Our traditional end of the semester celebration was a success again this year. Pizza and conversation made for a nice break in the day before the rush to the last week of classes.


Information Technology senior Arturas Zalenekas presented the results of his Database Administration tutorial project. Arturas did an assessment and pilot run of the setup of a real time hot standby database server using Oracle’s Data Guard. He worked with the USF Information Systems department to demonstrate how a live standby in the USF environment could be built. His findings on this complex issue and demonstrations were appreciated by both the Computer Science department and the USF IS department.

Computer Science senior, Larissa Kries, reported on her internship with the USF IS department. Larissa developed several components in the portal using Java, Eclipse, and Banner. She considered her major accomplishment the Bookmark feature in the portal. Over the course of her work she became more confident of her skills in development and investigation into new features. She became accustom to the wider scope and demands of the production environment.

Computer Science sophomore, Nick Zelinski, spoke informally about the work he has done for the USF Health and Wellness Center. He had responded to a request for help with the medical records template system by the Center and donated his time. He worked with Silver Cross Hospital to become familiar with the system. So much work was needed that his job has evolved into a paid position. He is considered by Silver Cross to be the systems support for USF Health and Wellness.


We also want to congratulate our winter graduates this year, both Information Technology majors, Arturas Zalenekas and Ryan Mosier.

Good luck to you both!

Career in Automation

Congratulations to graduating Information Technology senior Arturas Zalenekas. He'll be starting as a system administrator with Cascade Solutions after his graduation this Fall semester. Cascade Solutions is a leader in automation engineering. It will be a new and challenging environment, but we know Arturas is well able to handle it.

Great work!

Fighting Crime

Information Technology senior, Nick Morris, is helping make everyone a little safer. He just began an internship with the Will County Sheriff's office. Not only will he be working supporting the computers and networks needed, he'll also work with the Computer Forensics unit. His workplace includes the sheriff's office, as well as the detention center, and the courthouse. Nick tells us in his first couple of days he met detectives, chiefs, lieutenants and correctional officers. The variety of work, the opportunities to be involved with the Criminal Justice system in all facets, and the people he can help and from whom he can learn are making this a great opportunity for Nick to move his career in the direction he wants to focus on.

Thanks to Computer Science alumni, Jackie Falbo, for making this internship possible. Nick has told us how great she is to work with. Thanks also to the Will County Sheriff's Office for giving one of our students this opportunity.

A New Server in Town

Frankly our lab server had seen better days. Namely when it was new before the turn of the century!

The Computer Science department wants to thank Computer Science Alumni and adjunct, Scott Walton, for lending his expertise to build a new test database server for the A119 lab. Scott combined putting together the server with putting together a show for his Comp 201, Introduction to Database students as he showed them the tricks and pitfalls for putting together a new 64 bit machine from scratch. That's real hands-on!

Now our students have a new test platform that can be configured and allow access to the latest tools. We appreciate Scott helping us out with our new ‘toy’ for the lab! Thanks, Scott!

Welcoming our new Portal

There's a new look to USF's electronic welcoming mat, our portal.

And a number of USF Computer Science alumni are to be congratulated for all the work they've put in. Tim Archer '98, Ben Gunnink '07, and T.J. Eakle '09 are the major force behind the portal. The amount of work done was incredible. Also contributing to these efforts were interns Larissa Kries, Computer Science junior and Chris Bigott '08.

To check it out, go to the USF website, http://www.stfrancis.edu/ and click on My USF. Use your USF signon to login. If you're an alumni and would like a login go to: http://www.stfrancis.edu/alumni/benefits/e-mail-for-life/ to find out how to get a USF signon.

Please offer your congratulations on a job well done when you see any of our Comp Sci stars!

Honors abound!

Way back in May (Yes, it was four weeks ago already!) these students from the Computer Science department were singled out for special notice.

Computer Science/Mathematics senior, T.J. Eakle was given the Joan Nahas Ramuta Computer Science Award, the most prestigious award given by the department.

Computer Science senior, John O’Brien, was our department’s recipient of the University’s Meritorious Service Award.

The Dean’s Scholar Awards are given to students who have a GPA of 3.9 or above and have completed at least 30 hours of course work at USF. Computer Science/Mathematics junior, Kevin Beckman and Computer Science sophomore, Larissa Kries were recipients of this award.

The Jason Chonacki Scholarship award for service was presented to Information Technology sophomore, Luis Escorza, by Athletic Director, David Laketa.

The department was represented in two different honor societies. Kevin Beckman and T.J. Eakle were inducted into Delta Epsilon Sigma.

The Computer Science honor society, Epsilon Delta Pi, requires the completion of nine hours of upper division course work in addition to the high GPA. This year’s new inductees were Kevin Beckman and Information Technology senior, Arturas Zalenekas.

Kevin Beckman, was selected for inclusion in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.

Our hats are off to all our illustrious students in the Computer Science department!

Just in: Career Opportunities.

New USF Computer Science grads and former grads looking for a new opportunity. This week we have been contacted by firm who has employed USF Computer Science graduates in the past. They are looking for entry level developers, design analysts, as well as more experienced positions. Because of the past performance of our graduates, they've come back to us. (Way to go, USF CompSci grads!)

If you are interested in exploring this opportunity please contact either Ruth or Cris so we can pass on the information.

The Games People Play

Hey, there's a new activity on campus!

Two CS Alumni are organizing a Game Programming Club.

Panagiotis Kourtidis '03 and Tim Archer '98 are setting up the first meeting for
Tuesday, June 2nd, 6 PM - 8 PM
in Room A119 in St. Albert's Hall.

More details and a sign-up can be found at: http://usfgames.blogspot.com/

The USF Computer Science Department is always anxious to support our alumni and our students in exploring new areas, so we are offering facilities and assistance in contacting potentially interested in alumni and students.

So come join in (no grades, no attendance, just the potential to make new friends or see old ones.)

Lifelong Learning isn't just a catchphrase in Computer Science at USF.

Wow! A Beautiful Day for Commencement

The clouds were there at the start of the day, but by the time commencement was over it a a beautiful, sunny day. Coincidence? I don't think so. Congratulations to our graduates T.J. Eakle, Gannon Novak, and John O'Brien who graduated Saturday, May 9th. We appreciate all that you've done for the department and the university. It was a great day to graduate.

To your good health

The USF Health and Wellness Center has begun using electronic medical records, but they need help with their software so they turned to the Computer Science Department and Computer Science major Nick Zelinski has answered the call. He'll help the USF Health and Wellness Center with their computer software and help them tailor the medical records that are stored to allow them to better provide services to the community. This is a classic win-win situation for the Center and the Comp-Sci department, but the big winners are the community who are served. Kudos to all involved.

Working on the team

On campus there's always things to be done in the USF IS department so Computer Science senior, John O'Brien is currently employed working with USF Computer Science alumni, Jonathon Paul and Dave Senior. John's done a bit of everything from fixing printers, putting new images on computers, running cables, installing new machines and software to providing desktop support. It's been a great opportunity for John to extend his skill set and to demonstrate his abilities. And the IS department was happy to have him as part of the team.

Argonne National Labs, Part Deux

Computer Science/Mathematics junior Kevin Beckman's cooperative education with Argonne National Labs is coming to an end this semester, but Argonne has found a way to keep him busy. In the summer Kevin will be working with Environmental Sciences at Argonne as an intern setting up their website for dynamic content, getting to use new techniques in web management and he’ll also be doing other programming for them as well.

Gaming with Java

Lab Assistant Mike Murray will be working on a Java based video game over the summer. Although the team claims little artistic ability, the game is still expected to be loads of fun. Mike will be working with the main game logic and also the storyline. Hopefully by the end of the summer we'll be able to see Mike's passion for programming and creative writing fused together nicely. More details to follow of course!

It's about networking.

Information Technology junior, Dave Gingerich, is in an internship program with Millward Brown in Naperville, a market research company. Not only is he using his skills as he provides desktop support but he’s gaining experience with customer interaction all in a real world setting. He’s working with two USF Computer Science alumni, Mike Malenki, and Jordan Raub, who contacted the USF Computer Science Department to let us know that their director wanted a USF student for a PC Specialist internship. Not only does Dave have an opportunity to build on his skills, add valuable experience on his resume, but he gets paid, too! That’s win-win-win!

Learning Initiatives with Alumni

USF students had an opportunity last Fall to work with Computer Science alumni, Jim Schuler '03, and Carl Ziech '06, as well as Business alumnus, Adam Helwich '04 in investigating how to use a Wii-mote as an input device to a Windows computer. A lot fun and a lot of learning took place as other alumni paticipated including, adjunct faculty professor, Panagiotis Kourtidis '03 who decided to implement his version on Linux.

There is an article about our learning initiative in the Spring 2009 edition of USF Magazine. If you don't have your copy yet (It will take up to four weeks for postal delivery to alumni), you can view it online from the St. Francis website. http://www.stfrancis.edu
Here's a direct link: Alumni magazine
The article can be found on page 16.

Wii remote: $49
Infrared lights: $5
Safety glasses: $12
Alumni involvement: Priceless!

Thank you to all alumni who participated, especially Jim Schuller and Adam Helwich who led the event and initiatied the research.

A Software Shopping Opportunity

Because of our membership in the MSDN Academic Alliance students have the opportunity to purchase selected Microsoft software products at excellent prices. Check out what’s in the USF MSDN-ELMS store at

http://msdn08.e-academy.com/elms/Storefront/Home.aspx?campus=stfrancis_cs

To get your signon id, stop by and see either Mike or Nick in the lab and they’ll create a userid for you.

Giving Beans about Database

In USF’s IS department, USF Computer Science student, sophomore Larissa Kries, is learning while she earns as she uses Java NetBeans and Oracle databases to provide information needed by the staff and administration here at USF. As she provides service to the University she’s adding another set of skills on her resume. And it's fun! Way to go, Larissa!

Database is for everyone!

Students in the Fall, 2009 Comp 201 Intro to DBMS class will have an opportunity to apply what they learn in a real world scenario the USF Recreation and Administration department has asked USF Computer Science for a database to track internships for their department. The Comp 201 students will gather the requirements and translate a user's view into a database that meets their needs. A great way to see how theory works in the real world and to provide a service to a fellow department at USF.

Alumni/Student get together.

We had such a great time last year we just had to plan another one.

Alumni, please join us for an evening of fun, a few snacks and to share your expertise with our students on interviewing and resumes.

Students, this is a great opportunity to talk to the people who know how to get the jobs.

The USF Computer Club/IEEE Student branch
is hosting an Interview/Resume tip meeting.

April 23rd, 2009

6 PM - 8 PM

Room A102

St. Albert's Hall

RSVP to Ruth or Cris

People, Prosperity and the Planet - P3

When the University of St. Francis received a grant from the EPA for their P3 project (Thanks, Dr. Salim Diab, Natural Sciences Department) investigating water conservation, one of their responsibilities was to publicize their findings. Three Computer Science students, Luis Ecorza, Jordan Parcel, and Joel Perez, have stepped up to the challenge to publish the P3 Project findings on the Web. They took this opportunity to learn and to serve the community of University of St. Francis. Thanks, guys!

http://www.stfrancis.edu/green/index.html

Working on the Railroad

One of our Information Technology seniors, Gannon Novak, is an intern with EJ&E - Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway Company. His responsibilities range from server support to problem resolution to desktop support. Not only does he practice his technical expertise, he's demonstrating his ability to interface with the user community. He has weathered the change as CN, Canadian National, has acquired EJ&E, learning how the business climate impacts day to day activities. http://www.cn.ca/en/media-news-EJE-transaction-20090201.htm
http://www.ejearchive.com/index.html

Congratulations, T.J.

For anyone at the University who needs to reserve a room, life got a bit easier. T.J. Eakle is one of our Computer Science/Mathematics seniors and the newest recruit for the USF IS department. T.J. developed a room locator program that will show any room on campus for any day or time. This program can be invoked from the portal. You can search by room requirements as well. Excellent work, T.J.

Introducing your lab assistants - Spring 2009

If you're looking for help, or just a place to stop in between classes and run into some of your Computer Science classmates, drop in at A119. Mike Murray, our chief lab assistant, Luis Escorza, Jordan Parcel, and Nick Zelinski can offer tutoring help as well as making the lab a fun and interesting place to drop in.

Politics and the Web turn into Opportunity

When a candidate for public office looked to hire a student to create a web presence two students stepped forward to expand their skills and gain experience in collaboration. If you'd like to see the website developed by Computer Science students, Nick Zelinski (freshman) and Kevin Healy (sophomore) check out http://www.semplinskiformayor.com/

Argonne National Labs and Co-ops

Kevin Beckman, junior in Computer Science/Mathematics, is currently working in the Co-op program (Cooperative Education) at Argonne National Laboratory in their Biosciences division. He's working on content development for their website. Want to know more about Argonne? http://www.anl.gov

Getting Kicks on Route 66

This spring, students in the Comp 401, Web Server Design/Administration will have the opportunity for some real world hands on experience, help a local historical society at the same time, and get a grade!

They are answering the call to improve and enhance some of the websites for the Lockport Canal Corridor Association. These include the Gaylord Building and the Sleepers Association.