UIS to host tech camp for middle-school girls

The University of Illinois at Springfield’s Computer Science Department will be holding Girl Tech 2009, a technology camp for middle-school girls, on Thursday, June 18 and Friday, June 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the University Hall Building on the UIS campus.

The camp will offer sessions on programming, robotics, computer networking, iMovie, Photoshop and computer hardware. A partial list of sessions includes Cartoons Galore!, Persona Magazine, Wireless Treasure Hunt and Robotics at the Robot Zoo. Instructors of the sessions are female faculty members in the UIS Computer Science Department and Visual Arts Department, as well as staff members in Information Technology Services.

Classes begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. Before and after camp activities are planned to allow camp participants to stay the entire day.

To be eligible, students must be entering 7th, 8th or 9th grade in the fall. The registration fee is $20 per girl, which covers lunch both days, snacks and a participation T-shirt.

For more information about specific sessions and to obtain the registration form, go online to http://csc.uis.edu/girltech2009.

Cyber Defense and Disaster Recovery Conference focuses on protecting online data

“Keeping Secrets Safe: Protecting Your Data” is the subject of the Cyber Defense and Disaster Recovery Conference to be held Friday, March 13, in the Studio Theater, first floor of the Public Affairs Center, at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The conference is hosted by UIS' Computer Science department, in conjunction with InfraGard Springfield and the Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance. Advance registration is required.

Janis Rose, conference chair and instructor of Computer Science at UIS, noted, “Identity theft is big business in today’s economy, and protecting business and personal data is about more than using a shredder. What information are our children posting online that increases their vulnerability? What data protection strategies can companies use to fill in gaps and improve results?”

Breakout sessions will focus on various relevant topics, including cyber bullying, identify theft, corporate data leakage, cloud computing, foreign intelligence collection, hacking and remote access.

“Participants will learn effective problem-solving techniques based on real-world applications,” said Rose. “This is a unique opportunity in Springfield. Professionals in all fields are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to learn what they can do to better protect corporate and personal data.”

Conference speakers will include John Bace, Vice President, Gartner’s Compliance & Risk Management Research; John Bambenek, SANS Internet Storm Center; Mike Bernico, GSEC Network Service Analyst; Adam Hansen, Manager of Security, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP; John D. Johnson, John Deere; Bob Kowalski, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Sarah Migas, High Tech Crimes Bureau, Office of the Illinois Attorney General; Gary Monnard, St. Ambrose University; Ken Pappas, Vice President Security Strategies, Top Layer Security; and Jeff Thompson, Certified Expert Penetration Tester Central Management Services, State of Illinois.

The deadline to register is Monday, March 9. The $30 registration fee includes lunch. CISSP credit and CPDUs will be available to those who request them.

InfraGard is a partnership between the FBI and leaders in business, education and government. CSSIA is the first comprehensive Information Technology Security and Data Assurance Center in the Midwest. Partial funding for this conference has been provided by the National Science Foundation ATE Program.

For more information or to register, contact Rose at 217/206-8246, or go to http://csc.uis.edu/cyberconference.

Expanding Your Horizons encourages young women in math, science and technology

“Expanding Your Horizons in Math, Science and Technology” – a hands-on conference designed specially for girls in sixth, seventh and eighth grades – will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, on the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield. Advance registration is required, and space is limited.

The event is presented by the American Association of University Women - Springfield Branch, and is sponsored by UIS and The Children’s Center, a Memorial Health System affiliate.

Many cutting-edge careers of the future will involve science, math and technology and will be wide open to well-prepared young women. Girls who attend this conference can choose three sessions from more than 20 hands-on, experiential workshops. Separate workshops for parents and teachers will be held concurrently.

Girls’ workshops will allow participants to interact with successful women who are scientists, physicians, engineers, architects and professionals in many other careers traditionally held by men. They will meet other girls with similar interests and learn about career opportunities for women in these fields.

A partial list of topics includes Online Businesses, Bone Engineering, At the Scene of a Crime, Space Walking, Green Architecture, Protecting the Earth with Ethanol and Digital Photography Editing.

The workshops for adults will provide essential information on how to encourage girls to take classes that will keep their options open as they approach college and choose careers. Topics for these sessions include Your Daughter’s Future – Too Important to Leave to Chance, Stress: How to Help Teens Cope and Be Healthy, and Tools for Planning for College…and Paying for It!

For a brochure and registration information, call 217/529-4165 or go to www.aauw-il.org/springfield.

9th annual Technology Day held at UIS

The University of Illinois at Springfield will host its ninth annual Technology Day from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18. The focus of this year’s program is “EnviroTech: Educational Technologies that Advance Sustainability.”

The day features demonstrations, discussions, and poster and breakout sessions led by members of the UIS academic community that highlight a variety of topics designed to showcase interesting and innovative ways that the campus is using technology in education.

All activities will be held on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center at UIS and are free and open to the public. Participants are welcome to attend some or all of the sessions.

Dr. Donald Spicer, associate vice chancellor for Information Technology and CIO at the University of Maryland, will deliver the keynote address at 11:30 a.m. in conference rooms C/D. Spicer’s topic is “IT’s Role in Campus Sustainability Efforts.”

Presentations and technology demonstrations will follow the keynote address and continue until 4:30 p.m. Topics include teaching and learning techniques, resources, services and other creative uses of technology.

UIS sponsors of the event include the Academic Technology Committee, Brookens Library, Information Technology Services, Office of Web Services and Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning.

Prizes and light refreshments will be provided. Additional details and information for guests with special needs are available by contacting Tulio Llosa, director of Educational Technology at UIS, at 206-7755 or by going to www.uis.edu/technologyday.