SIGCSE2009 Blog: Engaging CS Education

The Welcome Banner from the Visitors Bureau

2009-02-27T13:34:00.001-08:00

More SIGCSE 2009 Events Since Early Registration Deadline

2009-02-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

If the last time you looked at the SIGCSE 2009 events was when you did early registration (and thank you for that!), you may have missed some additional activities to participate in.

Sun and Pearson are teaming up for a Pre-Symposium Event on Wednesday on Java Technology. They'll be presenting new curriculum that's part of the Sun Academic Advantage Program. See http://www.cs.arizona.edu/groups/sigcse09/presymposium.html for updates on this and all pre-symposium activities.

The Alice 3 workshop (#16) was overwhelmingly popular -- the wait list was large enough to fill another workshop. Wanda Dann and Steve Cooper have kindly agreed to offer a second Alice 3 workshop on Saturday evening from 6-9 pm. You can register for Workshop #37 on the SIGCSE 2009 Registration Website.

Chattanooga picked as a Top 5 break destination on a budget

2009-02-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

The Atlanta paper, Atlanta Journal Constitution, has just picked Chattanooga as its number one pick for a Spring break destination on a budget.

Read more at http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/travel/otherdestinations/us_stories/2009/02/22/spring_break_southeast_cheap.html

SIGCSE coverage in Chattanooga paper!

2009-02-20T07:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_145016.asp

Menu for the Reception

2009-02-19T18:21:00.000-08:00

Food and drink at the reception will be scattered throughout the two buildings. Each person will get ONE drink ticket, which is good for a single beer or wine, or two soft drinks. (Your bartender will tear your ticket in half, so that you can use the other half to get your second soft drink.) You may purchase additional drinks at any bar, which are located near the food.

In the main lobby of River Journey

Baby Black Bean Burgers

Provencal White Bean Soup Shots

Tenderloin of Beef Canapes

Samosas (beef and vegetarian)

By the Seahorses in River Journey

Carved: Pork Tenderloin-mini rolls, blackberry marmalade, grain mustard

Baby Steak and Mushroom Kabobs

Roasted Turkey-cranberry mustard, red pepper aioli

Twice Baked Baby Potatoes

Fresh Vegetable Display-spinach dip, hummus

Top of Escalator in River Journey

Fried Green Tomato Canapes -local corn relish and goat cheese

Little Grits Bites with Onion and Mushroom Ragout

Black Eye Pea Cakes, Collard Green Pesto

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders-honey drizzle

Fresh Seasonal Fruit Display

"Rivers of the World" in River Journey

Peel and Eat Shrimp

Baby Crab Cake

Grilled Fresh Salmon; capers, onion, baguettes

Marinated Crab Claws

Smoked Trout Canapes

Lobster and Artichoke Dip

Mezzanine Level in Ocean Journey

Spicy Thai Noodles-served in baby Chinese

togo

boxes with chopsticks

Assorted garnishes and sauces

Chicken Satay Plates-peanut sauce and marinated cucumbers

Vietnamese Pork Meatballs, Currant Sauce

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Assorted Sushi Rolls-some vegan

Butterfly Area in Ocean Journey

An Assortment of housemade “bites” of dessert including crème brulee, toffee brownies, chocolate cups with peanut butter mousse, dipped berries, lemon squares, tea cakes and more

Locally Roasted Stone Cup Coffee Station

How to Find the Tennessee Aquarium

2009-02-19T13:19:00.000-08:00

The SIGCSE 2009 reception will be at the Tennessee Aquarium, an amazing two building aquarium with both wonderful fish and other animals from both fresh and salt water.

The reception begins at 7 pm and lasts until 10 pm. You have three choices on how to get there.

MOST IMPORTANT: You MUST wear your badge to enter the Aquarium and Reception!

We will have four buses on a continuous loop from Carter Street, in front of the Conference Center and Marriott. They will start at 7 pm and run until 11 pm. On the return trip from the Aquarium after 8:30 pm, the buses will stop at the Sheraton, Marriott, and Chattanooga Choo-Choo so that attendees can get off right at their hotel.
The Electric Shuttle that picks up on 11th Street next to the Marriott will have extra shuttles running during the times of the reception. Just pick one up and get off at the Aquarium.
Your third option is simply to walk. It's less than a mile (around 15 minutes) to walk from the Conference Center down to the Tennessee Aquarium.

For those who choose to walk:

Walk out of the Conference Center or Marriott lobby and take a right on Carter Street. (You're at the blue marker at the bottom of the map on the right.)
At MLK Blvd., hang a right.
At Broad Street, hang a left. Keep walking until you reach the Aquarium. (Indicated by the orange marker at the top of the map on the right.)

All three sets of directions (bus, Electric Shuttle, or walking) take you to the same place.

The building on the left (green arrow) is River's Journey, a five story freshwater aquarium. The building on the right (red arrow, obscured by trees) is Ocean's Journey, a three story saltwater aquarium. The spot where this picture is taken is approximately where you will be dropped off by the buses, and where you will pick up the buses to return

To enter the aquarium for the receptions, walk between the two buildings. You will reach a plaza where you will have a choice.

You can enter River's Journey to the left through the Member's Entrance.

Or you can cross back over the bridge and go to the Member's Entrance in Ocean's Journey.

You may go back and forth between the two buildings as much as you'd like. You may not carry any alcoholic beverage between the buildings, though. (Strangely enough, the bridge is state property, and you cannot have open alcohol on state property!)

Travel issues for International Visitors

2009-02-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

Allison Young reports:

As of 12JAN09 it is mandatory that anyone travelling to or via the USA, as part of the Visa Waiver program, must apply for a travel authorisation online prior to departure. Please refer to the following website for more details http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/"

It is for countries that have the visa waiver program which NZ does, I have copied the countries from the website.

Which countries participate in the Visa Waiver Program?

Andorra	France	Luxembourg	Singapore	Czech Republic
Austria	Germany	Monaco	Slovenia	Estonia
Australia	Iceland	Netherlands	Spain	Hungary
Belgium	Ireland	New Zealand	Sweden	Latvia
Brunei	Italy	Norway	Switzerland	Lithuania
Denmark	Japan	Portugal	United Kingdom	Slovakia
Finland	Liechtenstein	San Marino	Republic of Malta	South Korea

I have filled in the form and got a number which I assume I give to the immigration officer when I arrive in the US. It is also very important now to give the immigration people a street address so delegates will have to have the street address of the hotel they are staying at ready at immigration

Thanks, Alison!

Extra Shuttles

2009-02-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

As seen previously in this blog, there is a really nice Electric Shuttle service around the Downtown Chattanooga are, including all three of the conference hotels. (The shuttle even has WiFi!) The walk from the Chattanooga Choo-Choo is only about 10 minutes and is quite pleasant. Nonetheless, the Chattanooga Visitors' Bureau has arranged for extra shuttles for moving people between the Convention Center and the Choo Choo, and between the Convention Center and the Aquarium on Thursday night (the night of the reception). The shuttles on Thursday are in addition to the four buses that we're renting to move people around.

Here's the schedule for the extra shuttles.

Thursday, March 5, 2009:
Time: 7:30am – 8:30am
Route: Choo Choo to Marriott ONLY (these buses will just stay on this loop)
Request: 2 Diesel Buses

Time: 4:30pm – 6:30pm
Route: Choo Choo to Marriott ONLY
Request: 2 Diesel Buses

Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Route: Marriott to TN Aquarium/Bijou Garage
Request: 2 Electric Shuttles

Friday, March 6, 2009:
Time: 7:30am – 8:30am 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Route: Choo Choo to Marriott ONLY
Request: 2 Diesel Buses

Saturday, March 7, 2009:
Time: 7:30am – 9:30am 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Route: Choo Choo to Marriott ONLY
Request: 2 Diesel Buses

Mmm. Steak.

2009-02-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

We did get to try out two steak houses when we were in Chattanooga.

Porter's Steak House is in the lobby of the Sheraton, so it's easily reached from everywhere, especially if you're staying in the Sheraton. We took the program committee there the first night of the PC meeting (when there weren't so many people there yet :-). Porter's is definitely a high-end steak house. They take great pride in explaining their cuts of meat and how each is prepared. Nice side dishes with ample portions for sharing.
Hennen's doesn't advertise itself as a steak place, but by the measure of square-inches-on-menu, this is a steak place. We had our big (everyone there, including Jack Thompson, our local arrangements chair) program committee dinner there. They handled the large party just fine. The food was quite good, and the setting is terrif -- right across from the Aquarium, just a block from the River. We took a nice walk along the river after dinner. Good food, great location.

More Hotels in Chattanooga!

2009-02-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

Our room blocks are completely full already. (I think there are some spots left on Saturday night.) Some people have already said to me, "You never save enough rooms!" We did increase the block from last year, but honestly -- would you have laid money that the SIGCSE Symposium would grow this year, in these economic times? We thought that we were being risky by growing the block. We were pleasantly surprised that the blocks already filled up!

More hotels are preparing special SIGCSE rates. The Chattanoogan (really nice, higher-end hotel about a 10 minute walk from the Convention Center), Days Inn (right across the street from the Marriott and Sheraton), and La Quinta all have posted SIGCSE rates. The Chattanoogan wants a rate code of 318237, and the others just want you to request the SIGCSE rate. Details are available on the conference website.

Big River Brewery

2009-02-02T12:45:00.001-08:00

So maybe most people wouldn't recommend a brew pub as a fun family restaurant. I will say that my family has visited the Big River Grille and Brewery in Chattanooga most times we've visited the town. Even when the kids were little, we've always enjoyed the place. Sue, Bob Beck, and I were taken there our first night in Chattanooga when we were considering the town for hosting SIGCSE 2009.

It's right across the street from the Aquarium, about a 10 minute walk from the conference hotels. As one of the on-line reviews says, "It's big. It's loud. It gives the place a lot of energy." There is a good selection of food for the whole family, ranging from the kids' ubiquitous chicken fingers, to some really fine ribs and carrot cake. And by the way, they serve good beer! It would be a great place to stop by after the reception, or when exploring the downtown and riverfront areas.

Duke Bus to SIGCSE from Atlanta

2009-01-20T12:59:00.000-08:00

If you want to take up Owen's offer on this, please contact him directly:

The Duke Computer Science Education Group has chartered a bus to travel
between the Atlanta airport and the SIGCSE Marriott hotel. The bus will
leave the Atlanta airport on Tuesday, March 3 at 7:00 pm. The return
trip from Chattanooga will leave at 7:00 am Sunday morning.

The bus can accommodate about 50 people, it has wireless Internet
access. Travel guides put the trip at about two hours, but traffic can
have an impact.

We're doing this because there are more options flying in/out of Atlanta
than through to Chattanooga and to share the joy and passion of SIGCSE,
of course.

There will be a SIGCSE greeter at the airport for the bus at about 6:00
pm. If you get in earlier you can hang out until then. I'll be getting
in a little after 5:00 on Sunday.

We will defray the cost, but will charge each person $40/round trip. If
you want the bus in one direction let me know, but we'll still charge
$40. We should have an online credit card setup later this week, but
for now you can 'reserve' a spot by committing via email to me. The bus
will leave at 7:00 pm, we cannot wait around for really late flights.
I'll send my contact information to everyone coming.

Hope to see lots of folks at SIGCSE and a subset on the bus.
===== Later Post ===
The Duke Computer Science Education Group is helping to sponsor and
charter a bus traveling from the Atlanta airport on Tuesday March 3,
7:00 pm to the Chattanooga Marriott. Return to the airport leaves at
7:00 am on Sunday, March 8.

There are other buses from the airport to Chattanooga, but the charge
runs about $37 one way. This bus is $40 round-trip, is just for SIGCSE
attendees, and promises wireless access for the roughly 2 hour trip.
There are rumors that we'll have entertainment on board as well.

Sign up at http://www.cs.duke.edu/csed/sigcsebus/

Owen

--
Owen Astrachan
Duke University, Computer Science
Professor of the Practice of Computer Science
Director of Undergraduate Studies for Teaching and Learning
ola@cs.duke.edu
1.919.660.6522
http://www.cs.duke.edu/~ola

Three Reasons why Chattanooga is Great for a Family SIGCSE

2009-01-19T23:56:00.000-08:00

Here are three reasons why this is a great SIGCSE for bringing your whole family.

REASON #1: ROCK CITY: If you've driven around the Southeast much, you have seen barns painted "See Rock City!" That Rock City, that painted some 900 barns as advertisements over the last several decades, is in Chattanooga. I've taken my kids there, and we all really enjoy it. It's a rock garden featuring caves and an amazing lookout view. One of our favorite parts is always the Weight-Watcher's Squeeze, where you have to turn sideways to get through two boulders about 30 feet tall and about three feet apart (and about 10 feet long!). Rock City is also the site of the first mini-golf in the United States.

REASON #2: CREATIVE DISCOVERY MUSEUM: The Creative Discovery Museum is a hands-on exploratory science and arts museum, mostly for kids. It's a different model than the San Francisco Exploratorium. CDM has this wonderful room for water play with waterfalls and waterwheels that kids can move around. It's got a pit where you can dig for dinosaurs. It has a room where you can explore musical instruments of a wide variety of types. We've been several times and enjoy it.

REASON #3: RUBY FALLS: I have to admit that this one isn't my favorite, but it's almost as famous as Rock City and many families really love it. I'm a bit claustrophobic. So, a trip down an elevator into the earth, then a 200 yard (or so?) walk in caves, to a place where there's a waterfall (which they introduce with a light show--that's preceded by turning off all lights in the cave!!) -- well, let's just say that it's not my most memorable Chattanooga experience.

I already mentioned the Chattanooga Choo-Choo (yes, I've stayed on a railroad car) in this blog, so I guess I can't mention that as Reason #4. I could also mention the great family restaurants, but I'll save that for another blog post. Overall, Chattanooga is a really fun family destination. My family and I have taken several trips from Atlanta for a weekend or day away. I encourage you to bring your family to SIGCSE in March so that they can enjoy Chattanooga, too.

Do you know the way to Chattanooga? Shuttles from Atlanta

2009-01-17T17:23:00.000-08:00

Not everyone can find a convenient flight into Chattanooga for March. (Some people, like Owen Astrachan at Duke, are organizing multi-institutional bus and car caravans.) Another option is to fly to Atlanta (which is a hub for Delta and is easily accessed from many other cities), and then take a shuttle up to Chattanooga from there. Lester McCann, our stalwart Webmaster, has worked with Sue Fitzgerald to make sure that travel options like that are described on the the SIGCSE 2009 Website. There are lots of ways of getting to Chattanooga, at a variety of price points.

Best Pancakes in Chattanooga, in an Updated Diner

2009-01-17T17:17:00.000-08:00

When Sue and I were in Chattanooga in August, we heard about these absolutely wonderful pancakes that were available a few miles north of Chattanooga. Then we heard that they were available at a "modern" diner called The Blue Plate. It's right next to the Tennessee Aquarium, so it's really nearby for a late-night after-the-reception snack with friends.

Sue and I had lunch there one day, where I got to try the oft-praised pancakes. How unusual -- the praise was matched by the product! The food was terrific. We took the members of the Program Committee at the Planning Meeting in October there. Highly recommended!

SIGCSE 2009 Postcard in your mailbox now (maybe)

2009-01-08T10:06:00.001-08:00

ACM sent out on Dec 29 the cool SIGCSE 2009 postcard that Tom Cortina designed. However, you may still not get it. ACM only sends out advertisements like these if you opt-in. If you opt-out, you don't get to see Tom's snazzy work! So, I'll show you mine here.

The front lists our three featured keynotes: Elliot B. Koffman, Craig Mundie, and Gregory Abowd. (We're not mentioning here the First-Timers talk by Mike Clancy, nor the UPE Award talk by Eugene Spafford -- there's only so much room on the postcard!) The back has a great picture of the Tennessee Aquarium from the Tenneessee River. Enjoy!

Tuesday block already full at conference hotel!

2009-01-07T11:58:00.001-08:00

We've received word that the SIGCSE block of rooms at the Marriott is already full for Tuesday night, for those who wanted to come in early. The Sheraton is just across the street (not even 3 minute walk away) and still has rooms ready for Tuesday.

Oh, by the way: ON-LINE REGISTRATION IS OPEN! Come and get it! Early registration ends Feb. 1!

Why Chattanooga is the Right Place for SIGCSE

2008-12-19T08:09:00.001-08:00

This is a place that highlights their CS0 classes on a marquis!

And when we walked by the art museum, we discovered that they have a particular affinity for objects! Their art museum has a special exhibit on project-based learning with objects! (Well, sorta. Maybe. Kinda.)

High end restaurant in Chattanooga

2008-12-19T07:55:00.000-08:00

On one of our trips to Chattanooga, Sue and I decided to try a high-end restaurant in Chattanooga, St John's, which is partway between the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and the Marriott. The place looks like an old bank or maybe an old hotel. The food was really great. The menu changes regularly, so what we had probably won't be on the menu when you go there in March 2009. I had a tuna appetizer in three different forms, including a sashimi and a tartare. Sue had lamb that was presented beautifully.

Most of the places that we we went to on our visits there were more moderate in price. I wanted to mention this one for the "foodies" who want to know where to get the really amazing food. St. John's is your place for that, and it's really close to all three conference hotels.

Eugene Spafford to speak at SIGCSE 2009!

2008-12-18T06:46:00.001-08:00

Dr. Eugene Spafford is to receive the "Abacus Award" from the UPE honor society on Friday, March 6. This is like getting another keynoter for free! Details are at: http://upe.acm.org/Eugene_Spafford_Abacus_Announcement.html

US Airways introduces new lower fares to Chattanooga

2008-12-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

It's getting cheaper to fly into Chattanooga! US Air just introduced a new fare structure that reduces the cost of flying to Chattanooga 30-50%.

Program is all but done

2008-11-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted much in the last month! It's been a pretty busy time for all of us on the Program Committee. As you figured out, decisions were made at the end of October in Chattanooga. We accepted 100 papers, as well as panels, special sessions, and workshops. Many thanks to the Program Committee for all that effort, especially Gary and Steve who made the whole Associate Program Chair mechanism work. I have heard from several people about the value that they are finding in their meta-reviews.

The "Birds of a Feather," Posters, and Video program submissions are under review now. Those decisions will be coming out in just a few days.

Meanwhile, all the other aspects of the program are falling into place. We have some wonderful supporters who are defining their supporter sessions. We have quite a slate of presymposium activities. Parallel events are shaping up. The UPE meeting on Friday afternoon will include an award being presented to Eugene Spafford, which will be an event not-to-be-missed.

We've got lots of restaurant recommendations to make now, after hanging out in Chattanooga for another week last month. I'll post pictures and stories of those here. The bottomline is: Come to Chattanooga March 4-7, 2009! It's going to be great!

Scenes of Chattanooga

2008-10-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

This week is the SIGCSE 2009 Program Committee meeting in Chattanooga. Before I head back up to go get more photos, I thought I should finish sharing some of my favorites from the last planning meeting in Chattanooga.

Sue and I took a walk across the pedestrian bridge over the Tennessee River when we were there last. Here's a shot of the bluffs, where there is a marvelous American art museum.

And here's a shot of the Tennessee Aquarium, where we'll have our reception, from the same bridge.
As we got closer to the other side, we could see this amazing park across from Chattanooga.

On the right side of this picture, you can see a blue roofed building -- that's the merry-go-round, filled with horses and other animals carved by Chattanooga-area artists.

The fountain in the middle is surrounded by statues of animals. The water in the fountain sprays at irregular times, so people play games, running around the fountain -- sort of Russian roulette with a squirt gun.

Around North Chattanooga, you can find these dance lessons (!) built into the pavement. Think of them as a concrete (literally!) representation of process. Some of them show where both partners stand and how they move, but they're still pretty hard to follow.

Finally, on the way back to the Marriott, we passed by this scene. I saw it across other rooftops, so I'm not really sure where it's at, but it was so cool and not what I expected to see in Chattanooga.

And there you have the theme for this blog. Each visit, I'm surprised and delighted what I'm finding in Chattanooga! I am sure that you will share this experience when you visit in March 2009.

Craig Mundie on what engages students

2008-10-07T10:29:00.001-07:00

Our SIGCSE 2009 keynoter, Microsoft's Craig Mundie is on a tour of college campuses right now. In this interview, he talks about what rekindles interest in computer science. Expect more details on this, live, in March!

Working on the Kids' Camp!

2008-09-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

I know that people planning to attend SIGCSE 2009 are already looking for information on the SIGCSE 2009 Kids' Camp...and not really finding much. It is coming! Pam Cutter and Kris Nagel are hard at work organizing the 2009 camp. The first issue is setting up the contract with the child care organization, and we're trying to get that settled now. So don't worry -- we promise that it will be there. Just watch the web pages near you for further updates.