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Computer Science News 2007-2008 Academic Year

Welcome all new and continuing students to the 2007-08 Academic Year in the Computer Science Program! You should know, and always appreciate the fact, that the discipline of Computer Science requires a great deal of time and an honest effort on the part of those who study it! Our motto is: “TIME, EFFORT, INTEGRITY.”

ACM Hosts Computer Science Colloquia … and Workshops Too!

Our Association for Computing Machinery will be hosting a series of career seminars and workshops during the fall for undergraduate students. Students are encouraged to look for the announcements. The seminars with industry speakers may also lead to internship opportunities for students. For more info visit: www.mec-acm.org

MEC Students to Participate in SC07

SC07 is the premier international conference for high performance computing (HPC). This year it will be held in Reno, Nevada, November 10-16. Two of our students have been selected as conference volunteers, Cindy Toussaint and Marcel France. They will be giving presentations for undergraduate students on the state-of-the-art technology, software and tools for HPC at an ACM seminar on the conference

New York State VTEA Grant Provides Funding to Support CS Program

The CS Program is part of an MEC grant to improve pedagogy, instructional resources and curriculum development. These funds are being used to develop learning communities to assist students in the CS 151 and CS 244 courses and strengthen teaching and learning of the software design process. The funds are also being used for the telecommunications courses with student equipment including routers, switches and additional servers.

Computer Programming … A Fundamental Tool for Problem-Solving

The single most important skill for a computer scientist is problem-solving…the ability to formulate problems, think creatively about solutions, and express a solution clearly and accurately. The process of learning to program is an excellent opportunity to practice problem-solving skills. Students who intend to major in Computer Science must start their programming sequence with CS 151 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING (which covers C++ Programming). Although CS 151 assumes no prior programming experience, C++ is a complex programming language and requires a high degree of mathematical maturity. Therefore, students should register for both CS 151 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING and MTH 151 PRECALCULUS (or higher) only after all developmental requirements and/or prerequisites have been satisfied. Students who are unable to enroll in CS 151: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING because of mathematics deficiencies can enroll in CS 100: INTERNET AND WEB TECHNOLOGIES. Although CS 100 is not required for the Computer Science Degree Program, it provides a solid foundation for prospective CS majors.