CSC eNewsletter

December 22, 2004

166 Receive Diplomas in Fall Ceremony

Against the spectacular backdrop of the Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh, approximately 1,200 relatives and guests watched in pride as 166 degrees were conferred by the department, including 100 BS degrees, 60 MS degrees, and 6 PhDs. With this graduating class, the department's alumni base now exceeds 4,500. Dr. Mladen Vouk, interim department head, congratulated the graduates on their accomplishments and thanked them for choosing NC State University as a component of their life-long learning experience. Mr. Donald Haile (left), former local executive with IBM and current president of Fidelity Investments Systems Company, served as guest speaker for the event. He encouraged the graduates to never stop learning, to help others in need, to protect their integrity at all costs, and to pursue a career that makes them happy.

Departmental Research Grants, Gifts, and Support

Cisco Systems has renewed its Super ePartners commitment to the department with an unrestricted cash gift of $25,000.

EMC has also renewed its Super ePartners commitment to the department with an unrestricted cash gift of $25,000.

Dr. Annie Antón, associate professor of computer science, has donated $500 to the KC Tai Memorial Endowment.

Special thanks to all the companies which sponsored Senior Design Center student projects this fall including Super ePartners Network Appliance, John Deere, Foundry Networks, Cisco Systems (2 projects), and Tekelec (4 projects!), ePartners WakeMed and Butler & Curless Associates, and Corporate Friends Fujitsu and CertainTeed. In addition, we would like to thank Richard & Francine Laurent for their generous support of a Senior Design Center student project focused on the development of an Insulin Pump Therapy Analysis Tool.

Alumni Marriage a Tribute to Dr. Ric Porter

Newlywed alumni Thomas Vitolo (CSC '99, AMA '00) and Jennifer Taranto (CEM '00) met at the memorial service for their mentor, Dr. Richard (Ric) Porter. In the most unlikely of ways, Dr. Porter served as their matchmaker, as well as the amazing catalyst of their present careers. more

CSC Students Receive CRA Recognition

Three CSC students, Neha Jain, Tyler Johnson, and Matthew Vail, have been selected for Honorable Mention in the CRA's Outstanding Undergraduate Awards competition for 2005. The primary criterion for selection is significant research contributions. In addition, outstanding academic achievement, and service to the computing or broader community are also considered. NC State was among a very elite group of institutions with multiple students being recognized.

Dr. Laura Jackson wins Pollock Award

Dr. Laura Jackson received the 2004 Nancy G. Pollock PhD Dissertation Award for the College of Engineering. Laura graduated in December 2003 (Computer Science - advisors: Drs. G. Rouskas and M. Stallmann). The title of her dissertation is: "The Directional p-Median Problem with Applications to Traffic Quantization and Multiprocessor Scheduling". She is currently a Senior Research Statistician at the SAS Institute.

Several Corporate Partners Recognized as NCEITA 21 Awards Finalists

Congratulations to all our corporate partners recognized by the North Carolina Electronics and Information Technologies Association (NCEITA) as 2004 NCEITA 21 Award winners at their annual awards banquet held in Cary on November 18. Award winners with strong ties to our department included:
-Corporate Citizenship of the Year: IBM
-Corporate Education: Progress Energy
-Mid Size Company of the Year: WebSourced, Inc.
-Large Company of the Year: EMC Corporation

The NCEITA 21 Awards, now in their tenth year, are the oldest and most prestigious IT awards in North Carolina. These awards showcase business accomplishments in innovation and leadership in information technology

CHASS Launches Cutting-edge PH.D. Program

NC State's College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) announces an innovative new Ph.D. program that will focus on the communication practices and problems of the digital age - changing work patterns, new modes of literacy, evolving cultural forms and relations. ... more

College Holds Statewide Recruiting Sessions

NC State's College of Engineering holds several recruiting receptions across the state throughout the year. Most of the statewide activity is concentrated in the fall, with sessions targeting high school seniors identified through College Board lists, SAT scores, or through lists of attendees of the College's summer programs, Open House, or information sessions for prospective students and parents. Fall reception sites typically include the Raleigh, Wilmington, Greensboro/Winston-Salem and Hickory areas. A special spring reception is traditionally held in Charlotte for students in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties who have been admitted to NC State Engineering for the next fall. This is the College's way of reaching a large number of students who have several options available to them and making sure they are aware of the many opportunities we offer at NC State before they make their final decision. These receptions are jointly sponsored by the College of Engineering's Office of Academic Affairs, the NC State Engineering Foundation, and various alumni in the areas where the receptions are held. Engineering alumni are encouraged to contact Kay Leager at leager@ncsu.edu if you know of students who would be appropriate participants in future recruiting receptions.

Job Market Strengthens for CSC Students & Graduates

According to Ken Tate, CSC's director of development & external relations, the job market for CSC students has improved significantly in the past six months. "We are getting two to three times as many calls this year from companies interested in hiring our students as compared to last year", he says. Tate adds, "Since we launched the new online job posting site about two months ago, we have posted well over 30 new career opportunities targeting our students, recent graduates, and alumni." GlaxoSmithKline and Tekelec are prime examples of the strengthening job market, as collectively they plan to hire almost 20 new coops in the spring. Recent expansion announcements by Network Appliance, IBM and Credit Suisse First Boston, add to the heightened employment optimism in the technology sector. The CSC Career Center currently lists more than 20 positions, including fulltime, part-time, coop, and internships. Please check the site regularly as postings are updated frequently.

CoE Spring Career Fair set for February 3, 2005

The NCSU College of Engineering's annual "Engineering Career Fair" has been scheduled for Thursday, February 3, 2005 at the McKimmon Center. This is the largest career fair held on campus for engineering students, with approximately 90 companies and over 1,900 students expected to participate. In previous years, companies have been turned away due to a lack of space. To reserve your space, interested corporations are encouraged to register online as soon as possible.

Microsoft Dividend Creates Unique Giving Opportunity

Microsoft's recently issued a special $3/share dividend, resulting in a cash distribution of approximately $32B to its shareholders. Since Microsoft is one of the most widely held stocks, this means that many of you may now have extra cash to either reinvest, save, spend, or...yes, perhaps even give away. Since dividends are currently taxed at 15%, qualifying donations such as those made to the department through the NC State Engineering Foundation, could reduce or eliminate any tax obligation you might have on the special dividend payout. Bill Gates is, in fact, giving away his multi-billion dollar windfall to charity and will avoid all taxes on the special dividend. If you have recently profited from this dividend distribution, we encourage you to seek professional tax advice before making any decisions. But, we ask that you consider making a contribution to the department, the College of Engineering, or the University as one of your options. Please contact Ken Tate directly if you have questions or need more information.

Year-end Contributions

If you are planning to make year-end charitable contributions, we encourage you to consider supporting the department of computer science and one of its many targeted funds. Some of the options available to you include:

Computer Science Enhancement Fund - a general endowment that provides flexible unrestricted funds to met the needs of the department, wherever they are the greatest.
Excellence in Undergraduate Computer Science Education Fund - an endowment established to provide ongoing support for the Senior Design Center and student projects.
Dr. K.C. Tai Memorial Fund - an endowment created in honor of the late Dr. K.C. Tai, professor of computer science here at NC State. This fund provides support for software engineering related awards, scholarships, activities and initiatives.

There are other possibilities, and of course, you can establish your own endowment with a pledged gift of $15K or more. Regardless of the amount, know that when you send your donations directly to the department that 100% of your gift goes to the department! If you would like to make a year-end contribution, send your check (made payable to the "NC State Engineering Foundation") to Ken Tate, NCSU Campus Box 8206, Raleigh, NC 27695

Faculty & Staff Notes

Carol Allen of CSC Undergraduate Student Advising has been selected as one of the recipients of the November 2004 Pride of the Wolfpack Awards. Thank you Carol for all your hard work and dedication to Computer Science and the College of Engineering.

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