(last updated Thursday, June 28, 2001)
Graduation 1998 Awards Date: Sunday 24, May 1998. Jonathan Marx Senior Prizes were awarded to Daniel Scott Bernstein and Vikram Punwani (photo). These prizes recognize outgoing and energetic students who are community minded. An Alan Marx Teaching Award was given to Kevin Andrew Walsh (photo), for excellence in the support of undergraduate teaching. The Marx senior awards are provided in memory of Jonathan Marx '85 and his father Alan Marx, JD '61.
The Computer Science Prize for Academic Excellence was given to Daniel Louis Klein. Presenting Klein's award was Professor Claire Cardie (photo). This award is given annually at graduation and recognizes a student who has achieved excellence in academics, promise in the area of research (typically, published work), and a commitment to the field of Computer Science in terms of teaching and/or other leadership activities.
Dan Bernstein '98 Selected Merrill Presidential Scholar Date: Wednesday 6, May 1998. Dan Bernstein '98 (Engr), who is majoring in computer science, was recently selected as Merrill Presidential Scholar. Bernstein is one of two Merrill winners from CS. The other winner is Dan Klein (see posting below). Merrill Presidential Scholars are graduating Cornell seniors who have demonstrated outstanding scholastic achievement, strong leadership ability, and a potential for contributing to society. Only 35 seniors are selected University-wide for this high honor. Bernstein has done research in CS with two members of the faculty, Claire Cardie and Charlie Van Loan. Bernstein's work with Van Loan involved a systems identification problem. The results of that work yielded new information about matrix updating.
Senior Cruise a Success Date: Tuesday 5, May 1998. Last evening graduating seniors were joined by faculty and guests aboard the MV Manhattan for a Farewell Cruise on Cayuga Lake. Pictures of the Cruise.
New ACSU Board Members Date: Tuesday 5, May 1998. The following announcement was made by outgoing Association of Computer Science Undergraduates President, Gaurav Kittur '99:
It is my great pleasure to introduce the new executive board of the ACSU for 1998-99.President, Abhideep Singh '99; Vice-President, Ryan Burkhardt '99; Treasurer, Soe Soe Hla '00; Secretary, Priya Rajan '00; Junior-at-Large, Ruban Selvakumar '00; Sophomre-at-Large, Scott Aaronson '01.
I congratulate all the winners and welcome you aboard the board of one of the best student organizations on campus. At this point, I would also like to inform all the candidates who did not win or any other members interested in appointed positions to email me with the positions that they are interested in. We will be making these decisions in the next 4-5 days. Thank you very much for your interest and looking forward to an exciting year for the ACSU.
Perkins Wins "Faculty of the Year" Award Date: Monday 4 May 1998. Hal Perkins, a long-time instructor of CS100 and CS211 was recently voted "Faculty of the Year" by the Association of Computer Science Undergraduates at Cornell. Perkins, who is currently teaching a 400-level compilers course in CS, has a long history in the department and is well-known for his efforts in educating and advising. Some comments made by students who voted, "Very accessible, friendly and responsive towards students."; and " He still remembers my name and always says Hi when I run into him anywhere on campus." Picture of Perkins receiving the Faculty of the Year Award.
Update on 1998 Senior Survey Results Date: Monday 4 May 1998. We now have placement results for over 50 members of the Class of 1998 (52 of 123). At this writing, the average salary is currently $53,032. Doctoral programs that some seniors will be attending include: MIT, Berkeley, U. Washington, Oxford and UNC at Chaple Hill. Nearly 25% of those who have reported, are continuing on for the MEng in Computer Science. Any senior who has not filled out a 1998 Senior Survey is encouraged to do so.
Consultants Needed for CS Courses Date: Tuesday 28 April 1998. Consultants are needed for the following CS Courses: CS99, CS100, CS130, CS211, CS212, CS213 and CS314 for Fall 1998. Applicants need to have taken the courses they're applying for and earned strong grades (A- or better), done well in math courses, and have a sense of responsibility and commitment. Applications are available from Laurie Buck in 303 Upson. For more info, click here.
Announcing Marx Senior Prizes Date: Tuesday 28 April 1998. Prizes of $500 each will be awarded to two graduating seniors who have majored in computer science. Winners will be selected based on demonstrated leadership qualities, extra-curricular activities (both in and out of Computer Science), and for being generally friendly and helpful to classmates and others. Additionally, all applicants must have at least a 3.0 grade average. For more information, see prize poster. Deadline for submission: May 11, 1998.
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Prof. Pingali Wins Russell Distinguished Teaching Award Date: Friday 24 April 1998. The College of Arts and Sciences has selected Professor Keshav Pingali as the 1998 Winner of the Stephen and Margery Russell Distinguished Teaching Award, the highest award given by the college. Department of Computer Science Chairman, Professor Robert Constable, remarked, "This is one of the major teaching awards at Cornell University. Past winners of Clark/Russell teaching awards from the college have been David Gries, Juris Hartmanis, Dan Huttenlocher, and Brian Smith. Our congratulations to Keshav Pingali for this prestigious award based on a career of outstanding teaching at Cornell." |
| Prof. Kleinberg Devises New Web Search Method Date: Friday 24 April 1998. Professor Jon Kleinberg was recently recognized for developing a precise new method for finding authoritative web information on general topics. The program he created is called HITS (for Hyperlink-Induced Topic Search). Unlike other search engines, Kleinberg's program returns results that rival those compiled by human experts. An evaluation of Kleinberg's program was recently presented at the 7th International World Wide Web Conference held April 14-18 in Australia. (taken from an article by Bill Steele which appeared in the April 23, 1998 issue of the Cornell Chronicle) |  |
Liben-Nowell Wins Goldwater Scholarship Date: Wednesday 22 April 1998. Last week the Cornell
Chronicle announced that David Liben-Nowell '99 (Arts) was one of four winners from
Cornell University of a prestigious Goldwater scholarship which recognizes outstanding
sophomores and juniors across the nation. The Goldwater scholarships honor former US
Sen. Barry M. Goldwater and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields
of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. (see full article in the April 16, 1998
Cornell Chronicle)
Early 1998 Senior Survey Results Date: Wednesday 22 April 1998. With just over three dozen responses in, we are now able to post the early placement results for the Class of 1998. At this writing the average salary stands at $54,145. Doctoral programs that some seniors will be attending include: MIT, Berkeley, Princeton, Oxford and UNC at Chaple Hill.
| "All I Really Need to Know in Business I Learned at Microsoft: Insider Strategies to Help You Succeed" Date: Friday 10 April 1998. A recently published book by alum Julie Bick '86 (Pocket Books, 1997). Bick, a former manager at Microsoft, is now a consultant and lives in Seattle. Bick graduated magna cum laude from Cornell, and is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1990, she joined Microsoft, where she was a product manager for Microsoft World and Microsoft Office and then a group manager overseeing more than twenty CD-ROM products. As a group manager, she led her team to achieve a 100 percent revenue increase in a single year, and won the 1995 Leadership Award for the Consumer Division. ( Q&A with Julie Bick) |  |
$70 Billion Man - Sandy Weill '55 Date: Tuesday 7 April 1998. Arts alum Sanford I.
Weill '55 has once agained wowed the financial world with his recently announced
merger plans with banking powerhouse Citicorp. Weill is a former member of the Board of
Trustees of Cornell and has long been one of Wall Street's top movers and shakers.
The Associated Press said that the "announcnement that the insurance brokerage giant
and the nation's second-largest bank planned to merge in the biggest corporate deal ever
stunned and thrilled Wall Street." Weill is the CEO and Chair of Travelers
Corporation. See related article from today's New York
Times.
Quick Reference Chart Now Available for CS Majors Date: Monday, 6 April 1998. Have you ever wished that you could find a simple reference listing all of the rules for CS electives and requirements? Well, your wishes have come true! Check out our new requirements reference chart on the web at http://www.cs.cornell.edu/ugrad/QuickChart.htm .
Alexandra Savino '99 (Engr) wins Microsoft Women's Scholarship Date: Monday, 6 April 1998. Microsoft Corporation is pleased to announce that CS major, Alexandra Savino '99 (Engr), has been selected as the winner of this year's Microsoft Women's Technical Scholarship at Cornell. This is a full-tuition scholarship for 1 year of academic study. The goal of the Women's Technical Scholarship is to encourage and enable women studying computer science and related technical disciplines. Microsoft is also interested in giving qualified women applicants the opportunity to interview for an enriching summer internships at Microsoft.
Disney company buys MIT Date: Wednesday,
April 1, 1998. CAMBRIDGE,
MA The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Walt
Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) today
announced the signing of an agreement whereby Disney will acquire MIT, a coeducational
university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This unprecedented acquisition of a
non-profit educational institution by a Fortune 500 company will be accomplished by Disney
setting up a $6.9 billion cash scholarship trust fund. The fund will be used to reimburse
past students for tuition, and provide scholarships for students for the next 20 years.
See related web site: Buy Out.
[Just in case you missed it -- please note the date of this posting!]
CS Major Price Nabs $25,000 Prize Date: Thursday, March 26, 1998. The Ithaca Journal reported today that David Price '98 beat out 300 other players in a Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour event in Long Beach, California. In the article, Price describes the game as "a mix between poker and chess". Price is a double major in CS and English at Cornell. In a more lengthy description, Journal writer Franklin Crawford describes the game as follows: "Mix the mental gymnastics of chess and math puzzles with a little gin rummy, Stratego and the medieval ambiance of J.R.R. Tolkien, turn it into a trading card game with constant new additions that alter the theoretical playing field, and you have the vehicle for an entirely new subculture."
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Tour page roundup. |  |
| Peter Adkison awards David Price with a check for $25,000. |
Price, standing tall on the Queen Mary |
| Intel Chief to
Step Down Date: Thursday, March 26, 1998. (MSNBC) Intel Corp. announced Thursday that Andrew
Grove, 61, is
resigning as chief executive officer of the chip-making giant, although he will continue
full-time as chairman. Grove, who helped found the company, will be succeeded by Stanford
graduate Craig Barrett, 58, Intel’s current president and chief operating officer. The changes will immediately follow the
company’s annual meeting on May 20. [...] |
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| Grove said he has “thoroughly enjoyed being Intel’s CEO for the past 11 years, and now I would like to focus more of my time on broad strategic issues concerning the industry and Intel. Craig and I have had a long working relationship and I look forward to a smooth transition of our roles as I continue my work as chairman,” Grove added. | |
4 Sophs Honored by Lockheed Martin Date: Thursday, March 19, 1998. Four sophomore computer science majors were selected earlier this month as the first recipients of the Lockheed Martin Awards for Outstanding Achievement and Academic Service. The winners of this year's awards were: David Baer, Walter Bell, Long-yin Choy, and Michael Kassoff (picture of Kassoff).
Among the selection criteria were academic achievement, research accomplishments, and/or service to the teaching mission of the Department of Computer Science. Each winner will receive a cash award of $500 and a $500 research account to use for educational purposes during the next academic year. A special reception and dinner is scheduled for April 21st to honor the award winners. Cornell faculty and administrators are slated to attend along with Steve Betza, Lockheed's Chief Information Officer.
Lockheed Martin not only established and funded these awards, but they also provided generous sponsorship of this year's CS/EE Computing Technology Fair (see related story below).
Recruiting Madness Date: Wednesday, March 18, 1998. The Syracuse Post Standard came to Cornell to check out what all the hubbub was about in relation to the recruiting of CS majors. The article features the story of CS senior Eugene Epshteyn '98.
PRE-ENROLLMENT 1998 Date: Monday, March 16, 1998. "Coming to an Advisor Near You!" Pre-enrollment (course registration for next semester) will be held from March 21 - April 17th.
Juniors and Seniors: March 21 - April 3rd
Sophomores: March 28 - April 10th
Freshmen: April 4th - April 17th
Don't wait until the last moment to pre-enroll! Check to see when your advisor is available. Always try to call or email your advisor ahead of time to set up an appointment. If you can't reach your advisor after several attempts, contact his/her support staff professional. Call 255 7316 if you don't know the name of your advisor's support staff professional. Support staff members will be happy to help you get in touch with your advisor.
New Courses in CS Date: Friday, March 13, 1998. Detailed descriptions.
- COM S 201 "Cognitive Science in Context Laboratory: Explorations of Cognitive Science in Ecological Settings"
- COM S 202 "Transition to Java"
- COM S 522 "Computational Tools and Methods for Finance"
- COM S 619 "Principles of Distributed Computing -- Shared Memory"
- COM S 626 "Computational Molecular Biology"
- COM S 674 "Natural Language Understanding"
- COM S 686 "Logics of Programs"
Cornell Part of Fastest Research Data Network Date: Wednesay, March 11, 1998. In February President Clinton announced that Twenty-three Internet2 members were among the awardees of super fast High-Performance Connections to the nations fastest research data network. [Cornell University's Network and Computing Services group handles the Cornell hub of this backbone. ]
Clinton announced grants to 29 research institutions across the United
States. The National Science Foundation awards will allow them to connect to the very high
performance Backbone Network Service (vBNS) and to communicate with other Internet2
members at speeds up to 100 times greater than is possible through today's Internet.
"By building an Internet that is faster and more advanced, we can keep the United
States at the cutting edge of Internet technology, and explore new applications in
distance learning, telemedicine, and scientific research " said President Clinton.
(clipped from article
reported via the Internet2 World Wide Web site)
| Tina Nolte '99 Wins Top Microsoft Award Date: Tuesday, March 10, 1998. Tina Nolte '99 was selected as the winner of the 1998 Microsoft Junior Award at Cornell University. This award includes a check for $1,000 to be applied toward tuition. Nolte was selected from among an elite group of computer science majors. Candidates were selected based on their academic achievements, as well as contributions to teaching and research in the Department of Computer Science. |  |
| In addition to her fine academic record, Tina Nolte is double majoring in CS and Math. She has served as a course consultant for three computer science courses, done research with Professor Claire Cardie and serves as an active member of the Association of Computer Science Undergraduates. | |
Klein named to USA Today Academic List Date: Thursday, March 5, 1998. CS senior Dan Klein was named to the USA Today's All-USA College Academic Team. Klein was sited for his research on correct syntactical analyses of programs that parse human language. (March 5th, 1998 article in the Cornell Chronicle)
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Professor Morrisett Wins Prestigious Award Date: Friday, February 20, 1998. Computer Science Chairman, Prof. Bob Constable writes: "It is my pleasure to announce that Greg Morrisett has been selected as an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow. As the citation from the Sloan foundation reads: |
This is an extraordinarily competitive award involving nominations...of the very best scientists of your generation from around the country... [We] hope that your selection from among this remarkable group of nominees will give you particular personal satisfaction, and convey a clear indication of the high esteem in which your past work and future potential are held by your fellow scientists.
"We can all be proud of Greg's accomplishment, which has yielded yet another prestigious honor for Cornell Computer Science
." Cornell Chronicle Article.Pictures from B.O.O.M. 1998 Date: Friday, February 20, 1998. Thumbnail pix from the fair with links to full size photos.
Microsoft and Lockheed Martin sponsor B.O.O.M. Date: Friday, February 13, 1998. This year's joint CS/EE computing fair (Bits On Our Minds) is being generously sponsored by the Microsoft Corporation and the Lockheed Martin Company. These companies agreed to fund the event to underscore their commitment to the education of undergraduate and graduate students in computing related fields at Cornell University. BOOM '98 will be held on February 18, 1998 from 4:30 - 6:00 PM in Upson Hall, 4th & 5th Floor Atrium area. Project submissions are due on or before 2/15/98. All participants will receive an official BOOM '98 Tshirt!
Computer Associates bids for Computer Sciences Incorporated Date: Thursday, February 12, 1998. by Allen Meyerson of the New York Times. "Computer Associates International Inc., a leading maker of business software, made an uninvited $8.4 billion bid on Wednesday for Computer Sciences Corp., a major provider of technology services, that would accelerate the consolidation of an industry in which size is now equated with survival." (NYT article)
COMPAQ BUYS DIGITAL EQUIPMENT Date: Monday, 26 January 1998. Compaq Computer Corporation has entered into an $8.7 billion aquisition agreement with Digital Equipment Corporation. This, according to BusinessWeek magazine is the largest deal in the history of the computing industry. "When completed in June, the deal will be the largest in the annals of the computer industry---topping AT&T's $7.4 billion purchase of NCR Corp. and IBM's $3.5 billion buyout of Lotus Development. It will create a computer colossus with some $37.5 billion in revenues, second only to giant IBM in computer sales." (February 9th issue of BusinessWeek, p. 90). Related NYT article says deal is worth $9.6 billion, in case anyone was counting.
Attention CS 490 students! Date: Thursday, 5 February 1998. A new rule has been instituted in the Department of Computer Science. Effective immediately all students taking CS 490 should send a brief email to Laurie Buck which includes: 1) title of their study; 2) a brief description/summary of what they are studying; 3) the number of credit hours of the course; and 4) with whom they are working (from the faculty). The purpose for doing this is share this information with other students in the program. All submissions will be posted on the web unless requested otherwise. For more information about this, please visit Upson 303 or email us at ugrad@cs.
New Graduate Studies Web Site in CS Date: Thursday, 5 February 1998. Graduate students and others interested in graduate studies in CS are now able to turn to the Department of Computer Science's new and exciting web page: Computer Science Graduate Studies. We hope that this page will be visited by many undergraduates who are thinking about advanced studies in CS.
Last updated June 28, 2001. For more information email us at ugrad@cs.cornell.edu .
