Topic: Software Systems Lab at UNR: An Overview of Ongoing Projects

Speakers: Frederick C. Harris, Jr. and Sergiu Dascalu

Date: September 29, 2023 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Location: In-Person at Business Leadership Building (BLB), Room 010, and Zoom

Abstract: In this talk Frederick C. Harris, Jr. and Sergiu Dascalu will briefly introduce the Software Systems Lab of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at University of Nevada, Reno, and then they will focus on several NSF-funded projects currently developed in the lab. The focus will be on projects that involve data collection, simulation, and visualization, and in some cases also include VR research and development. 

Bio: Frederick C. Harris Jr. received his BS and MS degrees in Mathematics and Educational Administration from Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC, USA in 1986 and 1988 respectively. He then went on and received his MS and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA in 1991 and 1994 respectively. He is currently a UNR Foundation Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering as well as Associate Dean for the College of Engineering. He is the co-Director of the Software Systems Lab at UNR. He is also the Nevada State EPSCoR Director and the Project Director for Nevada NSF EPSCoR. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers along with several book chapters in the areas of parallel computation, simulation, computer graphics, software engineering, and virtual reality, and he has edited or co-edited 14 books. In 2005 he received the UNR F. Donald Tibbitts Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award. In 2016-2017 he served as UNR Senate Chair. He is a senior member of the ACM. 

Bio: Sergiu Dascalu is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UNR. He received in 1982 a Master’s degree in Automatic Control and Computers from the Polytechnic of Bucharest, Romania and in 2001 a PhD in Computer Science from Dalhousie University, Canada. He is the co-Director of the Software Systems Lab at UNR. His main interests are in software engineering, human-computer interaction (including VR, AR, and BCI), computer-aided education, and data science. He has worked on many research projects funded by federal agencies such as NSF, NASA, and DoD-ONR. He has published over 50 journal articles and over 200 peer-reviewed conference papers. Also, he received several awards, including the 2011 UNR F. Donald Tibbitts Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award, the 2014 College of Engineering Faculty Excellence Award, and the 2019 UNR Vada Trimble Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award. He contributed to the organization of more than 150 conference and workshop events. He has been a panelist for several NSF program solicitations as well as reviewer for more than 15 journals. He is a senior member of the ACM.