Researchers at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock are studying how social bots influence the delivery of news via social media during major disasters.  The study examines the role of social bots – automated Twitter accounts that attempt to affect or influence the behaviors of others – and their coordination and communication patterns with complex organizational structures to disseminate information during four natural disasters that occurred in 2017. The paper, “Analyzing Social Bots and their Coordination during Natural Disasters,” will be discussed at the SBP BRiMS 2018 International Conference on Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling, & Prediction and Behavior Representation in Modeling and Simulation to be heldRead More →

The winners of the 2018 Student Research and Creative Works Showcase at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock were announced during an awards ceremony May 1 in the Student Services Center. Students presented more than 150 research and creative works April 12 in the Jack Stephens Center. Student projects were judged on the novelty and clarity of their research, the soundness of their methodology, the potential application of their findings, and the student’s ability to explain their project to an expert and lay audience. COSMOS team members won the following: Technology (Graduate) First Place: Tuja Khaund and Samer Al-Khateeb. “Analyzing Social Bots and their Coordination duringRead More →

The George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology hosted its third annual Open House on Friday, April 27. Guests viewed student displays of capstone projects, theses, dissertations, and other research. COSMOS was well-presented by Tuja Khaund, Karen Watts and Adewale Obadimu who showcased their work and were presented with numerous awards: 1st Place Complete Solution: Tuja Khaund 2nd Professional Presentation: Karen Watts 2nd Place EIT Grad Award: Adewale Obadimu 3rd Place Arkansas Research Alliance: Adewale Obadimu      Read More →

Two University of Arkansas at Little Rock students are looking to make a name for themselves in the world of hackathons.  Michael DiCicco, sophomore information science major from Benton, and Karen Watts, senior information science major from Bryant, took home a big win as first place winners of CrimsonHacks, a Major League Hacking event held April 14-15 at the University of Alabama. DiCicco and Watts, working in conjunction with two students from the University of Alabama and Florida Institute of Technology, beat out 28 other teams for the top prize, a 3D printer, for their project, Tweety Wallet. They also won the Best Use of AmazonRead More →

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock student won $1,000 in the “Make Your Mark” scholarship competition.  Adewale Obadimu, a second-year student in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock computer science doctoral program, received second place after writing an essay answering: “How will an international education help me make a difference in the world?” “I wrote mostly about my past in Nigeria, and how I want to give back to the community,” he said. “I realize that this opportunity that has been given to me by studying in the U.S. can also be given to others that I would like to one day help.”Read More →