Information Technology and Web Science at RPI

Campus Career Information Session Friday 10/4 at 2PM CII 3130 Would you like to have a high impact internship, coop or post grad opportunity? Square is a fast growing payments company looking for talented students for roles in software engineering, hardware engineering, analytics and design. Please join us  on Friday at 2PM  in CII 3130 to learn about Square and our career opportunities.

Join us next Wednesday October 9th from 6-8pm in the Russell Sage Dining Hall for the annual ITWS Alumni panel. Eight alumni will be joining us, including two video conferencing in from the west coast! Companies represented include Cisco, Boeing, Becton Dickinson, Deloitte, GE, WebMD, Tunigo and Gramercy Cardiac Diagnostics Services/RepReferrals.

Sean Austin, B.S. ITWS '11, has been working with music start-up Tunigo since August 2012 as US Marketing Director. In June, Spotify acquired the start-up with the goal of rolling the music discovery curators into their own operation. Spotify will be going up against Apple, Google, Pandora and soon-to-be-announced Beats Music for the go-to global music streaming service in the coming months. "As a Information Technology & Web Science student, I became fascinated with the acceleration of technology into all industries of society. As a passionate music lover and classically trained in piano, I wanted to merge the two loves since I was a sophomore. I worked on a start-up for several years while attending school which focused on mobile applications and had some success... outside the music domain though. A year ago, I had the opportunity to spin-off my own start-up that focused solely on music in the interactive mobile app space. The investment money had me quickly off down

Bill Wales, IT Alumnus class of 2004, and former president of GNH, recently published an article entitled “In Pursuit of Greatness: CEONarcissism, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and Firm Performance Variance” in the Journal of Management Studies, as quoted on Today.com . Bill, now a professor of management at James Madison University , has been studying corporate entrepreneurship for several years and recently linked narcissistic CEOs to an increase in firm entrepreneurial behavior. With greater narcissism, individuals tend to have increasingly inflated, commonly unrealistic, views of their own self-importance. Yet, these self-perceptions are generally fragile, and maintaining them demands continuous external self-affirmation from others. In organizational leadership roles, narcissists are therefore concerned with actions that draw attention to themselves, inspire awe and adoration among followers, and have the possibility of leaving behind an admirable legacy of achievement. The r

ITWS Alumni Lindsay Poirier (Class of 2013)  traveled to Africa to test software that used indigenous culture to teach mathematical concepts. She's pursuing her Ph.D. at Rensselaer and continuing her research on Africa, focusing on the critical issues involved with moving Africa into the Information Age.

The Master's in IT program recently updated the curriculum and has some exciting changes to share.  Two new concentrations have been added, Data Science and Analytics and Information Dominance.  Also the class Data Science has been added as the new Data Analytics core  requirement , advanced  options  for this core area will be Database Mining, X-Informatics, and a brad new class currently being developed called Data Analytics.     Additional   information  about the new concentrations. Data Science and Analytics -  Data and Information analytics extends analysis (descriptive and predictive models to obtain knowledge from data) by using insight from analyses to recommend action or to guide and communicate decision-making. Thus, analytics is not so much concerned with individual analyses or analysis steps, but with an entire methodology. Key topics include: advanced statistical computing theory, multivariate analysis, and application of computer science courses such as data minin

July 18, 2013 The U.S. Navy is turning to the  Information Technology and Web Science  (ITWS) Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to prepare a select group of U.S. Navy officers with skills needed for military cyberspace operations. Under a three-year agreement, the Navy will enroll a group of five to 10 officers yearly in a new “information dominance” concentration within the Master of Science in Information Technology degree program at Rensselaer. The new concentration will prepare officers for careers designing, building, and managing secure information systems and networks. Such training is essential for the U.S. Navy in an increasingly information-rich environment, said  Professor Peter Fox , director of the ITWS program, which is offered through the  School of Science . “When you’re deluged with a large amount of heterogeneous information, you’re presented with challenges that you don’t have when you have sparse amounts of information,” said Fox. As an example, Fox

http://semanticweb.com/want-to-be-a-tetherless-world-engineer_b38326 Want to Be a “Tetherless World Engineer”? By  Angela Guess  on  July 8, 2013 2:30 PM Chloe Green of Information Age  recently wrote, “The next generation of digital professionals will need a far broader set of skills than today’s IT workers. Beyond simply installing and managing systems, they will need to find ways to use technology to support communication, collaboration and innovation. That is the thinking behind a new Masters’ course at Bath Spa University, dubbed ‘Creative Technology and Enterprise.’ Most creative technology courses are aimed at students who want to join the creative industries, such as music, graphic design or broadcast, and offer training in digital media. Bath Spa’s new course, by contrast, is designed specifically to train up employees for conventional businesses. It is a hybrid of computing, creativity and business that reflects the ‘transdisciplinary’ nature of the economy, and

Hack IT: 24 Hour Hack-A-Thon Pushes Engineers Beyond The Norm - The Network: Cisco's Technology News Site VIDEO Hack IT: 24 Hour Hack-A-Thon Pushes Engineers Beyond The Norm Who needs sleep when there are codes to break? Cisco engineers along with interns and university students test their geek credentials while solving some of technology's biggest problems. June 09 , 2013 Full Transcript This event is called Hack It. We are doing a 24 hour intense coding and problem solving marathon. We've got Indian and Chinese and we're all running on highly caffeinated drinks. Hi, I'm Akeem Shirley and I'm an IT Analyst (laugh) I'm Akeem Shirley and I'm an IT Analyst with Cisco My name is Ben Varghese, I'm an IT engineer here at Cisco I'm Ben Goodwin, and I'm a UK intern. When you connect different people form different disciplines, different industries, different organizations in the company and bring those t

One of our very own ITWS students, Norbert, seems to be having a lot of fun during his internship with Cisco Systems! @1:45 http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=SoJF3QQRaqU

“30/90: Building A Better Future” is a proven framework for achieving your goals. Whether you are looking to pursue lifestyle changes or extreme challenges, 30/90 provides you with a simple and direct step-by-step process. The framework combines the best productivity techniques with my own findings to help you define and conquer challenges in your life - and build to a grander and brighter future. I particularly love a good challenge. Over the years, I have pursued dozens of challenges and goals ranging from extreme fitness, to losing over sixty pounds in 90 days, to mental deprivation. I have spent 30 days eating only raw food, a whole month of not lying (and telling the truth for any question asked), and more. “30/90: Building A Better Future” is the exact process I go through, from beginning to end. It details what kinds of goals to strive for and how to pick the most important ones. It covers how to stay organized, motivated, and sane while pursuing these chall

Commencement was held on May 25, 2013.  Despite the rain and chilly temperatures everyone had a wonderful time.  Congratulations to the Class of 2013! MS in IT Graduates BS in ITWS Graduates (a few MSIT Graduates in there as well) All lined up and ready to walk into the graduation ceremony.   All the photos from Commencement can be found here:  Commencement May 2013 .

The Rensselaer IDEA: Harnessing the Power of Data to Change the World The Rensselaer Institute for Data Exploration and Applications (IDEA) Anchors a New Era of Research and Discovery at the Nation’s Oldest Technological Research University ShareThis   Facebook   Tweet   LinkedIn   Pinterest   Email June 13, 2013 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  today announced a new university-wide initiative to tackle the challenges and opportunities of Big Data. The new Rensselaer Institute for Data Exploration and Applications (IDEA) brings together and fortifies the wealth of data science, high performance computing, predictive analytics, data visualization, and cognitive computing research at Rensselaer, the nation’s oldest technological research university. The Rensselaer IDEA represents an investment by Rensselaer of $60 million, and involves faculty members and students from more than 12 departments across the five schools of the university. The new research

http://sites.mediaplanet.com/stem-education/its-a-beautiful-life-exploring-careers-in-it IT’S A BEAUTIFUL LIFE: EXPLORING CAREERS IN IT Question: What does it take to get a good job these days? Answer: Plenty of math and science.             The average salary for IT jobs in 2012, for positions from Web Administrators, Network Engineers, to Database Managers & Architects was $76,601. According to David Kotfila, Director of the Cisco Networking Academy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, “There are five or more jobs for every student we graduate.” These jobs are everywhere, but in the Washington metro area, the need is especially great. “Washington is a major IT center,” explains Louis D’Allessandro, professor of IT at George Mason University. In networking alone, 25,000 jobs are projected by 2018. These are good jobs, too, Kotfila adds. “Starting salaries range from $64,000 a year to $100,000.” Prep work It’s a great time to enter the IT field,

Director Peter Fox discusses Information Technology and Web Science and RPI. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Dn4IZTBj10s

ITWS Alumni Matt Heffler talks about working at Cisco as a Veteran.  

Madeline is a junior at RPI majoring in IT & Web Science with a concentration in Management Information Systems. She chose the ITWS program because she was more interested in the interaction between people and computer technology instead of coding all the time. She thinks the emphasis of the ITWS program on group work and projects affords the opportunity to learn much about real world issues and values. Madeline thinks the ITWS program offers a good mix of courses from IT and management and this will definitely help her achieve a career in IT project management. Her leadership skills are also developed through the experience gained from project-work and meeting people from non-technical backgrounds. Madeline would like to see more women pursuing this program. When asked if she would recommend this program to her friends, Madeline said: “Absolutely I would recommend ITWS program to my friends, I think if you are not necessarily looking for a career in IT. In fact, y

Recently we had a chat with Michelle, who is pursuing the ITWS major in RPI. Michelle came to RPI as Computer Science major and switched to the ITWS program a year later to concentrate in Web technology. One of the reasons she made the switch to ITWS program was because it is a smaller program than computer science and it feels more like a family. She has a great adviser who is like a mother in the organization. There are only 120 undergraduates and she knows every person in the program, which makes it easier to reach out for help. Another reason to like ITWS program is because it offers a blend or mix between computer science and management. Students can get to develop business, social and presentation skills while also learning all about technology, like writing code or software. Moreover, Michelle considers all courses are of great value. When asked if she would recommend this program to her friends, Michelle said: “Absolutely, I will, it’s really across the board,

Recently we had a chat with Alex, a student majoring in ITWS at RPI with a dual major in Computer Science.  We asked him a few questions that we hope can help you learn a bit more about the ITWS program at RPI ( http://itws.rpi.edu ) [ITWS] Why did you choose the IT Web Science program? [Alex] First got accepted as a CS major, but later talked with Prof.  Hendler, who was the head of the IT program at the time, and found his research and classes interesting and decided to choose a dual major in CS & IT [ITWS] What features of the program do you like best? Or what is the value of the program? [Alex] One of the main values is that it is interdisciplinary and allows you to see the world outside of technology and see the big picture [ITWS] Give us a brief description about your career goals and how will the ITWS program help you achieve that goal? [Alex] My plans are to pursue a MS of PhD in Computer Science. In this respect the IT program has helped in givin

“What Are Climate Models Good For?” Dr. Gavin Schmidt, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Vollmer W. Fries Lecture Series Friday, April 19th 4 - 6:00 p.m., EMPAC Concert Hall The School of Science is pleased to welcome Dr. Gavin Schmidt , deputy chief at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, as part of the Vollmer W. Fries lecture series and in conjunction with the 2013 Rensselaer Earth Week Sensing Environments festival. Dr. Schmidt will present a lecture on the use of climate models to explain current climate change and predict future climate scenarios. He will also examine the performance, credibility, and limitation of the models related to the assessment of short-term climate variability, the response of the climate system to external factors, and paleo-climate information. As a leader in climate science and modeling, Dr. Schmidt’s research interests lie in understanding the variability of the climate, both its inter

The ITWS program went to NYC to visit alumni at Google and the new Deloitte offices at 30 Rockefeller.  We also took a walking tour and finished the day with a networking reception at Pete's Tavern.  Approximately 25 alumni came to meet us at Pete's. Thanks to everyone for making this a wonderful trip. All the photos from NYC can be found here: https://picasaweb.google.com/105498377668939317246/ITWSNYCTripApril2013?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKinxuDq_9xL&feat=directlink