A digest of Illinois Computer Science faculty, alumni, and students who are featured in the media.
New York Times -- Computer algorithms and machine learning are helping students succeed in math. “In our country, we invest a tremendous amount in K-12 and many people criticize that the current model just is not working,” Mr. Jacobson said. “So it’s not a matter of spending more money — it’s spending money in different ways.”
Credit Donkey -- You can stop companies from spying on your inbox. Take a look at these safe and private email providers to protect your messages. "Encrypting emails is mostly to prevent other people from reading the content of your emails (to protect sensitive information). So, if you don't encrypt, some other parties might have the ability to read the email content," said Dr. Gang Wang.
Northern Public Radio -- Illinois Valley Community College was hit with a ransom attack in April, and adminstrators are still dealing with the consequences of the hack. Professors Sibin Mohan and Gang Wang explain how hackers typically choose their targets and discuss the aftereffects of the hack.
Good Morning America -- With the flexibility to work remotely, some travelers are considering booking deals on last-minute getaways and holiday travel. Professor Sheldon Jacobson sounds a note of caution: "When you consider air travel, it is fundamentally incompatible with social distancing because air travel brings people together in tight quarters."
Chicago Tribune -- Governor J.B. Pritzker says football and other contact sports are still too risky in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to professor Sheldon Jacobson, as long as players get tested, wear masks and stay inside their “bubble” — avoiding contact with people outside of their teams — they should stave off infection.
The News-Gazette -- This list of "history-making women on campus" includes Nancy M. Amato, the first female department head of Illinois Computer Science.
Chicago Sun-Times -- The game changer at the U. of I. is the rapid saliva testing protocol that they developed. This allows thousands of tests to be administered each day and deliver the results within hours.
Storied -- Colleen Bushell (FAA '85, '95) recalls Mosaic and margaritas with Marc Andreessen (BS CS '94) and Eric Bina (BS CS '86, MS CS '88) at the Center of the Universe -- Philo, Illinois.
Bloomberg -- Recent graduates from Illinois Computer Science - Alan Jin, Eric Lee, Surabhi Sonali, and Caren Zeng - talk about their experiences in joining the workforce during the coronavirus pandemic.
Star Tribune -- "It turns out overall, primarily because of the smaller teams, you could end up having a much safer environment with college basketball than college football. We’re seeing that right now with the WNBA and NBA. You have smaller teams. It’s easier to maintain the integrity of the bubble,” said Illinois CS professor Sheldon H. Jacobson.
