BAYLOR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTER SCIENCE One Bear Place #97356 Waco, TX 76798-7356 SPRING 2012 VOL. 10 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED JUNE 10-16, 17-23, 24-30 INNOVATE is a week-long summer program for high school juniors with an interest in science, mathematics, and technology who want to explore engineering and computer science. The program focuses on mechanical, aerospace, and electrical engineering as well as computer gaming and programming experience. Sessions include working in labs, talking with industry professionals and taking classes from Baylor faculty. Participants also gain the college experience through the residence hall, campus cafeterias, and fun activities on the Baylor campus. Twenty-four students will be selected for each week of the summer program. FOR MORE INFORMATION OR AN APPLICATION www.ecs.baylor.edu • [email protected] • 254-710-3890 >> software engineering: seeking the right solution 06464ECS 1.12 ISSUE Spring 2012, Vol. 10 PRESIDENT Ken Starr, JD Provost Elizabeth Davis, PhD VICE provost for research Truell Hyde, PhD DEaN, SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTER SCIENCE Benjamin S. Kelley, PhD, PE 18 10 3 Meet the New ECS Staff DEPaRTMENT CHaIRS Greg Speegle, PhD, Interim, Computer Science 4 Process + Product Kwang Y. Lee, PhD, Electrical and Computer Engineering William M. Jordan, PhD, Mechanical Engineering Software Engineering: Seeking the Right Solution EDITORIaL OFFICE Synergy • Leigh Ann Marshall One Bear Place #97356 10 Q&A with Dr. Greg Speegle Waco, TX 76798-7356 A Candid Conversation with the Interim PHONE (254) 710-6826 Department Chair for Computer Science FAX (254) 710-3839 EMAIL [email protected] 14 Game On! WRITERS aND EDITORS Aaron Thibault’s Addition to the ECS Casi Bowers, Eric Eckert, Leigh Ann Marshall, Dana Wallace Faculty Takes Program to New Heights PhotograPHy 18 Kolt Browder Ryan Duncan, Matthew Minard, Robert Rogers Pitcher Finds Balance on the Mound DESIGN and in the Classroom Clayton Thompson UNIVERSITy Development Kevin Ludlum, PhD 14 Executive Director of Development One Bear Place #97356 Waco, TX 76798-7356 Phone (254) 710-6754 DepaRTMENTS EMAIL [email protected] 2 From the Dean 12 Elsewhere at Baylor 20 Around the Lab, New Faces, Faculty Publications 25 Alumni Updates Synergy is a publication of the Baylor University School of Engineering & Computer Science that establishes a communication link to keep alumni and friends aware of the spirit of discovery at the School. Established in 1995 from programs dating to 1974, the School of Engineering & Computer Science has provided a quality education to more than 2,500 graduates in the tradition of excellence, a cornerstone of Baylor’s heritage. Synergy is produced for the School of Engineering & Computer Science by Baylor’s Division of Marketing & Communications. 12 4 > DEAN’S COLUMN sight and several research programs and laboratories will be launched in this space in the near future. In addition, the ACM International IDA JAMSHIDI Collegiate Programming Contest, ECS Academic Advisor which is headquartered at Baylor, eclipses new milestones of THESE ARE PRECIOUS MOMENTS excellence each year. “It has been a huge blessing to work in an environment and unprecedented days at Baylor. Synergy magazine is now in its where faculty and staff work together to support students Some say the stars are aligned… tenth year with each new issue in all areas of life – spiritual, academic, social, emotional, others refer to divine intervention. outshining the previous. Christian- etc. This unique collaboration gives Baylor ECS students an As Texas’ oldest and perhaps most grounded discipline-specific mission interconnected college experience that separates them from distinguished university, I see Baylor projects transverse the four corners other graduates in engineering and computer science.” simply implementing ambitious of the globe. Inclusion as a Kern plans and assuming her ordained Entrepreneurship Education Network location in the constellation of higher institution and the i5 China and education institutions. Technical Entrepreneurship programs What is so special about 2012 are providing unique opportunities for Baylor? In the athletic realm, we for ECS graduates as well. have seen Baylor’s first Heisman These achievements are not by Trophy winner, first appearance in accident or happenstance and have the Women’s College World Series, been guided by both Vision 2012 back-to-back bowl games and first and extraordinary colleagues, with bowl victory in a generation, deep more success to come. runs into the NCAA basketball The Electrical & Computer tournament, and Top 10 rankings for Engineering PhD program is but two tennis and track and field. years old and other new programs, Though athletics may be including undergraduate offerings, ancillary to the core Baylor mission, are emerging from the drawing academic programs also proceed board. Although the BRIC brings into uncharted territory. The School much needed research space for of Engineering and Computer our students and faculty, a new ECS Science (ECS) is at the nucleus academic building that will more of this charge as evidenced by a closely connect ECS with several EMILY SANDVALL U.S.News and World Report ranking important campus strategic partners Assistant Director of ECS Student Initiatives of 13th in the nation. Within the is not too distantly on the horizon. past decade, ECS undergraduate Such growth and progress demand “I am thrilled and honored to be a part of the best school on enrollment has doubled - as has energetic, enthusiastic, visionary campus! I love experiencing how ECS faculty support and the number of faculty and staff leadership filled by a competent and encourage the growth and development of our students both in serving within the school - and supportive president and provost. and outside the classroom. This, coupled with the other amazing the quality of all continues to soar. Soon too, after 13 years, I will be programs ECS provides to its students, allows us to shape students Resulting accolades have rained passing the baton to the third holistically so that they might better utilize their strengths and in from prestigious scholarships to dean of the School of Engineering talents to make positive changes in the field.” professional society recognition and and Computer Science, who champions at student competitions will help us continue the charge to new and innovative faculty and provide leadership that will MARK MCCREARY research grant awards. allow us to continue the rise to The extraordinarily successful ECS unprecedented heights. ECS Financial Manager Living Learning Center is maturing into the ECS Residential College and will move to sparkling new facilities “Blessings abound here in ECS! It is thrilling for me to work being constructed in the East Village with dedicated professors, motivated students, and creative Residential Community. Completed staff members. I’m excited to be involved in the creative renovation of the 300,000 square and innovative activities. Baylor’s ECS is rapidly growing and foot Baylor Research and Innovation touching lives across the globe, and I am very proud to be Collaborative (BRIC) building is within associated with such a fine group of problem-solvers.” 2 SYNERGY MAGAZINE / SPRING 2012 VOL. 10 / www.baylor.edu/ecs baylor UNIVERSITY school OF ENGINEERING AND computer science 3 >> software engineering: seeking the right solution a four-year window, with the first graduates completing the program in May 2011. A shift in the workforce isn’t the only thing that’s changed. The platforms have changed as well. “Ten years ago, we didn’t have all these hand-held devices,” said Managing the quality Dr. Paul Grabow, professor process has resulted in a of computer science. “One of shift in the workforce in the challenges that the whole which programming jobs computer science department “since the dot-com bust ten years ago, the computer science industry has are showing little growth, has is: How do we address a been forced to reconsider the most important aspects of software solutions,” while the design and new platform because the old quality assurance aspects platforms aren’t going away? according to dr. greg speegle, professor and interim chair of computer science. of software engineering The PC is still on your desk,” “the industry has learned that while coding can be done in remote locations, have become some of the said Grabow. design and quality assurance need to be done locally.” top needs in the industry. Platforms may have changed >> Dr. Paul Grabow Baylor’s Department of – and frequently do – but for Computer Science responded a large part, process skills to this change by creating do not, according to Grabow. a special undergraduate The approach to problem- track specifically targeting solving is pretty consistent. Development Process software engineering. “The notion of software “the notion The software engineering engineering is probably of software process is complex. It includes captured best by process everything from working plus product,” he added, engineering with the customer’s original emphasizing the process is probably idea through development part. Grabow notes that captured best to maintenance. Engineers must balance the needs of by process the customer with budget plus product,” Coding and time constraints. The track was implemented by adding new courses during job growth projected from 2008 to 2018* *According to the US Department of Labor 4 SYNERGY MAGAZINE / SPRING 2012 VOL. 10 / www.baylor.edu/ecs around two-thirds of an engineer’s “One main benefit to our Baylor community engagement department, the requirements to provide the right creates, the comments he leaves, the time is focused outside of coding. student teams is that through this said of the project, “This appears to solution,” said Song, noting that means formatting, the blocking of the lines of Software engineering is one of course project, they can work for a enable the learner to explore their they must play the role of both analyst code, how far indented and tabbed each the major stems within the computer real customer with a real problem.