Spring 2022
Stopping crime that pays
Circus Spider, DarkSide, Conti, REvil. You may really pay for it if your computer lets these guys in. » More ...
Computer Science
Spring 2022
Cybercrime and how to protect yourself online
While cybercrime is constantly evolving, the good news is there are a few simple security measures anyone can take to increase their online security, whether they have a doctorate in computer science or a hard time printing attachments from their Hotmail account.
First and foremost, experts agree using strong, unique passwords is the easiest way for an internet user to protect their personal and financial information online. A strong password is typically at least 15 characters long and includes letters, numbers, and special characters.
Another pro-tip is never to reuse passwords. This is because one of the easiest ways hackers gain access to a user’s … » More …
Spring 2019
Arts and science
Storytellers, not machines, should decide how to act on data, according to the Matthew Jockers, the new dean of Washington State University's College of Arts and Sciences and the author of "The Bestseller Code." Jockers combines his English literature background with computer programming for literary analysis. » More ...
Spring 2019
Medical Big Data
Big data is a powerful new tool in the medical bag, and one that can put patients in charge of their own health. Medical students at Washington State University are learning about the potential use of the tool on medical teams, while a new data analytics program at WSU teaches future data analysts. » More ...
Summer 2018
Nella Ludlow comes home
Nella Ludlow knew who she really was from an early age. “As I got older, I thought, I just can’t do this anymore,” she says. So she came out as a transgender woman.
After earning a degree in math and physical sciences at Washington State University, the 1982 graduate joined the Air Force. There she trained as a fighter pilot, worked in military intelligence, and earned a doctorate in artificial intelligence from the University of Edinburgh, and did post-doctoral studies at Cambridge University.
She retired at the end of the Cold War and entered the business world at the height of the dot com … » More …
Summer 2017
AI
One of the most memorable moments of Matthew Taylor’s life so far would look to most people like just a jumble of numbers, brackets, and punctuation strung together with random words on a computer screen.
IF ((dist(K1,T1)<=4) AND
(Min(dist(K3,T1), dist(K3,T2))>=12.8) AND
(ang(K3,K1,T1)>=36))
THEN Pass to K3
And so on. Line after line of computer code flowing like a digital river of expanding possibilities.
Although sophisticated and wonderfully complex, it wasn’t so much the code itself that made this such a pivotal moment.
It was what came next.
Taylor, a graduate student in Texas at the time, … » More …
Summer 2017
Robowriters
Subject. Verb. Object.
These are the basic building blocks of written communication. It’s what you need to make a complete sentence like the one you’re reading now.
Structured. Logical. Direct.
This also is why parts of my chosen career are ripe for takeover by robots.
For millions of Americans, the defining realization of how fast artificial intelligence is evolving came in 2011 when Watson — IBM’s now-celebrated language processing computer — won the popular TV quiz show Jeopardy by beating two of the game’s top champions.
I watched with fascination as well. But, for me, the point was driven home even harder a few years … » More …
Fall 2015
Cybersecurity and the smart grid
Chen-Ching Liu, Anjan Bose, Adam Hahn, and the other researchers at Washington State University’s Energy Systems Innovation Center explain the smart grid and how to safeguard it from hacking and natural disasters, with redundancy and testing.
You can read more about their work in “Out the hack door,” Fall 2015.
Videos produced by the WSU Video Team.
What is the Smart Grid?
WSU professors Chen-Ching Liu and Dr. Anjan Bose discuss the evolution of the electric power grid.
The Self-Healing Grid
Advancements in intelligent monitoring and automation, combined with robust, redundant sources of power serve to protect electricity-dependent communities from outages and … » More …
Fall 2015
Out the hack door
When a hacker attacks the electric power grid, scientists and industry partners are prepared. They’ve done it already. » More ...
Summer 2014
Machine in the classroom
New tech tools engage young scientists
In a familiar classroom scene, lab partners take turns squinting into a microscope. They spy a wriggling paramecium, if the organism doesn’t swim away from the field of view. These days they also peer into an iPad to watch videos and access digital textbooks. Engineer and entrepreneur Jeff Stewart sees a happy marriage between these old and new technologies in science classrooms.
Stewart and his colleagues at Exo Labs have enhanced that connection with an accessory that connects any microscope to an iPad, where students and teachers can take pictures and videos, measure objects, and quickly share … » More …