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Queen’s School of Computing at the Ontario Universities Fair

The Queen’s School of Computing received significant and well-deserved attention at the Ontario Universities Fair held in Toronto this past weekend. Our representatives were kept busy responding to inquiries from an incessant stream of bright and enthusiastic high-school students. We were delighted to learn that the diversity, uniqueness and depth of our programs generated considerable interest at the Fair.

Our sincere thanks are extended to the following dedicated and loyal individuals who volunteered their weekend to represent the QSC with knowledge and passion:

Wendy Powley
Ben Hall
Bob Crawford
Drew Weatherhead
Charlotte Blinston
Lizzie Lappin

As usual, we are grateful to Irene LaFleche who organized the expedition.

Thanks also to our Faculty of Arts and Science Associate Dean, Dr. Cynthia Fekken, for her encouraging words to our team at the OUF, and her continued support of the School’s mission.

Scott Grant, Software Engineer Video

Scott Grant participated in the Virtual Researcher on Call program last year by doing a video interview that can be used by teachers and students to find out what a career in software engineering could be like. That video is now available.

School of Computing students spend summer on the cutting edge

From the Queen’s University News Centre:

It was an incredible summer for twenty-eight undergraduate students in the School of Computing who spent their four months away from classes getting paid to work on acclaimed and forward-thinking research in the labs of some of their professors.

“This summer was a very valuable learning experience, a wonderful opportunity to apply what I’ve been learning in classes,” says Tom Vaughan, a third year undergraduate student in the School of Computing. Mr. Vaughan was working on a computer assisted surgery project that will eventually make the repair of knee cartilage both more precise and less invasive, and was thrilled to be putting his theoretical knowledge to practical use.

But the program is not only beneficial to the students. Selim Akl, Director of the School of Computing, says that the professors benefit just as much as the students do from the summer collaboration.

“It’s a unique partnership that allows us to engage with our younger colleagues,” says Dr. Akl. “They bring in new ideas and a fresh perspective. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Many of the summer positions were funded through Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) programs, primarily the Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) program, as well as the Discovery and CREATE, programs Some undergraduate researchers receive support from special fellowships and other grants. Students typically apply for employment during the summer of their second or third year to work in a lab with a professor that shares their interests. Once accepted, they begin work as soon as classes end.

For more information about the USRA program visit the NSERC website.

QSC Masterly at MICCAI 2011

Dear all,

MICCAI 2011, the 14th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention, was held last week in Toronto, Canada. MICCAI annually attracts world leading scientists, engineers and clinicians from a wide range of disciplines associated with medical imaging and computer assisted surgery. This year it was the largest gathering of the MICCAI series with about 1,100 attendees.


Members of the Queen’s School of Computing had a pivotal role in this grand event:

  • Gabor Fichtinger served as general and program co-chair.
  • Randy Ellis and Purang Abolmaesumi served as workshop and tutorial program co-chairs.
  • Parvin Mousavi and Purang Abolmaesumi served as Program Committee Members.
  • James Stewart managed the scientific review system.
  • Andras Lasso and Thomas K. Chen were the event photographers.
  • Sacha Robinson managed the airport transportation and help desks.
  • More than 15 other Queen’s students and postdocs assisted in running the five-day event flawlessly.

Our researchers, just as every year, were prominently featured at MICCAI:

  • Gabor Fichtinger was inducted as MICCAI Society Fellow.
  • Ehsan Dehghan was finalist for the Young Scientist Award. (He won the same award last year) .
  • The Queen’s team had two podium papers (4% acceptance rate) and five regular papers (30% acceptance rate).

Other pictures from the event are available.

Congratulations to all on an impressive showing by the QSC on the world stage.

Selim

Software startup course highlights new academic offerings

Students who want to follow in the footsteps of Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates can now take a course to support that dream.

“Undergraduate students—in all disciplines—can build profitable companies. However, university support has historically focused on business students. Software Startups, a new course offered by the School of Computing, was created in recognition of the business opportunities available to students who are interested in computer science,” says course instructor Doug Wightman.

While working in small teams to build products, 30 students will also engage in discussions about legal, financial and software development topics with Mr. Wightman and guest speakers.

Software Startups is one of several new courses and academic options available to students this academic year. The School of Computing will also offer Game Design, an introduction to techniques for designing elementary computer games.

Jiro Inoue MICCAI 2011 Travel Award Winner

Congratulations to Jiro Inoue, Queen’s School of Computing PhD Candidate under the supervision of Dr. James Stewart, for his high-scoring paper that will ensure his presence at the upcoming MICCAI 2011 conference. Jiro’s paper, ” Automated Planning of Computer Assisted Mosaic Arthroplasty,” was selected from 134 applicants, standing in the top 30 of paper review scores.

MICCAI is the International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention. It is considered the main annual meeting of world experts in medical imaging and computer assisted surgery. The 14th edition of MICCAI will be held in Toronto, September 18-22, 2011.

http://www.miccai2011.org/
http://www.miccai2011.org/award/miccai-2011-student-travel-awards-decisions-online

Well done Jiro, and we hope you enjoy the conference.

Selim

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