Latest News

Arulraj Receives SIGMOD Dissertation Award

by Byron Spice | Monday, April 29, 2019

Joy Arulraj, a Computer Science Department alumnus who earned his Ph.D. in 2018, is the recipient of the Jim Gray Doctoral Dissertation Award of 2019, which recognizes the best dissertation in the field of databases for the previous year. It is presented by the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on the Management of Data (SIGMOD).

First-Years on Their First Year

SCS Freshmen Talk About Their SCS Experiences

by Aisha Rashid (DC 2019) | Thursday, April 18, 2019

A few months ago, we reached out to School of Computer Science first-year students as they finished their first semester at Carnegie Mellon University. With a full semester under their belts, these students shared how they started their CS journey, the challenges they faced when they arrived on campus, the memorable opportunities they took part in and experiences they shared, and their goals to make the most out of their time at CMU.

SCS Ph.D. Students Named Hertz Graduate Fellows

by Michael Henninger | Tuesday, April 16, 2019

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation announced today that Carnegie Mellon University student Ben Eysenbach and incoming student Bailey Flanigan will receive 2019 Hertz Fellowships. Eysenbach and Flanigan are two of 11 recipients of the fellowship this year, chosen from more than 840 applicants. They will receive up to five years of academic funding, potentially amounting to $250,000, and the freedom to independently choose what they research.

Former CMU Professor Shares 2018 Turing Award for Deep Learning

Geoffrey Hinton Served on the CSD Faculty in the 1980s

by Byron Spice | Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Geoffrey Hinton, a former Computer Science Department faculty member and now a vice president and Engineering Fellow at Google, will receive the Association for Computing Machinery's 2018 A.M. Turing Award along with Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun for their revolutionary work on deep neural networks.

Former Stehlik Scholars: Where Are They Now?

by Aisha Rashid (DC 2019) | Thursday, March 21, 2019

Rachel Holladay (CS 2017), Ananya Kumar (CS 2017) and Eric Zhu (CS 2018) were a few of the earliest recipients of the Mark Stehlik SCS Alumni Undergraduate Impact Scholarship. The award — now in its fourth year — recognizes undergraduate students for their commitment and dedication to the field of computer science both in and beyond the classroom.

Blockchain Course Challenges Students to Create Apps for the Launch of CMU Cryptocurrency

by Mara Falk | Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Faculty from the Tepper School of Business, School of Computer Science, and Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy are launching a course in which student groups address issues that can be brokered by blockchain technology, including the design of the university's own cryptocurrency.

Haeupler, Mohimani Receive Sloan Research Fellowships

by Byron Spice | Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Bernhard Haeupler, assistant professor in Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Science Department, and Hosein Mohimani, assistant professor in the Computational Biology Department, are among 126 recipients of 2019 Sloan Research Fellowships, which honor early career scholars whose achievements put them among the very best scientific minds working today.

Kiesler Elected to National Academy of Engineering

by Byron Spice | Thursday, February 7, 2019

Sara Kiesler, Hillman Chair Emerita of Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

Building a verifiably-secure internet

by Daniel Tkacik | Wednesday, January 30, 2019

In security, almost nothing is guaranteed. It's impossible to test the infinite ways a criminal hacker may penetrate a proverbial firewall. But what if, by the laws of mathematics, something could be proven to be secure without running an infinite number of test cases?

This is what CyLab's Bryan Parno is trying to do with for critical internet software.

Kim and Ye Win 2019 Microsoft Ph.D. Fellowships

by Byron Spice | Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Computer Science Department Ph.D. students Daehyeok Kim and Katherine Ye are among 10 students nationwide who have been awarded two-year Microsoft Research Ph.D. Fellowships for 2019.

Winter 2018 Issue

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Carnegie Mellon Launches High School Computer Science Curriculum

Free, Online Coursework Helps Teach Programming Skills

by Byron Spice | Thursday, January 10, 2019

Carnegie Mellon University, world-renowned for computer science and artificial intelligence, has launched a free, online curriculum for high school students that helps instructors teach programming skills using engaging graphics and animations.

Thwarting Bias in AI Systems

by Alexandra George | Thursday, December 20, 2018

Artificial intelligence systems are at work in many areas where we might not realize — making decisions about credit, what ads to show us and which job applicants to hire. While these systems are really good at systematically combing through lots of data to detect patterns and optimize decisions, the biases held by humans can be transmitted to these systems through the training data.

SCS Professors Reimagine What It Takes To Code

by Aisha Rashid (DC 2019) | Wednesday, December 19, 2018

David Kosbie and Mark Stehlik believe anyone can code. As course instructors for Principles of Computing — better known to Carnegie Mellon University students by its course number, 15-110 — that belief comes in handy. One of two introductory courses offered in the School of Computer Science, 15-110 covers programming constructs along with history and current events in computer science, tailored to students with little to no computer science background.

Alumna Q&A: Alexandra Johnson

by Susie Cribbs | Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Carnegie Mellon University doesn't always consider itself cool. But this year, Seventeen magazine begged to differ, naming CMU one of its 2018 "Cool Schools." Their reasons? Our gender parity in STEM fields and strong community of female coders.

Fellowship Advances Women in Cybersecurity

Elite hacker Carolina Zarate was named this year’s EWF INI Fellow

by Jessica Corry | Wednesday, December 5, 2018

While women make up just 24 percent of the cybersecurity workforce, Carnegie Mellon University and its Information Networking Institute is closing the gender gap one student at a time.

Hodgins Named 2018 ACM Fellow

by Byron Spice | Wednesday, December 5, 2018

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named Jessica Hodgins, professor of robotics and computer science, one of 56 new ACM fellows honored for their significant contributions to computer science.

Hodgins, who leads the Facebook AI Research lab in Pittsburgh in addition to her faculty duties, was cited by the ACM for her contributions to character animation, human simulation and humanoid robotics.

Three SCS Faculty Members Named 2019 IEEE Fellows

by Byron Spice | Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Three School of Computer Science faculty members — Venkatesan Guruswami, Mor Harchol-Balter and Eric Xing — have been elevated to fellows in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest technical professional organization.

Fellow status is a distinction reserved for select members who have demonstrated extraordinary accomplishments in an IEEE field of interest.

SCS Master's Student Named Schwarzman Scholar

by Susie Cribbs | Monday, December 3, 2018

School of Computer Science master's student Hima Tammineedi has been named to the 2020 class of Schwarzman Scholars, a highly competitive graduate fellowship inspired by the Rhodes Scholarships that features one year of study at Tsinghua University in China.

Bajpai, Wang Earn Stehlik Scholarships

by Aisha Rashid (DC 2019) | Wednesday, November 21, 2018

The School of Computer Science has named current seniors Tanvi Bajpai and Serena Wang the recipients of its 2018 Mark Stehlik SCS Alumni Undergraduate Impact Scholarship. The award, now in its fourth year, recognizes undergraduate students for their commitment and dedication both in and beyond the classroom. Bajpai and Wang have made noteworthy contributions both to SCS and the computer science field in general. And they both plan to continue doing so after graduation.

5 Questions for Doug Fritz BFA & BS ’07

by Andy Ptaschinski (CFA) | Tuesday, November 20, 2018

“5 Questions” is a series by the School of Art that asks alumni who are transforming art, culture, and technology about their current work and time at Carnegie Mellon.

Doug Fritz is a creative technologist with a keen interest in systems architecture and a passion for using technology to solve pressing real-world challenges.

Carnegie Mellon University, Microsoft Join Forces to Advance Edge Computing Research

by Byron Spice | Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Carnegie Mellon University today announced it will collaborate with Microsoft on a joint effort to innovate in edge computing, an exciting field of research for intensive computing applications that require rapid response times in remote and low-connectivity environments. By bringing artificial intelligence to the "edge," devices such as connected vehicles, drones or factory equipment can quickly learn and respond to their environments, which is critical to scenarios like search and rescue, disaster recovery, and safety.

Sandholm, Brown To Receive Minsky Medal

The Duo's Libratus AI Program Was the First To Beat Top No-Limit Poker Professionals

by Byron Spice | Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Computer Science Professor Tuomas Sandholm and Noam Brown, a Ph.D. student in the Computer Science Department, are the second-ever recipients of the prestigious Marvin Minsky Medal, which will be presented by the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) in recognition of their outstanding achievements in AI.

Researchers Reinvent the Wheel for Vehicles of the Future

Shape-Shifting Tires, Digital Driving Assistants Could Enable Safe Driving Over All Kinds of Terrain

by Byron Spice | Monday, October 29, 2018

Wheels that transform into tracks on the fly and a digital assistant that helps drivers find the safest, surest route across steep terrain — or even does the driving at times — are technologies that could change expectations of what vehicles can do.

SCS Sophomores Share Their CMU Firsts: Semesters, Years and Experiences

by Aisha Rashid (DC 2019) | Monday, October 22, 2018

When we last spoke to School of Computer Science students Trevor Arashiro, Chris Choi, Lauren Morgenthaler, and Peter Wu, they were first-years, entirely new to the undergraduate computer science program, the city of Pittsburgh, and most importantly, college. Last fall, these talented students provided insightful snapshots of their first semesters in the School of Computer Science. Now — with a year of college under their belts — they're back with more.

Trevor Arashiro