Latest News

Computer-Aided Verification Award Honors Reynolds

Late Professor Cited for Pioneering Work on Separation Logic

by Byron Spice | Wednesday, August 10, 2016

The late John C. Reynolds is one of a group of scientists awarded the 2016 Computer-Aided Verification (CAV) Award for pioneering work on separation logic, an influential framework for reasoning about computer programs and a very active area of research.

Carnegie Mellon Wins Third "World Series of Hacking" in Four Years

by Daniel Tkacik | Sunday, August 7, 2016

Carnegie Mellon University's competitive computer security team, The Plaid Parliament of Pwning, won its third title in four years at the DefCon Capture the Flag competition.

NSF Project Tackles IoT Security

by Daniel Tkacik | Wednesday, July 20, 2016

SCS’s Yuvraj Agarwal and Srinivasan Seshan have joined with Vyas Sekar of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department on a National Science Foundation-funded project to develop a software-based solution to the problem of security for the Internet of Things. 

Adding Up How the Brain Does Math

Patterns Reveal Four Stages of Thinking That Can Be Used To Improve How Students Learn

by Shilo Rea | Wednesday, July 20, 2016

A new Carnegie Mellon University neuroimaging study reveals the mental stages people go through as they solve challenging math problems.

In the study, which was published in Psychological Science, researchers combined two analytical strategies to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify patterns of brain activity that aligned with four distinct stages of problem-solving: encoding, planning, solving and responding.

Computational Design Tool Transforms Flat Materials Into 3-D Shapes

Method Could Be Used in Biomechanics, Consumer Goods and Architecture

by Byron Spice | Sunday, July 17, 2016

A new computational design tool can turn a flat sheet of plastic or metal into a complex 3-D shape, such as a mask, sculpture or even a lady's high-heel shoe.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, say the tool enables designers to fully and creatively exploit an unusual quality of certain materials — the ability to expand uniformly in two dimensions. A rubber band, by contrast, contracts in one dimension while being stretched in another.

Holladay, Kumar Named Stehlik Scholarship Recipients

by Susie Cribbs | Monday, July 11, 2016

The School of Computer Science has named rising seniors Rachel Holladay and Ananya Kumar the recipients of this year's Mark Stehlik SCS Alumni Undergraduate Impact Scholarship.

Now in its second year, the Stehlik Scholarship recognizes undergraduate students near the end of their Carnegie Mellon careers whose reach for excellence extends beyond the classroom. Awardees are working to make a difference in SCS, the field of computer science and the world around them.

Pausch Awarded Nextant Prize

The Virtual World Society will award its first Nextant Prize to the late Randy Pausch, a renowned Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist and virtual world innovator, on June 1 at the Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara, Calif. Pausch, who earned his Ph.D.

Carnegie Mellon Transparency Reports Make AI Decision-Making Accountable

Figuring Out Why the Computer Rejected Your Loan Application

by Byron Spice | Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Machine-learning algorithms increasingly make decisions about credit, medical diagnoses, personalized recommendations, advertising and job opportunities, among other things, but exactly how usually remains a mystery. Now, new measurement methods developed by Carnegie Mellon University researchers could provide important insights to this process.

Shun Receives ACM Doctoral Dissertation Award

by Byron Spice | Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Julian Shun, who received his Ph.D. from the Computer Science Department, is the winner of the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) 2015 Doctoral Dissertation Award for his work describing new approaches for designing and implementing scalable parallel programs.

Stephen Brookes Will Receive 2016 Gödel Prize

He and Peter W. O'Hearn Honored for Inventing Concurrent Separation Logic

by Byron Spice | Sunday, May 8, 2016

Stephen Brookes, professor of computer science, and Peter W. O'Hearn, engineering manager at Facebook and professor of computer science at University College London, will receive the 2016 Gödel Prize for their invention of concurrent separation logic (CSL), a major advance in the design and analysis of programs that can take advantage of multicore and multiprocessor systems.

Sandholm Receives Honorary Degree From University of Zurich

by Byron Spice | Monday, May 2, 2016

The University of Zurich conferred an honorary doctorate in economics on Tuomas Sandholm, professor of computer science, during ceremonies on April 30.

SCS Honors Faculty, Staff at Annual Founders' Day Celebration

by Susie Cribbs | Tuesday, April 12, 2016

The School of Computer Science paid tribute to faculty and staff at its annual Founders' Day celebration on Thursday, April 7. Founders' Day honors members of the SCS community whose work best exemplifies the tradition of excellence established by Allen Newell (TPR’57), Herbert A. Simon (H’90) and Alan Perlis (S’42) — the fathers of computer science at Carnegie Mellon.

Manuela Veloso Named Head of Machine Learning Department

Noted for Leadership in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

by Byron Spice | Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Manuela Veloso, a computer scientist renowned for her work in artificial intelligence and robotics, is the new head of Carnegie Mellon University's Machine Learning Department, Andrew Moore, dean of the School of Computer Science, announced today.

She succeeds Tom Mitchell, E. Fredkin University Professor and the founding head of the Machine Learning Department (MLD), who remains a member of the faculty.

From Teacher to Leader: One Alumna is Leading CS Efforts in NYC

by Ann Lyon Ritchie | Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Computer science needs K-12 educators, especially ones like Leigh Ann DeLyser (CS 2010, 2014), a former high school teacher and now director of education and research for CSNYC - NYC Foundation for Computer Science Education.

Carbonell Wins Okawa Prize

by Susie Cribbs | Monday, February 29, 2016

Language Technologies Institute Director and Allen Newell Professor of Computer Science Jaime Carbonell will accept the 2015 Okawa Prize this week for "outstanding contributions to research in language technologies, machine learning and computational biology in the field of artificial intelligence."

Carnegie Mellon, Stanford Researchers Devise Method To Share Password Data Safely

Yahoo! Releases Password Statistics of 70 Million Users For Cybersecurity Studies

by Byron Spice | Sunday, February 21, 2016

An unfortunate reality for cybersecurity researchers is that real-world data for their research too often comes via a security breach. Now computer scientists have devised a way to let organizations share statistics about their users' passwords without putting those same customers at risk of being hacked.

Carnegie Mellon Pokerbot Extends Hot Streak at Computer Poker Contest

Program Wins Total Bankroll Category in Heads-Up, No-Limit Texas Hold'Em

by Byron Spice | Tuesday, February 16, 2016

A computer poker program called Baby Tartanian8 continued Carnegie Mellon's hot streak at the Annual Computer Poker Competition, taking first place in the total bankroll category and third place in the bankroll instant run-off category in the Heads-Up, No-Limit Texas Hold'em game.

Increasing Number of Women in Computing Hinges on Changes in Culture, Not Curriculum

Book Details How Carnegie Mellon Changed To Sustain Gender Diversity

by Byron Spice | Sunday, February 14, 2016

Fewer women than men pursue computer science, but correcting that imbalance won't be accomplished by quick fixes or making coursework less strenuous. Rather, the culture of computer science departments must change, as outlined in the new book, "Kicking Butt in Computer Science: Women in Computing at Carnegie Mellon University."

Carnegie Mellon Joins IARPA Project To Reverse-Engineer Brain Algorithms

Goal Is To Make Computers Learn Like Humans

by Byron Spice | Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Carnegie Mellon University is embarking on a five-year, $12 million research effort to reverse-engineer the brain, seeking to unlock the secrets of neural circuitry and the brain's learning methods. Researchers will use these insights to make computers think more like humans.

Moore Named Industrialist of the Year

by Byron Spice | Thursday, January 7, 2016

Andrew Moore, dean of the School of Computer Science, was honored as Industrialist of the Year by the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors' Western Pennsylvania chapter at a ceremony Jan. 7 at the Duquesne Club.

Pfenning and Fall Named 2015 ACM Fellows

by Byron Spice | Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Frank Pfenning, head of the Computer Science Department, and Kevin Fall, the deputy director and chief technology officer of the Software Engineering Institute, have been named 2015 fellows by the Association for Computing Machinery in recognition of their contributions to computer science.

Carnegie Mellon Welcomes Third Cohort of I-Corps Site Teams

by Katelyn Howard | Sunday, December 6, 2015

Carnegie Mellon University students, faculty and alumni are recognized leaders in producing successful startup companies, and the university houses several centers and programs for promoting innovation and growth. Fueled by such entrepreneurship, the National Science Foundation-sponsored Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Site is one of the Carnegie Mellon vehicles that drives relationships with internal and external partners in the business community.

Computer System Will Be an Angel on Your Shoulder, Whispering Advice, Step-by-Step Instruction

Carnegie Mellon Developing Wearable Cognitive Assistant With NSF Support

by Byron Spice | Monday, November 30, 2015

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are building a computer system called Gabriel that, like the angel that is its namesake, will seemingly look over a person's shoulder and whisper instructions for tasks as varied as repairing industrial equipment, resuscitating a patient or assembling IKEA furniture.

Carnegie Mellon's Hacking Team Wins Seventh Straight Capture the Flag Competition

by Daniel Tkacik | Thursday, November 19, 2015

Carnegie Mellon's hacking team, the Plaid Parliament of Pwning (PPP), won its seventh straight capture the flag competition last week at the annual Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW) conference hosted by New York University.

System Recognizes Objects Touched by User, Enabling Context-Aware Smartwatch Apps

Carnegie Mellon, Disney Method Exploits Conductivity of Human Body

by Byron Spice (Carnegie Mellon) and Jennifer Liu (Walt Disney Imagineering) | Sunday, November 8, 2015

A new technology developed by Carnegie Mellon University and Disney Research could enable smartwatches to automatically recognize what objects users are touching — for instance, whether the wearer is using a laptop, operating a saw, or riding a motorcycle — creating new opportunities for context-aware apps.