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Author: Aysha Tayab-Ratsep

Professor Nick Graham’s research on the Liberi Exergame gains positive attention

Dr. Nick Graham collaborated with  Dr. Darcy Fehlings, developmental pediatrician from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in developing the Liberi Exergame which is a video gaming system powered by exercise bikes.  A  former study participant shares his positive experience with the exergame.

Dr. Graham provides commentary on the challenges involved in integrating exergames into physical educational curriculum.

Read the full story to learn more.

Queen’s School of Computing students participate in winter sports

Computing students have a lot on their plates.  With academics taking center stage, participation in Queen’s athletics has enhanced the student experience for many. We spoke with some students to tell us more about their experiences. Here’s what we learned.

Brittaney Everitt

How long have you been on the team?

I was on the Queen’s Varsity Figure Skating team all four years of my undergraduate Biomedical Computing degree at Queen’s. During third and fourth year I was a co-captain. This year I am no longer skating but still actively involved with the team. Currently I am a first year Research-Based Master’s student in the artificial intelligence stream and coach on the team.

How does your involvement in sports impact your student experience at Queen’s?

Coming to Queen’s not knowing anyone in first year, skating on the team immediately gave me a sense of belonging and involvement in the Queen’s community in addition to [the School of Computing]. Being on the team allowed me to stay active and continue something I love while also being in school. As a student athlete, I was able to live a very balanced, healthy lifestyle – where skating was a great refresh and study break and vice versa.

What aspect of this experience do you look forward to the most?

Traveling to competitions across Ontario with the team was definitely a highlight of the experience.  As crazy as it might sound, I also really enjoyed our daily 6 AM practices.  It was great to kick start every morning by spending time with my teammates.  We worked very hard towards a common goal, but also had a lot of fun while doing it.

What words of encouragement do you have for any incoming computing student who is thinking about joining a sports team?

Trying out for the figure skating team was one of the best decisions I made while at Queen’s and ultimately has become a huge part of both my undergraduate and graduate life. Being a student athlete in the School of Computing is very manageable, but you have to manage your time wisely and make sure to start assignments early to get help if needed. Staying on top of everything will really help make both experiences a great success. As well, professors in the School of Computing are very accommodating to student athletes.

 

Emma Ritcey

How long have you been on the team?
I have been on the women’s basketball team at Queen’s for all five years of my undergrad.

How does your involvement with sports impact your student experience?
Being on a varsity team has been the highlight of my experience at Queen’s. Although it creates a busy schedule, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The experiences I’ve gone through have taught me so much about myself that I can take with me in my life after basketball. The memories I’ve made and relationships I’ve built with my teammates and coaches go much past sport and will last a lifetime.

What words of encouragement do you have for any incoming computing student who is thinking about joining a sports team?
As long as you manage your time and stay on top of your school work, you can definitely thrive in both academics and athletics. Things may feel overwhelming at times but you gain so much from being a student athlete that it’s definitely worth it!

 

We’d also like to recognize a number of our other students who participate in winter sports at Queen’s:

  • Henry Van Herk (men’s basketball)
  • Shouyue Hu (men’s fencing)
  • Kenneth West (men’s fencing)
  • Brandon Schuldhaus (men’s hockey)
  • Nicholas Cheny (men’s Nordic ski)

Exercise and group sports can have such positive effects on physical health, mental health, and academic performance.  At the School of Computing, we encourage students to participate in variety of activities so that they can broaden their educational experience. Athletics is certainly no exception.

We hope this inspires both our current and prospective students to join.

 

The 2020 QSC Awards Ceremony

On January 28th, the School of Computing held a virtual awards ceremony in celebration of the recipients of the 2020 QSC Awards. In the words of our School Director, Hossam Hassanein: “we are a department of  achievers.” Although this ceremony is traditionally held in the foyer of Goodwin Hall, the  virtual nature of the event allowed us to be creative and have a Hawaiian themed celebration as a way to bring some added cheer and chase the January blues away. From beach backgrounds to Hawaiian shirts, we saw a number of attendees get into the spirit.

The full recording of the ceremony is available here:

 

 

Congratulations to all our recipients!

Alice Santilli has been selected for 3rd place at the Ontario Regional 3MT Virtual Competition 2020

Congratulations to Alice Santilli on winning 3rd place at the the Ontario Regional 3MT Virtual Competition 2020 for her project titled “Sniffing Out Breast Cancer,” supervised by Drs. Gabor Fichtinger and Parvin Mousavi. The awards were announced at yesterday’s virtual event hosted by the University of Windsor. It is worth noting that Alice was glad to be in the company of other female students who were selected as finalists. Alice encourages computing students to challenge themselves and participate in this contest in the future because it is a great opportunity to gain the tools and confidence to effectively communicate computer science research to wider audiences. Well done Alice and keep up the great work!

Professor David Rappaport Retires from the Queen’s School of Computing

Professor David Rappaport will be retiring from the School of Computing on December 31st. He has been a professor at the School for 21 years.

Here are  well wishes from some of his colleagues:

 

All the best in your retirement David.
– Tom Bradshaw, School Manager, Administration, and Technology

 

I have really enjoyed the years working with you, first as the Graduate Coordinator and then later as the Admissions Officer.  I will miss our friendly chats about family and life in general. Happy Retirement David! 
– Debby Robertson, Graduate Program Assistant

 

For decades, David Rappaport has been my running companion. We took part in several races together, including Beat Beethoven and the Kingston Half-Marathon. But our most important and most enjoyable runs have been our daily jogs that started and ended at the old Queen’s gym on Union Street (the PEC, for those who remember), and more recently at the new Queen’s gym (the ARC). Every weekday (almost invariably at lunch hour) our route has taken us along the lakeshore, through downtown, over the Lasalle Causeway, around Point Frederick at RMC, sometimes to the top of the hill at Fort Henry, and back to the gym. Along the way, we would have animated conversations on science, politics and everything we can think of. The main topic of discussion is usually computational problems and we designed many an algorithm on the run (puns just happen). We would also tell each other all manner of stories, mostly funny ones. Sometimes we laugh so hard that we almost need to stop in order to catch our breath. In about an hour we are back and wonder where the time went. Running through a storm in heavy rain, our private joke has been that our feat surely deserves a medal. Naturally, a run in a blizzard, we always felt, should earn us an “Order of Canada”. Lately, our walks along the Cataraqui River with David’s loyal dog Abel have taken me to parts I did not know existed. Thank you David for the runs, the walks and the friendship. Enjoy your retirement!
– Selim Akl, Professor

 

I retain a compound of many small fragments of delight of his wit and company over the years. It was always good to stop by his office during my floor rounds, I always knew I was stepping in for some fun product (or byproduct) of his eclectic mind.
– Gabor Fichtinger, Professor

 

When first working at the School, I was still learning about the field of computing. David told me about his work in computational geometry and his love of music and how the two went together. I was fascinated by it all. Enjoy your retirement David!
– Aysha Tayab-Ratsep, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

 

We thank David for everything he has done at the Queen’s School of Computing community and we wish him all the very best! 

Rachel Theriault is the Recipient of the Vector Scholarship in AI
Undergraduate student Rachel Theriault has recently received the AI Scholarship for her innovative work in bringing AI to cancer analysis.

“Rachel’s interest in working with Dr Ellis was sparked in her second-year classes that he taught. As an NSERC undergraduate researcher, she worked in his lab with pathologists and surgeons. Her award-winning undergraduate thesis has been tentatively accepted for publication as a journal article” says Hossam Hassanein, Director of the School of Computing”

 

Congratulations Rachel and keep up the great work!

Read more about Rachel’s recognition

Richard Linley retires as Queen’s School of Computing Staff

Although Richard will remain active in his faculty role, Richard has retired his role as Continuing/System Application Specialist and he will be greatly missed among staff. The School of Computing staff celebrated Richard’s retirement after hours on Teams. The event was called ” Toast to Richard.” This event was unlike any retirement party as there were musical performances, bedtime stories, and an exchange of memories and laughs.

Here is what some of the staff had to say.

” Long before I became tech savvy, I had a small problem with my computer mouse!
One morning for some unknown reason, I wasn’t able to get the little arrow into the corner of my computer screen no matter how hard I tried. Then, I thought I had a solution and picked up my mousepad and mouse and held them in various positions near my computer screen trying to get the little arrow in the corner! During this time, who should walk into my office but Richard! He had this incredulous look on his face and he asked me what on earth was I doing! As I started to explain he began to laugh hysterically. After a while he was able to collect himself enough to try and explain to me why what I was doing would never work! I didn’t understand it but I knew it was a big mistake! I made Richie swear he wouldn’t tell anyone but as the day went on, other staff members proved that he had! ”
– Irene LaFleche, previous Undergraduate Program Assistant

“Honestly, for me, Richard just seemed like the Gentle Giant. He always made me feel so welcome. Always made me laugh in the mornings. If I was having a bad day, Richard could make me laugh! He also had a big conversation with me that I can remember when I came in after my brother passed away .I can remember him really taking it in and asking about my dad, and how he felt. He mentioned his kids and how it made him feel hearing that news kind of saying “I cant ever imagine” and my goodness, did that hit home. He gave me a big hug, and made me feel just a bit better knowing that it was all so genuine.”
– Carly Napier, Administrative Secretary

“Richard loved to visit and eat my student chocolates! I loved his visits to my office!  They made my day.”
– Karen Knight, Undergraduate Program Assistant

“I really enjoyed the early morning conversations with Richard while waiting for the coffee to perk. He was so welcoming when I started and made me feel I was really part of the School of Computing family. We talked about all kinds of things like cottaging on the lake, family and pets, plays, my love of US college football and so much more.”
– Noreeen Haun, Research Administrative Assistant

“Richard has this wonderful way of making everyone feel welcome in the School. When I first came on as staff in December 2018, Richard never held back on his witty one-liners about my pregnancy. My favourite one by far was at a staff potluck when he was trying to convince me to have seconds on his dessert. He said ‘that piggy of a baby of yours will thank you for it!’ I’d like to think I burned some calories with the laughter so I went ahead and had seconds.”
– Aysha Tayab-Ratsep, Marketing and Communications Coordinator

We thank Richard for everything he has done for the Queen’s School of Computing community and we wish him all the very best! 

Queen’s School of Computing Celebrates the Class of 2020

Fall Convocation has come and gone and this one was much different from previous years. However, all accomplishments merit a celebration. That’s why the School of Computing was happy to host a virtual reception on Zoom. In the spirit of keeping traditions alive, all guests were invited to use a background image of the main foyer in Goodwin Hall.

It was as close as the real experience while keeping everyone safe. Guests could mix and mingle in smaller groups through breakout rooms that were named after popular spots across Queen’s campus. Each room was named after certain popular spots around campus. Finally, it was possible to get a “seat” in The Tea Room!

We hope that all graduates took some time to celebrate their accomplishments in a meaningful and safe way.

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