Summer Research Features: VR Cybersickness

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

The Department of Computer Science is excited to feature our summer research groups and take a look at what they are working on! Today, we are highlighting the work of Dr. Sharif Mohammad Shahnewaz Ferdous’ research group.

Dr. Ferdous’ group includes Andrew Michael (‘24) and Kyla Ramos (‘23). The project is investigating the effectiveness of a visual cybersickness questionnaire.

The research objective of this project is to expand our understanding of how children perceive cybersickness in virtual reality (VR). Cybersickness is discomforts experienced by a user during or after the VR exposure. The most popular method for measuring cybersickness is via a Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ), developed using data obtained from navy pilots. The SSQ may not be suitable to measure cybersickness in children, as some of its questions (e.g., fullness of head, stomach awareness, etc.) can be difficult for children to comprehend.

To correctly measure cybersickness in children, it is crucial to develop a child-friendly questionnaire. Therefore, during MUSE 2021, Dr. Ferdous’ group will implement a web application that augments existing SSQ questions with animation that makes it easier to understand the symptoms.

Funding for this research project is provided by MUSE (Mentored Undergraduate Summer Experience) at TCNJ.

VR Cybersickness — Clockwise from top left: Andrew Michael, Dr. Sharif Mohammad Shahnewaz Ferdous, Kyla Ramos

Summer Research Features: CABPortal

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

The Department of Computer Science is excited to feature our summer research groups and take a look at what they are working on!

Dr. Monisha Pulimood’s research group includes Kiera Gill (’23), Matthew Hannum (’23), and Jenna Stiesi (’22). The students are supported through Dr. Pulimood’s Barbara Meyers Pelson Chair in Faculty-Student engagement (AY 2018-2021) award. This summer, the students are working together to conduct research and continue development of CABPortal, a web-based application designed to make researches associated with the Collaborating Across Boundaries (CAB) pedagogical model publicly available.

The application leverages concepts from human computation, collective intelligence, and open collaboration to enable current and potential adopters to find interdisciplinary courses and project ideas of interest, and to become motivated to participate in the dissemination and sustainability of hosted projects. They are also continuing development on some of the applications developed by students in Dr. Pulimood’s Software Engineering classes in previous semesters.

The CAB Project was supported by two grants:

The Barbara Meyers Pelson Chair in Faculty-Student Engagement Endowment Fund in academic years 2018 – 2021, during which time Dr. Pulimood was the endowed chair.
NSF Award #1914869, Collaborating Across Boundaries (CAB) to Engage Undergraduates in STEM Learning, for which Dr. Pulimood is the principal investigator (PI), along with Professor Kim Pearson (Journalism & Professional Writing) and Professor Diane Bates (Sociology & Anthropology) who are the co-PIs.

Summer Research Features — Clockwise from left: Jenna Stiesi, Kiera Gill, Dr. Monisha Pulimood, Matthew Hannum

Dean’s List: Spring 2021

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

Congratulations to our 66 Computer Science majors who made the Dean’s List for Spring 2021!

Congratulations to our 2021 Graduates!

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

Congratulations to all of our graduates in the Department of Computer Science! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Senior Spotlight: Thomas Orth

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

The Department of Computer Science would like to feature senior Thomas Orth, to congratulate him on his upcoming graduation and thank him for his dedication to the Department throughout his time here!

Tom has shown his commitment to the department in a variety of ways. He received the Department Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior class awards, and received the Department Service Award this past spring. He served as a department peer tutor for multiple semesters, and also was an active volunteer for a variety of department events. Tom was an active member of The Association for Computing Machinery, serving as Board Member, Secretary, and President for the organization. He is also a member of Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the Computer Science Honor Society.

As a student, Tom co-authored and presented a paper in 2020 at the International Conference of Semantic Computing in San Diego, California, where it was nominated for the Best Paper Award at the conference.

After graduation, Tom has accepted a job as an associate ML Engineer at Lockheed Martin. Congratulations once again, and all the best on your future endeavors!

2021 STEM for All Video Showcase

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

Three faculty members from The College of New Jersey will be featured in the 2021 STEM for All Video Showcase, from May 11-18, funded by the National Science Foundation. Kim Pearson, Associate Professor of Journalism and Professional Writing, Monisha Pulimood, Chair and Professor of Computer Science, and Diane Bates, Professor of Sociology will report on their project, Collaborating Across Boundaries to Engage Undergraduates in STEM Learning, (CAB), funded by the National Science Foundation (Award # 1914869).

Click here to learn more about the Showcase and access the link to the video.

2021 STEM

Congratulations to our 2020 Graduates!

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

The Department of Computer Science would like to take this opportunity to once again congratulate the Computer Science Class of 2020 and wish them the best in all of their future endeavors!

Thank you to everyone who came out to support our 2020 graduates, both in-person and virtually, at the School of Science Commencement Ceremony last Saturday, April 24, 2021.

Celebration of Student Achievement: Spring 2021

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

The Department of Computer Science’s annual Celebration of Student Achievement event will take place virtually on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, starting at noon until 4:30 pm. We have 24 senior presentations that will showcase the internship experience and mentored research outcomes over the last academic year. Each presentation will be 10 minutes long (with some exceptions presenting team efforts), and there will be a five minute buffer between presentations for Q&A and transition.

The event will begin with the Annual Departmental Awards and the UPE Induction ceremonies, which will be followed by the presentation sessions. The whole event will be broadcast via YouTube live streaming.

You can find the schedule for the sessions, along with the accompanying livestream links, here: 2021 Celebration of Student Achievement Schedule FINAL public

Livestream Links:
– Award Ceremony: https://youtu.be/mcsbptoGnq8
– UPE Induction: https://youtu.be/mcsbptoGnq8
– Presentation 1: https://youtu.be/ngs7_ZN09To
– Presentation 2: https://youtu.be/ApIoBSLz6Uo
– Presentation 3: https://youtu.be/jLO2_nsvGyk

If you have any questions, please contact cs@tcnj.edu.

Annual Barbara Meyers Pelson Lecture: April 30, 2021

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

Join us on Friday, April 30 at 12:30 PM at the 2021 Annual Barbara Meyers Pelson Lecture to hear Dr. Pulimood, our Chair of the Department of Computer Science , give a talk on CABPortal!

Event: 2021 Annual Barbara Meyers Pelson Lecture
Date: Friday, April 30, 2021
Time: 12:30 pm

Zoom Link: https://bit.ly/2Qm9Nob (Meeting ID: 998 8752 3434; Passcode: 312504)

Speaker: Dr. Monisha Pulimood
Barbara Meyers Pelson Chair in Faculty-Student Engagement (2018 – 2021)
Professor and Chair, Department of Computer Science

Title: “CABPortal: Leveraging Collective Intelligence to Improve Sustainability of Web-Based Portals”

Abstract:
CABPortal is a web-based application designed to make resources associated with the CAB (Collaborating Across Boundaries) model publicly available. The intent is to build upon the ideas of open collaboration to expand this portal to eventually host information about interdisciplinary collaborative courses and projects at TCNJ and beyond. Websites for hosting and sharing resources generated by grant-funded projects quickly become unsustainable after funding ends since they require significant human intervention to ensure that the information is up-to-date and reliable. My undergraduate research students have been investigating ways in which we can leverage concepts such as human computation and collective intelligence in CABPortal to enable current and potential adopters to find interdisciplinary courses and project ideas of interest, and to become motivated to participate in the dissemination and sustainability of hosted projects. This work draws upon research in such diverse disciplines as computer science, sociology, economics, and biology.

In this talk, I will discuss some of the research that underlies CABPortal, and is being supported by the Barbara Meyers Pelson Chair in Faculty-Student Engagement Endowment Fund.

Week to End Rape Culture

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Julia Corso • 0 Comments

The Department of Computer Science is proud to partner with TCNJ AVI for the Week to End Rape Culture.

Rape culture is an environment in which sexual violence is prevalent and normalized/excused by the media, popular culture and daily interactions. Rape culture perpetuates power-based personal violence in our community by creating and reinforcing norms that tell us these acts of violence are acceptable. It is crucial to actively fight against rape culture through education, critical thinking, and challenging our own beliefs to make change. The Department of Computer Science stands in support of those affected by power-based personal violence and is committed to fostering a safe, supportive environment.

We encourage our department community to use this week as an opportunity for education and action. This is an important opportunity to learn and to contribute to a more informed and safer campus community. You can find resources, information, and more on AVI’s website (oavi.tcnj.edu) and Instagram (@tcnj_avi).

Author Archives: Julia Corso