Computer Science News

2/13/12

Computer Science Day – March 16, 2012

The Department of Computer and Information Science and the School of Science at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) will host the sixth annual Computer Science Day for high school students on Friday, March 16, 2012. This event is open to public, while students in grades 9-12 are eligible to compete in several problem solving and design contests.

Opportunities for students at all levels to learn and develop new programming skills

Students will have the opportunity to compete in several contest tracks: programming and problem solving, web development, and game programming. These students will not only work as a team to develop and solve problems, but come away from the competition with a deeper understanding of teamwork, software tools and deadlines while solving real-world challenges.

Participating teacher credit and other opportunities

Participating teachers will earn three certification renewal credits for attending our sessions which will include the presentations from IUPUI faculty on helpful tools that can be used in the classroom to meet state standards on courses such as Computer Programming and Computer Applications. 

Keynote Speaker Kris Van Hees, Principal Developer with Oracle

Kris will discuss some technical aspects of his dissertation research, as well as his journey from engineering to computer science, and the exciting advances in the area of user interface development for persons with disabilities.

"We're extremely excited to host Computer Science Day again this year after our record setting attendance in 2011," said Shiaofen Fang, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Computer & Information Science Department at IUPUI. "We're equally excited to welcome our Keynote Speaker Kris Van Hees to show students and the general public that there is a reason behind the algorithm. Kris's work is just one example of how those who pursue a degree in computer science can have direct impact on quality of life for all people."

Learn more and register for the Computer Science Day by visiting:

http://science.iupui.edu/computerscienceday (Registration closes March 9th, 2012)

The IUPUI Computer Science Club and Department of Computer & Information Science are the primary sponsors of this event as part of the School of Science's commitment to advancing scientific minds, and fostering community interest in the sciences. Through this event, the department is committed to educating students, teachers, and parents about all the career paths possible through computer science.

The School of Science at IUPUI is committed to excellence in teaching, research and service in the biological, physical, behavioral and mathematical sciences. The School is dedicated to being a leading resource for interdisciplinary research and science education in support of Indiana's effort to expand and diversify its economy. For more information go to science.iupui.edu

2/6/12

Computer Science Graduates Near Top of Employer Wish Lists

Yahoo! Education reported this week that computer science is the second most popular major among employers, with 53% of surveyed employers planning on hiring majors in the field. This was second only to accounting majors, according to NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Computer science made the list due to its popularity and the average starting salary. In addition, computer science is high on a recent list of degrees for high earning potential. Computer systems analysts made an average of $81,250 in 2010, and the field is one of the fastest growing in the United States.

Our field is hot, and expected to continue to grow until at least 2018. Local companies such as Interactive Intelligence are hiring, and have up to 100 open positions at any one time.

1/17/12

School of Science at IUPUI Launches New Problem Solving Institute

The School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis has launched the Institute for Mathematical Modeling and Computational Science, an interdisciplinary endeavor dedicated to solving perplexing problems in such diverse fields as medicine, the environment, and computer science. iM2CS's parallel mission is to train a new generation to identify and solve the scientific issues with which they will be faced.

Students and researchers from IUPUI, as well as businesses and researchers in Indiana or anywhere around the world, can benefit as iM2CS faculty utilize sophisticated mathematical and computational approaches to address issues and solve problems found in the life, earth, social and physical sciences as well as engineering. Drug delivery, pollution, construction and forensics are among the thousands of areas that can be studied with mathematical modeling and computational science problem solving approaches.

Led by Giovanna Guidoboni, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematical sciences, and Snehasis Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D., professor of computer and information science, the new institute, with an initial faculty of 19 investigators, is a virtual laboratory and consulting center available to researchers in any discipline.

"The math modeling and computation science of iM2CS creates greater opportunities for discovery and increases competitiveness in seeking and procuring extramural funding to support research, educational and outreach activities," said Guidoboni.

Among initial areas of iM2CS focus are:

• blood flow in the eye and its relation to glaucoma
• brain circuitry of Parkinson's disease patients
• brain mapping using computer vision methods
• fetal alcohol syndrome diagnosis
• flooding in watersheds
• fluid dynamics of red blood cells

"Statistics can help discover correlations. With the tools of mathematical modeling and computational science, our researchers reveal causality. We test hypotheses and provide important knowledge and feedback to colleagues," said Guidoboni.

Institute faculty researchers offer an introductory course in biomathematics to IUPUI upper level undergraduates and graduate students.  A paid undergraduate summer research program, in collaboration with six other universities across the country, will bring students into iM2CS labs where they will work alongside faculty.

"The School of Science is proud to announce the creation of iM2CS. Mathematical and computational modeling is one of the great strengths of the school's faculty, and represents a unique niche within the IUPUI community. We expect that the development of the iM2CS will lead to further interactions between our school's faculty and colleagues throughout IUPUI and the wider Indiana community", according to David Skalnik, Ph.D., associate dean for research and graduate education at the School of Science at IUPUI.

Initial funding for iM2CS is from the School of Science at IUPUI.  iM2CS investigators have grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The Institute is seeking additional funding from government, industry and other sources.

The iM2CS website, with links to faculty research interests, student opportunities and other information, can be found at http://www.mmcs.science.iupui.edu

The School of Science at IUPUI is committed to excellence in teaching, research and service in the biological, physical, behavioral and mathematical sciences. The school is dedicated to being a leading resource for interdisciplinary research and science education in support of Indiana's effort to expand and diversify its economy. For more information, visit science.iupui.edu.

12/7/11

Computer Scientists Fighting Cancer

In a recent New York Times article, Prof. David Patterson from UC Berkeley writes about a quiet revolution in the way that the war on cancer is waged.

Using genome sequencing techniques, physicians and researchers can learn more about the individual DNA of cancer, and personalized therapies can be administered to stop a cancer's growth or cure the disease entirely. Thanks to computer science research, the cost of turning the DNA into digital information that can be understood has declined dramatically, and will eventually make the individual sequencing of tumor DNA possible for the average cancer patient. Initiatives such as the Foldit game, developed at the University of Washington, attracted thousands of volunteers to help uncover the structure of an enzyme that was important to H.I.V. research. Some similar and new strategies can be employed in cancer tumor genomics, and the work has already started.

At a time in which computer technology is rapidly expanding its reach, and when computing professionals are in demand, it's easy to think that the work computer scientists do is esoteric and good for theory only. This is one example of how serious computer science can make a significant difference in the lives of people. As the article indicates, nearly one-third of women in the US will acquire cancer, and half of men will as well.

12/5/11

CS Jobs Near All-time High

Computerworld reports that the technology industry added over 7000 jobs in November, an increase of .17%. This makes the total IT employment at over 4 million, and a year-over-year gain of 2.1%. Yoh Services, a Philadelphia-based technology staffing firm, indicated that the average wage for highly skilled tech. workers was 6.85%, calling this "remarkably strong."

This is more good news for recent computer science graduates, where employment in Central Indiana and around the country continues to be very strong.

12/1/11

Microsoft Research Project Hawaii Supports CS Graduate Course

For the second year in a row, Microsoft Corporation has agreed to sponsor Dr. Arjan Durresi's graduate course in cloud computing. This partnership, which supports the course entitled "Advanced Mobility and Cloud Computing," will aim at exploring and developing solutions for future mobile and cloud computing and their interplay. The potential for groundbreaking new technologies will be discussed from technical, economic, security, and social points of view.

Microsoft Research is sponsoring the course and providing Windows phones for student use, in addition to access to Windows Azure cloud services for computation and data storage. Students will also work with Bing Maps, and Windows Live ID for user identification, thus supporting location-based services such as location awareness and notification. The course includes both theoretical and hands-on applications of these new technologies.

The course is listed as CSCI 59000: Adv. Cloud Computing, and is available in Spring 2012.

10/12/11

Software Developer #1 for Fast Growth, Says CNN Money

CNN Money has come out with a list of the fastest growing fields, and Software Developer ranks as #1 in the US (see http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/best-jobs/2011/fast-growing-jobs/1.html?iid=HP_Highlight).

With a 10 year job growth of 32%, Software Developer comes in at 380,000 jobs yearly, with a median income of $82,400 and a top salary of $118,000. The job received a "B" for personal satisfaction in the job, and an "A" in flexibility. Eight positions of the 20 listed as fast growing by CNN Money were in the computer science field, showing that strong job prospects are available in many areas of computing.

The others making the list are:

• Information Technology Consultant (#7), with 70,000 total jobs in the United States. The job has a median income of $96,500, with a top rate of $154,000. The position also earned a "B" in personal satisfaction, with an "A" in flexibility.
• Database Administrator (#8) listed 120,000 jobs in the United States, with a median income of $86,600 and top pay of $121,000.
• IT Business Analyst (#11) scored high due to its impressive job growth of 20% yearly, with 130,000 total jobs. The median income was just over $83,000, with a top salary of $117,000 yearly.
• Business Systems Analyst (#12) was cited for a top pay of $111,000 (median: $78,000), with 80,000 total jobs in the U.S. Companies need these analysts to keep up with advances in software and chart technology strategy, often working with multiple business units to upgrade existing technologies.
• Software Development Engineer, Testing (#13) made the list as the easiest position to enter with a bachelor's degree in computer science. There were 90,000 total jobs in the field this year, with a median pay of $83,400 and a top rate of $114,000 yearly.
• Systems Administrator (#14) grows at 23% a year, with 70,000 total jobs in the United States. The median pay is $63,600, with a top rate of $88,800. Those with strong technical skills and certifications will find this a lucrative place to start their careers.
• Web Developer (#18) is expected to grow at a rate of 13% yearly, and applicants can come from a variety of backgrounds. The median pay for a web developer is $60,900, with a top rate of $91,600.

9/27/11

Colorado Representative Sponsors K-12 CS Education Bill

U.S. Representative Jared Polis, a Democrat of Boulder, CO, has introduced a package of legislation supporting the inclusion of computer science in K-12 classrooms.

The Computer Science Education Act would help train American students for the over 1.5 million high-paying positions in computer science expected to be created by 2018. The bill requires states to develop computer science standards and curriculum, and to form a commission that brings states together to address the shortage in teachers of computer science, says an article in the University of Colorado Daily Camera.

Despite high demand for computer science graduates, enrollment has slowly risen since the "dot com" bust in the early 2000s. The legislation proposed by Polis also would encourage teacher preparation programs for computer science educators in colleges and universities. More about Representative Polis and his initiatives is at http://polis.house.gov.

9/15/11

National Girls Collaborative at IUPUI, 9/22/11

National Girls Collaborative Project - Indiana Girls Collaborative Conference will feature Michele Roberts, lecturer in Computer Science, at a panel discussion next week. Michele was asked to join a panel to discuss attracting and keeping women in STEM fields. The conference will be held at the IUPUI Campus Center on Sept. 22, and is sponsored by the Purdue School of Engineering & Technology at IUPUI. More information is available at http://www.ngcproject.org/indiana/conference.cfm.

9/15/11

CSCI Faculty Contribute to Visual Sensor Network Text

CSCI Professor Jiang Yu Zheng contributed to a new text, Visual Information Processing in Wireless Sensor Networks: Technology, Trends and Applications. Chapter 12 by Dr. Zheng describes the use of line sensors for monitoring and surveillance in VSNs using linear CCD sensors. It reads temporal data from a CCD array continuously and stores them to form a 2D image profile. The method delivers more information such as color, shape, and event of a flowing scene. It abstracts passing objects in the profile without heavy computation and transmits much less data than a video from normal cameras. This chapter focuses on several unsolved issues of line sensors in capturing targets in the 3D space such as sensor setting, shape analysis, robust object extraction, and real time background adapting to ensure long-term sensing and visual data collection via networks.

9/14/11

IUPUI Places 3rd in National Up-and-Coming Universities Ranking

For many years, IUPUI has been in the national spotlight as an innovative campus, with exciting first-year programs, service-learning, cutting-edge research, and a commitment to undergraduate education.

This year, IUPUI was ranked third in the Up-and-Coming universities list, published by US News & World Report. This is a move up for IUPUI, which was ranked 5th last year. IUPUI has out-ranked institutions such as Purdue University-West Lafayette, Ohio State, Arizona State, the University of Southern California, and University of Maryland-College Park. Another Indiana university, Ball State, made the list, tying with Purdue University-West Lafayette, at 8th place.

9/8/11

Software Engineering: Where the Jobs Are, 2011

IEEE Spectrum recently published an article indicating that graduates with software skills will be in demand this year, and that social media and new devices are driving much of this need. In particular, says Forrest Shull, a senior scientist at the Fraunhofer Center for Experimental Software Engineering, the areas of cloud computing and mobile applications will see increased demand.

The article goes on to cite a December 2010 report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, in London, that estimates the impact of cloud computing to be 2.4 million additional jobs in Europe by 2015.

On-campus career services professionals at many campuses are seeing an increase in the number of employers seeking computer science, software, and programming skills. Computer science is one of the top 10 degrees that employers are seeking; this list is filled with technology-related majors. And CareerCast, a career guidance website, voted Software Engineer the number one job in the country. The unemployment rate for software engineers was about half the national average in 2010.

8/16/11

Become a fan of CS on Facebook!

Have you checked out the Department of Computer and Information Science's Facebook page? Go to http://www.facebook.com/CS.IUPUI and make sure to like us!

7/22/11

Computer Science Among Top-Paid Majors for 2011

The National Association of Colleges and Employers is out with its list of the top 5 majors for the Class of 2011 in terms of average starting salaries.

Each major was in the STEM fields, with Computer Science listed with an average starting salary of $63,402. Those graduates who entered systems design, consulting, or programming firms were offered higher than average salaries of over $72,000 per year. Graduates working in computer and electronics manufacturing firms were offered an average of $74,666. The average for all graduates is nearly $20,000 higher than the average per household family income in Indiana.

With opportunities in many industries and a variety of work locations and cultures, computer science continues to be the best bet for a major in STEM fields due to its combination of vastly more positions available than other engineering fields such as petroleum and chemical engineering, and the high salaries that graduates command.

7/14/11

CS Tops on Best Major for Jobs List

Software Development Times on the Web recently published an article that should make all upcoming and recent computer science graduates smile. New research indicates that computer science graduates now receive more employment offers than any other major in 2011. Computer science held that title as late as 2008.

This year, over 56% of computer science majors received job offers; this is an increase of over 13% from last year. Ms. Mimi Collins of the National Association of Colleges and Employers is quoted as saying, "There are many different companies that need to hire computer scientists." The ubiquity of the field and its application to multiple industries has led to significant job opportunities for recent graduates. Majors in specialized fields such as nursing do not see these same benefits. A student profiled in the article graduated in 2008 with a degree in computer science, and received four job offers. Recent IUPUI graduates have also received multiple offers of employment from both local and national firms. These recent graduates have accepted employment at companies such as Cisco, One America, and many others.

6/27/11

Lecturer In Computer Science Receives Teaching Excellence Award

The Indiana University School of Continuing Studies' Teaching Excellence Award honors individuals who have provided outstanding teaching service in such areas as campus classroom teaching, instructional development, professional development, noncredit lifelong learning, and other aspects of professional service that support the education of adult learners and others in continuing studies.

It was awarded to Michele Roberts, lecturer, IUPUI Department of Computer and Information Science, for her work in the development and teaching of a hands-on technology program for the Indianapolis Public Schools Parent Liaison program.

Congratulations Michele!

6/20/11

New Engineers Needed, says Obama

Computerworld's Patrick Thibodeau reports that President Barack Obama is seeking to prepare 10,000 new American engineers yearly, primarily with the help of partners in the private sector.

Last year, the unemployment rate for all engineers was at 4.5 percent, with software engineers at 4.6 percent. The national averaged was roughly twice this figure for much of 2010. President Obama is encouraging companies to provide incentives and support for degree completion in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professions (STEM). Obama's message, crafted with support of the U.S. Jobs and Competitiveness Council, affirms the importance of providing opportunities in the STEM fields. The National Academy in 2010 ranked the U.S. 27th among developed nations in the proportion of college graduates completing engineering and science degrees.

What does this mean for Computer Science at IUPUI? For our students, it means an even better job outlook as companies are started and staffed by these new graduates. A high-tech workforce in Central Indiana will be a catalyst for economic growth and prosperity for the region, and graduates from our program are well positioned to develop innovative solutions to the world's problems.

5/27/11

Demand for IT Professionals Far Outpaces Supply

A recent article in E-Week summarizes the results and industry reaction to Dice.com's "Tech Talent Crunch" report, which examines the lack of IT and computing talent in the American states. In states such as California, the ratio of positions to graduates in computer-related bachelor's degree programs is 3:1. This has created a pipeline problem that impacts corporate America, college campuses, and primary schools across the country. In the US, at least 18 states have shortages of local graduates; critical needs are found in tech heavy cities and areas such as Silicon Valley, Seattle, Dallas, Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Because the IT sector is growing faster than the rest of the US economy, competition for new hires is at a near high. The average salary for an IT professional in the US was $79,384 in 2010, up from the 2009 figure. The field also did not suffer the job losses and pay reductions that were endemic in other fields.

The full report is available at http://marketing.dice.com/pdf/Dice_TechTalentCrunch.pdf.

5/4/11

Excellent Job Prospects Found in Computer Science

Another national publication has ranked Computer Science as a top job field, both in terms of starting salary and number of positions available.

Yahoo! Education ranked the top six bachelor's degrees for job opportunities, citing a 2010 Challenger, Gray, and Christmas HR study. Computer Science came in as number 3, with the highest starting pay of any computer-related field. The article calls out a difference in those earning a Computer Science degree, noting an average starting salary of nearly $62,000, while those earning degrees in information systems earn an average of just over $49,000 to start, nationally.

Also of note, our field was ranked higher than traditional mainstays Accounting & Finance, Engineering, and Marketing as having the greatest potential. Computer Science graduates are expected to make nearly $3000 more to start than those in Computer Engineering, according to the study.

3/31/11

USA Today Reports Strong CS Job Growth

A recent article on USAtoday.com indicates that the information technology sector is hot again, as top tech firms such as Google and Twitter grow quickly. The article indicates that tech companies that are well established, in addition to start-ups, are hiring aggressively and courting new employees.

The competition is fierce, and incentives such as iPads, shuttle service, and meals are bringing in top software engineers, social media gurus, data analysts, and management professionals. A Monster.com representative suggested that a tech boom in California could be a sign of a larger upturn in the US economy. Until the end of 2011, over 140,000 jobs are expected to be created in the computer technology sector, and between January and March of this year, job listings in the sector increased by 30%, according to Craigslist.

IUPUI's Department of Computer & Information Science is a great place to start your journey to this fast-paced and rewarding industry. Check out our academic programs at the "Programs" link above, and talk with an advisor about how you can join us!

3/23/11

5th Annual CS Day a Smashing Success

Three teams of programmers were crowned champions of the 5th annual Computer Science Day on Friday, March 18th, 2011, at IUPUI. This timed competition was filled with real life programming challenges as students worked their way through three categories: Problem Solving & Programming, Game Development, and Web Development.

Visit our facebook page to see photos from the event.

In the Problem Solving and Programming contest, the winners were:

• 1st place: Cobi Petrucciani & Jeffrey Shen, Park Tudor School
• 2nd place: Samuel Clarke & Dan Fu, Park Tudor School
• 3rd place: Nupur Bhatt & Rebecca Chen, Park Tudor School

In the Game Development contest, the winners were:

• 1st place: Anthony Banks & Zane Norton, Mt. Vernon High School
  (Fortville, IN)
• 2nd place: Vince Foley & Andrew Hugel, Hamilton Southeastern
• 3rd place: Caitlin James & Jordan Rombach, Hamilton Southeastern

In the Web Development contest, the winners were:

• 1st place: David Cochran, Seth Rujiraviriyapinyo, Jacob Ryan, and
  Logan Whitehouse. David, Seth, and Logan are from Mt. Vernon High
  School, while Jacob is from Fishers High School
• 2nd place: Tom Avery, Darek Kaminski, Jalen Moore, Mike Sims, Mt.
  Vernon High School
• 3rd place: Ivan Cardenas, Nelson Jones III, Jacob Luke, Trinity Thomas,
  Mt. Vernon High School

While the students were busy creating programs, websites and games from the ground up, their teachers and parents were learning as well. Faculty from the computer science department arranged for campus tours and
teacher training where instructors learned the latest information in computer science teaching tools and methods in areas such as databases, web development, and game programming.

In addition to the programming competition -- students, parents and teachers took part in an alumni roundtable where recent graduates spoke about their experience since attaining their degrees. Keynote speaker James Hill also offered insight and motivation to students as he spoke about his journey from a track star to earning his PhD in computer science.

Financial support for Computer Science Day at IUPUI was provided by Park Tudor School, with in-kind donations from Barnes & Noble Bookstore at IUPUI, Google, Microsoft, National Security Agency, Sun Microsystems, and Usenix. Many winners in all three categories walked away with Google t-shirts, X-Box games, and other prizes. The grand prize winner, Anthony Banks, won an X-Box 360 Elite, 24 months of X-Box Live, two X-Box games, among other prizes.

This year's CS Day was a success due to the numerous prizes provided by our sponsors, as well as the dedication of over 20 student volunteers.

3/22/11

Computer Scientists Simulating Japan's Nuclear Crisis

In an article from the Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel, researchers from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are involved in around-the-clock work to simulate what could be going on in Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Accrording to Jeff Nichols, an associate lab director for scientific computing at ORNL, a team was assembled soon after the crisis began to better understand what was going on at the nuclear power plant. Lessons learned from the work at ORNL will be sent on to the director of the national laboratory, and from there to the US Department of Energy, to assist the Americans advising Japanese officials.

This project is using code developed by the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors, which is a major new initiative at ORNL. The work may not be perfect and is only as good as the information provided from the ground in Japan, but according to Nichols, "you can still do it better here than anyplace else."

3/7/11

5th Annual CS Day - March 18, 2011

The 5th Annual IUPUI Computer Science Day will be held on Friday, March
18th, 2011 at the IUPUI campus. Following up on four years of exciting
competition, the event has two new contests, along with alumni speakers
and other fun events for students and teachers.

Registration closed March 4. Visit the event website to learn more.

Providing the keynote address will be Dr. James Hill, Assistant
Professor of Computer Science. His talk, entitled, "From Track Star to
PhD: My Journey in Computer Science" will serve as an inspirational call
to action for students interested in computer science.

This year, in addition to our traditional programming and problem
solving contest, there will be competitions in web development, as well
as game development using Scratch. IUPUI faculty will be on hand to
supervise these contests and to provide continuing professional
development experiences for high school teachers.

This year's event promises to be the biggest ever, with over 100
students registered for the three contests.

2/23/11

CS Education in US "Running on Empty"

A new report by the Association of Computing Machinery and the Computer Science Teachers Association indicates that the United States is falling behind in its ability to offer computer science courses to K-12 students.

As computer science and the technologies the field enables are becoming more ubiquitous, and an ever-growing part of our economy, U.S. students are frequently not exposed to significant educational experiences in this important discipline. In order to prepare for an ever-more computing-intense world, says the report, our students must be prepared for 21st century careers.

The report is a call to action to states to more clearly define the role of computer science in the core high school curriculum, train teachers for the task, and ensure that every student either is required to take a computer science course, or that the course applies as a math or other core course.

Indiana ranks high on the ACM/CSTA report, with high marks in the teaching the capabilities and skills of computing, but coming in lower on the underlying concepts of computer science. The report includes state-by-state results, as well as recommendations for federal and state lawmakers.

2/18/11

IBM's Watson Beats 2 Jeopardy! Greats

IBM's "Watson," the super-computer that competed on the game show Jeopardy!, has beaten two of the game's best talents, and by a large margin. In a win for computer scientists and those interested in artificial intelligence, Watson performed admirably over the three-day competition. The New York Times has completed a full write-up of the contest, in which Watson benefited from a fast buzzer response time and an incredible ability to discern vague meanings in clues in a variety of categories.

This is seen as a large step forward for the artificial intelligence community. Up next for Watson? Collaborations with Columbia University and the University of Maryland on a physician assistant service that allows doctors to question the cybernetic assistant and obtain diagnostic feedback.

2/17/11

Registration Now Open for the 2011 Computer Science Day

Students, teachers and parents from around the state and region will come together to learn about the exciting possibilities of computer science at the 5th annual Computer Science Day, scheduled for Friday, March 18, 2011 on the IUPUI campus. With a full day of high school programming competitions, teacher training and panel discussions, this event has something for everyone!

Students Will Test Knowledge and Develop Skills

Open to students in grades 9-12, teams of two will battle it out in three competition groups: traditional programming, web development, and game development. Tasked with identifying solutions to real-life programming problems in timed competitions, these high school students will develop communication and business skills as well as a deeper understanding of the fundamental ideas that enable the technologies we use every day.

Participating Teachers Earn Three Certification Renewal Units

Free workshops for teachers will offer the latest computer science teaching tools and methods in areas such as databases, web development, and game programming as vehicles to teach difficult math and programming concepts. IUPUI faculty will present useful tips and tools that can be used in Indiana classrooms to meet state standards on courses such as Computer Programming and Computer Applications. Participation in the full day earns a teacher 3 CRUs.

Panelists and Keynote Speaker Reflect on Their Education and Career Paths

The alumni roundtable includes Tom Counsell from Bluefish Wireless Management, Ken Eldridge from OneAmerica, Grant McNaught from University Information Technology Services at IUPUI, and IUPUI graduate students Meagan and Stephen Senesac. Keynote speaker James Hill, assistant professor in the computer science department at IUPUI, will highlight his journey from track star to graduate school.

Space is limited. Learn more and register on line at: science.iupui.edu/computerscienceday.

The IUPUI Computer Science Club and Department of Computer & Information Science are the primary sponsors of this event as part of the School of Science’s commitment to advancing scientific minds, and fostering community interest in the sciences. Through this event, the department is committed to educating students, teachers, and parents about all the career paths possible through computer science.

The School of Science is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service in the biological, physical, behavioral and mathematical sciences. The School is dedicated to being a leading resource for interdisciplinary research and science education in support of Indiana's effort to expand and diversify its economy. 

2/8/11

Local Tech Company Expands HQ

InsideINdianaBusiness.com reports that N|Frame, one of Indianapolis'
largest data centers and network management firms, is expanding its workplace to the company's headquarters in Carmel, Indiana. The company, founded in 1995 to provide telecommunications, internet access, and technology services, and employs almost 200 professionals. Access the full story.

1/25/11

CS Researchers in NY Use Cloud to Teach Evolutionary Biology

Faculty at the University at Buffalo (NY) have developed software that
helps teach college and, soon, middle and high-school students concepts
of evolutionary biology in an exciting, innovative way.

Pop! World was developed through a National Science Foundation grant,
and uses cloud computing, which allows resource-intensive programs to
serve many users at any physical location without sacrificing speed or
quality of service. The cloud, which is a series of high-capacity,
scalable servers located off-site, distributes resources without limits,
allowing access to any internet capable computer, anywhere.

The program allows the University to maintain its enrollments in
population genetics courses, in addition to providing out-of-class
options for students to learn independently. An early version of the
software is available at http://popworld15.appspot.com. The NSF grant,
entitled, "A Cloud-enabled Evolutionary Genetics Learning Tool for
Engaging the Cyber-savvy Generation," runs for two years, and was funded
through the Office of Cyberinfrastructure.

1/20/11

Data Privacy Day 2011 Announced

You're invited: Data Privacy Day 2011

Around the globe, people use technology to improve their everyday lives.
Despite the many benefits of these tools and services, worries persist
about potential risks to our personal information. Data Privacy Day is
an international celebration of the dignity of the individual expressed
through personal information.

Attend IU's Data Privacy Day online or in person:

When: Friday, January 28, 9:45am-2pm

Where: Indiana Memorial Union, Whittenberger Auditorium (IU Bloomington)
             OR Online: http://breeze.iu.edu/dataprivacyday

For more details on this engaging event, see: http://dataprivacyday.iu.edu

1/10/11

IndyStar lists Top Jobs, Software Engineer #1

Many openings are expected in the top 10 jobs in Indiana, says Dana Hunsinger of the Indianapolis Star.

According to Dagney Faulk, Director of Research at Ball State University's Center for Business and Economic research, "Even just upgrading computer skills is a good way to go for people who are unemployed."

Topping the list is computer software engineer, with an average salary that tops $70,000. Software engineers are creative professionals that develop software and systems that make computers work. They are in demand due to an expanding marketplace for internet applications, systems software, and mobile applications. The career is expected to grow by 32% by 2018. Software engineers require a bachelor's degree in computer science.

Coming in at number 7, computer systems analysts earn an average salary of over $66,000 per year and manage computer systems for large and small companies in the accounting, finance, business, science, and engineering sectors. They are able to work with and adapt to rapid changes in wireless internet systems and connect existing systems with new technologies. Positions in systems analysis are expected to grow 20% by 2018.

Right now, employees and out-of-work Hoosiers are contacting Computer Science at IUPUI daily to learn about opportunities to prepare for these exciting, important, and well-paying careers. If you are interested in learning more, please contact admissions@cs.iupui.edu or call 317-274-9727 to speak with a program representative. Recently, returning adult students have completed short Certificate programs in Applied Computer Science, Graduate Certificates, or even Master's degrees and have been prepared for a lifetime of work and a rewarding career.

1/7/11

Using Gaming for Disaster Management

A new article in www.livemint.com explores a recent contribution to disaster management using current gaming technologies.

Researchers at the Centre for Study of Science, Technology, and Policy (CSTEP), a non-profit group in Bangalore, India, has developed a new game that allows multiplayer access to a disaster site, with their own roles and constraints. It is an attempt to solve real-world problems in a virtual environment, so that fire fighters, paramedics, police, and security personnel can interact and solve problems, without the expense of real-world simulations.

This game is as yet unnamed, but the group has also developed games for energy policy that have been used by agencies of the Indian government.

At the Department of Computer & Information Science, we help students prepare to develop these simulations through courses such as CSCI N351, Multimedia Programming, and CSCI N451, Web Game Development. Students with a deeper background in computing can also attempt graduate level graphics and visualization courses, which assist in developing the infrastructure for games and other graphics-intensive applications.

12/17/10

New Software Engineers Need Security Skills

Here is a short article from www.dice.com (tech career website).  A new career path for software engineers...

Privacy Skills Are Going to be a Big Deal in Software Engineering
There's no doubt the future of software engineering will incorporate privacy standards. But it's a nascent field that software and standards organizations are only now beginning to explore.

Privacy design isn't widely understood by engineers in standards organizations and guidance doesn't exist, according to the Internet Architecture Board's call for papers for the MIT Privacy Workshop.

Yet that guidance is critical. Among other things, HTML5 greatly expands the ability to gather and store data. That's ramped up privacy concerns.

It also makes privacy engineering, if you will, so cutting-edge that new training and skillsets are musts. Expanded data collection means privacy will have to be engineered into standards and applications much like security now is.
Google has already begun doing that, according to Senior VP of Engineering and Research Alan Eustace. The company is adding engineers to assist newly appointed Privacy Engineering Director Alma Whitten. And, Google's requiring engineers to maintain privacy design documents to record how user data is handled.

The search giant's hardly alone. Changes in healthcare information storage, "smart grid" energy and utility networks, and cloud computing already point to privacy needs.

All this means more jobs, or at least more privacy skills. But the question remains: What education and training should software engineers have?

To start, they'll need legal and regulatory know-how in determining how information is protected, says Marc Noble, director of government affairs for the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)?. "I think you'll have to have a strong legal background and a strong technical background, which is very difficult to achieve," he says.

And, privacy is a compliance issue. Data has to be handled in ways consistent with laws, business goals and user expectations, adds J. Trevor Hughes, chief executive and president of the International Association of Privacy Professionals. To build protections and legal compliance into your systems, you'll have to understand privacy.
The organization's Certified Information Privacy Professional/IT is believed to be the only privacy certification available that's geared to computer science.

But technology outpaces legislation, notes Ann Cavoukian, the information and privacy commissioner for Ontario, Canada. "It's not obvious to me the extent to which privacy engineers need a legal background," she says. Instead, she thinks they'll need to collaborate with company attorneys to ensure legislative requirements are met.  
Still, her bottom line is simple: For engineers with privacy training, the job opportunities "are literally boundless."
-- Terry Sheridan

12/7/10

Computer Science Graduates Prepared for 5 of Top 11 Hottest Career Fields

A new report in MSN Careers suggests that Computer Science is hot, and continues to grow.

Of the top 11 hot fields for hiring in 2011, computer science degree holders are well represented. Laurence Shatkin, an expert in career development, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics have indicated that software publishers, computer systems designers, management and scientific consultants, scientific researchers, and educational services are expected to grow much faster than average. Each of these occupational areas has a place for the well-qualified computer science graduate, whether it be in traditional concentrations such as software engineering, more more niche areas such as data mining and network security.

So check out computer science! Each day, more than 300 positions are available in Central Indiana for the qualified computing professional.

IUPUI has many opportunities for hands-on internships, as well as undergraduate research to prepare you for both a career and life after graduation.

11/24/10

Computer Science Jobs to Grow in 2011

A new article in Computerworld shows that hiring in information technology will pick up in 2011. The top demand areas as in project management and software development, says the article, with 23% of company survey respondents indicating that they will hire in the next 12 months. Dave Willmer, an executive at Robert Half Technology, said, "Companies that cut staff or implemented hiring freezes are realizing they need employees now to help upgrade IT systems and prepare their firms for potential growth." These changes are resulting in enhanced employment opportunities for Computer Science graduates.

The survey Computerworld conducted suggested these top skills:

1. Programming and application development
2. Project management
3. Help desk/technical support
4. Networking
5. Security
6. Data center
7. Web 2.0
8. Telecommunications
9. Business intelligence
10. Collaboration architecture
11. Business acumen and communication skills

11/10/10

Job Openings Continue to Rise in Technology

A recent article appearing on eWeek.com indicates that job vacancies in information technology continue to expand, both month-over-month and year-to-year. The article indicates that tech hotbeds such as Silicon Valley have seen a 61 percent increase in postings from November 2009. This is in addition to significant increases in job opportunities in Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, Washington, DC, and other cities in the northeast.

This growth is confirmed by the Conference Board, a non profit business advocacy group that tracks online job vacancies.

These job numbers confirm what the Computer Science Department has continuously been communicating with entering students and their parents -- the future is bright for computer science graduates!

The full story is at http://tinyurl.com/38479ac.*

10/20/10

CS Faculty and Collaborators win IBM "Smarter Planet" Innovation Award

Researchers in the Department of Computer & Information Science were informed last week that they have won one of seventeen IBM Scalable Data Analysis for a Smarter Planet Innovation Awards. This award, given for one year, was given based on the work of Dr. Yuni Xia, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, and her collaborators Dr. Mathew Palakal (CS and Informatics), Dr. Josette Jones (Informatics), and Eric Tinsley, and IUPUI alumnus of the CS program.

IBM recognized the group's work in developing a large-scale sensor data stream processing system for geriatric care. As many industrialized countries face a growing proportion of their population aging, there is a growing need to use advanced technology to provide high-quality geriatric care at reduced costs. The recent advances in wireless sensor technology suggest a low-cost alternative for elder-care. The group designed and developed a real-time distributed sensor stream monitoring and analysis system for geriatric care, where sensors monitor vital signs, glucose levels, and heart rhythms to continuously monitor patients.

This is the first year for the IBM Scalable Data Analysis for a Smarter Planet Innovation Awards. Each awardee receives between $10,000-$30,000 and assigns an IBM liaison to collaborate on the project. In addition, a series of IBM software, tools, and data sets are made available to the winners. Winners of the award are invited to present their project at a workshop in October, 2011.

10/20/10

Microsoft Research Supports CSCI Cloud Computing Course

This spring, there will be a lot of activity on the IUPUI campus in the cloud. Dr. Arjan Durresi, Associate Professor of Computer Science at IUPUI, will offer the first IUPUI graduate course supported by Microsoft in cloud computing.

This course will include fundamentals of cloud and mobile computing, while exploring the potential for this technology in terms of economic, security, and social factors, as well as technical challenges.

The attached flyer describes the course in more detail, as well as provides its section number. It will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings this spring.

10/14/10

Software Architect Tops 2010 Best Jobs List

For the second year in a row, a career in computer science tops CNN Money Magazine's Best Jobs in America list. The list, available at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/index.html, ranks careers by their salary, level of satisfying work, and growth opportunities. Computer science jobs were prominent in the top 50 and top 100, with 15 of the top 50, and 25 overall.

Software architect was selected as the top job due to its outstanding potential for growth, variety of work, and its requirement of a creative, active worker. Jobs such as software architect require significant software development experience, and at least a bachelor's degree. Employers are looking for collaborators and those willing to work closely with clients to understand and deliver what they need. IUPUI Computer Science is well positioned to develop leaders in this and many other IT fields, and we welcome you to contact an advisor (located under the People link, above), for more information.

9/29/10

Graduate Student Paper Accepted to IEEE Journal

The paper "Vehicle Detection and Tracking in Car Video Based on Motion Model," authored by our MS graduate Amirali Jazayeri, PhD student Hongyuan Cai, along with their advisers Jiang Yu Zheng and Mihran Tuceryan has been accepted as a long paper for IEEE Transaction of Intelligent Transportation Systems. This is an outcome of work done during a two-year National Institute of Justice grant for the Intelligent In-car Video project. The work also follows the conference paper that was accepted for the IEEE Intelligent Vehicle 2010 Conference this summer. This conference had a very low 14% acceptance rate. Congratulations Amirali, Hongyuan, and Drs. Tuceryan and Zheng!

9/22/10

CS Professor Pairs with Environmental Science Prof. on National Science Foundation Environment, Society, and Economics Grant

The National Science Foundation announced this week that Dr. Meghna Babbar-Sebens of the Department of Earth Sciences and Dr. Snehasis Mukhopadhyay from Computer Science have been awarded a $410,000 grant for their project entitled, "Spatial Interactive Optimization for Restoration of Upland Storage in Watersheds: Community Participation in the Design of Distributed Practices and Alternatives." This project also involves Professor Emeritus of Economics Dr. Edna Loehman, of Purdue University at West Lafayette. The alteration of the natural hydrologic cycle due to human activities -- such as deforestation, artificial agricultural drainage systems, urbanization, and residential development -- has resulted in loss of multiple ecosystem services (e.g. flood attenuation and water quality control) that were previously provided naturally by various upstream (or upland) landscape features in river basins and watersheds. This research focuses on the restoration of the hydrologic cycle in small watersheds, by designing a system of multiple and distributed upland storage systems all across the landscape. The design process is complex and challenging since it involves selection of multiple sites, multiple scales, structural changes, multiple agronomic practices for agricultural landscapes, and community involvement. To address the complexity of the design process and the acceptability of proposed designs by landowners and local community, the research will develop and integrate computational tools (GIS, simulation, interactive optimization algorithms, etc.) with community participation within the design process. Eagle Creek Watershed (10 miles northwest of downtown Indianapolis, IN) will be used for development and demonstration of design methods, leading to a significant local impact via community outreach. The interdisciplinary nature of this research will integrate knowledge from hydrologic sciences, environmental engineering, computer science, economics, and decision science, and will also support collaborative research between students in Earth Sciences and Computer Science. This research embodies a profound new approach for including community interaction in the design process via the development of transformative concepts for search and design algorithms that provide more robust, transparent, and comprehensive means for supporting environmental planning and management processes.

9/20/10

Hiring Managers Looking for Computer Science Graduates

A recent Yahoo! Education story indicates that IT jobs rank #3 on a list of hot areas that hiring managers are looking for. According to the article, Steve Kane, an HR pro from San Francisco, indicated that computer science majors are still in demand. Interest is in many areas of computer science, including information systems, networking administration, and databases. Average salaries for networking or database administrators are in the high $60,000s, while computer scientists average over $95,000 per year.

Now is a great time to get involved with computer science! With the number of jobs outpacing graduates, the competition for computer science talent is high. This means excellent starting salaries, benefits, and security!

9/8/10

Tuceryan, Zheng Awarded $250,000 National Institute of Justice Grant

Dr. Mihran Tuceryan and Dr. Jiang yu Zheng were awarded a $253,120 grant for their project entitled Digitizing Devices to Capture Track Impressions. Both Dr. Tuceryan and Dr. Zheng serve as Principal Investigators on the project. Dr. Tuceryan indicated that the grant is funded for two years, and will result in a device that can capture three dimensional digitized images of impression evidence, such as foot and tire impressions, at crime scenes. This research will enable law enforcement agencies to better identify evidence and, hopefully, aid in the identification and capture of criminal suspects. The team is assisted by the Indiana Forensic Institute's Herb Blitzer, who will provide consulting services.

At the end of the two-year cycle, Dr. Zheng said that the group expects to build and test a prototype device that captures the evidence image, as well as algorithms to match this image with other samples.

9/8/10

Highly Skilled Workers Benefit for Future Hiring

A recent Yahoo! News article suggests that companies that hire in the future will be looking for specialized skills and advanced education. As job creation continues to be weak, employees with marketable skills will be in the best position to capitalize on any opportunities. The story reports that low-skill workers will be needed to staff stores and lower-end health care, while professionals such as software engineers and research scientists will also be in high demand. For those in between, the opportunities will be slim.

Among the fastest growing sectors is Information Technology, where 45% more professionals are needed by 2018. These workers earned nearly double the average private-sector salary, at over $84,000 in 2008.

Now is a great time to become involved in Computer Science and join the I.T. workforce, and with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that there are over 3 positions for every Computer Science/I.T. graduate, the opportunities will be available for graduates for many years to come!

9/8/10

PhD Student Wins ACM Multimedia Conference Scholarship

Hongyuan Cai has won a $1000 scholarship from the 2010 ACM Multimedia Conference to attend their event in Florence, Italy. The Conference runs from October 25-29, 2010. The scholarship competition was fierce, and the award enables Hongyuan to attend the conference and present a paper co-authored by his faculty advisor, Dr. Jiang yu Zheng, entitled Digesting omni-video along route for navigation. Congratulations, Hongyuan!

8/13/10

HP Researcher May Have Solved P versus NP Problem

A recent news article from Network World announced that Vinay Deolalikar may have solved one of computing's most difficult challenges, the P versus NP problem. This problem has puzzled computer scientists and mathematicians for years, and is one of the Millennium Prize problems. Successful solutions to any of the problems awards the scientist a $1 million prize from the Clay Mathematics Institute.

According to the article, the P versus NP problem involves determining whether questions exists whose answer can be quickly checked, but which require an impossibly long time to solve by any direct route. The full story, with links to the proof and other materials, is available at http://bit.ly/b5ohB6.

8/4/10

Computer Science in Top 5 for Starting Salaries

IEEE Computer recently released an article outlining the top majors for starting salaries in the United States. Computer Science nears the top, at number three, with an average starting salary of $61,112. Computer engineering and electrical/electronics engineering ranked fourth and fifth in this year's National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) survey. Marilyn Mackes, the executive director of NACE, said, "Those high starting salary offers reflect the uneven supply and demand that exists for these graduates, even in the current economy." Each of the top five fields enroll less than 1 percent each of the bachelor's degrees granted in the U.S. While this is good news for job seekers, the dearth of talent in computer science also means difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified computing specialists. With nearly 3 positions opening for every one graduate, computer science is expected to be in demand for at least 2016, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting. IEEE's full story can be found at http://www.computer.org/portal/web/buildyourcareer/news/-/blogs/cs-engineering-grads-have-highest-starting-salaries.

7/30/10

Have you hugged your SysAdmin today?

When your e-mail works today or the application you depend upon responds quickly, don't forget to thank your company's system administrator ? who probably played some part in ensuring you could remain productive and get your job done.

The last Friday in every July marks System Administrator Appreciation Day. In its 10th year, the annual day of recognition was created in 2000 by Systems Administrator Ted Kekatos, who was working as an IT manager for a small start-up at the time and thought it might be nice for him and his colleagues to get a bit of recognition. According to the holiday's Web site, sysadmins have been work hard in a mostly thankless job most days.

"Let's face it, System Administrators get no respect 364 days a year. This is the day that all fellow System Administrators across the globe, will be showered with expensive sports cars and large piles of cash in appreciation of their diligent work," the Web site reads. "But seriously, we are asking for a nice token gift and some public acknowledgement. It's the least you could do."

7/26/10

International Association on Pattern Recognition Recognizes Dundar for Best Paper

The International Association for Pattern Recognition has announced that Dr. Murat Dundar's paper entitled "A Multiple Instance Learning Approach toward Optimal Classification of Pathology Slides" has been awarded Best Scientific Paper in Track 6, Bioinformatics and Biomedical Applications. This award is associated with the International Conference on Pattern Recognition, which will be held later this year in Istanbul, Turkey. This prize is especially competitive, considering that over 2100 papers were submitted to the conference, and only six were awarded Best Paper titles, based on each of six research tracks. Congratulations, Dr. Dundar!

7/23/10

Need for Cybersecurity Professionals Dire

This month, researchers from the Center for Strategic and International Studies published a white paper entitled "A Human Capital Crisis in Cybersecurity: Technical Proficiency Matters," arguing that the nation is critically deficient in the number and quality of cybersecurity professionals.

Co-chaired by U.S. Representatives James Langevin and Michael McCaul, as well as Scott Charney and Lt. General Harry Hadeuge of the U.S. Air Force (retired), the paper, highlights the significant need for an expanded knowledge base and work force in cybersecurity. This is in response to the intense and rapidly growing number of cyber attacks that attempt to penetrate both government and industry computing resources. Says the report, "Military and nuclear energy systems are under continuous attack, experiencing large losses. For at least the past six years the US Department of Defense, nuclear laboratory sites and other sensitive US civilian government sites have been deeply penetrated, multiple times, by other nation-states (p. 1)."

The report suggests several steps to grow the number of qualified computing professionals to meet the challenge of cybersecurity, including:

• Promote and fund the development of more rigorous curricula in our schools.
• Support the development and adoption of technically rigorous professional certifications that include a tough educational and monitored practical component.
• Use a combination of the hiring process, the acquisition process and training resources to raise the level of technical competence of those who build, operate, and defend governmental systems.
• Ensure there is a career path as with other disciplines like civil engineering or medicine, rewarding and retaining those with the high-level technical skills (p. 2).

The Department of Computer & Information Science at IUPUI was integral to Indiana University's status as a National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education and Research. Students interested in security issues can concentrate in networking and security in the undergraduate curriculum, complete a Graduate Certificate in Computer Security, or pursue a MS or PhD degree based on their interests in security.

7/16/10

Dr. Al Hasan wins 2010 ACM SIGKDD Dissertation Award

New Assistant Professor Dr. Mohammad Al Hasan has won the prestigious ACM SIGKDD Dissertation award, recognizing excellence in research by doctoral candidates in the field of data mining and knowledge discovery. As winner, Dr. Al Hasan is recognized by a commemorative plaque, complementary registration for the KDD 2010 conference later this month, and a check for $2500. Advised by Dr. Mohammad Zaki at Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Al Hasan's dissertation focused on mining interesting subgraphs of data using a novel sampling technique. The announcement can be found at http://www.kdd2010.com/awards.shtml#dissertation.

7/12/10

CS Curriculum Provides In-Demand Skills for Industry

The magazine Computerworld has indicated the ten most difficult skill sets and positions to fill in the computing world, based on a survey of 600 human resources managers and recruiters.

The IUPUI Computer Science curriculum is designed to provide students with a strong understanding of computing principles, as well as current skills that can be applied in the work force and in further study. The article indicates that any IT professional with even one of these skills can expect a financial boost in pay - an average of $10,000 more per year!

The Computer Science curriculum is strong in several of the needed areas, including Java/J2EE, computer security, software development, as well as databases. Current and new students can concentrate their study in software engineering, networking and security, or databases and datamining, along with other areas.

With 71% of new jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics expected to be in computing until 2018, a career in computer science is more available, and valuable, than ever.

7/9/10

CS Master's Student Featured on Asian Correspondent

Tanumoy Pati, a second-year MS student from India, has been featured in an extensive posting on the US edition of Asian Correspondent. He talks about his experiences at IUPUI as an international student and the unique features of the CS program at http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/IUPUI/india-to-indiana-international-student-perspective.

7/2/10

Associate Professor Xukai Zou Appears on Fox 59

Dr. Xukai Zou, Associate Professor of Computer Science, was featured on Fox 59, the Indianapolis television station, recently. Fox 59's Eva Pilgrim interviewed Zou at his home regarding a recent security breach at Anthem, the insurance company based in Indianapolis. Dr. Zou's interview video and the full story can be found at http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-anthem-letters-062510,0,1566956.story.

7/1/10

Computer Science Debuts First YouTube Videos

The Department's faculty, staff, students, and selected alumni are now accessible online in a new introductory video, posted on the IUPUI School of Science's YouTube Channel. The video features the voices of faculty you may recognize, as well as new faculty that have joined the Department in recent years. Focusing on the Department's core teaching and research strengths, the podcasts provide a glimpse of what life is like on campus for new students. Take a moment and check them out at http://www.youtube.com/user/IUPUIScience.

6/7/10

Computer Science in Top 6 Most Desirable Degrees List

A new article posted here (http://education.yahoo.net/articles/six_in_demand_degrees.htm?kid=12X5N) indicates that Computer Science tops a list of six top degrees in terms of starting salaries in the United States. Based on research by Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, employers are seeking computer science graduates, and are willing to pay to get them. Computer Science was ranked #3, behind health care and business administration, and ahead of accounting/finance, engineering, and marketing. The report indicates that the average starting salary for a Computer Science graduate is over $61,000, compared to $54,000 for those with an information systems degree. Computer Science had the second highest starting salary listed in the report.

You can find information about our degree programs that prepare you for both graduate school and industry positions at http://www.cs.iupui.edu/degrees/.

5/11/10

Graduate Student Paper Accepted at IEEE Conference on Intelligent Vehicles 2010

A paper entitled "Car Identification in Car Video based on Their Motion," authored by computer science graduate students Amirali Jazayeri and Hongyuan Cai with their advisors Jiang Zheng and Mihran Tuceryan has been accepted by IEEE Conference on Intelligent Vehicles 2010 at San Diego. The authors will conduct an oral presentation at the conference, where the organizers reviewed 250 papers. The success rate was very competitive, with only 14% of the papers being accepted for presentation.

This work aims at detecting and tracking vehicles in in-car video. Rather than enhancing shape analysis of various vehicle types and road situations, this work focuses on vehicle and background motions because they are more general than shapes and colors of cars in various road environments. Basic features are tracked stably using corners, intensity peaks, and horizontal line segments. We use HMM in the temporal domain to separate background and moving vehicles in the video. To realize this, we model the image motion of vehicles and background probabilistically according to the scene characteristic and vehicle driving mechanism, as well as the joint distribution of horizontal position and velocity of scenes. The identification and tracking are robust to various illumination and environments and the processing is performed in real time. The identification results based on motion only is good and a better result can be achieved further by fusing the motion result with the results from shape analysis.

The project is partially supported by the National Institute of Justice.

5/6/10

Dr. Murat Dundar and Collaborator at Purdue West Lafayette Garner $385,000 NIH R21 Grant

The National Institutes of Health announced today that Dr. Murat Dundar and his collaborator, Dr. Bartek Rajwa of Purdue University, have been awarded a $385,000 grant, funded for two years. Dr. Dundar is the campus Principal Investigator for the project, entitled "Machine-Learning Approach to Label-free Detection of new Bacterial Pathogens."

This project will develop a machine learning approach that automatically detects samples of bacteria using optical scans. Purdue University researchers have recently developed a new optical sensor for detecting and identifying colonies of pathogens like Listeria, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and E. coli. This new testing method will collect data on the patterns formed by laser light scattering on these bacterial colonies. In this way, features are extracted and used to classify samples. This method will mean that samples can now be tested without the use of chemicals and other testing equipment. The end goal is to develop testing mechanisms that allow for the identification of bacterial outbreaks as early as possible, in order to create a network of testing sites and shared databases that result in an early bio-warning system.

More information about Dr. Dundar and his work is available at http://www.cs.iupui.edu/~dundar/.

4/27/10

CS Major Blake Deister Finishes Second at 2010 Purdue Grand Prix

When Blake Deister isn't in class solving complex computing problems, he's on the race track with the IUPUI motorsports team. He and his colleague, Justin Penix, finished in the top two at this year's 53rd annual Purdue Grand Prix. Deister was in the lead for about 20 laps, until Justin Penix took the lead. A full story, including a brief YouTube video, can be found at http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/general/2010/100424GrandPrixResults.html.

2/11/10

MS Student Earns Trip to Grace Hopper Computing Conference at InWIC 2010

When Sijin Abdulkarim, a graduate student in Computer Science, presented her poster at the 2010 InWIC Conference, she did not know that the step would be the first on a journey taking her from Bloomington, Indiana to Atlanta.

Sijin, a first-year Master of Science student, presented her poster to nearly 150 other students, faculty, and professionals in information technology last week and was awarded a full scholarship to attend the 2010 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, which will be held this year in Atlanta, Georgia. She is working closely with Dr. Mathew Palakal, professor of Computer Science and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education in the IU School of Informatics at IUPUI. Her poster described their recent work in the area of sub-graph mining from biological networks.

1/12/10

IUPUI Women Attend InWIC Conference 2010

For the second year in a row, IUPUI's School of Science and the Department of Computer and Information Science are sending students to the Indiana Women in Computing (InWIC) Conference, which is held each year in early February. This year, the conference is February 5-6 at McCormick's Creek State Park in Spencer, IN. Last year, Dr. Yuni Xia served as the faculty sponsor of IUPUI's InWIC chapter, an organization that celebrates and supports women in computing.

This year's conference is headlined by cybersecurity expert Kay Connelly of Indiana University Bloomington (IUB). Dr. Connelly is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at IUB, working with the Center for Advanced Cybersecurity Research (CACR) there. The event is open to industry and academic participants, including undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. More information on the conference is available at http://www.cs.indiana.edu/inwic/.

11/11/09

BS Track in Biocomputing/Pre-Med Approved

Computer Science students can now prepare for exciting careers in the medical field with a new undergraduate degree track in biocomputing/pre-medicine. This track will prepare students for the rigors of medical school as well as for emerging positions in the field of biocomputing. Dr. Snehasis Mukhopadhyay, Chair of the CS Undergraduate Committee, stated, "This track will be attractive to many students from Central Indiana and around the country. As one of the few pre-medical computer science programs in the country, the Department stands out as a leader. This is the only program of its kind in Indiana. With the IU School of Medicine right next door, we feel that this track will be an exciting option for many students." Slated to begin in Fall 2010, the track includes all the pre-requisite courses for the Indiana University School of Medicine, as well as many other US medical schools. In addition, a required course in biocomputing will expose students to many applications of their biology and chemistry coursework in computer science. More information about the biocomputing/pre-medical track will be available at http://www.cs.iupui.edu/degrees/bachelor.php in the coming weeks.

11/2/09

CS Club Gains ACM Affiliation

After a three-year hiatus, the Association of Computing Machinery will regain an IUPUI chapter. Originally hosted by the Department of Computer & Information Techology in the School of Engineering & Technology at IUPUI, the student ACM chapter has been approved for the Department of Computer & Information Science. Dale Roberts, IUPUI Computer Science Club faculty sponsor, said, "This recognition highlights the growing strength of our CS Club, as well as the dedication and commitment of its leadership. CS Club is active, growing, and capable of supporting many exciting career development events throughout the year. Our affiliation with ACM, one of the elite organizations in computing, will provide many opportunities for students to engage with other faculty and professionals in the computing world, and we couldn't be happier." Presently, ACM is working on adding IUPUI to its affiliates list. More information about the Computer Science Club is available at http://csclub.cs.iupui.edu.

10/27/09

US Congress Approves CS Education Week

The Association of Computing Machinery announced on October 21st that the organization is working with US Representatives Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) and Jared Polis (D-CO) to declare the week of December 7 as "National Computer Science Education Week." The article, available at http://www.acm.org/press-room/news-releases/cs-education-week/view, provides statements by noted computing leaders such as Rick Rashid, Senior Vice President of Research for Microsoft Corporation, as well as Alfred Spector, Vice President of Research and Special Initiatives at Google, Inc.

The first week in December was chosen, according to ACM, to honor Grace M. Hopper, one of the outstanding pioneers in the field. She was born on December 9, 1906. Hopper engineered new programming languages and standards for computer systems. These innovations laid the foundation for many advances in computer science from the 1940s into the 1970s. In 1971, ACM established the Grace Murray Hopper Award, which recognizes outstanding young computer professionals on the basis of recent major technical or service contributions.

10/21/09

CS Club Elects Officers for 2009-10 Academic Year

The results are in! After an election on Tuesday, October 19, the Computer Science Club at IUPUI has elected new officers. These students are highly engaged in service to the university and to the department, and will spend the year developing innovative programs for Computer Science majors. In addition, these leaders and other CS Club members will be active in discussing their experiences with high school students in the Central Indiana area, thus providing a window into college-level computer science and the opportunities to excel at IUPUI. The slate of officers is below:

President - Christian Dodds
Vice President - Kenny Eldridge
Secretary - Kay Jessee
Social Chair - Naim Hegar
Oncourse Webmaster - Asad Saeed

Questions about the CS Club should be directed to Dale Roberts.

10/15/09

CNN Money & PayScale.com Rank CS High on Top Careers

This year, CNN Money.com and PayScale.com ranked the top 50 careers with great pay and growth prospects. Coming in at the top was Systems Engineer, which expects a 10-year job growth of 45%. Also making the top 50 from Computer Science are information technology project manager (#5), Computer/Network Security Consultant (#8), Software Developer (#12), Software Project Manager (#16), Telecommunications Network Engineer (#30, but growing at 53% over 10 years!), and Computer Software Program Manager (#39).

Each of these positions is expected to grow much faster than average until at least 2016. Data were provided by PayScale.com, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Conference Board Help Wanted Online Data Series, and MONEY Research. The full article is at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2009/full_list/.

9/25/09

Faculty Earn Promotion, Tenure

Recently, Drs. Shiaofen Fang and Rajeev Raje were promoted to the position of professor. Both have served as Associate Professors for many years, and were awarded promotion in recognition of their contributions to the research mission of the department. The promotions took effect in August, and brings the number of full professors in the department to three.

In addition, Dr. Xukai Zou was promoted to Associate Professor, and granted tenure. Dr. Zou is a specialist in computer security, especially secure group communication over networks. He has been funded by Cisco Systems, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among others.

9/25/09

Computer Science Named as a Top Versatile Degree

With the US economy struggling to recover after a significant recession, many students and current professionals are seeking degrees that offer flexibility in their career prospects. No longer are good jobs guaranteed right out of college, nor is continued employment a given.

Recently, MSN encarta(r) named Computer Science as one of the Top Ten most versatile college degrees, at number three. The entire article can be found online at http://tinyurl.com/10degrees.

9/4/09

Xia, other IUPUI Researchers Garner $1.4m NSF Grant

Xia, other IUPUI Researchers Garner $1.4m NSF Grant Dr. Yuni Xia, an Assistant Professor of Computer Science, has been awarded with two collaborators a three-year National Science Foundation grant in the amount of $1,425,995. The title of the grant is "DisProt Database: A Central Repository of Information on Intrinsically Disordered Proteins". The goal of this project is to fully develop DisProt, a database that provides an essential depository of information about intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) . DisProt will be not only a collection of data on IDPs and their functions, but also a unique research tool to conduct various computational studies on these proteins and to help design better research strategies for studying individual IDPs in laboratory. It's expected that DisProt will support a very wide-spread use, both for the purpose of carrying out bioinformatics experiments and for the entire community involved in understanding cell and molecular biology. Dr. Xia is a co-Principal Investigator on the project, along with Dr. Vladimir Uversky. Dr. A. Keith Dunker, a Professor in the Indiana University Schools of Medicine and Informatics, is serving as Principal Investigator on the project.

7/16/09

Orr, Zou, other IUPUI Researchers Receive Cybersecurity Grants

As part of the Indiana University Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research (CACR), Dr. Xukai Zou and Scott Orr have received part of $230,000 in internal grant money to pursue research along with Dr. Eliza Du in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at IUPUI. Their work is entitled, "A Novel Approach to Robust, Secured, and Cancellable Biometrics."

Funding for the internal grant program was provided by a gift from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., of Indianapolis. Fred Cate, CACR Director and Distinguished Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, made the announcement on June 19, 2009. The seed grants are expected to enhance the competitiveness of IU and IUPUI researchers in this area for competitive national grants from such agencies as the National Science Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition, Zou and Orr were named as two of seventeen CACR Fellows for 2009-10, as researchers whose work in the field of cybersecurity "warrants special recognition."

The full press release from Indiana University is available at http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/11196.html.

6/15/09

Computer Science Tops List for Hottest Careers

According to a University of California San Diego Extension study, careers in computer science are hot, with four of the top twelve fastest growing careers being in our area. Among the list: Casual game development, Data mining, Software engineering, and Web design. The full article is available at http://www.higheredmorning.com/study-points-to-hottest-career-trends.

6/9/09

Dr. Murat Dundar receives IUPUI Research Support Grant

CS Department Assistant Professor, Dr. Murat Dundar, was recently awarded a Research Support Funds Grant (RSFG) from IUPUI's Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research for work on his project entitled "An Artificial Intelligence System for the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism Using CTPA Scans and Clinical Data." Dr. Dundar's research will work toward developing an artificial intelligence (AI) system for diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE). This system would provide a useful tool for radiologists and clinicians as a "2nd reader" to be able to more accurately diagnose PE for early treatment.

For further information on Dr. Dundar's research, please visit his website at http://www.cs.iupui.edu/~dundar/research.

4/20/09

CS Job Growth Seen in Multiple Sectors

According to a new series of articles by the IEEE Computer Society, employment in many sectors of the IT world are gearing up for a strong hiring season. Included in these are healthcare IT, energy, project management, IT security, and networking. Opportunities also abound for web professionals, cloud and green computing, as well as desktop virtualization. The full series of articles is available online at http://www2.computer.org/portal/web/buildyourcareer/careerwatch/hotsectors.

4/6/09

2008 Turing Award Winner Talks about Her Life in Computing

Barbara Liskov, the 2008 ACM Turing Award winner, discusses her views on a number of new technologies, her attraction to computing science, challenges she's faced, and the top lessons she's learned as part of a discussion with Stephen Ibaraki. This discussion was conducted as a part of his interview series for CIPS Connections, and lasts 38 minutes. The full audio is available at http://www.stephenibaraki.com/audio/Barbara_Liskov.mp3.

4/1/09

2009 Computer Science Graduates Still In Demand

National leaders in Computer Science are indicating that graduates in computer science remain in high demand, even during this period of economic slowdown, says an article in Network World . Prof. Peter Lee, chair of Carnegie Mellon University's Computer Science Department, says that demand for the program's majors has not declined recently, and continue to have near 100% employment.

Closer to home, Prof. Cary Laxer at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, In.), noted that he welcomed more recruiters than graduating students, with over 200 companies coming to the campus. When a smaller group of companies came in January, 9 were looking for software engineering professionals.

Industry giants such as Google and Microsoft are still recruiting from college campuses this year, looking for all levels of professionals, from bachelors to PhD.

3/30/09

3rd Annual Programming Contest A Success

(March 26, 2009) -- It's not surprising to find a group of high school students consumed on a Saturday with the popular arcade game Whack-a-Mole. What might be surprising is that they weren't in an arcade but in a computer lab.

How many moles pop up at any single time? You might try to count as you're trying to whack them back into their holes. Or, better yet, you might write a computer program to deliver a more exact answer. That's exactly what area students who competed in the IUPUI High School Computer Programming Contest did.

Twenty-eight students from six high schools participated in the third annual contest, which was hosted by IUPUI's Department of Computer and Information Science. Students were presented with 10 programming problems and given three hours to write the programs. They were judged by the speed with which they completed the programs, and how the programs conformed to the specifications of the problems. Students competed in teams of two members.

Read the complete article

3/11/09

First Female PhD in CS wins Turing Award

The Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) today announced that Barbara Liskov is the recipient of the 2009 Turing Award, which is often described as the "Nobel Prize in computing." Liskov, an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA, earned her PhD at Stanford University in 1968, and has been a faculty member at MIT since 1972.

This is notable because the Turing Award has only been given to two women, and this announcement occurs during US Women's History Month.

Dr. Liskov's work has made fundamental contributions to computer science, and is used routinely around the world. MIT's provost, Dr. L. Rafael Reif, said, "Her exceptional achievements have leapt from the halls of academia to transform daily life around the world. Every time you exchange e-mail with a friend, check your bank statement online or run a Google search, you are riding the momentum of her research." As head of the Programming Methodology Group at MIT, she leads research in the area of programming languages and systems, which contributes to advances in software design and distributed systems.

MIT has released more information about Dr. Liskov's life and work, available here .

3/11/09

High Starting Salaries Available for BS and MS Grads

Recently, MSN Careers published an article (available here <*http://tinyurl.com/djlkjm>) *revealing average salaries for employees in many career fields, and computer science was ranked high for both BS and MS graduates. The article indicates that starting salary offers are often related to the amount and type of formal education a candidate has to offer.

Starting salaries for those with degrees in computer science/computer programming were almost $51,000 with a Bachelor's degree, while the average for those with a Master's degree was over $72,000, at $72,515. These figures outpaced every other degree type listed, including science management, physical sciences, social sciences, and the arts. Clearly a degree in computer science is a great investment in yourself and your future!

Those with questions about employment and job prospects in computer science are welcome to contact Josh Morrison at 317-274-2724 for further information.

3/3/09

CS Listed as One of Five In-Demand Majors

IUPUI students are learning more about in-demand majors in this slow economy, thanks to Lauren Cascio of the IUPUI Sagamore staff. Cascio, a staff writer and IUPUI student, produced a story for the February 25th issue of the student newspaper, which lists five of the most in-demand majors in the job market today. Listed in no particular order, Computer Science ranks high due to the high number of openings and relative lack of applicants. The full story is below.

Students invest thousands of dollars in their education each year. Whether this money is out of their pockets or from loans that will be repaid, the cost of a college education is high. Some people enter college knowing exactly what they want to do, while others enter knowing what their strengths or interests are, but not much else. Regardless of whether you know what you want to do or not, you still want to be able to make up for the amount of money invested in your education.

Unfortunately, employers are not hiring as many graduates as in previous years and analysts do not expect this trend to reverse any time soon. Many organizations have done studies to try to predict the majors that will be the most marketable for graduates within the next several years. One disclaimer: any major is marketable. As a student, you should aim to do what your passion is and excel in that course of study to the best of your ability. This top five is merely meant as a guide for students who may be curious as to what the most marketable majors will be in the future and assistance for undecided students.

That being said, these are the five most in demand majors for the next five years, in no particular order.

1. Nursing

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 587,000 new nursing jobs are projected within the next eight years due, in part, to the increasing burden of the baby-boomer generation as they continue approach retirement age and require more geriatric care. In addition, many registered nurses are nearing retirement as well, adding to the job possibilities for graduating students. The IUPUI School of Nursing is the largest multipurpose nursing school in the country and offers a wide range of degree options. Undergraduates can pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing when they initially enter IUPUI or can pursue a BSN as a second degree option if they already have a degree in another non-nursing field. Students have the opportunity for hands-on experience beginning their first semester and continuing through all four years of the curriculum.

2. Economics

An economics degree can lead an individual to many places, according to Archana Dube, an undergraduate advisor and lecturer for the department.

"Times are changing and economics knowledge is helpful in predicting optimizing behavior of individuals," said Dube, "Also, students who graduate with economics majors graduate with a good idea of how the world works."

Economics centers on the idea that individuals within a market operate in their own self interest. Economists analyze this behavior and look to predict how trends can make a market more or less efficient in the future. Students interested in this major are generally problem solvers who have investigative natures and have an interest in seeking answers for complex issues. The IUPUI campus can offer students small class sizes along with the research and internship opportunities of a large university.

3. Engineering

Every year in the U.S., the supply of graduates with engineering degrees in significantly less than the increasing demand for engineering majors. This fact alone is proof for why an engineering major is one of the most marketable majors out there. Students can concentrate on many different areas, including motorsports, mechanical and biomedical engineering. Students interested in the this major are usually problem solvers who always find themselves asking how they can take one system or product and make it more efficient for everyday users. The IUPUI School of Engineering and Technology offers a number Purdue University Undergraduate degrees in both the engineering and technology fields. Students experience smaller class sizes and student-to-professor ratios at IUPUI, while still getting a degree that is recognized all over the world.

"In Indiana we all take the Purdue name for granted,"

said Terri Talbert-Hatch, the Assistant Dean for Student Services within the school, "A Purdue degree in Engineering is internationally known for its quality. We have graduates studying all around the world."

4. Computer Science

Computer Science degrees are in hot demand all around the country, but also right here in Indiana. The top three jobs experiencing the largest growth within Indiana are jobs that require a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science according to a government study done in November 2008. The presence of large companies who are interested in hiring interns or new graduates right here in Indianapolis combined with small class sizes and a faculty that has built careers one what they are teaching to their students and IUPUI is an ideal place from which to obtain a Computer Science major. In this major, heavy emphasis is placed on the creation of new programs and technology to improve upon already existing technology. The IUPUI Department of Computer and Information Science also offers a certificate program for students with non-computer related majors. This certificate is a great idea for students who want the basic information about databases and other computer related technologies that can help them in their future.

"The curriculum is tough, but the rewards are definitely out there,"

said Joshua Morrsion, the Research, Curriculum and Administration Coordinator for the Department of Computer and Information Science, "We are very confident that positions are available for our graduates."

5. Secondary and Elementary Education

The demand for teachers is expected to remain consistent despite the hard economic times expected to continue within the next couple of years. Many teachers are at, or approaching, retirement age and this means that more and more graduates are in demand. Special education teachers are also beginning to become more of a fixture in schools all around the nation. Special education teachers on all levels are trained to be able to observe students for signs of learning problems and are also trained to draft action plans to make the student as productive as possible in the future. Students who are in the elementary, secondary or special education fields find themselves with many more opportunities at the IUPUI campus than anywhere else in the state. IPS schools, private schools and after-school programs are prominent all around the city and provide teaching students with hands-on experiences beginning their first semester of learning.

2/18/09

March is Women's History Month, and IUPUI is Celebrating

March is Women's History Month, and IUPUI is celebrating with a variety of events on campus that will be of interest to students, faculty, and staff. Check out this flyer for more information!

2/16/09

Internship Fair to be Held Wednesday, Feb. 18

The Intern Connections Spring Fair will have over 50 employers representing a variety of industries seeking student interns. Please see http://internshipfairs.iupui.edu for dates, times and locations.

Visit the fair to search for and apply to internships to take advantage of your education, apply your skills in the real world, and gain more experience to better market yourself after graduation.

When: Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 10 AM - 3 PM
Where: Campus Center
Who: FREE to all IUPUI students seeking professional internships

Bring resumes and dress professionally

In preparation for the Intern Connections Spring Fair on February 18, 2009, the IUPUI Career Services Council will have a Resume Review and Information Table at the Campus Center the week of February 11 - February 17 every weekday from 10 AM-2 PM and Making the Most of a Career Fair, Workshops on Thursday February 12 at 4 PM and on Monday February 16 at 12 PM and 4 PM all workshops taking place at the Campus Center (CE) 264.

2/13/09

It's time to party like it's 1234567890

Because it is! On this Friday, Feb 13 at exactly 3:31:30 PM (PST), Unix time will equal 1234567890.

What is Unix Time?

Unix time, or POSIX time, is a system for describing points in time, defined as the number of seconds elapsed since midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) of January 1, 1970, not counting leap seconds. It is widely used not only on Unix-like operating systems but also in many other computing systems. It is neither a linear representation of time nor a true representation of UTC (though it is frequently mistaken for both) as the times it represents are UTC but it has no way of representing UTC leap seconds (e.g. 1998-12-31 23:59:60).

2/11/09

The 12th International Conference on Network-Based Information Systems will be held at Indianapolis, USA, on Aug. 19 (Wed.) to

In the past decade, our network infrastructure has undergone radical changes. It has evolved from a small number of interconnected computer networks to a global socio-technical infrastructure, where people communicate and interact spontaneously in cyber space and with the cyber physical world, create content and share knowledge over a network of heterogeneous networks.

In the future, global society will increasingly rely on socio-technical networks designed in harmony with societal values and economic viability, with enhanced security, privacy, resilience, availability and manageability, and the ability to incorporate as yet unforeseen technologies, applications and services.

Future networks should be available anytime and anywhere, be accessible from any communication device, require little or no management overhead, be resilient to failures and malicious attacks, and be trustworthy for all types of communication. They must be able to evolve over time to incorporate new technologies, support new classes of applications, and meet new requirements and challenges. They also need to accommodate growth and unforeseen changes across many dimensions, including traffic load, network size and topology, physical link characteristics, different types of applications, and heterogeneity, without significant performance degradation. The conference scope ranges from home networks with numerous "smart" appliances to enterprise networks, core networks, and application-level networks.

The main objective of NBiS is to bring together researchers from both network systems and information systems with the aim of encouraging the exchange of ideas and experience between these two communities. It will represent an international forum to give an overview of the most recent trends. The NBiS seeks original contributions in all relevant areas, including but not limited to the following topics.

Topics of interest

• -Parallel and Distributed Algorithms
• -Communication Networks and Protocols
• -Databases and Data Mining
• -Grid Infrastructures
• -P2P Overlay Networks and Applications
• -Scheduling, Resource Discovery and Allocation
• -JXTA-based Applications
• -Web and Internet Applications
• -Ubiquitous Computing Applications
• -Pervasive Computing and Applications
• -Multimedia Systems and Applications
• -Autonomic Computing
• -Distributed Object-Oriented Systems
• -Heterogeneous Wireless Networks
• -Sensor Networks
• -Ad Hoc Networks
• -Sensor and Actor Networks
• -High-Speed Networks
• -Routing Algorithms
• -Interoperable Systems
• -Electronic Commerce
• -Network Security and Privacy
• -Intelligent Information Systems
• -Distance Learning Systems
• -eBusiness

More Information

2/5/09

The Secret's Out! CS Jobs Seen as Recession-Proof

Yahoo.com has recently come out with an article regarding careers that appear to be recession-proof. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the story (available at here) indicates that by 2016, three out of 10 jobs will be in education and in health care. If those fields do not appeal to you, another large area of growth wi$ business-related positions.

Topping the list of in-demand careers are two from the field of Computer Science -- Computer Scientists and Computer Systems Analysts. These positions commanded an average salary of over $70,000 per year in 2007. More data from BLS suggests that the demand for qualified computer science graduates will grow much faster than average until at least 2016, which is as far out as the agency makes predictions.

Now is a great time to get started so that you can capitalize on the opportunities of today, and tomorrow! Whether it is completing your first undergraduate degree or coming back to school for advanced training, there's a great advantage to having the in-demand skills that employers across the country need, regardless of the economic conditions.

2/5/09

NSA to Interview for Internships, Full-Time Positions

Representatives from the National Security Agency (NSA) will be at the IU IT Career Fair and are hoping to identify candidates (must be US citizens) for either full time or internship positions that would start within the next several months depending on how long it takes for clearances. Specifically, they are looking for computer security, computer science engineering, support, etc.

If you are interested, you can start the process by submitting your resume online at http://www.nsa.gov/careers. Those submitting resumes online should inform Scott Orr in the CS Department so that our contact can be notified.

There will also be a meeting here on campus on 2/19 for those of you graduating in 2010 who might be interested in working with the NSA. As soon as the information is available, it will be posted outside SL 280.

2/3/09

The IUPUI School of Science is proud to announce a workshop for students pursuing MS and PhD degrees requiring a thesis.

February 20, 2009

11:00a.m.-12:30p.m.

University Library - Lilly Auditorium

Who Should Attend? Ph.D. and M.S. graduation candidates who plan to graduate with a Purdue degree in 2009.

Presenter:
Mark Jaeger, Manager, Thesis/Dissertation Office, Purdue University, will present information on thesis formatting and thesis deposit procedures.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to bring a draft copy of their thesis for reference.

1/29/09

Spring Campus Day Set for March 7th

IUPUI is hosting its Spring Campus Day on Saturday, March 7th from 12 noon - 4 pm (Eastern Time). Interested in an undergraduate or graduate program at IUPUI? Come see them all in one day at the IUPUI Campus Center. In addition to sessions on admissions, financial aid, and student life, the Department of Computer & Information Science will be hosting sessions on game programming, careers in computer science, as well as graduate programs in our discipline. Come join us for the day and learn about the IUPUI campus and all it has to offer!

1/22/09

IUPUI Intercollegiate Athletics names "Favorite Faculty"

Each year, student athletes at IUPUI are asked to nominate faculty from their courses as their favorites. "Favorite faculty" in Fall 2008 were invited to participate in halftime festivities at the February 21 mens basketball game at IUPUI's gymnasium, "The Jungle." This year, Josh Morrison, the Department's Research, Curriculum, & Administrative Coordinator was named a "favorite faculty" member by Sarah Oppelt, a freshman women's softball player. Morrison teaches SCI-I120, Windows on Science. This one credit hour first-year seminar is intended to introduce IUPUI students to the academic, personal, and social resources available to them, as well as to engage and prepare them for the academic rigors of university study. He said, "I am very pleased and honored to be recognized by one of our student athletes, who give so much of their time and energy to enhance the IUPUI student experience. I believe this recognition underlines the importance of strong first-year experiences for all students, including student athletes, in their academic and personal success." This is the first "Favorite Faculty" award for Morrison, who has taught SCI-I120 since 2006.

1/22/09

CSCI Participates in the Great Lakes Girls Collaborative - Indiana Kickoff Event

The Department of Computer & Information Science will be participating in the Great Lakes Girls Collaborative Indiana Kickoff Event, to be held at the IUPUI Campus Center on February 21, 2009. This event is for organizations such as InWIC (Indiana Women In Computing) and CS Club to learn how to increase the capacity to involve girls in STEM fields through collaboration with others. More information on this event is available at http://www.ngcproject.com/events/events.cfm?eventid=113.

12/1/08

The Department of Computer and Information Science is pleased to announce the elected officers of the Computer Science Club.

President: Thomas Schneiter
Vice-President: Justin Nichols
Secretary: Kenneth Eldridge
Treasurer: Diviyansh Bhatnagar

The following chairpersons are also appointed:

Social and Membership Chairperson: Qian You
Service Chairperson: Terry Kee
Webmasters: Marizka Davis and Asad Saeed

Congratulations to the entire CSClub 2008-2009 leadership team!

(And by the way, there will be plenty of activities and additional positions in the club, given our current plans?so don't worry if you haven't plugged in to anything yet!)

The next CSClub meeting is 11/17/2008 6 PM - 7 PM, tentatively scheduled in the Computer Science conference room SL-280.

Contact Mr. Schneiter at tschneit@iupui.edu if you have questions, or visit the CSClub web site http://csclub.cs.iupui.edu/ .

The Computer Science Club is open to all students interested in computing - majors, graduate students, Certificate students?. Anyone who wants to enhance their computing prowess for any reason?. to secure a better job, prepare for research, or just to have some fun!!! So ---- join us!!!!!

Thanks, Dale Roberts, CSClub Advisor

10/21/08

IUPUI Campus Day Scheduled for November 9

Interested in an undergraduate or graduate program at IUPUI? Come see them all in one day at the IUPUI Campus Center. The Department of Computer & Information Science will be hosting three sessions:

At 1 pm, Andy Harris will be presenting "Game Programming in 45 Minutes or Less," an interactive session where students will help Andy develop a working video game.

Josh Morrison will be discussing "Careers and Opportunities in Computer Science" at 2 pm, which will be an overview of the Computer Science Bachelor of Science program at IUPUI, as well as the graduate school and career opportunities that exist for Computer Science graduates.

At 3 pm, one of our graduate faculty members will be discussing graduate programs in computer science. An overview of our Graduate Certificate, Master of Science, and PhD programs at IUPUI.

8/4/08

JagDays (Campus Visits) Scheduled for Fall, Spring

Prospective students interested in programs related to computers have two opportunities in the 2008-2009 academic year to meet with Computer Science faculty and staff, learn about the undergraduate program, hear from current students, and explore the exciting careers available for computer science graduates.

The dates are:
Friday, October 3rd
Friday, March 6th

Many area high schools offer flexible enrollment days for students to explore college choices, and this is a great chance to learn about computer-related fields all in one stop at IUPUI!
Registration is online at https://www.iupui.edu/~jagdays/.

8/4/08

Faculty Member Receives 2-Year National Science Foundation Grant

Dr. Yuni Xia, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, has recently received funding from the National Science Foundation for a project titled "A Reconfigurable Logic Assisted Data Stream Management System for Multimedia Sensor Networks." Dr. Xia is serving as a Co-Principal Investigator (PI) and is responsbile for the database and data stream management aspects of the work. The grant was funded for two years, from September 2008-September 2010, and is in the amount of $210,000. Drs. John Lee and Yingzi Du from the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at IUPUI are also working on the project, with Dr. Lee as Principal Investigator, and Dr. Du as a Co-PI. More information on the work of Dr. Xia is available at http://www.cs.iupui.edu/~yxia/.

7/21/08

70% of New Jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math will be in Computer Science

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has indicated that 70% of the new jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields will be for computer specialists. The information, released recently shows that from 2006-16, 70% of newly-created jobs will be in computer science, while 62% of all job openings (new and replacements) will be in the field. This is fantastic news for all those interested in computer science education, because it means that there will be ample opportunities for today and tomorrow's computer science students to find excellent jobs. According to Ed Lazowska, professor of computer science at University of Washington:

• Computer science, increasingly, is great preparatoin for all sorts of careers. That is, lots of people get computer science degrees to go to law school, business school, medical school, biotech labs, etc.
• "Information Technology" is much broader than the software industry. 70% of all IT jobs were with "IT consumers" (companies that use it) rather than "IT producers" (companies that invent it).
• The software industry is really hot right now, and it's also really cool it's creative, interactive, vibrant.

Further, Lazowska says, "There is a huge gap between "people" and "jobs" in computer science -- there is plenty of opportunity!"

Of the new positions, research computer scientist positions are expected to grow 21.5% to 5,000 in the US; software engineers are expected to grow 37% to 324,000 in the US; Computer Systems Analysts, Database Administrators, and Network/System Administrators are expected to grow nearly 30% each in the U.S. These are just a few of the reasons we are excited to offer fundamental education in comptuer science. Our Department will prepare you to succeed in a fast-paced job market with foundational skills that will never become obsolete. Our graduates work for top IT companies, including Microsoft, Intel, and many others!

Find the full story on computer science enrollments and job prospects at http://www.cccblog.org/2008/07/11/computer-science-enrollments-the-real-news/.

7/15/08

Undergraduate Database Course Now Offered Through Distributed Education

There is now a new option for students from Liberal Arts, Informatics, SPEA, and other fields to learn the fundamentals of databases. CSCI-N311, Database Programming, is now offered for Fall 2008 via Distributed Education. Students can complete this course from home using a broadband connection, or view the lectures and complete assignments on campus in any one of the many computer labs on campus, including SL 247 (exclusively for Computer Science students). CSCI-N311 focuses on the concepts and skills required for database programming and client server development. The concepts explored will apply to any modern distributed database system, with an emphasis on developing Oracle SQLPlus scripts, PL/SQL server side programming, and Oracle database architecture. Students with programming experience in ODBC compliant languages will be able to practice connecting such languages to an Oracle database. No formal computing experience is required, though previous computing and database experience is helpful. This course includes lectures via the streaming media server (available at www.cs.iupui.edu/media) and laboratory time on Monday evenings in SL 247. With database skills being in high demand, now is a great time to develop this knowledge to enhance your current employment situation or seek out new opportunities!

7/15/08

Annual Bitstream Now Available

The Department of Computer & Information Science has just released the annual edition of The Bitstream, a newsletter for alumni and friends of the Department. We invite you to get updated on many of the exciting activities that have happened over the past year. The Bitstream is available at http://bitstream.cs.iupui.edu/.

7/14/08

Cisco Grant Awarded to Assistant Professor Zou

Assistant Professor of Computer Science Dr. Xukai Zou recently received an $85,000 grant from the Cisco Corporation. The funds are to support a project titled "Building a Secure Video Stream Framework for Dynamic and Anonymous Subscriber Groups," and is to run for one year, from July 2008 to July 2009. The work will culminate in a secure video stream framework using an innovative approach called Access Control Polynomial (ACP). The framework will effectively address the underlying challenges of secure video stream broadcasting and guaranteed access, anonymity, dynamicity, granularity, and scalability. This project supports the deployment of telepresence services and video on demand, which are two critical applications targeted for implementation by Cisco. Dr. Zou expects to not only provide a quality system for Cisco, but also to produce significant high-quality publications, as well as patents from his work.

6/17/08

CS Faculty to Attend Year-Long Academy for Instructional Excellence

Michele Roberts, a lecturer in the Department, has been asked to represent IUPUI at a year-long series of events focusing on instructional development. The Ivy Tech Academy for Instructional Excellence, which has been held yearly since the 1994-1995 academic year, has been regarded as one of the most positive professional development experiences available for college teachers. Michele will be participating in a five-day opening session in late July, with two follow-up sessions lasting two days each in the 2008-2009 academic year. She said, "This is a wonderful opportunity to share my experiences and learn from other experienced teachers. We'll learn a lot from each other, share some memories, and return for the year energized. I'm really looking forward to it!" The Academy's primary sponsor is Ivy Tech Community College.

6/16/08

Department Now Awards Teachers Certification Renewal Units

Based on a recent request to the Indiana State Department of Education, the Department is now allowed to offer Certification Renewal Units (CRUs) to Indiana high school teachers of computer science and programming. A certan number of CRUs are required of every high school teacher to remain current with their teaching licenses. This permission will now allow the outreach events and teacher training activities that the Department is involved in to carry CRU credit, thus making the activities even more valuable for local teachers.

5/14/08

Associate Professor Yao Liang Lectures in Italy

From May 5-13, Dr. Yao Liang visited Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (Sant'Anna School for Advanced Studies), a university in Pisa, Italy, to deliver a series of lectures on advanced communication protocols for wireless sensor networks. These lectures were delivered in conjuction with the Real-Time Systems Laboratory at the university, and were part of a series that occurred this year. Often called the MIT of Italy, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna is a respected research university in Italy, educating approximately 250 undergraduates and 1450 graduate students this year. Dr. Liang's talks were well received, and contact was made with administrators at the institution for possible future research collaborations, as well as graduate student exchange. Please see the attached flyer for more details on Dr. Liang's visit.

4/7/08

Computer Science Seniors Score Big on Major Field Test

On March 7, eleven seniors completed the Major Field Test in Computer Science as part of CSCI 495, the senior capstone course. The Major Field Test is a standardized exam that covers topics in programming concepts, discrete structures and algorithms, and computer systems, norm-referenced to a large set of college seniors.

These students did very well, scoring an average of 158 on a scale of 120-200. This placed the department's average in the 75th percentile of all institutions. When examining the parts of the exam, our institutional percentiles were:

Programming Concepts: 90th percentile
Data Structures & Algorithms: 70th percentile
Systems: 85th percentile

Dr. Snehasis Mukhopadhyay, chair of the undergraduate committee and instructor for CSCI 495, said, "We are quite proud of the performance of our seniors. The exam was a difficult one, and measures well the kinds of competencies we look for in graduates. As part of our ongoing efforts at program assessment and improvement, these results show that the undergraduate curriculum is strong and prepares students well for both employment and graduate school."

The next step for the department is to conduct a focus group with the CSCI 495 participants, and collect comparative data from other like institutions, to see how our seniors compare. Results of the study should be available in the Fall 2008 semester.

3/27/08

Computing Research Association Releases Excellent Job News

More good news for computer science students! On March 25, the Computing Research Association released a bulletin citing a recent National Science Foundation InfoBrief that provided a glimpse of computer science salaries as compared to other science, health, and engineering fields.

Overall, computer science graduates are doing quite well, with 82% of bachelor's level graduates employed, and 91% of the bachelor's graduates had full-time jobs. At the master's level, 76% worked in business or industry, and 93% held full-time positions. Graduates of BS and MS programs had high salaries, tying with health majors for the highest median salary at the bachelor's level ($45,000) and tied for first with engineering at the master's level. The full report can be viewed at

http://www.cra.org/wp/index.php?p=141

3/27/08

2nd Annual Programming Contest a Great Success!

The 2nd Annual IUPUI High School Programming Contest was held on March 22 at the SL Building on the IUPUI campus. This year, 51 students participated from nine area high schools throughout the Indianapolis area. The contest, sponsored by Microsoft, Google, and Sun Microsystems, included four hours of contest time, where students solved a set of ten problems ranging in difficulty. The problem set included questions normally encountered in the first year of college, as well as more challenging problems from more advanced levels. Door prizes were awarded to many teams, and the winning three teams selected from many prizes donated by our sponsors. The winning team was Sahil Yakhmi and Alex Hearn from Park Tudor Upper School. Second place went to Tyler Zou and John Zhong of Carmel High School. Third place was earned by Sidney Fletcher and Samuel Dittmer of Zionsville Community High School. More information and photos from the event can be viewed at http://contest.cs.iupui.edu.

3/10/08

Computer Science Students Join Top 100

Several School of Science students, including Computer Science majors William Hartzell-Baird and Karthir Prabhakar, were named as Top 100 students. Sponsored by the IUPUI Alumni Council and the Student Organization for Alumni Relations (SOAR), the 8th annual awards were given on Friday, March 8 at the downtown Westin Hotel. More information on the event can be found at http://www.alumni.iupui.edu/top100.html .

2/12/08

CS Department Hosts 2nd Annual Programming Contest

Saturday, March 22 is the date for the 2nd Annual High School Programming Contest. Last year, the competition sponsored by Microsoft brought out nearly 40 students from Central Indiana, and was a huge success! This year the contest is sponsored by Google and Microsoft, and promises to be an exciting event. Student teams of two can register at http://contest.cs.iupui.edu. There is only space for 35 teams, so students should register early (deadline March 10th). Join us on campus at IUPUI for a day of fun, competition, free pizza, and prizes from Google and Microsoft!

2/6/08

CSCI Faculty and Students attend Women in Computing Conference

The IUPUI Computer & Information Science Department was well represented at this year's Indiana Women in Computing (InWiC) Conference held January 25th -26th at McCormick's Creek State Park in Spencer, Indiana. The InWic conference addresses technical and social issues relevant to women in computing. Computer Science faculty member Michele Roberts gave presentations reviewing current department research thrusts, and graduate students presented research and project summaries. InWiC is the premier organization in the state for promoting women in computing. Along with presentations, workshops, and panel discussions, the conference included a career fair with job interviews for local employment. If you are interested in joining the IUPUI chapter of InWiC, please contact Michele Roberts at mroberts@cs.iupui.edu.

1/30/08

IT/Computer Science Leads as 2008 Hot Job Sector

Yahoo's Hot Jobs section, January 2008:

As Americans set goals for work in 2008, some are gearing up for a job hunt. With many expressing concern over finances, searching for gigs in top-paying industries is a smart move.

According to an analysis of Labor Department figures by Laurence Shatkin, a career information expert, the highest-paying industries are computers/information technology, science, finance, energy, and the federal government.

Specifically, jobs in software publishing (annual median salary: $72,350); computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing (annual median salary: $68,710); and computer systems design and related services (annual median salary: $66,130) top the list. These salaries far outpace the median annual salary for all occupations: about $30,400.

John Estes, vice president of Robert Half Technology, a California-based IT staffing firm, says the high salaries reflect a resurgence in the industry since the dot-com crash. Rapid innovation is helping drive the resurgence, he notes.

"The speed of innovation in products is one thing that keeps IT people in such demand, to the point where it's difficult to keep up with the pace of innovation and technology change," Estes says.

Graduates of the IUPUI Department of Computer & Information Science are well positioned to take advantage of current and future opportunities in our field! With a strong fundamental knowledge and concentration areas in many fast-growing areas (databases & datamining, networking, computer security, software engineering, graphics), our graduates can go anywhere in the US, or stay right here in Indianapolis and find excellent career opportunities.

1/11/08

2008 IUPUI Intern Connections Fair

Take this opportunity to seek out internship opportunities to advance your skills and build experience. Create future job opportunities and develop a strong professional network through career-enhancing internships.

Students from ALL MAJORS and DEPARTMENTS are invited to seek out Internship Opportunities!

Thursday, March 6, 2008
10am-2pm
IUPUI Campus Center

12/21/07

Faculty Position Available

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

The Department of Computer and Information Science invites applications for a tenure track position at the Assistant Professor level, beginning August 2008.

Applicants must hold a Ph.D. in Computer Science or closely related field at time of appointment, and are expected to develop a high-quality funded research program and be committed to excellence in teaching undergraduates and graduate students. Applications are accepted from candidates in all areas of computer science, though we are especially interested in candidates with expertise in the areas of biocomputing, databases and datamining, and network security.

The application must consist of a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and a statement of research direction and teaching interests. Applicants should also arrange for three letters of recommendation to be mailed directly to the Committee.

The department is committed to achieving excellence through diversity. Applications and nominations of women, persons of color, applicants with disabilities, and members of other under-represented groups are desired.

Send all the materials to: Faculty Search Committee, Department of Computer and Information Science, IUPUI, 723 W. Michigan Street, SL 280, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5132 or via e-mail to Nicole Wittlief at wittlief@cs.iupui.edu. Consideration of applications will begin on February 15, 2008 and will continue until the position is filled. IUPUI is an EEO/AA Employer, M/F/D. For further information about the department, please visit www.cs.iupui.edu.

12/11/07

IT Jobs Grow Fast

According to a new Bureau of Labor Statistics study, five IT jobs are among the 30 fastest growing occupations in the US. At the top of the list are network systems and data communications analysts. The number of positions in these areas is expected to rise from 262,000 in 2006 to over 400,000 by 2016. Fourth on this list are software application engineers. This job is expected to grow by over 44%, from 507,000 jobs in 2006 to over 730,000 by 2016.

Other IT jobs of note:

Systems analysts expected to grow 29%, from 504,000 to 650,000
Database administrators expected to grow 28% from 119,000 to 154,000
Systems software engineers expected to grow 28% from 350,000 to almost 450,000

According to an article in Computerworld (dated Dec. 10, 2007), employment analysts indicate that the demand will continue to be very strong for technology, IT, and other positions. Also, demand is expected to outstrip supply, meaning competition by employers for college graduates.

Read the Article

12/5/07

CS Alumnus Eric Tinsley Awarded Hine Medallion

Eric Tinsley has been awarded a 2007 Maynard K. Hine Medallion, in recognition of his contributions to IUPUI. Tinsley is a BS and MS graduate of the department, and currently the Vice President of Technology, Process, and Training at My Health Care Manager, LLC, an Indianapolis firm. There he has responsibility for the development of the technology infrastructure, applications and business systems to deliver health information and integration for seniors across the U.S. Prior to joining My Health Care Manager, he co-founded and successfully served as CEO of Premier Solutions, Inc., for 11 years. Premier Solutions was an Indianapolis-based software integration and development company, which merged with Quest Information Systems in 2004. After the merger, Eric served as Vice President of Client Programs and Chief Quality Officer at Quest.

Tinsley has provided many years of service to the University, and particularly in the School of Science. He is founding president of the IUPUI School of Science Alumni Association Board of Directors. He shaped the mission from which the board worked and provided leadership when the infant group needed direction. During his tenure, he presided over a strong board (in number and expertise) and launched an array of successful alumni programs, including the inaugural "Frontiers in Science" that attracted nearly 100 alumni and friends to the IUPUI campus.

In recognition of Eric's work, he was awarded the Outstanding Science Alumnus Award of 2002, an honor voted on by his alumni peers.

Recently, Eric has served as a member of the school's Dean's Advisory Council (DAC). His vision for the council is very clear-to create partnerships with industry and community leaders that will expand the school's research and enhance experiences of our students. Specifically, he's promoting opportunities for science students, and faculty for that matter, to learn how to be more entrepreneurial, to turn their science training into successful business ventures.

Eric's commitment as a volunteer is an invaluable resource-as is the financial commitment he's made to scholarships for computer science students. Eric was the leader among a group of computer science alumni who created a scholarship in honor of former IUPUI professors John and Judy Gersting. Two Gersting awards are presented each spring to a deserving undergraduate and graduate student. Eric and his wife, Carolyn, have endowed the scholarship, ensuring that it exists in perpetuity.

In 2001, the Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana Chapter honored Premier Solutions as the Small Business Philanthropist of the Year, recognizing the company for its on-going commitment to higher education and the performing arts. In addition to sponsoring the alumni association's "Frontiers in Science" since its inception, Premier Solutions awarded thousands of dollars in web grants to Indianapolis arts organizations.

Not only is Eric involved on campus, he is also intimately involved in the Indianapolis and surrounding community. He is a member of the Techpoint Foundation Board of Directors and Program Committee, the Isprit, LLC Board of Advisors, the Carmel Community Players Board of Directors, the Butler University Software Engineering Advisory Board and the Citizens for Better Neighborhoods.

Former service includes the Indiana BMT Software Committee (as chair), the iMedNetworks, LLC Board of Directors , the Espressa Foods, LLC Board of Advisors, Indiana Information Technology Association (INITA), Indiana Technology Partnership (ITP), Rotary Club of Indianapolis, Columbia Club of Indianapolis and the National Center for Creativity Board of Directors.

In 2002, at the presentation of Eric?s outstanding science alumnus award, he encouraged the alumni and friends in the audience to give back. He spoke of success and significance. He challenged each individual to count his blessings and to consider from where those blessings originated. A handshake and a few words of appreciation are appropriate for most award winners. Not Eric Tinsley. He accepted our appreciation for the work he done on behalf of the school by doing something more. The Hine Medallion is earned in recognition of Eric's continuous commitment to the Indianapolis community and to IUPUI, and the entire Department of Computer & Information Science congratulates him on this honor.

11/14/07

Faculty Awarded New Research Grants

The Department is pleased to announce recent grants received by our faculty. Dr. Shiaofen Fang is co-Principal Investigator on two National Institutes of Health grants. The grant, "3D Facial Imaging on FASD" was received in collaboration with Dr. Tatiana Foroud from the Indiana University School of Medicine at Indianapolis. The total award is in excess of $1.5 million for five years.

Dr. Fang is also co-PI on a grant entitled "Mouse Model Neuro-Facial Dysmorphology: Translational and Treatment Studies." This grant is awarded for over $1.2 million, and is conducted in collaboration with Drs. Feng Zhou and Yun Liang from the Indiana University School of Medicine, and is funded for five years.

A grant was received in the amount of $270,000 for Drs. Mihran Tuceryan, Jiang yu Zheng, and Shiaofen Fang (co-PIs) from the National Institute of Justice for a project titled, "Advanced In-Car Video System." This project is in collaboration with Herb Blitzer at the Institute for Forensic Imaging - Indianapolis, and is funded for two years.

10/29/07

CSCI Offers 1-Credit Course in Game Development

This Spring, the Department will offer a 1-credit hour course entitled "Game Development for Everyone." This course has no pre-requisites and meets twice a week (Monday, Wednesday) from 2-2:50 pm in the second 8-week session. The course will introduce students to the video game industry and game development, and will include IUPUI alumni and others as guest speakers. Andy Harris, author of many books on game programming and development will teach the class. "Game Development for Everyone" is listed as CSCI N299 #28578 (Survey of Computing Applications), and is sure to be a hit with students from all majors.

10/29/07

Center for Bio-Computing Open House a Success!

Over 90 faculty, researchers, and students attended the Center for Bio-Computing Open House at the Health Information and Translational Sciences (HITS) building on Oct. 26, making the event a great success! Hosted in cooperation with the DDepartment of Mathematical Sciences and the Center for Mathematical Biosciences, the Open House attracted attention from all over campus and the Indianapolis area. Represented were faculty and researchers from Eli Lilly & Company, as well as the IU Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Health & Rehabilitation Science, as well as the Purdue Schools of Science and Engineering/Technology. Attendees were treated to a lunch and tour of the facilities, as well as brief research presentations and a panel discussion of experts in the fields of biocomputing and life sciences. Providing the campus welcome was Executive Vice Chancellor Uday Sukhatme. He was followed by the Dean of the IU School of Medicine, Dr. Craig Brater. Both speakers discussed the importance of collaborative research efforts and the promise of the newly-created Centers.

9/21/07

Associate Professor Yao Liang Receives NSF Grant

Dr. Yao Liang, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Pittsburgh (PA), have received over $370,000 from the National Science Foundation in support of their grant, titled "Collaborative Research: Investigating Temporal Correlatoin for Energy Efficient and Lossless Communication in Wireless Sensor Networks." This project is funded for three years. The project abstract follows:

This project is devoted to the fundamental investigation of exploiting temporal correlation in WSNs, for sustaining monitoring in harsh and possibly hostile environments, through an integrated theoretical and empirical approach. From this project, a novel, analytical, adaptive multimodal predictive transmission framework based on predictive coding is developed, for environmental monitoring WSN engineering, to achieve substantial energy savings and, hence, to significantly extend the lifetime of WSNs. Based on the developed framework, a new data gathering protocol suite is designed and implemented. Furthermore, a real-world environmental monitoring WSN testbed in a hilly watershed is deployed for evaluation and validation. Our interdisciplinary education plan uses the built WSN testbed and integrates our research results and new insights into education practice to provide hands-on training and experience for undergraduate and graduate students in both environmental and IT fields.

Our physical world presents an incredibly rich set of observation modalities, such as heat, light, moisture, pressure, motion, etc. Recent advances in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) enable the continuous monitoring of various physical phenomena at unprecedented high spatial densities and long time durations and, hence, open new exciting opportunities for numerous scientific endeavors. Because sensor nodes are battery-powered, the most critical challenge in WSNs is minimizing the use of power, of which the most energy-consuming operation is data transmission. Given the commonly high correlations of sensed data in time and space, an analytical framework for correlation studies and new data gathering protocols is fundamentally important to reduce communication costs through lossless data compression in WSNs.

12/31/69

IndyStar Notes Software Engineer as Top Job

Could you call up a company you'd like to work for, ask for a job, and get it?  That is what happened to Ed Frederici, a local software engineer who has worked for private companies and hot start-ups.

Quoted in a January 16th article by Dana Hunsinger in the Indianapolis Star,
Frederici said, "It is exceptionally easy to get a job in my field."  Ed is a software engineer, and one of the many professionals now enjoying a hot job market. Software engineer is Central Indiana's #1 hot job based on annual growth and job openings.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the category is expected to grow 32% from 2008 to 2018—these numbers make it one of the fastest growing occupations nation-wide.

Frederici was hired by local tech company Exact Target, an e-mail marketing firm.  The company is expanding, looking for 500 new employees in the next five years and at least 75 in the next 12 months.  This is on top of a recent announcement by MMY Consulting, another IT firm located on the Northeast side of Indianapoils.  Lee Michaels, a regional vice president of the HR firm Robert Half International indicated, "Really anything computer is hot right now.  The demand continues.  With all these systems conversions put on hold [due to the recession], people are now needing to hire people who are tech savvy."

Hunsinger's article indicates that 43% of software engineers have between 0-4 years experience and have an average salary of over $70,000. The position requires a bachelor's degree in computer science or computer engineering.

IUPUI's Computer Science Department has both BS and MS concentrations in software engineering.  The Department is growing, with more tenure-track faculty and a very low student-to-faculty ratio.  This means excellent interaction with real faculty in major courses, not graduate students, and access to on-campus research experiences.  These are real advantages when looking for your first position in the tech sector.