Press Release

How Tanisha Ravindran is Advancing AI Through Undergraduate Research

For Computer Science student Tanisha Ravindran, her research journey began early. Joining the Dependable Data-Driven Discovery (D4) National Research program in her first year on campus, she now leads a team of undergraduate researchers as the only undergraduate mentor.

Her work investigates the reasoning capabilities and common pitfalls of large language models such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot in solving integral calculus-based problems. 

Alumnus Jyotishman Pathak Receives John Vincent Atanasoff Discovery Award

Alumnus Maria Thompson Receives Distinguished Alumni Award

Maria Thompson ('82) was the recipient of the 2025 Department of Computer Science Distinguished Alumni Award on October 23, 2025.

Graduate Student Spotlight: Shalini Mutyala

Meet Shalini Mutyala, a graduate student in our Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence program. As she prepares to graduate this December, we had the opportunity to ask her some questions about her time in the program. In this Q&A, she opens up about her experiences, challenges, and the growth she’s experienced along the way.

Undergraduate Student Spotlight: Innovating at HackHarvard

When Rahul Sudev (Computer Science ’26) first learned about HackHarvard, he saw more than just a weekend event. He recognized it as a unique opportunity to challenge himself, collaborate with students across the country, and bring innovative ideas to life. The event, hosted by Major League Hacking, is known for bringing together students for just 36 hours and offering the kind of fast-paced, high-impact environment that entrepreneurial students such as Rahul can thrive in.

Wallapak Tavanapong Named Kingland Professor

Dr. Wallapak Tavanapong, Professor of Computer Science, has been named the next Kingland Systems Professor in Data Analytics or Cognitive Machine Learning in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University.

"I am grateful for the named professorship,” said Dr. Tavanapong. “I look forward to leveraging this opportunity to make a lasting impact for ISU and the state of Iowa. My sincere thanks go to the Computer Science faculty and staff and the leadership team of the Dependable Data-Driven Discovery National Research Traineeship for their support."

Chunsheng Xin Appointed Department Chair

Dr. Chunsheng (Sam) Xin will start as the new Chair of the Department of Computer Science beginning August 1, 2025. Previously, he was a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the School of Cybersecurity at Old Dominion University (ODU). His research interests include cybersecurity, AI, and advanced wireless technologies.

Faculty and Staff Receive College and University Awards

Three Department of Computer Science faculty and staff members have received well-deserved awards from Iowa State University and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Wallapak Tavanapong designs and develops new AI-assisted methods that accurately analyze biomedical data. This work could potentially improve computer science and biomedical research practice and patient care. Tavanapong also mentors graduate and undergraduate students who are conducting research in this area.

The Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business, in partnership with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will offer a master of financial technology. The degree is a collaboration between the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Finance, and the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics.

Myra Cohen Receives IEEE TCSE Award

Dr. Myra Cohen, Professor of Computer Science and the Lanh and Oanh Nguyen Chair in Software Engineering, has received the 2025 Barbora Bühnová Leadership Award for Women in Science and Engineering from the IEEE Computer Society Technical Council on Software Engineering. The prestigious award is given to Dr. Cohen for her seminal and innovative research on combinatorial interaction testing and her exceptional record of one-on-one mentoring.

Iowa State Shines at ICPC NCNA Regional Programming Contest

Sarah Schinckel Joins External Advisory Council

Academic Advisor Snow Gray Presented at IowaAAN

Shu-Hui (Susan) Chang Earns QM and CELT High Quality Certifications

Kristine Loes Receives LAS Institutional Service Award

Myra Cohen Gives Keynote at Premier Software Engineering Conference

Zili Wang Receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship