Information Technology at Indiana University: News In Focus

Cate: Facebook IPO will 'sell little bits of each of us'

Facebook's founders and investors stand to make billions of dollars as the company proceeds with an expected initial public offering (IPO) on Friday. But IU Maurer School of Law Distinguished Professor Fred Cate noted that behind the astronomic financial projections lies an overlooked fact: Facebook is going to get rich off its users. Cate is director of the IU Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research.
-- Posted 16 May 2012

IU South Bend E-Waste Totals

The IU South Bend electronics waste recycle event was a success again. More than 1,000 vehicles dropped off 210,000 pounds of electronic waste on May 11 and 12, according to the Center for a Sustainable Future at IU South Bend. The total was down from last year’s 275,000 pounds of recycled material, which was expected as there are more avenues for recycling and fewer items to recycle. This was the fourth year for the recycle festival.
-- Posted 16 May 2012

IU ahead of the curve with eTexts initiative

In this post for IU Matters, Mark Land writes about how IU now has deals in place with six of the largest textbook publishers and the effect that is having on the marketplace. IU Matters will take a look at issues, events, initiatives and milestones that affect the entire Indiana University community. Land is associate vice president of university communications for IU.
-- Posted 16 May 2012

Market Watch: IU Health recognized as a 2012 Computerworld Honors Laureate

Accellion Inc. announced its customer Indiana University Health has been named a Laureate by IDG's Computerworld Honors Program. Indiana University Health is being recognized for its innovative use of technology solutions.
-- Posted 16 May 2012

Funding awarded for multidisciplinary projects at IU Bloomington

Seven initiatives developed by faculty members at IU Bloomington have been awarded funding from the Multidisciplinary Ventures and Seminars Fund, administered by the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs. Awardees include Beyond Imported Magic: Studying Science and Technology in Latin America and Digital Technology, Open Access, and the Challenges of Intellectual Property.
-- Posted 15 May 2012

OpenFlow can Provide Security, Too

In this interview with EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet, IU Chief Network Architect Matt Davey explains how Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is supporting IU's statewide network. Davey also directs IU's InCNTRE SDN Interoperability Lab, a neutral, third party facility that encourages the development and adoption of standards-based SDN technologies such as OpenFlow.
-- Posted 15 May 2012

IU simplifies online collaboration with Box.com

IU is working with cloud content management service Box.com to provide students, faculty, and staff with a secure, web-based file storage and collaboration platform. This initiative is the latest in a slate of digital mobility tools supporting the IU community's growing need for device-independent ways to interact. Users can create an account at box.iu.edu.
-- Posted 14 May 2012

School of Informatics grad student Gichoya named Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholar

Judy Wawira Gichoya, M.B.Ch.B., a graduate student in health informatics and a Regenstrief Institute Biomedical Informatics Fellow, has been named one of 70 scholars for the prestigious Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship. Gichoya, a Kenyan physician, is the only student from Indiana named as a recipient or finalist this year.
-- Posted 10 May 2012

Game Changers: Education and Information Technologies

A new, free e-book from EDUCAUSE features chapters and case studies contributed by college and university presidents, provosts, and faculty highlighting IT issues in higher education. IU VP for IT and CIO Brad Wheeler and OVPIT Chief of Staff Nik Osborne contributed a chapter about IU's eTexts intitiative.
-- Posted 10 May 2012

IU expands eTexts initiative with Pearson

Indiana University and Pearson are working together to reduce the costs of digital textbooks for students on all IU campuses. IU's eTexts initiative enables faculty to optionally choose these digital textbooks and online exercises at reduced prices for students. IU faculty can now choose digital texts from Flat World Knowledge, Harvard Business School Publishing, IU Press, MacMillan, McGraw Hill, Pearson, W.W. Norton, and Wiley -- with other publishers to come.
-- Posted 10 May 2012

IU e-waste collection to include re-use at IU Bloomington

IU will conduct its fourth Electronic Waste Collection Days on May 11 and 12, giving individuals, schools, nonprofit organizations and businesses an opportunity for free and environmentally responsible disposal of obsolete computers and other electronic items. E-waste collection events are scheduled at IU Bloomington and at IU South Bend. For the first time, the IU Bloomington event will include an opportunity to find new homes for equipment that is still in working condition.
-- Posted 8 May 2012

HPCwire: Thomas Sterling: 'I Think We Will Never Reach Zettaflops'

HPCwire, a premier online magazine covering high performance computing, interviews IU's Thomas Sterling, co-director of the IU Center for Research in Extreme Scale Technologies (CREST). Sterling discusses critical issues in high performance computing and what the transition to "exascale" means. CREST was established to address the challenges from the ever-increasing volume of digital scientific research data and is part of IU's Pervasive Technology Institute.
-- Posted 8 May 2012

IPFW's Project #mobileEDU receives major gift

The 2011-12 IPFW academic year saw the implementation of Project #mobileEDU, in which faculty members were given iPads to “re-imagine IPFW’s academic future.” At a news conference on May 8, university and project leaders will announce a major donation to the project. An update on how the project went this year as well as a preview of what IPFW will be doing with iPads in the next academic year will also be presented.
-- Posted 4 May 2012

Ready, Set, Robots 2012: IU summer workshop for teens

IU's Pervasive Technology Institute is offering its sixth annual summer workshops for teens: June 14-15 and June 21-22. Work side by side with IT professionals from IU to program LEGO Mindstorm robots and participate in some friendly group competition. Learn basic computer programming skills and explore technology careers. For grades 7-12. No prerequisites or special skills required.
-- Reposted 4 May 2012

New treatment path for eye disease

Working at IU's Biocomplexity Institute, postdoctoral researcher Abbas Shirinifard had hit a brick wall trying to develop detailed computer simulations of the behaviors and interactions of the cells and membranes composing the rear of the retina and its supporting vasculature. A serendipitous accident in which a donated human retina from an eye bank was severely shaken during shipping inspired Shirinifard to try again with a series of new simulations.
-- Posted 4 May 2012

Campus Technology reports on IU's eTexts initiative, interviews Nik Osborne

In this interview with Campus Technology, IU OVPIT Chief of Staff Nik Osborne explains the strategy behind IU's eTexts initiative. By adopting a new electronic textbook business model, IU has saved students an average of $25 per book or online supplement.
-- Posted 3 May 2012

More than $250K awarded to four IU student-led tech startups

Four technology-based businesses led by IU students will receive funding from the inaugural Building Entrepreneurs in Software and Technology, or BEST, competition. The competition opened in September with 61 submissions from a wide range of students on the IU Bloomington campus. After three rounds of judging, the field was narrowed to six finalists, who presented their business plans to a panel of investor judges at the School of Informatics and Computing on April 14.
-- Posted 2 May 2012

May 11: Natural Language Processing in the Clinical Domain

Wendy Chapman will present "An NLP Ecosystem for Development and Use of Natural Language Processing in the Clinical Domain" as part of the IUPUI School of Informatics colloquia series: Friday, May 11, 10-11am; ICTC 252 (IUPUI). Chapman is an associate professor in the Division of Biomedical Informatics at the University of California, San Diego. She will discuss how natural language processing in the clinical domain holds great promise for patient phenotyping, assisting in clinical research, and providing decision support.
-- Posted 1 May 2012

CACR re-designated a national center of excellence

The National Security Agency has renewed the designation of IU's Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research (CACR) as a National Center for Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education for 2012-17. The CACR helps to lead IU's cybersecurity efforts and offers national leadership in applied cybersecurity research, education, and policy guidance. The CACR is affiliated with IU's Pervasive Technology Institute and is directed by Distinguished Professor Fred H. Cate.
-- Posted 30 April 2012

IUPUI offering summer informatics workshops for high school students

Each summer the IU School of Informatics at IUPUI offers high school students a unique selection of week-long workshops -- fun, interactive learning experiences designed as an introduction to the exciting field of informatics. Workshops are led by faculty of the School of Informatics' Media Arts and Science program. Rates include use of industry-leading computer technology, production equipment, and software programs. No experience is necessary.
-- Posted 27 April 2012

Software developed by IUPUI students helps physicians

Emergency room physicians in several Indianapolis hospitals now can consult much faster with radiology experts using a software application developed by local computer science students. The Con-Rad application, currently in use at five area hospitals, was developed as a class project by a group of computer science students at the School of Science at IUPUI.
-- Posted 27 April 2012

Higher ed leaders announce disruptive network technologies

Senior, higher education executives announced today that they will use the nation's fastest, coast-to-coast network, Internet2, to implement new technologies that support scientific "Big Data" and cloud applications to drive innovation in global collaborative research. The technologies bundled in the Internet2 Network create the first open, national-scale testbed of revolutionary Software-Defined-Networking (SDN) and OpenFlow standards, combined with the abundant bandwidth of the world's first transcontinental network deployment of 100G technology.
-- Posted 25 April 2012

IU School of Ed professor Bonk to deliver free online course on online teaching

Curt Bonk, professor of instructional systems technology at the IU School of Education, will deliver a five-week, free and open Internet course about teaching online for a company that specializes in organizing online courses. CourseSites is unveiling what it calls its "Open Course Series" by having Bonk lead a session titled "Instructional Ideas and Technology Tools for Online Success" on May 2.
-- Posted 24 April 2012

IU selected as partner in new data curation fellowship program

Through a joint effort between its Data to Insight Center and the IU Libraries, IU has been selected as a partner institution in the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)/Digital Library Federation (DLF) Data Curation Fellowship Program. The program is made possible by a $679,827 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
-- Posted 24 April 2012

Mellon award funds year of law school for IU Bloomington School of Informatics professor

Eden Medina, an assistant professor in the IU Bloomington School of Informatics and Computing, has received a New Directions Fellowship from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The $299,900 award will allow Medina to attend law school for the 2013-14 school year to study the intersection between information technology and human rights.
-- Posted 23 April 2012

Campus Technology: eText Strategies: Creating a Path to Digital

IU VP for IT and CIO Brad Wheeler will present "eText Strategies: Creating a Path to Digital," hosted by Campus Technology: Wednesday, May 9, 11am PT (2pm EDT). Registration is requested. Wheeler will discuss IU's experience rolling out its eTexts initiative.
-- Posted 20 April 2012

Informatics computing camp for high school students set for June

The IU School of Informatics and Computing's Summer Camp for rising ninth- through 12th-graders is set for June 17 to 21 on the Bloomington campus. The camp gives high school students the chance to interact with IU faculty and staff and learn about the latest trends in information technology, the Internet and Web design, networking, new media, databases, gaming, and more.
-- Posted 19 April 2012

IU President McRobbie, professors Carmines and Sanders elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

IU President Michael McRobbie is one of three IU faculty members to be elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for 2012, whose members include some of the world's most accomplished leaders from academia, business, public affairs, and humanities and the arts. McRobbie joined IU in 1997 as the university's first vice president for information technology. He is the fourth IU president and the first sitting president to be elected to the Academy.
-- Posted 17 April 2012

IU plans free e-waste recycling May 11 and 12

IU, Regenstrief automated system aims to improve child health

Researchers from IU and the Regenstrief Institute have developed an automated system to help enable pediatricians to focus on the specific health needs of each patient in the short time allotted for preventive care. A new study, "Automated Primary Care Screening in Pediatric Waiting Rooms," in the May 2012 issue of Pediatrics found that by personalizing and automating the patient screening process and then alerting the physician to positive results of risk factors, the Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation System (CHICA) enables physicians to direct attention to the particular needs of the individual child and the child’s family.
-- Posted 16 April 2012

IU informatics dean named to NSF's lead advisory panel on technology, engineering policy

IU School of Informatics Dean Bobby Schnabel has been appointed to the National Science Foundation advisory committee responsible for providing strategic planning and policy formulation recommendations in the area of computer and information science and engineering.
-- Posted 16 April 2012

EDUCAUSE Brief: Reflections on the Effectiveness of iPads for Teaching and Learning

"Empowering Students and Instructors: Reflections on the Effectiveness of iPads for Teaching and Learning" describes the findings from studying the effectiveness of iPads for teaching and learning during academic year 2010-11 at IU. iPads were found to increase student engagement. Authors of the Brief are: Anastasia Morrone, associate dean, Learning Technologies; John Gosney, faculty liaison, Learning Technologies; and Sarah Engel, managing editor, IT Communications Office.
-- Posted 16 April 2012

IU earns two Webby honoree awards for alumni, health center websites

Websites for the IU Alumni Association and IU Health Center, created in partnership with IU Communications, were named Official Honorees by the 16th annual Webby Awards. The newly created website for the IU Alumni Association includes a storytelling component, using the themes of "home" and "spirit," and emphasizes engagement through social media. The new IU Health Center site emphasizes the center's services and low cost, and makes the site's most sought-after information -- the center's hours of operation and phone numbers -- available on every page.
-- Posted 16 April 2012

IPFW help desk technician competes for national title

Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne help desk technician Karen Bogard won the Help Desk Institute's competition for Midwest Region Analyst of the Year. Bogard also won the Indiana competition. She will compete for the national title at the Help Desk Institute National Conference in Orlando, Fla., April 24 to 27.
-- Posted 13 April 2012

IU continues IT Training workshops at no cost to faculty and staff

IU's University Information Technology Services (UITS) has announced that IU faculty and staff can continue taking advantage of information technology workshops at no cost. The decision comes on the heels of record-breaking enrollment for the program, which offers instructor-led sessions on topics such as Adobe and Microsoft applications, web development, and programming.
-- Posted 12 April 2012

IUCAD professor speaks at TEDxHarlem

Kevin Lair, assistant professor at Indiana University's Center for Art and Design-Columbus and Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design, recently presented at the first TEDxHarlem as part of the Wireless Grids Innovation Testbed, or WiGiT. In the fall, Lair will teach a course titled "Design Innovations [Health Care]." The development of a WiGiT in health care will be a focal point for students' course investigations.
-- Posted 10 April 2012

The CN launched for classrooms and lifelong learners

Course Networking, or The CN, owned in part by Indiana University Research and Technology Corp., has launched a new learning environment that is free to users and provides a social network that enables global interaction of formal and informal learners. This new network will fill a different niche from conventional courses or learning management systems.
-- Posted 10 April 2012

Hasan receives top NSF award

Mohammad Al Hasan, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science at the School of Science at IUPUI has received the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, its top award for teaching scholars early in their career.
-- Posted 9 April 2012

Welch paper among top 20 on ACM list

A research paper co-authored by Von Welch, deputy director of the IU Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, has been named one of the top 20 papers in the past 20 years of publications from the International ACM Symposium on High-Performance Parallel and Distributed Computing.
-- Posted 9 April 2012