Securing the Digital Future

At Carnegie Mellon, computing has always been more than software, code, usernames and passwords. It's about robots exploring the planetary terrain, making a game that teaches middle-schoolers how to program and establishing a private-public partnership to create the most secure systems in the world. Here's a snapshot of some of the interesting research happening at our university.

Shake, Rattle & Roll

The prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) PetaApps program recently awarded Carnegie Mellon's Jacobo Bielak a $1.6 million four-year grant for his research on earthquakes. He'll use the funding to develop computer simulations that play an important role in reducing seismic risk for large urban coastal cities. Read more.

CyLab Japan Team Shines

Hirokazu Sasamoto, a grad student at Carnegie Mellon CyLab Japan, Eiji Hayashi (E '06) and Carnegie Mellon faculty Nicolas Christin are changing the way people think about cybersecurity. While researchers typically consider the human factor as the Achilles' heel of security, Christin and his team have found a way to use it to their advantage. Read more. 

Games with a Purpose

Most online games promise players only entertainment and distraction. Gwap.com — a new site launched by scientists in Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science — offers something more: a chance to make computers smarter. Professor Luis von Ahn (CS '03, '05) calls them "Games with a Purpose." Read more.