In a recent essay in the Baltimore Sun, James M. Purtilo, a professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Maryland, College Park, outlines the myriad ways that Maryland is failing to support Computer Science education at the High School level.

First, Purtilo cites the state's failure to require Computer Science as a graduation requirement–or even allow it to fulfill the required "Science" or "Technology Education" credits. Second, Maryland refuses to define CS curriculum. And, third, there is little regulation surrounding who can teach CS courses, which means that under-qualified teachers end up teaching a wide range of material.

(You can read the full essay here.)

These three problems are seriously contributing to a decline in enrollment in Computer Science classes in high schools, argues Purtilo. Which is a problem, he says, that will only get worse.

What do you think? Are high schools doing their best to encourage students to study Computer Science? Or, are curriculum and regulation changes necessary?

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

"Despite the growing numbers of successful women in once male-dominated professions like medicine and law, computer science remains overwhelmingly a boys club."

So says a recent NPR article that discusses the arrival of Marissa Mayer as Yahoo's new president and CEO. As one of Google's first employees, Mayer helped develop Gmail, Google Maps, and Google's iconic homepage. She worked at Google for thirteen years, and launched more than 100 features and products that you probably use on a daily basis.

In the NPR interview, Mayer says she never really noticed that she was the only woman in her Computer Science classes. At Stanford, Mayer studied Symbolic Systems as an undergraduate, and left with her Master's in Computer Science.

According to NPR, Mayer's success has the potential to become a source of inspiration for other women in Computer Science. What do you think? Are you inspired by Mayer's story? Why do you think there aren't more powerful women in the Computer Science field?

MS Thesis Defense

Federating Disjoint Wireless Networks
Using a Mix of Stationary and Mobile Nodes

Ahmad Abbas

12:00PM Thursday 26th July 2012, Room ITE 325b

In many applications need arises to connect a set of disjoint nodes or segments. Examples include repairing a partitioned network topology after failure, federating a set of standalone networks to serve an emerging event, and connecting a sparsely located data sources. Contemporary solutions either deploy stationary relay nodes (RN) to form data paths or employ one or multiple mobile data collectors (MDCs) that pick packets from sources and transport them to destinations. In this thesis we investigate the interconnection problem when the number of available RNs is insufficient for forming a stable topology and a mix of RNs and MDCs is to be used. We present two algorithms for determining where the RNs are to be placed and planning optimized travel routes for the MDCs so that the data delivery latency as well as the MDC motion overhead are minimized. The performance of the algorithm is validated through simulation.

Committee: Professors Mohamed Younis (chair), Ryan Robucci and Tinoosh Mohsenin

MS Thesis Defense

On MIMO Channel Modeling and Capacity
Using the Channel Correlation Matrix

Anush Chandrasekaran

1:00pm Wednesday, 18 July 2012, ITE 325b

Communication systems have always been affected by multipath propagation that causes a delay and distortion in receiving the signal, with a different delay for each path. Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication systems were developed to combat this problem and use multipath propagation to their benefit. A MIMO communication system contains M transmitter antennas and N receiver antennas that are used to improve either the robustness of transmission or the throughput.

We assume an exponential channel correlation matrix R model for the MIMO channel with J = M = N and use it to compute the channel H-matrix, the receiver (RRx) and transmitter (RTx) correlation matrices, and the ergodic MIMO channel capacity (CH). We propose two algorithms to obtain RRx and RTx from R, which have been used to estimate/bound CH. We investigate and compare three ergodic MIMO channel capacity estimation/bound methods for our MIMO channel model in this thesis. The first two existing estimation/bound methods use the Kronecker model and an RRx-based bound, respectively. The third method is a novel method we propose and study to estimate the ergodic MIMO channel capacity using specific eigenvalues of RRx. The behavior of the eigenvalues of R and RRx are analyzed to identify the eigenvalues that can be used in this method. This method achieves less relative-error compared to the RRx-based bound. It is better than the Kronecker model for specific values of J and the correlation parameter r.

Committee: Drs. Joel M. Morris (Chair), E. F. Charles LaBerge, Mohamed Younis and Tinoosh Mohsenin

Mac or PC? Desktop or Laptop? Unless you plan to be a Visual Arts major, the computer you bring to UMBC doesn't have to meet any special requirements. But, the truth is that an old computer that takes twenty minutes to start-up will only multiply the stress of papers and exams. Below are our recommendations for minimum computer requirements, taken from UMBC's Division of Information Technology (DoIT) website:

Desktop or Laptop?

Laptop.

DoIT recommends laptops, stating that last year, over 90% of freshman came to campus with both a laptop and another wireless mobile device (smart phone, iPod touch, iPad, tablet, etc.). Laptops have become an essential note-taking tool in classes, plus they give students the freedom to study anywhere. Their compact size also makes them more practical for dorm-living.

If you prefer a desktop, consider a Dell All-in-One, or an iMac. Their compact size makes them more convenient in small living spaces, plus they consume less energy.

Recommended Dell All-in-Ones:

• Inspiron One 2320
• Intel Core™ i5-2400S processor (2.50GHz with 6MB Cache)
• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
• 6GB3 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz
• 1TB – 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
• Nvidia® Geforce™ GT 525M
• 3 Year Basic Support

Recommended iMacs:

• 2.5GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5
• 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x2GB
• 500GB Serial ATA Drive
• AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512MB GDDR5
• Apple Magic Mouse
• Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) + User's Guide
• AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac – Auto-enroll
• Accessory kit
• 21.5-inch widescreen

Mac or PC?

Either.

Whether you choose a Mac or a PC is a matter of preference. The UMBC Bookstore is an authorized Apple retailer, and offers students competitive pricing and on-campus technical support.

Mac Laptop Recommendations:

For Engineering and Science majors, DoIT recommends the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch. The specs are:

2.5GHz dual-core
Intel Core i5
4GB memory 1600MHz
500GB 5400-rpm
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Built-in battery (7 hours)

Also to consider:

• The Macbook Air is recommended for students who use their laptops for taking notes.
• Get a computer with at least 4GB of RAM.
• Consider purchasing VMWARE if you need to run Windows applications on your Mac.

PC Laptop Reccomendations:

• Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
• Get a computer with at least 4GB RAM.
• Use Microsoft Forefront for virus protection.

Photo courtesy www.techcouncilmd.com

If you're tired of sifting through sketchy jobs on Craigslist, why not try the TechCounil of Maryland (TCM)'s new job resource CORE (Career Opportunities REsources).   

CORE's database is full of jobs in the areas of biotechnology, information technology, and business. "CORE will help our region's companies attract and match talented individuals, students, recent graduates and professionals in search of their next challenge," says the website.

Based in Rockville, TCM is the areas largest technology trade association in Maryland. With over 500 members, TCM's mission is to promote the area's technology industry.

Photo courtesy www.techcouncilmd.com

If you're tired of sifting through sketchy jobs on Craigslist, why not try the TechCounil of Maryland (TCM)'s new job resource CORE (Career Opportunities REsources).   

CORE's database is full of jobs in the areas of biotechnology, information technology, and business. "CORE will help our region's companies attract and match talented individuals, students, recent graduates and professionals in search of their next challenge," says the website.

Based in Rockville, TCM is the areas largest technology trade association in Maryland. With over 500 members, TCM's mission is to promote the area's technology industry.

UMBC CSEE Professor Penny Rheingans received an NSF research award, Transforming the Freshman Experience of Computing Majors, to develop and evaluate an innovative first-year seminar for computing majors aimed at increasing retention, completion, and success among students, especially women and those from underrepresented groups. Dr. Rheingans will serve as the principal investigator for the three year, project that will also include Drs. Marie desJardins (CSEE), Carolyn Seaman (IS) and Susan Martin (CWIT).

The seminar will combine elements from successful first-year engineering courses, introductory computing courses, general first-year seminars and the new AP CS Principles course to give new computing majors an overview of the discipline, foundational technical skills, a group design experience and relevant professional development. The highly interactive and learner-centered course will be delivered by a team of computing professors, staff with student affairs experience, and undergraduate peer mentors and teachers. The project will also include regional workshops to share course materials and insights with computing faculty from local two and four-year institutions.

Tired of playing Diablo III?

If you head to Gamescape next weekend, you'll have a chance to try your hand at over a dozen original video games dreamed up by local students and indie game developers. As part of Artscape–the country's largest free arts festival–the annual three-day video game celebration will take place in MICA's Bunting Center from July 20-22.

Among developers like Pure Bang Games (makers of Zombie Chess) and Crankshaft Games (Eternal Silence), representatives from UMBC's own Game Developers Club will be in attendance with three games of their own. The game concepts, explains club president Alex Grube (CS '13), were conceived during a 48-hour game jam last September, and the group has been hard at work developing the games since the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year. They are:

Black Fowl is a 3D hack and slash third person role playing adventure game. You play Max, a young orphan on a quest to discover his roots. Set in the Middle Ages, highlights of the game include the ability to use magical powers (like flying), and to engage in combat while riding a bull.

Cosmoknights is a 2D multiplayer that follows a capture-the-flag concept. Two combating astronauts are stranded in an asteroid field. Your mission is to collect spare parts for your out-of-commission spaceship and get home first. Oh, and try not to get hit by an asteroid.

X-Zip-It! boasts the tagline: "It's Skyrim with zippers, but without the Skyrim."  In this 2D mobile phone game, you must unzip the zipper while avoiding obstacles like buttons, Velcro, buckles, and necklaces.

UMBC's Game Development Club will discuss Black Fowl, Cosmoknights, and X-Zip-It on Sunday, July 22nd from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. To learn more about the event, check out the website.

Professor Marie desJardins (PI) along with co-principal investigators Professor Penny Rheingans and Dr. Susan Martin received a research award worth $200,000 from the National Science Foundation's program on Computing Education for 21st Century. Their 18 month research project, Building Community and Knowledge to Increase Statewide Support for Computing Education, will gather data about the status of Computer Science education in Maryland high schools and build relationships among high school teachers, community college and university faculty, and state education administrators to facilitate and increase state-level support for lasting improvements to computing education.

Despite the overall success of the K-12 education system in Maryland, opportunities to study computer science vary tremendously among the 24 school systems and approximately 200 high schools in the state. This disparity can be attributed to several factors, including the lack of a state-mandated computer science high school graduation requirement, the fact that there is no state-required teacher certification in the discipline, the absence of a standardized computer science curriculum, and barriers to entry for girls and underrepresented minorities.

The effort has two immediate objectives: (1) performing an assessment of the current state of high school computer science in each of the 24 Maryland school systems and (2) increasing knowledge about national issues associated with computer science education among high school and state administrators in Maryland through state-wide summit meetings for teachers, administrators, and higher education faculty. The long term goal is to develop curriculum and teacher development programs that will improve the quality, breadth, and student diversity of computer science education in Maryland.