This issue of The Debugger took a little extra effort. Everyone I asked to write an article did so, and with very little prompting. The only problem was that nearly everyone decided to write something that was on the short side. There were few students around so I could not ask them for articles. For a while, I thought that this might be the first issue which contained some articles that were completely fiction. In a way, it is a shame that that didn't happen. I had already come up with some interesting titles: "Commander Data to Give Colloquium," "New AI System Shuts Down Class Scheduling as Cost Saving Measure," or "Archeologist Discovers COBOL Program Inside Sphinx."
But, I didn't have to resort to fiction; I managed to put together enough material for a full issue using just the facts. In the process, I collected a wide range of odds and ends; nevertheless, there is something that should be of interest to everyone. There are articles that are informational, articles that solicit your input, articles about some of you out there, and articles about some of us back here. There is even a little comedy and some tragedy.
So, to keep me from resorting to fiction next time, why not consider making a written contribution to the next issue. Articles are always welcome.
Jim Wolfe, Editor
Gary Buterbaugh
Where does the time go? I cannot believe that most of the summer is gone already. I hope that whenever and wherever this finds you that things are going well. Our students who read this will probably already be back in school. Many of our alums will be vacationing and enjoying the dog days of August. So sit back and enjoy your copy of The Debugger.
On a personal note this summer is a busy one for me. Besides the duties of chair and having 16 interns out, I am doing most of the research work for my dissertation. Maybe the next time I write a Debugger article, I will have the degree. This will remove one area that has burdened me in the past year.
We have been encouraged in the department at the increase in giving to our department through the Foundation for IUP. This money really helps us in the current budget crunch. I, personally, however, am disappointed that we have not attracted anyone to become a member of our "Century Club". Why not be among the charter members? Remember it is just $100 per year and you are eligible for a special treat from the department. I believe that there is information included in this issue, if not contact me.
We were very much saddened by the recent death of Mike Mahan, who graduated in August of 1989. Mike was one of our top students and a quiet, just all around nice guy. He had been fighting leukemia for the past year or so. I would encourage those of you who knew Mike to contribute to the fund that has been set up. There is information about the fund included in The Debugger.
I would ask for our alum to continue to keep in touch with us. We enjoy hearing from you. If we ever get our act together and our alumni database completed, we may publish a corporate directory that would tell you where your friends and fellow IUP Computer Science alumni are working. Tell me what you think of that idea.
Well this is a short one, but I guess that will have to do for now.
Carol Miller
Hi Everybody -
Hope you are enjoying the summer. We here in Stright Hall are having a hot, muggy, non-airconditioned summer. The A.C. went off about a month ago, and, as usual, the state is doing a fantastic job of getting it back on. Meanwhile, don't even try to talk to anyone who has just come out of class. This could get real ugly.
I haven't heard from many of you, so you can expect this to be short.
The Internship Presenta-tions were on July 17 and went really well. Everyone did a great job and we had a good lunch in Breezedale. Fred(dy) Bauer (5/87) was there representing Westing-house. Rick Joslin (5/85) usually attends, but he wasn't able to make it this year. It's always great to see those two.
Mark Lacy (5/89) was in touch and is working with AEG Westinghouse in Pittsburgh (West Mifflin) on a conversion project. It's a temporary project for 4-6 months and then he'll be moving on. He isn't quite sure to what, but has several aces up his sleeve.
George Altenbaugh (5/87) is a programmer analyst with Mellon Bank. He is designing and programming Voice Response Units. He's also working on a master's in Industrial Administration at CMU with about 2 years to go. Good Luck, George!!
And speaking of graduate programs, Jimmy Joseph (5/82) is working on a double Ph.D. at Pitt in Artificial Intelligence and MIS. Good luck to Jimmy, too!! You know, you guys are close enough to stop in for a visit.
Dan Becker (8/85) most recently is working as a consultant in Pittsburgh. He's been very busy since graduation. Dan has worked in Johnstown, Reston VA, Washington DC, Waltham MA and now Pittsburgh. For those of you who know Dan, you'll be glad to know that he married Beth (Deffner, Sec. Math. Ed, May 84) and they are living happily ever after.
Congratulations to Anita (Costa) (5/88) and Mike Louttit (5/86) on the birth on Cameron Michael. Cameron was born June 8, weighed 6 lbs. and 8 oz and was 19 inches long. We'd love to see him guys.
Also, Deb (Green) (5/79) and Dan Fritz (5/82) are expecting a baby soon. Please let me know so I can tell the world.
Sheri Vranko (5/91) stopped in while in PA visiting family. She is still in Aiken, SC and enjoys her work down there.
Matt Fuller (12/90) visited this spring and gave a colloquium for the students. Matt is working at Pitt now and really enjoys it.
Micky Hart (5/91) stopped by one day. Micky is working at Latrobe Steel. She likes her job, but is commuting from Indiana and so is not enjoying her commute. Stop in more often Micky, you aren't too far.
Bill Capone (8/91) is also living in Indiana, right down the street as a matter of fact. He's working at NBOC here in Indiana, and I occasionally bump in to him on the way to work.
Kevin Hunter (5/89) was in touch recently. Kevin is working at USGS in Reston, VA. He called because his company was in need of some help. They needed someone with 2 year's experience, Fortran and hopefully C. He was hoping I knew someone. Unfortunately, I didn't. I made a few calls, but didn't have any luck.
This brings up an important issue. Many times I get calls regarding jobs in which several year's experience is required or specific expertise is required. If any of you are considering a change or might be interested in a change and would like for me to keep your name in a file (several of you have already done this), please send me all your pertinent information including all systems you have had experience with and positions you have had. You don't necessarily have to list companies you have worked for, but I do need specialized experience you have had. I will keep these and when someone calls me, I can pull them out. Think about it!
Jodi (Hoffman) (I'm sorry Jodi, I can't remember your married name), stopped in to see us. Jodi got married last fall and she and her husband are also expecting in October. Jodi brought her wedding pictures. She really had a beautiful wedding. Jodi also has her eye out for another job. She's at Allegheny Power in Greensburg and her husband is working in DuBois. They are planning to move to Punxsutawney, Jodi would like to find a job a little closer.
Dan Yuhas (5/88) is back working at IUP. Dan was in DC and got a little frazzled, so he decided to slow down the pace. He was working on a temporary basis in the Computer Center here, and left when the contract ran out. Now, he has gotten a full time position and we're glad to have him back.
Also back at IUP is Ron Yarnick. Ron was an MIS major who worked in the Computer Center until graduation. He married Traci Learn (5/88) and they moved to Erie. Now Ron is back working in the computer center, and Traci is working for a computer firm in Ebensburg. Welcome home to both of you.
I hear from a birdie that romance is hot and heavy in the Jennifer Baldwin area. I need info, Jen, or I'll make something up and it might embarrass you. Wedding bells???
Every time I start writing a letter for The Debugger, it brings up names that I wonder where they are. One of these days, I'm going to print a list of them and ask them to contact me. How does that sound?
I was planning on giving you a run down on where the recent grads were working, but I decided to wait for a bit. It will give you something to look forward to.
All for now. See you in the next edition.
Don Rosenberger
Once again, it is time to give our readers an update regarding the new equipment and capabilities in the department. We are still moving forward, with some interesting equipment becoming available.
The new Novell server is finally up, and will be supporting courses in the second summer session. I am configuring a second server, to be used as a backup if the primary server malfunctions. The new network will include Wordperfect 5.1, Pascal 6.0, APL, DBASE IV, and LOTUS 2.3. Some of the applications are not yet fully functional, but progress is continual. One of the new capabilities will be print service. We may support multiple lab printers, and will certainly give faculty access to better print quality. (Some of our PCs cannot operate successfully as a print server or remote print site. We are currently working to resolve that problem.)
Five new SWAN 386 SX/20 computers join the lab's PC complement. We have purchased remote-boot ROMS for the lab PCs. The ROMs permit the PC network card to acquire the CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, and other boot files from the file server. This will allow faculty and student users to boot/reboot the lab PCs without help from the lab staff and/or boot disks.
The network cabling has been rerun. In the past, the lab and faculty offices were on one (out of spec) cable segment. Our new servers will have two Network Interface Cards, allowing them to serve faculty on one segment and the lab on the other segment. The major advantage - a cable failure at one station doesn't take down the entire network, only a segment. This will speed up diagnosis and repair of problems, as well as making the length of the cable segments more "reasonable".
I have installed and configured an HP full-page scanner on the Macintosh network. I am still working out some bugs, but it's already fairly impressive. The scanner is available for limited demonstrations or use, and has become a popular lab item. No decision has been made regarding the transport of scanned images to other hosts (NeXT, DOS, etc.), but the alternatives are being examined.
The Weyandt and Stright carts now have SHARP QA-1050 projection panels. These panels are Zenith/MAC compatible, but present color images to the screen. Both carts now have VGA color capability, but these panels can display anything that is on the monitor.
The equipment above will certainly guarantee more lab usage by our majors. If you are in the area, please stop in and see how we're changing.
Harold Price ('78)
I've had enough of California, and have moved back to Western Pennsyl-vania. As some of you may recall, I got married and left for Honeywell's Los Angeles Development Center right after graduation. I worked on CP-6 (debuggers, support systems, and Email) until 1983, when the handwriting was on the wall. I did some odd-job consulting for a few years, and then helped start a small company that did high-performance communication software for an IBM-PC co-processor adapter card.
I architected several of that company's products, including X.25, TCP/IP, and a realtime operating system. The company bought me out so I could move back to PA, to raise our new daughter in a better environment. I also received the rights to the realtime operating system, for use in small communica-tion and research spacecraft.
I have a one-man company now, with several customers for the spacecraft software. There are six satellites currently in orbit, two more scheduled for launch in August of this year, and several more in development.
Now that I'm back in the area, I'll stop in some time.
Allow me to slip in a thanks to the faculty still there from the 74-78 era, the wide background I got in the CS department set me up well for the odd career I've had so far. Special thanks to Mr. Maple's assembler course, which gave me the first peek at how things really work.
Best Regards,
(Email to) price@cs.pitt.edu
Homecoming this year is on October 17. Come on back and join in the fun. The game is against California, so it ought to be a good one. In addition, there will be other events of interest to alumni. Computer Science, like many departments, will have a table in the Alumni Tent to meet and greet returning alumni. This tent is located between Zink Hall and the Stadium and will be open for business during the time after the homecoming parade and before the game begins. The Alumni Tent will be very close to the food tent, if you need any incentive to mosey our way.
Dr. Lawrence K. Pettit, former Chancellor of Southern Illinois University and former Chancellor of the University System of South Texas, becomes the 21st President of IUP on Aug. 1. Dr. Pettit is a man of wide ranging interests in the arts, sports, and politics. He brings to IUP a wide-ranging background in education, valuable management incites, and an affable personality, all of which impressed the State System Board of Governors, the presidential search committee, and the faculty alike.
Dr. Pettit replaces Dr. Charles Fuget who was acting as interim president for one year. Many of you may remember Dr. Fuget as being Dean of Natural Sciences & Mathematics during the time you were a student at IUP.
Dr. Pettit faces some difficult decisions as he begins his tenure, with many bugetary problems resulting from state cutbacks. Never-theless, he is optimistic about their solutions and the future of IUP.
Jim Maple
I was to have written an article last summer for our 20th year as a department, but I spent a week in the hospital nursing my gall bladder. So I'll talk about our 21st year instead.
It doesn't seem like that many years since Dr. Tompkins and I, together with Mike Radelja, started with no majors and a limited course offering. Our first graduating class of students that were with us as majors for the full four years was the class of 76. It was that class that started the tradition of the students taking charge of the graduation (with our blessing and encouragement). I feel that is one of the things that makes our department unique. I have attended enough other ceremonies to know we have the best. It may be a lot of work for some, but it is the seniors ceremony the way they want it. I hope that tradition continues after I retire next year.
Now, on to the real topic of this article.
The University Senate has established new procedures for handling academic integrity violations( the politically correct term for cheating), but they have not defined what constitutes a violation nor have they established what sanctions (politically correct for penalties) should be applied for what violations. Our department is attempting to establish some guidelines for students and faculty to help with this problem.
As an example of the difficulties, consider this: when is it permissible for students to help each other and not constitute a violation. I believe it is important for the students to understand that line as well as faculty. Another area of contention is the severity of the penalty for a violation on a particular project; it leads to many questions. Should the students involved receive a 0 for that project only or a letter grade reduction or an F in the course or some combination? How severe a violation should result in disciplinary probation? Do students really understand the consequences of disciplinary probation? Some have suggested the establishment of an honor code for students that might require them to report violations they know about or face sanctions themselves. Ethical conduct in our field is important considering the type and importance of the information many of you will be and are handling.
We would appreciate any input you can give us concerning the handling of academic integrity violations. How serious do you think the problem is? We definitely want to involve the students in trying to establish these guidelines and need your help. Send your comments to JMAPLE@GROVE.IUP.EDU.
Jim Wolfe was recently promoted from Assistant to Associate Professor. The new rank and related salary increase will become effective in the fall. Jim was promoted on his first application for the step up in rank. Often, faculty members must apply several times before being promoted.
Promotion is a year-long process which involves evaluation of the faculty member on teaching effectiveness, scholarly growth, and service to the university by department and university-wide committees and the Provost's office. Congratulations to Jim on this accomplishment.
Dan Burkett, who graduated in 1986, is coming back to IUP this fall, but not as a student. After getting his degree here, Dan went on to graduate school at Carnegie Mellon but in Mathematics not Computer Science. He finished his masters degree in 1989 and will be finishing his PhD in August.
This past Spring, Dan was back at IUP interviewing for a tenure-track position in the Mathematics department. Naturally, the Math department had the good sense to hire him; so, Dan is returning as professor this fall.
Dan's research interests are in the area of solving partial differential equations using mixed variational and integral equation techniques and functional analysis. Based on past mail, many of you share this interest with Dan. So, if you would like to contact him, his Email address at IUP is DBURKETT@GROVE.IUP.EDU
Just kidding Dan. Welcome back.
Steve Murphy
In the early 1980s, personal computer purchases were on the increase, and there were a very small number of vendors from which the University could choose. After an informal evaluation of those vendors in existence at that time, a "soft" standard for PC purchases was developed, and Zenith computers were consistently recommended for University purchase. Individual departments had, and still have, the freedom to purchase any computer from any vendor for any reason, but departments who chose not to stay with the standard vendor were not provided the kind of help given those who did stay with the standard vendor.
But, problems have developed with this approach over the years as more and more manufacturers and vendors have appeared, as more specific needs have developed and as technology has changed.
Recently, to overcome these problems, there has been a move afoot to create a "hard" standard in which no department may purchase any PC unless it is from the standard make and line of computers from the standard vendor. The "hard" standard would apply to purchases made by the University for University purposes from University funds. The reasons for standardization of this kind are many, and the intended result is that the University as a whole would realize both long-term and short-term benefits.
As the number of different brands of computers on campus increased, inconsistencies became obvious in the way that software behaved. Using different machines made software packages behave differently, and troubleshooting problems became more difficult. Maintaining enough expertise with specific machines became increasingly more difficult. Requiring a certain make and line of machine from a specific vendor will allow the limited central support staff the opportunity to gain and maintain the needed expertise to effectively troubleshoot problems.
A second problem caused by having a variety of vendors' PCs on campus is the difficulty of maintain-ing a parts inventory and the expertise to fix all the different machines. Main-taining one brand of computer will allow the repair staff to maintain an extensive inventory of that one brand and allow them the opportunity to maintain a greater degree of expertise in that one brand. Once again, a limited number of personnel are available to perform this critical task.
And, finally. the most compelling reason for such a move is that networking PCs of different types together becomes much easier when only one type of PC is involved. Networking has become increasingly important in view of the University goal of installing a fiber optic backbone across campus to provide a link to all of the computers and networks across campus. Networking is a particularly time-consuming process when a variety of computers are involved.
In order to decide which vendor's line of computers should be the standard, a University committee was established to create a document, a Request For Proposal (RFP), to present to a variety of vendors listing the University's requirements. That RFP has been created and sent out, and, now, the vendors will respond by presenting their machines' capabilities and describing how those machines meet the require-ments. A second committee will be reviewing the vendor responses in order to determine which of the vendors/machines best suit the needs of IUP. At that point, the recommendation of the committees will be made to the administration for the final decision.
The move to standardize on one line of computers and one vendor will benefit the University by allowing a small support staff to develop expertise with one line of PCs and, so, allow them to more effectively serve the entire University community. However, as helpful as it would be to have one vendor for many years to come, a necessary precaution had to be built into the process: a regular review of the quality and services provided by the successful vendor. The hope is that, with a regular review of the vendor and their products, IUP will gain some continuity in the long-term and ensure that the vendor remains competitive and sensitive to the needs of the IUP community.
It is always sad to hear about the death of someone you know. It is especially sad when that person is just getting started in life. Mike Mahan had only graduated in 1989 and now is gone, a victim of leukemia after losing a year-long battle against the disease.
Many of you knew Mike as an always-smiling, amiable guy. If you would like to express your sympathy to Mike's family, you might want to contribute to a fund that was set up to help defray the considerable medical expenses that Mike's family incurred during his illness. Donations can be sent to
Friends of Mike
JCCEOA
105 Grace Way
Punxsutawaney, PA 15767
Make checks payable to Friends of Mike. All funds collected will be used to pay medical expenses (if excess funds are collected, they will go to charity).
Charley Shubra is currently trying to develop a new course on 4th Generation Languages (4GLs). He would like to hear from anyone who may have suggestions regarding what 4GL tools you have found useful on the job (that is, really helpful) and could be used in teaching a class (that is, doesn't cost $50,000). Basically, any tool that is end-user oriented or is aimed at higher productivity than writing COBOL code could be a candidate.
Currently, Shubra is considering tools such as PC/Focus, Monarch, Micro-Focus, and QBE for the course. If you have any suggestions, send Email to SHUBRA@GROVE.IUP.EDU. He will be glad to hear from you; he has been soliciting industry opinion on 4GLs for some time. Who better than you to give us a good idea of what should be in our courses?
Jim Wolfe
As Carol mentioned in her article, Stright Hall has been without air conditioning for an extended period of time this summer (from about Mid-June up to and including this moment). As to the cause of this inconvenience, well it depends a little bit on who you talk to. Naturally, no one is willing to take the blame. Most stories about the cause involve waiting for the delivery of a catalog so that the correct replacement part can be ordered (requiring more waiting). Some stories include antics that remind one of the Keystone Kops; others compare maintenance personnel competence to that of Beetle Bailey; still other stories involve OSHA regulations, lack of university funds, and burned out compressor motors.
Regardless of the reason for the air conditioning not working, the effects have not been pretty, to say the least. Many classes have been moved out of Stright. Some that did stay have had minor revolts as students objected to going into the sweltering classrooms. Faculty and administrators argue over the use of fans. Some tempers are short. About half of the computer systems in Stright are either shut down completely or are running on a limited basis. And, in general, anyone who works in Stright is destined to sweat (as I am while I sit in my office and write this).
So, what does the future hold. Well, with August (and the hottest part of the year) just around the corner, some estimates are
that we will have no air conditioning until late September. By then, there are going to be a lot of unhappy people in this building. You may remember what it was like to start Fall classes in Weyandt 4 or 6. Try to imagine a building that is just as hot with all interior classrooms so that there are not even any windows that can be opened. I can hardly wait for September.
At the left is a form that we encourage you to use if there is something in our alumni database that should be updated. If there is a change in one of the attributes listed here, your cooperation in sending in the form will let us maintain contact with you.
Carol's article also mentioned that she sometimes gets requests for job references. Having this basic information may help her pass on the job openings to interested parties.
We will regard the information as confidential.
None of it will be published in The Debugger unless there is good cause AND we have your permission.
You can become a charter member of the IUP Computer Science Department's Century Club. Membership in the Century Club is obtained by pledging at least $100 to be given through the Foundation for IUP for the Computer Science Department. Century Club members will receive a gift (tee shirt, mug, glass, etc.) for their membership each year.
If the department can get just 100 of our over 1200 graduates to participate in this way, this would give us at least $10,000 each year (probably substantially more since most companies give matching gifts and some match 2, 3 or 4 to 1). A pledge of $100 is less than $10 per month.
Please consider this opportunity. To join cut off the form at the right, complete it and commit yourself to giving $100 for this calendar year.