Illini Center

The Illini Center welcomes Dean Rashid Bashir and The Grainger College of Engineering for the inaugural Conversations with Grainger Engineering Faculty event featuring Dr. Gang Wang!

The Conversations with Grainger Engineering Faculty series will bring faculty members to Chicago to share their research and engage in focused discussions with Grainger Engineering constituents during a lunch hour at the Illini Center. For the inaugural event, lunch will be provided.

The first event features Dr. Gang Wang of the Computer Science Department presenting Understanding Deepfake-based Social Engineering: from Users' Perspectives

Deepfake techniques (or broadly, deep generative models) have significantly improved our ability to synthesize media content such as images, videos, audio, and text. However, there is an increasing concern that this ability is also abused by adversaries to generate deceptive content for manipulating public opinions and running social engineering attacks. In this talk, Dr. Wang will discuss his recent collaborative work to investigate this deepfake threat, from users’ perspectives. The goal is to better understand how likely online users would be persuaded by deepfake content in social engineering scenarios and whether and how users’ behaviors change when they are made aware of this threat. They are also exploring what defenses can help to prevent or mitigate harms from deepfake-based attacks.

For information on future events and the College of Engineering, visit: https://grainger.illinois.edu/news/calendars/special

The Illini Center welcomes The Chicago Farmers for the March Luncheon, where Pat Dumstorff will be discussing sustainability through soil!

Trace Genomics has pioneered and productized the analysis of the soil microbiome using high definition genomic sequencing. Actionable insights Trace delivers to farmers and agronomists include guidance on optimal pathogen management as well as advanced management of phosphorus and nitrogen. Farmers are using these insights to only place products where they are needed to maximize yield and minimize waste and the negative environmental impact that comes with it. Pat Dumstorff, Trace Genomics' VP of Product Management and Marketing, will explain how it all works and walk through a few real-world examples.
Trace Genomics website: www.tracegenomics.com