CMU Algorithm Detects Online Fraudsters
Method Sees Through Camouflage To Reveal Fake Followers, Reviewers
by Byron Spice | Wednesday, September 7, 2016
An algorithm developed at Carnegie Mellon University makes it easier to determine if someone has faked an Amazon or Yelp review, or if a politician with a suspiciously large number of Twitter followers might have bought and paid for that popularity.
The method, called FRAUDAR, marks the latest escalation in the cat-and-mouse game played by online fraudsters and the social media platforms that try to out them. In particular, the new algorithm makes it possible to see through camouflage that fraudsters use to make themselves look legitimate, said... Read More
Carnegie Mellon and Tsinghua Universities Renew Dual-Degree Masters Program
Agreement Unites Top-Rated U.S. and Chinese Computer Science Programs
by Byron Spice | Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Officials of Carnegie Mellon University and Tsinghua University signed a memorandum of understanding today to offer a dual-degree master's program in computer science. Students will study at both campuses, learning from faculty at the top-ranked computer science programs in both the United States and China.
Though the first year of instruction will be at Tsinghua, the program seeks to draw students from across China and will be advertised nationwide. Scholarships will be established to support... Read More
Upon Further Consideration, Carnegie Mellon Pokerbot Sweeps Contest
by Byron Spice | Monday, August 29, 2016
Everyone knew Carnegie Mellon's latest computer poker program, Baby Tartanian8, was good. But it turns out its performance in the Annual Computer Poker Competition this year was even better than people thought.
Not only did Baby Tartanian8 take first place in the competition's total bankroll category of the Heads-Up, No-Limit Texas Hold'em game, as announced in February at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence meeting in Phoenix, but organizers recently concluded that it also won the game's... Read More
Jean Yang Named to Prestigious "Innovators Under 35" List
New CMU Professor Recognized for Work in Programming
Jean Yang, who is joining the Carnegie Mellon University Computer Science Department as an assistant professor this fall, has been named to MIT Technology Review's annual list of Innovators Under 35.
Yang develops tools, languages, and processes to help programmers create the software that they intended. She said she believes it is particularly... Read More
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.
The CAV Award, presented at the International Conference on Computer-Aided Verification last month in Toronto, cited the... Read More
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.
The DefCon Capture the Flag competition, widely considered the "World Series of Hacking," was held Aug. 7–9 in Las Vegas. The win comes on the heels of CMU spinoff ForAllSecure's win at the DARPA Cyber Grand... Read More
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.
"How students were solving these kinds of... Read More
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.
"We're taking a flat piece of material and giving it the... Read More
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.