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Mason professors are researching hacker psychology to defend against cyberattacks

Colleen Rich — Thu, 02 May 2024 13:39:13 +0000

Mason professors are researching hacker psychology to defend against cyberattacks Colleen Rich Thu, 05/02/2024 - 09:39

A team of ��ӽ紫ý researchers is probing the psychology behind cyberattacks as part of a U.S. intelligence community program aimed at turning the tables on hackers.

Illustration by Getty Images

As the prevalence and severity of cyberattacks continue to grow, the Intelligence Advanced Research Project Activity (IARPA) has turned its focus on how best to exploit the weakest link in cyberattacks: the human factor.

Under a new IARPA program, researchers hope to better understand cyber attackers’ cognitive vulnerabilities and decision-making biases and use those vulnerabilities to derail future attacks.

Researchers Daniel Barbará, Giuseppe Ateniese, and Gerald Matthews were recently selected as part of a broader team of computer science, cybersecurity, and psychology experts to forge new research pathways and deliver cutting-edge technology as part of IARPA’s Reimagining Security with Cyberpsychology-Informed Network Defense, or ReSCIND, program.

Daniel Barbara. Photo by Office of University Branding

The team of researchers will build defensive tools that first cue in on hackers’ human limitations and use those weaknesses to delay or derail the attack while it is underway.

“You want to make them waste their time,” said Barbará, a computer science professor at ��ӽ紫ý’s College of Engineering and Computing. “The more they waste their time, the least damage they’re going to do.”

This can be accomplished by luring hackers with decoys such as false networks or documents to distract them.

But the trick is two-fold. The decoys must first and foremost appear to be real. They also need to entice the hackers away from their original aim. The latter is where understanding the psychological factors that influence hackers is essential.

As part of the first phase of the ReSCIND program, researchers will aim to fill gaps that exist in the current understanding of human cognition and decision making that influence cyber attackers’ behavior.

“It’s a challenging topic to address because hackers, of course, tend to be somewhat secretive,” Matthews, a professor of psychology at ��ӽ紫ý, said. “There aren’t many opportunities to study hacker psychology.”

Giuseppe Ateniese. Photo provided

Matthews said the current understanding of hackers’ behavior that provides the baseline for their research comes from several areas of study in psychology. Key among those areas is human performance and in particular how emotional states might influence performance.

“Hackers themselves are under pressure and potentially anxious about getting caught,” Matthews said. “They’re anxious about looking foolish to the people that they are working with.”

Cultural factors that motivate hackers are also important to consider and may vary greatly among hackers. Thrill-seeking college-age hackers, for example, would have different cultural norms and motives than highly trained professionals acting on behalf of a nation-state adversary, Matthews said.

Researchers hope to further understand the full scope of psychological factors that influence hackers, including how to measure, predict, and induce their cognitive vulnerabilities.

“There’s a certain amount of psychology that allows you to link the emotional reactions that hackers might have to cognitive biases and other vulnerabilities in performance,” Matthews said. “So, in this first part of the research, we’re trying to sketch out what some of those vulnerabilities might be.”

As part of the second phase, researchers will further define when cyberpsychology-informed defenses can best be used and how to determine the success of those defenses. The final phase will focus on modeling, adapting, and automating those defenses.

Ateniese, a computer science professor and eminent scholar in cybersecurity, said the ReSCIND program reflects the growing importance of cyberpsychology research in shaping emerging technology.

Gerald Matthews. Photo provided

“I see a myriad of excellent applications, not just this project,” Ateniese said. “As you can imagine, people today are building AI systems that either mimic or seek to improve upon human behavior. So, the psychology perspective is very intriguing.”

The ReSCIND program will run for nearly four years and is being carried out through research contracts awarded across five teams.

Barbará, Ateniese, and Matthews’ research will contribute to a ReSCIND contract awarded to SRI International, an independent nonprofit research institute headquartered in California.

The ��ӽ紫ý team will work alongside experts from the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Margin Research, Research and Assessment Design: Science Solution, Two Six Technologies, University of Florida, and Virtual Reality Medical Center.

In many ways, the project is a natural progression for the three professors who have worked together on several previous projects requiring a multidisciplinary approach.

They were first introduced in 2021 by Amarda Shehu, a computer science professor and co-director at the time of the ��ӽ紫ý’s transdisciplinary Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnerships (CAHMP).

A call for proposals from Virginia’s Commonwealth Cyber Initiative for a project that sought to bridge cybersecurity and human factors research to help users build secure passwords immediately brought to mind Barbará, Ateniese, and Matthews’ expertise.

“I always had the agenda of putting teams together and finding some funding opportunities so that then they could obtain preliminary results through which to demonstrate credibility for larger projects,” Shehu said.

The match has led to a series of successful projects by the team, including the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative password project and a project focused on distinguishing authentic videos from deepfakes.

“The IARPA project is, in some sense, an example of the culmination of an activity, how you put a team together,” Shehu said. “They find some funding so that they can start that relationship and then that kind of blossoms into a larger project. It's really a perfect example of what we want to see in […] in general at Mason in terms of transdisciplinary research and the fruit of that research.”

Shehu, now associate vice president for research for Mason’s Institute for Digital Innovation, said bringing teams together with broad collective expertise is critical to solving the most complex impediments to technological progress.

“The most challenging problems nowadays don't reside specifically within one discipline,” she said. “They bridge disciplines.”

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Amarda Shehu

Daniel Barbará

Giuseppe Ateniese

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Mason selected for participation in Department of Commerce consortium dedicated to AI safety

Colleen Rich — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 17:33:48 +0000

Mason selected for participation in Department of Commerce consortium dedicated to AI safety Colleen Rich Wed, 02/14/2024 - 12:33

Mason will be one of more than 200 leading AI stakeholders to help advance the development and deployment of safe, trustworthy AI under new U.S. government safety institute.

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��ӽ紫ý has joined more than 200 of the nation’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) stakeholders to participate in a Department of Commerce initiative to support the development and deployment of trustworthy and safe AI. Established by the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC) will bring together AI creators and users, academics, government and industry researchers, and civil society organizations to meet this mission.

Mason will bring its expertise in AI and leadership in emerging technologies to the initiative. “Mason researchers look to solve complex problems that demand creativity, transdisciplinarity, and a sustained passion for digital innovation for good. We look forward to working with the consortium to achieve these goals,” said Amarda Shehu, associate vice president of research in Mason’s Institute for Digital Innovation. Mason is the only Virginia university in the consortium.

Through the establishment of the AISIC, NIST aims to help equip and empower others in collaboratively establishing a new measurement science that will enable the identification of proven, scalable, and interoperable measurements and methodologies to promote development of trustworthy AI and its responsible use.

“The U.S. government has a significant role to play in setting the standards and developing the tools we need to mitigate the risks and harness the immense potential of AI,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “President Biden directed us to pull every lever to accomplish two key goals: set safety standards and protect our innovation ecosystem. That’s precisely what the U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium is set up to help us do.”

The consortium includes more than 200 member companies and organizations on the frontlines of developing and using AI systems, as well as the civil society and academic teams that are building the foundational understanding of how AI can and will transform our society. These entities represent the nation’s largest companies and its innovative startups; creators of the world’s most advanced AI systems and hardware; key members of civil society and the academic community; and representatives of professions with deep engagement in AI’s use today. The consortium also includes state and local governments, as well as nonprofits. The consortium will also work with organizations from like-minded nations that have a key role to play in setting interoperable and effective safety around the world.

The full list of consortium participants is available on the NIST website.

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New IDIA Fellows tackle infectious diseases, robotics and deepfakes

Colleen Rich — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 20:58:17 +0000

New IDIA Fellows tackle infectious diseases, robotics and deepfakes Colleen Rich Tue, 11/28/2023 - 15:58

The Institute of Digital Innovation (IDIA) at ��ӽ紫ý has announced its second cohort of IDIA Predoctoral Fellows: Alonso Gabriel Ogueda-Oliva, Dibyendu Das, and Erika De Los Santos.

Applicants to the competitive fellowship program are encouraged to form an interdisciplinary team of faculty mentors across the Mason ecosystem and propose an ambitious, interdisciplinary research agenda that aligns with IDIA’s mission of catalyzing cutting-edge computing research that shapes digital society and promotes equality, well-being, security, and prosperity.

Alonso Gabriel Ogueda-Oliva. Photo provided

Ogueda-Oliva, a PhD student in mathematics, is working on “A New Data-Driven Machine Learning Framework to Predict Dynamics of Infectious Diseases Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models.” His project will integrate social and behavioral sciences research and predictive analytics to improve mathematical modeling of infectious diseases to minimize unintended outcomes of public health interventions used in response to pandemics.

“If we are able to understand how human behavior impacts diseases spread, we may potentially save lives,” said Ogueda-Oliva, who holds a BS in mathematical civil engineering and an MS in mathematics from Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria in his native Chile. “The project itself can help identify and address health disparities by studying the spread of infectious diseases and developing effective interventions that target marginalized populations.”

His faculty mentors are Padmanabhan Seshaiyer, a professor in the Mathematical Sciences Department; Taylor Anderson, an assistant professor in the Geography and Geoinformation Science Department, and Brian Levy, an assistant professor in the Sociology and Anthropology Department.

“I have worked in different projects throughout my career, mostly on education and tsunami evacuation modeling,” said Ogueda-Oliva. “Now, with the help of my advisors, I can bring all the skills I have learned during these years in order to make a contribution to society.”

Dibyendu Das. Photo provided

Das, a computer science doctoral student, is working on “Motion Memory: Leveraging Past Experiences to Accelerate Future Motion Planning,” a project that aims to lower computational resources needed by robots, making them more cost-effective and efficient for a variety of industry needs.

Das said seeing how robotics continue to improve quality of life for humans inspired him. “The potential for robots to learn from experience, much like humans, and improve their performance over time promises not only to advance the field of robotics but also to create tangible benefits for society,” said Das, who has a BS in engineering and computer science from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

His faculty mentor team includes Xuesu Xiao of the Department of Computer Science and Xuan Wang and Daigo Shishika in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

A notable achievement Das and his mentors have made in their work on this project is “developing a novel indexing system involving data hallucination that dramatically improved retrieval times, which could be considered a breakthrough in the field.”

Erika De Los Santos. Photo provided

De Los Santos, a psychology doctoral student, is working on the project “Human-AI Cooperative System to Detect Automated Deepfake Deception,” which focuses on designing ways for humans and artificial intelligence (AI) to collaborate and optimize deepfake detection. Deepfakes are computerized reconstructions of a person’s image or likeness.

“We want to understand human cognition and its limitations,” said De Los Santos. “We want to know about our biases and our vulnerabilities, especially with regards to implementing these AI and machine learning systems.”

After receiving a BA in psychology at Texas Tech University, De Los Santos came to Mason, earning a MA in psychology with a concentration in human factors and applied cognition in 2020. She works in the Arch and Hemodynamics, Automation, Resilience, and Trust (HeART) Labs in the Department of Psychology.

De Los Santos’ mentors include Daniel Barbará and Giuseppe Ateniese, professors in the Department of Computer Science, and Gerald Matthews and Tyler Shaw, professors in the Department of Psychology.

“We're hoping that this understanding can lead to practical guidelines for cybersecurity engineers as they begin to design these AI and machine learning systems,” she said. “We're also hoping to develop a training method for humans to optimize these utilization cues that the AI is providing to increase our personal safety and our well-being.”

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IDIA launches inaugural cohort of Public-Private Partnership Faculty Fellows

Shayla Brown — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 17:46:12 +0000

IDIA launches inaugural cohort of Public-Private Partnership Faculty Fellows Shayla Brown Wed, 11/15/2023 - 12:46

��ӽ紫ý’s Institute of Digital Innovation (IDIA) recently welcomed its inaugural cohort of Public-Private Partnership (P3) Faculty Fellows.

The Fellows Program aims to spark research collaborations between the university and industry partners on impactful societal problems and deliver state-of-the-art digital solutions to the local, regional, or national economy.

“The IDIA P3 Faculty Fellows are coming together with industry partners into deeply collaborative teams to further scientific and engineering foundations, enable breakthrough technologies, broadly benefit our society, and constitute digital innovation for good,” said Amarda Shehu, associate vice president for research for IDIA.

Fuse at Mason Square, the headquarters for IDIA which will open in summer 2024, is expected to transform the innovation landscape in Arlington by providing opportunities for students, researchers, and commercial partners to be part of an immersive atmosphere of ideation and innovation.

“This program beautifully embodies and gives a tangible example of what we are building in Fuse,” said Shehu. “At IDIA, we are very excited to directly support Fuse activation and spark those collisions that are the hallmark of Fuse through this innovative program.”

The 2023-24 cohort includes faculty from the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and the Donald G. Costello College of Business (CCB).

Jonathan Auerbach

Jonathan Auerbach. Photo by ��ӽ紫ý

Auerbach, an assistant professor in the Department of Statistics, is working on the project “A Scientific Framework for Evaluating America’s Data Infrastructure” with a number of partners. His research covers a wide range of topics at the intersection of statistics and public policy. For this work, the team is developing a scientific framework for evaluating the health of data infrastructure.

“Our research unifies an extensive literature describing how data should be collected and disseminated—for example, the U.S. Statistical Policy Directives,” Auerbach wrote. “Our goal is to measure the extent to which these ideals are obtained in practice. Our measurements will be reported in an annual report on the State of the U.S. Data Infrastructure.”

Working with Auerbach are Claire McKay Bowen, statistical methods group lead, Urban Institute; Constance Citro, senior scholar and former director, National Academies Committee on National Statistics; Steve Pierson, director of science policy, American Statistical Association; and Nancy Potok, Urban Institute Fellow and former chief statistician of the United States.

Jiasun Li

Jiasun Li. Photo by Ron Aira/��ӽ紫ý

For the project “Organizing an Efficient and Inclusive Digital Economy: The Roles of Recent Technological Breakthroughs in Verifiable Computation,” Li, associate professor in the Costello College of Business, is partnering with Protocol Labs, one of the industry pioneers in verifiable computation algorithms.

Li said that Protocol Labs shares his research interests in modeling the underlying economics of different business models for providing digital services, as well as exploring the potential of various verifiable computation algorithms in ensuring an efficient, inclusive, and sustainable digital future. Li hopes that this collaboration will not only facilitate knowledge transfer but also open up many new research frontiers at the cross-section of business, economics, and computer science, he said.

Emanuela Marasco

Emanuela Marasco. Photo by Evan Cantwell/��ӽ紫ý

Marasco, an assistant professor in Mason’s Department of Information Sciences and Technology, is partnering with Karl Ricanek, founder of Lapetus Solutions Inc. and a computer science professor from University of North Carolina-Wilmington, on the project “Video-based, Secure, Accurate and Usable Contactless Fingerprint Authentication in Smartphones.” Marasco’s research focuses on the need for further device security to protect sensitive data due to the rapid growth and increased accessibility of smartphones.

“Finger photo recognition represents a promising touchless technology that offers portable and hygienic authentication solutions in smartphones, eliminating physical contact,” said Marasco. “Exploiting video data holds great potential for mitigating these issues since more information is available to be analyzed by the system.”

Parth Pathak

Parth Pathak. Photo provided.

Pathak, an associate professor in Mason’s Department of Computer Science, is working with AT&T Labs on “Predicting RF Exposure in Today’s Ultra-dense Wireless Networks.” The aim of this project is to develop a novel framework for Radio Frequency (RF) exposure prediction, which embeds the environment information (e.g., 3D maps of buildings) directly into the ray tracing process using deep learning.

With a close collaboration with AT&T Labs, the models will be developed using large-scale datasets from operational networks. The project has the potential to reduce the cost of wireless network deployment and operations, making them more affordable and curbing the digital divide.

Kun Sun

Kun Sun. Photo by Ron Aira/��ӽ紫ý

Sun, a professor in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology, is working with Yan Zhai, senior director of cybersecurity at Visa Inc. on the project “Reference-based Automatic Program Repair.” Sun’s proposed research activities aim to constitute digital innovation for good by improving the quality, security, and reliability of software systems used in various industries, including health care, finance, and transportation. This research includes implementing a new automatic program repair (APR) technique that will target software bugs. Conducting this research alongside Sun are a number of Mason graduate students.

In addition to Zhai providing input and feedback to the Mason team, Visa Inc. has given $50,000 to support the research as well as two summer internships for Mason students.

Craig Yu

Craig Yu. Photo by ��ӽ紫ý

Yu, an associate professor in Mason’s Department of Computer Science and director of the Design Computing and Extended Reality (DCXR) lab at Mason Square, is working with a number of partners on his “Advancing Human-Machine and Human-Human Collaborations via Networked Extended Reality Innovations” project. His research aims to inform the emerging extended reality (XR) technologies industry as well as the U.S. government on strategic investments and future standards on telecommunication infrastructures.

Yu’s collaborators include Simon Su, a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology; Cuong Nguyen, a research scientist at Adobe Creative Intelligence Lab; Kafi Hassan, a principal technology development strategist at Advanced and Emerging Technology Group of T-Mobile USA; Hsueh-Cheng (Nick) Wang, associate professor at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University; Brendan David-John, an assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s computer science department; and Christos Mousas, an associate professor at Purdue University’s department of computer graphics technology. Lastly, Yu is also working with Carley B. Fisher-Maltese from Mason’s School of Education and Andrew Garavito, beekeeper of Mason’s apiary in charge of the Honey Bee Initiative, to create a VR-teleoperated beehive.

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Fuse at Mason Square hits construction milestone

Colleen Rich — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 20:30:32 +0000

Fuse at Mason Square hits construction milestone Colleen Rich Wed, 11/01/2023 - 16:30

��ӽ紫ý’s new Fuse at Mason Square destination in Arlington will reach a major milestone this month with the “topping out” of what will become a 345,000-square-foot collaborative and digital innovation space in the heart of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

New Fuse at Mason Square destination in Arlington will reach a major milestone this month with the “topping out.” Photo courtesy of Mason Facilities

A “topping out” is commemorated when the structural frame of the building is complete.

Regional economic development leaders will join Mason leadership and Clark Construction in a hard-hat celebration on Friday, Nov. 3.

“As Mason expands from Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William County, Fuse is a groundbreaking project that is redefining the modern university’s role in catalyzing business and talent growth in the region,” said Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost for strategic initiatives and community. “With it, we are one step closer to having a destination to collaborate with partners to development of new technologies.”

Watch the video about how Fuse will expand Mason’s commitment to research and innovation.

Mason President Gregory Washington will speak at Friday’s event, as will Ryan Touhill, director of Arlington Economic Development. Tours will be given to media and industry and government partners, and workers from Clark Construction will sign a commemorative banner.

When open—tenant occupancy is scheduled to begin in August 2024—Fuse at Mason Square will transform the innovation landscape in Arlington, with opportunities for students, researchers, and commercial partners to be part of an immersive atmosphere of ideation and innovation.

Fuse will be the headquarters for the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), but all of Mason’s academic units will have a presence with expertise to amplify our collective impact on digital innovation.

That firmament will include the School of Computing, the first in the commonwealth, and the Volgenau School of Engineering, working together with the Schar School of Policy and Government, the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, the Antonin Scalia Law School, the College of Education and Human Development, and the Donald G. Costello College of Business. The College of Public Health, College of Science, College of Visual and Performing Arts, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences will also bring their expertise and programs in digital innovation to Mason Square.

“This destination really reflects computing being ubiquitous and at the center of all other applications,” said Andre W. Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact at Mason. “Mason is growing the future businesses and future talent for the region through investments in entrepreneurship and more bachelor’s degrees in computing than any other Virginia university.”

That synergy will perfectly align with Mason’s mission of propelling Northern Virginia’s transition into a global technology hub while also expanding research opportunities at a university already classified as a top research institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education.

Further, Mason is ahead on its commitment as part of the Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP), a statewide initiative to increase the number of bachelor’s and master’s graduates in computer science, applied computer science, computer engineering, and software engineering.

Students and faculty will be on hand Friday to demonstrate the novel technologies, inventions, and solutions that will flourish at Fuse.

“We really want to encourage what we call effective intellectual collisions,” said Page architect Rob McClure said. “On every floor of this project, there is adjacency of industry partners to Mason, and the labs, all the robotics, the cool stuff. The idea is there is cross pollination for all these different users. It’s really taking the ecosystem of innovation and putting it into practice architecturally.”

Sustainability is also at the forefront of the building with such features as a vertical solar array, a high-performance HVAC system, and the capture and treatment of stormwater via a green roof.

“Fuse will hit the mark on so many levels,” Wilson Durant said. “It will be at the nexus of all ��ӽ紫ý does in digital innovation.”

Check out what is planned for Fuse

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Gregory Washington

Liza Wilson Durant

Andre Marshall, PhD

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Student teams tackle tech industry challenges at PatriotHacks 2023

Teresa Donnellan — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 19:05:36 +0000

Student teams tackle tech industry challenges at PatriotHacks 2023 Teresa Donnellan Fri, 10/13/2023 - 15:05

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Liza Wilson Durant

More than 500 students, nine sponsors, and 50 volunteers gathered on ��ӽ紫ý’s Fairfax Campus for the fifth annual PatriotHacks hackathon from October 6–8. After working for 36 hours straight, student teams presented 70 projects to a panel of judges and received feedback and prizes.

“Each year, PatriotHacks continues to grow, and students accept the challenge and create truly innovative projects to fulfill the various tracks. The level of technological innovation seen in this one weekend is proof of the caliber of research, work, and experience at ��ӽ紫ý,” said event organizer Kamaljeet Sanghera, executive director of Mason’s Institute for Digital Innovation and a professor of information sciences and technology. She added, “We are very grateful to our sponsors for their contributions. Their support is critical to both the success of this event and the work we do at Mason.”

People at the Amazon Web Services workshop. Photo by Kamaljeet Sanghera

Student organizers worked tirelessly to make the event a success. Computer science major Krishna Purohit, who was in charge of sponsor outreach, noted this year’s event yielded more than triple the number of submitted projects than last year’s hackathon. “We're excited to scale the hackathon and make it one of the largest in Virginia,” he said.

Student teams designed solutions for problems presented by event sponsors, such as Peraton, Amazon, Special Competitive Studies Project–SCSP, Arcfield, GEICO, Salesforce, and the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) NoVa Node.

"CCI NoVa Node is making significant investments in hands-on cybersecurity experiences for the tech talent pipeline in the [Northern Virginia] region,” said Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost for strategic initiatives and community engagement and director of the Northern Virginia Node of the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI). “Events like PatriotHacks are an important way to build technical capacity in students, share innovative ideas across disciplines, and support the development of the diverse pipeline of talent we are cultivating in Northern Virginia."

Mason students Akhil Rachure, Sai Kumar Kattera, Sai Preethi Pantangi, and Kevlar Nalankilli joined forces for the hackathon; their team won two tracks, hosted by Peraton and Salesforce, respectively, with two different projects.

From left, Sai Preethi Pantangi, Akhil Rachure, a Salesforce representative, Sai Kumar Kattera, and Kevlar Nalankilli. Photo by Akhil Rachure

“It was a grueling 36-hour marathon of brainstorming, coding, and innovation, and finally, all the hard work paid off,” said Rachure, who is majoring in data analytics engineering.

“PatriotHacks 2023 was special and different from other hackathons I’ve been to. There were lots of track options to choose from, including sponsored ones and Mason tracks, with experts around to help us out,” said Kattera, who is majoring in computer science. “We all worked together really well, and that’s the main reason we could build our product in just 36 hours. This experience taught me that with a strong team effort, anything is possible.”

The team won the Peraton track with their project, an application meant to help travelers plan safer trips.

“The app displays routes from point A to B and also highlights danger zones, helping users avoid potential crashes,” said Rachure.

The team won a track hosted by Salesforce with a related project. Pantangi, a computer science major, explained, “We leveraged Tableau to craft a comprehensive dashboard. This dashboard is designed to empower car companies with valuable insights into car crashes, categorized by model and body type.”

For students new to hackathons, PatriotHacks 2023 made a positive impression. Computer science major Nathan Albe, who won the Best Powered AI track with teammates Mohamed Shaik, Sanjay Mohan Kumar, and Sami Saifudin, said, “This was my first hackathon, and I can say it was a great first experience.... I felt like I learned how to effectively work toward a project and goal, not just by myself but in a team environment.”

Albe also said, “Thank you to all of the volunteers and sponsors at PatriotHacks for creating such a memorable event. I loved working with my team, and I learned so much. Can't wait for next year!”

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Two Mason professors receive NSF grant to study wearables and inclusive workplaces

Marianne Klinker — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 14:35:55 +0000

Two Mason professors receive NSF grant to study wearables and inclusive workplaces Marianne Klinker Wed, 10/11/2023 - 10:35

Can wearable tech resolve the crisis of underemployment among neurodiverse individuals? A multidisciplinary Mason research team is about to embark on a major study to find out.

Two ��ӽ紫ý professors have been awarded a $1.87 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop wearable technology designed to help neurodiverse individuals succeed in the workforce.

Sarah Wittman

Sarah Wittman, assistant professor of management at the School of Business, and Vivian Genaro Motti, associate professor of information sciences and technology at the College of Engineering and Computing, will carry out a series of laboratory studies as well as a field study seeking to “support job tasks with a personalized wearable design to make the future of work more inclusive and equitable for neurodiverse adults.”

Wittman and Motti’s research began with the recognition that while many neurodiverse people are eager for employment and fully capable of performing well at work, the routines, expectations, and atmosphere of the contemporary workplace do not always accommodate their needs. Business environments can present all sorts of stressors—sensory, social, organizational—that can affect the productivity and mental health of neurodiverse individuals. Therefore, the extremely high rate of unemployment (up to 85%) among neurodiverse adults should be seen as an equity issue, rather than a reflection of ability or fitness to work. Wearables can contribute to resolving these inequities, helping users adjust to difficulties in their environment by, for example, reminding them to take a short break or do breathing exercises at moments of peak stress (indicated by an increase in their heart rates).

Vivian Genaro Motti

The concept behind the grant originated in 2017, with Motti’s contribution to developing WELI, a smartwatch application designed to assist students in Mason LIFE, a four-year program for neurodiverse young adults combining postsecondary coursework and employment opportunities in a supportive environment. The WELI project was funded as part of a three-year grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

After WELI showed impressive results in a field study spanning the entire 2017-18 academic year, and following NIDILRR recommendations, the research team expanded the scope of the project beyond the college campus. Motti started to investigate how such technology could be adapted for the workforce. She joined forces with Wittman, a widely published management scholar specializing in work/life transitions.

The pair set out to better understand the pain points neurodiverse individuals face at work. Supported by seed funding from the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA) and the work of PhD student Niloofar Kalantari, who scoured Reddit and other online forums where neurodiverse people were posting about their workplace travails. Their data analysis revealed a wide range of challenges, with a high degree of variation correlated to different types of neurodiversity (ADHD, autism spectrum, Down syndrome, etc.). This confirmed their hypothesis that a one-size-fits-all wearable solution is not viable; instead, they began to pursue interventions tailored to individual user needs and specific segments of the neurodiverse population.

The four-year NSF project begins in January 2024. In the research studies planned, the PIs will recruit a large sample of adults with ADHD and those on the autism spectrum, working, for example, as stockers and order-fillers in the retail industry (or whose work might see them doing tasks with similar hand movements). Through a series of laboratory experiments, Motti and Wittman will refine the wearable technology and assess its positive impact upon both task-based performance and user well-being. Finally, they will launch a three-week field study intended to “test real-world efficacy and build guidelines around work times, tasks, and spaces for this technology”.

Beyond making life easier for neurodiverse individuals in the workplace, Motti and Wittman believe that their interventions will generate useful data for fuelling the ongoing push for more inclusive working environments. If successful, their wearable application will conclusively demonstrate the immense value that neurodiverse individuals bring to the labor force, while educating future researchers and employers on how best to foster inclusive work environments that can unlock that value for the benefit of all.

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New summer program teaches AI tech to Arlington high school seniors

Colleen Rich — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:31:52 +0000

New summer program teaches AI tech to Arlington high school seniors Colleen Rich Wed, 07/19/2023 - 13:31

Eighteen Arlington Public School seniors got an in-depth look into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) this summer thanks to ��ӽ紫ý’s new AI Scholars program. The two-week session offered at Mason Square provided students with hands-on learning opportunities, projects, lectures, guest speakers, and $750 scholarships.

AI Scholars was open to all seniors in Arlington Public Schools. Photo by Sai Preeti Pantangi

The program, taught by Tolga Soyata, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Mason, was open to all seniors in Arlington Public Schools.

Mason faculty members Missy Cummings, director of Mason's Autonomy and Robotics Center (MARC), and Leigh McCue, chair of Mason’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, joined Erik Blasch, program officer at the Air Force Research Laboratory, and Les Laurell, a supervisor at Robins Air Force Base, in providing valuable real-world insights to the students.

In addition, students learned about various aspects of AI and gained practical experience, controlling liquid crystal displays with Python software, managing power-hungry hardware with Raspberry Pi, and receiving an introduction to programming with OpenCV.

The Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO), Trenchant Analytics, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) provided funding for the program. The AI Scholars program is part of the Trenchant Analytics STEMx project, supported by the CDAO, and aims to help students begin a STEM career by providing relevant kits, tutorials, and a skill tree that tracks progress toward a scholarship and internship. Kammy Sanghera, executive director of Mason’s Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), led the effort to establish the program and was the principal investigator on the grant.

“We are happy to support this program that brings more opportunities to seniors in our county,” said John Ferry, CEO of Trenchant Analytics. “It is important to us to encourage interest in fields like AI and educate students on the opportunities they have in STEM fields.”

AFOSR program manager Kim Jacob told the high school students about the different careers and opportunities available to undergraduate and graduate students and postdocs in the Air Force Research Laboratory. “It’s an honor to speak to students as they are finishing high school and make them aware of the opportunities they have in STEM-related fields as they are preparing for college and deciding on a potential career path,” she said.

Photo by Sai Preeti Pantangi

“We are excited to collaborate with organizations like Trenchant Analytics, ��ӽ紫ý, CDAO, and the AFOSR,” Pamela Nagurka, partnership coordinator for work-based learning at Arlington Public Schools, said. “It is important to introduce students to these fields and show them the opportunities they have in college and beyond.”

Sanghera said Mason plans to expand the program next year. “We are very pleased with the first year of our AI Scholars grant and are looking forward to expanding the program to Fairfax County Public Schools and D.C. Public Schools next year,” Sanghera said. “The IDIA’s mission is to help connect our students, faculty, industry, and community, and this program is a prime example of how collaboration between these groups creates wonderful opportunities for students to learn and experience STEM fields.”

Topics

Mason Square

Artificial Intelligence

Amazon partners with Mason and NOVA for workforce development

Colleen Rich — Wed, 24 May 2023 18:48:18 +0000

Amazon partners with Mason and NOVA for workforce development Colleen Rich Wed, 05/24/2023 - 14:48

In This Story

Kamaljeet Sanghera

Liza Wilson Durant

Students from ��ӽ紫ý and Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) will participate in the AmazonNext x CodePath 2023 Summer Cohort June 5 to August 19.

More than 200 Mason students applied for the cohort. Selected participants will complete CodePath Org’s Technical Interview Prep course where they will engage with real-world software topics and practice technical interviewing.

The 10-week program is a unique opportunity for students in the greater Washington, D.C., region who want to pursue tech careers. In addition to coursework, students will have opportunities to participate in Amazon workshops, receive guidance from Amazon mentors, and attend events at Amazon HQ2. Students will receive a $5,000 scholarship upon program completion.

“We look forward to welcoming this new cohort over the summer and using our resources to help educate students on the possibilities open to them in tech careers,” said Tiffany Blacknall Benjamin, senior manager, DEI higher education strategy and partnerships at Amazon. “It is important to us to help students develop critical skills that will give them a competitive advantage as they prepare to enter the workforce.”

The partnership between AmazonNext, CodePath, Mason and NOVA will expand and benefit the tech talent pipeline in the region and support regional universities and two-year colleges participating in the program.

"Amazon’s investment in ��ӽ紫ý and NOVA accelerates the development of a diverse work-ready talent pipeline for Virginia,” said Liza Wilson Durant, associate provost of strategic initiatives and community engagement at Mason. “The AmazonNext program serves as a model for industry and academic partnership to deliver the workforce of the future, with technical and professional skills that respond to the demands of emerging technologies and an interdisciplinary workforce." 

Kammy Sanghera, executive director of the Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), is leading Mason’s effort in the program. “Part of the IDIA’s mission is connecting students with industry members and our partnership with Amazon helps students to learn the skills necessary to be successful in the tech field after college,” she said. “By making these connections, we are supporting the growth of the tech talent pipeline that is already becoming prominent in our region.”

As part of the partnership, Amazon will sponsor technical programming, infrastructure, and strategy on campus, giving students in the Mason and NOVA communities additional opportunities for tech-related education and events.

“Our partnership with Amazon is an incredibly valuable resource for our students and campus communities,” said Chad Knights, vice president of information and engineering technologies (IET) and college computing at NOVA. “By expanding the tech-related opportunities available to students, we are helping to build critical skills and knowledge that will help students stand out as they begin their search for internships and employment opportunities in tech and innovation-related fields.”

Topics

workforce

Northern Virginia Community College

Amazon