COSMOS is happy to announce the graduation of three of our own cosmographers, Qudirat Akanji, Gaurav Raj Thapa, and Manideepika Kurapati! All three received their Masters this last December 2023. Dr. Agarwal said, “I am extremely proud of their accomplishments and the numerous contributions they have made to the COSMOS center. Even though they have graduated, they are eternally part of COSMOS – they just shine from a distance! I wish them all the best for their future endeavors.”  Below are interviews detailing their personal stories of classes at UALR and work at COSMOS. In these interviews, we spoke to the graduating students of theRead More →

COSMOS and Director Dr. Nitin Agarwal recently made headlines in Arkansas Business’ Technology section, and their article can be accessed here. There, in an interview with Lara Farrar, Dr. Agarwal delved into the various research being conducted by cosmographers, and touched upon the national concerns when it comes to discovering both the positive and the malicious narratives driven by social media. In their interview, Dr. Agarwal went into the foundations behind the research and why it’s so sought-after, especially in the context of the recent $5 million grant awarded to him and the COSMOS center by the US Army Research Office. Her article, part ofRead More →

The 12th International Conference on Complex Networks was held on 28–30 November 2023 at the French Riviera France. Complex Networks is an international conference that aims at bringing together researchers from different scientific communities working on areas related to complex networks. It is made of two types of contributions: theoretical developments arising from practical problems, and case studies where methodologies are applied. These contributions aim at stimulating the interaction between theoreticians and practitioners. This year, submissions were across a range of exciting topics like link prediction, graph signal processing, network neuroscience, networks, smart cities and smart grids, and many more. The following studies were acceptedRead More →

Dr. Nitin Agarwal, a distinguished professor at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, recently discussed his research on online influence operations, misinformation, and disinformation campaigns originating outside the US, with the “Braver Angels” podcast. In the podcast episode (split into Part 1 and Part 2), he discussed his extensive research on social media and online information behavior. There, he explained how tactics like the use of bots and artificial intelligence are employed to spread false narratives and manipulate public opinion. Dr. Agarwal emphasized the need for research, education, and collaboration between government and social media companies to address the negative impacts of such online activities,Read More →

We are thrilled to share that our research “Developing Research Infrastructure to Strengthen Socio-Cognitive Security for Combating Misinformation and Deviant Collective Behavior” has been included as a success story in the U.S. Army Research Office’s year-in-review magazine! In the ever-evolving digital landscape, misinformation poses a formidable challenge, and our Research Center, Collaboration for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has had several research works and tools towards curbing the spread of misinformation which Professor Nitin Agarwal has led. Specifically, in this research funded and recognized by the ARO, our team applied their expertise to study COVID-19–relatedRead More →

When it comes to the international stage, conflicts may arise between distant countries, oftentimes leading to fighting by proxy or in and through affiliated countries, such as the case in the current Ukraine war. For example, in the recent conflicts in Ukraine, a current issue is how countries like the US or organizations like NATO fund and support troops on the ground from afar. In this regard, cognitive warfare has become a keystone of the modern military, and COSMOS’ director Dr. Nitin Agarwal’s research, which he presented to NATO this November, has informed both NATO and general military operations. Cognitive warfare has existed for asRead More →

Internships are great opportunities for students, and they represent an invaluable turning point in their academic lives and overtime. They have provided a wealth of advantages for the COSMOS research team. Internship experiences allow students to approach issues from different perspectives, challenging preconceived notions and encouraging creative thinking. We are pleased to share the exciting news of cosmographers’ recent internships: several Cosmographers worked recently with renowned companies such as Amazon, Expedia, Intuit, Arkansas’s own Gainwell Technologies, and the Arkansas Department of Education. Through such internships, our cosmographers have been energized by the addition of new concepts, which promotes a vibrant, cooperative environment that fosters breakthroughs.Read More →

Being at the forefront of cutting-edge research, COSMOS publishes its research studies in leading international scientific forums. In this newsletter, we spotlight two of our recent publications, each using Agent-based Models (ABMs) to better understand social media behavior.  In the paper Developing an Agent-based Model to Minimize the Spreading of Malicious Information in Dynamic Social Networks published in the Springer Journal of Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory (CMOT), Mustafa Alassad and Nitin Agarwal look at agents in social media. In this research, the authors delve into the realm of misinformation and disinformation spread on social media platforms. They recognize the growing challenge of countering theRead More →

This summer school event is a yearly event that holds significant importance, as it is aimed at promoting AI applications in smart health, specifically in Arkansas and West Virginia. It is managed by two principal investigators, Dr. Nitin Agarwal in Arkansas and Dr. Donald Adjeroh in West Virginia, and it is funded by a $4 million NSF grant which was approved in 2018. This annual event gathers early career researchers, including undergraduates and graduates, from around the world. It unites not only computer scientists but also medical professionals from diverse specialties, advancing AI applications in smart health and healthcare research. The fourth annual WVAR-CRESH SummerRead More →

The SBP-BRiMS conference, which stands for Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling, and Prediction and Behavior Representation in Modeling and Simulation, is an interdisciplinary gathering that serves as a platform for researchers, experts, and scholars from various disciplines to come together and share their insights on topics related to computational social science, social computing, and behavior modeling. This annual event plays a crucial role in advancing the field by promoting collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas among researchers from different backgrounds. The SBP-BRiMS conference was founded by Professor Nitin Agarwal, and this was spurred from the realization of the need for an inclusive platform that allowed researchers toRead More →