School of Computing Newsletter - September 2026
School of Computing
September 2026
Newsletter
Achievements
GenCyber 2026
Congratulations to Swapnoneel Roy (principal investigator) and co-principal investigators Karthikeyan Umapathy, Richard Lentz, Jim Littleton, and Brian Zoellner for being awarded the GenCyber 2026 grant from the National Security Agency (NSA). Congratulations to the PI team and their continued inspiration for the next generation of cyber stars!
Cyber AI pathways
Congratulations to Dr. Roy and Dr. Dutta for leading a recently awarded grant by the NSA on creating innovative cyber AI pathways for K-12 education, with over $750,000 in funding for three years. A huge congratulations to the PI team for securing such an impactful grant!
Research publications
Dr. Dutta’s papers, “When Sampling Meets Reactivity: A Hybrid Sampling-Bug Algorithm for Path Planning in Unknown Environments” and “A Mixed-Initiative Human-Robot Coordination Framework for Capture-the-Flag Environments,” were accepted in the 2026 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC). Congratulations!
The paper by Iliya Kulbaka (PhD student in Computing) and Dr. Ayan Dutta, “A Physics-Informed Reinforcement Learning Framework for Autonomous Navigation in Time-Varying Coastal Ocean Currents,” was accepted in the 2026 IEEE OCEANS Conference. Congratulations!
Awards & fellowships
Associate Instructor Larry Snedden’s proposal for embracing AI in COP2220 (Programming 1) has been accepted for the Hicks Honors Innovation Fellowship. Congratulations!
Dr. Yongzhao Wang has been accepted for the Hicks Innovation Fellowship for his course CIS 4930 for work with AI-Driven Trading in Financial Markets. Congratulations!
Congratulations to Dr. Swapnoneel Roy on being awarded the Excellence Award, one of the Core Value Awards which will be presented at Convocation: The State of Osprey Nation.
CAB Corner
Computing Advisory Board
Rebecca Hughes
Vice President, IT GRC
VyStar Credit Union
Rebecca Hughes has been with VyStar for 4 years, with 3 of them in her current position. Hughes emphasized the importance that students remain curious and build diverse relationships.
Her advice for students to increase their hire-ability in the age of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is to not be afraid to embrace your skills in AI. Expanding your horizons and increasing your skillset is always a plus!
Outside of work Hughes loves cooking and baking. She has built a to-scale model of VyStar Tower out of gingerbread.
September Events
School of Computing · 2026
-
UNF Technology Networking Night
-
Computing Advisory Board Meeting
-
Faculty and Staff Meeting
Welcome Dr. Chenlan Wang
Dr. Chenlan Wang joins the School of Computing from the University of Michigan where she earned her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr. Wang conducts research at the intersection of agent-based model learning, game theory, social networks, machine learning, and human interactions. Her current research includes AI in Healthcare, Computational Health Modeling, Social Network Analysis, and Game Theory.
Dr. Wang has always been passionate about lifelong learning and education. She said, “Being a part of academia offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with researchers from diverse fields and pursue interdisciplinary research that addresses complex real-world problems.” It is also equally important for her to mentor and teach the next generation, helping them develop strong foundations in computer science and data science. Wang particularly enjoys teaching Machine Learning and Computer Vision, as the applications are used frequently in her research and are fundamental to AI and modern computing.
Outside of the classroom Dr. Wang enjoys birding, photography, and hiking. Spending time outdoors helps her stay curious about the natural world and complements her interest in biology and ecology.
Student Highlight
Hazel Joseph
Hazel Joseph is a Senior studying Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics; she also is in the Honors Computer Science Program. Over the summer she was a software engineering intern for 21st Century Software Technologies (21CS), where she gained hands-on experience from what she learned in the classroom. She enjoyed learning from professionals about how large-scale technology systems are developed and maintained.
Joseph’s advice for students just starting in Computer Science is to not be afraid to struggle. Making sure that you give yourself time to learn, ask questions, and don’t compare your progress to anyone else’s. Additionally, getting involved outside of the classroom through internships, conferences, organizations, research, or leadership opportunities will help you gain valuable experience.
Outside of the classroom she is the UNF Student Body President and enjoys spending time with family. Joseph strives to be involved on campus, crediting experiences in Greek life to really bringing her out of her shell. Joseph emphasized that the support of her peers, faculty, friends, family, CCEC, and other UNF departments have helped her become who she is today.