June 30, 2000

New Program Attracts Top-Notch Computer Science Students to NC State

Two students study summer typhoon conditions in Southeast Asia on the responsive workbench, a 44-inch display device capable of projecting 3D stereo images.

How do you convince the very best computer science students in the country that it's worth their while to enroll in a university program, and stick with it until graduation?

In the face of rapidly changing technology, many of today's students are honing their computer skills to a fine edge before leaving high school. Although an influx of bright, talented and enthusiastic students is a boon for places like the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University, attracting these students is proving to be a difficult challenge. Stiff competition is coming both from traditional venues, like other universities and academic departments and from high-tech firms like Lucent, IBM, Cisco and Red Hat that are scrambling to hire computer-savvy workers.

One answer is a new opportunity being offered to the very brightest students in the Computer Science department - the Accelerated Undergraduate Research in Computer Science (AURICS) program. The brainchild of assistant professor Dr. Robert St. Amant, AURICS is designed to excite and challenge students by offering them a chance to participate in research projects beyond the scope of their normal coursework.

"We have a great undergraduate program. I would say it's the best in the state and probably near the top nationwide." says St. Amant. "But, for our very best students, courses alone aren't going to fully tap their potential. AURICS is meant to fill that gap." Last year the top 29 students from the incoming freshman class were invited to participate in the program. "Entry into AURICS is very competitive," St. Amant added. "All of the students had SAT scores over 1540." AURICS offers an environment rich in peers with common interests and skills. Students are introduced to the Computer Science faculty and their research projects and are encouraged to participate in anything that catches their interest. The wide-ranging expertise within the department offers the students a tremendous opportunity for hands-on instruction in leading-edge areas like optical networking, e-commerce, graphics and animation, and artificial intelligence.

A student studies a painted rendition of weather conditions in the eastern United States on the responsive workbench.

"Students participating in AURICS have the potential of becoming state and even world leaders in computer science," says Dr. Alan L. Tharp, Alumni Distinguished Professor and head of the Computer Science department. Tharp noted that two former undergraduate students, Jennifer Nolan and Luke Zettlemoyer, received the Outstanding Undergraduate Award in Computer Science from the Computing Research Association in 1996 and 2000, respectively.

"Our students were chosen over competitors from places like MIT, Brown, Stanford and Berkeley," Tharp said, "so clearly we've already shown that undergraduates from NC State are among the very best in the country."

A special research lab has been built exclusively for the AURICS students. Equipped with state-of- the-art equipment including PCs with multiple flat-panel displays and high-speed graphics and networking cards, a Silicon Graphics (SGI) workstation, a Sony Playstation® programming environment, and industry-strength development software, the lab offers everything the students need to tackle their chosen research projects. It also serves as a place for hanging out and brainstorming, sitting around to discuss the latest goings-on in the computer world, or even relaxing to ponder where the future might take them.

In addition to the lab, students have access to even more sophisticated equipment through their faculty mentors. Examples include network testing equipment from companies like Cisco, Nortel, Lucent, and IBM, a motion capture system that uses a body suit to record movement as someone walks, runs, or dances, and a 44-inch stereo workbench that can produce realistic 3D images that appear to "float" in space in front of the viewer.

Most of the AURICS students are already involved in research. Antonio Carpio, from Greensboro, North Carolina, is focusing on computer hardware and different computer languages. He likes three-dimensional technology. "It takes so much knowledge to take images from a 3D world and display them on a two-dimensional screen," he said. Carpio began programming before he started at NCSU. He says he likes to get immediate results, "no plotting, testing, or analyzing - go straight for the target." Dr. Christopher Healey, an assistant professor and one of Carpio's mentors, smiled when he heard Carpio's gung-ho statement. "He's really excited and enthusiastic about what he's doing," Healey said; "That's what AURICS is all about."

Ryan Smith, who grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, is interested in artificial intelligence and the graphics side of programming. One project he's looking into is using an off-the-shelf video game console - the Sony Playstation® - to do things other than run games. If an inexpensive and easy-to-use console were capable of performing sophisticated tasks like education and learning, computer animation or scientific visualization, it could open up the world of computing to an entirely new audience. This goes hand-in-hand with Smith's desire to make computers more accessible and user-friendly, "to make it seem that a human is on the other side."

AURICS student and lab administrator Sarah Williams, from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, works on a Dell PC workstation connected to a Sony Playstation development system.

Another project that interests Smith is one being run by assistant professor Dr. Michael Young, an expert in the field of artificial intelligence. Young is developing an "interactive narrative" for use in educational software. Rather than restricting people to cryptic queries or difficult-to-use commands, Young's programs allow users to talk in plain English, with the computer responding in kind. In one example, the story of Beowulf is told with the computer screen as the stage and eight or nine individuals acting as characters inside the play. Rather than retelling the same story every time, the software allows the characters to interact and make changes as it develops. At the same time, care is taken to ensure that the overall experience remains true to the underlying plot.

"The goal is to make the environment as unobtrusive and believable as possible," said Young. "You shouldn't feel like your actions or the computer's responses are restricted or scripted. Instead, it should be a simple, natural, enjoyable interaction between you and the other characters."

Tharp concluded by noting that AURICS isn't only about theoretical research. Students learn practical, real-world skills in areas that are highly prized in industry, giving them a leg up on a good job after graduation. It also means companies get a chance to interact with students before they finish their degrees. Some of the research projects the students are working on already include industry collaboration.

In addition, Tharp noted, companies will often tell him, "We need some top-notch students to help with this problem," or, "We're interested in finding out what your students are learning about networking." AURICS participants are obvious candidates to fill these roles. Given the strong demand for skilled computer scientists, a partnership between the university and industry is advantageous for both sides.

"Students get a chance to see what they like before they graduate," said Tharp, "and companies have an opportunity to build a relationship with a highly skilled individual who may turn out to be a potential employee. It's a win-win situation."

Technical Contact:

Christopher G. Healey

Assistant Professor, Computer Science, NCSU

e-mail: healey@csc.ncsu.edu

WWW: http://www.csc.ncsu.edu/faculty/healey

Media Contact:

martha_brinson@ncsu.edu

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