2002 News  

Fall Graduating Class Largest Ever (12/20/2002)
On Wednesday, December 18th, the NCSU Department of Computer Science awarded over 200 degrees (120 undergraduate and 83 graduate degrees) during its formal diploma ceremony held at Meymandi Concert Hall at the BTI Center in downtown Raleigh. Well over 1,000 graduates, faculty, family, and friends attended the event. Special music was provided by the Capital Brass of the North Carolina Symphony. It was the largest graduating class in the department's history. Special thanks to Super ePartners, EMC and Progress Energy for sponsoring this memorable event.

Departmental Research Grants & Gifts (12/20/2002)
Drs. Laurie Williams and Mladen Vouk have received an IBM Eclipse Innovation Award valued at $28,000 for their project entitled "Good Enough Reliability Tool." This work, which involves Extreme Programming (XP), is a continuation of the work done by Lili Wang which will be continued in her honor. ABB Inc. has provided an unrestricted gift of $12,500 toward a total pledge of $25,000 to support the research of Drs. Laurie Williams and Annie Antón. Intel Corporation has provided $250 toward the sponsorship of the Women in Computer Science initiative. In addition, Intel recently provided the department three PC systems valued at approximately $6,400 that will support our classroom technology needs. Cisco Systems and Microsoft each provided $2,000 sponsorships for the recent Symposium on Requirements Engineering for Information Security (SREIS 2002) co-hosted by our department here in Raleigh. Dell USA recently provided a $5,000 unrestricted gift to support the CS Enhancement Fund. EMC, John Deere and Cisco Systems recently renewed their Super ePartners memberships with unrestricted gifts of $25,000 each. Thanks to all who have contributed to the “Dr. KC Tai Memorial Fund” which now totals over $2,300. Individuals or corporations interested in making a year-end tax-deductible donations should make their checks payable to the “NC State Engineering Foundation Inc.” and send them to the Ken Tate, NCSU Department of Computer Science, Campus Box 8206, Raleigh, NC 27695.

New Faculty Member Announcement (12/20/2002)
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Vincent W. Freeh will be joining the department as an assistant professor in the area of operating systems in January. He comes to us after serving in a similar capacity at the University of Notre Dame. In addition to operating systems, Dr. Freeh's research interests relate to distributed and parallel computing and power-aware computing. He is the recipient of an NSF Career Award and an IBM Faculty Development Award. It is important to note that the recruitment and attraction of such outstanding talent during this period of severe budgetary constraints would be difficult, if not impossible, were it not for the unrestricted funding provided by our ePartners.

New Corporate Friends (11/26/2002)
We would like to welcome Apple, Microsoft, and Dell as our newest Corporate Friends in the ePartners Program. Apple, a world leader in innovative computing solutions, has committed financial and equipment support in sponsorship of both the Women in Computer Science (WICS) program and the upcoming Triangle High School Programming Competition (THSPC). Microsoft, the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing, has donated four Compaq iPaqs to Dr. Frank Mueller for use in teaching and research on Real-Time and Embedded Systems as well as advanced Operating Systems Principles. In addition, Microsoft has donated $2,000 in sponsorship of the Symposium on Requirements Engineering for Information Security (SREIS 2002). Dell, a premier provider of PC products and services, has provided a $5,000 unrestricted gift which will support the CS Enhancement Fund.

Dr. KC Tai Memorial Fund (11/26/2002)
The NCSU Computer Science family has been deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Emeritus, Dr. KC Tai on October 24, 2002 after a lengthy illness. Because of the tremendous outpouring of support from his previous students, colleagues, friends and family, a special memorial fund has been established to honor Dr. Tai. Individuals interested in contributing to this fund should make their donations to the “NC State Engineering Foundation Inc.” noting for the “Dr. KC Tai Memorial Fund” in the memo section. Donations can be sent to the NCSU Department of Computer Science, Campus Box 8206, Raleigh, NC 27695.

Departmental Research Grants & Gifts (11/26/2002)
Purush Iyer's proposal entitled "Workshop: Radical Innovations in Software & Systems Engineering in the Future" has been funded by the National Science Foundation for $10,080. The period of the grant will run from September 1, 2002 through August 31, 2003. In addition, Super ePartner Cisco Systems has donated two intrusion detection appliances valued at over $17,500 to Dr. Peng Ning to support his security research. The Cisco Intrusion Detection System (IDS) 4200 Sensors donated are members of the market-leading Cisco IDS Series of products that provide Pervasive Protection throughout the network. They are purpose-built, high-performance network security "appliances" that protect against unauthorized, malicious activity traversing the network, such as attacks by hackers. Cisco IDS sensors analyze traffic in real time, enabling users to quickly respond to security breaches. Cisco’s CIAG group has a twofold expectation of the equipment grant of the IDS 4235-K9 sensors. One, is the use in graduate student IDS research in differentiating between alerts and identifying attacks. Second, to be used in the network security class for students. They will have an opportunity to operate the Cisco IDS and analyze previously collected network traffic collected at the DEFCON CTF events.

CSC Information Assurance Team Earns Top 10 ranking in Competition (11/26/2002)
Last month's Forensics Challenge, sponsored by the Digital Forensic Research Workshop at honeynet.org received 90 submissions. NCSU's Computer Science team of information security students (led my Ph.D. student Jim Yuill), earned a #10 ranking in the competition! For more information, click here.

Dept of CS Leadership Announcements (11/26/2002)
Effective May 16, 2003, Dr. Ed Davis will be stepping down as Director of Graduate Programs for the department. Please join us in commending Dr. Davis for the outstanding job he has done in this role during a period of phenomenal growth and change. During his tenure as Director of Graduate Programs, the Graduate Program has grown considerably, the number of PhD students has increased, the quality of graduate students has improved, a new distance MCS program has been implemented, and the graduate offices moved to Centennial Campus. Dr. David Thuente will assume the role of Director of Graduate Programs at the end of this academic year.

Welcome New ePartner - Integrated Industrial Information (10/28/2002)
We are extremely happy to welcome our newest ePartner, Integrated Industrial Information (a.k.a. I-cubed), a pioneer in the development of technologies which unlock and maximize the tremendous potential of CAD information systems. I-cubed, long a supporter of the department sponsoring several Sr. Design Center projects, is headquartered in Raleigh on NCSU's Centennial Campus. Our primary contact will be alumnus and I-cubed President, Grant Williard. Please join us in welcoming Grant and I-cubed to the ePartners Program!

Phase 3 of Jumpstart Project Receives $1.3M in Funding (10/28/2002)
Congratulations to Drs. George Rouskas and Harry Perros for having their joint proposal with the MCNC funded for $1.3M from the Intelligence Technology Innovation Center for the third phase of the Jumpstart project. The new award will run from 1/1/2003 to 12/31/2004, and brings the total funding to date to $3.3M. The first two phases of the Jumpstart project involve the definition, specification, performance evaluation, implementation (in the ATDNet optical network test bed in Washington, DC), and testing of a Just-In-Time signaling protocol for optical burst switched networks. The third phase extends the scope of the project to include the specification of a novel architecture for routing and multicast in optical burst switched networks, as well as the development, evaluation, and implementation of new routing algorithms that take into account physical constraints imposed by the optical layer.

NCSU CSC Researchers Focus on Improving Computer Network Security (10/28/2002)
Security has become a major issue in the United States. Keeping our citizens, buildings and infrastructure safe is one concern; keeping computer networks safe from hackers is another. Dr. Peng Ning, assistant professor of computer science, and Dr. Douglas S. Reeves, professor of computer science at NC State University, are working on a series of projects that they hope will improve intrusion detection systems for computer networks. Three grants — two from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and one from the Army Research Office (ARO) — help them with the work. The most recent NSF grant is for $415,099 and runs from September 15, 2002, through July 31, 2005; collaborators on this grant are Dr. Robert St. Amant, associate professor of computer science, and Dr. Christopher G. Healey, assistant professor of computer science. Current technologies for intrusion detection are problematic because they focus on low-level attacks and tend to give many false alerts. As with the fable about the boy who cried wolf, operators tend to ignore such alerts. Therefore the focus of Ning and Reeves’ research is to find a way to decrease the number of false alerts but keep the security level of the system high.

Parasoft Makes $325K Software Gift (10/16/2002)
We would like to welcome Parasoft Corporation as our newest Corporate Friend in the ePartners Program. Parasoft, a leading provider of Automated Error Prevention software, recently donated software licenses for their Jtest software valued at $325,000 for use in our software engineering curriculum. According to Dr. Laurie Williams, the Jtest software is an automated unit testing tool designed to test Java classes and will be used by approximately 70 students, 16 labs, and five instructors. For more information on this gift, visit http://epartners.ncsu.edu/ParasoftNewsRelease.htm.

NCSU Computer Science Professor Receives an Emmy (10/2/2002)
Dr. Donald L. Bitzer, Distinguished University Research Professor of Computer Science at North Carolina State University, has been awarded an Emmy by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his efforts in advancing television technology. Specifically, Bitzer co-invented the flat plasma display panel in 1964. Originally invented as an educational aid to help students working in front of computers for long periods of time, plasma screens do not flicker and are a significant advance in television technology. The award was presented in a ceremony on October 2 in New York City. Bitzer is the first faculty member at NC State to win an Emmy. To read the entire story, visit http://www.ncsu.edu/news/press_releases/02_10/254.htm

Welcome New ePartner - Red Hat (9/27/2002)
We are pleased to announce that Corporate Friend, Red Hat, has recently become a full ePartner with the department. Red Hat is the world's premier open source and Linux provider and is headquartered in Raleigh, NC on NCSU's Centennial Campus. Our primary contact will be Jeremy Hogan, Red Hat's Manager of Community Relations. Please join us in welcoming Jeremy and Red Hat to the ePartners Program!

Welcome New Corporate Friends (9/27/2002)
We would like to welcome DynCorp and IBM as new Corporate Friends to the ePartners Program. DynCorp has agreed to provide Dr. Peng Ning approximately $1.38M in funding through mid-2009 to support the Information Technology Solutions - Environmental Protection Agency (ITS-EPA) Program in the areas of E-security and High Performance Computing. IBM has awarded NCSU the IBM Shared University Research (SUR) program grant. The grant recognizes the high quality of research and educational programs at NCSU, and is used to acquire IBM equipment in support of such projects. This year the grant equipment is aimed at supporting NCSU efforts in the arena of NC BioGrid and computationally-oriented research in life sciences in general, advanced research in the areas of web-services and associated data-bases, and assessment of the impact of mobile computing on teaching. Web services research is also being supported through an additional highly competitive IBM Faculty Award Dr. Mladen Vouk received in June 2002.

Department Receives $7.6M Software Gift from OPNET Technologies (9/27/2002)
Earlier this year, OPNET Technologies completed a multi-product software donation to the department valued at approximately $7.6M. This gift, one of the largest of its kind ever given to the department, has been successfully integrated into several undergraduate, graduate, and distance education network project courses. For more information, click here to read the entire press release.

Enrollment Increasing in Computer Security (9/27/2002)
The university, recognized earlier this year by the U.S. National Security Agency as a Center for Excellence in Information Assurance Education, was recently featured in an article by the Triangle Business Journal highlighting the increase in student enrollment in the area of computer security. This is being driven by an increased focus on information security by the government as well as the business sector. Dr. Annie Anton, assistant professor of computer science at NCSU, stresses that greater focus is required on teaching people how to build secure software, adding that security "will eventually be integrated throughout the curriculum". You are invited to read the online article at http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2002/09/23/focus4.html.

Inaugural "Women in Computer Science" Event (9/27/2002)
Women in Computer Science (WICS) is a new program designed by the NCSU Department of Computer Science, in conjunction with NCSU Women in Engineering. The mission of WICS is to support, promote and retain women in computer science by offering opportunities for personal and professional development, social interaction, and outreach. Involvement in WICS provides networking opportunities between students, faculty, alumni and industry professionals interested in computing. The kick-off meeting for Women in Computer Science took place on Thursday, Sept. 12 in Withers Hall. Suzanne Gordon, Vice President of Information Technology at SAS Institute and NCSU Computer Science Alumnae, provided an inspirational talk to the many students and alumni in attendance. Several students volunteered to serve in officer positions. Industry professionals are encouraged to become a part of the WICS mentoring program by applying online at: http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/students/womeninengineering/went/wentapp.html. To be added to the WICS listserv, or for more information about sponsorship opportunities with WICS, please contact Jill Koethcke at koethcke@csc.ncsu or (919) 513-2985. Access the WIC web site at http://wics.csc.ncsu.edu.

NCSU Has 12 NSF Career Award Recipients in 2001 (9/27/2002)
When a university receives two or three National Science Foundation Early Career Development (Career) awards in a single year, it is typically viewed as a great year. By comparison, NCSU celebrated a banner year in 2001 as 12 researchers earned NSF Career Awards, including Drs. Christopher Healey, Peter Wurman, and Michael Young from our Computer Science department. Congratulations to these outstanding faculty members.

Dr. Mladen Vouk Appointment (9/27/2002)
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Mladen Vouk for being appointed Associate Vice Provost for Information Technology at NCSU. This appointment will not affect Dr. Vouk's status as Professor with tenure in Computer Science. The duties associated with his new appointment include strengthening the linkage between the Information Technology Division and the teaching and research missions of the university.

Strongest Freshman Class Ever Enters NCSU (9/27/2002)
The incoming freshman class of 2002 may well go down in university history as the smartest, highest-achieving class ever. Of the 3,650 freshmen admitted to NCSU this fall, 102 were high school valedictorians, 80 were salutatorians, and one scored a perfect 1600 on the SAT. Their average GPA was a mind-boggling 4.01 (remember when 4.0 was considered "perfect"?), and more than one-third of them graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class. To read more about them, and about the many changes that have taken place on campus over the summer, click on http://www.ncsu.edu/news/press_releases/02_08/203.htm.

Industrial Advisory Council Welcomes New Member (8/30/2002)
The Department of Computer Science proudly welcomes its newest member to the Industrial Advisory Council (IAN) this year; John Medica, VP & Co-General Manager of the Client Product Group at Dell Computer Corporation. The IAC meets annually and provides guidance and direction to the department from an industry perspective. The council's next meeting will be held in Raleigh in early October. Please join us in welcoming our newest IAC member.

Welcome New ePartner - Lulu Press (8/30/2002)
We are extremely happy to welcome our newest ePartner, Lulu Press, a division of Lulu Enterprises, the latest endeavor of Red Hat co-founder Bob Young. The Lulu brand is derived from the concept of a “lulu,” which is a 1930’s term for a remarkable person, thing or idea. The Lulu-related vision includes Lulu Press, an internet-based publishing architecture for the creation and distribution of content, as well as Lulu Tech Circus, an interactive technology road show scheduled for launch in Raleigh on September 27-29th. The Lulu concept is driven by Young’s strong commitment to information access as a new foundation for knowledge advancement, whether it is in computer code, education or other areas. Our primary contact will be CTO, Elliot McGucken. Please join us in welcoming Lulu Press to the ePartners Program!

Welcome New Corporate Friends (8/30/2002)
We would like to welcome several new Corporate Friends to the ePartners Program this month including the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, SlickEdit, Hatteras Networks, QVS Software, and Viatec Research. As a reminder, the Corporate Friends membership category recognizes corporations providing the department "non-ePartners" related support of any kind (scholarships, gifts-in-kind such as equipment or software, sponsorship of a Sr Design Center project, faculty endowment support, research grants, etc.) with a value of $1,000 or more. Benefits for our Corporate Friends are designed to provide recognition, ensure communications, and initiate a stronger alignment with the department. If you are not already actively engaged as a corporate partner with the department and wish to have more information about the ePartners Program, please contact Ken Tate at (919-513-4292) or kmtate2@ncsu.edu.

A Record Year for Giving (8/30/2002)
In a year when the economy stalled, gifts and pledges to NC State reached a record level, thanks to the vision and generosity of alumni, friends and partners. Total giving and pledges to the university in fiscal year 2001-02 exceeded $147.5 million - nearly $48 million more than was raised the previous year. For more information, visit http://www.ncsu.edu/BulletinOnline/08_02/fundraising.htm. Despite this great news, we have a real need to grow our Computer Science Enhancement Fund to maintain the educational excellence of our programs, research, and student experience. For more information about how alumni can help, please visit http://epartners.ncsu.edu/alumni.html.

NCSU a Center for Excellence in Information Assurance Education (6/28/2002)
Vice Provost Tom Miller, and Drs Peng Ning and Annie Anton traveled to Microsoft Headquarters on June 4th where they accepted the National Security Agency's (NSA) Center of Academic Excellence Award in information assurance education on behalf of NCSU and the Department of Computer Science. According to Dr Anton, Associate Professor of Software Engineering in the Department of Computer Science, this designation adds NC State to a select group of universities across the nation recognizing the university's increasing research into information assurance issues. Information assurance education plays a key role in protecting the national information infrastructure. As a Center of Academic Excellence in this field, NC State will help security solutions keep pace with evolving technology, and help reduce vulnerabilities in the nation's information systems. In a letter to North Carolina Gov. Michael Easley announcing the award, Michael J. Jacobs, director of information assurance at the NSA, said "The President's National Plan for Information Systems Protection (January 2000) addresses the critical shortage of professionals with these skills and highlights the importance of higher education as a solution to defending America's cyberspace." To read more about this prestigious award, click on http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/univ_relations/news_services/press_releases/02_04/88.htm.

NCSU Computer Science Students Wins Cisco / UNCF Scholarship (6/28/2002)
Ms. Sherard Griffin, an undergraduate in Computer Science at NCSU, was recently awarded a two year scholarship sponsored by Cisco Systems and the United Negro College Fund valued at $8K. This scholarship was designed to provide financial support and Cisco internship opportunities for African American Electrical Engineering or Computer Science majors, with a special focus on women and students who demonstrate community service. Congratulations Sherard!

Industrial Advisory Council Welcomes New Members (6/28/2002)
The Department of Computer Science proudly welcomes three new members to the Industrial Advisory Council (IAN) this year: Donna Troy, Steve Worth, and Bill Riddick. All are alumni of the department and successful business leaders in the industry. Donna Troy is a '78 graduate and is currently the President & CEO of Partner ware headquartered in Austin, TX. Steve Worth completed his MS in '85 and served as an adjunct professor here before leaving to pursue a successful career at Data General and EMC where he now serves as Director of Strategic Software Development. Bill Riddick is a '74 graduate and is the President of Computer Service Partners located here in Raleigh. The IAC meets annually and provides guidance and direction to the department from an industry perspective. The council's next meeting will be held in Raleigh in early October. Please join us in welcoming our newest IAC members.

TogetherSoft Makes Major Software Gift to Department (5/23/2002)
TogetherSoft Corporation, headquartered on Centennial Campus, recently made a major donation to the NCSU Department of Computer Science of 150 licenses for its Together ControlCenter (TCC) software including premium support services valued at $1,079,100. Peter Coad, TogetherSoft's Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, calls the gift "another example of how we are developing a strong and mutually beneficial partnership with NC State University." Coad adds, "This provides access of our industry leading technology to some of the world's brightest researchers. It also provides hand's-on access and visibility of our products to students, who will become the leaders and decision makers of the future." According to Dr Laurie Williams, assistant professor of computer science, says the TogetherSoft ControlCenter software will be used to support numerous research and classroom lab applications within the Computer Science department. Click here to read the full news release.

Joyce Hatched Named Top Advisor for COE & NCSU (5/17/2002)
Computer Science staff veteran Joyce Hatch was recently recognized by the College of Engineering faculty as the winner of the George Blessis Advising Award which goes annually to the college's top advisor. In addition, Joyce has been honored as the recipient of the Barbara Solomon Award for Advising. This is the first year that this university-wide advising award has been made. This award supports what we and thousands of our alumni knew all along - that Joyce is the best student advisor on campus! Please join us in congratulating Joyce on this award and her outstanding contributions to the NCSU Department of Computer Science.

New MCS Degree Available Via Distance-Learning (5/17/2002)
The Department of Computer Science is offering a new Master of Computer Science degree taught via distance-learning technologies. This professional degree program was designed to meet the needs of working professionals. The degree is based on course work; no thesis or comprehensive examination is required. Students must complete 10 courses (30 credits), including three core classes. MCS students typically enroll on a part-time basis. The program has begun accepting applications for the coming fall semester. For more information about the Master of Computer Science via distance education, call toll-free at 877-254-0058.

Kristopher Tyra / HiddenMind Gift to Seed CSC Enhancement Endowment
We are very please to announce that one of our most accomplished alumni, Kristopher Tyra, Chief Technology Officer and founder of HiddenMind Technology Inc., has given the NCSU Department of Computer Science a major gift of private stock currently valued at over $300,000. This, the largest single contribution ever given to the department by an individual, will serve as seed funding for the newly created NCSU Computer Science Enhancement Endowment. In addition to this gift and HiddenMind's continued support of the department as a founding member of the ePartners Program, Mr. Tyra has pledged his personal commitment to helping the department grow the enhancement endowment in the future. We are extremely grateful to Kristopher Tyra for his generosity and support of NCSU Computer Science. To view the entire press release on this gift, click here.

Below are links to all previous issues on our Connected newsletter as well as other informative sites at NCSU.

Connected Newsletter Archives (link below to pdf files of previous newsletters):

NCSU Computer Science News Announcements

Other NCSU news links: