The Right APP.ti.tude

In May of this year, the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Department of Information and Technology of the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Central Information Technology Office (CITO) launched the inaugural BlackBerry Developers Competition sponsored by Research In Motion (RIM) and Digicel. The competition challenged entrants to create applications for either the Blackberry Smartphone or Playbook.

The objectives of the competition were as follows:

• Utilization of technology to uplift youth, stimulate enterprise and broaden the overall learning/education environment.
• Provide entrants in learning institutions across Jamaica with the opportunity to enter the world of application development for mobiles devices and further, to  showcase  their  talents  to  both  local  and  international  industry professionals.
• Foster team spirit and facilitate work in a competitive but friendly environment.
• Establish the kernel of a new industry in Jamaica and one that will hopefully result in an ever increasing number of persons entering this sphere of work in the future.

Entering from the Department of Computer and Information Sciences was Team Methods. The team,comprising Rhodrey Shaw, Terrence Sterling, Carlene Stewart, and Ricardo Thompson, and supervised by Henry Osborne, envisioned and created the MathBerry app.

MathBerry is a stunning BlackBerry PlayBook app for helping 4th and 5th form high school students prepare for their CSEC Mathematics examination. The current version offers tutelage in Trigonometry, Matrices, and Quadratic Equations. 

Team Methods and mentor with 1st Place plaque

The team worked tirelessly to develop their app for the competition and, after submission, waited anxiously to hear the results from the judges. Not only were they overjoyed to know they had been selected as one of the finalists but, they had outclassed their peers, the University of the West Indies (UWI), The University of Technology (UTech), and the Caribbean Institute of Technology (CIT), to claim 1st Place in their category.

This win follows the Department’s very recent success in the EduVision 2011 Technology competition and demonstrates the drive and work ethic that is fostered within its walls.

Team Methods with the Hon. Andrew Holness

The Department of Computer and Information Sciences is continuing to make significant marks in the technology landscape of Jamaica and is positioning itself as the premier source of training in computing and information technology.

by Henry Osborne
Technology Specialist

CIS Team Wins EduVision 2011 Competition

On December 1^st and 2^nd a delegation from the Department of Computer & Information Sciences of Northern Caribbean University (NCU) attended the bi-annual EduVision conference, held at the Jamaica Conference Center in Kingston. EduVision is Jamaica's premier conference highlighting the use of technology for advancing educational objectives.

 
This conference is organized by the Ministry of Education in partnership with the Institute of Education at the University of the West Indies (UWI), the Jamaica Teachers' Association, e-Learning Jamaica, ICT4D Jamaica and the Department of Information and Communication in the Office of the Prime Minister. The theme for this year was “Sustainable Innovations: New Opportunities for Education and Business Collaboration.” Emphasis was placed on the role of technology in human resource development and entrepreneurship.

This year’s conference saw the addition of an exciting component, aptly called, “Mission Impossible: Possible”, where students were given a challenge to solve in approximately 1 ½ days or 27 hours. The details of the challenge were presented at approximately 8:40am, where all students were simultaneously charged to develop a Library Management System (LMS) to address the needs of colleges in Jamaica. A team comprising Terrence Sterling, Rhodrey Shaw, Ricardo Thompson, Romario Hall, and supervised by Damion Mitchell, entered and competed against other teams from tertiary institutions across Jamaica. These teams included Knox Community College, and two others from the University of Technology.

 All competitors were placed in a “boiler room”, where they worked tirelessly and passionately on the given challenge. The team proved the concept of TEAM-Together Everyone Achieves Much, as each person used their skillsets to realize a working prototype of the given challenge. On the final day, team NCU presented to a panel of four judges, and was drilled extensively on the practicality of the system, and also the prospect for future growth. The team expertly handled the questions, and gave a good account of themselves, which once again demonstrated the virtues of the holistic educational approach adopted by NCU. At the end of the presentation, it was announced that team NCU outdid their competitors, and was crowned champions. This challenge certainly exposed the competitors’ technical skills as well as their team work and ability to work under pressure – all valuable competencies for successful techpreneurship. The team showed that what is impossible, with hard work and determination can be made possible. Once again, this is another great achievement that highlights the Department of Computer & Information Sciences’ standing in the Information Technology sphere in the region. Congratulations again to team NCU.

by Damion Mitchell
Assistant Professor

Department of Computer Information Sciences

by Damion Mitchell
Assistant Professor

Department of Computer Information Sciences

Department of Computer and Information Sciences Delegation Visits MIT and Harvard

On Monday, October 17, 2011, an enthusiastic delegation of faculty, students and recent graduates from the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, headed by Department Chair, Kenrie Hylton, embarked on a trip that would take them to visit two of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the United States of America.  The purpose of this visit was to expose them to research opportunities and graduate study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.  This trip was partially sponsored by Dr. Byron Robinson, an alumnus of Northern Caribbean University.

Upon our arrival at MIT, on Tuesday, October 18, the delegation was met by Christopher Jones, Assistant Dean for Graduate Education, who hosted us at breakfast and introduced us to MIT while giving us a heads-up on the activities planned for the day.  Our visit started out with a brief tour of the campus and an extensive visit to the Media Lab conducted by a Research Assistant, Kenton Williams.  At the Media Lab an unorthodox research approach to envision the impact of emerging technologies on everyday life, technologies that promise to fundamentally transform our most basic notions of human capabilities, is applied.  He also gave us a very comprehensive introduction to some of the cutting-edge research activities being conducted by him and other members of the Personal Robots Group in their research laboratory.  We concluded the tour with a brief stop at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).
 

Group at MIT's Media Lab

Our visit to MIT continued with a working luncheon with representatives from the School of Engineering, Graduate Admissions, and the International Students Office who gave presentations about research and graduate study opportunities available at MIT, along with pertinent application and immigration procedures relevant to international students.  Presenters included Danielle Guichard-Ashbrook, Associate Dean and Director at the International Students Office, and Cardinal Warde, Professor of Electrical Engineering.  After our luncheon current graduate students of MIT conducted a very informative Graduate Clinic which highlighted not only what graduate study entailed, from the application process through to final research, but also their own journey as students of MIT.

On Wednesday, October 19, our trip to Boston continued with a visit to Harvard University.  After being met by Marie Dahleh, Associate Dean of Academic Programs at Harvard, Gloria Anglόn, Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions & Administrative Fellow in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), provided us with an overview of SEAS, their research activities and graduate study opportunities.  Jorge Pozo, Coordinator of Educational Programs, continued with an enlightening discourse about his own continuing journey as a graduate student within SEAS.  In spite of continuous rain, typical of Boston at this time of year, we were given a very extensive tour of the Harvard campus, during which we were exposed to the very rich history of this prestigious 375 year old university.  Our visit at Harvard concluded with a stop at the Harvard International Office where we had discussions with Darryl Zeigler, Advisor to International Students and Scholars, about attending Harvard University and living in Boston as an international student.
 

This trip was of benefit to all of us.  Prospective graduate students were energized as they were introduced to the joys, challenges and benefits of research and graduate study in Computer Science at MIT and Harvard.  Faculty and staff left with renewed interest in research and fuelled with fresh ideas for the continued development of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences.   Added to which we were all impressed by the strong commitment to scholarship that was very evident in the environment of both universities.  

by Halzen G. Ashton Smith
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Information Sciences

Alumni Profile (3)

Name: Chantal ‘CJ’ Thompson

Degree Completed: B.Sc. Computer Information Science

Class of: 2008

Company/Employer: Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., (ACS/Xerox)

Position: Hardware Resell Support Manager

Memorable CIS Moment(s):

• Every LAN party! I’m supposed to be the reigning Female Mortal Kombat champion (despite what Christine says, lol!)
• When they finally sprung me (by giving me the piece of paper dem call degree)

Achievements (while enrolled and/or recent):

• CHIPS Social Director
• CHIPS Project Director
• USM Sports Director
• ACS/Xerox – Employee of the Month May, June, August, September, January, Employee of the Year 2010

Parting Words....
CIS & NCU taught me everything I know, most of the things weren’t taught in the classroom and one would get in trouble for divulging such info, but there are no regrets. Life in CIS was never easy, but no one can say it wasn’t interesting.

Alumni Profile (2)

Name: Trevoir ‘The Trev’ Williams

Degree Completed: BSc. Computer Science (Programming Emphasis)

Class of: 2010

Company/Employer: Northern Caribbean University (UNISS)

Position: Junior Software Engineer

Memorable CIS Moment(s):

Every moment was an adventure, and thus memorable

Achievements:

2007 – Silver Medalist – National Skills Web Design Category
2009 – Int'l Software Design Finalist in the Microsoft Imagine Cup (Cairo, Egypt)
2010 - Int'l Software Design Finalist in the Microsoft Imagine Cup (Warsaw, Poland)

2011 – Prime Minister’s Youth Award for International Achievement 

Parting words:

CIS for life!!!
Long live the Republic

Alumni Profile (1)

Name: Le-Vaughn Roper

Degree Completed: BSc. Information Science

Class of: 2009

Company/Employer: Harrison Memorial High School

Position: Information Technology Specialist

Memorable CIS Moment(s):

I would need a book to tell it all, and even if I got a book all the good stuff would be left out. Lol But as the great Barney Stinson would so eloquently put it, “THE LAN PARTIES ARE LEGEN……….DARY!!!!!!”

Achievements:

• Honor roll for a couple semesters, if I remember correctly.
• One of the I.T representatives for West Jamaica Conference at the 2011 Global Internet Evangelism Network (GIEN) Seminar held in Jamaica. More to come. :-)

Parting words....
To my remaining CIS colleagues, Viva la Résistance! And never forget that "Amidst adversity, God provides the ultimate solution." - L.A.R

2011 Graduate List

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE

• Brown, Courtney
• Westcarr, Jevon

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER INFORMATION SCIENCE

• Anthony, Melissa  
• Britton, Aldain  
• Brown, Michael  
• Campbell, Shellaine * 
• Foster, Abigail *
• Granston, Durvan
• Hanson, Ricardo
• Jefferson, Rion
• Lewis, Jaison
• Sinclair, Niffian
• Smith, Rohan
• Stennett, David
• Wheeler, Silvester

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SCIENCE

• Hector, Terrence
• Letts, Mkwawa +
• Swaby, Anthony

ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SCIENCE

• Campbell, Andre
• Holness, Duane +
• Palmer-Hynes, Marion

CIS Family Addition

Announcing the arrival of Makenzi Shae and Makayden Avery on August 1, 2011 to the CIS family. Congratulations to the proud parents, Janece and Kerry Morgan.

Makayden Avery

Makenzi Shae

Software Development Jobs Pays!

U.S. News has reported that Software Developers are among the highest paid careers. See the following excerpt from their article "10 Jobs that Offer a Big Bang for Your Buck". Please note that the figures quoted are in U.S. Currency.

http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2010/12/07/10-jobs-that-offer-a-big-bang-for-your-buck?PageNr=1

"Computer software engineer: With a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field, computer software engineers bring in a median salary of $87,000 a year. For more complex jobs, a master's degree may be required, but the real gold standard is in-depth knowledge of programming languages. Employment is expected to swell by a whopping 295,200 jobs, or more than 32 percent, between 2008 and 2018."

U.S. News also cites technology positions as one of "The best Careers for 2011".

http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2010/12/06/the-50-best-careers-of-2011?PageNr=2&s_cid=related-links:TOP

"Technology positions also account for a good chunk of our top-choice careers. Computer support specialist joins the ranks this year with upward trending employment numbers. "

The Story of Xormis

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away – there were four aspiring apprentices – Shawn McLean, Derron Brown, Markel Mairs, and Dwayne Samuels, who were all trained and highly skilled in the art of software development. These noble men lived in a time when the world was in a state of despair:

• The people were hungry and impoverished
• Many lacked a proper education
• Gender disparity pervaded many regions
• Children and pregnant mothers were ill and in need of suitable care
• Diseases such as AIDS and Malaria plagued the land
• The environment was at risk
• And Global partnership between nations seemed unattainable

The United Nations and Microsoft therefore sent out a call throughout the entire world, challenging students from around the globe to compete in the Imagine Cup by developing technology solutions to these, the world’s toughest problems.

Undaunted by the mammoth task ahead and the stiff competition they were most certainly to face, this group of technologists stepped up to the challenge. Under the guidance and direction from their Mentor in Chief – Kenrie Hylton, they decided to develop a solution that was not aimed at one, but rather all the problems outlined by the United Nations.

Sir Shawn assumed the role of Chief Software Architect and Lead Application Developer,
Derron served as the Mobile Application Developer and the Algorithm Expert
Markel was charged with key programming tasks and creating pivotal modules
Dwayne took on the responsibility of marketing and being the usability engineer.

Together they called themselves Team Xormis.

Now armed with nothing more than an idea and a thirst for success, this team set out on a quest to fulfill their dreams and conquer in the Imagine Cup competition. What they lacked in resources, they made up for in their passion and proficiency.

Through sleepless nights they toiled, with final exams looming and their social life now shattered and nonexistent. Still they pressed on with their eyes on the prize.

There were many who thought it could not be done, certainly not from the land of wood and water. This is a battle that only the perceived mighty from the U.S., from China or from India can win. But alas, this did not deter this committed team.

With only minutes to spare, the team submitted their entry in an attempt to be one of the very few from around the world to qualify to journey to Poland for the World Finals of this prestigious event. Some members were doubtful, but hopeful. How could they overcome the multitude of challengers from countries such as India, Singapore, Russia, Germany, Finland and Spain? They were up against 90 other teams and as much as 450 individuals from around the world. Could it be done?

The answer came some time later, when the finalists were announced and behold – Team Xormis from Jamaica outclassed the lot and qualified for the world finals of the competition in Poland.

Although this in itself was a remarkable achievement, this was not the end of the book, but merely the beginning of a new chapter. Amidst the celebration, the team still kept focused on the prize.

They were now to travel to a distant land – Poland, to vie for the coveted 1st place prize against giants Brazil and Indonesia.

Battling airport security, airline food, and sleep deprivation along the way, the team survived the long journey across continents. In spite of being afflicted by jetlag, with the help of God, the team prepared for and delivered an outstanding presentation in the final round.

After almost a year of hard work, of trials and setbacks, through intermittent despair and discouragement, Team Xormis was about to receive the results of their labour. Can we place second? Can we beat the mighty Brazil, the perceived favorites? Can we be first place winners? Can we really beat the entire world?

The results answered those questions with a resounding: “YES WE CAN”

In an astounding feat, Team Xormis emerged winners of the coveted Interoperability Award, and in so doing, once again demonstrated that this land we love has among its human resources bright, adept and highly skilled technology experts.

These valiant young men have raised the bar, and have brought positive attention to our embattled country through this truly incredible and well deserved victory.

This story however does not end here, but continues through the lives of those that have been inspired by this amazing accomplishment to go forth and attain even greater success.


--
K. Hylton

Imagine Cup 2010 Poland Opening Movie

Imagine Cup 2010 Poland Awards Ceremony Opening Video

Featuring team members from Northern Caribbean University, Jamaica

Internet running out of IP addresses

There are reports that the pool of Internet addresses has been officially depleted.

http://isoc.org/wp/newsletter/?p=3139

See excerpt below:

"The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has just announced the long-expected final allocation of IPv4 addresses to the Regional Internet Registries. This begins the final chapter in the history of IPv4, as each of the five regions of the world have now received their final blocks of addresses to distribute for use in new network developments.

The regions will each run out of IPv4 addresses at different times, at which point the only new IP addresses available for Internet growth will be IPv6. "

Official Android 3.0 Honeycomb Demo

Google Demos their new Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system, which is reported to have been designed primarily for Tablet devices. It will be interesting to see how developers will respond and what ideas can emerge from this new operating system.

Moving to IPv6 to Avert Internet Crisis

The pool of available IPv4 Internet Addresses will soon run out. This event is being likened to the problem of Y2K, however the problems that can emerge may be quite notable if appropriate action did not or does not take place. IPv4 designed in 1977 has a limit of approximately 4.3 billion addresses. Thankfully IPv6 has been steadily being introduced over the past few years to replace IPv4. With IPv6, the new limit will now be 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 addresses.

The following article provides further details on this important issue:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20029721-264.html?tag=TOCmoreStories.0

Here are a few excerpts:

"Many expect some disruptions as the IPv6 shift takes place. Web sites could be slow or inaccessible, companies could have a harder time setting up new services, Internet service providers could have a hard time keeping up with subscriber growth, and security will have to adapt to the new technology.

The Net won't collapse, though."

"Perhaps the best news about the IPv6 transition is that, once it's mostly over, the Internet will be a qualitatively different place. With vast tracts of IP addresses available, individual ones can be assigned to phones, computers, cars, stereo components, living-room thermostats, heads-up display glasses, wristwatches, home solar panels--you name it. Where a case can be made for networking, these devices will be able to communicate directly without the network topology shenanigans such as network address translation necessary today."

Google Supporting WebM for HTML5's Tag

Google recently announced that they will be dropping support for the H.264 codec in Chrome. Videos encoded in this format will still be playable via Flash and Silverlight plugins. For Google's explanation for this move - visit The Chromium Blog:

http://blog.chromium.org/2011/01/more-about-chrome-html-video-codec.html

Here are a few excerpts:

"As it stands, the organizations involved in defining the HTML video standard are at an impasse. There is no agreement on which video codec should be the baseline standard. Firefox and Opera support the open WebM and Ogg Theora codecs and will not support H.264 due to its licensing requirements; Safari and IE9 support H.264. With this status quo, all publishers and developers using the tag will be forced to support multiple formats."

"We acknowledge that H.264 has broader support in the publisher, developer, and hardware community today (though support across the ecosystem for WebM is growing rapidly). However, as stated above, there will not be agreement to make it the baseline in the HTML video standard due to its licensing requirements. To use and distribute H.264, browser and OS vendors, hardware manufacturers, and publishers who charge for content must pay significant royalties—with no guarantee the fees won’t increase in the future. To companies like Google, the license fees may not be material, but to the next great video startup and those in emerging markets these fees stifle innovation."