Illinois Tech ACM-W members at the Anita Borg Conference.

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is the oldest and broadest professional society for those of us in the computing professions. We just concluded the Annual Conference of the ACM Special Interest Group for Information Technology Education (ACM SIGITE 2020) where ITM faculty and students presented nine papers and posters. Participation in ACM “offers critical benefits that empower computing students who are committed to self-improvement and success in their chosen fields” as well as opportunities to network, learn, and grow. For a limited time, ACM is offering FREE one-year student memberships! (Student membership is usually $19.) Benefits of membership include:

• Communications of the ACM – the trusted source for computing professionals, features emerging technologies, IT trends, news, opinion, research and practical applications
• XRDS – published by and for students – featuring research highlights, opinions, upcoming events, and grant/funding opportunities
• Custom collection of online books, videos and courses by SkillSoft covering the most in-demand skills, software, and technologies for computing professionals
• ACM TechTalks – webinars featuring the most sought-after speakers on today’s hottest computing topics
• ACM ByteCast – podcast conversations with researchers, practitioners, and innovators who are at the intersection of computing research and practice
• And many more

So do it! Join today at https://www.acm.org/studentjoin. It’s free for a year. And while you’re at it, interact with your fellow Illinois Tech ACM members through one of our ACM student chapters: Illinois Tech ACM and Illinois Tech Association for Computing Machinery-Women (ACM-W). For more information on ACM student membership, see their brochure at https://itm.iit.edu/data/ACM-brochure-student.pdf.

Student Membership in the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) is now free since their merger with CompTIA. Among the significant benefits provided to student members is 33% to 60% savings on CompTIA exam vouchers & training products, but there are many more including great networking opportunities. Chicago has one of the largest AITP Chapters in the country and is very active. This costs NOTHING and every ITM student should sign up for their free student membership at https://www.aitp.org/join-now/Register/Student/ and then sign onto the Chicago Chapter email list at https://aitpchicago.com/membership/join-aitp-mailing-list-only/.

A major concern in our industry over the last few years has been the declining number of women in the computing fields. IT is not like other industries where there is a “glass ceiling”, a level above which women cannot rise: there are numerous examples of women CIOs in Chicago alone, including the former CIO of Boeing Corporation Kim Hammonds, now Global Chief Operating Officer of Deutsche Bank AG. And of course there’s Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, and Megan Smith, CTO of the United States. But we understand that it is difficult being female in a male-majority industry. Our department is strongly committed to doing everything we can to reduce this gender imbalance and to ensure that every student in our program is successful. Because this is a serious concern, I wanted to take an opportunity to share some resources to support women in IT. And guys: you should at least read the articles so you can begin to understand why this is an issue. Read more…

The 17th Annual Conference on Information Technology Education (SIGITE) and the 5th Annual Research in IT Conference (RIIT) will be hosted by University of Massachusetts Boston September 28 – October 1, 2016. The conferences will take place at the Hilton Boston Back Bay at 40 Dalton St near Fenway Park. Both conferences are sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Group of Information Technology Education (SIGITE)and the theme of both conferences is “Securing the Future”. More student papers from IIT have been presented at RIIT than from any other institution, and 50% of the “Best Paper” awards have gone to IIT students or faculty. ITM students won “Best Paper” in 2014. See the full Call for Participation at http://sigite.hosting.acm.org/sigite2016/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/SIGITE2016CfP.pdf and start tweaking your best research papers for sumission!

We need students to help with the 2015 ACM Special Interest Group in IT Education (SIGITE)/Research in Information Technology (RIIT) Annual Conference, September 30th through October 3rd. The Conference location is at DePaul University in the loop, on the eighth floor of the DePaul Center at 1 E. Jackson Blvd. This is an 8-minute ride on the Green Line, getting off at Adams & Wabash.

SIGITE is the leading academic conference in the information technology field. IIT School of Applied Technology is a Platinum Sponsor for this year’s Conference and we have three student research papers being presented. We would really like to see IIT ITM well represented in pokies this effort. For additional details and to sign up to volunteer, please go to http://www.itm.iit.edu/SIGITE15 .

Thanks! We know we can rely on ITM students to pitch in and show DePaul how committed we are!

During this interactive seminar, Verizon Smart Cities specialists and strategic solutions providers demonstrated how the “Internet of Things” can make a positive impact on the future of Chicago and its surrounding communities to increase economic growth through sustainability, enhance safety and security, and improve operational efficiencies.

Industry Associate Professor Jeremy Hajek joined an exciting line-up of local guests and speakers for a panel discussion. Included on the panel:

Daniel Burrus
Futurist, Technology Strategist, and Trends Forecaster, and New York Times bestselling author

Michael Jasso
Bureau Chief of Economic Development, Cook County

Simona Rollinson
CIO, Bureau of Technology, Cook County

Learn more about Professor Hajek’s participation in the Verizon Internet of Things – Smart Seminars – Smart Cities

See ITM student presentations, demonstrations and poster sessions on Wednesday, April 29 from 5:30-8:30 PM. Free

Presentations include:

• Indoor Location for NG911
• NG9-1-1 test beds
• The Gateway Project
• SIP Registration Rates
• Voice over IIT at Main Campus

See details

Register

ITM faculty members and students will not only attend, but will present and chair sessions at the 14th Annual Conference in Information Technology Education (SIGITE) and the 2nd Annual Conference on Research in Information Technology (RIIT) in Orlando, Florida, October 9-12, 2013. This dual conference, conducted by the Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) Special Interest Group in Information Technology Education (SIGITE), provides a forum for sharing and developing ideas relating to Information Technology research, education, applications, IT-industry-academia relationships and our roles as professionals, educators, and advocates for the effective use of Information Technology.

School of Applied Technology Dean Dr. C. Robert “Bob” Carlson will chair Paper Session A2: Mobile and will present a paper, “Design Patterns as First-Class Connectors.” ITM graduate student Mikhail Zaturenskiy will present his paper “MP3 Files As A Steganography Medium” while graduate student Fernando Seror Garcia will conduct an RIIT Poster Session session entitled “DNS (Do Not Suspect).” ITM Associate Chair Ray Trygstad will also attend the conference.

ITM Adjunct Industry Professor Bill Slater knows data centers. With years of experience as a data center manager at BP and a stint as the first manager of Microsoft’s Northlake Data Center, which was the world’s largest data center when it opened, Professor Slater now passes along his knowledge and wisdom to graduate students in the ITM graduate specialization in Data Center Operations and Management. He also knows that industry events such as the 2013 Data Center Dynamics Conference are a good place to learn the latest and greatest developments in the field. With his encouragement and assistance, several of his students attended the conference, which was held at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, IL, on October 1, 2013. ITM students Girithar Anthay Suthakavan, Shikha Srivastava, Samah Sallam and Adem Maksuti spent the day at the world’s largest peer-led data center conference & expo attending educational sessions and meeting vendors–and prospective employers! Conferences such as this are common in IT subject areas in Chicago, and we encourage students to attend to learn and network. And thanks go to Professor Slater for making this a great experience for our students.

Adjunct Industry Professor of ITM Bill Slater (center) and ITM students Girithar Anthay Suthakavan, Shikha Srivastava, Samah Sallam and Adem Maksuti (left to right), at the 2013 Data Center Dynamics Conference.

New Members of IIT’s Beta Chapter of Gamma Nu Eta, the National Information Technology Honor Society, were inducted on Monday, August 26th, 2013. Pictured above are Lei Zhang MITM; Industry Professor Ray Trygstad, Beta Chapter Adviser and ΓNH Professional Member; Srissa Dharampal MITM; Jeremy Stell ’14; Ziena Abdul-Samad ’15; Adjunct Industry Associate Professor Madeleine England ’11 MITM ’12, Beta Chapter Administrator and Past President; Brian Bailey MITM; Bartlomiej A. Dworak ’15; Ilo Miladinoski ’13; Michael Meier ’14; Justin Callanan ’14; Annie Ross MITM; Amulya N. Pothapragada MITM; René Tapia ’12 MITM; Ye Li MITM; Kumaran Ramanujam MITM; and Professor Bob Carlson, Dean of the IIT School of Applied Technology and ΓNH Professional Member.
Not pictured: Mark Adams ’13.

The Induction Ceremony took place in the Ballroom of IIT’s McCormick Tribune Campus Center, Chicago, Illinois. A reception followed the ceremony. Photos of the ceremony are available on the SAT Facebook page.