From: Jennifer Marynowski Date: October 15, 2025 Subject: CS October Newsletter
Computer Science Department Newsletter -Issue 2, October 2025 -
Quick Bytes & Updates You Can't Miss
The PNW Computer Science Department is excited to introduce your official newsletter, a central hub for events, coding challenges, career opportunities, and faculty and student highlights. Stay connected and get inspired!
— The CS Department Team
Meet Our CS Department Student Officers
Computer Science Student Ambassador
Hi everyone! I’m Tanvi, a junior double-majoring in Computer Science and Psychology, and I’m thrilled to serve as your new Computer Science Ambassador. As one of the faces behind our newsletter, I’m passionate about strengthening our CS community and creating spaces where we can connect, learn, and grow together. I look forward to meeting you all and supporting you throughout your journey at PNW!
CS Department Student Clerical Staff
Hi! I’m Jeremy Orozco, a junior and your new CS Student Clerical at PNW. My goal is to guide students in the right direction while helping everyone feel included and supported in the department. I’m also active in the Computer Science Club and STARS Computing Club where I enjoy collaborating with peers on projects and events. Beyond academics, I’m excited to connect with more of you and share resources. I look forward to working with you all this year!
CS Department Student Clerical Staff
Hello! I’m Kowshick “Josh” Srinivasan, a CS Clerical Assistant and Master’s student in Computer Science, graduating in Spring 2026. My research passion lies in quantum machine learning and quantum computing. Quantum computing may sound futuristic but is quickly becoming a tool to solve real-world challenges. I’m excited to apply both my technical background and community focus to support the CS Department and its students throughout the year.
Meet Our New Faculty
Yang Ni, PhD, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Professor Yang Ni earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine. He continues to inspire students through hands-on research and tailored guidance here at PNW. He is passionate about teaching AI and machine learning and tailors his guidance based on his international EE and CS experience. He has mentored over 20 students many of whom have published top-tier journals, and several students decided to advance to Ph.D. programs.
Shafkat Islam, PhD, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Professor Shafkat Islam earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He strives to equip students with the knowledge and skills to design AI systems that are both effective and responsible.Through hands-on projects and collaborative learning, Professor Islam encourages students to tackle complex problems and innovate in ways that advance both research and industry practices.
Awards
CES Innovation in Teaching Award
"I'm really honored to receive the Innovation in Teaching Award. For me, it’s about finding better ways to connect with students—using new tools, new methods, and making sure what we teach really connects to the real world. It’s exciting to see students more engaged and confident in applying what they learn. This award encourages me to keep exploring and improving."
- Hairong Zhao, PhD, CS Professor
CES Staff Excellence Award
"I am honored to receive the College of Engineering and Sciences Staff Excellence Award and to be recognized for work that I genuinely care about. Whether it’s coordinating faculty hires, advising graduate students, or helping launch new academic programs, I strive to bring initiative, collaboration, and professionalism to our CS department."
- Jennifer Marynowski, CS Dept Admin
Aakanksha Trivedi PNW CS Graduate Grant Award Recipients
Akanksha has been awarded a Graduate Research Grant to develop a groundbreaking firewall that operates at incredible speed, stopping threats before they even reach your system, without slowing down the network. By leveraging advanced Linux technologies like eBPF and XDP, she is running custom code directly within the operating system’s kernel. This enables real-time traffic analysis and instant threat mitigation. Her project aims to create a simple, ultra-fast firewall capable of protecting large-scale data centers, cloud platforms, and edge devices, delivering unmatched speed and security at scale.
Student Spotlight
Pictured above: Aaron Lizardi, Jeremy Orozco, Professor Shukri Abotteen, Tanvi Tomar and Diya Kafle
PNW Shines at the STARS Conference in Dallas, Texas
In September 2025, PNW students and faculty made their mark at the Tapia/STARS Conference.
For students, Tapia/STARS is more than a conference, it’s a chance to step outside your comfort zone, connect with recruiters from Google, Meta, and Capital One, explore graduate-level programs, and network with peers from top universities.
One of the highlights included Jeremy and Aaron participating in a Generative AI Hackathon, creating a “Conference Assistant” app.
Research Lab Highlights
Trustworthy, Robust & Secure Intelligent Systems Lab (TRUST-IT)
Projects focus on rapid response in disasters, wildfires, and humanitarian crises where every moment matters.
Uses intelligent agents to collect, analyze, and act on real-time data which provide critical situational awareness.
Robust and adaptive system that includes verification and auditing to ensure transparency, trust, and accountability.
Combines agentic AI with resilient architecture, the framework enables faster, smarter, and more reliable disaster response.
Next-gen Efficient & Intelligent Systems Lab (NEXIS)
Explores ways technology can make both virtual and real-world environments safer.
Mentors graduate students on visual-audio joint synthesis for VR, enabling immersive experiences with high-fidelity visuals and sound from sparse data.
Co-advises students at CIVS on computer vision systems for hazard detection to identify safety risks and prevent protocol violations.
Advances how we experience digital worlds and enhances safety in physical environments.
CS Student Life And Club Activities
Welcome to your go-to spot for all things CS student life! This is where you'll find the latest fliers, event announcements, and opportunities from our computer science clubs. Scroll to see what's happening and how you can get involved.
CS Clubs Callout Meeting
This semester kicked off with a high-energy callout meeting hosted by the Computer Science Club, uniting a powerhouse lineup of campus organizations: including ACM, Women in Computer Science, STARS, Competitive Programming Club, Quantum Leap Club, and the AI Robot Club.
The room buzzed with excitement as clubs unveiled their plans for the semester which includes building a sleek new website to designing a 3D game that gives members hands-on experience with real-world tech projects.
Students also met the clubs’ new advisor, Professor Shukri Abotteen, who encouraged everyone to push beyond the classroom through hackathons, research, and other extracurricular adventures.
Computer Science Club
The Computer Science Club bridges classroom learning and real-world application through hands-on projects that build practical skills.
Members work on industry-relevant projects, developing technical expertise and professional practices for future careers.
Students are currently creating a 3D game in Unity with C#, gaining hands-on experience and industry-ready skills.
ACM Student Club
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) advances computing as both a science and an art while fostering student collaboration and innovation.
The club encourages idea-sharing, exploration of emerging technologies, and engagement with peers to develop skills.
Joining ACM lets students connect with the broader computing community, deepen understanding, and gain academic and career experience.
STARS
The STARS Computing for Underrepresented Students (STARS) club empowers students to use their technical skills for social good.
Members develop leadership and professional skills through service-learning projects that expand access to computing education.
The club provides opportunities to apply computer science across fields, gain hands-on experience, and prepare for future careers.
Competitive Programming Club
The Competitive Programming Club is for students who enjoy solving complex algorithmic problems under pressure.
The club provides a supportive community to practice, compete, and master advanced algorithms and data structures.
Members sharpen technical skills, gain a competitive edge, and prepare for careers in fast-paced programming fields.
Ai Robot Club
The aiROBOT Club helps students turn their interest in robotics into hands-on, innovative projects.
Members participate in STEM-on-the-Road outreach, TED-style talks, and national robotics challenges for practical experience.
The club collaborates with Professor Sayanti Roy’s lab to explore human-robot interaction and social robotics for education and therapy.
QuantumLeap Club
QuantumLeap is an interdisciplinary club exploring Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) and its links to AI.
The club bridges the campus community and QIST while providing opportunities to learn about cutting-edge research.
Members join talks, workshops, hackathons, and events to gain practical experience and expand their knowledge.
