Computer Science at University of St. Francis

Top Secret Rosies

2012-01-31T11:56:00.008-06:00

How did WWII change our world of technology?

Who were the first programmers?

What did the ENIAC look like?

These are great questions. The answers to some of these questions have been classified until recently. Now Top Secret Rosies reveals the story in a one hour documentary. AfterMath & the Computer Science Department are working together to sponsor two showings of this entertaining program.

Tuesday, Feb 7

2 PM & 4 PM

Room A124
St. Albert's Hall

There will be refreshments and a free T-Shirt raffle at each showing.

We're celebrating e day (2.7) with the Math department.
We hope to see you there.

Congratulations to 2011 Computer Science graduates

2012-01-14T14:35:00.003-06:00

It's Winter graduation time!

We want to offer our congratulations to our latest graduates in Computer Science: Joel Perez, Alexander Schmid, (Magna cum laude) and Nicholas Zelinski (Cum laude). We're very proud of you.

Pictured are Alex and Nick. Unfortunately, Joel was unable to attend the ceremony. Alex starts his new job with CA Technologies on Jan 17th. Nick is starting his new job on Jan 23rd.

Everyone in the Computer Science department wishes them both the very best of luck. We look forward to hearing from you.

From Classroom to Marketplace

2011-12-15T15:29:00.000-06:00

Computer Science senior, Alex Schmid, decided to put his newly learned Android programming skills to a real test. As he was completing Comp 494 Programming for the Droid, taught by USF Computer Science alumnus, TJ Eakle, he took his final project, put his own twist on it and then made it available on the Android Marketplace.

After publishing his new app, Ocarina of Time - Song Helper, based upon the music in the game Legends of Zelda, he had over 100 downloads and had covered 50 countries. His app has a early rating of 4.5 stars. When downloaded the app is named SongHelper

If you wish to check out his app, here's the link:

https://market.android.com/details?id=edu.stfrancis.alexschmid.SongHelper&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImVkdS5zdGZyYW5jaXMuYWxleHNjaG1pZC5Tb25nSGVscGVyIl0

Congratulations, Alex, on showing how to take your skills from the classroom to the world!

An Argonne Opportunity

2011-12-12T14:31:00.000-06:00

USF Computer Science alumnus, Pam Richmond (1997) from Argonne National Labs, just contacted me with a great opportunity. She is looking for someone for a part time web developer position at Argonne.

She said: "We are looking for someone who is a good student, cooperative, and conscientious, but they need not have existing web development skills. We are willing to train in HTML, web image editing, and related technologies. If you know Kevin Beckman, Mathematics and Computer Science (2009), he is working with me and would also work with the new hire."

If you're interested, please contact me so I can put you in touch with Pam. They are looking to interview and hire in early January, so don't delay.

Department of Homeland Security 2012 Summer Internships

2011-11-29T17:19:00.000-06:00

Summer may seem far off, but if you want this very special opportunity you need to get your application by January 5th, 2012. Since you'll need to review sites and you'll want to have the opportunity to present yourself in the best possible light, it's not too soon to be begin reviewing the requirements.

Here's a link to the site: http://www.orau.gov/dhsinternships/

This is a 10 week commitment and there is a $500 a week stipend. The program is aimed at rising juniors and seniors, so if you will be completing your sophomore or junior year in the Spring this might be an opportunity for you. You should have a 3.30 GPA.

Please review the site for all the specific information, including reimbursed travel expenses.

Lincoln Elementary - Spring 2012 Internship

2011-11-29T17:04:00.000-06:00

Mike McGowan, Computer Science alumnus, is looking for another intern for Spring 2012 at Lincoln Elementary in Calumet City. According to Mike there's going to be a lot of interesting things going on he wants to start "before the end of the school year to start prepping the equipment and such. So it would be a good time to learn some project management skills." Lincoln Elementary District #156 is at 410 West 157th St, Calumet City, IL 60409.

Jordan Parcel, Information Technology - 2011, and Joel Perez, Computer Science Senior, have both had successful internships at Lincoln Elementary and report very favorably about the experience and the opportunity to learn.

Remember that an internship can count as an upper division elective, so if you're interested stop by and see Ruth Weldon and we'll get the paperwork started.

Argonne Co-op Opportunity

2011-11-21T11:06:00.002-06:00

We received a message from Emily Mancini, from Argonne National Labs Communications, Education and Public Affairs Department. In it she stated:

"We would like to alert to you immediate opportunities for undergraduates to work part-time at Argonne National Laboratory while maintaining full-time student status. Over the years, many students have become involved in conducting research with Argonne scientists and engineers. We are particularly interested in students who are majoring in Computer Science.

The Laboratory offers such opportunities through its Co-op Program. We offer Parallel Co-op Appointments in which the students work part-time, up to a maximum of 19 hours per week during the academic year and 40 hours per week during the summer period OR full-time hours in alternating semesters."

Please note this is a paid internship at a prestigious facility. If you are at least a sophomore with a minimum GPA of 2.87 this is worth investigating. The USF Computer Science Department is happy to participate in the Co-operative Education program.

More details about the program can be found at: http://www.dep.anl.gov/p_shared/coop/coop.htm

Here's a link to the application: http://www.dep.anl.gov/p_shared/coop/coopapp.pdf.

Good luck!

Coming Soon - Robotics

2011-11-20T13:32:00.000-06:00

We're very excited to offer our first course in Robotics this coming Spring. It will be taught by Computer Science alumnus, Tim Archer, who also spearheaded the development of the USF portal when he was with the USF IT Department.

Students will build the Boe-Bot robots and program them as part of the course. At the end of the semester the students will keep the robots. It promises to be a wonderful and fun learning experience.

Game Programming Contest

2011-11-20T13:28:00.000-06:00

This year the USF Computer Science Department joined forces with Joliet Junior College to host a Game Design Competition open to both high school students and college students in the area. Winners were announce in May, 2011.

Three high school area students were awarded scholoarship money to attend USF. The students are: Kyle Gunderson, Nick Prueter, and Tayler Baird. Congratulations to our winners and to all who entered the contest.

We're looking forward to next Spring's contest.

Awards

2011-11-20T13:15:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Nick Zelinkski who received the Joan Nahas Ramuta award Spring 2011 for all his work in the computer lab, his academic excellence, his assistance with tutoring. This award is given each year to an outstanding senior in the Computer Science Department. Our thanks Nick for all your work. Nick is picture here with his mother and father at the awards ceremony on May 5th.

Luis Escorza was also honored with the Meritorious Service Award for his work in the computer lab, with the Greening of the Campus committee's website. He was a valued intern for USF’s IT department. Last Fall, he helped prep the computers so that Google App Inventor could be used in the A102 lab with our donated smart phones for the Mobile Phone Seminar. This semester Luis has also been involved with a project to improve wireless access for students in the dorms.

Graduation's here

2011-11-20T13:02:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to all our Spring 2011 grads. May 7, 2011

In Information Technology: Rob DeLong, Mike Dembeck, Luis Escorza, Jordan Parcel walked down the aisle

In Web Application Development: Matt Nosbisch, Brandon Rusnak.

Not pictured are Larissa Kries and Mike Murphy from Computer Science who could not make the ceremonies.

Ring up one for Alex!

2011-04-18T14:50:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Alex Schmid, Computer Science, Senior, on landing an internship with AT&T for the summer of 2011. He came out ahead of several candidates from other schools, so now he’ll be learning his way around Hoffman Estates.

Good job, Alex!

Hello World, Android is here.

2011-04-13T12:52:00.002-05:00

T.J. Eakle, Computer Science Alumnus, and member of the USF IS Department spent some time on Thursday, April 7th evening showing students, alumni, and other interested guests how to set up the development platform for the Android.

T.J.’s step-by-step slides made it easy to follow and after the seminar he provided a copy of the slides which were emailed to all in case they weren’t able to attend or wanted a copy to keep. The presentation is also available on the Presentations & Seminars link from this blog.

The opportunity to learn, whetted the appetites of the attendees for the upcoming class T.J will teach this Fall on Wednesday nights. Jordan Parcel, Information Technology Senior, also helped out with the setup of the lab in preparation for the seminar and he helped guests sign on to the lab machines. Thanks to T.J. and Jordan for all their work. It was a great event.

Alice in Dirksenland

2011-04-07T21:27:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday morning, April 6th, fifty 7th and 8th graders from Dirksen Junior High came to USF to learn about programming. Using Alice, a graphical programming language, the Computer Science department introduced these bright, engaged students to the concepts behind writing computer code and everyone had fun doing it.

The students saw a demo of a graphical scene and then walked briefly through the included tutorial in Alice. Then they learned that avatars weren’t just a name for a movie. Each student built their own avatar and then learned how to make it interact with other objects. They learned about sequencing of instructions, about how to force concurrency of instructions and how to create loops. And maybe most of all, that an object can cluck like a chicken.

But the best sound that was heard was the buzz of activity as they learned what they could do and that programming was fun and a way to be creative.

Helping the students with their discovery were Ross McCallister, Kevin Healy, and Nick Zelinski. Before the students got there, Alex Schmid pitched in to help with the set up of the two labs, and then had to leave to make his class. All four students are Computer Science majors.

Thanks for all your help.

Exelon Internship

2011-04-04T09:21:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Mitch Cannon, Junior, Information Technology, on landing the Exelon Internship at the LaSallle County Generating Station. He passed the initial screening process and then did a phone interview with his soon to be manager, Paul Carlson, USF Information Technology alumnus. We're looking forward to hearing about the internship. Great job, Mitch.

On campus job interviews

2011-03-31T09:45:00.004-05:00

Simplex Investments is coming on campus the afternoon of Tuesday, April 5th to interview for internships and entry level developer positions. They also have positions for experienced personnel if any alumni are interested.

http://www.simplexinvestments.com/careers/

We’re very excited to have them interviewing on campus and they’re here specifically for Computer Science students. Kristi Kelly of Career Services, kkelly@stfrancis.edu, is handling the interview schedule.

Opportunities abound

2011-02-11T13:16:00.007-06:00

Email has been kept busy early this semester as various opportunities in the Computer Science/Information Technology fields kept cropping up.

Thanks to Paul Carlson, Information Technology alumnus, for contacting us with an internship opportunity at Exelon Corporation for the summers.

Brian Sharp’s (Computer Science alumnus) company , Bridgepoint Technologies, is looking for experienced Network Techs and Web Designers, (although entry level Web Design will be considered).

Nestle Purina is looking for new grads and soon-to-be new grads in Computer Science and Information Technology for Information Systems Management Trainee program.

Will County Forest Preserve was looking for an IT person. Joe Bozen of our own IT department hooked us up with that one.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is looking for interns in IT. Thanks to Tim Archer, alumnus and also in our IT department heard about this one.

Bullet Communications was looking for an intern who knew Dreamweaver. Prof Terre Rosner of the Mass Communications department passed this one along.

If you have missed the emails on any of these opportunities, they’re in the USF Careerlink system. This system is available to students and alumni. Here’s the Career Services homepage: https://www.stfrancis.edu/about/employment/career-services/studentsalumni/

If you need help with the USF Careerlink system, please contact Kristi Kelly of USF Career Services. Remember this is available for both students and alumni.

If you have other leads you'd like to share, or to talk about some of these postings, please contact Ruth Weldon.

Winter Graduation

2011-02-11T12:30:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to our latest Computer Science Department graduates.

For Computer Science we had Larissa Kries, Michael Murray, and Caleb Piggott graduating although they could not make the ceremony.

In Information Technology we were proud to see David Gingerich and Nicholas Morris walk in Commencement exercises.

Our good wishes follow all our latest graduates. Please be sure and stay in touch.

We’ll look to hear from you and all our alumni in April at our annual Alumni Student Networking and Resume Tips meeting.

Christmas and CompSci

2010-12-02T14:25:00.005-06:00

It wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't have a Computer Science department get-together. Save the date Dec 8th, Noon, the Computer Lab A119.

Pizza will be provided, a chance to chat and catch up on the latest happenings in the department.

Mike Dembeck & Rob DeLong will give us the scoop on the wireless communication project they've been working on with USF's IS department.

So be there for a fun and informative time. As always alumni and USF staff are always welcome!

Apps, Bernie and WiMax!

2010-11-20T16:27:00.010-06:00

There really is an app for that!

Our first Mobile App Programming Seminar was a big hit! Students from all over the university, alumni, staff, and other schools came together to learn about the wave of the future. Programming for mobile phones. Thanks to Sprint and Motorola we already have a jump start with the donation of mobile phones for our testing. Due to the efforts of Tim Archer, USF Computer Science alumni and Director of Information and Administrative Services here at USF we had a wonderful event.

Carlo Angelo of Sprint was kind enough to join us and give us a background of the cell phone and insight into the different technologies that we use. Mr. Angelo let us know why we care about the GSM, WiMax, CDMA.

Tim introduced the programming concepts behind mobile phones and introduced us to the framework that supports the Droid. Then it was time for some hands-on work. A number of participants had agreed to request access to the Google AppInventor project.

This is a programming interface that uses a building blocks approach to creating mobile apps. The project is currently in a beta status so approval to join the project takes about a week.

AppInventor Screen

Once a driver is installed on the PC for your phone you can download the AppInventor interface.

Thanks to the efforts of Tim Archer, T.J. Eakle, Computer Science Alumnus and Applications Programmer, & Dave Senior Information Technology Alumnus and Microcomputer Support Specialist, and Luis Escorz, Information Technology senior and intern, the computers in the A102 lab were setup to use Google AppInventor and our new donated phones ahead of time.

With Tim Archer’s expert guidance the participants built their own ‘Pet Bernie’ app. When the screen with Bernie’s picture on it is touched or shaken, Bernie barks. As an added bonus, Tim also showed us how to use the bar code scanner logic.

Everyone attending left wanting to come back for more. So stay tuned for more events this coming Spring.

And if you want to get set for the future, plan on enrolling in Comp 494 – Programming for the Droid, Fall 2011. A prerequisite of either Comp 140, Computer Science I (C++) or Comp 253 Java will be needed.

Tim Archer

Thanks to Tim Archer, Computer Science alumnus and Director of Information and Administrative Services here at USF for coordinating and presenting such a great and successful event.

Here at USF Computer Science we are the sum of our people and we have very good people, indeed!

Game Programming Contest

2010-11-02T16:13:00.006-05:00

We're delighted to announce our first ever game programming contest. The University of St. Francis is partnering with Joliet Junior College to offer an opportunity to college and high school students to design and develop their own games.

The computer game must be created using the Game Maker software which may be downloaded from http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/

GameMaker is an innovative product which is available for a free download and includes tutorials to help you get started. You can design adventure style games, first person shooter games, maze style games. Many levels of game play can be developed, high scores tracked, games can be set to increase difficulty as play continues. Music and sound effects can be added to improve the play. By the way, GameMaker does NOT require prior programming experience.

You'll create rooms and fill them with objects that can interact with each other. A graphical interface makes it easy to setup everything from bouncing when an object hits a wall to being destroyed, with the appropriate sound effects, when being shot.

A game developed for which a developer was paid, is not eligible.

All games should adhere to the current legal requirements concerning copyright, first amendment, trade work, and civil rights.

Check out all the contest rules and register at: http://www.jjc.edu/academics/divisions/career-technical/cios/game-contest/Pages/default.aspx

Entries are due by March 14th. The awards dinner is May 11th.

So have some fun and design a game the way you think it should be played.

First Mobile Seminar Scheduled

2010-10-15T16:05:00.003-05:00

Save the date!!!

Thursday, Nov 18th, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Our first

Mobile

Programming

Seminar.

The details are still being worked out, but the phones are in and we're looking forward to making sure that 'Droid Does'!

As you can see several of the students are examining the new phones, putting in the batteries and micro SD cards.

Thanks to Motorola and Sprint for the phones.

Android 1.5 is on the phones. They do not have cell service, but they can be put on the wireless network so newly made apps can be tested.

Learn more about Mobile Phone programming at our first seminar.
Alumni, USF staff and other interested individuals are always welcome at our events.

Making an app for that!

2010-10-11T10:59:00.010-05:00

Good news!

Thanks to the efforts of our Unversity of St Francis IS department, Motorola, in conjunction with Sprint, has donated 5 mobile phones to the Computer Science department so that students will be able to work on app creation. These are on the Android platform, so they're open source.

We will start with short seminars for the Spring semester and look at offering a topics course in Fall, 2011 in conjunction with a planned ACCA (Associated Colleges Chicagoland Area) seminar. This way we'll not only have hands on practice, we'll take advantage of several industry experts.

If you're thinking of taking the "Developing for the Android" course in Fall, 2011, be sure and take the Comp 140, Computer Science I - C++ in the Spring, 2011 semester, if you haven't already taken it or the Comp 253, Java course. A solid base of a programming language will be needed. Android's software stack will use the Java SDK (Software Developer's Kit) as the programming language.

Sprint is the mobile carrier used by University of St. Francis. Thank you to Motorola and to Sprint for furthering our educational goals and many thanks to Mark Snodgrass and Tim Archer of the USF IS department for working out the details to help our students.

Putting the ‘social’ into Social Network

2010-10-07T09:42:00.004-05:00

The Computer Science department sponsored an outing to Hollywood Palms Cinema on Wednesday night to see The Social Network. Students, alumni, and USF staff got together to enjoy the movie and a chance to unwind, midweek. Some of us took the van provided by Student Life (thanks to Dominique Annis, USF Student Life) and some of us meet up at the theatre.

Naturally, since it was a movie about Mark Zuckerberg, we had a Facebook event created for the movie within our Computer Science at the University of St. Francis group. Thanks to Nick Zelinskli, Computer Science senior, for setting up a sign-up sheet for the van and promoting the movie event to others in the department.

Here are a couple of links if you’re not familiar with the movie, The Social Network, www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com or the Hollywood Palms Cinema www.hollywoodpalmscinema.com.

The consensus was that is was a good movie, kicked off a lot of conversation afterwards, and a great time. Some of our attendees were new to the venue and really liked the chairs & tables, having food and drink served during the movie.

A special thank you to John, our van driver for getting us there on time and safely home again. You made it a very enjoyable trip.

Thanks to the students, alumni, and staff who made this event successful. Everyone agrees another road trip is in our future.

Can you Google me now?

2010-09-16T16:25:00.007-05:00

Students in the USF dorms have a lot of problems with wireless access.

Information Technology seniors Mike Dembeck and Rob DeLong wanted a project that would give them some real world experience.

Mark Snodgrass, Director of Network Support Services here at USF, decided that he could help the students in the dorm as well as Mike and Rob achieve their goals.

This semester Mike and Rob are surveying the wireless situation, contacting vendors about products, balancing coverage and cost, then putting together a proposal so that the USF dorms in Marian Hall, Tower Hall, and the Motherhouse have improved wireless access. They'll help develop the business plan and, upon the approval of the IT department, assist the IT department with implementing the plan.

This project will provide Mike and Rob with a real world exposure to designing and implementing technology based projects, dealing with constraints, such as physical structures and business considerations, such as cost. Since the students’ objectives are to work in the Information Technology sector, a course like this will provide them the opportunity to explore project management, request for proposals, an increased understanding of the expanding role of wireless access and a concrete case study of a current networking problem.

Whew! They're going to be busy as they keep their supervisors in the loop with weekly status reports. So if you're in the dorms and you see Mike and Rob, let them know that their efforts are appreciated.

Coming soon to a portal near you!

2010-09-08T12:11:00.005-05:00

Information Technology majors Brandon Rusnak and Matt Nosbisch worked hard over the summer on their Senior project. It so impressed their senior project adviser, Tim Archer, Computer Science alumnus and USF IS Manager that he's got Matt and Brandon on board to put it up on the portal. They'll get familiar with more technology and USF students are going to have a new feature on the portal.

Here's what their project was about:

The senior project, ONEPortfolio, is a way for USF Computer Science students to showcase all of their skills and achievements to prospective employers. The ONEPortfolio website allows users to upload images, resumes, code samples, a biography, education / school information, web links and more that will be displayed on a profile page for the user on the site so that a prospective employer can quickly view this information about the potential employee.

The link to a user's profile can be shared on the web or via email and is a great way for someone to quickly learn about that person's skills and abilities. The site makes it easy for users to upload their information to the site by guiding them through the steps in an easy to use wizard. The site also features a powerful Admin Control Panel which allows the site administrator to change the site content, edit users and change settings with ease.

Matt & Brandon will be presenting their project soon so that all Computer Science department students can get a look at this great new utility.

Congratulations, Brandon & Matt, on a job well done!

Data Recovery Seminar

2010-09-01T10:03:00.006-05:00

Uh-oh, that drive is toast!
Or is it?

Join our own Andrew Johnson, Information Technology, to learn about recovering data from damaged drives.

He'll demonstrate both free and purchased applications to use on hard drives.
There will be group activities to determine if a drive can be recovered.
Also, because you may need to dispose of a drive, Andrew will talk about how to safely erase a drive.
You'll learn about retrieving deleted data.

Don't miss:

The Data Recovery Seminar
Saturday, Sept 25th
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
St. Albert's Hall, A102
University of St. Francis
500 Wilcox
Joliet, IL 60435

RSVP to Ruth Weldon

Sponsored by the USF Computer Science Club/IEEE Student Branch

Intern/Part time employee opportunity

2010-08-31T07:35:00.005-05:00

A consulting firm in Bolingbrook is looking for someone for as an intern or a part time employee.

From the firm's email:
"an intern position or something part time in the "IT" field for about 25-30 hours per week. We would expect that this person would already have their A+ and Network+ certifications or have taken the course equivalency. Also our preference is for someone who has light programming skills or has had an introduction to some type of software technology."

Your microcomputer systems and networking courses would be the course equivalency.

If you are interested please see Ruth for the contact information.

They will be looking for a resume!

A new lab, a new look!

2010-08-30T15:42:00.013-05:00

Welcome back to a new semester!

By now you’ve seen our newly remodeled lab. New furniture, new workstations, two flat screen tv monitors, webcams, a scanner, a printer, and a collaboration workstation. The nine workstations are equipped with Visual Studio 2010, Java SDK, and Oracle. The flat screen TV can display the images from the end workstation. At the opposite end of the room the flat screen is hooked up to a KVM
(Keyboard, Video, Mouse) switch that can handle four laptop hook-ups so that students can collaborate on projects and take turns displaying what they’re working on. The lab is still on an isolated network with Internet access so that networking classes can experiment. There is a password protected wireless hotspot in the lab.

In addition, there is a relaxation station with a couple of chairs.

But the lab is not the only new thing this semester. The Computer Science server room got a fresh reload over the summer.

Through our participation the VMWare Academic Program we have VMWare products to use for virtualization. There’s a Remote Desktop that is accessible in any lab on campus or from home. VPN is set up on our server so that you can access most of the server facilities from home or dorm.

The servers provide access to Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Sharepoint Server, CentOS Linux, RedHat Linux, Microsoft Remote Desktop Services. An educational license of CPanel allows web access of designated web pages. There is also a server devoted for student creation of virtual machines.

Our lab upgrade was funded by the Academic Computing Fund.

The lab is a fun place to work and relax. Be sure and drop in to not only work on your labs, but catch up with your friends.

Thanks to everyone who dedicated so much effort during the summer to ensure that the lab was a show place - especially to the USF IT staff, Tim Archer, Ben Gunnink, Dave Senior, Jerry Kickul , alumni, Kevin Beckman & Scott Walton, and the students.

Internship Opportunity - Just in.

2010-08-05T17:38:00.002-05:00

One of our alumni, Gannon Novak, Information Technology '09, has let us know about an internship opportunity with his company. It would be a combination of IT and Telecomm work. The company is located in a nearby town so it is not far from campus.

Please let Ruth know if you'd like to pursue this opportunity.

Thanks, Gannon, for keeping us in mind!

Congratulations, Kevin

2010-05-11T21:24:00.005-05:00

Kevin Beckman, our second Mathematics/Computer Science major, graduated on May 8th. He had a 3.89 GPA, He was not only a member of Epsilon Delta Pi, the Computer Science Honor Society, but of Kappa Mu Epsilon, the Mathematics Honor Society, as well as Delta Epsilon Sigma, a national honor society. Kevin had worked at Argonne National Labs for the past two years in the Cooperative Education Program.

Good luck, Kevin. All of us at USF are proud of you.

Honors 2010

2010-05-07T15:25:00.010-05:00

Computer Science department students received their share of awards at the 26th Annual Honors and Awards Convocation. The newly inducted members of the Epsilon Delta Pi Honor Society were mentioned in the program. This years inductees were Larissa Kries, Nicholas Morris, Michael Murray, and Caleb Piggot all who will graduate in Fall, 2010.
Nick is an Information Technology senior. Larissa, Mike, & Caleb are all Computer Science Seniors

This year Dean's Scholar Awards went to Larissa Kries, Computer Science Senior, Paulina Martinez, Information Technology minor & Rec Admin junior, and Michael Murray, Computer Science Senior.

For all his work in the CompSci department computer lab we were delighted to nominate Michael Murray for the Meritorious Service Award which is presented to a senior who demonstrates our core value of service, providing the greatest service to the department and the college

The Athletic Department honored Joel Perez, Computer Science Senior, with the Jason Chonacki Scholarship which is presented to athletes who have been outstanding in service and have a GPA greater than 2.5.

This year the recipient of the Joan Nahas Ramuta Computer Science Award was Larissa Kries. It is presented to a senior in recognition of academic excellence, exemplary character standards and outstanding service to the department and college.

Larissa & her family are pictured here.

Alumni\Student Event - A fun time

2010-04-19T11:33:00.004-05:00

Wow! What a great time everyone had at our 3rd Annual Alumni/Student Interview and Resume Tips meeting on Tuesday, April 13th. We were able to let everyone see some of our new facilities such as our new server room and talk about our future plans for our Hardware/Networking lab. We also were able to show the access to NACELink, a job search feature supported by USF’s Career Development and available for use by both students and Alumni.

Of course, the alumni were able to offer great insight into what employers are looking for when students go after those first jobs. They helped students think about those first job interviews, questions to ask and handling the tricky interview questions. Students started thinking about how they could use other volunteer activities or involvement in sports to help them standout when applying for jobs.

Because we like to have our alumni involved in our celebrations, we also took the opportunity to induct our four newest members into the Computer Science Honor Society, Epsilon Delta Pi. The 2010 inductees were Larissa Kries, Nicholas Morris, Michael Murray, and Caleb Piggott. To be eligible for the Honor Society a student must have a 3.2 GPA, 75 credits earned, and a minimum of 3 upper division Computer Science courses completed. We also did an informal awarding of the Meritorious Service Award to Michael Murray, and the Joan Nahas Ramuta Award to Larissa Kries. The formal awards will be presented at the Honors Convocation.

Check out our Facebook group, Computer Science at University of St. Francis for pictures from the event courtesy of Matt Nosbisch, Web Application Development Senior.

We’ll keep rolling this along, so plan on the early April next year!

2010-03-26T08:25:00.005-05:00

Alumni/Student get together.

This is getting to be a habit – one we don’t want to break.

This will be our Third Annual Alumni Interview and Resume Tips meeting.

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 13th 2010,
Tuesday 6 PM - 8 PM
Room A102 St. Albert's Hall

Join our Facebook group:
Computer Science at University of St. Francis

We're looking forward to seeing you.

Just the facts, ma'am......

2010-03-23T16:55:00.004-05:00

And this coming Fall 2010 in our brand new Computer Forensics course, Comp 375, we'll have the opportunity to explore the fascinating world of finding out the facts based upon the clues left behind on computers. Guiding us to through this exciting topic will be USF Computer Science alumna and IT Director of the Will County Sheriff's Office, Jacqueline Falbo. Her work and experience in the various facets of law enforcement and technology will allow her to give her students insight into the whys and wherefore of a topic that draws instant interest.

Computer Forensics extends beyond the desktop computers and the servers. It also looks at social networking, cell phones and preservation of evidence. Ms Falbo has had training in various forensics techniques from the FBI and worked with the Sheriff’s office hi-tech lab.

If you have an interest in networking, security, or just want to expand your horizons, this class will be one not to miss!

With a little (a lot of) help from our friends.

2010-03-22T13:52:00.010-05:00

On March 18th, Thursday afternoon, the students who attended the USF Computer Club/IEEE Branch event were introduced to the newly configured CompSci Server courtesy of USF Computer Science Alumnus & Director of USF Information Services, Tim Archer.

Tim described the servers now available and how students could VPN in to access the server resources. The servers include the firewall server, the virtualization server, the web server and the database server that was configured in the Fall database class with USF Computer Science Alumnus, Scott Walton. Tim gave everyone an opportunity to suggest what they'd like to see be part of our new configuration.

New proposed plans for the Computer Science Lab were also shown. This gives us a target to aim for as we look ahead to the future.

Cris & Ruth extend their thanks to Tim for all his work on the server room and making a new environment available to our students.

Playing ball

2010-03-03T08:26:00.005-06:00

When Coach Ed Serdar of Plainfield was looking for to create a website for his girl's softball team, he turned to his friend Coach Richard Smith of USF, who in turned called on the USF Computer Science department. Three of our students are stepping up to meet the challenge and lend a hand. Megan O'Brien, Computer Science Sophomore, Alex Schmid, Computer Science Junior, and Caleb Piggott, Computer Science Senior are going to provide Coach Serdar's team with a web presence and gain valuable experience at the same time. Teamwork, developing new skills, and gaining a first exposure to working for a client are important aspects of a student's growth.

We're looking forward to seeing the website they create.

Seeing through - website development

2010-03-01T10:36:00.006-06:00

The call came out from USF Solutions and Information Technology junior, Matt Strama, answered it. He's helping a company that has never had a web presence create one. He is currently working with a glass company to identify their needs and help them understand what they will be able to accomplish with a company website. This will give Matt another competency on his resume and he'll be able to work around his busy schedule. We're looking forward to spreading the word once his project is completed. Good going, Matt.

Beyond the Books

2010-02-16T13:01:00.003-06:00

What’s up at the library? Ask Matthew Strama, Information Technology junior , he is a Computer Technician for the Morris Area Public Library. He maintains, fixes, and troubleshoots the network and computers, which includes staff and public computers. And if anyone, staff or customers, has a computer question, Matt is the go-to guy. Maintenance on the machines includes Windows updates, reinstall OS if it needs to be reinstalled, run the spy-ware cleaner, install the library check out system when it is needed, and installing deep-freeze on the public machines (a program that wipes the machine after its restarted.). He gets involved in networking troubleshooting if the internet drops, the switches and routers are having connection problems or the public needs help connecting to our wireless router.

The Morris Area Public Library network is made up of switches, routers, and a sonic wall. They have 20 public computers and 14 staff computers that need to be maintained on a daily basis. That means running updates and other software on them. Matt just assisted in the switch from ATT DSL to Comcast cable internet. Not only did Matt help setup the internet system, he teaches computer classes as well to the public. The classes he has taught include computer basics, Word 2007, Internet Explorer 7 & 8, Yahoo email, and intermediate computers. Besides teaching the public he does staff training as well on the new updates and software that purchased for the computers.

So if you thought libraries were just about books, talk to Matt. Whether its helping someone get online to make that important change to their Facebook status or teaching them about using their computers, he knows that support comes with a variety of responsibilities.

Excellent work, Matt!

Opportunities from USF Solutions

2010-02-12T15:36:00.009-06:00

Bonnie Covelli of USF Solutions approached us with opportunities for students. She is looking on the behalf of a local business for website design. The company is a glass company. According to Ms Covelli: "They have zero web presence at the moment. The website would primarily include information on company location and products. No e-commerce, no outrageous bells and whistles are needed."

At this point it would be donated time, but this would be an excellent opportunity for students who have not had any experience or just a little experience. Perhaps two students could cooperate on this. It would be a good entry for your resume and help you when more formal jobs or other paid opportunities occur.

Additionally Ms Covelli, also informed us of another opportunity, this one paid, but will require more experience.

"It's for a small retail store, but the website will need a bit more "bells and whistles" and someone with enough knowledge to advise on hosting and long-term maintenance carriers. The store has a current "basic" website, but they are ready to upgrade to a more sophisticated look. ... For this project, the designer would only need to work with me, and I'd serve as the interface with the client. Also, the designer would be paid."

Please contact either Cris or Ruth if you'd like to take advantage of either opportunity.

Paid or unpaid - experience will help you land the job of your choice.

Join us on Facebook!

2010-02-02T13:49:00.003-06:00

We now have a Facebook group: Computer Science at University of St. Francis. Anyone interested in our Computer Science program whether student, alumni, faculty, staff, prospective student, former teacher, or just plain interested, is welcome.

Facebook Link

So sign in, add photos, links, start or join a discussion. This can be a great way to reconnect with old friends and classmates.

You're always welcome!

VMWare is here.

2010-01-21T14:46:00.004-06:00

University of St. Francis’s Computer Science department is now participating in the VMWare academic program. This allows students, faculty and staff access to selected VMWare software products at no charge. You should have received an email from VMWare to activate your account via your St. Francis email. If you didn’t stop in and see Ruth so we can get your account started. Once you get your account you can download the software for your personal use.

Click here to access the VMWare Elms site.

This is your chance to explore what you can do with VMWare!

Anatomy of a Server Room

2010-01-06T10:22:00.009-06:00

Thanks to the efforts of students, alumni, and staff here at USF who gave up a day of their Christmas break we have our first Computer Science server room.

Our heroes were Tim Archer, Joe Bozen, T.J. Eakle, Ben Gunnink, Jon Paul, Matt Ramuta, Arturas Zalenekas, Chris Bigott, Kyle Baczynski, Kevin Beckman, and Ross McCallister.

VPN access to the server room is up and working.

The server built during Fall Semester by Scott Walton for databases was also added to the server room. So far, we have a firewall, web server and a database server. Plans are in the works to incorporate a virtualization server as well. Stop in and take a peek, it’s next to the A116 computer lab.

Thanks to their efforts the resources in our new server are accessible from all labs on campus.

Oh and while they were at it, we now have a new wireless access point in the A119 lab.

VPN access to the server is available to all Computer Science department students, alumni and, of course, to our staff.

Thanks to all who devoted so much time and continue to help improve the learning environment at USF.

2009-12-15T10:58:00.011-06:00

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

2009-11-04T13:54:00.002-06:00

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

2009-10-27T08:15:00.005-05:00

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

2009-10-01T14:37:00.004-05:00

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

2009-08-20T08:30:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-06-04T10:45:00.003-05:00

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.

2009-05-20T10:55:00.005-05:00

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

2009-05-11T13:11:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-10T08:15:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-27T14:22:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-24T08:21:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-20T14:50:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-07T13:33:00.002-05:00

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.

2009-04-02T13:26:00.001-05:00

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

2009-04-01T11:03:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-31T13:55:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-27T08:26:00.000-05:00

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!

2009-03-26T05:43:00.000-05:00

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.

2009-03-24T12:09:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-18T10:56:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-18T10:47:00.000-05:00

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.

2009-03-17T16:22:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-17T16:04:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-16T11:43:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-16T08:05:00.000-05:00

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.