For questions about this newsletter or if you'd like to contribute content, please contact Julie Fisher. |
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Welcome to the Department of Computer Science e-newsletter. This newsletter will list all upcoming CS events and announcements every other Monday.
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This icon will appear in any event and announcement that includes FREE FOOD.
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SPECIAL EVENTS
National Computer Science Education Week
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Drexel is celebrating National Computer Science Education Week between November 28 to December 2. To kick-off the celebration, the Department of Computer Science and Westphal College of Media Arts & Design welcome Ernest Adams for a special gaming workshop and lecture!
With 22 years of experience as a designer and producer, Ernest Adams has seen great success in the interactive entertainment industry. Perhaps best known in video games for his contributions to EA's Madden series of games, Adams has worked or consulted for many major companies in the industry. He is also one of the founding members of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), and a previous director of the annual Game Developers Conference.
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Fundamental Principles of Game Design Workshop with Ernest Adams
Monday, November 28
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Lower Level, Intercultural Center (33rd and Market Streets)
Ernest Adams will pass on his wealth of knowledge to the next generation of developers during the Fundamental Principles of Game Design workshop. This day-long workshop will explore the basics of the craft, covering core mechanics, gameplay, user interface design, concept art, level design, and even a small story. Space is limited for the workshop. No cost to attend. Sign up by emailing Julie Fisher at jmf323@drexel.edu and include your name, major and year. Confirmations will be sent by November 22. Deadline to sign up: Monday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m.
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"The Future of Computer Entertainment to 2050" by Ernest Adams
Monday, November 28
7 to 9 p.m.
Papadakis Intergrated Sciences Building, room 120 (33rd and Market Streets)
Advances in computer entertainment will take place on three major fronts over the next half-century. These fronts are: technological advancement; demographic and market changes; and aesthetic development of the medium. Ernest Adams will present "The Future of Computer Entertainment to 2050," a fun, fact-filled presentation that examines these significant advancements in turn, highlighting the key changes that we can expect to take place, and how they will affect the way we make and sell interactive entertainment. This lecture is free and open to the public. No registration required.
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More National Computer Science Education Week event announcements coming soon! Keep checking the CS Department's website, plus its Facebook and Twitter accounts.
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"CALM Consistency: Disorderly Programming in Bloom"
Tuesday, November 8
3 to 4:15 p.m.
Wu and Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall, 3330 Walnut Street
University of Pennsylvania's Computer and Information Science Department is hosting Joseph Hellerstein from the University of California Berkeley. Hellerstein will be discussing how the rise of cloud computing and multicore processors is putting enormous pressure on the software community to find solutions to the difficulty of distributed and parallel programming. Click here to view the talk abstract.
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Undergraduate: Fundamentals of Technical Writing
Wednesday, November 9
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
L33, Hagerty Library
This workshop provides concrete strategies for writing successful documents as a beginning student in engineering. Particular attention will be paid to constructing documents that are carefully-supported, well-designed, and written to reach an audience of experienced engineers. To register, please visit: www.drexel.edu/writingcenter
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Daring Fireball @ Drexel
Thursday, November 10
5 to 6 p.m.
Papadakis Intergrated Sciences Building, room 120
Drexel CS alumnus and writer John Gruber '96 is the author of Daring Fireball, a hugely popular weblog covering Apple, Inc., attracting 4 million page views per month. He returns to campus to share his thoughts on Apple, his experiences at Drexel, and his career as a full-time blogger, columnist, and podcaster. Afterwards, the Drexel Libraries will host a special screening and discussion of Going National, an entertaining and informative documentary chronicling the Microcomputer Project of the 1980s, where Drexel became the first University to require students to own a computer (the original Macintosh). For more information, see the next event announcement.
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Going National with Apple Computers: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Thursday, November 10
6 to 8 p.m.
Library Learning Terrace, 33rd and Race Streets
Learn more about the film that brought Steve Jobs to Drexel University, Going National, and the project that changed learning on campus, the Microcomputer Project, at this film screening & panel discussion. Panelists:
- Dave Jones, Dean of Pennoni Honors College & Director of Going National
- Paula Cohen, Distinguished Professor of English
- Sheldon Master, member of Apple's first dedicated sales force, President/Owner at Haddonfield Micro Associates, Inc.
- Additional Panelists TBA
Moderator: Youngmoo Kim, Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Assistant Dean of Media Technologies. For more information, read the library blog entry here.
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MCS Meeting: Board Game Night
 Thursday, November 10 5 to 6 p.m.
University Crossings 153
MCS will be hosting a board game night. Feel free to bring your own board games but keep in mind the room is only reserved for one hour. Be prepared to socialize and have fun! For more information about MCS, click here.
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DGDG Meeting: Post-mortem & Critique
Thursday, November 10
7 to 9 p.m.
University Crossings 151
Some games are finished after release while others are continually updated with new content. Regardless, once the initial development of a game is done and a game is released, it is a good idea for developers to look back and reflect on the development of a game by writing a post-mortem. This allows them to analyze what went right and what went wrong during the development process, allowing for the developers to improve upon the things that didn't go well in future releases. In this meeting, we will be analyzing a post-mortem of a AAA title and creating our own critique of the title. For more information about DGDG, click here.
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Upsilon Pi Epsilon 30th Induction Ceremony
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Eye of the Entrepreneur: Bob Moul, GM at Dell and former President and CEO of Boomi
Thursday, November 17
8 to 10:30 a.m.
Quorum at the Science Center (3711 Market Street, suite 800)
The Laurence A. Baiada Center's Eye of the Entrepreneur provides an inside look into the featured entrepreneur and the entrepreneurial ecosystem in which they practice, providing lessons learned, guiding principles, philosophies and practical advice. Questions? Contact Terri Zobel at terriz@drexel.edu.
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MCS Meeting: SIG Presentation
Thursday, November 17 5 to 6 p.m.
University Crossings 153
Drexel's Math and Computer Science Society (MCS) is hosting the Susquehanna International Group (SIG). Representatives will be presenting about Windows Phone 7 development. For more information about MCS, click here.
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DGDG Meeting: Guest Speaker Hal Larrson (Final Form Games)
Thursday, November 17
7 to 9 p.m.
University Crossings 151
Drexel Game Developers Groups (DGDG) welcomes Hal Larrson from Final Form Games. Hal will discuss his work and experiences in the computing entertainment industry. For more information about DGDG, click here.
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IP3 Strategy to Reality Danger zone!
Thursday and Friday, December 1 and 2
7 to 9 p.m.
Rush Building, room 014 (basement)
The nation's leading IT security forum addresses cutting edge issues within cloud computing, risk management, compliance, emerging technology exploits and vulnerabilities, and cryptography. The Danger Zone is not limited to one defined area. Some areas have no boundaries. In addition to integrating a life cycle approach to securing IT infrastructure, we must begin with an awareness of the tried-and-true strategies like risk management, and compliance, as well as seek-out emerging information technologies that put us at risk. The strategy is to address successful deployment of new technology. The reality is you must adapt to new threats.
Special pricing for Drexel attendants:
- Basic Package: $199 // Use Code: DRS2R
- iPad2 Package: $899 // Use Code: DRS2RPAD
Click here to learn more and to register.
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Trivia Question and Answer
Q: Dennis Ritchie, computer science pioneer, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011. What programming language did he design and what operating system did he co-develop?
A: Ritchie was the principal designer of the C programming language and co-developer of the Unix operating system.
Be sure to check the next newsletter for another trivia question and prize!
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Advising Notes
CS/SE Freshmen/Sophomore Advisor: Undergrad Advising Center
CS/SE Upper Level Advisor: Andrea Negro
Game Programming and Development Concentration
Are you interested in game development? Did you know that the CS Department offers a Game Programming and Development (GMPD) concentration? (Note: A concentration is different than the tracks.).
The GMPD concentration provides conceptual understanding of game design and practical experience in the design and the development of games. The courses in this concentration include fundamentals of game design and development, large-scale game development, and special topics in educational and experimental game design.
Students with the GMPD concentration will leave with a BS in Computer Science degree. Majority of the requirements are the same; however, students in the concentration will be required to take several CoMAD courses in place of the General Education electives. Also, the Game Design & Development and Human Computer Interaction tracks are built in to the curriculum.
If you are interested in this option, please see our website for the course requirements and recommended plan of study. You must be registered for the GMPD concentration to be able to take many of the courses offered by CoMAD. For additional information and to declare the concentration, please contact your advisor.
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Gaming hoodies for sale
Drexel Game Developers Group (DGDG) is having a fundraiser! Help raise awareness of DGDG and show of your inner geek with Drexel Game Developers Group zip-up hoodies! They come in sizes SM to XL, featuring the name on the front and the newest DGDG logo on the back, both designed by our good friend and previous DGDG officer Kevin Sheehan. Due to confusing budget issues, we NEED to sell all our hoodies at barely above cost at $45 per hoodie. You can see what the hoodies look like by talking to one of your friends who has already bought one or attended a DGDG meeting, or see the image mock-up here. If you're interested in buying a hoodie or even just seeing the hoodies or trying one on, send an email to GameDev@drexel.edu with the word "Hoodie" somewhere in the subject line.
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CS Calendars available for download
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Need help with classes? Visit the Cyber Learning Center
The Cyber Learning Center (CLC) provides consulting and other learning resources for students taking computer science classes. It's staffed by graduate and undergraduate students employed by the CS Department. Students can receive help during office hours (drop-in or by appointment). Services include review sessions for exams, small group study sessions, homework/lab help, and a mini-library.
**Hours corrected from the last newsletter**
- Monday: 1 to 8 p.m.
- Tuesday-Thursday: 1 to 6 p.m.
Upcoming consulting hours for CS 121 and 123 will be held during week 9 and are Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Note: the CLC will be closed from Wednesday, Nov. 23 until Sunday, Nov. 27 due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. Learn more about the CLC here.
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Search the CS Website for Jobs
Searching for a job? The CS Department can help you prepare: visit our job opportunities site at http://www.cs.drexel.edu/jobs to view the latest positions available in the computing industry.
Job opportunities posted since October 31, 2011:
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Learn Abroad: International Research Opportunity, Prague, Czech Republic
NEW DEADLINE for applying: December 1, 2011
Have an interest and background in robotics, artificial intelligence, intelligent agents and distributed systems? Want to travel abroad and participate in a collaborative research experience with access to world-class facilities? Dr. William Regli, Professor of Computer and Information Science, is searching for 1-3 students to join an international research exchange program with the Czech Technical University (CTU) in Prague for 8-10 weeks. This program is highly interdisciplinary, bridging artificial intelligence, networking and application development. The next opportunity is available during the 2012 Spring Quarter. Eligibility requirements: undergraduate or graduate students with relevant computer science or engineering (electrical, mechanical) experience. Participants must be US Citizens or permanent residents. To apply, send a resume/CV, transcript and description of relevant experience to Colleen Kavanaugh at cmk37@drexel.edu.
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