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School of Computing Newsletter for January 2026

Important Information

  • Spring 2026 Classes Resume — January 7th
  • Computing Advisory Board Meeting — January 9th, 8:00 a.m.

Achievements

  • Dr. Dutta received the acceptance notification from the 18th International Conference on Agents and Artificial Intelligence (ICAART 2026).
    https://icaart.scitevents.org/
  • Dr. Niu's co-authored paper, “Environmental Assumptions in System Design: A Phenomenon-Based and Operational Perspective”, was published in IEEE Access.
    https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2025.3618522
  • Dr. Liu collaborates with Mayo Clinic Department of Artificial Intelligence and Informatics (AI&I) on research topics including detection of brain and mental disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and ADHD from MRIs and EHRs using deep learning and/or LLM methods. Joint Data Science Internship positions are available for SoC thesis MS students or PhD students.

Welcome Dr. Brett Benda

Dr. Brett Benda is pleased to be joining the University of North Florida. A Jacksonville native, he is excited to be returning home to UNF. Advised by Dr. Eric D. Ragan, Dr. Benda recently completed his Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing at the University of Florida in nearby Gainesville.

He looks forward to bringing his expertise in human-computer interaction, virtual reality, and game studies to the School of Computing. Anyone interested in research in this space is welcome to reach out for more information on getting involved.

Dr. Benda has previously taught courses in Computational Media and Game Design and Development. This semester, he will be teaching User Interface Design and Introduction to Artificial Intelligence.

Student Highlight

At the School of Computing there are many different clubs that students can engage with. One of them is Osprey Security (OSEC), led by Instructor Larry Snedden as a faculty advisor. This month’s student highlights are Alex Ramudo (President) and Cody Copple (Vice President). Both will graduate in May 2026, majoring in Information Technology (IT).

Ramudo and Copple highlighted their enjoyment of classes such as Intrusion Detection and Computer Forensics, which take a hands-on approach to cybersecurity. Both are interns for UNF IT Security and help protect the information that UNF holds virtually.

Both noted that Computational Structures and Cryptography were challenging, citing a general dislike of math-heavy courses, joking, “So we’re not math people.”

The biggest piece of advice they shared was to dive in. Ramudo emphasized joining extracurricular activities and clubs, while Copple encouraged gaining hands-on experience through classes, clubs, and on-campus employment for both networking and professional growth.

The future is bright for both seniors. Copple is currently on the job hunt and will be getting married in 2027. Ramudo will be studying abroad with CCEC in Japan after graduation, then moving back to Michigan while considering joining the Armed Forces.