify Penn State pride during Homecoming Week.
New game can help users identify, avoid online echo chambers
October 15, 2021
Researchers at the College of Information Sciences and Technology have developed a theory-based game that enables a player to test their own awareness of content that could result in an echo chamber and to observe how echo chambers are accelerated by the spread of misinformation.
Search engine could help researchers scour internet for privacy documents
October 13, 2021
Researchers say a search engine, which uses an artificial intelligence called natural language processing, could be an important tool for researchers trying to find ways to design a safer internet.
On the Bridge - October 2021
October 12, 2021
A compilation of recent news, highlights and achievements from the College of Information Sciences and Technology community.
IST intern collaborates on software engineering design at Rockwell Automation
October 8, 2021
To graduate, students in the College of Information Sciences and Technology are required to complete an internship within their field.
IST, Schreyer student co-founds blueStart festival to inspire entrepreneurs
October 7, 2021
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, College of Information Sciences and Technology senior Hayden Long wants to inspire other Penn State students to learn from like-minded self-starters and receive support for their innovative ideas.
What was really the secret behind Van Gogh's success?
October 4, 2021
Before developing his famed “drip technique,” abstract artist Jackson Pollock dabbled in drawing, print making and surrealist paintings of humans, animals and nature.
Vasant Honavar named Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and AI
October 4, 2021
Vasant Honavar, professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence by the University’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
New tool fuses expert knowledge and deep learning features to detect sleep apnea
September 30, 2021
Individuals who suspect they have sleep apnea — and the doctors who diagnose them — could soon have more effective way to automatically detect the condition at home, thanks to a new method developed by researchers at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology.
USDA grant supports Penn State research on mushroom industry automation
September 28, 2021
A nearly $4 million grant awarded to the College of Agricultural Sciences will support an interdisciplinary, multi-university team of researchers as they investigate technologies designed to address labor shortages on mushroom farms.
College of IST announces six seed grant recipients
September 27, 2021
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology recently announced six projects that will receive funding from the college’s seed grant program. The program provides preliminary funding for IST researchers and collaborators to initiate new projects.
S. Shyam Sundar named director of the Center for Socially Responsible AI
September 24, 2021
S. Shyam Sundar, James P. Jimirro Professor of Media Effects in the Donald P.
Increasing linguistic diversity to advance human-technology interaction
September 22, 2021
People are becoming increasingly dependent on human technologies such as smart voice assistants and computer-based tutoring for access to governmental, community, health, and educational services. However, the technology is largely based on standard American English.
IST intern updates military wargame for National Strategic Research Institute
September 21, 2021
Not many college students have the opportunity to directly impact national security.
Alumna-led nonprofit aims to empower female emergency dispatchers
September 20, 2021
Nearly a quarter of emergency dispatch personnel experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the national turnover rate of 911 dispatchers is more than 17%.
Institute sponsors four co-funded faculty positions in AI and data science
September 20, 2021
The Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), in partnership with four academic colleges will sponsor four co-funded faculty positions focused on the development of novel methods or advanced applications in data science.
Data Science Community announces fall 2021 talk series
September 15, 2021
The talks, which are open to the Penn State community, will cover topics including art history, big data and the U.S. Constitution, architectural knitted textiles, cryosphere studies, imaging genomics, radio telescope images, and more.
IST Alumni Identity Talks series Sept. 15, 'Celebrating Hispanic Heritage'
September 10, 2021
Members of the Penn State community are invited to join alumni of the College of Information Sciences and Technology for IST Alumni Identity Talks — Celebrating Hispanic Heritage, to be held virtually from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15.
IST alumnus and Latinx workers in tech advocate lands dream job at Twitter
September 10, 2021
Growing up in Philadelphia, Noel Claudio never thought that it was possible to work for a big social media tech company unless he lived in California or New York.
Overcoming homelessness and hardships to earn a Penn State degree
September 9, 2021
On his 18th birthday, Joel Seidel became emancipated from his parents and, in turn, homeless. He said Penn State equipped him with the tools and resources he needed to succeed, including support from scholarships.
COVID-19 study aims to make local policy announcements more culturally dependent
September 8, 2021
Researchers from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology recently studied a new form of crisis information exchange that has emerged between geographically dispersed areas to facilitate local crisis responses during the COVID-19 pandemic.