CGT Successes Are Plentiful in 2006-07
by Marvin I. Sarapin, departtment head, computer graphics technology
The Computer Graphics Technology department has been busy pursuing its strategic plan in learning, discovery, and engagement. I am pleased to have this opportunity to report on several significant accomplishments this year.
CGT granted Accreditation
The CGT faculty, students, and Industrial Advisory Board members have devoted considerable time and effort seeking accreditation for the undergraduate program in computer graphics technology. Based on the documentation presented in an extensive self-study and a glowing report made by the campus visiting team consisting of professors from peer institutions, the BS in CGT was recently granted full accreditation by the NAIT Board of Accreditation for the period 2006-2010. This milestone is important because it confirms the high standards of the CGT program and provides a baseline for future program accomplishments. According to the Higher Education Commission (2003), there are two types of educational accreditation: institutional and specialized. Purdue University, as an institution, is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, the CGT program has achieved specialized accreditation by an organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). NIAT currently accredits 244 baccalaureate programs at 55 institutions. This accreditation process validates the quality of the CGT program and adds value to the degree. A huge thank you is extended to everyone who contributed to this achievement.
Students take 1st place in Competition
A group of CGT students received the top award in Purdue University's 20th annual Burton D. Morgan Entrepreneurial Competition. The former CGT 411 group known as onCurrent.com won the $15,000 prize in the Black (undergraduate) Division for a startup company that created an online calendar that helps promote arts and music and allows users to supply the information. Immanuel Mullen and Christopher Thomas made the winning presentation at the BDM Competition. The Web-based product designed to strengthen networking communities across the United States was a result of a previous CGT 411 class best project winner group named Alpha Channel Graphics. After completing 411, the students reorganized their company and created onCurrent.com. Students from the original group included Greg Hoenes, Immanuel Mullen, Adam Partyka, Eric Salczynski, and Christopher Thomas. In total the students were awarded $20,000 as a result of the competition, and they are encouraged to continue their entrepreneurial development.
Success with Scholarships
Twenty-two CGT students found it easier to buy books and pay for miscellaneous expenses while pursuing their studies thanks to the engagement of scholarship sponsors. Awards valued at $17,750 for this year were presented by Dean Depew at the annual scholarship recognition program conducted in the Dick and Sandy Dauch Alumni Center. CGT has made great progress in securing funds to help support our students and has expanded its scholarship program made possible by the generosity of Joe Sriver, a relatively recent CGT alumnus. Funds from the Sriver gift made to CGT in 2004 created several Scholarship Endowment accounts. Endowment accounts are invested by the University and generate a yearly return to fund annual scholarships. CGT students have also faired well in receiving scholarships sponsored by other sources.
Details concerning these and other CGT accomplishments can be seen in the department’s IMAGES Newsletter
MFET Integration Open House May 4
The Manufacturing Engineering Technology 481 capstone course open house will be 2-5 p.m. May 4 at the lab in Knoy Hall, Room 258
Visitors will be able to view the integration of the MFET integrated manufacturing system, which includes state-of-the-art computer-controlled machines, robots, vision-inspection tools and radio-frequency identification as it works together to produce a small family of customized desk products. Manufactured products will include business card holders and note holders.
The manufacturing center "model factory" laboratory has approximately 2,500 square feet of floor space and includes six "drop lines" that may be operated independently, or as part of a larger integrated work cell. Each of the six drop lines includes a cell control computer, an electric robot, a programmable logic controller and a computer-controlled manufacturing process. Manufacturing processes at three of the six drop lines feature computer numerical control, or CNC, machine tools.
The laboratory is believed to be the only automated manufacturing "model factory" facility for undergraduate education in the world. Due to material costs and availability, a manufactured product cannot be guaranteed for all who attend. For more information, contact Brad Harriger
Faculty and Staff Honors
The annual faculty and staff recognition luncheon honored 17 individuals for their service to the University and college and for their professional achievements. Participants at the event listened to a keynote address by Victor Lechtenberg, vice president for engagement, who discussed the vital role the college plays in the University's engagement efforts to ensure a highly skilled workforce, a vital economy, and broad educational access through the college's statewide locations.
Award recipients include:
Non-Tenured Faculty Award - Kara Harris, IT
Tenured Faculty Award - Raymond Thompson, AT
Dwyer Award for Undergraduate Teaching - Larry Gross, AT
Outstanding Faculty in Discovery - Stephen Elliott, IT
Outstanding Faculty in Engagement - Craig Miller, CGT
Counselor Award - Loretta Lonz, BCM
Years of Service
Fred Campbell, Columbus - 20 yrs.
William Crabill, AT - 20 yrs.
Matthew Ferrell, Indianapolis - 10 yrs.
Patricia Keen, AT - 10 yrs.
Dennis Homco, TCN - 10 yrs.
T.R. O'Neal, ECET - 10 yrs.
Marcy Helms, CGT - 15 yrs.
Michael Swain, Richmond - 10 yrs.
Brenda Zika, Adm - 15 yrs.
Staff Customer Service Award - Fran Misch, BCM
Staff Leadership Award - Bink Ewing, MET
CoT News Submission
Report your CoT news through the online reporting form. The next e-newsletter is scheduled for distribution on Monday, May 14. The deadline to submit items for consideration for the April 30 edition is Tuesday, May 8.
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Student Honors
Several students won awards at the Association of Information Technology Professionals National Collegiate Conference (AITP/NCC) March 29-31 in Detroit. CIT Profs. Julie Mariga and Jeff Brewer accompanied 22 students to the conference.The following Purdue students received awards:
• Application development contest (pick your own language, 60 teams competed): Matt Levendoski and Cody Nutt, honorable mention.
*Network design (50 teams competed): Tyler Howarth and Jason Brooks, second place; Jordan Gibson and Brad Violand, third place.
• Database design (50 teams competed): Paul Gordon and Kevin Benes, second place; Ben Fruehman, honorable mention.
• Systems analysis and design (25 teams competed): Stacy Price and Mike Lockwitz, honorable mention.
Adam Berning, a sophomore majoring in aviation technology from Greenwood, Ind., placed third in the Purdue Grand Prix April 21.
The college had eight graduate students honored for 2007 graduate student teaching awards, which are bestowed by the Graduate School, Committee for the Education of Teaching Assistants, Teaching Academy, Center for Instructional Excellence, and the Office of the Provost.
The 2007 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award recipients for the College of Technology include:
Helen Woonyoung Kang, CGT
Anthony J. Morell, AT
Betsy A. Reese, OLS
Grant P. Richards, ECET
J.J. Singh, MET
Edem G. Tetteh, IT
Graduate Teacher Certificate Recipients from the college include:
Abram L. J. Walton, OLS
Matthew R. Young, IT
Pitching In For Roberto's Pool
An indoor pool for most families would be an extravagance, but for Roberto Salazar, 5, of Lafayette, it could mean the difference between walking and using a wheelchair when he's 10.
Roberto has congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. In layman's terms, he can't feel pain, regulate his body temperature or sweat.
So a team of Purdue students working in a computer graphics technology class have taken on the cause. The students have created a Web site to inform the public about Roberto and try to raise money for an indoor swimming pool that might keep his body from falling apart too soon. More Info.
CoT Sponsored Research
For an updated look at sponsored research activities within the College of Technology, visit the applied research section of the CoT Web site.
Kellen Maicher, assistant professor of CGT, was one of many students and faculty who participated in "Anger Management 101," a fundraising event of SIGGRAPH. Members sold $1 chances to take a 15 second swing at obsolete computer equipment in an effort to release tensions over looming finals week.
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In the News
High school students get glimpse of college life
Chris Buzzard frantically folded sheets of plain, white paper into airplanes.
"Forty seconds left," announced Andy Schaffer, director of Purdue College of Technology at Columbus. "Three, two, one - STOP!" In 10 minutes, Buzzard's team created 12 successful planes and one dud.
"What you guys just did isn't unrealistic to an actual class, or an actual work environment," Schaffer said. Purdue College of Technology at Columbus gave area high school students and their parents a taste of university life recently during the campus' first Day at College. More Info.
Local teams compete in TOYchallenge in San Diego
Whether it's "uno, dos, tres" in Spanish or "eins, zwei, drei" in German, Kaitlyn Steiner can count to 10 in eight languages.
She hopes "Hablando Broncho," the multilingual stuffed toy horse she helped develop with her Sunnyside Middle School teammates, can help teach other kids to do the same.The sixth-grader was one of the students competing April 21-22 in the national TOYchallenge competition in San Diego.
Purdue mechanical engineering graduate student Melissa Mladinic coached one of the teams that competed in San Diego. Neither of the local teams placed, but Mladinic said they had a great time and the girls were happy just to make it to San Diego. More Info.
New Purdue lab will work to improve energy efficiency
 A new laboratory that was dedicated Monday (April 23) at Purdue University will focus on improving energy efficiency. The International Rectifier Power Electronics Development and Application Lab (IR-PEDAL) will be funded through a $100,000 gift from the power management technology company.
Research at the lab will center on applied research in three main areas: motion controls, power conversions and audio amplifiers. IR-PEDAL will be part of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology in Purdue's College of Technology. More Info.
Anderson's banner effort
It's entirely possible that Hoosiers soon will drive electric cars with nanoparticle batteries, have their car seats adjusted continuously for better comfort, and then park those cars in garages they ordered off the Internet.hose are just a few of the ideas being pursued by entrepreneurs at the Flagship Enterprise Center in Anderson.
The center, a joint effort of the city of Anderson and Anderson University, opened in 2005 with the goal of attracting new and more diverse businesses to the area. In the fall, Purdue's College of Technology will relocate there. More Info.
Expert: 'Flasher' technology digs deeper for digital evidence
New cybersleuthing technology, already solving crimes in Europe, has the potential to unlock valuable information in thousands of crimes every year in the United States, says a Purdue University expert.
The "flasher boxes" provide deeper access to data -- complete extraction and examination of all the information on a wide range of cell phones. Rick Mislan, an assistant professor of computer and information technology, has integrated the flasher boxes into coursework for a digital forensics class in Purdue's College of Technology.
"The fact is that cell phones are ubiquitous in today's world, and nearly all crimes have a digital component to them," Mislan said. "To be savvy at solving these crimes, we must be one step ahead of criminals in terms of finding, retrieving and interpreting evidence they may be trying to hide in digital devices.
"To get ahead, we must think out of the box, and that is just what we've found that our European counterparts are doing." More Info.
Deleted e-mails: Gone forever?
Lawmakers investigating the Justice Department's firings of eight U.S. attorneys have been trying to gain access to certain e-mails, some of which are said to have been deleted.
Can deleted e-mails sent by White House officials be retrieved? Mark Rogers, a computer forensics specialist at the Purdue College of Technology, talks with Alex Cohen of NPR. More Info.
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