The Debugger      Fall 02

. . .
WakeUp();
try
{   idea = Understand ( problem );
    if ( idea == "" )
        throw SurrenderFlag();
        program = UseToWrite ( idea );
        output = CompileAndLink ( program );
        if ( output != ''" )
            throw YellowFlag ( output );
    Run ( program);
}
catch (const SurrenderFlag & plea)
{    cout << "Get Help Now!";	}
catch (const YellowFlag & fault)
{    if ( fault.what == "error C2065: 'someVariable' : undeclared identifier" )
         GiveSelf ( dopeSlap );
     else if ( fault.what == "warning C4786:
         'std::list,
         std::allocator,
         std::allocator > > > > >' : identifier was truncated to '255' 
         characters in the debug information" )
             CurseMicrosoft();
     else if  . . .

// Writing a Program using Exception Handling

From the Chair
Jim Wolfe


You might have thought that because I've been at IUP for twenty years, I would know what a chairperson does, even though I wasn't in that position before. I know that I thought I knew what the job was before I took it. Yet, I learn something new almost every day: filling out forms I have never seen before, making reports I never new existed, being asked for comments on issues about which I know little or nothing. But, I'm surviving, not always keeping up with my e-mail but surviving. Fortunately, Carol knows how to deal with nearly anything that comes my way; and when I ask her a second time, she usually tells me. (When I ask the first time, she almost always suggests using the Circular File.)

The department has been running fairly smoothly. We are well into making our new Information Assurance track an integral part of the curriculum. A good number of Computer Science majors are changing into the track; and a variety of non-majors (mostly Criminology majors) are indicating interest in the associated minor. Bill Oblitey is currently teaching the Network Security course; and next semester, Rose Shumba (new faculty member) will be teaching Security Basics and Sanwar Ali will be teaching Cryptography. There are actually complaints already that the Security Basics course is full; some students want me to open another section.

Rose and our other new faculty (Leem Shim, Waleed Farag, and Soundararajan Ezekiel) are all adjusting the idiosyncrasies of IUP. Leem has already taken on the task of coaching the Programming Teams; and he has had some success (see the related article later in the issue). Leem also tells you a bit about himself in another article. Waleed has become involved in the Information Assurance elements of the curriculum; he will be working to integrate more security elements into the Internet Architecture course during the Spring semester. Soundararajan (Raj) has been in a research frenzy since arriving on campus. He has had two papers accepted to international conferences already this semester; one of these papers was co-authored with two students (Matt Barrick and Matt Lang). Raj also tells you a bit about himself in an article later in the issue.

Mary Micco has managed to organize an impressive collection of colloquia this semester. The focus has been on Information Security to coincide with the start of the Information Assurance program. The last presentation had three representatives from NSA and drew about 150 students, as well as a significant number of faculty and staff.

I end this report by telling you a couple things that I have been doing.
One element of my job this semester has been to do faculty evaluations. I have done these in the past as part of the Department Evaluation Committee; and I don't really mind doing them. In fact, I usually find it interesting to see how someone else presents something I might teach but in a different way. But, this semester with the large number of new faculty, I have been doing an extraordinary number of faculty observations (sitting in someone's class and observing how it goes). As of today, I have done 11 observations this semester. That probably means I have attended more classes than some students.

I am also teaching Data Structures this semester. This is one of my favorite courses because I get to create short interesting tasks for the students to do. I have always thought of this course as the key to being able to apply programming skills to real problems. By the time a student completes Data Structures, s/he should be able to look at a problem and think in terms of the tools (classes/objects) needed to solve it. By the way, I'll tell you a little secret about me and Data Structures. I have never taken a Data Structures course in my life, not as an undergraduate, nor as a graduate student. The first time I ever encountered them was when I taught a Data Structures course in 1974.

Finally, I want to mention that it was nice to see those of you who turned out for the Homecoming Breakfast. Carol's article has a few words about each of you; so, I won't repeat the names here. I'll just say that it was fun to recognize and talk to a few of our many alumni. I hope we can get more stopping in for breakfast next year.

Carol's Corner
Carol Miller


Hi to Everyone!! Indiana and IUP are thriving even though the temperatures are not exactly as high as what we like to see this time of year. But, it is kind of nice to see the leaves still on the trees this time of year. And, I sure am glad we're not like you folks who live in the Colorado and Minnesota areas that have already had snow.

The Fall semester has gone well; and we welcomed four new faculty on board. You'll be hearing from all of them eventually; so all I'll say now is that it has been a nice experience having them with us.

I was so excited when I got an e-mail from Matt Arezina (5/86) with his new address. It was exciting because of the reason he's moving?? Matt is getting married. I am so happy for him!!! I can't believe it either. I told him it was about time. Actually, he'll be married by the time you read this - the wedding was on November 9, and he's marrying Alice Mahoney (Cabrini College '90) and moving into her townhouse in Collegeville, PA. Meanwhile, here's the latest on the rest of Matt's life: He's still with Keane, Inc. (almost 15 years now) as a Consulting Project Manager. Through the years he's been a technician or project manager at RPR Pharm, DuPont, Exide Battery, McNeil/J&J, Vanguard, GE, AEGON, GMAC and is now consulting for IBM on their strategic outsourcing contract with ACE Insurance. He's managing all kinds of projects including business process re-engineering, business due diligence for acquisitions, hardware installations, and requests for proposal. He even managed a global project! About a year or so ago, he went back to Penn State Continuing Education and received a certificate as an E-Commerce Specialist and Technician, adding that to his existing MBA from PSU in 1993. He's still playing a lot of golf, competitive volleyball and softball (but, he says he's discovering he's not as young as he used to be, but, don't worry, Matt, unfortunately, we can all say that). Matt, I can't tell you how happy I was to hear from you. You take care - give us a run down of the wedding (send pictures maybe?)- and keep in touch!!!

Bonnie Slowik (5/96) became a victim of corporate downsizing. She gave me a call one day and is looking for something else. Other than that, Bonnie's life is going well. Good Luck to you Bonnie! I hope you find something soon. Keep me posted; and I'll let you know if I hear of anything.

By the way, I will add an aside to those of you who have sent me resumes - I really haven't heard from any companies who have anything other than entry-level positions, but I haven't given up.

We extend our condolences to Quinn Yost (12/96) on the death of his grandfather, Charles McKee, in Ohio. We were very sorry to hear of your loss, Quinn.

I talked with Aaron Volkman (12/01) on the phone in the summer. Aaron is in Minneapolis working for Best Buy Corporation. His plans were to attend the University of Minnesota in the fall, but the earliest they can admit him to their graduate program is September 2003, so he's thinking of applying to the University of Pittsburgh instead. He'd like to be back around home and also where the cost of living isn't quite so high. We'll be glad to see you Aaron. Let us know when you get back. I also send condolences to Aaron on the death of his grandfather.

And we were saddened to learn of the death of Orman Rearick, father to Lewis (12/95), Alvin (12/88), and Elaine (5/87) and Ken. We are sorry for your loss.

Dustin Allensworth (8/95) stopped in one day. He's looking good! He started working for Texas Instruments in Monroeville right after graduation and has been there ever since and is doing very well. Since 1997, he's been working with and training in Microsoft Component Object Model (COM)/Active X Program. He's part of the RTDX (Real Time Data Exchange) Team (you can do a search on the Internet and check this out); and he's designed a program that was commissioned and showcased at the 2000 TI Exposition. Needless to say, Dustin loves his job; we're so happy for you Dustin! On the personal side, Dustin is married; his wife, Debra,, is an IUP Business Management Graduate. They have a son, Davon, age 3; Debra has been a homemaker since he was born. Prior to that she worked as a coordinator for the Learning Tree in Monroeville. In 1998 they bought a house in Monroeville. Thanks for stopping in, Dustin, it was great seeing you.

Dustin also told me that Ed Kuzemchak (5/88) and Steve Knoll (5/87) are both at Texas Instruments. They both got their Masters at University of Pittsburgh. So, Ed and Steve, I'm waiting to hear from you.

Congratulations to Mike Elder (5/94) on becoming the father of a bouncing baby boy, Christopher Joseph who was born on October 14. Congratulations, Mike!!! He also sent me pictures of his girls. They sure are growing like weeds. Monica is playing soccer and Lexi is in dance. Mike, when are you going to stop and see us??

Adnan Al Ghourabi (5/02) is going for his masters at RIT NY. (I heard that through the grapevine.)

I heard from Debra (Rice) Golub (5/81) who describes herself as the one who had the little red headed daughter at age 40. I'm sure you all remember that. Debra says Leeann who is two and a half now, has been a real joy but keeps her really busy. She attached a picture of her. My gosh is she cute. You need to bring her by sometime, Deb. Debra said her twin sister, Darla (5/81), has been very generous in allowing her and Leeann to share in the Disney vacation club points she purchased. They enjoyed two Disney cruises and many trips to Disney World. What a lucky little girl Leeann is!!! Debra is employed by National City in Cleveland, and Darla is employed by Poly One in Avon Lake, both in Ohio. Debra is still working on mainframe applications in COBOL and sometimes Assembler. Darla has broadened her knowledge with Visual Basic and Windows applications. Both are very happy. The other news in Debra's life is she got married in February 2001 to Leeann's father. Belated congratulations to both of you - actually all three of you!! Debra would like to see more news from her fellow grads, so you guys, send me e-mail!! Debra has been really good at keeping me posted, so let's hear from some more of you 80-81 grads. Just because I wasn't here when you graduated doesn't mean you can't send me e-mail. (How did I do, Deb, think that will get anybody to write??)

Someone else who would like to hear from more of her classmates is Jane (Cunningham) Harnagy (5/87). Jane has a lot of time on her hands now that she's added Isabelle and Reagan to her family along with Olivia (I'm just kidding, don't send me hate mail). Jane sent me a picture of the "three". I can't believe how much those twins have grown. They're getting so big!! And, Olivia just loves being big sister. Meanwhile, Jane took six months off when the twins were born and that got somewhat extended. Her company hasn't had a project for her; so Jane is catching up around the house (and I'm sure she's enjoying those babies and Olivia); but says she will start to seriously look for something else soon if they can't come up with a project for her. Jane was back in Indiana in the summer for her (20th) high school reunion.

Well, I got really good news from Vickie Pearce (12/94). She has TWO new men in her life. What do you think about that?? One of them, however, is a canine. His name is Brewski and he's the cutest chocolate cocker spaniel you've ever seen!!! He was a Valentine's Day gift from the other man in her life - Jeremy - her fiancee!!! They're getting married next October. Jeremy proposed on a horse drawn carriage riding through the French Quarter during a long weekend trip to New Orleans at the end of March. (Isn't that romantic??) The wedding date is set for October 4, 2003. It will be here in Indiana since Vickie is from Indiana. They originally planned it for October 11, but checked into things and discovered that was homecoming and, believe it or not, the church wouldn't marry them on homecoming (guess they don't want to miss the parade). They were ok with that, though, because we all know what Indiana is like on Homecoming - can you even imagine a wedding on the same day??? Pamm Gindlesperger (12/94) will be one of Vickie's two maids of honor. I happen to know Pamm likes nothing better than a good wedding. Vickie sent me a picture of Jeremy, too. He's quite a guy!! Vickie is still living in her townhouse in Imperial that she bought in March 2000, and is still working at FedEx Ground in Pittsburgh where she's slowly transitioning into the PeopleSoft arena. She went to training in Atlanta and Philadelphia last October/November and will probably be traveling for more training once FedEx decides what project she'll be working on. So, all in all, things are going very well for Vickie. Congratulations, Vickie; and please keep me posted.

Doug Blystone (8/95) sent me an e-mail when he got back from St. Marten on vacation. He loved it! He actually was sending me his new address but also gave me an update. He's now the manager of a web development group at GHR Systems. He originally took a position as a Senior Web Developer and within six months moved into a management role (congratulations to you, Doug!). And he says the good thing is the management role at GHR is still a coding position (and that's where he wants to be). They are working with the Microsoft .NET Framework using C# as their primary language. GHR does Mortgage software. And, he's about to finish his masters degree in December in IS from Widener University. Doug was fortunate enough to make the cut for the men's club volleyball squad the past two seasons as a middle hitter. He also competed all summer long in men's doubles with lots of tournaments equaling lots of fun! He's one test away from having an MCSA (he already has the MCSD and MCDBA); and he can't wait to finish.. He still keeps in touch with Greg Hoffman (5/97) and says Jeff Senley (6/94) is still out there and doing well. He mentions that he hasn't heard from Barry Drangel (8/94) in a while; so, Barry, if you're out there, you know what you need to do.

Heard from Mark Minser (5/00) who was also at the Breakfast on Homecoming. Mark is still at Raytheon in State College and likes it there. He also still lives on his nine acres near Armagh and makes the 1.5 hour commute each way every day and has pretty much gotten used to it; he gives thanks to Iggle Video and books on tape. He goes through two six hour novels a week. Construction is to begin on US22 between Armagh and Ebensburg and is supposed to continue for about 3.5 years, so Mark will probably get through four six hour novels a week when that begins. But, Mark says when they're finished, he'll have a 4-lane drive the whole way to State College; and his commute will be a little shorter. He's still working with C on a Unix box and has tried to keep up with C++ and RDBMS by attending study groups so he doesn't forget everything he had to learn to get his name on a plaque on the wall outside my office. (Yeah, Mark!!) Mark said there is actually quite a bit of relational database work being done at Raytheon; but his assignments so far haven't allowed him to work with it much. Mark, it's always nice to hear from you and even better to see you at the breakfast on Homecoming.

Heard from Mike Hautz (12/90). Mike is still working for Cambria County but has switched departments and now works for the Information Systems (IS) Department. He still works out of the Human Services building which houses the Emergency Management Agency (EMA), 9-1-1, Adult Probation, Juvenile Courts, Children & Youth Services as well as other organizations. His main job is EMA and 9-1-1 which requires a good chunk of time; but now he has also inherited the responsibility of managing all of the computers (about 300) and networks (5) throughout the building. Mike said something I hear pretty often from our grads and that is he never thought of himself as a teacher, because he doesn't have much patience. But he said this past year he was in charge of three interns from UPJ, two of whom helped him rewire the 9-1-1 center in preparation for the new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. And, he very much enjoyed teaching them. (And, that's the other thing I hear from our grads.) So, Mike, I'm not surprised to hear you say that. Thanks for writing, Mike. It's always nice to hear from you!

Rene Morozowich (5/01) has moved to Jeannette. She found Monroeville a bit too crowded for her taste. At the time she wrote, she was planning on a trip to Wildwood with her father and sister; and she and her sister were going to Florida later on for a visit. Boy, that sounds like fun!

Rene's actual intent in writing was to send me an announcement from PPG about Kari (Robson) Behune (5/98) being promoted to the position of Business Services Analyst, Automotive Replacement Glass effective August 1, 2002 where Kari will be responsible for the support of a full range of ARG business services, including customer price analysis and development, as well as industry and competitor analysis. Congratulations, Kari!!!! And, thanks Rene for sending it!!!

Dan Gabor (12/97) is still working for Raytheon and keeps a house in State College, BUT, he's currently on assignment at the Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space plant in Sunnyvale CA. He's hoping to work in California for a year or two, and then head back east (or maybe somewhere else?). He's getting married to his girlfriend, Angie, in June 2003, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (That sure sounds exciting.) But, he said other than that, things have been pretty tame for him. Keep in touch and tell us about the wedding, Dan!

Wait 'til I tell you what Peggy Mogush (5/87) and I did. I'll start at the beginning of the day. Peggy picked me up at my house in the morning and we went to Eat N Park and had a good, hearty breakfast (this is a clue). Then we drove over to the university Lodge; and walked up to the ski hut where we were handed a map and a compass (by Jim Wolfe and his wife); and we were sent off into the woods from which we had to find our way back out! Yes, you guessed it, we went Orienteering! Peggy talked me into it and I sure am glad she did. We had such fun!! It was a beautiful day the end of September; and White's Woods was so peaceful. We started out slow on the easiest route and when we finished it we decided to do another one. I do a lot of walking, but not up and down those kinds of hills; and, let me tell you, my butt was dragging the next day. After that we took a tour of IUP for Peggy and then went back to my house and played with the cats. We had a great day and I hope we can do it again. Peggy is also taking Karate lessons, so nobody better mess with her!! Sure was nice spending the day with you Peggy!! Let's do it again.

I understand Jason (12/95) and Jennifer Livingston and the kids were at the Orienteering meet in October. I saw pictures of their kids. I didn't make it to that one because Janie (Pike) Kustaborder (5/92) and the kids and Lisa (Dillon) Boslett (12/93) were supposed to visit me that day. It turned out at the last minute that Lisa wasn't going to make it back from "on-location" in England. I still could have gone; but since I was scheduled to do the HeartWalk the next day, I figured I better rest my butt (and, besides that, I wasn't sure I had enough time to get Peggy down here to join me).

Mary (Singer) Mosholder (5/99) and her mother brought Guy in one day. I've told you before how big he is, well, he's even bigger now. He is so cute! Actually, I think his growing spurt has slowed down some now and he isn't growing as fast as he had been. Mary is still working here at IUP in the Technical Services Center (formerly called Computer Center). Thanks, Mary, for stopping in and for bringing Guy. You know I love seeing him!

Mike Gutzat (5/87) sent me a picture of Mary and the kids. I can't believe how those kids are growing. It seems like they were just born. Ryan is in third grade and is only about nine inches shorter than his mother; Rachel is in first grade and Zachary is three. They sure are a good looking bunch. The picture Mike sent was taken while they were enjoying an outing at the Philadelphia Zoo. Mike, at that time, was still looking for work but had a few irons in the fire. Did anything come out of it Mike?

The week after Peggy was here, it was Homecoming and we had our annual Homecoming breakfast where we had a chance to visit with many of the alumni who were back including Bruce Weinsheimer (5/00) and his wife, Sue. They are doing something very exciting right now. They have moved closer to the Harrisburg area and are going to a lot of flea markets in that area (and anyone who has been to a flea market in the area knows what I mean), Looking for valuables to buy and selling it on eBay. Doesn't that sound like fun???? Mark Minser, Scott (5/90) & Louise Becker and their gang, Steven, Rachel, Erin and Ryan were at the breakfast too. Their kids are so well behaved and so good looking. (Scott, I didn't talk with you a lot, you need to catch me up send me an e-mail!) Jason (12/97) & Jackie Agostoni, Jason is still with PPG in Pittsburgh and Jackie just graduated from medical school and I think is off on a residency program. Am I right about that, Jackie? Greg Foster (8/87) is still with the Technical Services Center here at IUP, Dave Brightwell (5/85) with his wife, Eileen and their adorable little daughter, Lauren (Dave, I didn't talk much with you either, you, too need to send me an e-mail); Eric Smith (5/99) and Bridget Calderon (8/99) were here. They are both with MBNA America Bank in Wilmington DE. I think I may have mentioned they each bought a house. For some reason, I was under the impression they were new houses; but they're actually about a hundred years old. They wanted to stay in Wilmington and they said that's all that's available in the city. Sounds like just the thing to me, guys. Nice to see you! Jim Culp (12/00) is still with Raytheon in State College; and Micki Hart (5/91) is still here at IUP in the Institutional Research office. I couldn't believe it when she told me her daughter (when Micki started back to school, she was pregnant with this daughter) is now going to college in New York City and it sounds like Micki wouldn't mind being there herself. There were a few people we expected but who apparently didn't make it including Augustine Opoku (12/01) and Mark Long (12/00) (who I understand got his work schedule changed at the last minute). Mark did stop in the week before though; and he told me he has moved to Bellwood because he just couldn't handle the commute any longer (he was driving from I think it was near Rural valley every day). Cathy (Fleig) Gruss (12/85) and her gang were scheduled to make an appearance and Cathy became ill a few days prior to Homecoming. And, there were a few people I heard were in town but didn't grace us with their presence. Tom Campbell (5/87) was one of these. Ryan Repinski (5/00) was expected to be at his fraternity house - now I ask you, what can a fraternity house provide that we can't???

TJ Hall (5/88) called right before Homecoming. He was thinking about coming up; but he wasn't planning on getting here for breakfast. He thought he might come up for the game if it wasn't raining. Since I didn't hear from anyone that they had seen you TJ, I'm going to assume you didn't make it. TJ is still working at US Airways but now he's employed by EDS who bought out Saber Systems, TJ's previous employer. Sorry we missed you TJ.

Matt Yonkoske (5/96) stopped in one day. I didn't recognize him! He's really changed - little face stuff going on and his hair is different. Matt was back home visiting and looking into some things in this area. He and Heather have been married for three years; and I think they're thinking about starting a family (Matt was very noncommittal other than saying they do want a family) and they would like to be closer to family when they make that decision. Right now Matt is working as a system analyst for Bristol Myers Squibb near Philadelphia. Matt had a little something he was looking into in Ford City and a couple other possibilities. He isn't in any hurry to make a move so that's certainly to his advantage. Matt, as always, it was great seeing you and hopefully, if you get back in the area, we'll see more of you.

Justin Streiner (5/97) also stopped by one day he was in the area. Justin looks the same, but I swear his hair is darker. If it's Clairol, Justin ain't talkin! But, at any rate, Justin, you look good. He's still working for Stargate in Pittsburgh. They're located in the strip district now. Justin is living over in the McKnight Road area now. In January he joined a band called Nebulous and they have practices in the VFW in Millvale. Justin plays bass in the band, but he also plays acoustic guitar and every once in awhile he plays guitar too. Justin and Sloan Seaman (8/96) are no longer living in Shadyside and no longer involved in the bar they partly owned in Shadyside. I forgot to ask Justin where Sloan is living these days, so one of you will have to contact me.

Also stopping by was Jeff Bailey (5/89) and his wife, Nora. It was really nice to see them all the way from North Carolina. Jeff is working for Glaxo Smith Kline in Research Triangle park in Rawleigh NC where they've also lived for the past ten years.. Jeff did an internship at AT&T while he was a student and since graduating, he's worked in a number of places mostly as a contractor), like Management Science Associates in Pittsburgh, Mobay Chemical Corporation in Pittsburgh, Fujitsu, NorTel (Northern Telecom), Quintiles, Carolina Power, Ajinomoto, Glaxo Wellcome, US Postal Services (where he developed talking mail devices), IBM, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina and ActiveStudent all in Rawleigh. Jeff and Nora have been married since April, 1998 and they have a three year old son, Brian, and a two year old daughter , Christina. Nora has been a stay at home mom since Brian was born. They didn't have the kids with them, Jeff's parents live in Pittsburgh and the kids were staying with them. Jeff's hobbies include Motorcycle Road Racing (1994-97), following motorsports (particularly auto racing), going to the beach, home automation and working on his home theater. Jeff keeps in touch with Pete Marcanio (5/89). Pete lived in North Carolina for a couple years and then moved back to Pittsburgh with his wife, Mary, and daughter, Madalynn. He also stays in touch with Tim Billow (5/90) who lives near Philly with his wife, Dee Dee, son, Jack, and daughter, Lily. Thank you so much, Jeff for all the info and for stopping by. We loved seeing you and please keep in touch.

And, I guess that's all the news I have for this fall. Please keep in touch and let me know how you're doing (so I don't lose my job). Hope you all have a very nice Holiday.

News From Tompkins Lab
Joseph Shyrock


The holidays are approaching us quickly. That means the end of the semester is near; and we are all very busy! Tompkins lab is always near capacity with students doing assignments.

The transition to Windows XP has gone smoothly; and we are preparing to move to active directories. During this move, the IUPMSD1 and IUPMSD2 login accounts that are used to authenticate to the University NT network will become IUPMSD. The new master domain server for the college is up and running and will go live over semester break. The transition will start over spring break and will be completed in August 2003 in time for the fall semester.

The department is also in the process of getting three new projectors. Two of the projectors will be ceiling mounted. One will be mounted in 333 Stright Hall; the other will be mounted in Weyandt 201. Both projectors will be attached to computer systems. The third projector will placed on a mobile cart (it is a replacement for a failed unit).

Some of the faculty are getting their new office PC's. This is happening because of the University's three year PC rotation policy to keep technology up-to-date. Next year, other faculty members will be getting new PC's under the same policy. The old machines will be cleaned up and recycled within the department, or the college.

Lastly, the college is investigating the purchase of a large production backup server. This would help to ensure the college's data remains safe. Presently, the college has no large backup server online. Every department would benefit greatly.