CIT Reports Steady Progress on Strategic Plan Objectives
by Lonnie Bentley, department head, Computer and Information Technology
This academic year, the Department of Computer and Information Technology has been very busy pursuing accreditation and its own master's degree program – two strategic commitments tied to our learning goal.
CIT recently completed a self-study and participated in a review by an ABET accreditation team. If accredited, CIT will become the first information technology program in the nation to receive accreditation under ABET's new program guidelines developed specifically for accreditation of IT programs. The CIT Graduate Education Committee was successful in obtaining Purdue Graduate School approval of their pre-proposal for a master's of science in CIT, and it is expected that a full proposal will be submitted for consideration by late spring.
As part of our commitment to the discovery goal, the department has established several areas of research expertise and continues to build the infrastructure needed to support interdisciplinary research. This academic year, CIT faculty have received over $800,000 in total funding from the National Institute of Justice, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Homeland Security, and a number of corporations. Projects have been funded in the areas of computer forensics, networking and security, bioinformatics, health care, and cyberinfrastructure.
Several faculty are also actively involved in numerous engagement efforts including several TAP projects; forensics training and investigations and tool development for the Indiana State Police and National White Collar Crime Center; and software development for Wabash Center. We are extremely excited about our recent $1.2 million gift from IBM of computer equipment that will be used to help the college establish a high-performance computing laboratory providing researchers with the large-scale computational capability needed for computing intensive research.
This is an exciting time to be a part of the College of Technology and collaborate with colleagues to successfully achieve its strategic goals related learning, discovery and engagement.
Student Honors and Activities
The Purdue student chapter of the Association for Operations Management placed fifth out of 18 teams around the Midwest in the 12th annual APICS Region 14 Student Case Competition near Chicago on Feb. 16-17. Six students represented Purdue: Brent Hagan (MET and chapter president), Ashley Dickerson (MET and chapter secretary), Brian Barron (MET), Nick Bressers (ME), Jeff Schindler (ME) and Mike Amaefule (IT). The case involved an insurance company that was having trouble getting its mail sent out and processing claims efficiently. Once the team was presented with the case, they had 12 hours to solve the company's problems. The team members developed a solution, prepared a written document, and made an oral presentation for the judges. Purdue's chapter won $636 for its efforts.
Manufacturing Engineering Technology students hosted a free, half-day workshop in February for high school students and their parents titled "Discovering Automation and Computer Control." The workshop, which is held each semester, attracted 24 high school students with an interest in learning more about computer applications in industry. This is the 12th time the program has been held, and more than 250 students have participated since the program's inception.
The Discovering Automation Workshop takes place in the manufacturing center in Knoy Hall. Hands-on sessions are conducted with students using state-of-the-practice facilities. The workshop is designed to expose high school sophomores, juniors and seniors to the fun, exciting and challenging field of Manufacturing Engineering Technology . Additional information about opportunities in manufacturing and applied automation is presented in a special session for parents.
During spring break, 13 Purdue students participated in a trip to Germany sponsored by the Mechanical Engineering Technology department to study manufacturing in Germany. The trip featured visits to the BMW assembly plant in Munich, the Ayinger Brewery in Aying, and the John Deere Werke in Mannheim.
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Faculty Honors
Michael Menefee, professor of OLS, received the Outstanding Educator Award sponsored by Thompson South-Western to recognize educators who have been identified as outstanding in their teaching and related efforts that contribute to student learning. Menefee is also the Peterson Faculty Fellow of Entrepreneurship at the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. He received the award at the Federation of Business Disciplines annual meeting in San Diego on March 17.
Mark A. Curtis, a professor and director of the College of Technology at South Bend, recently authored the fourth edition of the "Handbook of Dimensional Measurement," published in March through Industrial Press. Curtis also is the author of "Back to Basics: The Symbology Behind GD&T," which was published recently in Fabricating & Metalworking. Details of the book can be found at the Industrial Press Web site.
Terry Burton, associate professor of CGT, and Rick Homkes, associate professor of CIT, were recently honored as Service Learning Faculty Fellows. Each received a $5,000 grant.
CoT Sponsored Research Update
For an updated look at sponsored research activities within the College of Technology, visit the applied research section of the CoT Web site.
CoT News Submission
Report your CoT news through the online reporting form. The next e-newsletter is scheduled for distribution on Monday, April 16. The deadline to submit items for consideration for the April 16 edition is Tuesday, April 10.
ACM SIGGRAPH Spring Show Ticket Sales
Tickets for the spring show and banquet sponsored by ACM SIGGRAPH at Purdue will be on sale through April 6 in the Knoy Hall lobby and the third-floor store in Knoy.
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In the News
Inaugural Technology Week to Focus on Impact of Innovations
The College of Technology is devoting a week to highlight important discoveries and to bring awareness to the pervasive impact of technology in everyday life. Purdue's first Technology Week will be celebrated April 9-13 with the theme, "Celebrating innovation. Imagining possibilities."
"In today's world, technology is all around us, and it's hard to imagine a time without computers, cell phones and a wide array of other inventions that have made our lives easier," said College of Technology Dean Dennis R. Depew. "But technology is much more than inventions. It is the application of those innovations and how they affect society and the economy in positive ways.
"Catching cyber criminals, sharing research data through advanced databases and conducting airport noise mitigation studies are all part of the technology umbrella, and we are proud to be able to take a week to shine the spotlight on the important work being done in the many areas of technology at Purdue."
Emily Stover DeRocco, assistant secretary for the Employment and Training Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor, will give the keynote address for the Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series on April 10. Her talk, titled "Maintaining America's Competitiveness in the 21st Century Global Economy: WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development)," will be from 3:00 to 4:15 p.m. in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall. A question-and-answer session will follow.
DeRocco will speak on the role that technology plays in society, the federal government's role in strengthening and enhancing work force development, and how educational institutions can work in partnership with regional, state and federal governments to ensure competitiveness in advanced manufacturing.
The week will kick off with a blood drive in which each of the college's eight departments will compete against each other. Anyone can donate blood and can specify which department will be credited with the donation. The blood drive will be held in two locations: Noon to 4 p.m. April 9 and 10 at Knoy Hall, Rooms 256 and 259, and noon to 5 p.m. April 11 at the Purdue Airport's Hangar 1.
At the Knoy blood drive location, there will be a poster display illustrating the College of Technology's impact on the health-care industry.
On April 11, the Department of Building Construction Management will celebrate its 40th anniversary and its founder, D. Dorsey Moss, at an invitation-only dinner and reception at the Buchanan Club of Ross-Ade Pavilion. During the event, Moss will be recognized with the creation of the Dorsey Moss Future of Building Construction Management Technology endowment to fund scholarships and other needs in the department.
Also on April 11, Project Lead the Way teachers from around the state will tour the campus and attend a luncheon in the east and west faculty lounges of the Purdue Memorial Union.
On April 12, noon to 4 p.m. on the Engineering Mall, the Purdue student chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques is holding a "computer smash" called Anger Management 101. Participants can pay $1 per 15 seconds up to one minute to take swings with a sledgehammer at computer equipment provided from Purdue salvage. Proceeds will go toward the student organization.
A complete list of events can be found at www.purdue.edu/techweek
OLS graduate, father 'on the road to stardom'
Mike and Morgan Alsop could drive their way to reality television stardom. The Lafayette father and daughter are one of the teams competing in Spike TV's latest original program, Bull Run. It's like Survivor on speed. Twelve souped-up, tricked-out cars participate in a rally full of challenges and prizes. Teams that lag behind too far go home. The Survivor aspect goes to the cars. The Alsops used Morgan's 2002 Pontiac Trans Am for the 4,800-mile journey.
"We blew the transmission line at 7,000 feet elevation, broke the brake line, crashed the car, ran into stuff," recalled Mike Alsop, a general manager at Mike Raisor Auto Group.
Morgan graduated in December with a bachelor's degree in organizational leadership and supervision. More Info.
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