Mathematics and Computer Science
MAJOR OF THE MONTH (from previous months)

Michael Cannell -- April, 2012

Mike Cannell is a senior Computer Information Systems major from Macedonia, Ohio. Mike, who says that he liked the idea of a Catholic university, chose John Carroll also because of its "great academics, small class sizes, and attractive campus." Mike was also recruited to play football at JCU, and has earned a varsity letter for three years as a defensive lineman for the Blue Streaks.

Mike says that he has "always enjoyed tinkering with computers, even as a young child," and was totally in his element in Dr. Linda Seiter's Mobile Technology course, where he learned to create applications that could be used on his android phone. Mike also cites Dr. Dan Palmer as one of his favorite professors, "because of his programming knowledge and his care for students."

At home in the outdoors, Mike enjoys golfing at least twice a week, and has had summer jobs in landscaping. During the seasons less conducive to outdoor activities, Mike enjoys playing Xbox, watching TV (ESPN, History Channel, SpongeBob), and eating(!) He also confesses an interest in a possible move farther south, to get away from the northern winters, and maybe spend more time on the golf course.

After graduation in December, Mike has his sights set on becoming an IT professional in a school setting, while also serving as a high school football coach.

Kathryn Ek -- February, 2012

Katie Ek is a senior Computer Information Systems major from Erie, Pennsylvania, who is also earning a minor in Business. Katie, who says she didn't want to be "just a number" at a large school, chose John Carroll for her college education in part because of its size. "The size of the classes provides for a personal experience for each student," Katie says.

Katie did not decide on her major until her sophomore year, when her advisor, Dr. Marc Kirschenbaum, suggested that she try the Introduction to Software Development course. "I immediately knew that this was something I wanted to do," said Katie. "It was equally challenging and rewarding, which were both attributes I had been looking for in an area of study."

In the Computer Informations Systems major, Katie's favorite classes have been those dealing with databases, SQL and website design. Katie is currently utilizing her CIS background in her part-time job with Dwellworks, a Cleveland-based company that provides a suite of services to clients in the real estate and mortgage industries. Starting last summer as a full-time IT intern, Katie was asked to stay on part time at Dwellworks, through her senior year. Her responsibilities with the company include maintaining the company iPads, updating their Sharepoint site, and creating and running SQL Server Reports. Katie is also serving as a computer science tutor for the JCU Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

Although she grew up in Pennsylvania, Katie is a "diehard Cleveland Browns fan." On campus, Katie is involved in the Hope for Honduran Children and Relay for Life programs, and is also a member of the Phi Eta Sigma national honor society. In her down time, Katie enjoys "discovering, listening to, or learning to play music." She has played the piano by ear for about fourteen years, and is now attempting to learn to play the guitar.

As if her life were not busy enough, Katie also has an internship at the Cleveland Clinic, where she is kick-starting the new JCU/Cleveland Clinic collaborative Healthcare Information Systems program, which may eventually become a major at JCU. Along with Dr. Dan Palmer of JCU and computing professionals at the Clinic, Katie is working on creating software to test the quality of CR Readers (Computed Radiography) at the Clinic and its various branch campuses. Katie also regularly meets with students in Dr. Palmer's Software Development Practices course, to keep them informed about her software project, and also to raise awareness of the exciting new collaboration between JCU and the Clinic.

After graduation in May, Katie plans to remain in the Cleveland area, in a career that will allow her to bridge the gap between Information Technology and Business.

Robert Short -- December, 2011

Bob Short is a senior Mathematics major from Indiana, Pennsylvania. With family ties to JCU and the Cleveland area, Bob was familiar with John Carroll; and since he was "looking for a small school where I could get a respectable education," Bob found JCU to be "exactly what I was looking for."

Bob came to John Carroll knowing that he wanted to major in Mathematics. "I consider myself very fortunate to have known that," he says. But Bob's academic horizons have been expanded by his exposure to the field of philosophy, and he will be completing a double major in both Mathematics and Philosophy in the coming spring. He is also a member of the JCU Honors Program, which is designed to encourage students to integrate their learning and to seek and respond to intellectual challenge, through a sequence of honors courses, tutorials and seminars.

Almost since the day he started at JCU, Bob has taken a keen interest in discovering new ideas in mathematics, and he has been especially active in presenting the results of his research at student conferences, both regionally and nationally. His most recent presentation, titled "Variations on the Collatz Conjecture," was at the national Pi Mu Epsilon conference, held in conjunction with the Mathematical Association of America's annual summer MathFest.

During this academic year, Bob is working in the JCU Mathematics Tutoring Center, where he has been helping other students with their courses in calculus and statistics. He has also worked off campus for several years as a server at the local Applebee's restaurant. When not involved with his studies or work, Bob occasionally makes time to play guitar, and is also a self-described "avid player of video games." (Talk to Bob if you need some tips on Starcraft II or Team Fortress 2. )

Bob's favorite mathematics class has been Dr. Paul Shick's Topology course, which is normally taken only by graduate students. "The topics and ideas covered in that class are fascinating to me," Bob says. "Plus, Dr. Shick does a great job of encouraging thought while working out proofs during class." Bob is currently in the process of applying to graduate programs in mathematics, and the topology course, along with the other mathematics classes Bob has taken, will prepare him well for the next phase of his education, graduate study in Mathematics leading to a doctoral degree.

Eric Levicky -- November, 2011

Eric Levicky is a senior Computer Science major from Solon, Ohio. Eric says he chose John Carroll for his college education "because I was most comfortable here--a combination of proximity to home and a welcoming feeling when I came here to visit."

When he first decided on JCU, Eric planned to major in Business Information Systems. However, after his first two computer science classes, he decided on Computer Science as his major. "That was one of the best decisions I have ever made," Eric says. With advanced placement in CS, Eric's first Computer Science classes at JCU were Database Systems and E-Commerce. "These classes made me realize how much I enjoy coding, along with the feeling of accomplishment when the code works," he says.

Eric finds it hard to single out any class as his favorite, and says that each CS class has impacted both his college experience and his professional career. After taking the .Net course at JCU, Eric began a position last spring as an intern at Hyland Software, a Cleveland-based company that develops software solutions for a wide array of commercial, financial and government customers. According to Eric, "the level of detail and attention to coding practices covered in the .Net course allowed me to begin work on many projects immediately after starting with Hyland."

Eric continued his internship during the summer, and is now still working part-time at Hyland, where he is a member of the Quality Assurance Solutions team. He has also started a second part-time job with "duncanllc," a Cleveland-based cloud service provider specializing in streaming solutions for modern business. As Duncan's Director of Social Media, Eric is in charge of posting podcasts and tweets, and making modifications to the company's web site.

On campus, Eric is Vice President of Communications for the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, the local chapter of a national fraternity dedicated to "Building Balanced Leaders." Between SigEp, working two jobs, and taking classes at a pace that will enable him to graduate a semester early, Eric doesn't have a lot of "down time." But in his free time, Eric enjoys watching movies and going for "adventurous rides in the car or on my motorcycle." (Hopefully not at the same time, Eric!)

After graduating in December, Eric plans to start working full-time in a position that will continue to offer him daily challenges, as well as the opportunity to continue his education. With his strong background in computer science and the practical experience he has already gained, Eric will certainly be a prize catch for some company!

Rachel Widman-- May, 2011

Rachel Widman is a senior mathematics major from Sandusky, Ohio. Since Rachel went to a small high school, she says "I was very comfortable with the small-school atmosphere and the learning environment at JCU. My sister also attended John Carroll, and I always felt at home while visiting her here."

Rachel says that math was always her favorite subject in elementary and high school. "I realized my freshman year," she says, "that I could not imagine a semester at JCU without a math class. But, while it is challenging, I love the way it makes me think outside the box."

Some of Rachel's favorite classes at JCU have been Operations Research and Discrete & Continuous Modeling, because of their emphasis on real-world problems. She has also enjoyed the Fractal Geometry course, "because I find all the images and visuals so interesting." In addition to her major in mathematics, Rachel is also earning minors in Spanish and in Probability & Statistics. Some of the results of her statistical research were presented at the 2009 Joint Statistical Meetings in Washington, D.C.

On campus, Rachel works in the Institute of Catholic Studies office. During the past two summers, she also worked with the New Student Orientation program, and was the Senior Orientation Leader for the summer, 2010, orientations. About this experience, Rachel says "I really enjoyed meeting the new students and sharing my experiences with them." She has also been a varsity cheerleader, and has held leadership positions in her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, for the past four years.

After graduation in May, Rachel will begin a Master's program in Education at the University of Akron, where she has been awarded a prestigious Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. After a year, when she completes her master's degree, Rachel will begin sharing her love of mathematics as a high school teacher.

Brian Benander -- April, 2011

Brian Benander is a senior from Richmond Heights, Ohio, who is earning a double major in both Mathematics and Computer Science. Brian says that math was always his strongest and favorite subject--a characteristic of others in his family, including his father, who is a math teacher. Brian chose to add computer science to his academic portfolio "because I knew it has similarities to math, and also knew that CS is a growing field with many job opportunities."

Brian plays third base on the Blue Streaks varsity baseball team, and holds a number of team and conference records. Last year, Brian led the team in runs, triples and batting average, and led the Ohio Athletic Conference in on-base percentage. He also has the dubious honor of holding the 2010 national Division III record for being hit by pitches! Brian is also a member of the JCU Conservative Club and has been very involved with Right to Life, serving as an Activities Coordinator. He has also gone to the national March for Life in Washington, DC, for 12 straight years.

Off campus, Brian serves as scorekeeper for numerous local recreational basketball and hockey leagues. Last summer, he kept score for local adult softball leagues every night, and maintained the baseball fields at the local community park near his home. Some of Brian's favorite classes at JCU have been the statistics classes taught by Dr. Tom Short. Having had an interest in sports statistics even before college, Brian says that "the classes have taught me the correct way to look at statistics without getting fooled."

As an avowed fan of the Cleveland area in general and the Cleveland Indians in particular, Brian's ideal career would probably be as a professional baseball player (for the Indians, of course). But his fall-back career, which he will begin shortly after graduation, is likely to be in the area of computer software development.

Kaylee Sutton -- March, 2011

Kaylee Sutton is a senior Mathematics major from Marietta, Ohio. Kaylee chose John Carroll for her college education "because of its Catholic values and its reputation for excellence." She decided on mathematics as her major because "it is a subject that always stimulates my mind. I love to solve problems," she says, "and math allows for critical thinking at a very complex and intellectual level."

On campus, Kaylee is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society. She is also a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society. Last summer, Kaylee worked with Dr. Tom Short in the JCU Statistical Services Lab, where she analyzed data for professors in the biology and psychology departments. During the academic year, she works as a tutor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, where she assists students in introductory level math classes.

Kaylee's favorite math classes have been number theory, abstract algebra, and fractal geometry. She has especially enjoyed Dr. Carl Spitznagel's classes, "because he has built my mathematical foundation. He has always been patient, and is by far one of the best professors at JCU." Under the direction of Dr. Leo Schneider, Kaylee got an early start at doing research in mathematics. Her research has led to original discoveries in the field of number theory, which Kaylee has presented at a number of student conferences, including the National Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics. She is also preparing a poster on her statistical work, for presentation at JCU's Celebration of Scholarship this semester.

With a second major in Spanish, Kaylee spent the past fall semester studying in Madrid, Spain, at the College of International Studies--an experience that she truly loved and will never forget. After graduation this May, Kaylee plans to attend graduate school in mathematics, with a goal of earning a Ph.D. and becoming a professor in a college or university.

Paul Tagliamonte -- February, 2011

Paul Tagliamonte is a senior Computer Science major from Wellesley, Massachusetts. "I chose John Carroll," Paul says, "because it's a well respected Jesuit school with an outstanding campus." On his trip to Cleveland to take a look at JCU and the campus, Paul says he was "truly stunned. The people who attend John Carroll are extraordinarily nice, the classes are challenging, and the professors are unusually accommodating."

Paul says he has been into computers his whole life, even starting programming before he could drive a car. He had several jobs as a programmer in high school, and Computer Science was a natural choice for him when he entered JCU. "I never second-guessed my choice of major in my four years here," Paul says. He says that picking a favorite class is "like picking a favorite kid--you just can't do it." However, he did really enjoy the Software Engineering and Operating Systems classes. "It was great to dig into some of the nitty-gritty stuff."

Last summer, Paul worked at the Boston College data center, doing UNIX server administration work. During the current school year, he works in the JCU Computer Science Lab, as a tutor through the Math and Computer Science Department. He especially enjoys that work, because "we get all kinds of students coming in for help, with questions ranging from the basics of programming to complex software design. It's never the same thing twice, which makes things fun."

Paul spends a good deal of his free time working on the free and open source software operating system Ubuntu. Having moved past basic support and patching, Paul is now involved with managing the Ubuntu community, and has been to the Ohio Linux Fest twice on behalf of Ubuntu, where he spent a good deal of his time staffing the Ubuntu booth. He also enjoys reading, skiing, playing bass guitar and accordion, and an occasional video game.

After graduation, Paul would like to get a job in software engineering, or in another area of computing that affords a certain amount of programming freedom. He especially likes designing back ends and APIs (application programming interfaces). Although he is not sure whether he will eventually go back to school for a master's degree, Paul wants to begin his career right away--preferably in a company that "focuses on solving some really cool problems."

Pamela Castricone -- December, 2010

Pamela Castricone is a senior Mathematics major from Strongsville, Ohio. Although Pam says that she always liked math, she did not come to John Carroll planning to be a math major. "But," she says, "my math classes gave me the challenge that I was looking for. It was more rewarding than my other classes, and I wanted a degree that would set me apart."

About her decision to attend JCU, Pam says that she was struck by the strong sense of community. "Although every college I visited had strong academics," Pam says, "I just knew that JCU would be the best fit for me." Pam's favorite classes at JCU have been Dr. Tom Short's Probability and Statistics and Applied Statistics classes, because "in statistics you get to apply mathematical ideas to real world problems."

During the past summer, Pam had an internship at the Cleveland office of Towers Watson, a leading global financial advising firm specializing in actuarial consulting. In her internship, Pam learned about the actuarial profession by analyzing various types of retirement plans.

Pam's background in probability and statistics helped her to pass "Exam P," the first in the sequence of actuarial exams leading to the prestigious Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries. She is now preparing to take the second exam, on Financial Management ("Exam FM").

While not working or studying, Pam can be found tutoring students in the JCU Mathematics Tutoring program, or teaching group ice skating and figure skating classes at two local ice rinks. She is also a member of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, the Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society and the Christian Life Community at JCU. A member of the Honors Program at JCU, Pam also serves as a coordinator of the Student Honors Advisory Council, which plans cultural events for Honors Program students.

With her strong background in statistics, her internship experience, and her progress in the actuarial exams, Pam has already been offered--and has accepted--a full-time position as an Actuarial Analyst with Towers Watson, which she will begin after graduation in May.

Boban Josipovic -- November, 2010

Boban Josipovic is a senior Computer Science major from Eastlake, Ohio. Born in Croatia, Boban moved to Germany when war broke out in the Balkans. He has now been in the United States for ten years.

Boban says that when he was younger he "was always into computers and how they worked." In high school he played around with HTML and creating web sites, and ever since then he knew he wanted "to do something with code."

His favorite classes at John Carroll have been the Web Design and Programming class with Dr. Linda Seiter, where he learned a lot about the newest web technologies; and Software Engineering with Dr. Dan Palmer. "You get to work on projects for real life clients," he says. "It helps you prepare for the real world."

Boban chose John Carroll because "it is a great college," and within easy commuting distance for him. Access to the Cleveland area turned out to be quite important for him, as he has been working since last February as an IT intern in the Finance and Systems Administration department of Parker Hannifin Corporation. Parker Hannifin, the world's leading manufacturer of motion and control systems, is headquartered just 4 miles from JCU. Boban, who landed his internship at Parker through the John Carroll Center for Career Services, has had a number of interesting assignments, including developing financial reports using WebFocus, and helping to develop Parker's supplier maintenance system.

In his spare time, Boban enjoys playing basketball, football, soccer and tennis. After graduation in May, Boban would like to remain in the Cleveland area, where he plans to pursue a master's degree in computer science while working in the information technology field.

Mitchell Kearney -- October, 2010

Mitchell Kearney is a senior Mathematics major from Wooster, Ohio. Looking for a challenging college in a big city, Mitch found that John Carroll fit his criteria perfectly. "Cleveland is my favorite city in Ohio, and John Carroll provides a quality, well-rounded education," Mitch says.

Coming out of high school, Mitch knew that he wanted to major in mathematics. "It has always been my favorite subject," he says, "and the thought of getting paid to practice mathematics sometimes overwhelms me!"

Mitch's favorite mathematics professor at JCU has been Dr. Carl Spitznagel, who has also been his academic advisor. While Mitch says that Dr. Spitznagel's classes have been among the hardest he has taken, "he is always in his office to help, and he makes the more theoretical classes enjoyable and manageable."

In his spare time, Mitch enjoys baseball and football, and also plays as a setter on the JCU men's volleyball team. Mitch's other recreational activities include snowboarding, scuba diving, golf and playing backgammon--a game with surprisingly strong mathematical connections. Mitch also works as a tutor in the mathematics tutoring program at JCU and, on some weekends, returns to Wooster to work for a tree trimming and removal service.

Mitch is earning the Bachelor of Science degree in math, along with coursework to prepare him to teach in high school. And while he may decide to choose a non-teaching job in industry immediately after graduation, Mitch is certain that teaching is somewhere in his future. During the spring semester, Mitch will be doing his student teaching at Orange High School, in suburban east-side Cleveland. He will also assist in coaching the baseball team at Orange. Wherever Mitch's career takes him, he will be well prepared, having the B.S. degree in math as well as teaching licensure.

Nick Hermez -- September, 2010

Nick Hermez is a senior Mathematics major from Struthers, Ohio.  Always having enjoyed his mathematics classes, Nick says “CollegeBoard.com said that John Carroll and I would make a great team.”

As if Nick’s major in Mathematics and minor in business did not keep him busy enough, he is a member of Alpha Kappa Psi, the American Marketing Association, and the Order of Omega honor society, and is Vice President of Finance for Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.  He has also served as a mathematics tutor in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department’s tutoring program.  Currently Nick works six hours per week as a consultant in the JCU Statistical Services Lab, and also works as an Analytics Intern for Metrics Marketing Group in Westlake, Ohio, where he uses the SAS (Statistical Analysis System) software for data analysis and modeling.

Nick’s favorite mathematics classes have been in statistics—especially the Applied Statistics class.  In the summer after his sophomore year, Nick worked on a research project with his statistics professor, Dr. Tom Short, and presented the results of his research at the 2010 Celebration of Scholarship, in a poster titled “Bootstrap Methodology Applied to Selecting an Optimal Cutoff Value.” 

After graduating next May, Nick plans to pursue an MBA degree, and enter the business world in a career utilizing his talents in both business and mathematics.

Holly Girardin -- May, 2010

Holly Girardin is a senior Computer Science major from Cleveland, Ohio. As a student at a local community college, Holly cross-registered for a class at John Carroll, and says she "just loved it! I loved the atmosphere of the class, I loved the people, and I loved the campus!" Two years later, Holly is now ready to graduate and enter the workforce as a programmer.

Holly's enthusiastic personality really shines through when she talks about her experiences in computer science at JCU. A little unsure of her abilities when she arrived at John Carroll, Holly says "I just thought I'd blend into the wallpaper, do my work and graduate--but that didn't happen. They [her computer science professors] have given me so much more confidence than I ever could have gotten anywhere else." Her software engineering class, in particular, "really helped me to see that I could do more than I thought I could."

In her spare time, Holly enjoys watching movies (especially spy movies and comedies) and listening to music (rock and roll from the 50's and 60's is her favorite). She has also been a regular volunteer at Watterson-Lake Elementary School in Cleveland, where she works with special-ed children. Last summer, Holly worked with Dr. Linda Seiter on a project in web databases, and recently presented the results of her research at JCU's Celebration of Scholarship, in a poster titled "Database Web Technologies."

After graduation, Holly would like to stay in the Cleveland area, working as a web programmer. But we think she'll miss John Carroll because, in her words, "class is never dull or boring. Everyone is so much fun to be around. It is absolutely impossible to go through the day without laughing in this department!"

Anthony Janicki -- April, 2010

Anthony Janicki is a senior Computer Information Systems major from St. Petersburg, Florida. His first exposure to John Carroll was on a football recruiting visit, when he "fell in love with the campus and its location in Cleveland."

Anthony did well in his first computer science course, Introduction to Software Application Development, and his professor in the course recommended that he continue with CS courses. With a strong interest in business as well as computers, Anthony opted for the Computer Information Systems major, which focuses on business-related issues more than the Computer Science major. In addition to his major in CIS, Anthony will be earning a minor in business. He is also enrolled in the 5-year combined BS/MBA program for science majors, in which his fifth year will consist exclusively of graduate courses in business, and will lead to the master of business administration degree.

Anthony's out-of-class activities have included attending a Robotics conference in Pittsburgh, serving as a computer science tutor in the Math & CS Department's tutoring program, and working in a summer internship at the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration, a Florida-based non-profit that works to protect eligibility for public assistance programs.

An avowed sports nut, Anthony plays in many intramurals, and especially enjoys fishing and water sports. He also loves watching and attending baseball games and, after graduating with his CIS and MBA degrees, hopes to land his ideal job in the front office of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Irene Paparizos -- March, 2010

Irene Paparizos is a senior Mathematics major from Willoughby, Ohio. Irene chose John Carroll "because of the University's excellent programs in math and education." Although her home is only a half-hour drive from JCU, Irene chose to live on campus. "It's the best of both worlds," she says. "You have the independence of being away from home, yet you can get home easily whenever you want."

Irene is pursuing teaching licensure as part of her major in mathematics, and is currently student-teaching at Cleveland Heights High School, where she has responsibility for Algebra 2 and Precalculus classes. On campus, Irene is active in the JCU chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honorary society, and has been a presenter in JCU's Celebration of Scholarship.

Among Irene's favorite teachers at JCU are Dr. Barbara D'Ambrosia, who taught her linear algebra, and Dr. Tom Short, from whom she took Probability and Statistics. She says "their passion for math and dedication to helping their students are qualities that I hope to emulate in my own teaching career."

Fluent in Greek, Irene has spent the past several summers in Greece, volunteering at a children's daycare center, and visiting with extended family. After graduation Irene plans to begin her career as a high school math teacher in the Cleveland area.

Sarah Downing -- February, 2010

Sarah Downing is a senior mathematics major from Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. In addition to her major in mathematics, Sarah is earning minors in Economics and in Probability & Statistics. Initially undecided between math and economics, Sarah opted for the Mathematics major and a minor in economics because she realized that having a major in math would "be so applicable once I finished college. Having a math major really makes you marketable."

Last summer , Sarah was one of 20 students selected nationwide to participate in the Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics at the University of Wisconsin. In this program, she took two graduate courses in biostatistics, attended seminars, and performed statistical analysis on data from the university hospital. Sarah also attended the Joint Statistics Meetings in Washington, DC, where she presented a poster titled Student Analysis of "Favorite Datasets from Drug Research." During this academic year, Sarah has been working with her research mentor, Dr. Tom Short, in the JCU Statistical Services Lab, where she assists clients from around the University with statistical analyses. She also works as a homework grading assistant and as a tutor in the Mathematics Tutoring Lab at JCU, and does some private tutoring as well.

After graduation, Sarah plans to attend graduate school in the area of biostatistics, and eventually to become a university professor, where she will teach and do research.

Jason Dengler -- January, 2010

Jason Dengler is a senior computer science major from Concord, Ohio. (Actually, Jason recently completed all of his graduation requirements -- but we'll still claim him as a student for a while!) Jason came to John Carroll thinking that he wanted to major in business, but his experiences in Dr. Linda Seiter's Introduction to Software Application Development course changed his mind, and made him realize that what he really wanted was to be a programmer.

Jason has always enjoyed playing computer games--and although you can't make a living playing video games, when Jason took Dr. Dan Palmer's class on Gaming and Graphics, he began to realize that he could make a living in a career involving programming games! Jason now plans to go to graduate school for a master's degree in computer science, and then hopefully to move into the field of computer game design and programming.

Last summer, Jason worked with the JCU swarm research team, with funding provided by the Huntington-Codrington Fellowship program, and has now made two professional presentations as a result of his undergraduate research. One paper, "Tools for Evaluating Human-Assisted Swarms" was presented at the national MCURCSM conference. He also presented a poster on "Open Source Content Management Systems and the Spring Framework " at JCU's Celebration of Scholarship last spring.

Kevens Dorsainvil -- December, 2009

Kevens Dorsainvil is a senior Computer Science major from Pompano Beach, Florida. Kevens says that he has always enjoyed working with computers, and likes being able to help others who struggle with computers. He finds computer work especially rewarding, because "there is always an end result to work toward--whether fixing problems or designing programs." Kevens especially enjoyed the Software Engineering course at JCU, because "we were able to take the things we learned in our other CS classes and apply them to a realistic environment--working with actual clients to meet their software development needs."

Kevens recalls that when he came to visit JCU as a high school senior, he immediately fell in love with the campus. On his interview visit, he got a chance to meet the department faculty, and "could tell that they knew the majority of their students." While he has enjoyed working with and learning from all of his teachers in the Math/CS department, he especially points to Dr. Linda Seiter, who was "always available to chat about computer science, or to help outside the classroom."

In addition to his academic pursuits, Kevens has been a starting offensive lineman for the Blue Streaks varsity football team for three years. When asked about playing on the line, Kevens simply said "I like being in the action!" He also works as a media specialist for JCU's Information Technology Services department, and has worked as an intern in the IT department of Swagelok, an international fluid system technology company headquartered in suburban Cleveland. After graduation, Kevens plans to pursue a career in the IT field.

Michael Joseph -- November, 2009

Michael Joseph is a senior Mathematics major from Euclid, Ohio. As a student in John Carroll's 5-year combined B.S./M.S. program in math, Mike is currently taking both undergraduate and graduate math courses, and will have earned both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree by the end of his fifth year. During the next academic year, Mike will be a Graduate Assistant in Mathematics at John Carroll. As a Graduate Assistant, Mike will have a full-tuition scholarship, as well as a salary, during his last year at JCU. In that fifth year, he will take graduate classes exclusively, and will work for 20 hours per week assisting with undergraduate classes and tutoring students in the Mathematics Tutoring Lab.

When not working on his studies, Mike enjoys listening to music and playing games, and is a self-proclaimed "huge Cleveland Cavs fan." He is also on the JCU cross-country and track teams, and is president of the JCU chapter of Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honorary society. During his summers, Mike has been a tutor at the Kumon Math and Reading Center in Mayfield, Ohio.

Mike finds JCU a "very comfortable environment--not too big, not too small--and the faculty is always there to help you." Mike says that "math has always been the major for me," as he finds mathematics both interesting and intellectually challenging. His favorite class is Number Theory, because in that class he sees how to apply the math he has learned in other classes to prove basic properties of the integers.

This feature began in November, 2009.

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