Professional Documents
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How We Ignited The Fire: Academics Follow Up
How We Ignited The Fire: Academics Follow Up
The FIREwall is an idea that was ini- Several academic concerns were raised
tially thought to be used as a tool for by the students during the Town Hall
informing the college about the recent held by the UCouncil last Spring and
updates regarding academics, technol- many more have been brought to our
ogy and facilities. The newsletter was attention recently. As Academics Chair
to include event coverage for all the stu- for the UCouncil, I have followed up
dent organizations and have computing with Associate Dean Charles Isbell re-
related entertainment. After getting a Editors: Mansi Sharma and Ajai Karthikeyan at work
garding these issues and he is currently
tremendous amount of support and en- working to resolve them.
couragement, we are proud to present to mented by ENTERTAINMENT in the
you, the FIREwall! form of whatever you want! The first major concern raised by the
students was with regards to scheduling
This newspaper shall take and give The journey towards making the FIRE- whereby there seemed to be an uneven
FEEDBACK about any topic of rel- wall happen was initiated by Mansi distribution of classes with regards to
evance in the College of Computing. It Sharma, a third year CS major. Ajai MWF or TR and also in timing with a
shall INFORM you about all the events Karthikeyan, a second year CS major, majority of the classes be sceduled for
in the college and REPRESENT its en- arrived next having had previous experi- Tuesday/Thursday afternoons. Dean Is-
tire student body. Last but not the least, ence in journalism. Terris Johnson, a bell said that the administration was
all this serious material will be compli- continued Pg. 3; FIREWALL continued Pg. 9; ACADEMICS
And here are their responses! 3. An eagle, so I could fly above Atlan- 3. I already am an animal.
ta’s traffic. continued Pg. 5; WHO’S WHO
2 - October 17, 2008 NEWS
To Freshmen, From Seniors the work force, research and work ex-
By Victoria Au cially. Being social introduces a balance perience are important assets to your
between work and play; which leads to resume. Besides giving a boost ahead
The beginning of a new school year less of a burn out from all night coding of other candidates, it shows employ-
brings in a flood of new talent, better sessions( current known record is 34 ers that there is an initiative to do more
known as freshmen. This talent, al- hours). than what is required. For work oppor-
though raw, merits some attention and tunities, be aware of upcoming career
this article is dedicated to aiding them The best way to be socially active is to be fairs and such through the CareerBuzz
through their college experience and to around people; this includes joining an website. Besides those resources, look
ensure them a successful four, five, six organization, going to events or taking into the Co-Op Program which inter-
or seven years at Georgia Tech. an options class. Advertising for options weaves three semesters of work into four
classes and organizations often happen years of school. Research is a popular
As the ones with the most experience, at the beginning of each semester. Most option with many Georgia Tech stu-
CoC seniors were asked to provide options classes have a deadline for reg- dents and CoC students should look at
some counsel for Computer Science istration but fortunately, most organiza- UROC (Undergraduate Research Op-
and Computational Media first years. tions are happy to accept members any portunities in Computing); the research
Much of the advice was academically re- time of the year. Events happen through- program devoted to computing.
lated; Antonio Salazar(CS) recommends out the school year and it is helpful to
that you, “Take classes you need early so keep an eye out for any flyers or chalk- College will be one of the best chapters
you can take classes you like later.” while ings that might be in the area. of your life and while Georgia Tech is
Matt Gwaltney (CS) says, “Get to know an institution of academia, it does have
the advisors.” Some seniors offer more Vinutha Prabhakar (CS) says “Try to other things to offer. If you’re not sure
specific advice for classes. Donna Yoo meet as many people as you can. Make what you are passionate about, join
(CS) encourages you to “Take Morley a lot of connections!” Networking is some extracurricular activities because
for Combo. Take Morley for any class- one of the most important things that the time to discover that is now. Chal-
es he teaches if possible”, while Carlos one can do. Make acquaintances and lenge yourself because after you leave,
Rios (CM) says, “For CM, I suggest User build relationships; you never know you might not have that chance. Dare to
Interface Design as a CS specialty course when you’ll need them. In the vein of push yourself further and do something
because it deals with both visual and in- professional development, Johannes different but also know your limits. At
teractive design, which is relevant to our Liem (CS) recommends that students the end of your undergraduate years, I
major.” When dealing with academics should “Start researching or working hope you would have found your life’s
it is important to be aware of degree re- early.” Whether you are heading off to direction. Good luck and have a great
quirements and where they are located. graduate school or jumping right into first year.
Our academic advisors (Kathy Earwood
and Cathy Dunnahoo) are very helpful
and are located in CCB 119 and 115 re-
spectively. Other resources regarding ac-
ademics include the Georgia Tech cata-
log, Oscar and the SGA course critique;
all of which can be found online.
2. It is never boring
Alicia Richhart and I am always chal-
Program Coordinator
lenged.
3. Tigger (not tiger TI double G err).
TECHNOLOGY October 17, 2008 - 7
Internet Radio And tling with, ‘What is a sale?’ -- whether
that’s 99-cent singles, or CDs, or what-
Mac and PC. The release eclipses the
less-than-two-year lifespan of Adobe Cre-
RIAA Seek Agreement ever. As the retail impact [of Net ra- ative Suite 3.,.
By Terris Johnson dio] becomes better known. I hope the
RIAA will start to be able to recognize Adobe is marketing six software bundles
On September 25, 2008 Congress pre- a friend.” catered to specific disciplines of media
pared to amend section 114 of title 17, production-- Creative Suite 4 Web (pre-
United States Code, to provide for agree- Due to a shakey history with internet mium, standard) for web designers,
ments for the reproduction of sound re- music piracy, the Recording Industry Creative Suite 4 Design (premium, stan-
cordings by webcasters. The agreement Association of American has a distorted dard) for print artists, and Creative Suite
was formed from rising concerns of view on internet radio and interacitve 4 Production Premium for video and
Webcasters in regards to steep copyright nature. “The perception of RIAA is that film producers, and the Creative Suite
royalty charges by music artists and re- interactivity equals cannibalism. But the 4 Master Collection, which includes all
cord labels. Unlike AM, FM and Satel- only thing that should matter is data thirteen Adobe applications.
lite Radio, which pay no performance around purchase habits.” Webcasters
royalties for playing music from record are looking forward to seeing the legisla- New features include a streamlined user
labels; Internet radio services have had tion pass in hopes of developing a new interface shared between all of the ap-
to pay royalty rates that risk putting the business model that supports artists, re- plications, Multitouch controls for Ma-
internet services out of business- these cord labels, and Internet radio. cintosh, 3-D rotation in Flash CS4, the
rates had increased due to the Copyright ability to create interactive documents
Review Board’s ruling in March 2007. Adobe Launches in InDesign CS4 for use in Flash CS4,
amongst a myriad of other features.
The new rates were especially taxing to
unpaid Internet radio services like Pan-
Creative Suite 4 Adobe Creative Suite 4 is in production
dora (Music Genome Project) which are By Terris Johnson and should be available for retail within
not generating subscription-based in- the next few weeks-- you can pre-order
come that could support the increased On Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008, Adobe any of the editions on Adobe.com
charges. Pandora’s Tim Westergren president and CEO Shantanu Narayen
Please submit articles for the Technology sec-
states, “The industry right now is wres- announced Adobe Creative Suite 4 for tion to ccfirewall@gmail.com
8 - October 17, 2008 SPOTLIGHT
It is beyond inspiring to be in a place ranging from technical to outreach and was held in Orlando, Florida. The spon-
with only women who have made tre- international development. Friday was sor party was hosted at Universal City
mendous differences in their field, rang- by far the best day for me because be- Walk. What more could you want when
ing from academia to research. It was ing very passionate about international the party had taken up three-fourth of
also the best time to find out informa- development work for women and chil- the City walk? It was a mix of Disney
tion about other schools for those who dren, I attended two workshops on these life with Grace Hopper, truly brilliant!
wish to pursue higher education. The topics. I chatted with few great women However, this year’s party was supposed
women that I connected with have had who work in top companies such as to be held at the Lake side at Keystone,
a huge influence on me in regards to the Cisco, Intel and QualComm, and they but because of the weather, they held it
in a ballroom. Regardless of the loca-
Successful Fall 2008 tion, it was still fun hanging out with
fellow classmates. If you get a chance, go
Women@CC Kick-Off to Grace Hopper, you will definitely be
inspired, just as I was!
On September 10 2008, the Women@
CC kicked off this school year with a de-
licious dinner at Figo's Pasta, sponsored
New Women@CC Website!
by Avanade. Thank you to everyone
Thanks to two of Georgia Tech's under-
that came! Over 20 women attended
graduate computing majors, Sweta Vajj-
the event, and it provided the return-
hala and Steph Yang, the Women@CC
ing women to catch up with each other,
have a new and improved website! This
while also meeting some of the newer,
website features the organizations events,
younger women. Jesselyn Beattie of Ava-
news, photo galleries, corporate spon-
nade also gave an enjoyable talk about
sors, alumni information, a blog, and
IT consulting in the real world. All in
so much more. Check it out! You can
all, it was a success, and the Women@
find it at www.cc.gatech.edu/women
CC look forward to their next big event:
Spooktacular!
M@CC October 17, 2008 - 11
M@CC is B@CK
By Michael Slaughter
On Wednesday the 8th, M@CC and to music and playing classic games such 6PM) in which students from all lev-
the Student Activities Board @ The as Uno, Scrabble and Apples 2 Apples. els, graduate and undergraduate, come
College of Computing (SAB@CC) held Over 30 computing students came out together to work on computer science
the first ever “M@CC ‘n’ Mingle Game and made this event a great success. homework and projects in a relaxed
Night”. Attendees snacked on wonder- environment that offers free food. The
ful dips, chips, salsas and baked goods Thursday, M@CC held their weekly col- open collaborative study sessions, which
in a relaxed environment while listening laborative study session (Klaus 1202, are one of M@CC’s trademark events,
are extremely productive and are appre-
ciated by all.
ACM Corner
By Roger Pincombe
We also host the completely free anime 3rd Showing: Wednesday October 29th,
and gaming convention, MomoCon, 2008 6PM in Klaus 1456
ESP October 17, 2008 - 15
(ESP) is a student organization dedicat- Meetings: Every Thursday, 6:30 PM, Klaus 1443
ed to the creation and enjoyment of en-
tertainment software. We hold weekly
Drop Day Party: Oct. 10th, 6:30 PM, Student Center 343
meetings where members are free to re-
lax, discuss the game industry, and col-
laborate on game development projects. Murder Mystery: Oct. 31, 6:00 PM, College of Computing
We also organize parties, tournaments,
and many other events for our members
and the entire student community. Smash Bros. Tournament: Coming In November
Don’t worry about coming in with a cer-
tain skill level; there’s plenty of opportu- Games Showcase: Coming In December
nities to get involved regardless of how
much prior experience you have. If you
just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy
everything ESP has to offer, that’s fine For more information, visit our website at
by us as well. As long as you’re having a http://cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/esp
good time, you’re set!
16 - October 17, 2008 UCOUNCIL
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Please drop this survey into the suggestion box found in the CoC Commons next to Dean Foley’s picture