computer science

Kalamazoo College Alumna Helps Develop Bicycle Safety Simulator

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Jodie Plumert ’85, professor and chair of psychology at the University of Iowa is helping lead a joint research project with the University’s computer science department to develop a simulator that uses virtual environment technology to study children’s decision making process when riding a bike. The simulator employs a stationary bicycle sitting in the middle of three large screens and equipped to feed real-time information into a computer network, which creates an interactive virtual environment. Bicyclists “ride” up to a simulated intersection, assess the traffic “crossing” on the screens around them, then determine when it’s safe for them to cross. Read more about Jodie and her research on her UI webpage.

Check out the video below where Jodie helps demonstrate the simulator.

Battle of the Brains

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Congrats to the Black Hornets (Jiakan Wang ’13, Renjie Song ’13, Tibin John ’15) and the Orange Hornets (Chris Clerville ’13, Will Reichle 14’, Kyle Sunden ’14) on their success at the regional Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest, or “Battle of the Brains,” this past Saturday. Both Kalamazoo College teams finished in the top half of the teams in their region.

The  Black Hornets solved two out of nine problems, finished in 39th place in the region (out of 131 teams), and earned the Extreme Programmers award for solving problem B in 25 minutes! The Orange Hornets solved one out of nine problems and finished 53rd in the region.

“Our region is one of the most competitive in the country, including multiple teams from such schools as Carnegie Mellon, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, University of Michigan, and Notre Dame,” said Associate Professor of Computer Science Pam Cutter, Ph.D. “I’m proud of both teams for solving at least one problem. There were 54 teams in our region that did not solve any of the problems!”

According to Cutter, the “Battle of the Brains” consists of a five-hour, real-world, problem-solving challenge that is equivalent to an entire semester’s worth of computer programming. Teams of three from colleges and universities in 90 countries and six continents use skills based upon open technology and advanced computing methods to compete for a coveted spot on the World Finals held in summer 2013 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Full standings and results from the recent regional, and problem sets with judges solutions can be found at http://acm.ashland.edu.

Black and Orange! Orange and Black!

K Computer Science Grad Develops iPad App for Non-Verbal Children

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Drew McKinney ’05 has teamed up with his cousin to develop an iPad application that helps children who cannot speak. SpeechHero uses 6,000 recognizable symbols and vocal utterances, breaking them down into common vocabulary words and phrases that children can choose by clicking on associated symbols, which are often easier for children to decipher than words. Drew earned his B.A degree in Computer Science at K before studying Informatics and Human Computer Interaction and earning a M.A. degree from Indiana University in 2010.

Alum Keith Crandall Hired to Direct Computational Biology Institute at George Washington University

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Keith Crandall ’87 has been hired by George Washington University to direct its new Computational Biology Institute.

Computational biology combines elements of computer science and biology, and its practitioners develop tools to analyze data generated in researching genetics and genomics, including genetic mapping and DNA sequencing.

Crandall’s research interests have included crustacean biology, biodiversity, and infectious diseases. His B.A. from Kalamazoo College is in biology. At Washington University in St. Louis he earned a Ph.D.in population and evolutionary biology and a master’s degree in statistics. His work at CBI will include an investigation of the impact of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, using gene expression to identify how oil pollutants affect deep sea crustaceans.

Kalamazoo Kicks Byte

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Six Kalamazoo College students
“K” students Will Guedes ’15, Tibin John ’15, Chris Clerville ’13, Jiakan Wang ’13, Lucas Kushner ’14, and Trung Hoang ’12.

Students from Kalamazoo College worked together to build their mental endurance and speed in anticipation of a big test held Oct. 21-22. No, not mid-terms—the 36th annual Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest sponsored by IBM. Regional competitions for the so-called “Battle of the Brains” attracted tens of thousands of students from schools in about 90 countries on six continents, all with the same dream to walk away with prizes, scholarships, job opportunities, and a coveted spot among the top 100 teams invited to the World Finals in Poland in May 2012.

Two Kalamazoo teams competed against the smartest collegiate IT talent from 122 colleges and universities in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, including teams from MSU, UM, Purdue, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Each three-student team applied its programming skills to solve complex real world problems under a grueling five-hour deadline huddled around a single computer.

“The two ‘K’ teams did great,” said Pam Cutter, associate professor of computer science. “We had seniors through freshmen participating.”

The “Black Hornets” finished tied for 48th, and the “Orange Hornets” finishing 53rd.

“We’re proud of their effort and for standing up to the ‘big schools.’ It was time well spent and a great learning experience for all.”

Check out the final results!