Media Coverage
A digest of Illinois Computer Science faculty, alumni, and students who are featured in the media.
Algorithm Overcomes Compromise In Acquisition Of Satellite Imagery
June 5, 2018The Engineer -- CS Assistant Professor Jian Peng and other Illinois researchers have developed a new algorithm to eliminate the compromise between high resolution and high frequency in satellite imagery by fusing data into one integrated product. Coverage also by LaserFocusWorld and AgPro.
Microsoft invests in UI program to help autistic students pursue STEM careers
June 5, 2018The News-Gazette -- A $200,000 grant from Microsoft will provide a pipeline to careers in technology for U of I students who have autism, promote digitally accessible classrooms, and encourage the creation and use of accessible software, including CS Professor Lawrence Angrave's ClassTranscribe project. Additional coverage by The Associated Press and
Why Has ‘Transgender’ Become a Trigger Word for YouTube?
June 2, 2018Daily Beast -- Professor Karrie Karahalios helps explain how machine learning algorithms at YouTube might restrict or demonetize LGBTQ video content. “The hard part as an outsider is figuring out if it is happening internally, meaning that explicit rules were set, or if it has to do with behavior from clicks from the outside world.”
How One Chicago Tech Firm is Out-Recruiting the Big Four
May 30, 2018Crain's Chicago Business -- 75% of Ocient's interns and new hires this summer are from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, thanks to the Chicago startup's tight relationship to the University and programs like City Scholars.
Illinois' CS + X Program And The Debate Over College Majors
May 26, 2018The New York Times -- "Talk about college majors is loud and contentious these days. There’s concern about whether schools are offering the right ones. ... Illinois is pairing certain majors in the liberal arts — for example, anthropology and linguistics — with computer science."
The Pink-Haired CEO Of A $2 Billion Tech Company Talks Glass Ceilings, #MeToo, And More
May 25, 2018CNBC -- Therese Tucker created software company BlackLine. It currently has a market cap of $2.17 billion. But before that she fell in love with computing at the University of Illinois.
Finally: Historic Eudora Email Code Goes Open Source
May 23, 2018The Register -- The Eudora email client was created by Illinois CS alumnus Steve Dorner (BS '83) and later licensed by Qualcomm. It was last released in 2007 but the Computer History Museum has just released the source code under a BSD license.
New Partnerships And Accolades For Siebel and C3 IoT
May 22, 2018CNBC, ZDNet and eWeek -- A flurry of publicity about Illinois CS alumnus Thomas M. Siebel and the company he leads, C3 IoT: CNBC's Disruptor Companies; C3 IoT, Intel partner; C3 IoT's new Microsoft partnership.
Sports Betting Legalization: How We Got Here
May 22, 2018ESPN -- When the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, it opened the gates to widespread legal sports gambling in the United States. This timeline of the more-recent history of sports betting in the country includes the introduction of Mosaic, the web browser that made the Internet widely accessible.
Shooting For The Moon: Max Levchin On Taking Risk
May 22, 2018Forbes -- “Take Risks To Find You Who You Really Are,” Max Levchin told graduates at the University of Illinois' commencement ceremony. Taking risks is at the heart of Levchin’s life story. But risk for the entrepreneur started long before he took professional risk.
Should Colleges Let Ailing Majors Go or Revamp Them?
May 21, 2018The Chronicle of Higher Education -- The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is updating and reinvigorating a number of traditional majors by combining them with computer science in its CS + X program. Liberal-arts, arts, and agricultural fields increasingly encompass data analysis that requires computer-science skills.
Illini Rely On CS Student Who Loves Baseball Analytics
May 17, 2018USA Today/The Associated Press -- CS + Astronomy major Charlie Young was at the right place at the right time when the Fighting Illini became one of the increasing number of college baseball teams to delve into analytics.
Online Master Of Computer Science Degrees At Illinois, Arizona State From Coursera
May 15, 2018iProgrammer -- Both the University of Illinois and Arizona State University are now offering Master's degrees in Computer Science in partnership with Coursera.
Paypal Co-Founder Levchin To Illinois Grads: Take Risks And Don't Fear Failure
May 13, 2018The News-Gazette -- Illinois Computer Science graduate Max Levchin (BS '97) told Saturday's commencement crowd, "Whatever your definition of risk is, go experience it now, while your entire life is ahead of you, and you have almost nothing to lose." The text of his address is available here.
A Few Things To Know About U of I Commencement Speaker Max Levchin
May 10, 2018The News-Gazette -- You may recognize a few companies Max Levchin (BS CS '97) has been associated with over the years — PayPal (co-founder), Yelp (chairman), Yahoo (board of directors). He is one of the world’s most influential tech entrepreneurs, and will deliver Saturday’s commencement address.
Are Universities Or Tech Companies Leading The Charge On New Technology?
May 10, 2018Forbes -- Forbes highlights one question in a recent Quora discussion by CS Professor John C. Hart -- is it worth doing research in a university rather than working for a company like Facebook or Google? -- and Hart's nuanced answer. And here is the Quora session, in which he fields questions on the tech job landscape, CS programming concepts and more.
Technology Revolution Can Help or Harm Societies
May 8, 2018Voice of America -- As artificial intelligence is used in an increasingly connected world and societies become more and more dependent on the technology, experts say inherent risks need to be addressed. “It’s quite explosive what we’re seeing,” said Tom Siebel, chairman and CEO of C3 IoT and an Illinois graduate (BA History ’75, MBA ’83, MS CS ’85).
Uber Executives Talk Flying Taxis, And The Company's Future
May 8, 2018CBS News -- Uber's chief product officer, Jeff Holden (BS CS '90, MS '91), said Uber's program to develop flying taxis is still in the design phase and explained the technology works similar to a helicopter, with stacked rotors to create lift.
CS professor Tarek Adbelzaher On How Information Spreads Through Social Media
May 7, 2018Illinois Innovators -- lllinois Computer Science Professor Tarek Abdelzaher joined the College of Engineering's podcast to talk about research on how information spreads through social media and the effects that information has on people’s beliefs as it moves. The work is financed by a $4 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant.
YouTube Co-Founder Steve Chen Among Order Of Lincoln Inductees
May 6, 2018WNIU -- YouTube co-founder and Illinois Computer Science alum Steve Chen was inducted to the Order of Lincoln, the state's highest honor, as part of a class that included Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Dick Butkus. Other coverage included The Associated Press.