Accessibility
Coordinators: Brent Davis (bedavis AT_TOWSON) and Julia Caffrey (jcaffrey AT_TOWSON)
The Accessibility SIG’s mission is to exchange resources and information to enhance
teaching, learning, research and service in the areas of accessibility related to
human difference. Over 30 faculty and staff members from across Towson University
meet often quarterly to discuss areas of common interest such as accessibility, disability,
variability and accommodations related to human differences and how our teaching,
research, service and use of technology may help us to better understand this vast
interest area.
Big Data
Coordinators: Philippe Duverger (pduverger AT_TOWSON) and Nam Nguyen (npnguyen AT_TOWSON)
The Big Data Special Interest Group invites members from various academic disciplines
and departments who would like to discuss and explore the topic of Big Data analysis
and the influence that Big Data has and will have on our lives as consumers and citizens
of the planet. Beyond the natural inter-departmental intellectual stimulation provided
by the SIG, we propose to also raise the awareness about Big Data at the Towson University
level and also in the metropolitan area by ways of forums, conferences, talks and
other communications.
Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity (Cyber4All)
Coordinator: Siddharth Kaza (skaza AT_TOWSON)
Cybersecurity has critical political, military, economic, social, infrastructure,
and information implications for our nation. Effective cybersecurity solutions require
initiatives that not only prepare computer scientists to be cybersecurity professionals,
but extend security education to all majors to produce a cybersecurity prepared workforce.
As cyberspace has become ubiquitous, cybersecurity has become everyone’s business.
A comprehensive cybersecurity education model needs to reach all students and disciplines
impacted by cybersecurity issues. The National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education
(NICE) Strategic Plan aims at broadening the pool of individuals prepared to enter
the cybersecurity workforce. Despite consensus on the need for a multi-disciplinary
approach to cybersecurity, few paths exist for undergraduates to obtain cybersecurity
education outside of computing.
Towson University is recognized by NSA/DHS as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber
Operations and Cyber Defense. It’s time to consolidate our work in cybersecurity and
bring in the diverse knowledge on cybersecurity at Towson to the same table. This
SIG will foster collaboration between faculty in all colleges at Towson and provide
a forum for discussion on teaching and scholarship in cybersecurity.
Eye Tracking Related Research
Coordinators: Maria Perpie Liwanag (mliwanag AT_TOWSON)and Prisca Martens (pmartens AT_TOWSON)
The Special Interest Group on Eye Tracking Related Research invites members from various
disciplines who would like to discuss and explore eye movement research. At our first
meeting, we will share our questions and concerns and collaboratively develop goals,
objectives, and an agenda for our SIG. Tentative possible topics/goals/objectives
include, but are not limited to: discussions of eye tracking hardware and software
systems; exchange of ideas about research design and measures of eye movements; sharing
of issues, such as calibration, data loss, etc.; highlighting applications of eye
tracking research in various disciplines; collaborating and conducting interdisciplinary
eye tracking research; collaborating in writing external grants on eye tracking research.
GIS and Environmental Informatics
Coordinator: John Morgan (jmorgan AT_TOWSON)
Advances in sensor technologies and computer models has resulted in the ability to
collect massive amounts of data to monitor and analyze environmental conditions on
earth. As a result, new systems have become available to store, manage, and analyze
environmental data. With this in mind, the GIS and Environmental Informatics Special
Interest Group at Towson University is focused on advances in technology for the management,
analysis, and display of spatial and temporal data as it pertains to environmental
science. Along with geographic information systems, as the title suggests, other
technologies that are of interest to this group include database systems, sensor networks, data
analytics, machine learning, information visualization, and information management.
Public Health and Health Informatics
Coordinators: Subrata Acharya (sacharya AT_TOWSON) and Devon Dobrosielski (ddobrosielski AT_TOWSON)
The SIG in Healthcare Informatics is concerned with the application of computing and
information science principles and techniques, and information and communication technologies,
to address issues in healthcare and the delivery of healthcare services. The group
aims to bring together members of various disciplines to evaluate the needs and problems
of developing and managing medical information systems that can handle the complex
uses to which they are put. The goal is to provide a forum for sharing and managing
knowledge as a strategic resource for improving the quality, effectiveness, and use
of healthcare information systems, data transfer amongst such systems, and inter-
and intra-communication between them through rigorous application of medical informatics.
The group plans to focuses on the following areas, but not limited to: health care
delivery systems; medical coding and analysis; clinical informatics; medical databases
and applications; data mining and analysis in healthcare; emergency care systems (Triage
and Paramedics); public health and community health; mobile application development
to promote quality of care; security and privacy aspects in healthcare systems; regulations,
standards and frameworks in healthcare systems; development of curriculum, certification
and mentoring programs.
Social Media Analysis
Coordinator: Samuel Collins (scollins AT_TOWSON)
The Special Interest Group on Social Media Analysis starts with the recognition that
social media intersect with multiple academic disciplines in multiple ways, from platforms
for communication and dissemination of results to the object of analysis and the development
of methodological tools. Similarly, projects in social media analysis are interdisciplinary
to a high degree, with any scholarly endeavor simultaneously engaging technical, social,
psychological, qualitative and quantitative inquiry. We see this group as a forum
for Towson University researchers engaged in social media analysis at any level, including:
technical innovations, pedagogical applications, behavioral analysis, mapping, and
digital humanities.
List of Special Interest Group Members