September 2008 Archives

My supervisor is Dr. Heng Xu. And here is her website: http://faculty.ist.psu.edu/xu/
She also comes from China and graduated from National University of Singapore as a Ph.D. in the year 2005. After that, she continued her research in Singapore for one year. And then she came to IST, starting as an assistant professor.
Her research area focuses on Management of Information System, Privacy, and Security. In IST, she leads the PAL, standing for Privacy Assurance Laboratory. She is a relatively young scholar in IST and she is really hardworking. I believe I can learn a lot under her supervision.
Actually I like this advising style very much, because I can talk to her about my any opinions in research very freely. And she always gives me some good suggestions and very explicit instructions, which helps me learn much faster. I enjoy this communication style, for she is more like a good friend than a strict supervisor.

After presenting in class to introduce the history, structure, and flavors of IST, I have actually got a more comprehensive knowledge about it, from which I feel Wow.
There are many impressive aspects of IST, from its unique building across the Antherton Street, to its flat structure, and the diversity of both faculties and students. I have to say that IST is unique.
Different from many traditional departments, there is no department in College of Information Sciences and Technology. So here comes a question, how to manage this unit? What is the structure of IST? There are many research labs and centers that focus on diverse research directions. And the freedom dimension is great for students because they can find what they are really interested in.
Where can I fit in IST? It is not a new question. When I began to apply programs in the US last year, I thought a lot about it. I am interested in how to make information work better for human beings and what is the effective interaction between human and computer. What's more specifically, how to implement security and privacy issues into this big HCI framework is the major issue I am concerning with.
I believe I will enjoy my life here, both academic and on-campus.

 

"Information. The Power to Transform Our World".
Well, above motto denotes what is being studied in iSchools and the goal of these research.
iSchools are different from traditional departments in many ways including the research areas, research methodologies, composition of faculties and diversity. iSchools focus on the relations between people, technology, and information. And faculties in iSchools are usually from different scientific categories. iSchools have brought more collaboration than ever in order to make information work well and effectively. This is characterized by a commitment to learning and understanding the role of information in human endeavors. The iSchools take it as given that expertise in all forms of inforamtion is required for progress in science, business, education, and culture. This expertise must include understanding of the users and uses of information, as well as information technologies and their applications.
Different iSchools have different origins and specialties. For instance, IST at Penn State was built from a scratch; iSchool in UC Berkley has similar structure. While other iSchools, some of them origines from Library Information Science, and some have close relations with School of Education or Computer Science.
It is not the first time to talk about why I come here. -__-b
There is no doubt that in IST I can have opportunity to know about the most interdiscpliary subjects and research areas. And it can provide me with a global scope of information related theories and applications. The culture here is another attractive point, which is rather open minded. I think it is a great resource to inspire me. I believe I can improve myself both in academic area and in personality to the highest degree of myself. ~~~~~

I am a passionate person in many different ways. I am crazy about Bohemian Rhapsody. I am crazy about Roberto Baggio. I am crazy about traditional Chinese culture such as Beijing opera and tea culture.

And what drives me to do research or take academic way to future is that I am eager to make life extraordinary. I want to make my effort to influent people, to make life better, and serve community through my knowledge and technology.

"To give is much better than to receive" .  

I am a first year PhD student from College of Information Sciences and Technology in PSU.

I got my master's degree from Chinese Academy of Sciences majored in Information Security. And I got my bachelor's degree from Dept E&E in Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Well, my major has changed since I was undergraduate. But somehow they are related with each other. And finally, I get here.

IST is such a interdiscplinary subject which I think to be a great combination and balance of my major and my interest.

I am Pan Shi. And in Chinese my name means "hope".

I have a lot of hobbies -- I like cooking, tennis, soccer, pop music, rock n roll, tv shows -__-

I am also very interested in different cultures and religions ~~~~

OK, this is my now.