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 →

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 →

On Monday, September 23, participants of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program made a stop at UA Little Rock. Individuals from seven different countries spent the morning speaking with members of the COSMOS team to learn about the broad range of research taking place, particularly regarding social cyber security and misinformation on social media. The countries represented include Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Romania, and Tajikistan. Delegates learned about tools COSMOS Cosmographers have developed in order to study disinformation on social media platforms. Blogtrackers is a tool designed by Dr. Nitin Agarwal in 2009 to to track and analyze blogs and gainRead More →

During a news conference at the state capitol with Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) inducted Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Information Science and director of the Collaboratorium of Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), as an ARA Fellow for his contributions to research in Arkansas. “We are honored to have these immensely talented researchers join the ARA Academy of Scholars and Fellows,” said Jerry Adams, ARA president and chief executive officer. Since its launch in 2014, the ARA Academy of Scholars and Fellows program recognizes leaders in research who are currently working at one of the five state’s research universitiesRead More →

Dr. Nitin Agarwal, Maulden-Entergy Endowed Chair and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Information Science and director of the Collaboratorium of Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies (COSMOS), was inducted as a fellow of the Arkansas Academy of Computing for his contributions to computing in Arkansas on Nov. 2 in Fayetteville. “It is an honor to be recognized as a fellow of the Arkansas Academy of Computing,” Agarwal said. “I am looking forward to collaborating with the great thinkers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and computational scientists to advance the discipline of computing and contribute towards innovation in the state of Arkansas.” Founded in 2006, the Arkansas Academy of ComputingRead More →

As almost 400 attendees gathered at the 2018 NATO Information Communicators’ Conference (NICC) in Rome this September, Ph.D. fellow Katrin Galeano represented COSMOS to showcase the emerging technologies Blogtrackers and YouTubeTracker. The annual conference invited communication professionals from within NATO as well as academia and industry to discuss tools and strategies for Information Environment Assessment (IEA), the theme of this year’s conference.   Mrs. Galeano was invited to the NICC to demonstrate technologies developed by COSMOS during the workshop sessions held on Thursday, September September 20.  As one of only 51 presenters from NATO, industry and academia from all NATO member states, she presented COSMOS’Read More →

My name is Michael DiCicco. I’m a junior here at UA Little Rock majoring in Information Science, a Technical Assistant at the UA Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, and a Research Assistant at COSMOS.  What little spare time I have is spent traveling around the country participating in 24-hour long competitions called “hackathons”. Not that kind of hack, think lifehack + marathon. The hackathons I participate in are generally sponsored by the company Major League Hacking, and their current schedules are posted on their website https://mlh.io.  MLH hackathons are really great because they accommodate participants of all skill levels. They are catered offering deliciousRead More →