Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Download

Vol. 1, No. 1Georgia Institute of Technology: College of Computing October 17, 2008

mented by ENTERTAINMENT in theform of whatever you want!The journey towards making the FIRE- wall happen was initiated by MansiSharma, a third year CS major. AjaiKarthikeyan, a second year CS major,arrived next having had previous experi-ence in journalism. Terris Johnson, a

By Mansi Sharma

The FIREwall is an idea that was ini-tially thought to be used as a tool forinforming the college about the recentupdates regarding academics, technol-ogy and facilities. The newsletter wasto include event coverage for all the stu-dent organizations and have computingrelated entertainment. After getting atremendous amount of support and en-couragement, we are proud to present to you, the FIREwall!This newspaper shall take and giveFEEDBACK about any topic of rel-evance in the College of Computing. Itshall INFORM you about all the eventsin the college and REPRESENT its en-tire student body. Last but not the least,all this serious material will be compli-

continued Pg. 3; FIREWALL continued Pg. 5; WHO’S WHO

By Mansi Sharma and Niya Malhra

This year we have had quite a few chang-es in our faculty and staff at the CoC.This section will show some of the oldas well as new faces that everyone mustknow and hopefully interact with morein the future, as these immensely help-ful people lead us students towards asuccessful career. To add to the fun andto get to know them better, we askedthem the following three questions:

1. Wha is h n hin yu rally wan achiv a yur currn psiin?2. Wha d yu njy h ms abu yur jb?3. If yu culd b n animal, wha wuld yu b?

And here are their responses!

continued Pg. 9; ACADEMICS

1. Continue and strengthen the Col-lege’s leadership position in definingnew approaches to computing educa-tion and research.2. Helping others succeed.3. An eagle, so I could fly above Atlan-ta’s traffic.

Jams “Jim” Fly

Inrim Dan f h Cll f Cmpuin

Charls Isbll

Asscia Dan f Undrradua Affairs

1. A coherent organization and set of processes that will outlive my tenure inthat position.2. The same thing that I enjoy aboutbeing a professor in general: the oppor-tunity to solve problems that have animpact on others.3. I already am an animal.

HoW We IgNIteD tHe FIRe

By Ajai Karhikyan

Several academic concerns were raisedby the students during the Town Hallheld by the UCouncil last Spring andmany more have been brought to ourattention recently. As Academics Chairfor the UCouncil, I have followed up with Associate Dean Charles Isbell re-garding these issues and he is currently working to resolve them.The first major concern raised by thestudents was with regards to scheduling whereby there seemed to be an unevendistribution of classes with regards toMWF or TR and also in timing with amajority of the classes be sceduled forTuesday/Thursday afternoons. Dean Is-bell said that the administration was

Acadmics Fllw Up

th Wh’s Wh of th Cll of Cmpuin

Editors: Mansi Sharma and Ajai Karthikeyan at work

NeWS

2 - October 17, 2008

the work force, research and work ex-perience are important assets to yourresume. Besides giving a boost aheadof other candidates, it shows employ-ers that there is an initiative to do morethan what is required. For work oppor-tunities, be aware of upcoming careerfairs and such through the CareerBuzz website. Besides those resources, look into the Co-Op Program which inter- weaves three semesters of work into four years of school. Research is a popularoption with many Georgia Tech stu-dents and CoC students should look atUROC (Undergraduate Research Op-portunities in Computing); the researchprogram devoted to computing.College will be one of the best chaptersof your life and while Georgia Tech isan institution of academia, it does haveother things to offer. If you’re not sure what you are passionate about, joinsome extracurricular activities becausethe time to discover that is now. Chal-lenge yourself because after you leave, you might not have that chance. Dare topush yourself further and do somethingdifferent but also know your limits. Atthe end of your undergraduate years, Ihope you would have found your life’sdirection. Good luck and have a greatfirst year.cially. Being social introduces a balancebetween work and play; which leads toless of a burn out from all night codingsessions( current known record is 34hours).The best way to be socially active is to bearound people; this includes joining anorganization, going to events or takingan options class. Advertising for optionsclasses and organizations often happenat the beginning of each semester. Mostoptions classes have a deadline for reg-istration but fortunately, most organiza-tions are happy to accept members any time of the year. Events happen through-out the school year and it is helpful tokeep an eye out for any flyers or chalk-ings that might be in the area. Vinutha Prabhakar (CS) says “Try tomeet as many people as you can. Makea lot of connections!” Networking isone of the most important things thatone can do. Make acquaintances andbuild relationships; you never know when you’ll need them. In the vein of professional development, JohannesLiem (CS) recommends that studentsshould “Start researching or workingearly.” Whether you are heading off tograduate school or jumping right into

By Vicria Au

The beginning of a new school yearbrings in a flood of new talent, betterknown as freshmen. This talent, al-though raw, merits some attention andthis article is dedicated to aiding themthrough their college experience and toensure them a successful four, five, six or seven years at Georgia Tech. As the ones with the most experience,CoC seniors were asked to providesome counsel for Computer Scienceand Computational Media first years.Much of the advice was academically re-lated; Antonio Salazar(CS) recommendsthat you, “Take classes you need early so you can take classes you like later.” whileMatt Gwaltney (CS) says, “Get to know the advisors.” Some seniors offer morespecific advice for classes. Donna Yoo(CS) encourages you to “Take Morley for Combo. Take Morley for any class-es he teaches if possible”, while CarlosRios (CM) says, “For CM, I suggest UserInterface Design as a CS specialty coursebecause it deals with both visual and in-teractive design, which is relevant to ourmajor.” When dealing with academicsit is important to be aware of degree re-quirements and where they are located.Our academic advisors (Kathy Earwoodand Cathy Dunnahoo) are very helpfuland are located in CCB 119 and 115 re-spectively. Other resources regarding ac-ademics include the Georgia Tech cata-log, Oscar and the SGA course critique;all of which can be found online.Besides focusing solely on academicslike many Georgia Tech students are in-clined to do, Doug Morgan (CS) recom-mends that you “Don’t take classes tooseriously”, while others, such as BrianO’Conner (CS) are more persistent inthat regard with his recommendation“Get a life. Do something else besidesCS.” What is important to rememberis that in college, besides growing intel-lectually, students should also grow so-

t Frshmn, Frm Snirs

October 17, 2008 - 3

NeWS

Computer Science and a driving forcebehind C4G.In spring 2008, the College of Comput-ing offered a course in C4G. About twodozen graduate and undergraduate stu-dents formed teams to tackle challengesin public health, society and politics asclose as downtown Atlanta and as faraway as sub-Saharan Africa. The course will be offered again in spring 2009.“When students create practical solu-tions for socially relevant problems, they feel more enthusiastic because they canactually see the impact of what they are At the College of Computing, a valuessystem is emerging that centers on theuse of computing as a platform for im-proving the human condition. This con- vergence, of a culture of philanthropy and computing’s history as an agentof change, has a name: Computing forGood (C4G).“We would like all faculty and all stu-dents to consider the power they have toreally make changes in the lives of peo-ple who struggle to help themselves,”says Santosh Vempala, a distinguishedprofessor in the college’s School of doing,” says Professor Ellen Zegura, whoco-taught the class with Vempala and Associate Professor Michael Best.The College has formed a steering groupmade up of faculty, staff and students toexplore the meanings of C4G and iden-tify current and potential research andteaching initiatives that encompass it.For more information,Go to http://groups.google.com/group/computingforgood

FIReWALL cnd.

third year CM major, helped us by creat-ing the FIREwall logo. These are only a few names that deserved a shout out.There are so many students that contrib-uted in making this a success, which istruly heartwarming; Vinutha Prabhakar, Vicotria Au, Stephen Hilber and ChrisStuckey to name a few.The initial push from Dean Cedric Stall- worth and Beth Collums( If you don'tknow who she is, read her blurb in the Who's Who article) and consistent en-couragement will always be rememberedand appreciated. A very special thanks toDean Tom Pilsch for his support duringour low times. We would like to thank everyone at the College of Computingfor its first ever student led newspaper! We appreciate all our sponsors without who the FIREwall would not have beenon paper( we literally mean that).The journey has just begun; we needmore people to take this newspaper toa higher pinnacle. If you are interestedin being part of the FIREwall team orjust want to write an article, step up andmake your newspaper the way you wantit to be; Email:

ccfirwall@mail.cm

tchnly + Acivism = Cmpuin Fr gdeVeNtS CALeNDAR

SAB: Crash the Rec

10/17 16:00

Tech Rec

Speaker: Leslie Valiant, Harvard

10/21 9:00

Klaus 1116

Ucouncil: Mini Town Hall

10/21 19:00

Klaus 1116W

GVU Research Demo Showcase