Computer systems expert named as head of electrical & computer engineering

A national leader in computer systems has been chosen as the new department head for electrical & computer engineering within Mississippi State University’s Bagley College of Engineering.

Samee Khan will begin his new role as department head on August 1, 2020, pending approval of the State Board of Trustees, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. He comes to Mississippi State from North Dakota State University, where he served as professor of electrical and computer engineering. From July 2016, he has been on leave from NDSU to serve at the National Science Foundation as program director and lead for the Computer Systems Research Cluster within the Division of Computer and Network Systems.

“I feel humbled and entry level computer science jobs to be selected to serve the faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,” Khan said. “During my visit to Mississippi State, I was impressed with the departmental facilities, both instructional and research laboratories, and especially the High Voltage Laboratory – a truly unique enterprise.”

Khan’s research on computer systems (focusing on optimization, security, and robustness) has appeared in over 400 publications. Currently, he is the associate editor-in-chief of the IEEE IT Professional Magazine and associate editor of the Journal of Parallel and Distributed Computing and the ACM Computing Surveys. Previously, he has been on the editorial boards on IEEE Transactions on Computers, IEEE Cloud Computing Magazine, IEEE Access, and IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials. He is also a ACM Distinguished Speaker an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer.

New partnership to develop the engineers of the future

Engineers Australia is delighted to announce its partnership with Autodesk. Over the last several decades, computer science vs engineering has driven innovation in every industry – pushing the boundaries of what’s possible across architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment.
With both a global perspective and an Australian focus, Engineers Australia Executive Manager, Membership and Growth, Jane Hanks, said Autodesk will bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge on the importance of taking a strategic approach to the opportunities and challenges we are currently facing and those we may face in the future.

“Through collaboration with organisations such as Autodesk, who are actively taking a leadership position in providing innovative solutions both globally and in Australia, we can support the engineering community and key stakeholders in the design of tomorrow’s engineering roles,” she said.

Autodesk consistently supports the tertiary community by providing students, educators and institutions with free access to 3D design software, learning tools, programs and competitions. Earlier this year Autodesk was also recognised by Fast Company in its annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2020.  

UCLA Engineers Develop First-Ever Drag-Reduction Technology for Boats

A research team from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering has demonstrated that a specially designed surface is able to reduce friction from flowing water by nearly a third. This was done in a first-ever successful boat test on open water in Marina Del Rey, California.

Boat used in open water test conducted by UCLA engineers.

In a study published in Physical Review Applied, the researchers say the sample surface could ultimately be scaled up to cover the hulls of boats and ships to help them cut through water with less resistance.

“The effect is similar to an air hockey puck slipping over the table with ease,” said study leader Chang-Jin “jobs with computer science degree” Kim, a distinguished professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCLA Samueli. “The decrease in drag would lead to reduced maritime fuel use and emissions.”

The idea of using an unusually water repellent, or “superhydrophobic” surface on boat hulls has been around for about two decades, with the concept showing initial promise in lab experiments. Instead of flowing directly over a solid surface, water would flow over a tiny film of air trapped between water and the superhydrophobic surface.

Damaged Supply Chains in Computer Engineering

The Computer engineering industry is feeling the consequences of the corona pandemic with increasing force. The current survey by the VDMA, which was answered by 965 member companies, clearly shows this.

The proportion of companies whose operations are affected by the corona crisis rose from 60 % to 84 % within two weeks. Almost one in two affected companies (45 %) suffers from "serious" or "noticeable" disruptions along the supply chain. Only 5 % have been spared so far. "Logically, as the computer engineering vs computer science spreads, the problems in the factories increase as well. Parts and components that were ordered in Asia a few weeks ago have not arrived at the local plants. In addition, there are failures of European, also German suppliers. This leads to noticeable production burdens and also production losses", says VDMA chief economist Dr. Ralph Wiechers.

IT sector to revive in second half of FY21

Job losses may be not be as bad as feared, say analysts
The IT sector may go through a temporary setback during the first half of FY21, but is expected to recover during the second half, said analysts and executives at leading firms.

There could be job losses at mid and small-tier companies, but it won’t be significant, they said.

“While the scare of rising global infection and death is still playing out, investors seem to be ignoring some of the positives such as the quick bounce-back in China after the flattening of the computer science vs software engineering,” said Anand Rathi Research in a note to investors.The note said that Indian IT growth in FY21 could be 3 per cent lower, assuming a recovery in the second half of FY21 and, therefore, may not see a reduction in headcount. Most IT companies have responded to the crisis by moving 90 per cent delivery home, resulting in 5 per cent loss in productivity days.


Some of the top executives at major IT firms across the country, who did not want to be named as some of these companies have slipped into the silent period ahead of the Q4 results, said that there could be a short-term impact on the revenues, but in the long term certain deals may get re-sized.

By the numbers: Continentwide classification system could aid in determining which businesses are 'essential'

As Hoosiers hunker down at Gov. Eric Holcomb's direction, it is obvious that some industries need to stay open.

Grocery stores? Absolutely. Hospitals? But of course. Fire stations and police operations? No doubt. But as Sherry Slater's March 31 article points out, the governor's well-meaning executive order for “essential businesses” does not make it crystal clear which companies should and should not be physically open.

It doesn't have to be this way. A system already exists that provides a ready-made list that represents the full spectrum of goods and services produced and consumed within the American economy: the North American Industrial Classification System or NAICS for short – pronounced “nakes.”

In use since 1997 and updated every five years by the Office of Management and Budget, it replaced the old Standard Industrial Classification system. The same what to do with a computer science degree codes are used in America, Canada and Mexico with the most recent version issued in 2017.

NAICS codes use a nested, hierarchical system ranging from two- to six-digit codes. Two-digit codes are the broadest categories such as construction or wholesale trade. Six-digit codes are very specific such as racetracks or custom computer programming services. Each additional digit within the system provides a greater degree of industry specificity.

For example, insurance carriers and related activities is a three-digit NAICS code within the two-digit finance and insurance category, while agencies, brokerages and other insurance-related activities is the next level of specialty at a four-digit code within insurance carriers. An employer's NAICS code typically represents its primary business, recognizing that companies may offer multiple services, such as a law firm that also provides collections services or a manufacturer that may also have a retail storefront.

While there is no public list of employers' NAICS codes, these codes are used administratively in tracking economic and employment data. For example, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development's quarterly unemployment insurance claims report lists the two-digit NAICS codes related to claimants' jobs.

All of this is to say that NAICS creates a uniform structure on which to build Indiana's list of essential industries, leaving little room for interpretation and dispute.

Will others follow Karnataka’s suit and opt for tech solutions?

With its reputation as India’s foremost information technology hub, Karnataka has taken the lead in technological interventions to monitor the Covid-19 spread. Its computer science major jobs dashboard had caught public attention and its decision to list the addresses of all those quarantined had also created a furor for alleged naming and shaming. Conversely, citizens do have a right to know who could be a potential carrier and must be able to stay away from suspected cases.The two Android apps launched by the state Corona Watch and Quarantine Time are already a talking point.

In his op-ed piece in The Hindu today, chief minister BS Yediyurappa mentioned Corona Watch flagging its ability to reveal the digital/physical footprints of coronavirus-infected patients. It also offers a Google Maps rendering of all people who have been ordered into home quarantine with their residence address, date of arrival, period of quarantine, and origin of journey. Currently, people who have been in the vicinity of confirmed patients have to alert authorities. Yediyurappa has written the app will also inform all contacts of quarantined patients, perhaps by extracting their phone contacts and alerting them.

The Quarantine Watch app is already a matter of hot discussion with people both welcoming and dissing the initiative. Some took exception to the requirement that those quarantined have to mandatorily upload geo-tagged selies every hour from 7 am to 10 pm for a government team to verify that they are not skipping the quarantine. Violators will reportedly be moved to a government facility, a scary prospect for many. Though around 23,000 people are in the quarantine list now, the app has seen only around 500 downloads so far. And there are already comments by irate users complaining of buggy features.