Carol's Corner - Carol Miller
News from Tompkins Lab - Joseph Shyrock
IUP is Accredited as A Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education - Dr. William Oblitey
State of the Department - Jim Wolfe
I'm back; and yes, I'm the one who made the ugly cover for this issue. We actually did some on-campus consulting to get suggestions about how to improve the appearance of The Debugger. One suggestion was to put an image on the cover. I don't think a captured imaged of an assembly language debugging session on the VMS system is exactly what the consultant had in mind. But, I thought it was appropriate for this newsletter, even if it does conjure up nightmares for some of you. It is probably the last thing I will extract from the VMS system, as its days seem to be numbered (with very small numbers). I promise to find a more appealing image for the summer issue.
Because there was no issue of The Debugger in the Fall, there is a lot to catch up on. Carol Miller's article is extra long to deal with the extended time span. Joe Shyrock describes some of the major changes that are happening or will soon happen in campus computing. Bill Oblitey describes curriculum developments and the new designation awarded to IUP in the area of information security. And, Gary Buterbaugh says goodbye as department chair.
There are several parts of this issue that are written by or about students. Several of them joined the faculty in a recent trip to a conference. In addition, our students continue to represent IUP very well in programming contests.
I have included an article from me in this issue; I call it "State of
the Department." As I am about to become chair of the department, I thought
it would be appropriate for me to identify several of the issues which
need to be addressed in the near future. As you will see, there are some
formidable challenges ahead.
Jim Wolfe, Editor
From the Chair
This will be the last article I write for The Debugger as Chairman of the Computer Science Department. I thought I would take this opportunity to reflect on the years I have been Chair and what it has meant to me. For recent grads who had me for COSC 319 a writing intensive course that was my introduction to the subject; since this is not a technical document, you won't find an introduction to the structure of this article!
It was in the fall of 1976 (before some of you were even born), when I first considered becoming Chair of the Computer Science Department. Since it's inception, the department had only had one Chair, it's founder, Dr. Howard Tompkins. Dr Tompkins was a hard act to follow! I was only 32 at the time and still largely wet behind the ears, as they say. What a growing experience for me! Those of you who were around then may remember the first thing I did was to paint my office bright orange, my favorite color (at least then). I think, like today's punk generation, I was trying to make a statement that I was different. The department was small at that time, I believe about five, possible six, faculty, but we were beginning to have students coming out of the wood work.
In 1979, I left for a two-year stint with American Greetings in Cleveland and Dr. Jerry Buriok became the Chair. I enjoyed my time living in Cleveland and working for American Greetings; but I missed IUP and academic life. I returned and, I think, within a year I was again Chair. I think I remained Chair until 1987 when Mr. Thomas Cunningham took over for three years. During that time, I had the opportunity to do an exchange with a university in China, right across the border from Hong Kong. This experience changed my life; but I did return to IUP. In 1990, I was again elected Chair and remained Chair until the Spring of 1996 when I took a one semester sabbatical; and Dr. William Oblitey became Chair, filling in for me that semester and then serving a three-year term. I was again elected Chair in 1999 and will finish that term in May of this year. As I plan on retiring sometime within the next three years, I'll not serve again as Chair.
If you had told me when I was an undergraduate at IUP, or for that matter even in graduate school at Syracuse University that I would be Chair of the Computer Science Department at IUP for sixteen years of my professional career, I would have told you that you were crazy. But such is life. This is not what I would have chosen, but it has been a great experience for me.
Overall, I feel good about my tenure as Chair of the department. I was able to use some God-given organizational skills to help in several areas. We've seen a continuation of GREAT change within the field; and the department has adjusted to these changes . I think I would identify "people skills" as my greatest challenge. I would not have thought this to be the case as I have always been a "people-person", but this has been the area where I have faced the most difficulties. Part of this could be because most people working as computer professionals are of the Meyers-Briggs' ISTJ personality type, or as I am the ESTJ personality type (those of you who had me for COSC 380 should remember Meyers-Briggs). Certainly this has been true for the Computer Science Department faculty! I-or-ESTJ's have very strong opinions and not so much patience or tolerance for the opinions of others. Interacting with people like this has showed me a lot about myself!
I do not know how others perceive the job I have done, but I feel I
have accomplished a lot for the faculty, the students, and the department.
Anyone who knows me knows that my relationship with God is very important
to me and therefore I guess, most of all, my work has been an offering
to Him. I am sure that I have done many things wrong and at times hurt
individuals by not allowing God to work through me. If that has been you,
I hope that you have or will forgive me. My desire (and purpose for being
at IUP) has been to touch lives and share God's love with people. Remembering
that often times the best love that is shared is "tough-love", I hope that
some of you can give testimony to my doing that in your life. Watching
the lives of students change and watching our alumni go out into the world
and experience a measure of success is more reward than one could hope
for. I thank you all for allowing me to be a part of your life and for
being such an important part of my life.
Carol's Corner
Happy Spring to you all. It's always nice to see the flowers peeking through the dirt. Although I can't say we can complain about the winter we just had, I think we can complain about the Spring we're getting. Does anyone but me miss the sun??? Or, is Indiana the only place the sun doesn't shine?
So, what's new in the lives of our alumni, you ask? Well ....
I heard from Rick Joslin (5/86). I think I may have reported that he left ServiceWare last June after 6 years of leading their knowledge management operations and their only profitable product line, RightAnswers.com. During the final six months he was there, he assumed responsibility for their support organization and successfully rebuilt it. All in all, Rick said his time with ServiceWare was very rewarding and provided him with a wide range of experiences. After leaving ServiceWare, he took a few months to focus on family and to regenerate. Then, in October, he started consulting for a private software company as the Strategic Advisor to the CEO where the focus was on Knowledge Management and eSupport. He helped to reposition the company's strategy along with their marketing message, sales presentations, and product plans to enter the Knowledge Management and eSupport market. Rick's and the company's objective was for Rick to start full-time with the company on January 2nd; and their board supported the strategy but did not support the addition of another executive. So, Rick, at the time of his e-mail, was beginning another search. His passion is with the support industry, and he wants to remain a part of that. His plan is to primarily focus on consulting related to Knowledge Management and eSupport. His long range objective is to provide strategic leadership for knowledge management projects for vendors with products, for external organizations providing support for customers, or for internal organizations supporting employees. He's also investigating the opportunity to teach. So, if anyone out there is looking for a "Rick", I'll give you his e-mail address. Meanwhile, Rick, we all wish you luck and please let me know how things are going or, should I say, stay in touch. Rick's e-mail: RichardDJoslin @hotmail.com
Jeff Hill (5/00) was in town over Spring Break. He didn't stop to see me, though. But, he was on campus to get letters of recommendation for graduate school here at IUP, so some of the faculty got a chance to chat with him. Good for you Jeff. I'm sure when you're accepted, I'll see a bit more of you! Meanwhile, keep in touch.
Amy (Slovik) Grossman (5/00) gave birth to Emily Kathryn last October. I just realized as I was writing this that she didn't give me any stats, but she did send a picture. What a beautiful baby!!! Amy was going to stop in with her; but it was over Spring Break; and there weren't very many of us around. So she's put it off for a bit so she'd have a chance to visit with more faculty. Sure am looking forward to it, Amy!! Just let me know.
Congratulations also to Jane (Cunningham) Harnagy (5/87), Bob and Olivia. Reagan Paul Harnagy was born February 1, 2002, at 12:38 pm, weighing 7 lbs 6 oz. and 21.5 inches and Isabel Jane Harnagy was born February 1, 2002, at 12:40 pm, weighing 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 21.75 inches long. Even though they were big babies, they were technically a few days premature and they stayed in the hospital until Valentine's Day . As Jane said, they had a little learning disability - they would forget some of the basics - like breathing, sucking and swallowing and needed to be on monitors for a bit until they matured. Jane said her doctor thinks they are the biggest twins he has delivered. But they are home now and growing like weeds! Big sister, Olivia, 2, just loves them and plays mommy to them. There are pictures on www.harnagy.com and I really think everyone should take a look at them. Hopefully, since they are the grandchildren of Tom Cunningham, I might even get to see them in person one day - even though I've yet to meet Olivia - I do have high hopes. Congratulations again, Jane and Bob!!!!
Laura (Wojciechowski)Lawler (12/97) moved to Pineville NC (she has been in Charlotte, NC; Pineville is nearby). She's started back to school to get her Masters in IT at UNC Charlotte and was having a bit of trouble getting back in the groove. I think everybody out there knows what she means. Let me know how its going, Laura. It's always nice to hear from you.
Zhen Ji (5/94) recently moved from Seattle to Chicago and sent me a hello along with his new address. After graduation, Zhen went on to NYU and got his master's degree in computer science in 1996 and then joined Microsoft as a software design engineer and moved to Redmond, WA. During the next 5 years, he worked in various different product groups, like MSN, Internet Explorer and Windows 2000, within Microsoft. Then, last fall he was accepted by Kellogg's MBA program (Northwestern University) and moved to Chicago in August for school. His plan is to major in finance and business strategy. He will graduate in 2003 and he's really enjoying it. His wife, Felicia, whom he met at NYU, works for Deliotte & Touche as an auditor and transferred from the Seattle office to Chicago. She spends most of her days working on Deliotte's Boeing project. Thanks so much, Zhen, for updating me. Let me know how it goes with the MBA!
This next little item, I probably should skip, but I'm not going to. Besides, I told her I was going to publish it; so she's been forewarned. Pamm Gindlesperger (12/94) turned 30 on March 4 and (her words) has been going through a semi-midlife crisis. Well, she decided she was going to get a tattoo or navel ring for her birthday and she went to South Side Tattoo and Body Piercing (in Pittsburgh); and she now has her belly button pierced!!! :) Can you believe it!!!!!!! She was also planning a big birthday bash by bar hopping all over the South Side, Strip District, and eventually heading back to the Idlewood Inn in Greentree. She told me she'd let me know how everything went if she wasn't in jail. Now, she said she was just kidding, but, guess what everybody????? I haven't heard a word from her. Not sure if I need to make some calls or not. How about it Pamm??
As you all know, Becky Salter (12/94) has joined the Air Force and I've kept you posted on what she's been doing. She stopped in early in October while she was on leave and was headed back the next day. She is now Lt. Salter and, at that time, was stationed in Fairbanks Alaska where she'd been since her training in Alabama. But, hey, I'll tell you what, judging by the looks of Becky, I think we should all go to air force training. She's looking really good! Becky also showed me some pictures with a good looking guy in them. (Keep on Reading!) I didn't know if there's anything I needed to know about this guy or not; but I'll admit to being curious.
Becky actually stopped in October because she's also planning on going to grad school, and needed to get some transcripts and request letters of recommendation from her favorite professors. Well, next time I heard from Becky, she had been shipped to Mississippi for some technical training. She wasn't too stressed about it since most of it was review for her. She also made it to New Orleans to check out the French Quarter and really enjoyed seeing such a different culture. She's also been to San Antonio, Texas a lot where her "boyfriend" (did you catch that???) is living. She sent me another picture, too; and he really is a good looking guy. Way to go Becky!!! Right now, Becky is thinking about where she's going to get her master's. So far, she hasn't found anywhere that has everything she needs; but she's looking around to find the right program. In Becky's last update (in March), she also told me she'd be going back to Alaska once she's finished with her training in Mississippi. She also told me she got engaged!!!! (I knew there was more to that picture than she was telling me back in October.) Congratulations, Becky!!!! And, good luck with your career!! I know we'll be hearing from you.. Thanks for updates Becky; but also keep us posted.
I had visits from Michael Whyte (5/01), Ryan Knepper (12/01) and Jaunita Burdette (12/01) who are all still job hunting - mostly, I think, because they need to stay in the area and jobs are pretty few around here. If anyone out there knows of anything, let me know.
Drax Felton (5/99) is also job hunting. He was with CTC in Johnstown; and they started having some layoffs. Drax just bought a house in Cherry Tree, though, so he's not going too far. If anyone knows of anything in the Johnstown/Altoona area, let me know.
Mike Everett (5/97) was here for a day doing some work. He sent me pictures of Kerian and Logan. I can't believe how much those kids have grown. Kerian still looks the same as he did as a toddler when Mike used to bring him in to visit, though. Mike is still with IBM in New York; but some of you probably remember that Mike is a townie and comes back fairly regularly. It's always nice to see you Mike and thanks for the pictures.
Gary Buterbaugh shared an e-mail he received from Dan Danka (5/99).
Actually it was pictures he shared with me. Dan and his wife have four
children and they shared pictures from Thanksgiving, Christmas and from
some family outings.
Dan, you have a real nice family!!! You should send me an update of
what you've been doing!
Wendy (Liskey) McIntosh (5/94) sent me an e-mail. I think I mentioned that she had been laid off her job at PHICO just about the same time she was taking maternity leave for the birth of Jennifer. At that time, she was the room mother for Ashley's class and was doing a lot of volunteering at the school. Most of the rest of the day she and Jennifer spent playing and napping. Wendy said she had a nap almost every day - just because she could. Doesn't that sound like heaven!! She was enjoying herself and was really happy with the way life was going at the time. Well, I've heard since that time, and life is still pretty darn good; but now she's working part time with a latch key program. She really likes working with the kids; and her husband gets home as she leave for work, so Jennifer still doesn't have to go to daycare. Her dinner is waiting for her when she gets home and the whole family has their meal together, so it's worked out well for both their schedules and helps to supplement their income a bit, not to mention Wendy enjoys getting out of the house for a couple hours. Wendy also attached a picture of the girls. I can't believe how big Ashley has gotten and Jennifer is just as cute as can be. Thanks for sending them Wendy.
Kelly Parrish (5/00) stopped in over Thanksgiving while I was off. I was really sorry I missed her. Kelly is working in Cambridge, Mass for a software company (170 Systems) in the imaging field that integrates with the Oracle database. She works as an Education Consultant, which means she does computer training - when the company gets a client, she designs and implements the system for them; then she travels onsite and trains the end user to use their new system. She has traveled to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Ireland and many places in the states and is looking forward to more fun trips. Thanks for the update Kelly. Please keep me posted on how you're doing.
Peggy Mogush (5/87) has moved to Edinboro, PA. I don't have a lot of details, but I'll keep everyone posted. One thing I do know, she's a lot closer now, and we should be seeing more of her. Right Peg?? You take care and keep me posted.
Charley Shubra shared an e-mail he received from Brian Geibel (12/00). Brian's working as an IT project lead for AIMS logistics in Tennessee. At the time of the e-mail, they were looking for some entry level programmers. Hope we were able to help you. Good luck to you!
I had Christmas Cards from Jennifer and Jason Livingston (12/95), Emma & Sean; Mark (5/85) & Bev (Green) 5/85() Landry and Justin and Ryan (I'm not sure who the kids look like this year. I think Justin looks like his mother, Ryan seems to have changed the most, I think he's more a combination of the 2 of them.) Cathy (Fleig) (12/85) and Eric Gruss, Miranda, Rebecca, Alex and Evan. Their family is really growing!! It's been a couple years since we've seen them. Rick Joslin and family, Valerie Bonito (12/93) and Roger Hughes(12/93); Mike Gutzat and family; Kari (Robson)(5/98) and Greg Behune; Janie (Pike) (5/92 )and Ron Kustaborder; Lisa (Dillon) (12/93) and Tony Boslett (5/92); and Yiming Sun (5/01). I'm sure I forgot someone so I apologize to those of you that I forgot.
Warren Hilton (5/95) called. Warren is now working at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore MD. He's doing the same work he had been doing at Maryland but in a more structured atmosphere and with better money. His office is in the medical building with the School of Public Health, Medicine and Nursing. Warren sounds wonderful, and it sounds like things are going well in work and marriage. Thanks for calling Warren. It's always nice to hear from you.
Mia (Polando) Berry (5/98) got married on September 29. I heard about the wedding before I heard from Mia, though. But she did send me pictures of the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and Mia was a beautiful bride. I do hear about Mia every once in awhile from either Charley Shubra when he has interns at Systems Automation or, in this case, from Zack Howe (12/96).
I talked very briefly with Bruce Glowacki (8/85). He's started his own company in Sacramento, CA. It's doing very well and right now they're employing about 25 people. Congratulations, Bruce!! We're proud of you. But, you do need to keep in touch!
I talked with Jeff Bertrand (5/94) for a few minutes. He's gotten his MBA and is now out looking around for something suitable to sink his teeth into. Jeff was living in Indiana and working in Homer City and we used to see him around once in a while. I asked him why we never see him anymore. Turns out he also moved to Pittsburgh and commutes to Homer City for work.
Had a call from Mike Betts (5/86). Mike was living in Spain at that time, but was shortly moving to the UK. And, right now, he's also a kept man. Here's the scoop: Mike met a Spanish gal here in the US who was doing a fellowship in orthopedic oncology. They started seeing one another; and when she finished her fellowship, they moved to Spain, near Madrid. But she hasn't really found the medical climate to her liking, so they've decided to go to the UK. She thinks the opportunities in medicine will be a bit better there. After they move, Mike is planning on dropping the kept-man status and get a job. He worked as Director of Technology for a firm in Minneapolis before the move. Oh, I forgot to ask Mike about the cat!!!! So, Mike, let me know if you took the cat with you. I hope so!!! Here's the story on that. Mike has no children (he was married for ten years previously); and they had four legged children (of the feline variety). Mike took one of them with him to Spain; and it ran away. It went outside one day and never came back; but Mike sees it all the time. It's living in the neighborhood. It just won't come home. He said it was always kind of wild, but he didn't think it would go this far. So, Mike, are you going to try to catch it and take it with you?? Thanks for the update - please keep us posted on what's going on.
Heard from Mark Carrier. (To be honest, he was writing to complain that our faculty didn't have web pages up, but I won't mention that.) After working for them for six years, Mark left Texas Instruments in April of 2001 and took a four-month vacation to England to visit a friend, then spent a month driving around the US ultimately ending up in Indiana, PA (you'll notice I don't say anything about Mark visiting us). He spent the month of July in Bolivia and went on a climbing expedition in the Andes. He made it to 18,000 feet but didn't reach the summit because of altitude sickness; but he's going to try again this year. After the trip to South America, he moved to New York city where he was part of a startup company making a new DSP for wireless handsets and base stations. Mark was head of the debugger and IDE team. He said the job was pretty good although the company was a little off track; but it was a great opportunity to learn a lot since he was one of two people on the organization chart who didn't have a PhD. So, Mark decided to pack up and head back to Texas - this time to give contracting a try. He says the money is so good in contracting that he doesn't think he will ever go back. Right now he's with another startup called IAT (Internet Access Technologies ) where he's part of the server team. Mark also said he needs to stop by the department when he's in town visiting his family and I have to agree with that. Thanks for the update Mark and do stop by when you're in the area.
Jim Butler (8/88) has been working at Concurrent Technologies Corporation in Johnstown since July 2000, when Keystone Financial (the bank where he was working) was sold. He's been managing two Internet development projects and working as a lead engineer on another. Jim's oldest son, Adam, is 16 and guess what they're going through - driving and buying a car. His younger son, Ryan, is a two year old now and Jim says he's really a lot of fun, and surprises them every day with new things he's learned. They are also very fortunate that Jim's wife, Bonnie, is able to stay home with him. Great to hear from you, Jim, take care!
Brett Coddington (12/87) also sent an e-mail. It was a long time since we heard from Brett. But, that's ok, Brett, as long as we finally did. Brett is back in Pennsylvania after spending 13 years in the DC area (working 11 years for Gannett/USA Today). He is now working for Microsoft Consulting Services in their Philadelphia office. Brett said he's gone from being a programmer, to systems analyst, to manager in his years at Gannett but was only truly excited about his work when he was building software. So, he made the decision to leave a place where he could have retired and take on a new challenge at Microsoft, and he loves it! On a personal note, he and his wife (Linette, IUP/88/MIS) have a nice home in the Pottstown area with plenty of yard and woods for their 4 children (Kelson age 8; Morgan, age 6; Fallon, age 4; and Garion, age2). Brett, you'll have to bring your family to the next Alumni breakfast and take the kids to the parade. We'd love to see you and meet your family. Thanks for the update and please don't be such a stranger.
I had visitors last October and we sure had fun. Lisa (Dillon) Boslett (12/93) and Janie (Pike) Kustaborder (5/92), along with Janie's kids, Amber, Heather, and Ryan drove down for a visit. We had the best day visiting and having lunch and I don't know about them, but I sure had a good time and enjoyed having them. Janie is working for MiniTab now (in State College) and Lisa is still working at Raytheon. Janie's kids are just adorable, and I couldn't believe how well behaved they are and how well they listen to their mother. I'll proud of you Janie!! Also, I told everyone in the last issue how sick Ryan had been. Well, he's doing much better now, and he sure is a happy little guy. Lisa brought her wedding album and I finally got to see the wedding pictures. I told everyone about Lisa and Tony's (5/92) wedding in a previous issue. They had a gorgeous wedding! We also visited Lisa's duck, Hoppy - no, don't ask. It was just wonderful having them and I hope we can do that again. Thanks guys!!
Jason Livingston (12/95) and Jennifer sent me a pictures of Emma
and Sean through e-mail. I wrote back and told Jason that Sean looked like
him except for the hair (Sean is blond and sort of a baldy - or was then).
Jason sent me back a message sort of saying "Oh Yeah!" and a picture of
himself and he has his head shaved!!!! WHOA!!!! They also sent a picture
Christmas card. Those kids are so cute!!! Sean still looks bald though,
but part of that is that his hair is so blond but so is Emma's. I think
I told you in the last issue that Jason and Jennifer have moved to Beaver,
PA and bought a house. Jason is working at RPS, now - along with Pamm Gindlesberger
and Vickie Pearce (I feel for you, Jason, working with those two). Jason
and Jennifer also sent 2 photos of the house they bought. It's a 3 bedroom
Cape Cod with a full basement and a nice back yard with gorgeous trees
and plenty of space for Emma and Sean to play. It's on a pretty quiet street
just off the main road. Congratulations, guys!! [Ed. Note: Jason, Jennifer
and the kids recently came to an orienteering meet at Yellow Creek - Jennifer
used to be president of the IUP Orienteering Club. Jennifer lead the family
around the course; Emma looked for Easter eggs (it was Palm Sunday and
some eggs were put out for the younger orienteers); Sean had a good time
playing on the swings; and Jason still had his head shaved.]
Mike Gutzat's (5/87) working for Andersen now. (The company dropped the Arthur.) He recently finished a major project for Sun Chemical in Ft. Lee, NJ; and it put him close enough to the twin towers to see the damage from the aircraft the day of the attack and to constantly see the change to the NYC skyline. Mike said watching the smoke billow out was something he's not going to soon forget; and it reminded him of the Kuwait Fires which he saw up close as well. He has been working on a transporter and a time machine; but he says they are not even close to being ready to test because getting the 100 Giga-Watts of power for the time machine is proving a bit difficult, without shorting out the local power grids. That doesn't sound like a good thing! Mike actually sent me e-mail to ream me out cause The Debugger was late last fall and nobody got it in time for the Alumni Breakfast. All I'm going to say is, it wasn't my fault, but I do apologize.
Brad Crooks (12/88) is a Channel Applications Engineer for Intel Americas, Inc. in Cecil, PA. He said he's not sure if his job is to sell the P4P or see how many frequent flyer points he can get. His wife and daughter live there in Cecil; but Brad travels through the northeast four nights a week covering most of the chip related issues that customers and vendors deal with. It sounds rather exciting, but I'm sure it gets old, doesn't it, Brad? It was great hearing from you Brad. Don't take so long next time. I bet you're even in town once in a while, right?
Paul Liadis ( 12/99) is working as a senior applications programmer/analyst in the University Budget Office at Penn State. I had an e-mail from him when he had a job opening up there. Paul, I don't know if you got anyone from IUP, but I hope you at least got some applications.
Heard from Nancy McLees (5/97). They've moved back to California (Canyon Country). Nancy's husband, Bruce, got a job North of L.A. in Sylmar, and they're living near Magic Mountain, one of the great landmarks of the area. Nancy was still unpacking and hadn't started job hunting yet but did see a COBOL job posted at UCLA. Have you gotten anything yet, Nancy? Nancy was glad to get back to the land of sunshine, not to mention she's only a few hours from the rest of the family in San Diego. Thanks for updating me, Nancy, and please keep me posted.
Also heard from Eric Hoover (5/95). Shortly after graduation, Eric took a position programming COBOL at Knouse Foods. He wasn't real sure about the job at first, but a few months after, Knouse Foods decided to switch operating systems from OS/3 to a Novell UnixWare and Eric mainly worked on that project converting OS/3 job controls to Unix scripts and eventually ended up becoming the Systems Administrator for all of their UnixWare systems. After completing that, they started moving their legacy COBOL programs into an Oracle Database. Eric said that since Dr. Shubra did such a fantastic job of teaching him database, he quickly became the administrator for their Oracle systems as well. So, now he's a jack of all trades and is responsible for the administration of all of their Sun Solaris, Caldera/SCO UnixWare, and Linux systems in addition to their databases and internal web systems. On the personal front, Eric is still single and happy; so, he said, in general, life is good. Eric was actually looking to hire one of our interns and I won't even get into all that, but I think they may be hiring one for summer/fall.
Heard from John Scott (12/84) to tell me he's moved from Silver Spring to North Bethesda, MD. Hope all went smoothly with the move, John.
Bob Durbin (8/84) visited one day while he was here doing interviews for Raytheon in State College. Bob's looking great! He likes his job very much and the people he works with. His girls are now 9 and 11 (hard to believe) and he's got his hands full with them. It was great seeing you, Bob. Stop in any time.
You'll Love This!!! But probably everyone knows this but me. One of my student workers came in my office one day all excited because "The Clarks" were coming to campus and she loves that group. She's seen them soooo many times. And, she said one or more of them was an IUP alumnus. She also told me they played while students at IUP under the name "The Administration". Well, she was so excited about them she had to get into their Web page and show them to me. I asked her to pull up their biography. And, there was a name that I recognized - Dave Minarik. I said that name was really familiar; and we looked in the alumni listing. Lo and behold, David Minarik (5/88) is an alumnus. So, Dave, you better send an autographed pictures of your group to Kristin; and she'll probably work here for free for the rest of her college career. What do you say, Dave??? It's about time you updated us on you whereabouts (although I guess I could probably just ask Kristin), anyway.
Mike Rozdilski (5/85) stopped in one day. Mike had been working at AEPTEC in Blairsville for the past year or so. Before that he had been with EDS for16 years with the Detroit company where he was doing training in places like Australia, New Zealand and various European cities. The last seven years he's been training in Java, C++ and Object Oriented Design. Mike also came up for the intern presentations since we have interns at AEPTEC. It sure was nice to see you Mike; and since you're now in the area, hopefully, we'll see you a bit more for often.
Jim Giles(12/81) called one day. Jim, I think you might have to help me out, here because I waited too long to write this up. Jim is working at Trans Star in the Pittsburgh area through a company called Data Tech Executive Group of which Jim owns all the stock. He's doing consulting and a lot of EDI work. Jim is married to Beth Ann who was an IUP Marine Biology major and is now working as a Forensic Scientist doing DNA testing for the State Police. They have 2 children, Katy, age 7; and Andrew, 10 mos. Congratulations on your family; bring them all to the Alumni Breakfast.
We had another visitor one day, Valerie (Robinson) Williams (12/81). Valerie is working for the Washington State Department of Information Services where she is a Storage Manager. She has been in the State of Washington since she graduated. She knew she didn't want to stay in THIS area because of the weather (imagine that) and went to Washington to find a job. She's worked for the State of Washington now for 15 years. She's married to Phillip Williams and has 2 step children, Chanelle, age 17, and Marcellus, age 14. Valerie, it was so nice to see you. I hope you can drop in again sometime.
We didn't have a big crowd for Homecoming, mainly because we didn't
get the announcements out in time for anyone to know about it. But, we
did have a few
people:
Mark Minser (5/00) was here for a bit. I didn't get a chance to talk with him but I did catch a glimpse of him. Mark is still driving from Brush Valley to State College every day to Raytheon.
Rene Morozowich (5/01) was here Friday and Saturday. Rene treated me to lunch on Friday. Thanks Rene, that was really fun! Rene is working at PPG and living in Monroeville. She will be (probably is now) working at the PPG plant in Harmarville; so she won't have to drive into the city every day.
Bruce Weinsheimer (5/80) and Sue were here. This is their first breakfast and they weren't sure they were going to make it. Sue had surgery and wasn't sure she was going to be able to travel. But, they did made it and it was really nice to see them. They had stopped in about a year ago with their son who is now a student here at IUP (not Computer Science, however); so maybe we'll be seeing them more often, at least for a few years.
Scott Becker (5/90) & Louise were here with Rachel, Erin, Steven and Ryan. Those kids are so cute and so good! Ryan was adopted from Haiti and didn't speak any English when they got him. They said it was real challenging to get him to understand living in a new environment and understanding a new language. He's adapted very well, however and is just another member of their family. You've done a wonderful job, Scott and Louise, not just with Ryan, but with your entire family.
Zack Howe (12/96) & Cori were here on Friday and Saturday. We had a really nice visit with them. Zack is still in Atlanta. Not sure if you knew that Zack and Cori got married; but they did; and Zack had pictures on his web site. I'd give it to you to look at them, but Zack had to do some maneuvering so I could look at them. Zack, if your web site is ok now, send me the address you want everyone to use; and I'll publish next time so everyone can see your pictures.
Ryan Repinski (5/00) was here with his wife. He also had a wedding since the last time we saw him. Congratulations, Ryan!! Ryan is in Pittsburgh with PPG. Great to see you. Please come back next fall!
I know I missed someone here, too, so hopefully those of you I forgot will write and tell me.
Fortunately, I read the Indiana Gazette. If I didn't I would have missed
Skip
Benamati's (5/84) wedding. The announcement didn't give a date, but
Skip married Justine Amanda in Henderson, KY. She's REALLY pretty. I wish
I could put a picture in. And, of
course, Skip is very handsome. Thanks for putting it in the Gazette,
Skip. And congratulations to both of you.
Andy Weiss (5/93) updated the website for Eva Rose. It's at www.evarose.com. Actually, I took a look at it again the other day and there are more photos than when Andy wrote me. Andy, she is so cute!! I love watching her grow up. Thanks for keeping me posted on the updates!
We had a Corporate Advisory Board meeting last October and had visits
from several alumni: Elaine (Rearick) Holly (5/87) brought her husband,
Leo, and I got a chance to meet him. What a nice person he is, Elaine,
you did a good job!! It's always nice to see you. And, in case she hasn't
gotten in touch with you, Jane (Cunningham) Harnagy is looking for you;
Allen
Remis (5/84) was here. I understand that Allen has moved to the Altoona
area. You'll have to give us an update, Allen. I got that information from
Allen's brother, Steve, who is teaching for us on a temporary basis until
we're able to hire some people. Jeff Scott (5/90) was here; he is
still with PPG. Steve Brehm (5/76) is still with PHICO in Mechanicsburg.
Barry
Day (5/72) - our condolences on the loss of your father. Tom Campbell
(5/87) - I hadn't seen Tom for a long, long time; he is looking very
prosperous. Carol (Dombroski) Young
(5/76) always looks wonderful; you wouldn't believe she graduated
X years ago.
I heard through the grapevine that Jim Maple (5/86) just bought a boat (a big boat) and a big pick-up truck to haul it. How about it, Jim???
I had some little people visitors, too:
Matt Handwork (12/00) brought Gage in one morning. I couldn't believe how much he's changed since the last time I saw him. He turned one since I last saw him and he's walking all over the place. But, he's just as cute as ever! Matt's hours at AEPTEC have changed a bit - he's working from 12:30 - 8:00 pm which was why he could be out visiting.
Guy Mosholder was in one day with his mom and dad. He's Mary (Singer) Mosholder's (5/99) son. You guys should see him. He is just unbelievable. He turned 2 in August and he looks like he should be 4. Fortunately, he doesn't act like a four year old. He's still two in his behavior. I'm sure his parents don't always think that's a good thing, though. He talks a lot, but I can't understand him. Mary is still working downstairs in the Technical Services Center.
And, I'm afraid that's all the news I have to print for this edition,
but please keep those cards and letters rolling in. Everyone is anxious
to see where you are and what you're doing, not to mention the job security
for me.
News from Tompkins Lab
There is major news on the technology front for IUP. Let's first start with the VMS web server. Web pages as we have known them will no longer reside on the VMS system. As of March 15, all student and faculty html content is being housed and served from Windows NT systems running Internet Information Server. The VMS Web server was finally decommissioned. The next phase is to decommissioned the VMS e-mail systems. The @grove.iup.edu will simply become @iup.edu; and this conversion is already in progress. The old e-mail service will cease on 13 May 2002; however, an alias will exist for the @grove address.
IUP's internal network will be moving to Active Directories starting this August. All the Windows NT 4.0 machines will be upgraded to Windows 2000; and those machines that can't be upgraded due to hardware limitations will be replaced. This task is slated for completion by no later than August 2003.
Perhaps the biggest under taking this summer will be the upgrading of the desktop operating system that is the university standard. The university will be moving from Windows 98 to Windows XP. The office suite Office 2000 will also follow suite and be upgraded to Office XP. Another big change will be the move from Visual Studio 6 to Visual Studio.net.
Tompkins Lab and the Tompkins Security Lab have gotten some nice new furniture this spring. The furniture includes both new tables and new chairs. It only adds to the impressiveness of the labs.
As you can see the summer break will be very eventful. I hope that everyone
has a fun and safe summer.
Clear Your Calendar
2002 IUP Homecoming
Alumni Breakfast
October 5, 2002
IUP
is Accredited as A Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance
Education
The National Security Agency issued a press release on March 8, 2002 to announce the results of the annual offerings of the Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. Thirty-six universities have been designated as Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education under the program and IUP is one of them.
Through an interdisciplinary effort between the Computer Science and Criminology Departments, IUP obtained an NSF grant funding to provide national leadership in developing a new Information Assurance curriculum. In the Summer of 2001, IUP organized three workshops; which offered Cybersecurity Basics (Workshop I), Network and Operating Systems Security (Workshop II), and Cybercrime Detection and Loss Prevention (Workshop III). The presenters were
Workshop I
Mr. Larry Rodgers (CMU - Software Engineering Institute), Dr. William
Oblitey (IUP Computer Science), and Mr. Hart Rossman (SAIC)
Workshop II
Dr. Steven Greenwald (a private consultant and an adjunct professor
at James Madison University)
Workshop III
Dr. Mary Lynn Garcia (Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico)
Faculty came from Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky, and Canada with 24 from the State System of Higher Education (SSHE) system. This coming Summer, August 5-9, 2002, we have three more workshops planned; and we already have many interested faculty applying to be at the workshops. The grant also provided release time for eight (8) IUP faculty to develop new Information Assurance courses and to include security contents in existing courses.
We have proposed an Interdisciplinary Minor in Information Assurance between Computer Science and Criminology. The new minor will consist of 18 semester hours. Computer science majors need to take four criminology and two computer science courses; criminology majors need to take four computer science and two criminology courses. All other majors will take nine semester hours from the Criminology department
CRIM 101, Crime and Justice Systems, or CRIM 102, Survey of Criminology,
CRIM 321, Cybersecurity and Loss Prevention, and
CRIM 323, Cybersecurity and the Law
and nine semester hours from the Computer Science department
COSC 110, Problem Solving and Structured Programming,
COSC 316, Cybersecurity Basics, and
COSC/IFMG 352, LAN Design and Installation
Equivalent courses may be substituted with permission of the chair of the respective departments.
We have also proposed a new track in Information Assurance for computer science majors receiving a BS degree. This entails completing the usual core courses in computer science and selecting some computer science electives from Information Assurance courses.
IUP has also established a Center for Information Assurance on campus.
The Center is designed to coordinate cybersecurity efforts on campus. Through
the Center, IUP intends to offer training, teaching and research in cybersecurity.
The training is be primarily geared for small businesses in the surrounding
areas and is intended to make employers and employees aware of the need
for information security in their companies. IUP expects to create this
awareness by offering workshops for the companies and other establishments
in the surrounding communities and by serving as consultants to support
these companies. Our students will help the companies by serving as interns
at their sites. We expect to do quality research whose findings will help
maintain the security of cyberspace.
Almost every year, at least one of the faculty goes to the SIGCSE Symposium. It is an excellent source of ideas for curriculum development because it always has faculty from all over the world presenting teaching techniques and tools for Computer Science Education. When the symposium has been near enough to IUP, most of the faculty try to attend; this year, it was held in Covington, KY; and all but one of the faculty attended (most of us were presenting something as well). We took several students along on the trip - the symposium has sessions specifically for students. Following are impressions of three students who went with us this year.
Jarrod W. Lash
The 2002 ACM SIGCSE Conference was held February 27 March 3, 2002 at the Covington Convention Center. This was the first such conference I have attended; and it is seems to be growing in size from what I have heard from past attendees. While there, I learned a lot from a student's perspective; and what follows are just my highlights.
There was a lot of discussion of Web based programming and Microsoft's new .NET architecture. In a student session devoted to "Windows Development in the Real World" by Dr. Joe Hummel of Lake Forest College, there was a lot of interest in the real world application of Visual Basic, Databases, COM, DCOM, .NET, XML, HTTP and SOAP. One point made was that the days of knowing one language or one problem domain are over, to be successful in the workplace, one needs to master multiple languages, multiple programming paradigms, and be open to learning the next great thing. The examples he used were a standard windows app, a web based app, and a web service-based app where each of them accessed a database running on a SQL server using a middle tier data layer. In this context, I saw the importance of middle tier software and how it is implemented.
The .NET that he presented was about how Visual Studio Microsoft used the SIGCSE event to push its Visual Studio .NET environment into the academia of the ACM. They provided all attendees with an Academic Resource Kit which contained the professional versions of Visual Studio .NET and Windows XP. Also included were two textbooks on how to program in Visual Basic .NET and C#. Other than the software and textbooks, they were distributing a variety of "freebies", including Microsoft frisbees, T-Shirts, and Super Spider Balls, pocket knives, and bubble pipes.
They also sponsored a contest called terrarium where attendees could design a little life form and import it into a computer terrarium. The object was to have the critter stay alive and not become extinct. The purpose of this contest is to introduce prospective users to VB.net and C#. I followed a short tutorial on how to create my critter and program its characteristics in C#. The person whose critter lived the longest got a new server donated by Microsoft for himself and his school. More info can be found at www.gotdotnet.com/terrarium/.
There was also a very interesting paper on computer literacy for the "Just Do It" generation by Elliot Soloway of the University of Michigan who was the keynote speaker. He states that when computers were first introduced in education, "all the children had to learn to program". The programming was the language that would help children think and solve problems; it was a new literacy. In reality, the old literacy of reading words and text is still a major problem in education; and he speculated on how the emerging interactive, computational-based environments and the old-fashioned text-based contexts will synthesize into something new that kids these days will find engaging enough to want to learn to read.
In conclusion, the SIGCSE conference provided me with up to the minute information on a variety of topics and will surely give me an added edge in the workplace. I want to thank Dr. Buterbaugh for the ride down to Cincinnati, and Dr. Shubra for sharing a hotel room with me, and the CS department, notably Dr. Cross, for offering me the privilege of attending the conference.
Matthew Barrick
The SIGCSE conference was an interesting experience. Imagine being a student dropped into the middle of hundreds of computer science professors, sitting through paper presentations on curriculum, and trying to get free stuff from vendors who only wanted to spend their time talking to professors. You meet professors and students from universities spread across the country and learn a great deal about what computer science is from the point of view of a professor.
The two most interesting sessions that I attended were in the category of robotics. The first was by Jose Vidal and Paul Buhler of the University of South Carolina and College of Charleston respectively, "Using Robocup to Teach Multi-agent Systems and the Distributed Mindset". The session described an AI course centered on the students developing the AI routines to run a team of players in a simulated soccer match. As the goal is to learn about multi-agent systems, the students implement routines which are fed what a single soccer player on the field would perceive, and the routines have to decide how the player would act, telling it to run forward, turn to the left, or look to the right. The student has to decide how the player will react to where it sees the ball and other players, even to such details as what assumptions can be made about what changed since the player has turned his head. Dr. Vidal related how the strategies, which students implemented, progressed from kindergarten level where all the players ran towards the ball in a big clump and all started kicking at once, to elaborate ball passing between team members. The course included a competition between the different teams in the class, of course. It was an interesting idea, and certainly sounded like an effective way of motivating students to learn about AI.
The other presentation of interest in the robotics sessions dealt with the one thing which was missing from the Robocup course which is absolutely necessary in keeping student's interest: toys. Frank Klassner's paper, "A Case Study of LEGO Mindstorms' Suitability for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Courses at the College Level", discussed using LEGO Mindstorms to have students study the basics of robotics. Mindstorms are a series of products by LEGO, which integrates a programmable controller, motors, and sensors into their classic building blocks. Groups of students were provided with a set of Mindstorms parts and given a variety of tasks such as following a line on the floor and determining its length, and collecting ping-pong balls. The use of Mindstorms, as with the Robocup, gave the students a challenging and interesting way to learn about AI. Dr. Klassner noted that many students put in a great deal of time on their projects, just because they enjoyed working with the robots. Mindstorms not only help with learning about AI, but they also provide the students with the basics of robotics. They have to deal with handling the input from sensors, inventing ways to use a simple collection of sensors to perform complex tasks, and finding how dealing with a physical robot changes problem solving methods. There were drawbacks to this approach, however, the students get caught up in their robotics and don't have much interest in parts of AI theory that can't be directly applied to improving their robots.
The SIGCSE conference as a whole was very enjoyable and educational experience. I learned a lot of about the things which professors have to deal with when teaching computer science, and the different things which professors are doing at other universities. Also, I was able to meet professors from around the country, and also had the opportunity to get to know my own professors better.
Andrew P. Grasmeder
I recently had the privilege to be one of several students picked, to accompany the faculty to the ACM SIGCSE 2002 Conference. Besides being a lot of fun, it was one of the most educational experiences I have had this year. Attending the SIGCSE conference really helped me get new ideas, learn new things and gain a better appreciate for the work that goes on in our department.
One of the most enjoyable sessions I attended was a "Birds of a Feather" session. The "Birds of a Feather" groups are discussion groups about a common topic. I went to the group on ACM Student Chapters. As the Vice-President of the IUP Computer Science Club, I was really interested in hearing what other clubs have done. Although some of the ideas were not practical for our group, several people had good ideas that we can hopefully use in the future. I also investigated the benefits and drawbacks of turning our club into an ACM Student Chapter.
Many of the sessions were very educational in the traditional sense of gaining new knowledge. I was lucky to attend a tutorial on Extreme Programming, a session about C#, and a student session on Windows Programming. The student session was a (very) quick overview of Windows Programming, and the smorgasbord of technologies that could be used: COM, COM+, DCOM, .Net, ASP, etc. I hope to use the information from the Extreme Programming tutorial in a paper for Software Engineering.
I would say though that one of the main things that SIGCSE really helped me realize was the amount of time and effort that goes into curriculum planning and development. As an incoming computer science major, you walk into a program that is all set up for you. You have a set path of courses laid out for you to take. You never stop to think about how the courses were developed, except to perhaps complain about COBOL. It was an eye opener to see how much work must go on behind the scenes.
Several of the talks and groups were about curriculum development. I
got to attend a session on how some schools were adding Web based programming
to their curricula in different ways. Most of the Professors went to several
such sessions. It is not surprising to see how much work must constantly
be put into keeping a curriculum current. With computer science constantly
growing larger and larger, it is not possible to keep adding things without
being forced to subtract others. This can be seen within our
own department by the change from 6 to 4 credits of COBOL. I guess
always in the back of my mind I realized that this constant process was
going on; but SIGCSE made me more aware of how time consuming and extensive
the process is.
SIGCSE 2002 was a great experience. Besides the education, it was a
great chance to meet professors from all over the country, including former
IUP Professor Watts, and get free stuff. Vendors gave out lots of free
books and software. I am really glad I got the opportunity to attend.
The students were also busy representing IUP at the annual PACISE (Pennsylvania Association of Computer and Information Science Educators) Conference held this year at Slippery Rock. As part of this conference, there is a student programming contest - this year involving 21 teams from seven unversities. For the second year in a row, a team from IUP came out the winner, although this year's contest was quite close.
By all accounts, there were significant problems with the administration
of the contest, which ended by resorting to submissions on floppy disks.
Five competing teams finished the contest by solving four of the given
problems. IUP's team consisting of Matthew
Barrick, Andrew Grasmeder and Jason Brown completed the four problems
with 363 points, only 12 points better than one of Bloomsburg's teams.
Clear Your Calendar
2002 IUP Homecoming
Alumni Breakfast
October 5, 2002
State of the DepartmentThis past year, especially the last semester, has been a struggle due to a shortage of faculty. We had a semi-successful search for faculty last year - finding one, while looking for two new members. Unfortunately, the person we found could not start until this coming fall. Then, this past January, Tom Cunningham retired; and Andrew Yang, who had been with us only a couple years, decided to move to Texas.
So, we began a late search for three faculty this semester. We are currently
interviewing with high hopes of hiring. But, even if we are successful,
the searching will need to resume again soon. John Cross, Mary Micco, and
Gary Buterbaugh have all stated
that they expect to retire in the next 2-3 years. Thus, in a short
period of time, there will be almost a complete rollover in personnel.
Another challenge facing the department is the transition to our new curricula. After two years of work, a curriculum revision (to adjust for the teaching of object oriented and network programming and databases) was approved last fall; it will take effect this coming fall. An additional revision (to include an information security track) is already nearly through the approval process. It is always a chore to transition from one curriculum to another; but doing so with new faculty who were not part of the new curricula creation will be harder. In addition, having two transitions to make in the span of only a year will also be trying.
With the advent of IUP becoming a Center for Information Assurance Education (IAE), many other information security opportunities are cropping up - grant possibilities, scholarships for students, consulting with local industry, etc. Much of this has already begun, even though the official designation as a center for excellence is six weeks away. As part of being designated a center for IAE, IUP is developing a university-wide policy regarding information security. Implementing the policy will put a strain on technology support resources across campus.
The university/college/department budget for the upcoming year is also expected to be a difficult one. With the state cutting funding to SSHE universities by 3% across the board, obtaining the money to upgrade and replace equipment will present a problem.
Another factor affecting the department is that IUP has decided to go to Microsoft XP as the primary operating system in student labs. With this comes the Office Suite for XP and Visual Studio .NET. So, all of the faculty will be adapting their courses to this new environments over the summer.
These are some of the challenges that face the department. I have omitted all of the smaller issues that need to be handled on an every-day basis; and I may have overlooked some big things that just have not come to mind.
In mid May, I will take over as department chair. I have more than a
few trepidations about assuming that role. I have always thought of myself
as a teacher first; and I usually dealt with administrative tasks only
because I had to. I have not paid attention to all of the administrative
duties of the chair, simply because I was not the one responsible. Now,
I am about to have those responsibilities as administrative tasks become
nominally 50% of my job. I am hoping that I can bring about some improvements
in the department; the most significant thing that anyone said to me about
becoming chair is that it was an opportunity to make a department better.
That idea is what motivated me to run for chair.