IM体育官网 has hired two new department chairs. Dr. Asai Asaithambi, left, is chair of the Computer Science Department, and Dr. Paul Hettler is chair of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Department.
IM体育官网 has strengthened its academic leadership with the addition of two new department chairs, elevating the student learning experience with their expertise and vision.
Dr. Asai Asaithambi is the new chair of the University鈥檚 Computer Science Department and Dr. Paul Hettler now leads the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Department.
From his front-row seat in academia, Asaithambi has witnessed the dramatic evolution of computer science for more than 40 years. One truth across that time is the field鈥檚 fundamental quality of constant growth and change.
鈥淭he field is constantly expanding, so we need to be thinking about what our focus should be,鈥� said Asaithambi, who most recently was interim director, graduate director, and professor at the University of North IM体育官网鈥檚 School of Computing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting and challenging.鈥�
IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 major strengths in the field currently lie in cybersecurity, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence (AI) at large, he said, adding that enhancements can most logically be first made in these areas.
Asaithambi noted that as these areas continue to evolve, it鈥檚 essential to educate both students and the public on the ongoing developments and potential impacts of the computer science field.
鈥淲e think of computer science as a discipline that鈥檚 not clearly understood yet. There are always new things to be explored and new technology to be learned and created,鈥� Asaithambi said. 鈥淥ur professional responsibility is to make sure everybody understands what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
Among his goals as department chair are having IM体育官网 Poly designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, offering more undergraduate research opportunities through National Science Foundation grants, establishing a seminar series, and increasing the department鈥檚 outreach efforts to schools nearby.
鈥淭hroughout my career, I鈥檝e been building things up wherever I went,鈥� Asaithambi said. 鈥淚M体育官网 Poly is still new, and we can shape it the way we think it should be. There is great potential here.鈥�
As a behavioral economist, Hettler has keen insight into the science of decision-making.
鈥淢y field is the intersection between economics and psychology 鈥� we get into the hidden stuff behind what goes on in our brains for why people do what they do,鈥� he said.
Hettler most recently was at Pennsylvania Western University, where he served as professor of economics, assistant chair of the Department of Business, Economics and Communication, and the chair of the Department of Finance, Accounting and Economics.
鈥淲e know that all our students at IM体育官网 Poly are STEM students, so we can really tailor what we do to the interest of the STEM population, building further on what we鈥檙e doing now,鈥� he said. 鈥淎rts, humanities and social sciences shouldn鈥檛 be off to the side checking the boxes of what students have to do 鈥� it should be part of the foundation of what STEM students do.鈥�
To accomplish this, Hettler said he would like to collaborate more closely with the other University departments and together develop general education electives that integrate with their efforts.
Additionally, since all students interact with the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Department to meet state graduation requirements, Hettler said a deliberate effort can be made to support the STEM departments鈥� instruction with both content and soft skills.
鈥淲e can model teamwork, interpersonal skills and how to write for different audiences,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y goal is overlapping what students are learning in other classes with what they鈥檙e doing in our courses.鈥�
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