{"id":183,"date":"2011-10-20T14:03:14","date_gmt":"2011-10-20T18:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/?page_id=183"},"modified":"2017-06-29T17:01:47","modified_gmt":"2017-06-29T21:01:47","slug":"newsletter-for-winter-2007","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/archive\/bu-computing-alumni-network\/newletters-address\/newsletter-for-winter-2007\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletter for Winter 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>In this issue&#8230;<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#FromChair\"> Message from the Chair<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#FromChair\"> <\/a><a href=\"#Congrats\"> Congratulations and Welcome BU\/CS Class of 2007<\/a><a href=\"#Congrats\"> <\/a><\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"#AlumniAward\"> Nominations Sought for BU\/CS Distinguished Alumni  \t\tAward<\/a><\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"#CSconnections\"> CS Connections Brings  \t\tCareer Opportunities to CS Students and Alumni<\/a><\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"#REA\"> Research Excellence Awards for 2007 Announced<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#CRI\"> Department Hosts NSF Workshop on National Research  \t\tInfrastructures<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Mark Your Calendar for \t\t<a href=\"#ResearchDay\"> IAP Research Day on March 19, 2008<\/a><\/li>\n<li> Join BUCAN on Facebook!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Facebook\"> Department Holiday Party Held at The Castle!<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/CAN\/newsletters\/pics\/sclaroff.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" hspace=\"16\" vspace=\"16\" width=\"116\" height=\"150\" align=\"right\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><a name=\"FromChair\"><\/a>Message from the Chair<\/h3>\n<p>Dear alumni, students, and friends,<\/p>\n<p>Greetings from the Boston University Department of  \tComputer Science. The snow is falling, exams are (finally) over, and our  \tstudents, faculty, and staff are leaving campus for a well-deserved winter  \tbreak.<\/p>\n<p>2007 has been a productive and exciting year.<\/p>\n<p>Warm-hearted congratulations to all the students who  \tcompleted their degrees in Computer Science during 2007! We wish everyone  \tthe best of luck as you embark for life beyond BU. Congratulations also go  \tto three of our current CS undergraduates, Steven Li, Guyomar Louise Pillai,  \tand Varnit Kothari, who were awarded scholarships from Transition Consulting  \tLimited this fall.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;d like to convey kudos to Professors Hongwei Xi and Leo  \tReyzin, who both received tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate  \tProfessor in September. And special recognition and gratitude goes to  \tProfessor Azer Bestavros, who enthusiastically led our department for seven  \tyears, and has accomplished so much during that time.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Computer Science continues to be &#8220;lean  \tand mean.&#8221; During the past year, the faculty and students energetically  \tpursued both scholarly and research activities. \t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/misc\/news\/2007-01-10.CStop10.pdf\"> The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked our  \tdepartment 7th in the nation last year, in terms of the faculty scholarly  \tproductivity.<\/a> In 2007 CS faculty members were awarded eight new  \tresearch grants, totaling $2.4M. In addition, the faculty continued their  \tinvolvement in a range of cross-disciplinary grants, including a new $2M  \tgrant for research in sensor networks with the Center for Information and  \tSystems Engineering.<\/p>\n<p>Also in 2007, our department launched a number of new  \tcourses, including an introductory course for non-majors in Databases and  \tData Analysis, as well as upper-level courses in Machine Learning, Data  \tMining, Algorithmic Aspects of Networks, and Computer Network Security. And  \tsince its inception three years ago, the interdepartmental Center for  \tReliable Information Systems and Cyber Security (RISCS) has continued to  \tgrow in prominence, as a designated National Center for Academic Excellence  \tin Information Assurance Education.<\/p>\n<p>This year we launched a couple of initiatives that may be  \tof interest to alumni: the CS Connections program and the Alumni  \tDistinguished Award. Details of these initiatives are provided later in this  \tnewsletter. We welcome your participation.<\/p>\n<p>Please stay in touch; we would love to hear from you.<\/p>\n<p>With best wishes for a happy and healthy 2008,<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/CAN\/newsletters\/pics\/stan.gif\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" width=\"82\" height=\"77\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Stan Sclaroff, Chair<br \/>\nComputer Science Department<br \/>\nBoston University<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a name=\"Congrats\"><\/a>Congratulations and Welcome BU\/CS Class of 2007!<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/CAN\/newsletters\/pics\/2007-05-20.Xmas.JPG\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\" hspace=\"16\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"244\" height=\"178\" align=\"right\" \/>The  \t2007 CS Convocation ceremonies reflected the many achievements of the class  \tof 2007. The ceremonies were held on May 20th in the College of Fine Arts  \tAuditorium and featured very well-received speeches: a strong student speech  \tby Matt Coles (CAS&#8217;07) and an inspiring convocation address by Dr. Anukool  \tLakhina.<\/p>\n<p>In his speech, Matt Coles, our student speaker, who  \tjoined Google in New York City emphasized the importance of the basic and  \tfundamental education that he received in the Department &#8212; education that  \the noted to be in the best traditions of the liberal arts. Anukool Lakhina,  \tBU\/CS Class of 2001, is Founder and President of Guavus, Inc., a network  \tdata mining startup. Anukool founded Guavus in 2006 to commercialize  \tresearch that he completed as part of his PhD in Computer Science at Boston  \tUniversity, under Mark Crovella.<\/p>\n<p>Three students were presented with excellence awards  \tduring the convocation in May 2007. The Computer Science Department&#8217;s  \tAcademic Achievement Awards were presented to Lukas Lepicovsky and Kyle  \tOlszewski. Maria Shugrina won the College Prize for Excellence in Computer  \tScience for her academic achievements. Three of our graduating senior  \tstudents have been elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa by the Epsilon of  \tMassachusetts Chapter at Boston University, in recognition of their high  \tlevel of scholarship and academic achievements. They are: Lukas Lepicovsky,  \tKyle Olszewski and Maria Shugrina..<\/p>\n<p>Congratulations to all members of the BUCS Class of 2007!  \tPictures from the convocation exercises are available from \t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/misc\/Graduation2007\/\"> http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/misc\/Graduation2007\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a name=\"AlumniAward\"><\/a>Nominations Sought for BU\/CS Distinguished  \tAlumni Award<\/h3>\n<p>To recognize the many achievements of its alumni, the CS Department  \tis pleased to announce the establishment of the CS Distinguished Alumni Award  \tto be given annually to a CS alumnus or alumna who has excelled in his or  \ther professional career. The winner of the first CS Distinguished Alumni  \tAward will be announced in the Spring of 2008, as the Department begins its  \t25th anniversary celebrations throughout 2008\/09.<\/p>\n<p>All alumni are invited to submit nominations for the  \taward. Nominations will be accepted via email sent to \t<a href=\"mailto:bucan-owner@cs.bu.edu\"> bucan-owner@cs.bu.edu<\/a>, or using a web interface soon to be  \taccessible through the BUCAN web site. A nomination must include current  \tcontact information for both the nominator and nominee, and a short (1-2  \tparagraph) justification. Self nominations are welcome.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a name=\"CSconnections\"><\/a>CS Connections Brings Career Opportunities  \tto CS Students and Alumni<\/h3>\n<p>This Fall, the CS Department launched the CS Connections  \tprogram which is designed to facilitate communication between our students  \tand potential employers. Over the years, we have been contacted by many  \tpotential employers; the CS Connections program is intended to provide a  \tcentral organization of such contacts about job and internship opportunities  \tfor our students. Students may join the mailing lists and view archived  \topportunities as well as attend events starting in spring 2008 to learn more  \tabout the companies and distribute their resume. We welcome you to \t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/engage\/corporate\/cs-connections\/\"> check out more about CS Connections.<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/CAN\/newsletters\/pics\/2007-12-20.WangResearch.jpg\" alt=\"fissure segmentation framework\" hspace=\"16\" vspace=\"8\" width=\"223\" height=\"170\" align=\"right\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><a name=\"REA\"><\/a>Research Excellence      Awards for 2007 Announced<\/h3>\n<p>The BU\/CS Research Excellence Award was established to  \trecognize Ph.D. students who have produced outstanding research results over  \tthe course of their careers at Boston University. For 2007, Jingbin Wang won  \tthe award.  Quoting from the citation for the award: <em>&#8220;Jingbin has  \tshown excellent taste in selecting or defining the tough problems that are  \tcentral in his field. His algorithms are not only theoretically interesting,  \tbut also solve important practical tasks.&#8221;<\/em> Problems that Jingbin worked  \ton are important for a number of applications ranging from the design of  \tseamless human-computer interfaces to the effective diagnosis of lung cancer  \tusing computed tomography (shown). Commenting on Jingbin&#8217;s achievements, his  \tadvisor Margrit Betke notes that <em>&#8220;Jingbin&#8217;s most important strength as a  \tcomputer scientist is his enormous creativity. This is not some innate,  \tabsolute characteristic, but is connected with his respect for and curiosity  \tabout the contributions of other scientists, and his hard work,  \tresourcefulness, and motivation. And a wonderful sense of humor.&#8221; <\/em> Jingbin defended his PhD thesis in the Spring of 2007 and has since joined  \tGoogle in Mountain View, CA.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, the Department is funding REA awards through      discretionary funds available to individual faculty members. Suggestions for      other means to support this initiative are welcome! For more information on the REA awards, please refer to     <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/phd-program\/computer-science-fellowship-opportunities\/research-excellence-award\/\"> this link.<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a name=\"CRI\"><\/a>Department Hosts  \tNSF Workshop on Research Infrastructures<\/h3>\n<p>On June 4th and 5th of 2007, the CS Department hosted a  \tnational workshop on Computing Research Infrastructures (CRI) sponsored by  \tthe NSF. The workshop was by invitation only and attracted over 150 PIs from  \talmost every corner of the US. A number of NSF officers have also  \tparticipated in the meeting. Our department hosted this event as we were  \trecipients in 2002 of a $1.6M research infrastructure award to set up a  \tvideo sensor network (the Sensorium), which was &#8220;on display&#8221; throughout the  \tevent. President Brown delivered the meeting&#8217;s opening remarks, in which he  \tunderscored the changing infrastructural needs of computer scientists, and  \tstressed the importance of federal support of experimental infrastructures  \tfor CS research and the transformative effect of such support on the  \tresearch careers of faculty members, allowing up-and-coming departments to  \trealize their ambitions. President Brown used our department &#8212; which has  \treceived two CRI awards in a row, allowing it to build up its presence in  \tapplied computer science &#8212; as a case in point. Provost Campbell introduced  \tthe workshop&#8217;s plenary speaker, Ed Lazowska, a preeminent computer scientist  \tfrom the U of Washington, who gave an inspiring talk about the bright future  \tof CS research. A number of faculty members from the Department participated  \tactively in the workshop, with Margrit Betke and Azer Bestavros making a  \tpresentation about Sensorium projects, and Ibrahim Matta leading a breakout  \tsession on urban mesh networks and the possibilities and opportunities for  \tnetworking research atop these networks. For more details on the workshop,  \tplease refer to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/NSF-CRI07\/\"> http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/NSF-CRI07\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a name=\"ResearchDay\"><\/a>Mark Your Calendar for IAP Research Day on  \tMarch 19, 2008<\/h3>\n<p>On Wednesday March 19, 2008, our department will be      holding its 8th Annual Industrial Affiliates Program (IAP) Research Day.      This is an opportunity for our students to show off results from their      research work and to get feedback from a broad audience. More importantly,      it is a wonderful opportunity for members of our larger      community&#8212;including alumni of the Department&#8212;to get acquainted with the      various research projects undertaken by members of our faculty.<\/p>\n<p>The main event in our IAP Research Day is a Poster      Session, which will be held in the CS Research Lab from 10:00am to 2:00pm      (with Lunch served at 12:30pm). During this poster session, attendees are      invited to walk through the lab, browse through the dozens of posters on      display, listen to on-demand brief presentations and demonstrations by      graduate students, and chat with faculty members. The format of the Poster      Session is intentionally flexible and informal to accommodate the wide      interests and time constraints of our guests, who are welcome to come for      any part of the session (noting that the period from 1:00pm-2:00pm will also      be open to undergraduate students of our department). A list of poster      abstracts will be available form the IAP program web page.<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/IAP\/ResearchDay2004\"> <\/a><\/p>\n<p>Please let us know if you will be able to attend by      sending an email to     <a href=\"mailto:iap-l-owner@cs.bu.edu?subject=RSVP%20for%20IAP%20Research%20Day%202008\"> iap-l-owner@cs.bu.edu<\/a>. For more information      on our IAP program, please refer to: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/engage\/corporate\/\"> Industrial Affiliates Program<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a name=\"Facebook\"><\/a>Join BUCAN on  \tFacebook!<\/h3>\n<p>Interested in connecting with fellow CS alumni?  \tInterested in getting updates about departmental events and activities? With  \tsocial networking, it&#8217;s now easier than ever! Just join the BUCAN group on  \tFacebook at  http:\/\/bu.facebook.com\/group.php?gid=8070122974 and spread the word!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a name=\"Xmas\"><\/a>Department      Holiday Party Held at The Castle!<img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/CAN\/newsletters\/pics\/2007-12-12.Xmas.JPG\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Xmas.020.JPG\" hspace=\"16\" width=\"200\" height=\"150\" align=\"right\" \/><\/h3>\n<p>The BU\/CS Department faculty and students were treated to  \tan end-of-semester party at the BU Castle on December 12th. With family and  \tfriends we celebrated the end of a wonderful year with many successes that  \tmade us all proud! It was a blast!<\/p>\n<p>Pictures and special moments from this event are available      on the Web at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/misc\/Albums.html\"> http:\/\/www.cs.bu.edu\/misc\/Albums.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this issue&#8230; Message from the Chair Congratulations and Welcome BU\/CS Class of 2007 Nominations Sought for BU\/CS Distinguished Alumni Award CS Connections Brings Career Opportunities to CS Students and Alumni Research Excellence Awards for 2007 Announced Department Hosts NSF Workshop on National Research Infrastructures Mark Your Calendar for IAP Research Day on March 19, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4378,"featured_media":0,"parent":169,"menu_order":7,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4378"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10665,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/183\/revisions\/10665"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}