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The News (headlines with text)
Students Among Top Ugrad Researchers Date: Wednesday, December 2, 1998 The Computing Research Association has announced this year's winners of their annual "Outstanding Undergraduates Awards". Named as Runner-Up, was Cornell CS major Pedro Felzenszwalb '99 (photo). Also recognized was David Liben-Nowell '99 (photo), who was among a select number of students receiving honorable mention.
The CRA Undergraduate Award is arguably the top CS award for undergraduates on the planet. This program recognizes undergraduate students who show exceptional promise in an area of importance to computing research. Students recognized for these awards represent the best and the brightest future computer scientists from the ranks of undergraduate programs in North America.
A cash prize of $1,000 is awarded to the top female and male undergraduate students, who are majoring in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or an equivalent program. When merited, the selection committee is also free to select one or more Runners-Up to the top prizes. This year, Felzenszwalb was selected as the only Runner Up in the CRA competition. A number of other outstanding candidates, equally distributed among men and women, receive certificates of honorable mention. This year's awards will be presented at the 1999 Federated Computing Research Conference in Atlanta, Georgia (running from April 30 to May 7, 1999).
Link to Felzenzswalb research.
Luncheon Jeopardy Results Date: Tuesday, December 1, 1998 A rousing game of Jeopardy was played at the Faculty/Student Luncheon today. A standard Jeopardy format was used with the help of a laptop and an overhead projector. Questions ranged from CS Pop Culture to Theoretical Computer Science. The winning team included students Rosa Allison '01, Kathy Morris '00, Corinna Krantz '00, and Keiichi Matsumura '00 (photo of Krantz and Allison). Teams members unwittingly self selected by the "sit-wherever-you-want" method, afterwhich tables were divided up into separate teams. The winning team also included faculty members Kozen, Zabih and Kleinberg. Team members were crowned with festive "elf hats", replete with jingling bells. (Photo: team in elf hats) (Photo: Professor's Kozen and Zabih in elf hats)
Young Alums Have $100 Million Day Date: Monday, November 30, 1998 When the theglobe.com went public on November 13th, their stock soared from an initial offering of $9 to a close of $63.50. This represented a market record for a first day offering (see related story from the Syracuse Herald American). Company co-founders, Stephan Paternot '95 and Todd Krizelman, MEng '95, profited to the tune of about $50 million dollars each based on the value of the stock that they hold in the company.
Paternot and Krizelman got their start here in the CS Department during a time when the World Wide Web was just in its infancy. They had an idea for a web business and used the department as a launching pad for getting started. They enrolled in an independent study in order to build the infrastructure for what would later become a major on-line community. Paternot and Krizelman sought advice from faculty and staff at Cornell and took other courses related to their business interests. Once they were ready to generate revenue, they left the department and set up shop in nearby Collegetown. They remained heavily dependent on on a labor pool of fellow Cornell students during their first year in business. Since that time, they have benefited greatly from the assistance of other Cornell alums who have provided significant financial backing for the business.
(1997 article from the New York Times)
Faculty/Student Luncheon Set for Dec 1st Date: Tuesday, November 17, 1998 A Faculty/Student Luncheon will be held on December 1st in the Computer Science departmental lounge on the fifth floor of Upson Hall. This event is open to all CS majors and is being sponsored and hosted by the Association of Computer Science Undergraduates. A sign-up sheet will be available in 303 Upson Hall for those wanting to attend. Seating is limited so sign up early if you are planning on attending. For more information contact officers@cs.cornell.edu.
Van Loan Appointed to Named Professorship Date: Wednesday, November 11, 1998 At their October 24th meeting in Ithaca, the Cornell University Board of Trustees elected Professor Charles Van Loan to the Joseph C. Ford Professorship. Professor Van Loan joined the Department of Computer Science in 1975 and received tenure in 1980. His primary research deals with Matrix Computations. From fall 1995 to spring 1998 he served as Director of Undergraduate Programs in Computer Science. (Dec. 10, 1998 Cornell Chronicle Article)
Rubinfeld Awarded Tenure Date: Wednesday, November 11, 1998 The Cornell University Board of Trustees recently approved the award of full tenure to Professor Ronitt Rubinfeld in the Department of Computer Science. Rubinfeld joined the department in 1992. Her research interests include computational complexity and randomized computations.
Cornell Team Wins ACM Regional Contest Date: Monday, November 9, 1998 On Sunday, a team of three students from Cornell won the ACM Greater New York Regional Programming Contest held at Bloomfield College in New Jersey. The team members were David Kempe, a first-year doctoral student in CS, Erik Dangremond '99, a senior in CS, and Mike Smullens '00, a junior in biology. The team was coached by Adam Florence, a 3rd-year doctoral student in computer science at Cornell. According to contest rules, at most one contestant of each team may hold a baccalaureate degree. No contestant may have completed two years of post-baccalaureate studies or hold a graduate degree.
According to the ACM Contest Web Site, the Greater New York Area Regional contest, "draws students from colleges and universities throughout the Greater New York Metropolitan Area, including areas of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Winners will join more than 54 teams selected from regional contests on six continents at the ACM Programming Contest World Finals in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, to compete for bragging rights and scholarships." This is the 24th year that the ACM collegiate programming contest is being held. The overall contest sponsor is IBM.
The Greater New York Regional Contest used a slightly easier format than the international finals. At the international contest each team will get only one computer, while at the GNY Regionals, each team got two computers. There were 7 problems in the 5 hour regional contest. Cornell was the only team to get all 7 problems, and did so after only 4 hours. Columbia University came in second place, having finished 6 problems. Approximately 30 teams competed at the GNY Regionals.
The Cornell team will proceed to the World Finals in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, which are being held from April 8 to 11 at the Technical University of Eindhoven. 58 teams will compete from all over the globe. The team that can solve the most problems in the least amount of time will be declared the winner.
This is the first time Cornell has won the ACM Regional Contest since teams from Cornell began to participate in the early 1990's. The team would like to thank Green Hills Software for sponsoring it.
This posting was submitted in part by team coach Adam Florence, who can be reached via email at: aflorenc@cs.cornell.edu. Photo of Florence and the team (Florence is on the left, followed by Smullens, Dangremond, and Kempe). Photo of Florence helping out at the contest in Bloomfield.
An Article from the Cornell Chronicle.
Microsoft Researcher Talks at Colloquium Date: Monday, November 2, 1998 Dr. Daniel Weise, a Microsoft researcher and former Stanford faculty member, will be this week's featured speaker at the department's regular colloquium on Thursday, November 5th, at 4:30 pm in Phillips 101. In describing his work, Weise says, "Our research group has taken the approach of giving programmers in the product groups the ability to do their own meta-programming-the ability to extend their programming languages and to construct programs that themselves analyze and construct programs. This approach allows good language ideas to be re-invented and implemented by practitioners, and changes the relationship that practitioners have with their programming language and development environment." Talk abstract.
OO Book Author to Give Talks Here Date: Monday, November 2, 1998 Professor Tim Teitelbaum has announced that John Vlissides, one of the "gang of four" co-authors of "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software" (1994: Addison-Wesley) will be giving approximately 3 hours of public "guest lectures" in CS-501during our regular class periods:
- Lecture 1, Monday, November 9, 7:30pm, Hollister B12
- Lecture 2, Monday, November 9, 8:40pm, Hollister B12
- Lecture 3, Tuesday, November 10, 1:25 - 2:40, Olin 155
Vlissides' book is currently #15 on Amazon's Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers List. The full email announcement about the lectures.
Jim Gray of Microsoft Wins Turing Award Date: Friday, October 30, 1998 It was announced today that Jim Gray of the Microsoft Bay AreaAddison-Wesley Pub Co Research Center has been choosen as the 1999 ACM Turing Award Winner. The award will be given at a special event in New York City on May 15th, 1999. One of Gray's many research collaborations is with Cornell CS Professor Joseph Halpern. Gray is a member of an ACM subcommittee chaired by Halpern which is researching methods to put all CS research articles on the world wide web. The 1998 Turing Award went to Douglas Englebart, inventor of the computer mouse.
Microsoft Women's Scholarship Date: Friday, October 30, 1998 Microsoft Corporation announced this year's 1998-99 full tuition scholarship for a woman computer science student at Cornell. The scholarship application process is competitive, however, the purpose of the award is to help "encourage and enable women studying computer science." Qualified candidates will be sought out for possible summer internships at Microsoft. For more information on this award see: http://www.microsoft.com/college/womenscholar.htm
Churchill and Goldwater Scholarship Deadlines Date: Tuesday, October 27, 1998 The deadline for applications for potential Churchill scholars is November 6th. The deadline for the Goldwater Scholarship applications is December 1st. The Churchill Scholarships provide one year of support for graduate study at Cambridge University. The Goldwater Scholarships provide undergraduate support for sophomores and juniors in the sciences, math, or engineering at Cornell. For information about these and other scholarships visit our Scholarship page.
Theory Center Develops Hot Cluster Software Date: Tuesday, October 27, 1998
Cornell University and MPI Software Technology, Inc. have announced the release of a new product - Cluster CoNTroller ™ for Windows® NT®. Cluster CoNTroller, a product developed by the Cornell Theory Center (CTC) and commercialized through an exclusive license to MPI Software Technology, Inc., provides state-of-the-art parallel and serial job scheduling with powerful multi-domain services and an emphasis on security. The software is currently at use at beta sites; full product shipment is scheduled for the end of calendar 1998.
For more information visit the MPI web site at http://www.mpi-softtech.com, or contact Linda Callahan at the CTC or visit the CTC web site at http://www.tc.cornell.edu
CTC began development of Cluster CoNTroller in 1997, after receiving a cluster of NT-based systems as part of a large Intel grant to Cornell University. "The focus of our efforts was to provide a scheduling environment for high-performance, parallel applications in computational science and computational finance," said Thomas F. Coleman, CTC director and professor of Computer Science. "A number of Cornell faculty tested the software on CTC's NT cluster and provided valuable feedback into the design," he noted.
Cluster CoNTroller offers a deterministic, heterogeneous resource-scheduling engine that allows users to specify hardware and software requirements for parallel and serial jobs. Other features include Web-based resource monitoring, administrative tools for remote access, specialized NT services for secure user impersonation, and support for interactive development time.
Singh Wins Cornell Rhodes Scholarship Date: Wednesday, October 21, 1998 Abhideep Singh '99 (Engr) has won a Frank and Rosa Rhodes Scholarship. Former Cornell President, Frank H.T. Rhodes, and his wife Rosa, established these generous awards in 1996 to recognize deserving scholars at the undergraduate level. Finalists from the junior and senior classes are nominated by their colleges based on contributions they have made through their academic achievements and leadership. The selection process is competitive and Singh was one of only two winners from the College of Engineering (photo of Singh). Within Computer Science, Singh currently serves as the president of the Association of Computer Science Undergraduates.
Intel Talk Here: Hot Research Date: Friday, September 25, 1998 "Intel Intelligence: What's Hot in Research at Intel". A research talk given on Wednesday, September 30th, 1998 at 4:30 p.m. in Olin 155. Featured speakers are: Justin Rattner '70 (BS '70 in EE, MS '72 in CS), Director of Server Architecture Lab at Intel Corporation, and Dr. Richard Wirt, Director of Microcomputer Research Lab at Intel. Photo of Rattner.
Sponsored by: The Association of CS Undergraduates (ACSU).
Master of Engineering Early Admission Date: Wednesday, September 23, 1998 You should apply for Early Admission during the first term of your senior year. The application deadline is November 1st, for spring admission, and May 1st for fall admission (note that this second date is after the normal application deadline). If you plan to apply for the MEng in CS while still completing 8 credits or less of your undergraduate coursework, you MUST have applied and been accepted by the MEng Program. Follow this link for more information.
Hertz Fellowship Deadline is October 23rd Date: Wednesday, September 23, 1998. The Hertz Graduate Fellowship award, is based on merit and consists of a cost-of-education allowance and a stipend. The stipend is $25,000 for Fellowships awarded for the 1999-2000 academic year and thereafter. The Fellowship award is renewable annually for up to five years.
Eligible applicants must be students of the applied physical sciences who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States of America. College seniors wishing to pursue the Ph.D. degree in any of the acceptable fields, as well as graduate students already in the process of doing so, may apply. High scholastic performance is expected, including at least a 3.75/4.00 grade point average during the last two years of undergraduate work. Applications from students with lower GPAs will be reviewed for evidence of unusual ability, creativity, or accomplishment.
Programming Contest Here Sept 26th Date: Friday, September 18, 1998. The Fall 1998 Computer Science Programming Competition will be held on Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Upson third floor NT lab. This event is sponsored by the ACSU. For more information visit: Contest Web Page.
CS Faculty Win Teaching Awards Date: Thursday, September 10, 1998. During the summer, the Dean's Office in the College of Engineering announced winners of the 1997-98 Excellence in Teaching Awards. From Computer Science were: Professor Sam Toueg, Professor Srinivasan Keshav, and Professor Greg Morrisett. Funding for the teaching awards is provided by University alumni. Toueg's award was funded by Abraham Wong '72. Keshav's award was funded by Fiona Ip Li '78 and Donald Li '75. Morrisett's award was funded by Ralph Watts '72.
IBM Computational Science Award Winner Announced Date: Thursday, September 1, 1998. Ilarion Melnikov '99 (Physics) was awarded the 1998 IBM Undergraduates in Computer and Computational Sciences Award. The award, which is donated by IBM, includes a check for $3,000. Melnikov has done research work with Professor Eberhard Bodenschatz in the Physics Department. Melnikov's work involves developing a computer program that allows ultrafast pattern processing and analysis. (Cornell Chronicle Article, photo)
Chip Implanted in Human Host Date: Thursday, August 25, 1998. A professor at the University of Reading (UK) had a computer chip implanted in his arm on Monday. The purpose of the experiment was to show that a human body could become a host to an interactive computing device. Professor Kevin Warwick is both the primary investigator for the study and the person who had the device implanted in his arm. Warwick is the head of the Cybernetics Department at the university and studies ways in which the human body can interact with computers. (reported by Reuters via MSNBC).
Consultants and Graders Needed! Date: Thursday, August 20, 1998. They say that teaching is the best way to learn. Why not check it out? Consultants are still needed for: CS 100, 130, 211 and 314. Graders are needed for CS 280 and 410. Come to Upson 303. Applications are on the door of Laurie Buck's office.
Add/Drop Stuff Date: Thursday, August 20, 1998. We won't be at Course Exchange. Come to Upson 303 for Add/Drop signatures. Also, please note the DROP DEADLINES for the following short courses: CS 113 (Sept. 4th); CS 114 (Oct. 2nd); and CS 202 (Sept. 4th).
Departures: Wagner, Perkins, Land, Godfrey Date: Thursday, August 20, 1998. Talented, in demand, and on the go. This summer saw the departure of several beloved faculty from the Department of Computer Science. They shall be greatly missed.
Longtime instructor of CS100 and CS211, Kay Wagner is moving over to the College of Arts and Sciences to assume an Assistant Dean post in the college advising office. Kay was one of the principle architects of CS 99 and was a mentor and leader in highlighting the important role of women in CS.
He came to school at Cornell in the 1970's to pursue doctoral studies in Computer Science. Eighteen years later, Hal Perkins, is headed to the University of Washington to do what he does best: teach. This past year, Perkins was voted Faculty of the Year by the Association of Computer Science Undergraduates.
Bruce Land, who has taught CS 417 and 418 (Computer Graphics and Computer Graphics Lab) since 1992, has returned to his academic roots as he joins the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornel. Land has been appointed to the postion of Senior Research Associate. Land will also continue some teaching responsibilities with the Department of Electrical Engineering. Land is a past winner of the ACSU Faculty of the Year Award.
Mike Godfrey joined our department just a few years back after finishing doctoral studies at the University of Toronto. In addition to his teaching duties, Mike ran the Master of Engineering Program in Computer Science. Mike and his family decided to move back to Canada where he will join the faculty at the University of Waterloo. His position at the University of Toronto is a tenure-track appointment.
Research Money Available for Fall 1998 Date: Tuesday, August 11, 1998. If you are an Engineering student who is planning on doing research with CS faculty this fall and needed some extra funding to help out with your work, please contact Dan Jenkins. The proposal deadline for special alumni and corporate funding for Fall 1998 is SEPTEMBER 11th. The proposal deadline for Spring 1999 is December 7th. Some funds are specifically designated for women and minorities. All proposals must be sponsored by a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science. Arts students who are interested in similiar programs should visit the Arts and Sciences research web page.
Hopcroft Re-appointed as Engineering Dean Date: Wednesday, July 22, 1998. It was announced today that Professor John Hopcroft has been reappointed for another term as the Dean of the Engineering College. Professor Hopcroft is a member of the faculty of the Department of Computer Science, formerly serving as department chair and is a winner of the prestigious A.C.M. Turing Award.
Seshadri on Smart Devices Date: Monday, July 6, 1998. "There is a growing interest in the department in smart/mobile devices (PalmPilots, JavaRings, etc). Some of you already have such toys and are playing with them. We are setting up a cucs mailing list "device-world" as a way to share the collective information being gathered on how to program and interact with the devices. Send mail to "ijo@cs.cornell.edu" to add yourself to this list." Professor Praveen Seshadri <praveen@cs.cornell.edu> (607) 255-1045, Fax:(607) 255-4428. On the web at http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/praveen/praveen.html
David Gries Takes Helm as New Director Date: Tuesday, July 1, 1998. Professor David Gries takes over the directorship of the Computer Science Undergraduate Program from outgoing director, Professor Charles Van Loan.
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Last updated July 30, 1999. For more information email us at ugrad@cs.cornell.edu .
