Welcome Greetings from the CS Chair, Dr. Lynn Stauffer
January 23, 2008

Happy New Year and welcome to the Spring 2008 semester!! We are looking forward to a great semester beginning with classes on Monday, January 28. Here is the latest on what's happening in and around the CS Department:

Spring 2008 enrollment: Overall, CS enrollments look good and there will be no class cancellations (hooray!). We encourage CS students to enroll in additional CS courses and to complete special projects paperwork (CS 495 and CS 497) as soon as possible.

• Don't miss the opportunity to learn about the latest innovations in Computer Security and Malware (CS 340) and Ad-hoc Wireless Sensor Network (CS 385: Kooshesh) - and keep in mind that these courses will strengthen your resume and expand your options upon graduation. Also, if you have met the CS electives requirements for the major, consider taking additional CS electives in the credit/no credit grading mode. This could take the pressure off while allowing you to broaden your CS education.
• One additional CS 101 section was opened and a second additional section will be opened if there is demand.
• The CS 315 lab is in Darwin 28 (not 25) on Tuesdays 1:00-3:50.
• If you have any trouble adding a course, please contact the instructor.
• CS major Grant Joy will be teaching the CS 115W programming workshop.
• Tutors are needed for CS courses. These are paid positions. Go by the Tutorial Center on the first floor of Salazar for more information.

New CS faculty member: We are very pleased to announce that Suzanne Rivoire will be joining our department in the Fall. She is currently completing her PhD in the area of energy efficient computing at Stanford University. There are sure to be many opportunities for undergraduate student research projects in this area. Thank you to the many students who participated and provided valuable feedback in the hiring process.

New Administrative Coordinator (AC): Well, not quite yet. As many of your know, Gayle Walker, our department secretary for the past 15 years retired in December. We hope to welcome our new AC in the very near future. You should see the AC to:

• Obtain an access code to any of the CS lab and research rooms.
• Set up an advising appointment.
• Get answers to just about any question related to the department!

Graduation paperwork: Students planning to graduate this May must have their graduation papers submitted before February 15, 2008. Students planning to graduate in December 2008 should submit their paperwork before the Priority Filing Date (also February 15, 2008) since students who file by the Priority Filing Date will have the benefit of receiving a Graduation Evaluation prior to registering for their final semester. Don't wait to the last minute! See the Admissions & Records graduation page for more information.

CS Program review: The CS Department is completing a comprehensive program review this year. We expect to host an external evaluator early this spring. Watch for announcements regarding the visit and plan to participate in the student feedback sessions.

CS and WICS Clubs: Many exciting events are in the works for the CS and WICS clubs. The popular LAN parties will continue along with movie nights and workshops. The semester will end with the CS Club picnic - another great time for the CS community. The WICS club is working on plans for company tours this spring (the Sun Microsystems tour was a hit!), participating in the Expanding Your Horizons Conference in March and its annual spring party in May. Electing new officers for next year will also be on the agenda late in the semester.

Other highlights for this spring:

• Watch for the Spring 2008 Colloquium poster. There are many interesting speakers visiting us this semester.
• Plans are in the works for a CS Trivia Fest that current students, alumni, and CS faculty in a jeopardy-style contest. A similar event was held several years ago and was a lot of fun for everyone! So watch for updates.
• Dr. Ravikumar is the conference chair for the 13th International Conference on Implementation and Application of Automata to be held in San Francisco in July. Get in touch with Dr. Ravikumar for more information.

I wish you a wonderful semester. If you need anything, please feel welcome to stop by Darwin 116 anytime.

Lynn Stauffer
Professor and Chair
Computer Science Department Sonoma State University