CS Significant Bits E-Newsletter

• Tips and Tricks to Start the Semester

  • If you plan to enroll our various student portals, including KSIS (student account portal for enrollment & tuition payment), Canvas (course platform portal), and Webmail (student email portal) can be found on our K-State homepage (www.ksu.edu) via the sign-in link found above the search bar in the top right-hand corner of the webpage.

    Here are a few friendly tips that you may find of value:

    • Connect with your program advisor/coordinator, if you have not already done so, regarding courses to enroll in for the upcoming semesters. Please let me know if you need the program advisor/coordinator contact information.
    • Utilize our K-State Online program's search page to review your program curriculum and search for course offerings along with course details via our K-State online course search.
    • Follow this quick tutorial "how to enroll in a class in KSIS" to get enrolled in KSIS.
    • Look for required materials by searching our K-State Campus Store at https://www.bkstr.com/kansasstatestore/shop/textbooks-and-course-materials. Or check out this quick "KSIS: Find Textbook Information" tutorial to finding your required course materials within KSIS once enrolled in the class.
    • Go to our KSIS help pages for step-by-step instructions on how to enroll in a class, find textbook information, and many other need to know tasks at https://www.k-state.edu/ksis/help/students/.
    • Graduate students must email grad@ksu.edu to drop your only course, once the class has begun. Learn how to drop the course drop and refund dates at https://support.ksu.edu/TDClient/30/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=100.
    • Check your KSIS To Do Items! Sometimes these to do items in KSIS can keep you from enrolling or even prevent you from graduating.
    • In need of financial assistance? Visit the K-State Office of Student Financial Assistance website to look for aid options or visit with one of our financial aid advisors.
    • Please know that university communications will be sent to your K-State email called Webmail, which is separate from K-State Canvas announcements. We ask you to check your Webmail frequently while attending Kansas State University.

• Tutoring

  • K-State offers extensive tutoring services. The Academic Achievement Center has aggregated tutoring services from across campus onto their dedicated Tutoring Services page. The College of Engineering also offers tutoring in pertinent subjects through the Scholars Assisting Scholars initiative.

• Math Help Sessions

  • Students in math courses can get help from math GTAs in math help sessions on Zoom. Visit the math website to view the schedule and click on any name to join their Zoom session. Also see the "Helping Students in Math Courses" and "How to Succeed in K-State Math Courses" pages.

• Navigate How-To
  • We use Navigate for enrollment. This can also be used to schedule appointments with your adivisors. If you have any questions on how to use Navigate or how to schedule an appointment with your advisor, please go to the Navigate How-To page.
• Engineering Academic Coaching
  
  • Heather Cunningham is a professional academic coach available for engineering students each Tuesday-Friday. She is available for scheduled or drop-in appointments at various times in Holton 101 and 1112 Engineering Hall, so schedule on the Navigate app or contact her at heather@ksu.edu.

• Declaring a Minor Concurrent or Post Baccalaureate
  • • Students who complete a minor concurrent with their degree will receive recognition on their records when the degree is posted and are encouraged to seek advice early in their academic planning. Students who wish to complete a minor after a baccalaureate must reapply to Admissions as a non-degree undergraduate student to add a minor, and should consult with the minor program director prior to reapplying.
• Minors and Secondary Majors in Music, Theatre, and Dance
  • For students interested in Music, Theatre or Dance, declare a minor or secondary major! Options include minors in Music, Theatre, Dance, Musical Theatre, and Jazz Studies, and a secondary major in Dance and the Human Experience. Declare online to get started!
• Computer Science Clubs Need You!
  • We have many clubs here in the Computer Science department. A few include the Association for Computing Machinery, the Computer Science Graduate Student Association, Game Development Club, and Hack K-State. More club information can be viewed on our webpage.

Job and internship opportunities can be found on our Employment page.

• Computer Science Scholarship Page
  • The Computer Science department has a page to aggregate different CS and IT scholarships. There are several options to explore, from identity-based opportunities to university-wide general scholarships. You can view the page on our website.
• International Student and Scholar Services
  • The ISSS also has a slate of scholarship to offer, most of which can be applied for with a single application. They are very helpful if you reach out for assistance and you can view their aggregate of International-eligible scholarships on their Resources webpage.

• • NSF Looking for Associate Program Director

    • The National Science Foundation is hiring an Associate Program Director to oversee the administration, evaluation, and regulation of scientific and STEM-related programs. This intermediate-level management position has a few options for education and experience: 6 years experience with a related Bachelor's degree, 3 years experience with a related Master’s, or a Ph.D. with at least a year’s relevant experience. More information and application available on the page for the job.

Job and internship opportunities can be found on our Employment page.

• Graduation Preparation is important! Visit this helpful website when preparing for graduation.
• If you plan on graduating this fall, check out this link to start applying. Once you apply you will be put on an email list for events coming up!

• CIS 525 Canceled Fall 2026- ECE 542 Will Substitute
  • Please be aware that CIS 525 has been canceled for Fall 2026, as Dr. Eugene Vasserman has been offered a sabbatical from teaching. For Cybersecurity students who are required to take that course, ECE 542 has been approved as a substitution to provide the background in networking needed for that major. Please make sure to check all the prerequisites for that course and enroll in it as soon as you are able! Computer Science majors should probably look to other options (CIS 520 and CIS 625) to complete their systems elective degree requirement, but also have the option to take ECE 542 as substitute for the networking curriculum requirement in CIS 525.
• CC 141: Privacy and Artificial Intelligence Offered This Fall
  • This course introduces students to the rapidly growing field of privacy in the age of artificial intelligence. Beginning with classic philosophical definitions of privacy and moving into modern technical tools, students will explore how privacy can be measured, protected, and sometimes undermined in the world of AI. Key topics include differential privacy, information leakage, federated learning, and the challenges of protecting personal data in unstructured formats like images and videos. Alongside lectures and readings, students will take part in hands-on exercises, from crafting privacy-preserving mechanisms to experimenting with tools that anonymize digital media, all while critically examining real-world applications from industry leaders like Google and Apple.
  • No prior background in computer science or math is required—just curiosity about how data shapes the modern world. Through interactive discussions, case studies, and group projects, students will gain a foundation in both the technical and ethical dimensions of privacy, as well as an appreciation for the open problems researchers and policymakers still face. Whether you’re interested in technology, philosophy, law, or public policy, this class offers a unique opportunity to engage with one of the most pressing issues of our time. By the end of the semester, you’ll not only understand how AI intersects with privacy but also develop the critical perspective to participate in shaping a more responsible digital future.
  • Held from October 19^th-December 18^th in DUE 0096, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM.
• CC 142-ZA: AI and Cybersecurity
  • This course introduces the rapidly evolving intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. Students will explore how AI technologies—such as machine learning algorithms—can enhance system security, while also examining the vulnerabilities that adversaries exploit and the strategies used to defend against them. Through real-world case studies, interactive labs, and hands-on activities, students will gain practical experience with both offensive and defensive techniques in AI security. The course also includes a forward-looking discussion on emerging research, including work being conducted at K-State. [Online, first 8-week session]
• CIS 590-X/CIS 890-X: Fundamentals of Privacy

  • This course is an advanced course designed for senior undergraduate and graduate students, offering a deep, rigorous exploration of privacy in modern data-driven systems. The course develops a strong theoretical foundation in privacy metrics, including differential privacy and its extensions, as well as information-theoretic notions such as information leakages. Building on this foundation, students engage with cutting-edge research topics such as privacy in machine learning, protection of structured and unstructured data (including tabulated data, images and video), federated learning, synthetic data generation, and advanced attack models with corresponding defenses. Through a combination of theory, critical reading of recent research papers, and hands-on experimentation, students gain the tools needed to analyze, design, and advance privacy-preserving technologies at the forefront of AI and data science. [Tu/Th: 2:30 PM-3:45 PM]

• CIS 625: Concurrent Software Systems (Scientific Computing Focus)
  • CIS 625 teaches how to design and optimize software for modern parallel and distributed systems using tools like MPI, OpenMP, and multithreading. Ideal for seniors and graduate students across CS, engineering, and the sciences, the course focuses on large-scale problems like simulation and data analysis. This year, we’re going all-in on AI integration, exploring how parallel computing drives modern machine learning and data-intensive workflows on high-performance systems. [Online, full semester OR Tu/Th: 2:30 PM-3:45 PM]
• CIS 890-F: Agentic Software Engineering
  • CIS 890-F will cover principles of Agentic Software Development and application of large language models to developing software requirements and documentation, architecture specifications, coding, testing and verification. Techniques will be studied for organizing and controlling artificially intelligent autonomous agents that carry out a variety of software development tasks. After an overview of foundational concepts lasting roughly one third of the course, the course will be organized around various projects in which the students apply Agentic Software Development principles in teams to develop personal knowledge bases, understand and document existing code bases, build applications using common front-end web frameworks, and develop modules of high-assurance systems. Claude Code and Codex will be agentic tools emphasized in the course. In lieu of having to purchase a textbook, students are expected to cover the costs of a subscription to one of these frameworks during the 15 week course period. [Tu/Th: 1:05 PM-2:20 PM]
• CIS 890-S: Explainable AI: Foundations and Research Perspectives
  • This course introduces the foundations and research frontiers of interpretable and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), a rapidly evolving area focused on making complex models more transparent and accountable. Emphasis is placed on critically evaluating explanation methods in terms of fidelity, robustness, and practical usefulness, as well as understanding their limitations. Through a combination of lectures, guided paper discussions, student-led presentations, and a team-based project, students will engage with current research and develop the ability to assess, critique, and apply XAI methods in both academic and applied contexts. [Tu/Th: 1:05 PM-2:20 PM].