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Fall 2024 & Winter 2025 News Roundup

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments

CS Majors Co-Develop Web Applications for Speech-Language Pathology Program Website

Amanda Piantanida (Class of 2025) and Francesco Musto (2025) worked with Dr. Mark Russo and students and faculty in the Department of Special Education, Language, and Literacy; and Department of Design and Creative Technology this past fall to build two web applications. One application is used for simulating different levels of hearing loss, and a second is used for understanding speech reading. Both applications are now embedded on the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology website.

Amanda also created an Open Education Resources (OER) Wiki that is featured on the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning’s web page.

Pictured left to right: Brian Hong, Dr. Uddipan Das, and Amaan Gadatia at IEEE CCWC

Dr. Das and Two CS Alumni Awarded Best Presenter(s) at IEEE CCWC

Dr. Uddipan Das and two CS alumni, Amaan Gadatia (Class of 2024) and Brian Hong (2023), presented a research paper at the IEEE 15th Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference (CCWC) in Las Vegas, Nevada, held from January 6–8, 2025. Their paper, titled “An Accessible Indoor Wayfinding Application for Persons with Visual and Mobility Impairments,” received the Best Paper Award in the category of “Mobile and Wireless Computing”. Furthermore, they won the Best Presenter Award in the “Mobile and Wireless Computing” session for their presentation. Both Amaan and Brian conducted their mentored research under the guidance of Dr. Das. Congratulations to Amaan, Brian, and Dr. Das!

*Pictured lef to right: Dr. Andrea Salgian, Ben Guerrieri, Brielle Damiani, Shannon Joseph*

Three CS Majors and Dr. Salgian Present at ISVC 2024

Congratulations to Dr. Salgian and CS majors Ben Guerrieri (Class of 2026), Shannon Joseph (2025), and Brielle Damiani (2025) on their presentation at the 19th International Symposium on Visual Computing in Lake Tahoe, Nevada in October 2024.

Their presentation was titled “Sign Language Recognition using Visual Hand Landmarks and the Parameters of American Sign Language”. The students and Dr. Salgian also got to take a break from the conference and go for a hike.

Call for CS Student News

Over the course of the semester, Ms. Zsilavetz will be updating the CS Department white board (near the CS Office) with information about our students’ offers of employment, acceptances to graduate schools, accepted internship and summer REU opportunities, or publications. This is one way that the CS Department likes to celebrate our students’ achievements each spring semester. We encourage you to watch as the boards populate over the next few weeks and to email Ms. Zsilavetz (zsilave2@tcnj.edu) with any news that you would like us to share on the board.

Colloquium Talk with Mr. San Kim, Ph.D. Student in Computer Science and Engineering, on February 7: “The Harmony of Connections: Graphs and AI”

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments

Mr. San Kim, visiting Ph.D. student at Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea, will give a colloquium presentation, titled “The Harmony of Connections: Graphs and AI” on Friday, February 7, from 12:30 – 1:30 PM in Science Complex P101.

See below for more information about our speaker.

Abstract: Our world is deeply interconnected—whether through social networks, the internet, or even the neurons in our brains. At the heart of these connections lies the mathematical structure of graphs. This talk will provide an intuitive introduction to how graphs model real-world systems, their role in artificial intelligence, and how they relate to the way our brains process information. We will explore how Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) leverage these structures to solve complex problems, from recommendation systems to medical research. Through relatable analogies and engaging discussions, this session aims to make these concepts accessible to students from diverse backgrounds, sparking curiosity about the intersection of AI and network theory.

Speaker Bio: San Kim is a Ph.D. student in Computer Science and Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University, specializing in graph neural network-based predictions of chemical systems. His research focuses on the “form follows function” in analogy to the graph representation of real-world systems. San has experience as a startup founder and has worked on various interdisciplinary projects spanning artificial intelligence, cheminformatics, and computational neuroscience. He has published in international conferences and journals and is currently conducting research at The College of New Jersey.

Dean’s List: Fall 2024

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments

Congratulations to the 91 Computer Science majors who made the Dean’s List for Fall 2024!

Leslie O. Acheampong

Alveena Z. Aftab

George K. Agyei-Sam Jr.

Syed Yasir Akhtar

Jacob G. Almeda

Madison R. Bavosa

Isabella Bermudez

Demetri F. Bichara

Andrew J. Birkelbach

Spandana Bondalapati

Aidan T. Broderick

Harika Bulusu

Elizabeth M. Burns

Allison M. Buzinkai

Nicholas T. Cardoso

Hannah Champury

Ayesha I. Chaudhry

Gonzalo B. Chavez Ramos

Reese M. Chiaramont

Bang M. Chiem

Suhas Chinthakayala

Adam B. Cook

Michael E. Coty

Brielle A. Damiani

Tyler R. Davis

Patrick N. Deeb

Nicolas DeTroia

Isabel M. Difabio

Srujana R. Endreddy

Claire A. Engebreth

Anna S. Engel

Jeffrey A. Ernest

Drake T. Errico

Kassidy L. Farnum

Spenser L. Filko

Samuel P. Francese

Lucas Franco

Angelica R. Froio

Benjamin L. Fryc

Parker T. Gatts

Colin E. Guenther

Benjamin T. Guerrieri

Kayla N. Hohenshilt

Matthew R. Holzer

Milian D. Ingco

Mohammed T. Islam

Elizabeth R. Italia

Ronny J. Jaramillo

Charles D. Johnson

Shannon G. Joseph

Callum D. Keegan

Vitaliy S. Koshitskyy

Zachary J. Kunkle

Alexandre Leibler

Nathan C. Leiby

Ifrah F. Malik

Vijay K. Manchiraju

Matthew Mccloskey

Christina M. Medina

Haash Mehta

Ved A. Mhatre

Nicholas D. Miller

Alikhon Mukhitdinov

Francesco Musto

Kristen E. O’Donnell

Zack Orourke

Andrew Paige

Cesar R. Palma

Varun Pawar

Jason Perrella

Amanda Piantanida

Praneel S. Pothukanuri

William J. Roche

Patrick D. Schaeffer

Arya Sekkappan

Drew Smith

Nicholas J. Staudt

Aidan E. Stoner

Ryan A. Swieconek

Elliot B. Topper

Noah A. Traverso

Jakub M. Vega

Krittika Verma

Jonathan A. Viola

Jenna M. Weldon

Vicky Weng

Konrad Wnorowski

Yashika Yashika

Dean G. Zemer

Demtrius A. Zissimos

Nicholas Q. Zou

Colloquium Talk with Mr. Sean McAfee, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), November 19: “Current Critical Infrastructure Landscape and Cyber Threat Trends”

Posted on November 12, 2024 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments

Mr. Sean McAfee, of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) – Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will give a virtual colloquium presentation, titled “Current Critical Infrastructure Landscape and Cyber Threat Trends” on Tuesday, November 19, from 12:30 – 1:30 PM, which will be streamed in Education 115 & 113.

See below for more information about our speaker.

Abstract: Overview of the talk:

Current critical infrastructure landscape and cyber threat trends
Career pathways, training certs, and other considerations for navigating the cyber job process post graduation
Q&A for the students and faculty

Speaker Bio: Sean McAfee serves as the Section Chief for Higher Education. His roles within the section are to provide strategicplanning and program management for higher education initiatives that assist in combating the national cybersecurity workforce shortage.

Prior to re-joining the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. McAfee served Ohio’s Secretary of State as Chief Information Security Officer. He previously worked twelve years at the Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. McAfee held various roles as the Department’s first Resident Cybersecurity Officer and Attaché (UK), Staff Directorof the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, and Deputy Chief for the National Cybersecurity Assessments and Technical Services team. Additionally, Mr. McAfee supported a regional assignment to Silicon Valley. McAfee supported many technical teams and projects with subject matter expertise in program management, vulnerability assessments, social engineering and insider threat throughout his tenure. He holds a CISO certification fromCarnegie Mellon University, a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from Marymount University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from The Ohio State University. #GoBucks

Spring 2025 Registration Wait-list

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments

The registration period for Spring 2025 courses is November 5 – 15, 2024. Some seats have been reserved for CS majors in all CSC courses. Please review the Spring 2025 Registration Newsletter for additional information on options courses offered next semester.

After your registration window opens, if the class you need is closed, put yourself on the wait-list using the Qualtrics form below.

Be sure to read all directions and enter all requested information.

Spring 2025 Wait-list: https://tcnj.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bqt7FGYxmbMjy7A

If you make changes to your schedule after entering your submission to the wait-list and need to update your information, email cs@tcnj.edu.

We will not start signing students into courses until Monday, November 18, after the registration window closes. Please do not email the department for updates before this time. We will enroll students into any unfilled seats in order, based on their registration times and time they registered on the wait list.

Be sure that your intended course does not conflict with a course in your current schedule, and that you are willing to drop conflicting courses to make the change. If you have a full course load or time conflict and do not indicate courses to drop on your wait-list submission, your submission will be disregarded.

As always, have a back-up plan in case you are not able to get into your preferred courses.

Please see the Advising Resources webpage for more information about submitting Mentored Research or Internship forms for Spring 2025.

Links to other School of Science Department Wait-lists can be found below:

Biology: https://biology.tcnj.edu/resources-for/current-students/waitlists/
Chemistry: https://chemistry.tcnj.edu/waitlists/
Math/Stat: https://mathstat.tcnj.edu/ (link to form posted on the menu bar)
Physics: https://physics.tcnj.edu/physics-registration-faq/

For more information on waitlists for other schools and departments, please refer to the TCNJ Waitlisting Process packet.

Spring 2025 Registration Newsletter

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments

The Spring 2025 registration newsletter is now available.

Registration for Spring 2025 courses will begin on Tuesday, November 5. Please review the registration newsletter (linked below) for information on next semester’s options courses, a link to the registration wait-list, and a general listing of CS courses.

Spring 2025 Registration Newsletter (PDF)

Colloquium Talk with Dr. Ilke Demir, ACM Distiguished Speaker, on October 4: “Embattling for a Deep Fake Dystopia”

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments

Dr. Ilke Demir, an ACM Distinguished Speaker, will give a virtual colloquium presentation, titled “Embattling for a Deep Fake Dystopia” on Friday, October 4, from 12:30 – 1:30 PM, which will be streamed in Education 115 & 113.

See below for more information about our speaker.

Abstract: Recent advances in the democratization of AI have been enabling the widespread use of generative models, causing the exponential rise of fake content. Nudification of over 680,000 women by a social bot, impersonation scams worth millions of dollars, or spreading political misinformation through synthetic politicians are just the footfall of the deep fake dystopia.

As every technology is simultaneously built with its counterpart to neutralize it, this is the perfect time to fortify our eyes with deep fake detectors. Deep fakes depend on photorealism to disable our natural detectors: we cannot simply look at a video to decide if it is real. On the other hand, this realism is not preserved in physiological, biological, and physical signals of deep fakes, yet. In this talk, I will begin with presenting our renowned FakeCatcher, which detects synthetic content in portrait videos using heart beats, as a preventive solution for the emerging threat of deep fakes. Detectors blindly utilizing deep learning are not as effective in catching fake content, as generative models keep producing formidably realistic results. My key assertion follows that such signals hidden in portrait videos can be used as an implicit descriptor of authenticity, like a generalizable watermark of humans, because they are neither spatially nor temporally preserved in deep fakes. Building robust and accurate deep detectors by exhaustively analyzing heartbeats, PPG signals, eye vergence, and gaze movements of deep fake actors reinforce our perception of reality.

Moreover, we also innovate novel models to detect the source generator of any deep fake by exploiting its heart beats to unveil residuals of different generative models. Achieving leading results over both existing datasets and our recently introduced in-the-wild dataset justifies our approaches and pioneers a new dimension in deep fake research.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Ilke Demir’s research focuses on generative models for digitizing the real world, deep fake detection and generation techniques, analysis and synthesis approaches in geospatial machine learning, and computational geometry for synthesis and fabrication. Dr. Demir has contributed to several animated feature and VR/AR short films in Pixar Animation Studios and Intel Studios, respectively. She established the research foundations of the world’s largest volumetric capture studio at Intel, bridging the gap between the creative process and AI approaches. In addition to her publications in top-tier venues, she has organized workshops, competitions, and courses in deep learning, computer vision, and graphics such as DeepGlobe, SkelNetOn, WiCV, SUMO, DLGC, EarthVision, and OpenEDS, to name a few.

Dr. Demir has been actively involved in women in science organizations, always being an advocate for women and underrepresented minorities. Currently, she is a Senior Staff Research Scientist at Intel Corporation.

Dean’s List: Spring 2024

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments

Congratulations to the 68 Computer Science majors who made the Dean’s List for Spring 2024!

George K. Agyei-Sam Jr.

Syed Yasir Akhtar

Sara M. Aly

Daniel John Andrusiewicz

Danny Argudo

Lucas Armental

Madison R. Bavosa

Richard D. Beck

Demetri F. Bichara

Spandana Bondalapati

Elizabeth M. Burns

Mateo E. Calderon

Bang M. Chiem

Lauren Ciotola

Stephanie Contino

Brielle A. Damiani

Richard Jace Deady

Zachary D. Dukhon

Srujana Endreddy

Claire A. Engebreth

Jeffrey Aidan Ernest

Kassidy L. Farnum

Brianna C. Finkle

Angelica R. Froio

Amaan H. Gadatia

Elijah C. Gasataya

Yana P. Goldberg

Benjamin T. Guerrieri

Kayla Nichole Hohenshilt

Matthew R. Holzer

Milian D. Ingco

Reego Dobrin John-Annaselvan

Charles D. Johnson

Shannon G. Joseph

Vitaliy S. Koshitskyy

Parvathi Priyadarsini Krishnan

Alexandre Leibler

Thomas C. Makowsky

Ifrah F. Malik

Princess Manzano

Liam Edward Marquis

Matthew R. Mccloskey

Lucas P. Messercola

Andrew R. Michael

Alikhon Mukhitdinov

Zack Orourke

Andrew Paige

Cesar R. Palma

Michael Aaron Pang

Varun Pawar

Gladis X. Penaloza

Joseph Michael Petrecca

Praneel S. Pothukanuri

William J. Roche

Shealin Y. Rossi

Richard A. Russo

Patrick D. Schaeffer

Kamilah T. Smith

Nicholas Joseph Staudt

Aidan E. Stoner

Elliot B. Topper

Aidan P. Turner

Trevor Van Orden

Milagros A. Villalba

Ethan Howard Weiss

Jenna M. Weldon

Bryan N. Wieschenberg

Konrad Wnorowski

Yashika Yashika

Fall 2024 Registration Wait-list

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments

The registration period for Fall 2024 courses is April 2 – 12, 2024. Some seats have been reserved for CS majors in all CSC courses. Please review the Fall 2024 Registration Newsletter v2 for additional information on options courses offered next semester.

After your registration window opens, if the class you need is closed, put yourself on the wait-list using the Qualtrics form below.

Be sure to read all directions and enter all requested information.

Fall 2024 Wait-list: https://tcnj.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8Bust8sVdudpmgm

If you make changes to your schedule after entering your submission to the wait-list and need to update your information, email cs@tcnj.edu.

We will not start signing students into courses until Monday, April 15, after the registration window closes. Please do not email the department for updates before this time. We will enroll students into any unfilled seats in order, based on their registration times and time they registered on the wait list.

As always, have a back-up plan in case you are not able to get into your preferred courses.

Please see the Advising Resources webpage for more information about submitting Mentored Research or Internship forms for Fall 2024.

Links to other School of Science Department Wait-lists can be found below:

For more information on waitlists for other schools and departments, please refer to the TCNJ Waitlisting Process packet.

Student programmers compete for top prizes in 24-hour TCNJ hackathon

Posted on March 24, 2024 by Ann Zsilavetz • 0 Comments