CSC eNewsletter

Welcome to the online edition of CSC eNews, a monthly electronic newsletter for alumni and friends of the Department of Computer Science at NC State University.

If you are a CSC alum and wish to be added to the email distribution list, click here. Corporate or individual friends of the department may be added to our distribution list by sending an email request to Ken Tate, Director of Development & External Relations for the NCSU Department of Computer Science.

April 28, 2006

Vouk Named Department Head

We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Mladen A. Vouk, professor of computer science and associate vice provost for information technology at North Carolina State University, has been named head of the Department of Computer Science effective July 1, 2006. He has served as interim head since July 2004. more

NCSU Celebrates Dedication of Engineering Building II

Against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky, NC State University and the College of Engineering officially dedicated Engineering Building II (EBII) on Friday, April 28. EBII, which represents the second phase of the plan to move the entire College of Engineering to Centennial Campus, houses the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Computer Science. During his keynote remarks, Mr. Bob McGehee, chairman and CEO of Progress Energy, announced a $1.2 million corporate gift to support initiatives within the NC State College of Engineering. Part of Achieve! The Campaign for NC State, the gift is the largest given by Progress Energy to the college and will support three endowments. In recognition of their generousity, Progress Energy will receive the naming rights for the 3rd floor bridge area including two large conference rooms and an outdoor terrace. more

Departmental Research Grants, Gifts, and Support

Jesse Fearrington (BS ' 73) has provided the department a stock gift valued at approximately $6,000 in support of the Diversity in Computer Science Endowment Fund.

I-cubed has provided the department a donation of $7,000, in support of our Senior Design Program and our ePartners Program.

Congratulations to Drs. Laurie Williams and Mladen Vouk for having their proposal titled "BPC-A: The STARS Alliance - A Southeastern Partnership for Diverse Participation in Computing" funded for $285,698 by the National Science Foundation through UNC Charlotte. The award will run from March 1st, 2006 through February 28th, 2009.

Bitzer Inducted into the Consumer Electronics (CE) Hall of Fame

Dr. Donald L. Bitzer, Distinguished University Research Professor of Computer Science at North Carolina State University, has been inducted into the Consumer Electronics (CE) Hall of Fame by The Consumer Electronics Association for his efforts in advancing television technology. CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro announced the new inductees during CEA's Entertainment Technology Policy Summit held in Washington, D.C. Bitzer, also an emmy-award winner, co-invented the flat plasma display panel in 1964. more

Hatch Retiring - Scholarship Endowment & Alumni Party Planned

Our beloved Joyce Hatch...computer science undergraduate advisor extraordinaire...plans to retire from her role here at NC State effective June 30, 2006. To honor her for her almost 30 years of outstanding service, a grassroots alumni effort has been launched to create a named scholarship endowment in her honor. Prior to the public announcement during the department's year-end picnic on April 28th, over $23,000 had been pledged and almost $9,000 collected. At the request of numerous alumni, a special "Joyce Hatch Retirement" web page has been established which details the endowment plans, offers visitors an opportunity to read and share their favorite "Joyce Hatch Memories", and provides dates and info on special events.

NC State Ranked Second in National 'Best Value' List

North Carolina State University is second on The Princeton Review's list of best values among the nation's public colleges and universities. The rankings were released March 28. NC State also typically does well in the best value rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, in which the university was ranked fifth nationally this year. more

Wright Selected for Preparing the Professoriate Program

Computer Science PhD student, David Wright, has been named one of the 10 doctoral students selected for the Preparing the Professoriate program through a University-wide competition. Preparing the Professoriate is a program which gives faculty and doctoral students the opportunity to engage in a significant mentoring activity for an academic year. Each of these students will receive a $2,000 stipend ($1,000 per semester). more

Bell Recognized at ACAAGS Banquet

Computer Science Ph.D. candidate, Kera Bell, was recognized with an Academic Achievement Award at the Twenty-fourth Annual Association for the Concerns of African American Graduate Students (ACAAGS) Awards Banquet. The ACAAGS banquet, a celebration of excellence, was held on April 6, 2006, at the McKimmon Center. The ACAAGS is an independent student organization for all students who seek to address the needs, concerns and interests specific to African American graduate students. Congratulations to Bell for her scholastic achievements and recognition.

Mountrouidou & CSC Graduate TAs Recognized

The 37th Annual University Graduate Student Association Teaching Assistant Awards Banquet was held on April 18, and 11 Computer Science Graduate TAs were recognized for their outstanding service to the students and faculty of the Computer Science Department and for their contribution to the university's teaching mission. Among those honored were five exceptional nominees selected as "the best of the best", including CSC's very own, Xenia Mountrouidou Congratulations to Xenia and all our Outstanding TAs! more

Laboratory for Accelerating Innovation Proposed

A partnership, currently composed of the Department of Computer Science, the College of Design, the Industrial Extension Service Business Development Unit, Hampton University, and CI Partners LLC, plans to submit a proposal to the NSF Partnerships for Innovation program to establish a Laboratory for Accelerating Innovation. The purpose of the Laboratory is to investigate and improve the innovation process, to disseminate the results nationwide, to improve the standard of living of humankind, and to create jobs through innovation. A secondary goal is to demonstrate the excitement and potential in careers in industrial design and computer science.

The Laboratory would focus on market-pull, need-driven innovation by assembling the diverse requisite domain experts from university faculty to create a solution. This strategy contrasts with the typical technology push approach used by most universities for technology transfer. It will have similarities to the Media Lab at MIT, but will be problem driven rather than technology driven. As part of the Laboratory, students would be taught the process of innovation, e.g., as in CSC 485 Innovating in Technology.

Companies interested in joining this partnership or learning more about the laboratory should contact Dr. Alan Tharp (alan_tharp@ncsu.edu) by May 15. more

Student-Designed Computer Games Showcase Planned for April 28

Students in NC State University's computer science and industrial design programs will unveil their latest computer games at the Computer Game Development Showcase, to be held Friday, April 28 at 8:30 p.m. in the Kamphoefner Hall Auditorium (map). The projects being shown are the result of semester-long collaborative efforts between teams formed from students in the computer science course on computer game design and development and the industrial design course in 3D real-time modeling and animation. more

NCSU IT and InfoSec Practicum OPEN HOUSE Scheduled for May 2

The NCSU Information Technology and Information Security (IT and InfoSec) Practicum will have an "Open House" on Tuesday, May 2nd, from 6-8 pm in 2210 Nelson Hall (map). During this special event, teams comprised of both computer science and management students will show how they have worked collaboratively on industry-sponsored projects. Each team will provide attendees a brief presentation of their final project followed by more detailed demonstrations. more

"Posters & Pies" Event to Showcase Senior Projects - May 3rd

The public is cordially invited to the NCSU Computer Science Senior Design Center's semester-ending "Posters & Pies" project showcase on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm. This semester, the event will be held in Engineering Building II - Room 1025 and will be hosted by two of our Super ePartners, John Deere and Tekelec. Each student team will give a brief overview of their senior design projects. After the presentations, pizza and dessert pies will be served in the breezeway, and you can enjoy project demonstrations and poster displays in the Atrium of our new building! more

Demand for project slots is expected to exceed our capacity. To secure one of the remaining slots for fall 2006, please contact Ken Tate at 919-513-4292 or kmtate2@ncsu.edu as soon as possible.

Red Hat's Szulik to Speak at Spring 2006 Diploma Ceremony

Our spring diploma ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 13th at 1:30 pm in beautiful Meymandi Concert Hall at the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. Matthew Szulik, CEO & President of Red Hat, will provide the keynote address. Special thanks to Super ePartner, Tekelec, for their sponsorship of this very special event. Approximately 120 graduates are expected to receive their degrees during the ceremony. For the convenience of our guests who might require overnight accommodations, we suggest the Sheraton Raleigh located at 421 S. Salisbury Street adjacent to the Civic Center. For reservations, call the hotel at 919-834-9900 and ask for the $89 NCSU rate. more

CSC Faculty / Staff News

Congratulations to Ron Hartis for being selected as a "Pride of the Wolfpack Award" winner for the College of Engineering in March. He was recognized for his outstanding efforts and contributions in facilitating the relocation of the Computer Science department from multiple buildings to EB2 on Centennial Campus.

Dr. Laurie Williams has been asked to speak at the Computer Science & Information Technology Symposium in San Diego on July 8, 2006 (see event site). The symposium provides professional development opportunities for Grade 9-12 computer science and computer applications teachers who need practical, relevant information to help them prepare their students for the future. In addition, Dr. Williams has been asked to participate in the writing of a new preface for the ACM Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science Education.

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