Technology in the 21st Century: Nov. 10-11 Conference Celebrates UC's Computing History and Predicts the Future

The University of Cincinnati’s history of computing (and its future) will be examined and celebrated during a Nov. 10-11 conference.

That’s when former and current UC students and employees – all of whom have contributed to the university’s and the larger world’s computing history – will gather to examine that history as well as the future of computing.

Participants and topics
The “Fifty Years of Computing at the University of Cincinnati” conference will kick off with a Nov. 10 dinner at the Kingsgate Marriott Conference Hotel. A reception will be held at 5 p.m., with a dinner following at 6 p.m.

Following will be a full day of sessions from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008, at UC’s College of Applied Science (CAS) auditorium, along with an evening reception that day from 7-10 p.m. at the Cincinnati Observatory.

The conference it tied to the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first computer on UC's campus (in 1958). That computer arrived because of UC's globally renowned astronomy research at the time, and the arrival of that IBM 650 computer means that UC  had an on-campus computer and computing center before East Coast schools like Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Included among the daytime speakers at CAS on Nov. 11 will be

• One-time UC student Helen Gigley, former head of the Human Computer Interaction Lab at the Naval Research Laboratory. In the early 1960s, Gigley was instrumental in developing the first and only program at the time to teach computer programming to the visually impaired as well as to those with other disabilities. This groundbreaking UC program was later copied by other institutions, including the University of Southern California and the University of Manitoba in Canada. Presentation time: 9:15 a.m.

• Diana Domonkos, senior consultant with IBM’s Heathcare Division, who will speak regarding medical informatics. Presentation time:  9:45 a.m.

• Dieter Schmidt, UC professor of computer science, on the evolution and revolution of computer science. Presentation time: 10:30 a.m.

• Fred Siff, UC vice president and chief information officer, on the future of IT. Presentation time: 11:30 a.m.

• Chris Collins, UC information technology analyst, will discuss pedagogy and Second Life. Presentation time: 1 p.m.

• Eric Newman, senior vice president and general manager of Pluck, on the business of the Web and social networking. Presentation time: 1:30 p.m.

• Tom Martin, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, Virginia Tech,  on wearable computing. Presentation time: 2 p.m.

• John Labadie, professor of art, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, will address the popularity of Photoshop and the decrease of trust attributable to the adage “seeing is believing.” Presentation time: 2:45 p.m.

• UC alum John Holloway, multimedia design specialist, RTI International, and Robert Furberg, health analyst with RTI International, will discuss using virtual reality to train medical practitioners. Presentation time: 3:15 p.m.

Speakers at the Cincinnati Observatory evening reception will be

• Ray Duncombe, professor of aerospace engineering, University of Texas-Austin, and former director at the Naval Observatory, and Ken Seidelmann, research professor of astronomy at the University of Virginia and former director at the Naval Observatory, will reflect on UC’s greatest astronomer, Paul Herget. (Herget was instrumental in bringing the first computer to UC. It came in three large sections, weighed in excess of a collective 5,000 pounds and rolled onto campus on its own set of wheels.)

• Debra Shepherd, North American deputy for ALMA Computing, will discuss a new international astronomy project.

Each of these Cincinnati Observatory sessions will be held concurrently, once at 7:30 p.m. and repeating at 8:15 p.m.

A historical display of computer hardware
A history of computing display will be part of the November “Fifty Years of Computing at the University of Cincinnati.” Hardware on display will date back to 1930s calculators used by UC astronomers.

To register or obtain more information
To register for the conference online, visit UC conferencing.

For additional information, contact conference organizer Russ McMahon, associate professor of information technology in UC’s College of Applied Science, at russ.mcmahon@uc.edu or at 513-556-4873. And listen to a podcast of McMahon discussing why UC's computing history is important to the community.

The tale of the first computer and other technology firsts at UC – and their wider impact – are being chronicled by McMahon, who is writing a history of computing at the university. The aim of his research is to put a human face on the impact of technology’s growth here on campus and beyond.

Cost to register and attend

• Nov. 10 opening dinner, Kingsgate Marriott at 6 p.m.
  $60 per person

• Nov. 11 speakers and presentations from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., UC’s College of Applied Science:
  $60 for the general public
  $45 for UC faculty and staff and teaching professionals (K-13+)
  $30 for college or high school students

• Nov. 11 evening reception at the Cincinnati Observatory from 7-10 p.m.:
  $20 per person

• TO ATTEND ALL SESSIONS at a discount:
  $125 for the general public
  $110 for UC faculty and staff and teaching professionals (K-13+)
  $90 for college or high school students

• Get more information about UC’s academic offerings in information technology.
• Apply to UC’s associate or baccalaureate information technology programs.
• Read the latest news from UC.