College of Computing and Informatics

Osarieme Omokaro, a doctoral student in computing and information systems in the College of Computing and Informatics, will defend “Participatory Sensing:  Demographic Determinants of Incentive Effectiveness and a Framework for Establishing Incentive Design Guidelines” at 11:30 a.m., Monday, June 9, in Woodward Hall, Room 338. Jamie Payton is the dissertation advisor.

Peiqin Zhang, a doctoral student in computing and information systems (business information systems and operations management track), will defend the dissertation “Essays on IT Governance: Measurement and Impacts” at 2 p.m., Monday, June 9, in Friday Building, Room 212. Ram Kumar and Kexin Zhao are the dissertation advisors.

They are in your basement, or in your yard, hiding in the fallen leaves at the foot of your trees. They are living relics, walking the earth virtually unchanged since they first appeared 400 million years ago– about twice as long ago as the first dinosaurs. They are hiding in plain sight, but in their genes they hold a record of the deep history of the planet and its landmasses.

The UNC System Board of Governors has approved UNC Charlotte’s request to offer a Professional Science Master’s (PSM) degree in Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) starting in fall 2014.  This groundbreaking curriculum is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between the College of Computing and Informatics and the Belk College of Business, as it links the science and business of data.

University leaders note the curriculum will produce talented graduates to meet the 21st-century demands of business and industry.

Congressman Patrick McHenry (10th District) and Brett Keeter (’99), congressional district director and former UNC Charlotte Alumni Association president, recently visited campus to learn more about UNC Charlotte’s Data Science and Business Analytics initiative.

In addition to meetings with Chancellor Philip L. Dubois and Bob Wilhelm, vice chancellor for economic development and research, McHenry and Keeter observed several project demonstrations related to Big Data at the University’s Charlotte Visualization Center.

Sanjaya Mayadunne, a doctoral student in computing and information systems (business information systems and operations management track), will defend “Competitive Store Closing During an Economic Downturn: A Mathematical Programming Approach” at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, May 1, in the Friday Building, Room 381. Cem Saydam and Monica Johar are the dissertation advisors.

Libin Bai, a doctoral student in software and information systems in the College of Computing and Informatics, will defend “Stability and Performance of Networked Control Systems” at 3 p.m., Friday, March 14, in Woodward Hall, Room 338. Sheng-Guo Wang and Yongge Wang are the dissertation advisors.

Amar Saric, a doctoral student in computing and information systems in the College of Computing and Informatics, will defend “An Approach to Reducing Parameter Uncertainty for Robotic Surface Assembly Tasks’ at 12:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 21, in the College of Health and Human Services, Room 436. Jing Xiao is the dissertation advisor.

Microsoft researchers have designed a smart bra that can detect stress, according to an online BBC news article. UNC Charlotte alumna Erin Carroll (Ph.D. ’13, computing and information systems) was the lead on the project during a research internship at Microsoft in summer 2012. She also completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University in 2008.

Twitter and Facebook are popular social media tools for communication, and for researchers in the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI) Charlotte Visualization Center, they are providing key insights into consumer behavior.
Eight faculty members from CCI and the Belk College of Business have been looking at social media and what information can be extracted about customer behavior or potential customer behavior, according to William Ribarsky, chair of the Department of Computer Science and director of the Charlotte Visualization Center.