Fly a simulated spaceship. Process tweets to understand consumer preferences. Explore the human gender/sexuality spectrum. Watch an algorithm compose in four-part harmony.

With these and many other projects, University of Vermont students studying computer science will compete for a $1,000 prize at the first-ever UVM Computer Science Fair, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 12:50-3:50 p.m., in UVM’s Billings Library.

The event is free, and the public is invited to attend.

This is a great opportunity for people inside and outside the UVM community to see what UVM CS students are up to, for current or future UVM students to scope out CS as a potential major, and for employers to scope out potential future interns and employees,” says Maggie Eppstein, the chair of UVM’s computer science department and the lead organizer of the new fair.

More than 160 registered contestants — first-year through graduate students — will present about 90 computing projects: a mix of course work and extracurricular projects.

A judging panel of computer-based business leaders will decide the $1,000 Judges Choice Prize. The panel will include John Cohn from IBM, Tim Kenney from MyWebgrocer, John Paul from UTC Aerospace Systems, Marc McClanahan from Allscripts and Peter Brown from Agilion.

The projects will be presented in three time slots: 12:50-1:40 p.m., 1:55-2:45 p.m., and 3-3:50 p.m. Visitors are welcome to come by for any or all parts of the fair.

Representatives from the fair’s corporate sponsors will award a $750 Sponsors Choice Prize. These sponsors include: Google, State Street Corporation, Vermont HITEC, Competitive Computing (C2), Patient Engagement Systems, Qfuse, Dealer.com, Bluehouse Group, Galen Healthcare Solutions, UTC Aerospace Systems, Logic Supply, Stirling Technologies and Allscripts.

A $500 Student Choice Prize will also be awarded. Plus “there will be free food, door prizes, and raffles open to all attendees,” Eppstein says.

To learn more, preview the projects, or become a sponsor, visit the fair’s website.

PUBLISHED

11-19-2013
Joshua E. Brown