AI@UCI: Exploring the World of Artificial Intelligence

When computer science major Kausthub Raj Jadhav initially started working with artificial intelligence two years ago, he felt a bit unsure of himself. “I accidentally discovered AI when I was trying to build a more ‘intelligent’ chess program my sophomore year at UCI,” he says. “I found it very intimidating at first.” So, he decided to reach out to other students for help.

“I thought it would be fun to create an environment where we could all learn together,” explains Jadhav. He officially created that environment in October 2017, with fellow UCI student Ahmed Gorashi, launching the AI@UCI club.

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ICS Researchers Win NDSS Poster Award

For autonomous vehicles (AVs) to be safe, their systems must not only be accurate but also secure — how do AVs defend against attacks? A group of researchers from the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) is exploring this, looking in particular at GPS spoofing attacks. The group recently received the Distinguished Poster Presentation Award for new work at the Network and Distributed System Security (NDSS) Symposium, a top-tier academic conference in computer security.

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Professor Scott Jordan Testifies at California Assembly’s Privacy Hearing

Computer Science Professor Scott Jordan testified before the California State Assembly’s Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection on Feb. 20, 2019. The topic of the informational hearing was “Understanding the Rights, Protections, and Obligations Established by the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018: Where should California go from here?” and Jordan spoke among others during the portion on “Looking Ahead: Marinating a Lead in Privacy.”

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Pierre Baldi’s Transformative AI Leadership

At the end of January, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science Pierre Baldi was recognized for his significant contributions to artificial intelligence (AI). He made the list of innovative and entrepreneurial AI leaders compiled byDeep Knowledge Analytics in its report, “Top 100 AI Leaders in Drug Discovery and Advanced Healthcare.” It is no surprise to see Baldi on the list, given his application of AI to detect everything from cardiovascular disease andspinal metastasis to colorectal cancers and glioma in the brain. His research collaborations are helping medical professionals greatly improve diagnostic techniques and advance healthcare.

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ABC: “Australian citizens are unwitting ‘combatants’ in cyberspace, Defence boss says”

The cybersecurity threat could come to resemble the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II, suggested Bryan Cunningham, executive director of the Cybersecurity Policy and Research Institute at the University of California, Irvine. … “If there’s a significant cyber conflict, a ‘Cyber World War’ if you will — we’re going to be in that same situation [as Dunkirk],” Mr Cunningham told the ABC. At least in the beginning stages of an online conflict, he suggested, it will be civilians and civilian infrastructure under attack and by necessity it will be civilians that defend it.

Read the full story at the ABC.

Forbes: “The 100 Leading Pioneers Of AI Drug Development” (Pierre Baldi named)

The profile of these people is quite interesting as 43% of them come from Academia. It seems that some of the big brains of the planet have targeted their efforts on improving human life and possibly extending the lifespan. The impact of AI leaders in this category is characterized by a high number of peer-reviewed publications, a high level of citation, pioneering roles in theoretical or engineering of ML/AI for drug discovery, a notable theoretical breakthrough, a technical invention, or a widely adopted commercial model.

Read the full story at Forbes.

CPRI Receives $1.4M Gift for Securing the Seams of the Internet of Everything

The Herman P. & Sophia Taubman Foundation has provided a generous gift of $1.4 million to UCI’s Cybersecurity Policy & Research Institute (CPRI), led by Executive Director Bryan Cunningham. Founded in the 1960s by the six children of Herman and Sophia Taubman, the foundation aims to promote the advancement of scientific research, higher education and community philanthropy. Six Taubman cousins manage the foundation, including attorney Perry Taubman, currentlya visiting scholar at UC San Diego researching autonomous agents for medical diagnosis and insurance coding. Taubman and his cousins understand the crucial need for research focused on cybersecurity and the emerging Internet of Everything (IoE) — that is, the interaction between the traditional internet and the hundreds of millions of connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

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ICS Honors Four Alumni at 2019 Hall of Fame Celebration

On Friday, Feb. 8, the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) inducted four esteemed alumni into its Hall of Fame. In a joint ceremony with UCI’s Schools of Engineering and Physical Sciences and their own 2019 inductees, ICS celebrated the achievements of its newest inductees in the impressive expanse of the Tustin Hangar. Noted for being one of the largest wooden structures in the world, the immense venue — with a rotating spotlight highlighting the vast open space surrounding the vibrant central event — seemed a perfect reflection of the far-reaching accomplishments of the night’s inductees.

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