News

Zhou in front of his first poster presentation as a PhD student in 2019

Pioneering wildfire monitoring at NASA: Iowa informatics alumnus Meng Zhou shares his story

Meng Zhou earned his PhD in informatics from the University of Iowa in Dec.'23 and has embarked on a new role as an assistant scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). His research focuses on using satellite remote sensing to monitor environmental conditions, particularly pollutants like PM2.5 and nighttime wildfires. The unique aspect of Zhou’s work is that he utilizes sensors that operate at night, leveraging moonlight scattered by polluted air to monitor air quality. For wildfires, he developed an innovative algorithm to assess their intensity and combustion phases, providing critical data on how many pollutants, such as PM2.5, black carbon, and CO, will be emitted to the air by the wildfire.

Morris Receives Academic Excellence in the Masters Program Award

Monday, June 3, 2024
Zachary Morris, who graduated this May 2024 with an MCS degree, was chosen to receive the award for “Academic Excellence in the Masters Program” for 2023-24. This competitive honor recognizes academic prowess, the variety and difficulty of courses taken along the way, as well as instructor feedback.

Professor Doug Jones on Voting Security (Developing)

Wednesday, May 22, 2024
UI Computer Science Associate Professor Doug Jones, whose expertise is "Voting technology, how we came to vote using technology, voting system acquisition and evaluation"...
William Decker standing on the University of Iowa campus

Bill Decker (Math Ed BA '66; CS MS '68) to receive Honorary Doctor of Science Degree

William “Bill” Decker, a UIowaCS alumnus and instructor who was instrumental in developing technology infrastructure both at the University of Iowa and on the national level, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science from Iowa during the 9 a.m. May 11 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony.

Kasturi Varadarajan 2024 Graduate College Mentoring Award Recipient

Tuesday, April 30, 2024
CS Professor Kasturi Varadarajan was recently awarded the UI Graduate College’s 2024 Outstanding Mentor Award for his commitment to excellence in teaching and mentoring.
Daniel Yahyazadeh portrait - submitted

Daniel Yahyazadeh (PhD '21) Alumnus Q&A

Daniel Yahyazadeh graduated with a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Iowa in 2021. In this Q&A, Rusert discusses his path to his current role of Formal Verification Engineer at Apple, shares memories of his time at Iowa, and more!
Jon Rusert portrait - Submitted

Jonathan Rusert (PhD '22) Alumnus Q&A

Jonathan Rusert graduated with a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Iowa in 2022. In this Q&A, Rusert discusses his path to his current role of Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Purdue Fort Wayne, shares memories of his time at Iowa, and more!
Lakshmi D. Subramanian portrait - submitted

Lakshmi D. Subramanian (PhD '22) Alumna Q&A

Lakshmi D. Subramanian graduated with a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Iowa in 2022. In this Q&A, Subramanian discusses her path to her current role of Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Kean University, shares memories of her time at Iowa, and more!
A child in a simulated environment participates in a pedestrian crossing research study

Hank Lab: Young pedestrians, self-driving vehicles: What’s the safest scenario for crossing the road?

In a new study, University of Iowa researchers investigated how pre-teenage children determined when it was safe to cross a residential street with oncoming self-driving cars. The researchers found children made the safest choices when self-driving cars indicated via a green light on top of the vehicle that it was safe to cross when the vehicle arrived at the intersection, then stopped. When self-driving cars turned on the green light farther away from the crossing point—and even when they slowed down—children engaged in riskier intersection crossings, the researchers learned.

Liza Kleiman 2023-2024 Collegiate Teaching Award Recipient

Tuesday, April 23, 2024
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to teaching and teaching activities in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dr. Liza Kleiman was one of a select few instructors awarded a 2023-2024 Collegiate Teaching Award.