ACM Club Visits Silicon Valley

Over Thanksgiving break, the ACM club visited Sillicon Valley. Their trip included tours of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Intel Museum, and Google, among others. Pictures from the trip are available on the Math and CS program Facebook page.

Bulgarian Solitaire & Garden of Eden Partitions

You are invited to the following talk, sponsored by the Math Club.

Title: Bulgarian Solitaire & Garden of Eden Partitions
Speaker: Dr. James Sellers
Date/Time: Thursday, December 1, 6-7 pm
Location: TL 128, Science and Technology Building, Penn State Harrisburg

We consider a game closely related to partitions known as Bulgarian Solitaire which was popularized in the early 1980s in Scientific American by Martin Gardner. We will briefly discuss a few results proven about this game around the time of the appearance of Gardner's article. We will then quickly turn to a question recently posed by Brian Hopkins and Michael Jones about finding an exact formula for the number of Garden of Eden partitions (which are closely associated with Bulgarian solitaire and which I will define in the talk). I will prove such an exact formula which was developed a few years ago when I first met Brian Hopkins and learned of this problem. The talk will be completely self-contained and the proof of the main result will follow in an elementary fashion from Dyson's generating function for the number of partitions of n with fixed rank r.

Accessible to a wide ranging audience, from undergraduate students to faculty members.

The Dirichlet Problem for Various Types of Boundaries and Boundary Data

Presented by: Dr. Ronald Walker, Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Date/Time: Thursday, November 17, 2011, 12:00 to 1:00 PM
Location: W212 Olmsted

All faculty and students are invited!
We look forward to see you…
Light sandwiches & refreshments will be served.

Abstract: The Dirichlet problem is a classic boundary value problem in partial differential equations. Given continuous boundary data, Dirichlet solutions are guaranteed to exist and to be unique for a broad class of domains. Also it is known that if the domain is the unit disk (or more generally an ellipse), then polynomial boundary data will yield polynomial Dirichlet solutions. In this talk, we will explore several generalizations and variations of this latter result, such as cases where the boundary data is rational or entire, or over other domains.

Faculty Seminar Series: Computer Security Threats to Critical Infrastructure

You are invited to attend the following seminar.

Title: Computer Security Threats to Critical Infrastructure
Speaker: Dr. Jeremy Blum
Date/Time: Wednesday, Nov. 16, 12:00-1:30
Location: Gallery Lounge, Olmsted Building, Penn State Harrisburg

Synopsis:

Computer security attacks against critical infrastructure present a significant and growing global threat. This talk will focus in particular on the threats to the nation's power grid. Using anecdotal evidence and recent survey data, this talk will begin by providing an overview of the current threat landscape. Then, the talk will present current research at Penn State Harrisburg on the development of honeypot systems to mitigate the threat of computer security attacks on substation automation equipment.

Penn State Harrisburg Team Places Third in Site at ACM Regional Programming Contest

Penn State Harrisburg students Christopher Jackson, Jason Jones, and John Seaman placed third in site at the Shippensburg University site of the ACM Regional Programming Contest. Their team, Super Mega Death Worm, competed against more than 20 teams, including from as far away as Washington and Lee in Virginia. Congratulations!

If you are interested in participating in future programming contests, please let Dr. Blum know. Penn State Harrisburg will be holding an individual programming contest and will be sending teams to the Dickinson College contest in the Spring.

IEEEXtreme Programming Contest Recap

Penn State Harrisburg hosted 14 students on five teams competing in the IEEEXtreme 24-hour programming contest. This year more than 4000 undergraduate and graduate students participated in this world-wide contest, held from 8pm (EDT) Friday October 21 until 8 pm Saturday.

Dickinson College sent one team, called TUX, and Penn State Harrisburg (PSH) fielded four teams. The PSH teams included:

• goto made up of David Sagang and Manik Sinha
  
• PSH1 made up of Siddharth Dahiya, Amanda Minner, and Mandeep Singh
  
• SuperMegaDeathWorm made up of Christopher Jackson, Jason Jones, and John Seaman
  
• Voraciously Boolean made up of Tyler Derr, Viplav Patel, and Brad Steinbacher
  

Despite the grueling nature of the contest, students enjoyed the challenge and the camaraderie. You can see photos from the contest on the PSH Math and CompSci Facebook page.

Congratulations go out to all participants who successfully competed in this grueling contest. Special congratulations to Christopher Jackson, Jason Jones, and John Seaman for coming in first out of all of the PSH teams. In addition, David Sagang, Manik Sinha, and Mandeep Singh deserve endurance awards for staying awake throughout the entire contest.

Special thanks to the IEEE Susquehanna Section for providing food for participants, the Math and Computer Science program at PSH for allowing use of their labs, and Prof. Julie Lobur for proctoring the contest during the graveyard shift.

Penn State Harrisburg and IEEE Susquehanna Section to Sponsor IEEE Xtreme 24-Hour Programming Competition Site

Penn State Harrisburg and the IEEE Susquehanna Section are sponsoring a site for the IEEE Xtreme 24-hour Programming Competition. The competition will run from 8pm Friday, October 21st until 8pm Saturday, October 22nd. Funding for food for participants will be graciously provided by the IEEE Susquehanna Section. A description of the contest follows:

"Think you can code? On 22 October 2011 00:00:00 UTC, you can prove it. The IEEEXtreme Programming Competition 5.0, hosted by IEEE, is an innovative global online competition in which you and a team of up to two other IEEE Student Branch members can test your collective coding expertise simultaneously against other student programmers around the world. Solve and win the world's most Xtreme programming challenge and your team will be able to claim ultimate bragging rights, be recognized as some of the world's top up-and-coming programmers, and win an all-expense-paid trip to the IEEE event or conference of the team's choice – anywhere in the world. Other prizes will include cool gear from our sponsors."

If you are an undergraduate or graduate student interested in participating on a team, please contact Jeremy Blum (jjb24@psu.edu). The deadline for registering for the event is October 7.

We also need IEEE Members to help proctor the event. Please contact Jeremy Blum (jjb24@psu.edu) if you are willing to volunteer for part of the contest.

First ACM Club Meeting

The ACM club is the student-run club for students interested in Computer Science-related topics. The first meeting Thursday, September 1st from 12:30 to 1:15 in Olmsted 210W. We will be discussing some upcoming events and other potentials for the year. These events include programming contests, guest speakers, movies, and a club trip.

One event that is coming up quickly is the Silicon Valley Trip with IEEE from November 19-22nd. If you are, or intend to be, a member of the ACM and are interested in going on the trip, please come to the first meeting. There is funding for 10 students from the ACM club to go on this trip. The funding includes plane tickets, tour cost, hotel, and rental cars. You would only be responsible for paying for meals. Currently, the agenda for the trip includes tours of the IBM Museum, the Intel Museum, Stanford University, and potentially several others.

If you have questions about the club, please email Amanda Minner you can e-mail either Amanda Minner (alw5099 (at) psu (dot) edu) or Tyler Derr (tsd5037 (at) psu (dot) edu).

Computer Science-Related Occupations Projected to be Among Fastest Growing

In projections for 2010-2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that demand for Computer Scientists will remain strong. According to the report:

Two of the fastest growing detailed occupations are in the computer specialist occupational group. Network systems and data communications analysts are projected to be the second-fastest-growing occupation in the economy. Demand for these workers will increase as organizations continue to upgrade their information technology capacity and incorporate the newest technologies. The growing reliance on wireless networks will result in a need for more network systems and data communications analysts as well. Computer applications software engineers also are expected to grow rapidly from 2008 to 2018. Expanding Internet technologies have spurred demand for these workers, who can develop Internet, intranet, and Web applications.

The top twenty fastest growing occupations are listed in the table below:

Table 1. Occupations with the fastest growth

Occupations	Percent change	Number of new jobs (in thousands)	Wages (May 2008 median)	Education/training category
Biomedical engineers	72	11.6	$ 77,400	Bachelor's degree
Network systems and data communications analysts	53	155.8	71,100	Bachelor's degree
Home health aides	50	460.9	20,460	Short-term on-the-job training
Personal and home care aides	46	375.8	19,180	Short-term on-the-job training
Financial examiners	41	11.1	70,930	Bachelor's degree
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists	40	44.2	72,590	Doctoral degree
Physician assistants	39	29.2	81,230	Master's degree
Skin care specialists	38	14.7	28,730	Postsecondary vocational award
Biochemists and biophysicists	37	8.7	82,840	Doctoral degree
Athletic trainers	37	6.0	39,640	Bachelor's degree
Physical therapist aides	36	16.7	23,760	Short-term on-the-job training
Dental hygienists	36	62.9	66,570	Associate degree
Veterinary technologists and technicians	36	28.5	28,900	Associate degree
Dental assistants	36	105.6	32,380	Moderate-term on-the-job training
Computer software engineers, applications	34	175.1	85,430	Bachelor's degree
Medical assistants	34	163.9	28,300	Moderate-term on-the-job training
Physical therapist assistants	33	21.2	46,140	Associate degree
Veterinarians	33	19.7	79,050	First professional degree
Self-enrichment education teachers	32	81.3	35,720	Work experience in a related occupation
Compliance officers, except agriculture, construction, health and safety, and transportation	31	80.8	48,890	Long-term on-the-job training
SOURCE: BLS Occupational Employment Statistics and Division of Occupational Outlook

Free Tour of Silicon Valley for ACM Club Members

The ACM Club is taking a trip to Silicon Valley next year on November 18-20th (the weekend at the beginning of Thanksgiving break). There is funding for 10 students from the ACM club to go on this trip. The funding includes plane tickets, tour cost, hotel, and rental cars. Students would only be responsible for paying for their meals. Currently, the agenda for the trip includes tours of the IBM Museum, the Intel Museum, Stanford University, and potentially one or more tours of a Silicon Valley company.

If you will be a student next Fall, and you are interested in participating in this tour and/or getting more involved in the ACM club, please contact Dr. Blum. The ACM club also sponsors teams at local programming contests and guest speakers.

Erik Becker and Khizra Hussain Honored at Student Awards Ceremony

Graduating seniors Erik Becker and Khizra Hussain were honored at Penn State Harrisburg's Student Awards Ceremony on April 15, 2011.

Erik Becker received the Computer Science Outstanding Student Award for overall academic performance.

Khizra Hussain was called to the podium multiple times, receiving three different awards:

• The Mathematical Sciences Outstanding Student Award for overall academic performance.
  
• The Kappa Delta Pi Excellence in Education Award (Secondary). This excellence award for education majors is sponsored by the Sigma Alpha Chapter, and is presented to seniors of a graduating class who have excelled in their program of study. Selected individuals are nominated by faculty for their commitment to education, ethics, professionalism, and academic performance.
  
• The Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award, to recognize Penn State Harrisburg students whose outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership, and citizenship have been directed into programs and services that have positively influenced fellow students and have contributed to the prestige and well-being of the campus, and hence, to the reputation of the University as a whole.
  

Academic Perspective on Current Events: Location-Based Social Networking: The Pros and Cons of Sharing

Penn State Harrisburg Presents:

Academic Perspective on Current Events: Location-Based Social Networking: The Pros and Cons of Sharing

Overview: New forms of real-time information sharing via social networks such as Facebook and location-based services such as Foursquare mesh private and public information on individuals in ways that are both beneficial and harmful. Recent trends indicate that more individuals are voluntarily sharing personal information, tracking their location, and forming new associations. However, they do so without considering the personal privacy and security implications. This panel will discuss the personal benefits of sharing location-based information, the personal and security implications of oversharing, and strategies to improve locational privacy and personal security.

Moderator: Roderick L. Lee, Assistant Professor of Information Systems, Penn State Harrisburg

Panelists:

• Heng Xu, Assistant Professor of Information Sciences and Technology, Penn State University
  
• Jeremy J. Blum, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Penn State Harrisburg
  
• Phil Hippensteel, Assistant Professor of Information Systems, Penn State Harrisburg
  

Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Gallery Lounge, Olmsted Bldg.
12:00 – 1:30 pm

******All Are Invited to Attend********

Free Workshop: Developing Video Games for the XBox, Windows, and Windows Phone 7

The ACM club is hosting a hands-on workshop on Video Game Development. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Ever thought "hmm, I wonder how hard it would be to build a video game?" or "man, I have this fantastic idea, but I bet I couldn't make it myself"? You're not alone - and while it is true that developing a successful video game takes a lot of talent and technical know-how, it actually turns out to be not so difficult to get a good introduction to creating your own simple games that can entertain your friends and family. So, we're holding a 3-hour, hands-on workshop to teach you XNA to build games for Xbox 360, Windows and the Windows Phone 7.

Speaker: Lindsay Lindstrom, Academic Developer Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation
Date/Time: Friday, February 25th, 11:00am-2:00pm
Location: Olmsted 15C

Lunch will be provided by Microsoft.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Dr. Jeremy Blum.

Capital Blue Cross VP of Information Technology to Speak about Job Opportunties

Kent Whiting, Vice President of Information Technology of Capital Blue Cross, will be coming to speak on Tuesday, February 15, 12:15, in Olmsted 334E.

The topics of his talk will include:

• What leading technologies should enrolled students and graduates focus on?
  
• Interview preparation/what employers look for.
  
• Full time positions and internship opportunities.
  

FREE Pizza and Drinks will be provided. Open to all students.

The Turn of the Screw: The History and Optimal Design of an Archimedes Screw

Please plan to join us for the talk "The Turn of the Screw: The History and Optimal Design of an Archimedes Screw," given by Dr. Chris Rorres. The talk, which was previously cancelled due to weather, has been rescheduled for:

Venue: TL Building, Room 118
Date: Thursday, February 17th, 6:15-7:15 pm

Abstract

The Archimedes screw is one of the oldest machines still in use today. It is also enjoying a renewed interest because of its proven trouble-free design, its ability to lift wastewater and debris-laden water effectively, and its gentle treatment of aquatic life. In this presentation, Dr. Chris Rorres will give a history of this device from Archimedes' time to the 21st century and also present his research on the design that maximizes the amount of water lifted in each turn of the screw.

About the Speaker

Dr. Rorres is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Drexel University and Lecturer of Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a lifelong student of the life and works of Archimedes and has appeared in many television documentaries explaining Archimedes' discoveries, inventions, and continuing influence. Through his research activities he has continued and extended Archimedes' seminal works on hydrostatics, mechanics, and the Archimedes Screw. His web site on Archimedes, established in 1995, is visited by hundreds of thousands of students and scholars each year.

Image from FCIT.