BYTES
UNDERWATER DATA CENTERS ARE THE FUTURE. BUT A SPEAKER SYSTEM COULD CRIPPLE THEM
A new study reveals for the first time a critical vulnerability of underwater data centers: sound. Malicious sound injection attacks can make servers unresponsive and crash networks.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Dear colleagues, alumni and friends,
This year, I am thrilled to share with you the many accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students, which truly demonstrate the excellence and dedication that defines our department. First and foremost, I am pleased to welcome three new faculty members to our team: Emmanuel Dorley, Ph.D., Mohammad Al-Saad, Ph.D. and Sonja Schmer-Galunder. Their expertise and enthusiasm will undoubtedly contribute to our continued success and growth.
In this issue, I would like to highlight some of the innovative research taking place in our department. Sara Rampazzi, Ph.D., and her team are making significant strides in defending against cyberattacks on underwater data centers. Meanwhile, Patrick Traynor, Ph.D., has been working to develop more effective ways to detect deep fake audio, and has graciously shared some of his insights with us. Furthermore, Kristy Boyer, Ph.D., is a key part of a collaborative effort to leverage artificial intelligence and wearable technology for sports analytics, in partnership with the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the University Athletic Association (UAA).
We also have reason to celebrate some of our faculty's recent awards and recognitions. Sumi Helal, Ph.D., has retired with 25 years of service to the University of Florida, and we are deeply grateful for his commitment and contributions. In addition, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Eakta Jain, Ph.D., who has been named a Senior Member of the Association for Computing Machinery, Christina Boucher, Ph.D., who has been named a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Sanethia Thomas, Ph.D., who received the AI Educator of the Year award from the AI2 Center, the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), and the Center for Instructional Technology & Training and I am honored to be elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Our students and alumni have also achieved impressive successes, and we are so proud of their accomplishments. Zhixin Pan (Ph.D. CS '22) received the prestigious European Design and Automation Association (EDAA) Outstanding Dissertation Award, while Michael Mosseri (BSCEN '01) has made it onto the 2024 Gator100 roster at #14. We also shine a spotlight on master's student Divya Vellanki and have featured an alumni spotlight on Mohamed Sugal (BSCS '21).
I would like to invite you all to join me in congratulating our faculty and students on these remarkable achievements. Thank you for your continued support, which is critical to our success.
Sincerely,
Juan E. Gilbert
Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D.
The Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor & CISE Department Chair
Forrest J. Masters, Ph.D.
INTERIM DEAN, HERBERT WERTHEIM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D.
THE BANKS FAMILY PREEMINENCE ENDOWED PROFESSOR & DEPARTMENT CHAIR
Drew Brown, M.S.
MARKETING SPECIALIST
MAGAZINE EDITOR
Tamer Kahveci, Ph.D.
CISE ASSOCIATE CHAIR OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Patrick Traynor, Ph.D.
CISE ASSOCIATE CHAIR FOR RESEARCH
Allison Logan, M.A.
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
MAGAZINE EDITOR
By Drew Brown
JAIN NAMED ACM SENIOR MEMBER FACULTY AWARDS
Eakta Jain, Ph.D., was named a Senior Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Jain’s research interests include human-centered computing, and graphics and visualization. Her research focuses on creating authentic, believable, expressive models of humans, and user privacy and security with wearable and eye-tracking technology. Jain has received funding from Facebook/Oculus and Google/YouTube, federal funding from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and state funding from the Florida Department of Transportation. In 2022, she was elected as a director-at-large of the ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee where she has been a contributing member for the last 10 years.
“I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to the department for their support, especially to the senior faculty on the awards committee for their encouragement and feedback, and to my colleagues who shared their materials and their experiences,” Jain said.
BOUCHER NAMED IEEE SENIOR MEMBER
Christina Boucher, Ph.D., was named a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Boucher’s research focuses on compressed data structures and data compression. These techniques are useful when working with large data sets and they allow you to shrink the file size to something that is easier to manage. Typically, you would need to uncompress the data to work with it, but Boucher is working on developing methods to keep it compressed allowing for faster queries on the data.
Most recently, she has been working with NVIDIA on combining data compression techniques with machine learning to allow them to train very large models on biological data. Working with NVIDIA allows access to GPU systems instead of CPU systems, which accelerate data compression and data access.
“I feel very grateful that our work is being recognized by the research community. By continuing our collaboration with IEEE via submission to their conferences and journals we will be able to further make our data compression methods more publicly available and disseminate them to the community,” Boucher said.
Eakta Jain, Ph.D.
Christina Boucher, Ph.D.
THOMAS RECEIVES AI EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
Sanethia Thomas, Ph.D., assistant instructional professor, was selected as a co-recipient of the inaugural AI Educator of the Year Award. The award was created by the AI2 Center, the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), and the Center for Instructional Technology & Training to honor educators at the University of Florida who have made a significant contribution to using AI in teaching and learning.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive the AI Educator of the Year award. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of my students over the past year,” Thomas said. “Together, we have harnessed the power of AI to make a meaningful impact on countless lives. AI is not just a tool but a transformative force, and I am excited to continue exploring its potential to create positive change.”
The award recipients are selected by a committee of members from all three centers and were announced at the CTE Interface conference in April. The committee reviewed over 80 nominations this year. Thomas stood out for her dedication to experiential learning, which extended outside the classroom with her work on the AI Hackathon and her study abroad programs.
Thomas was also a member of the AI Faculty Learning Community, where she shared her own experience with AI and supported colleagues as they strived to enhance their teaching practices with the use of AI.
GILBERT NAMED ACADEMY OF ARTS & SCIENCE MEMBER
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) has elected Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D., a National Medal of Technology and Innovation laureate, as a 2024 Academy member. The Academy, founded in 1780 by John Adams and John Hancock, elects leaders from all disciplines that work together to solve the problems that our nation faces and believes in cultivating a membership of innovators across all fields of arts and sciences.
“We honor these artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, nonprofit and private sectors for their accomplishments and for the curiosity, creativity, and courage required to reach new heights,” said David Oxtoby, AAAS president. “We invite these exceptional individuals to join in the Academy’s work to address serious challenges and advance the common good.”
Gilbert, the Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and chair of the UF Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, joins a long list of influential members such as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and more. His work toward pioneering a voting system that is accessible, reliable, and secure for everyone falls in line with these leaders' ideals.
“At the University of Florida, we want the brightest minds tackling the hardest challenges, and that’s exactly what Dr. Gilbert does,” said former UF President Ben Sasse. “We are proud of his work and thrilled to celebrate this recognition.”
Gilbert’s research in innovative voting technologies embodies some of the current focuses of the AAAS which are democracy, justice, science, and technology. Gilbert is joined by Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., George Clooney, and 247 talented leaders and innovators as a 2024 elected member.
Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D.
Sanethia Thomas, Ph.D.
WELCOME NEW FACULTY
By Drew Brown
, an assistant professor, joined the department in Spring 2024. Dorley’s research focuses on utilizing artificial intelligence methods to build personalized learning systems.
Before joining CISE, Dorley was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Southern California (USC) Information Sciences Institute. He completed his Ph.D. in computer science at the USC Institute for Creative
Dorley also holds a master’s degree in robotics from the University of Birmingham, through a Fullbright Fellowship, and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Emmanuel J. Dorley,
Ph.D.
Sonja Schmer-Galunder, a professor of practice, joined the department as the Glenn and Deborah Renwick Leadership Professor in AI and Ethics in Spring 2024. She is also a member of the Florida Institute for National Security and the Working Group in AI Ethics and Policy.
Prior to joining UF, Schmer-Galunder was a principal investigator and research scientist at Smart Information Flow Technologies, where she worked on sociotechnical AI research projects. She is currently developing an AI Ethics program for CISE focusing on understanding social and ethical values and how they are reflected in AI systems, privacy, consent and autonomy, and AI enabled democratic collective decision making.
Her research has received funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA. She also holds a master’s degree in social anthropology from Lunds University and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Graz.
The professorship is named for the former CEO of Progressive, Glenn Renwick (MA ISE ’78) and his wife, Deborah, and is given to a faculty member to pursue innovative teaching and research that will advance the field of Artificial Intelligence and Ethics.
Sonja
SUMI HELAL, PH.D., RETIRES AFTER 25 YEARS
Sumi Helal, Ph.D., retired from the department after two and a half decades of service. While on leave from UF, Helal served as professor and chair in Digital Health in the School of Computing and Communication at Lancaster University, U.K. Helal has also founded multiple companies including, Rokoit USA, Pervasa Inc., Phoneomena Inc., and cofounded the Gator Tech Smart House and Spaceify Oy.
"Reflecting on my 25 years at the University of Florida, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to advance the fields of mobile and pervasive computing, the Internet of Things, and digital health. It has been a privilege to teach and mentor so many brilliant undergraduate and graduate students, and to collaborate with esteemed colleagues in pioneering research that has real-world applications. Founding the Gator Tech Smart House and seeing its impact on the lives of older adults has been a highlight of my career," Helal said.
He has published over 250 journal and conference articles, has nine issued patents, graduated over 20 doctoral students, and published six books during his time as a faculty member at UF.
"I am honored to have contributed to the growth and prestige of the CISE department, and I am proud of the significant research funding my collaborators and I have secured, leading to innovations adopted and licensed by many top tech multinational companies. As I retire, I carry with me cherished memories and a deep appreciation for my UF colleagues,
my graduated master's and Ph.D. students, the Association for Computing Machinery, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. I look forward to seeing the continued success and breakthroughs from the next generation of scholars at CISE and the broader UF scholars community," Helal said.
By Drew Brown
Sumi Helal, Ph.D., (left) stands next to Matilda, a mannequin representing the elderly occupant of a UF-developed “smart house” designed to assist people as they age.
Sumi Helal, Ph.D. (left) and Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D., the CISE Department chair (right)
ELEVATING SAFETY THROUGH VIRTUAL CONNECTIONS
A team of University of Florida researchers has partnered with campus police to test a newly developed mobile application aimed at easing tensions and preventing misunderstandings during traffic stops between drivers and law enforcement.
The free app, called Virtual Traffic Stop or VTS, allows officers to communicate with drivers through smartphone video before physically approaching a vehicle. The goal is to reduce any anxiety caused by the stop through the initial video interaction, making the interaction safer for all.
“VTS empowers drivers and law enforcement to navigate traffic stops with ease and confidence by serving as an ice breaker that fosters an open dialogue between all involved,” said Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D., department chair. “There are so many different ways where VTS can provide an opportunity to de-escalate a stressful situation, making traffic stops safer for everyone.”
Gilbert created the app with a team of students after a series of police shootings, starting with one in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014. The app is available for download on iOS and Android devices.
To use Virtual Traffic Stop, users would create an account by entering their name, phone number, driver’s license, and the vehicles they drive prior to an interaction with law enforcement. If stopped by a law enforcement officer, the driver could initiate a session through the app before the officer approaches the vehicle.
To protect the privacy of drivers, the application does not allow for officers to initiate a session. However, once a driver has launched an application, the officer can see and select the person who has opened a session nearby.
Gilbert has partnered with the UF Police Department (UFPD) to conduct a pilot test of Virtual Traffic Stop with a small group of trained officers. UFPD begins testing the application today. The research team welcomes any agencies willing to participate in the pilot program. Additionally, Gilbert encourages drivers to download the app so they can participate as well.
By UF News
Driver using the Virtual Traffic Stop app.
RESEARCH TEAM RECEIVED BEST PAPER AWARD AT SIGSPATIAL 2023
Zhe Jiang, Ph.D., an assistant professor, and his team recently received the best paper award at the 31st Association for Computer Machinery SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems (ACM SIGSPATIAL). Their groundbreaking research uses spatial knowledge-infused deep learning to develop a system that can identify and map flooding from analyzing images.
“Our method addresses the limitations of deep learning on spatial data, like Earth imagery, where there’s a lack of widespread training labels. Unlike some existing models that solely rely on data and may produce inaccurate results, our approach combines symbolic logic with deep neural networks to enhance accuracy and consistency with existing knowledge in the field,” said Zelin Xu, a CISE Ph.D. student and the first author on the paper.
ACM SIGSPATIAL, renowned as the leading conference in spatial data mining and geospatial information systems, witnessed a highly competitive selection process this year.
“Out of 189 compelling submissions, it’s an honor that our paper was distinguished with the Best Paper Award,” Jiang said.
The paper, titled “Spatial Knowledge-Infused Hierarchical Learning: An Application in Flood Mapping on Earth Imagery,” was coauthored by Xu, Tingsong Xiao and Wenchong He, Ph.D. students in CISE; Yu Wang, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the UF Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering; and Jiang.
“Although we demonstrate our techniques in flood mapping, our
research contributes significantly to addressing broader societal challenges, encompassing disaster management, water forecasting, and securing energy and food resources,” Xu said.
When asked about the team’s next steps, Jiang said, “We’re keen to apply our approach to a wider range of geospatial applications. Additionally, we aim to incorporate spatial knowledge with cutting-edge AI models, such as large language models and vision foundation models.”
By Drew Brown
Zhe Jiang, Ph.D.
Zhe Jiang, Ph.D., and his research team in their lab.
BRINGING TRANSPARENCY TO THE VOTING PROCESS
On a spring afternoon, University of Florida computer scientist Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D., and students in his Computing for Social Good Lab clustered around a glass box. About the size of a microwave, the box held a small Brother printer on a cradle made of yoga blocks. A paper ballot stood upright in the printer, typewriter-style. This is the Transparent Voting Machine. According to Gilbert, it’s the most secure voting technology yet.
“It’s unhackable,” said Gilbert, chair of the UF Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering.
The box has a see-through touchscreen on which voters select a candidate, whose name is then inked on the paper ballot inside. It ensures accuracy and prevents outside tampering by prompting voters to confirm each choice. Another security feature: The machine has no internal hardware, running on a read-only Blu-Ray disc that resets after each use. The paper ballot serves as a receipt for verifying election results if needed.
In November, voters will head to the polls to determine the next U.S. president, with many concerned about the security and integrity of the electoral process. An Associated Press survey found that only 22% of Republicans are highly confident votes in the 2024 election will be counted accurately, compared with 71% of Democrats.
The Transparent Voting Machine is Gilbert’s latest response to these concerns.
Gilbert, a native of Hamilton, Ohio, has been creating secure, accessible voting technology since 2003, beginning with Prime III, a revolutionary open-source software that allows people who can’t see, speak, read or use their hands to vote without the assistance of a poll worker. Prime III, which also powers the Transparent Voting Machine, bridges the divide between able-bodied and disabled voters — what Gilbert saw as a separate-but-equal voting process.
“There are enough voters with a disability that you could change a whole election if you disenfranchise them,” he said. “We created one machine that everyone could vote on, independent of ability or disability — a universal design.”
PRODUCING PEOPLE-CENTERED TECHNOLOGY
This is the hallmark of the technology that Gilbert and his lab create: tackling real-world problems in ways that integrate people, technology, policy and culture. When students were depressed after the death of yet another Black motorist during a routine traffic stop,
Gilbert’s comeback was quick: “So, let’s do something about it.”
The result was Virtual Traffic Stop, an app that aims to head off tensions by allowing a police officer and motorist to communicate via a smartphone video call before an in-person interaction.
“Dr. Gilbert is very solutions-based,” said Simone Smarr, Ph.D., a former member of Gilbert's lab who studies ways of making computing more culturally inclusive. “Those conversations end up becoming, what could we do about it? What can we design?”
Gilbert credits his family with instilling in him a desire to give back. His father was a body-shop owner who left school after eighth grade, and his mother, a high school graduate, worked as an aide for hearing-impaired schoolchildren. Last fall, Gilbert’s mother watched online as President Biden draped the National Medal of Technology and Innovation around her son’s shoulders.
“The reason I’m in computing, the reason I’m doing this work, is to benefit society and others — use computing to help other people,” Gilbert said.
ENSURING EQUAL AND SECURE VOTING FOR ALL
You won’t find the Transparent Voting Machine, currently in the prototype phase, at your local polling station this fall. But you will likely find another technology inspired by Gilbert’s work: a ballot marking device.
After the 2000 election debacle in Florida, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act to introduce more electronic voting machines, aiming to speed up the election process and reduce errors. But with voting digitization came concerns about tampering.
Ballot marking devices allow voters to make their selections digitally and print them on a paper ballot.
Computers scan and tally the ballots, but the paper records remain in case of an audit.
In the November elections, about 70% of Americans will use paper ballots and ballot-marking devices — a jump from about 50% in 2016, according to the nonprofit organization Verified Voting. But questions about the vulnerability of our voting systems persist.
In 2016, Russian hackers targeted voting software and breached several voter registration databases and a Florida election technology company. Many leading Republicans, including former
President Donald Trump, have claimed, without evidence, that the 2020 election was stolen. Intelligence inquiries into both elections produced no evidence that votes were changed. But the question remains: How vulnerable are our voting systems?
When a University of Michigan study found that less than 7% of voters alerted poll workers to votes flipped by a ballot-marking device, “that caused a national uproar,” Gilbert said.
In response, Gilbert conducted a pilot study with the Transparent Voting Machine, itself a sophisticated ballot-marking device. While 77% of participants showed surprise when the machine printed incorrect names, most neglected to report the errors, reasoning they didn’t matter in a study setting. More than 90% of participants, however, could correctly identify the flipped vote.
“This study showed the Transparent Voting Machine works,” Gilbert said. “We cannot change the outcome of an election by flipping votes undetected. They would notice.”
So strong is Gilbert’s confidence in the machine that he issued a standing invitation to hackers and computer scientists across the country to do their best to break in and corrupt it. So far, no one has accepted the challenge.
MENTORING OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKERS
Gilbert was an early proponent of culturally relevant computing, arguing that who you are shapes how and what you create, innovate or invent. Colleagues scoffed, claiming that computing consists only of bits and bytes.
To Gilbert, the perspectives in his Computing for Social Good Lab are its source of power. “It’s not necessarily that we’re the only people in the space,” Gilbert said. “It’s that we typically have ideas that no one has.”
Lab members pinpoint unsolved or understudied problems, applying their passion and expertise to social issues important to them. One technology in the works is Project Defender, a remote-controlled robot that can disarm a school shooter.
“My job is to train students to be out-of-the-box thinkers,” said Gilbert, the first Black person to earn a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Cincinnati. UF now leads the nation in the number of Black students who earn computer science doctorate degrees, largely due to his decade-long leadership.
One such Ph.D. student is Jean Louis, who has played key roles in the development of the Transparent Voting Machine and tele-voting technology. “I didn’t see people who looked like me doing a Ph.D. in computer science” before meeting Gilbert and his lab members, said Louis, a first-generation college student. He views Gilbert as a role model and hopes to become a research professor, “providing that pathway for those other students that may not have thought it was possible but, given the chance, would excel.”
‘IT DOESN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT’
Gilbert prepares his students for setbacks, which he views as essential components of the invention process, and reminds them that progress is often slow and halting. Getting Transparent Voting Machines and Prime III into U.S. polling locations on a large scale requires buy-in from vendors, three of which dominate 90% of the voting technology market. And while the UF Police Department has the Virtual Traffic Stop app, it’s not in use. Gilbert remains undeterred.
“We see a way to save lives, so it’s worth fighting for,” he said. “It’s just not easy, convincing people, even when it’s to their benefit.”
Gilbert is also pioneering tele-voting, a secure way to vote online with a one-way webcam that enables voters to mark and print their paper ballot remotely at a local polling location. This technology could make voting more accessible for members of the military, people with disabilities and anyone else who cannot readily travel. “People have died for the right to vote,” Gilbert said. “We have shaped voting in this country. It doesn’t happen overnight. But we are making a difference.”
By Natalie VanHoose
This article was published in the Fall 2024 Florida Gator Magazine.
Juan E. GIlbert, Ph.D., with his transparent voting machine.
BUT A SPEAKER SYSTEM COULD CRIPPLE THEM UNDERWATER DATA CENTERS ARE THE FUTURE.
In 2018, Microsoft plunged almost 1,000 servers more than 100 feet beneath the Scottish sea. No mere stunt, it was a test of bold plans to sustainably meet our growing appetite for cloud computing services.
By harnessing the natural cooling properties of ocean water, companies hope to dramatically cut cooling costs and emissions. But with the rise of underwater data centers comes a new threat — the potential for attacks targeting critical internet infrastructure hidden beneath the waves.
Now, new research reveals that such an attack could come from little more than a pool speaker playing a high D note.
The new study from a group of cybersecurity and robotics researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Electro-Communications in Japan reveals for the first time a critical vulnerability of underwater data centers: sound.
Carried by dense water, and targeting the resonant frequencies of hard drives, sound injection attacks can make servers unresponsive and crash networks. After just a few minutes, some hard drives are even permanently destroyed.
However, the scientists also developed a machine learning algorithm that can accurately identify sound attacks, allowing the system to respond before it crashes. The researchers aim to work with technology companies to improve data center security by safeguarding against attacks before they happen.
The team, led by Sara Rampazzi, Ph.D., an assistant professor, shared their findings on acoustic attacks in a paper presented May 2024 at the 45th IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, an international cybersecurity conference.
“The main advantages of having a data center underwater are the free cooling and the isolation from variable environments on land,” said Md Jahidul Islam, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, an expert in marine robotics, and co-author of the paper. “But these two advantages can also become liabilities, because the dense water carries acoustic signals faster than in air, and the isolated data center is difficult to monitor or to service if components break.”
In tests both in a laboratory water tank and in a lake on the UF campus, researchers showed that an off-the-shelf speaker for playing music in pools tuned to five kilohertz — a frequency designed to make hard drives vibrate uncontrollably and one octave above what can be played on a piano — could cause networks to crash by disrupting their
The attack was accomplished from 20 feet away. With some simple underwater robotics, Islam said, attackers could disrupt data centers from miles away, further concealing their efforts.
Sara Rampazzi, Ph.D.
After demonstrating the power of acoustic attacks, the scientists tested different defenses. Sound-proof panels raised the servers’ temperature too much, countering the advantages of cooling with water. Active noise cancellation, the technology behind noise-canceling headphones, was too cumbersome and expensive to add to every data center.
The team, which included University of ElectroCommunications professor Takeshi Sugawara, landed on a software solution. Using machine learning, they developed an algorithm that could accurately identify the pattern of disruption caused by acoustic attacks. With additional programming, this algorithm could allow networks to minimize the damage by reallocating computational resources before an attack can crash the system.
Underwater infrastructure is always at risk, and sabotage can be difficult to trace. In February, internet traffic between Europe, Africa and Asia was disrupted when underwater fiber optic cables in the Red Sea were cut, possibly by rebels. And following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, unknown actors destroyed an underwater gas pipeline between Russia and Germany with explosives. No country or group has claimed responsibility, and the attack heightened tensions between Europe and Russia and forced changes in Europe’s energygeneration plans.
Unlike explosives, acoustic attacks on data centers could be subtle. “The difference here is an attacker can manipulate the data center in a controlled way. And it’s not easy to detect,” Rampazzi said.
Companies may even need to protect against accidental disruption.
“The ocean is awash in sound already. We’ve demonstrated that these attacks can happen inadvertently from something like a submarine sonar blast, which is extremely loud,” said coauthor Kevin Butler, Ph.D., a UF professor and director of the Florida Institute for Cybersecurity Research. “So it’s that much more important that we know how to defend against these attacks. These are issues that haven’t been studied at all by the security community.”
Two years after Microsoft submerged their data center, they hauled it to the surface, the test complete. Failure rates in the controlled environment were eight times lower than on land, and the infinite supply of cold ocean water reduced cooling costs. Underwater data centers seem to be the future — so
long as they are protected.
This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Air Force.
By Eric Hamilton
Top: Students monitoring the submerged data center. Middle: Students setting up research equipment. Bottom: Diagram of the research project.
SOUNDING THE ALARM
CYBERSECURITY EXPERT EXPOSES
AUDIO DEEPFAKE
Audio deepfakes are becoming ubiquitous — blurring the line between fact and fiction — but UF researchers are working to develop methods to help the public navigate this new technological terrain.
“Deepfake voices are challenging a fundamental way we have come to understand the world and interact with the people in our lives,” said Patrick Traynor, Ph.D., a professor in UF’s Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, and the John H. and Mary Lou Dasburg Preeminent Chair in Engineering. “We rely on our senses,
recent developments, the widespread accessibility of advanced technology has democratized their use. Creating convincing deepfakes is no longer limited by skill or expertise.
This poses a real threat to various facets of people’s lives — from online banking to air traffic control, the election process, and national defense — where the authenticity of the voice is critical.
Patrick Traynor, Ph.D.
Traynor also warns of the dual threat posed by the widespread circulation of deepfake audio samples, emphasizing that the issue requires not only the development of tools to detect and expose deepfakes but also the creation of mechanisms to authenticate genuine
This compounded challenge has become known as the “liars’ dividend,” where bad actors can exploit the ambiguity by simply claiming the opposite and labeling authentic evidence as a deepfake to deny wrongdoing or evade accountability. Distinguishing fake from real, and vice versa, has proven to be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly for law enforcement agencies.
This is where experts like Traynor and his team at UF play a crucial role. Their expertise in designing state-of-the-art defenses against fake audio and various cybersecurity threats positions the university at the forefront of this rapidly
During Traynor’s recent invitation to the White House, he engaged in discussions about the growing threat of robocalls and deepfake voices as the election nears, shedding light on the strategies and technologies
that are being developed to counter the problem of fake audios.
The research being conducted by Traynor and UF’s Florida Institute for Cybersecurity team to develop robust defenses against deepfake technology is currently funded by the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. This interdisciplinary research encompasses analyzing deepfake voice technology and examining intricate aspects of human voice and speech (such as prosody, in which varying emphasis on certain words changes the meaning of the sentence; and breathing patterns and turbulence flow generated by speech). Vocal tract recreation is thus aimed at distinguishing genuine human voices from deepfake audio more accurately.
“Consider this: if I receive a call showing that it is coming from the governor or the president on my device, my first instinct is to hang up, as I’d have no other way but to assume that somebody is attempting to trick me,” Traynor said. “So clearly, the concern lies not just in the ease of making a deepfake, but also in our inability to discern its origin.”
As the pace of innovation continues to accelerate, UF and its experts are determined to lead the charge.
“Our perception of reality, our creation and consumption of information, and our interpersonal connections may undergo profound transformations,” Traynor said. “But our unwavering pursuit of truth must endure.”
By Helen Goh
USING AI-WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY POWERING UF ATHLETICS
A groundbreaking AI-Powered Athletics project is underway at the University of Florida, thanks to $2.5 million in support from former UF President Ben Sasse’s Strategic Funding Initiative.
The undertaking is one of five components of the newly funded UF & Sport Collaborative, announced in December — a multifaceted initiative to propel UF to the global stage in sports performance, healthcare, and communication, while illuminating its world-class sports facilities and partnerships.
The AI-Powered Athletics piece of the initiative is a partnership between the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the University Athletic Association (UAA). The project will help build an infrastructure to enable AI-powered athletics based on the wearable sensor and health data of student-athletes. Funded projects may generate pilot data and initial publications that lead to large-scale research proposals for federal agencies.
As a whole, the UF & Sport Collaborative also involves projects from the Warrington College of Business, the College of Health and Human Performance, the College of Journalism and Communications, and the College of Medicine.
“With the large-scale hiring across campus in AI-related fields, UF is unique in the capabilities and resources it can dedicate to this type of research,” said Dan Ferris, Ph.D., the Robert W. Adenbaum Professor of Engineering Innovation in the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. “The UAA collects a large amount of data from UF student-athletes on health, nutrition, and sports performance, including wearable sensors at practices and games. Most of the data is under-analyzed and under-utilized, and our proposed treatment of the data could greatly benefit team performance and student-athlete health and well-being.”
Jennifer Nichols, Ph.D., Associate Professor & J. Crayton Pruitt Family Term Fellow, will be collaborating with Spencer Thomas, performance analytics and testing coordinator for the UAA, to spearhead the task of strand one parsing and analyzing the valuable, uncontextualized data collected through wearables, performative assessments, medical examinations, and other means.
“My pedigree bridges experimental work and computational work. Some of my research involves building personalized human models using artificial intelligence methods of the hand to mimic any motion,” Nichols said. “I am a biomechanist by training, so my expertise is really in the data analysis of human movement. But I also bring a strong background in orthopedic
injury, so I’m very interested in using the data to address sports injury prevention, creating a predictive analysis to stop the injury from ever happening.”
The pilot project data and initial publications may further incubate larger-scale research proposals to federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.
“There are at least two ways this research impacts the state of Florida. Because of the way we intend to use this athletics data in classrooms, it will directly strengthen the educational experience of UF students by bringing them a very compelling, engaging, hands-on way to learn about and use AI,” said Kristy Boyer, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, and co-principal investigator of the AI-Powered Athletics thrust of the UF & Sport Collaborative. “Secondly, we have a team that is passionate about building analytics and userfacing apps that will — in the future — serve all people, not just athletes. For instance, we know the challenges that result from a sedentary lifestyle in terms of our healthcare and the related public policy; it’s a crisis. There’s a lot of data that indicates that if we can get people active, get them moving, and teach them about their bodies holistically using these tools, it will reap benefits for disease prevention.”
By Shawn Jenkins
The University Athletic Association Performance Analytics & Testing Center
HOWARD UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MONTH
A cohort of faculty, staff and students from the University of Florida Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) were invited to attend Howard University Research Month in April. The group included Juan E. Gilbert, Ph.D., the Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and CISE department chair, and several students from his lab.
Gilbert was a keynote speaker with his presentation, "Computing for Social Good,” detailing his journey through higher education and technologies that he has developed. Through his expertise in advancing computer software and technology, Gilbert focuses on the point where technology intersects with people and improves the outcome of that
coordinator, with recruiting prospective students to the program. The students were able to give first-hand accounts of their experience in the program.
Students also provided demonstrations of their research projects, which included innovative voting technologies utilizing Prime III software and Virtual Traffic Stop.
“I really enjoyed traveling with the lab to Howard University. It was an excellent opportunity to connect with the students and showcase the projects we are developing in the lab,” Thompson said. “It was great to hear how passionate the students were about research and possibly enrolling in a graduate program. The event served its purpose, allowing
televoting machine that’s allows for a physical ballot to be recorded over the internet. A stateless machine is rebooted after each use and does not store any information from the previous instance. This allows for a more secure voting machine because a malicious actor would have to hack the machine everytime it is rebooted.
The students also were demonstrating Virtual Traffic Stop (VTS) to the attendees. VTS is an app designed to ease tensions and prevent misunderstandings during traffic stops between drivers and law enforcement. The app allows officers to communicate with drivers through smartphone video before physically approaching a vehicle. The goal is to reduce any anxiety caused by the stop through the initial video interaction, making the interaction safer for all.
The event was attended by prospective students and two members of the Election Assistance Commission, Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland. The Election Assistance Commission helps to fund some of the research that was on display and was interested in learning more about the technology.
Research Month 2024 is part of Howard Universty's ongoing efforts to foster the research mission and to celebrate the University's research enterprise, which is comprised of external grants and contracts, distinguished scholarly projects, and outstanding creative works.
By Drew Brown
"“It was great to hear how passionate the students were about research and possibly enrolling in a graduate program. The event served its purpose, allowing researchers and students to engage in meaningful discussions and create opportunities for collaboration in the future,” London Thompson said.
"London Thompson, Ph.D. Student
Top: Students demo televoting to two members of the Election Assistance Commission. Bottom: Student gives a demo of Virtual Traffic Stop
WHERE STUDY MEETS SERVICE Abroad
BRIDGING TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY IN CAPE TOWN
organizations that couldn’t otherwise afford it. The ability to work for these organizations and be active in the Cape Town community provided real-world work experience for the students and an immersive community-oriented cultural
The students lived and worked within the community for seven weeks and built a website, an administrative dashboard, an inventory database, and an interactive map for the partnered community organizations. Not only did the students work for these organizations, but they also held coding workshops for people within this community and participated in various community events throughout their stay.
The Vrygrond township, one of the partners, is a large community with no streets, grid, or town map. Navigation was an issue for people that are not familiar with the area. The students created an interactive map for the community members that showed various shops and points of interest around the community. The map allowed for easier navigation
Mouray Hutchinson, a computer science student, worked with Youth in Transformation, a tutoring and education organization. They helped build an administrative dashboard that allowed for better timekeeping, performance evaluation,
“I had an amazing experience in Cape Town. Getting to work, explore and make friendships in a new city – and a city as interesting as Cape Town – was surely a highlight of my college experience,” Hutchinson said.
Shalia Moscat, a computer science student, worked with a team of students to redesign the website of the Princess Vlei Forum. The Princess Vlei Forum is a conservation organization that works to preserve the wetland region south of Cape Town known as Princess Vlei. Their goal was to modernize the website and make it more user friendly.
Cape Point
“My team and I did a full redesign of the organization’s website, which included new page designs, cutting of outdated pages, and the creation and integration of charts representing species prevalence at the Vlei over time,” Moscat said.
As a break from their volunteer work, the students were able to participate in various excursions throughout their stay. Nicholas Lopera, a computer science student, captured pictures from a safari and visit to Table Mountain.
“Outside of the classroom, Dr. Thomas helped organize the excursions we were able to go on,” Lopera said. “She was filled with excitement about everything there was to see and was always looking for new experiences. I am beyond grateful to have gotten the opportunity to work in South Africa with Dr. Thomas. I am thankful for everything she has done to make the program unforgettable.”
By Drew Brown
Mouray Hutchinson, a UF Student, showing the dashboard she helped build for Youth in Transformation
Stopping to enjoy a beautiful oceanside vista
Posing for a group photo while on a safari
Students gather to debrief during their trip
Group photo featuring Sanethia Thomas, Ph.D. (far left)
UFSIT FINISHES STRONG AT NATIONAL COMPETITION
The University of Florida Student Information Security Team (UFSIT) had a successful fall semester with a second-place finish in U.S. Southeast Regional Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) and a third-place finish in the Department of Energy Cyberforce competition.
The UFSIT Collegiate Penetration Testing Team finished second in the CPTC on Oct. 14, 2023. The team previously won the regional competition in 2021 and participated in the global competition in Rochester, NY. The competition combines technical, communication and collaboration skills in a simulated evaluation of a company’s computing resources.
“Technical knowledge and skill are applied to identify security weaknesses in the company’s computational environment. Communication involves both written and oral reports to both technical and non-technical audiences,” said Joseph Wilson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering and the group’s faculty sponsor.
This year’s simulated company was an airport including controls for smart terminals, trains, and airplanes.
UFSIT also competed as “Darth Gator” in the Department of Energy Cyberforce competition hosted by Argonne National Laboratory and placed third out of 94 teams. The competition required students to act as the technical team at a distributed energy resource management company. Their job was to keep services functioning while keeping attackers at bay. They were required to integrate, maintain, and secure all internal information services and remote client management software. Some of the systems that required defense had already been breached by attackers, adding a second layer of difficulty to this challenge.
“Successful teams have members who collaborate effectively to address all these challenges in a very limited time frame,” said Wilson.
If you would like to learn more about UFSIT you can visit their website at https://ufsit.club.
By Drew Brown
2024-2025 CISE Scholarship & Award Recipients
The department congratulates the following award and scholarship winners. These students were selected by the awards committee based on their outstanding academic performance and significant contributions to society.
UNDERGRADUATE
LAC Scholarship
Patrick Leimer • Jorge Ramirez • Alexis Morales
Amaro • Maria Morales • Yonash Petit • Jose
Manuel Castro • Joanna Mijares • Kent Phipps •
Daniel Moraes
Cottmeyer Family Scholarship
Ashley Maurer
Nieten Award for Undergraduate Students
Daniel Moraes
Gartner Group Information Technology Fund
Ananya Sista • Oscar Camargo • Kenneth Chew • Jodi Foster • Luke Sutor
Marry and Heather Abbot Scholarship
Grace Hu • Emily Lu
Matthew Martin Memelo Memorial Scholarship
Zachary Tenn Yuk • Samantha Bennett
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: DIVYA VELLANKI
Divya Vellanki, a master’s student in computer science, came to UF from Andhra Pradesh, India and hit the ground running. Self-determined and ambitious, Divya dives into every opportunity available to her to enrich her college experience, determined to push herself out of her comfort zone and make a big impact in every endeavor she undertakes.
After she received her bachelor’s in computer science from Sastra University in India, she worked for VMware in Karnataka for seven years. Starting out as an intern she soon became a full-time employee. The experience brought about a shift in how she saw herself. "I started off as this very introverted person, an only child in my family. But when I started working in the industry, I really enjoyed living by myself," she said. "I always saw that combination of resources and ability to be independent as a kind of advantage. I began to identify myself more as a leader."
"It felt very clear when I arrived at UF that my master’s journey would be more than just getting grades and completing courses and my GPA. I wanted to meet people, try new things—whether that’s from a personal, professional, or technical standpoint," said Vellanki. "I enrolled in Entrepreneurship in Engineering. I wanted to take that because I imagine myself one day running a business. I came to UF knowing that I wasn’t like other master’s level students. I had this whole breadth of workforce experience, and I wanted that to work to my advantage, to help me stand out."
Divya has applied her time and expertise as a PK Yonge Volunteer teacher, an active member of Society of Women Engineers, a mentor for the International Mentorship
Association, a Flapmax product management intern, and has submitted project pitches for both the Big Idea and HERO X competitions. She currently works part time in Strategic Research Development here at UF.
She recently represented UF at the Voice conference for Women in Voice, an organization that looks behind the scenes at linguistics, programming, and voice acting for products like Siri and Alexa.
How does she keep up with it all? “What I have learned is to take things one step at a time. If you think you’ve missed a window, it is okay. There is something else waiting for you. Keep your eyes open. Do not wait for someone else to come and say ‘hey, this is what you need to do.’ You have to go and figure it out. What I love about the U.S., people here are just putting themselves out there. It is you who has to make the effort. You have to be ready to put in hard work.”
By Samantha Jones
L3Harris Corporation Graduate Fellowship
Sarah Brown • Brett Benda • Christopher You • Jeremy Block • Patriel Stapleton
Gartner Group Information Technology Scholarship
Aruna Jayasena • Nanjie Rao • Xuan NhatHoang
Gartner Group Graduate Fellowship
Abhishek Kulkarni • Hansika Madushan Weerasena Loku Kattadige • Hoang Ngo • Xiao Li • Jingzhou Hu • Amal Hashky • Weidong Zhu • Jayetri Bardhan • Alexander Barquero • Yu-Peng Chen • Wenxuan Bao • Zelin Xu • Tyler Tucker • Yuchen Sun
LAC Scholarship
Bria Smith
Divya Vellanki
ZHIXIN PAN (PH.D. CS ’22) RECEIVES EDAA OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION AWARD
Zhixin Pan, Ph.D., (MSCS ’17, Ph.D. CS ’22), received the European Design and Automation Association (EDAA) Outstanding Dissertation Award. Pan’s dissertation, titled “Defending systems against malicious attacks using machine learning,” focused on machine learning techniques to counter various malicious cyber-attacks, such as malware and ransomware. Using machine learning, he has developed detection models for Trojan horse attacks and enabled real– time detection of evasive attacks.
“It is my honor to receive this award, and I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Prabhat Mishra for his great support and guidance all through the process,” Pan said. “I would like to also extend my sincere appreciation to the entire EDAA reviewing committee for considering me to be among the esteemed recipients of the award.”
Pan received his bachelor’s in software engineering from Huazhong University in 2015, before completing a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Florida in 2017. He continued his education at UF and received a Ph.D. in computer science in 2022.
Pan is now an associate professor at the joint college of engineering of Florida A&M University and Florida State University.
In recognition of the importance of university research to the advancement of design automation and test, and to encourage young researchers to work in the field, EDAA has established an award for outstanding Ph.D. dissertations in four categories. Each category has one awardee per year.
By Drew Brown
Zhixin Pan, P.h. D.
Michael Mosseri (BSCEN ‘01) is the CEO of TotalBrokerage and awarded #14 on the 2024 Gator100 roster. He co-founded TotalBrokerage with Ben Schachter who he met while attending University of Florida.TotalBrokerage offers the real estate industry’s most comprehensive sales and management platform built to scale brokerage performance, from first contact to close. Developed for brokers by industry-leading brokers, TotalBrokerage’s robust platform is the only solution brokerages, agents, and admins need to streamline daily processes. Unlike traditional SaaS tools, TotalBrokerage serves as an expert advisor, offering custom consultative services that empower brokerages to implement the most intelligent business decisions. With feature-rich solutions that easily integrate with other systems and unparalleled client service, TotalBrokerage enables brokerages to gain a competitive edge, optimize operations, save valuable time and resources, and sell more homes faster.
Michael Mosseri
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: MOHAMED SUGAL
Mohamed Sugal (BSCS ‘21) was always captivated by video games as a child. They opened his eyes to a world of wonder and opportunity, sparking his interest in computing and technology. He also had the opportunity to learn personal computing with a friend and his tutor propelled this interest forward.
“It was my first real glimpse into the capabilities of computers, far beyond the realm of gaming. I was amazed by the versatility and power at our fingertips, from creating documents to exploring the internet,” Sugal said.
He began his professional experience with computers at a local internet café. He was the youngest employee there and his responsibilities included installing software, troubleshooting internet issues, and training others to use Microsoft Office programs.
These experiences are what lead Sugal to pursue a degree in computer science through UF Online.
“My early experiences with computers were more than just steps in a career path; they were the building blocks of my passion for computer science. They taught me about technology and its potential to connect and empower people,” Sugal said. “This realization has been a guiding force in my pursuit of a formal education and career in computer science, driving me to not only expand my own knowledge but also to share it with others.”
While completing his coursework he was driving a semitruck full time.
“During my coursework there were times when I would have poor service and the professors were always very
accommodating,” Sugal said.
He had nothing but great things to say about the UF Online program. He touted the sense of comradery and inclusiveness that isn’t always included in an online education. He was able to form a supportive study group with two other students in the program, which significantly enriched his online learning experience.
“I never felt isolated as an online student at UF. My professors and colleagues created a collaborative and friendly environment,” Sugal said.
Mohamed Sugal
P.O. BOX 116120
GAINESVILLE, FL 32611
WWW.CISE.UFL.EDU / @UFCISE @UF_CISE
Join Our Team
The Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida invites applications for multiple full-time, nine-month tenure-track faculty positions at the rank of Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor. The positions have an anticipated start date of August 2025.
CISE provides a vibrant, multidisciplinary, and highly collaborative environment, and is consistently ranked among the top departments for both graduate and undergraduate programs. This department is among the largest CISE departments in the nation, with 57 faculty members and over 5,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Research is central to the success of the program, and new faculty will be expected to initiate and sustain strong sponsored research and graduate training programs.
