Seidenberg School News – Page 46 – Events and Announcements

Seidenberg PhD Student Ranks First in International Biometric Competition

Photo from Westchester Magazine — Photo credit: Westchester Magazine

Seidenberg student Vinnie Monaco (Ph.D. Computer Science ’16) recently participated in this Spring’s Eye Movements and Verification and Identification Competition (EMVIC 2014). The competition is one of five supported by the IEEE International Joint Conference on Biometrics (IJCB 2014). The key objective of biometric competitions is to introduce the benchmarking of state-of-the-art algorithms relating to biometric identification while using transparent evaluation protocols.

The EMVIC 2014 aimed to determine how people may be identified based on their eye movement characteristics. The eye is not only one of the most complicated human organs, but also the analysis of its movements may reveal information about the human being, which makes the analysis of eye movement a suitable approach for biometric identification.

The competition had participants analyze a dataset of eye movement recordings, then design classification models. The results were calculated as the number of correctly classified samples to the number of test samples taken into account. Vinnie came up with the most successful classification model.

As the competition winner, Vinnie has not only been awarded with an SMI RED-m eye tracker by SensoMotoric Instruments, but he has also been invited to take part in the preparation of a monograph about eye movement biometrics along with the other authors of the best algorithms. Furthermore, test results and description of methodologies will be presented at the IJCB 2014 this September in Florida. The conference has been a reputable one to which Seidenberg faculty and students have been submitting papers for publication.

Seidenberg professor Charles Tappert, Ph.D. has been leading a biometrics research group at Pace for the past ten years, producing work that has received recognition nationally and internationally. Dr. Tappert works with undergraduate and graduate students to address identification and authentication problems by analyzing behavioral biometrics on keyboard and mouse-dynamics. These are relatively new directions in biometric research, and the Seidenberg faculty and students are directly contributing to advancing knowledge in this field.

Interested in biometrics? To learn more about IJCB 2014 and the biometric competitions it supports, visit http://www.emvic.org.

Don’t Pass on Google Glass

“Ok Glass, write this down for me…”
By: Suhail Bhandari

Not since 1997, when Harry Potter first came out of his cupboard, have I heard such a rumpus over a pair of glasses! But this time, we’re talking actual magic. The kind of medical magic, where doctors don’t have to waste time sifting through tons of records in order to diagnose a symptom — or the murder-mystery kind, which drastically increases the chances of a detective tracking down a serial killer — or, for that matter, even the miraculous kind, which makes a blind man see.

Yet sadly, when it comes down to it, this is what 7 out of 10 people think of Google Glass.

An End to Privacy
Really? Really?? How many of us continue to use Gmail, knowing full-well that each e-mail we send or receive is being read, scanned, and then offered back to us via an eerie personalized ad? Or how many of us continue to upload pictures of ourselves to Facebook and Instagram, adding to a massive facial-recognition database that we have no control over. Or how many of us continue to walk down a street, pinging our exact location to every server within a 10 mile radius, simply because it’s “it’s too much effort to turn off Wi-Fi detect.”

The answer is, most of us. But the truth is, all of us. That privacy-ship set sail a long time ago.

And no, Glass isn’t on all the time, and doesn’t record everything you say or do. (But if you’re still paranoid, look out for a bright red light located above the camera.)

It Looks Ugly
Sure they’re ‘bulky,’ ‘plasticky,’ and quite ‘constrained’ when it comes to color – but despite it all, people seem to love their Warby Parkers!

In its current, early version, Google Glass may have been referred to as ‘the scarlet letter of technology.’ But quick to change that, and in true Google ‘dominate-the-market’ fashion, their partnership with Luxottica might very well be the “biggest step yet into the emerging smart-eyewear market.” According to reports, the first smart glasses by Luxottica for Google Glass will go on sale in 2015 and be offered with brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley.

What Does It Do?
We’ve all seen the videos. “Ok glass, take a picture;” “now, e-mail it to John Smith;” “oh, remind me to call him this evening at 6pm,” and then some about videos, maps, and messaging.

But again, it’s more about the potential.

Google Glass is a first of its kind product, with a major company to back it. Quite like when the first iPhone launched in 2007, with its pre-installed apps and novel touchscreen. It had the same ‘worth it or just hype?’ question surrounding it. Owning Google Glass is like owning the first TV on the block. No one has seen it in person before and everyone wants to come over and try it out. Though, still more fun than functional right now, it has the promise of becoming the next big thing.

How Do I Get One?
So, according to Mashable and Scotty Kowall, Google is planning on opening up a store right here in NYC, within purposeful proximity to the Apple Store in SoHo. With any luck, it’ll be across the street from Warby Parker, making it rather convenient for Google Glass buyers with prescriptions!

For the time being, the glasses are “BUY invite only.” Pretty much like when you first signed up for Gmail. The only difference being this time there’s a $1,500 acceptance fee! So, if you’ve been paying attention to anything I’ve just said and have the money to spare, their next guest list will be out April 15th, and you can sign up right here – Google Glass Registration.

So stop thinking of it as a fashion faux pas, or having to give up your privacy, and start thinking of it as the future, right there, sitting on your very nose.

—

P.S. If you want to try on Google Glass for free, stop by the Seidenberg School at 163 William Street on April 16th at 6:30pm. They’re having a small workshop that will teach you how to use them, let you play around with a few apps, and even introduce you to some of the guys that helped make Glass possible. See you there!

Dr. Hayes on Heartbleed

As you may have heard by now, there’s a huge Web vulnerability called Heartbleed out there that can allow an attacker access to the memory of a server or client, including a server’s SSL private keys. What does this mean for those of us that depend on privacy and security in our everyday online interactions? We decided that there would be no one better to ask than Dr. Darren Hayes, Seidenberg’s expert in cyber security. He stated that,

411px-Heartbleed

“Heartbleed could be the biggest Web vulnerability ever discovered. The problem is that the vulnerability has been around for two years now, so we have no idea what information could have been stolen from big name companies. Furthermore, the message for customers is problematic because a user cannot rush to change his or her password until the Website has patched their system and purged old keys used to encrypt data. Our confidence in transacting business on banking and retail sites and checking our email with well-known service providers has essentially been shattered. Hopefully, companies will keep their customers updated on what is happening and inform their customers on best practices for security.”

It’s important for users to change their passwords on sites that have been approved. There are lists, such as this one on CNET, that state which sites are safe and which could still be vulnerable. Take the weekend to sort through your accounts to make sure your information is secure.

Seidenberg Professor Writes Winning Paper

Dr. Thomas (second from right) receiving her award.

Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) just announced the winners for best paper under the topic of “Leading Transformation to Sustainable Excellence.” Among the winners was Dr. Jennifer D.E. Thomas for a paper entitled “The Effect of Delivery Method on Persistence, Performance and Perceptions,” which she researched and wrote in tandem with two professors, Danielle Morin and Samie Li Shang Ly, from Concordia University, Canada.

The paper took into account the different delivery methods of courses for undergraduate students. With a rise in online classes in today’s culture – especially at Pace, where we rank at 3rd best in the nation for online undergraduate courses – it’s important to study the new methods of learning so that, as challenges and innovations arise, universities can analyze them in order to enhance educational practices. Thomas, Ly, and Morin looked at classes that were completely online as well as classes that were a hybrid between online and traditional practices.

From the extended abstract of the paper, the conclusion of their research is summarized as,

“The results of the studies conducted in this paper support the need for a hybrid model of learning, which augments in-class lectures with a level of online component. This would tend to imply the need to carefully evaluate MOOC’s [Massive Online Open Courses] before widespread adoption of them is made. Monetary expediency should not trump wise pedagogy.”

We extend the heartiest of congratulations to Dr. Thomas and her partners in research for their excellence!

Carol Wolf: A Life in Academia

Carol Wolf, one of Seidenberg’s professors, has had quite a life in academia and education before joining our program in 1986, only a couple years after Seidenberg was founded in 1983. Born during the Great Depression, Professor Wolf grew up with parents who, both being academics, were adamant that she and her older brother receive a full education. Wolf began working at age 16, for a whopping 55 cents an hour (much to her delight), at a local soda fountain and, soon afterward, the library. These jobs were Wolf’s introduction into not only the work-world, but the work-worlds dominated by women, which were rare, given that this was during the early 1950s.

Wolf, in an interview with a student, stated that she knew from an early age that she wanted to be a mathematics professor. She then brought up the obstacles she faced as woman in the male-dominated field of mathematical academia. She started her work in teaching as a teaching assistant for a three-dimensional calculus course at Cornell University. The class she taught was a sophomore-level class of all males who did not trust that a woman could teach engineers. The students tested Wolf on a daily basis, asking her to work through the hardest questions in their textbooks. She explained that she didn’t realize it was a test until two or three weeks in, when the students also realized that she was not only incredibly capable of solving the problems with ease, but also skilled in teaching the material to the class while doing so.

Every year she taught, she experienced a similar series of tests from students who were unaccustomed to having women teach in their field. Wolf points out that she was one of two women in the department, and the only one who taught full-time. Her experience with gender bias at Cornell was not unusual in universities at the time. She mentioned a friend who, while teaching at Harvard, was told by a professor that she had no business being in mathematics — it was not a women’s field.

Things changed when Professor Wolf found Seidenberg. Our school was started by a woman, Susan Merrit, who was once the Chair of CS on Westchester’s campus. Considering the fact that Professor Wolf is still with us at Seidenberg today, it’s clear that this position has been a great fit for her, professionally.

Wolf, in her own words, shares with fellow women who are learning and working in a predominantly male field that, “the thing is, there is this stereotype of the nerd sitting in the basement programming or studying all day, and that’s not what life is like. There are all sorts of interesting things you can do. I think women maybe provide their own reasons not to do it, but as far as any intrinsic ones, the field is open.”

We celebrate Wolf’s talents and enthusiasm here at Seidenberg. It’s not easy to trudge through the politics that can surround academic fields of work, but thankfully Professor Wolf has made it through. There is still progress to be made, especially for women and minorities, but it is pioneers like Wolf who show us how it’s done right.

Students at Nokia’s DVLUP Day in NYC

Just this past Saturday, March 22nd, Nokia hosted DVLUP Day in Manhattan’s new Microsoft offices. A group of students from Seidenberg attended together to learn about mobile development for Microsoft products. The goal of DVLUP Days, as they sweep across the country, is to generate Windows Mobile developers. DVLUP itself is “a loyalty program designed by Nokia to help developers get their ideas into the marketplace, optimize them, and be successful” (DVLUP FAQ).

Undergraduate Seidenberg student, Brooke Ribelin, spoke of her experience at DVLUP Day with all the other Seidenberg attendees. She explained that at the event there were three separate tracks, with different goals for each. Track One was geared towards getting started in App Studio (Cloud-based with HTML5), Track Two was for advanced Windows development, which included working with maps, imaging, and Cloud development, and Track Three taught attendees how to use Unity for game development. Each track suited different skill-sets and interests, so our group of students split up between themselves to work on exactly what they wanted.

DVLUPDAY2 — From Brooke’s Instagram, as she built games with Unity, featuring one of the many tattoos from the day.

Brooke also mentioned the prizes and raffles that continued throughout the day — from headphones to fun tattoos to new phones to backpacks. Seemingly everyone left the event with all kinds of free stuff. Not only did participants get new gizmos galore, but those who can publish an app in the Windows store will receive a free Windows phone.

After spending the entire day at Microsoft for the event, Brooke says she greatly appreciated the introduction to Unity. Being quite new to the ecosystem of Unity, and by learning about it in a group format, she has the tools to continue using what she built at DVLUP Day to turn it into something for the app store.