4/11/01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
John McCormick, professor, Department of Computer Science, (319) 273-6056
Gwenne Culpepper, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Although the average individual doesn't realize it, most gadgets that make everyday life simple are run by tiny computers. John McCormick, a professor of computer science at the University of Northern Iowa, explains that everything from vehicles and airplanes to washing machines and microwave ovens is computer driven.
"Hardly anyone knows that the average car has 12 different computers in it," he said. "Even tractors have computers in them, and that makes them easier to use. We now have washers that can calculate the best cycle for removing a certain stain, and microwave ovens that know how long to run in order to cook a certain food. But when you say computer, everyone thinks Internet, not a car or a microwave. In fact, these computers are used 10 to 50 times more often than the Internet is accessed."
McCormick has developed a course to teach about these computers -- called embedded computer systems -- and will display the products of student work during a Golden Spike party at 10:30 a.m., Friday, April 27, in 120 Wright Hall. Attending will be representatives from Maytag Corp., and Rockwell Collins. Both companies have provided $51,500 each toward classroom equipment. In fact, several students in McCormick's class have already been hired by Rockwell Collins, and will start work after graduation in May.
The class is working now to complete the project which consists of three miles of railroad track, and a series of small trains controlled via an embedded computer system. Working in teams, students have written software to run the railroad, adhering to specific requirements. The result is software that can, among other things, detect failure in the system and perform optimal scheduling. One group developed software that will allow users to "box in" a stolen train.
"My students have never been this excited," McCormick said. "And the industry is just as excited."
McCormick said the course is one of only a few like it in the country. The problem has been that the development of embedded computer systems necessitates the convergence of electrical engineering with computer technology, two areas that haven't typically worked together. "There's sort of a gap," he said. "One of the purposes of this project is to bridge that gap. I'm looking to train computer science graduates to work on a team with electrical engineers, so they can understand one another."
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4/11/01
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kate Melloy, organizer of Women in the Arts Week, (319) 266-4312 or <melloyk3658@uni.edu>
Vicki Grimes, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Women's past and present contributions to the arts will be celebrated at the University of Northern Iowa during Women in the Arts Week, Monday, April 16 through Sunday, April 22.
The week's events will begin Monday, April 16, with an "Open Mike Night," from 9 to 11 p.m., at the Vibe CafÈ on College Street, featuring songs, poems and stories celebrating women. The UNI Women's Chorus concert will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, in the Great Hall of the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC). Thursday, April 19, the Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra will perform under the direction of Rebecca Burkhardt, UNI associate professor of music, in the Great Hall of the GBPAC at 7:30 p.m.
Five performances of "The Rose of Treason," a play written by James DeVita and directed by Gretta Berghammer, UNI professor of theatre, will be presented, beginning Thursday, April 19. Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 19-21, and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, in the Strayer-Wood Theatre on the UNI campus.
A panel discussion entitled "Women in the Arts: Trials and Triumphs" will be held in Room 108 of the Communication Arts Center at noon Friday, April 20. Also that evening, at 7:30, a Jazz Band One concert, featuring jazz composer and arranger Maria Schnieder, will be held in the Great Hall of the GBPAC.
Throughout the week, April 16-22, an art exhibit, entitled "Reflections of Women," featuring works by university female student and faculty artists, will be open for viewing in the Center Lobby of the GBPAC.
Sponsors of the week include Sigma Alpha Iota (a women's music fraternity), Phi Mu Alpha (a men's music fraternity), Theta Alpha Phi (a theatre fraternity), Gender Equality Association, the Women's Studies Program and the theatre department.
All events are open to the public. For tickets to "The Rose of Treason" performance call the Strayer-Wood Theatre box office at (319) 273-6382 or online at http://tickets.uni.edu For more information contact Women in the Arts Week organizer, Kate Melloy at (319) 266-4312.
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