IIT Today

5th Annual Pumpkin Launch Video and Photos

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

Seven student teams competed in pouring rain at Ed Glancy Field on Friday to take home a Golden Pumpkin at the fifth annual IIT Pumpkin Launch. A supportive crowd of IIT students, faculty, staff, and friends gathered to cheer on the teams and enjoy fall treats, despite the downpour.

Trebuchet Guevara took first prize for distance with a launch of 185 feet, the third farthest in IIT Pumpkin Launch ever, despite the weather's negative effects. The most accurate team was the Delts. The Delts also took second place in distance at 91 feet. The third place team for distance, Benedict Arnold, came in at 37 feet, 9 inches. Golden Pumpkins were awarded to Trebuchet Guevara and the Delts.

Congratulations to all the teams and to the Biomedical Engineering Society and Pumpkin Launch Committee for their excellent work in organizing the pumpkin launch.

A photo gallery from Pumpkin Launch will be available soon

Annual Enrollment for Health, Dental, Flexible Spending

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

Human Resources announces that the enrollment period will be from November 10 - 25, 2009. Further details on the plans and costs will be available on the HR website and mailed to you by campus mail. Plan to attend one of the informational meetings:

Main Campus
Tuesday, November 10, 10 - 11 am, MTCC McCloska Auditorium
Wednesday, November 18, 3 - 4 pm, MTCC McCloska Auditorium

Downtown Campus
Wednesday, November 11, 10 - 11 am, Room 210

NCFST
Monday, November 16, 10 - 11 am

Rice Campus
Monday, November 16, 1:30 - 2:30 pm

Institute of Design
Tuesday, November 17, 11 - noon

Webcast Alternative
There will be a simultaneous webcast of the informational meeting on Tuesday, November 10 from 10 - 11 am If you are unavailable to attend the live presentation, the webcast will be archived on the HR portal site under announcements until November 25.

ARCS Chicago Names IIT President John Anderson Person of the Year

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

IIT President John Anderson has been named Person of the Year by the Chicago Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation. Anderson was recently honored at an awards luncheon, along with the 2009 - 2010 ARCS Scholarship recipients. Four IIT graduate students were named ARCS Foundation Chicago Chapter Scholars at the event.

The Chicago Chapter of the ARCS Foundation is one of fourteen chapters dedicated to helping the best and brightest United States students pursue graduate studies by providing scholarship support in the natural sciences, medicine, and engineering. The ARCS scholarship provides an unrestricted $10,000 annual award for up to four years as long as the recipient continues to make satisfactory progress in his or her graduate program. A total of 22 students from Chicago universities were named ARCS Scholars for 2009 - 2010. In order to receive an ARCS scholarship, students are recommended by deans and department chairs at their university. Chicago ARCS Scholars pursue masters and doctoral degrees in a wide range of subjects related to promising new technologies.

ARCS recipient schools, which in the Chicago area include IIT, Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago, undergo a comprehensive evaluation that considers the strength of the degree programs, size and quality of the faculty, number of published scientific articles, library facilities, test scores, research grants from nationally recognized institutions, and faculty membership in such professional organizations as The National Academy of Sciences, The National Academy of Engineering, and The Institute of Medicine.

Anderson is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. He has held visiting professorships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Melbourne (Australia), and Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen (The Netherlands). He has also presented guest lectureships at universities throughout the world, and is the author of more than 100 journal articles and book chapters.

Pictured: President Anderson with the 2009 - 2010 IIT ARCS Scholars

Likely Flu Cases at IIT - What You Need to Know

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

Several students have fallen ill this week with flu-like symptoms (fever, coughing, and body aches, etc.), and Student Health Services and Human Resources would like to take the opportunity to remind the IIT community of how to minimize your risk and stay healthy, and what to do if you become sick with the flu. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines state that only patients whose illness requires hospitalization will be tested for the H1N1 flu strain, so it is important to treat all flu-like illnesses with the same level of caution.

If you have flu-like symptoms, stay home. Do not come to work or school. Students should call Student Health Services at 312.567.7550, and faculty and staff should contact their healthcare provider, and stay home for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) or signs of a fever (have chills, feel very warm, have a flushed appearance, or are sweating). This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Students should inform instructors for any missed classes, and IIT employees should let your immediate supervisor know if you have the flu or flu-like symptoms.

Stay Healthy
As you may know, flu can be spread easily from person to person, mainly via droplets produced by coughs and sneezes. Here are a few things you need to do to help keep yourself and those around you healthy: Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective. You can find sanitizing fluid dispensers throughout the campus, and are encouraged to use them. Practice respiratory etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you dont have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; germs are spread this way.

H1N1 Vaccine
Each year, millions of Americans safely receive seasonal flu vaccines. The H1N1 vaccine is made the same way as seasonal flu vaccine by the same companies that make seasonal flu vaccine. The NIH has conducted clinical trials for the H1N1 vaccine. The vaccine has been tested and safely used in children, pregnant woman, and adults. More info on the vaccine is available on the CDC website.

Student Health Services has H1N1 vaccinations available to students at no cost on an appointment-only basis. Interested students should call Student Health Services at 312.567.7550 to make an appointment. Student Health Services will hold a walk-in vaccine day from 1 - 4 pm on Monday, November 9 in MTCC, room 704.

The vaccine is initially available in limited quanities, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that key groups receive the vaccine first, including people 18 - 24 years of age, because many cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza have been seen in these healthy young adults and they often live, work, and study in close proximity, and they are a frequently mobile population. Other priority groups include pregnant women and people age 25 - 64 who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza. Once the demand for vaccine for the prioritized groups has been met, availability is expected to expand to other populations.

H1N1 Vaccines Available to High Risk Groups
County and city health departments have scheduled vaccine clinics where residents can be vaccinated at no cost. Check below for more information on clinics and availability in you area, or contact your local health department:

Chicago
Dupage County
Lake County

2009 Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science at IIT

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

IIT College of Science and Letters will host the fourth annual Chicago Colloquium on Digital Humanities and Computer Science (DHCS), November 14 - 16. Each year, the Chicago DHCS Colloquium, sponsored by IIT, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University, brings together researchers, scholars, and students in the humanities and computer science to advance the use of modern information technology in humanities scholarship, and identify and explore new directions and perspectives for future research.

Register for the colloquium here

This year's theme is "Critical Computing," exploring how to make research collaborations between computer scientists and humanities more effective, how computation can provide new critical tools for humanists, and how humanists can help computer scientists interpret their experimental results.

"We're pleased to be able to host this important event," said CSL Dean Russell Betts, who will give the welcome and introduction. "As a college of science and letters in a major technical university, CSL has a particular interest in digital humanities. We have a blend of science and technology plus strong humanities, giving us many opportunities for collaboration and perhaps a unique perspective and role to play in this field."

The general chair of the conference is Shlomo Argamon, associate professor of computer science at IIT. This year's keynote speakers will be Stephen Wolfram, founder and chief executive officer of Wolfram Research, creator of Mathematica and Wolfram|Alpha, and author of A New Kind of Science; Vasant Honavar, director of the Center for Computational Intelligence, Learning, & Discovery at Iowa State University; and Roger Dannenberg, associate research professor of computer science and art at Carnegie Mellon University, and fellow of the Studio for Creative Inquiry. View keynote abstracts and speaker info here.

Research papers will be presented in the areas of algorithmic tools for digital humanities, computational stylistics, text analytics, and data visualization. Presenters include scholars from academic institutions around the world.

IIT poster presenters will include Ophir Frieder, IITRI Chair of Computer Science and director of the Information Retrieval Laboratory, and Jason Soo, master's student in computer science and a researcher in the Information Retrieval Lab, who will present a poster titled "On Foreign Name Search." Also presenting is Eben English, Digital Services Librarian, Paul V. Galvin Library, who will discuss "Bringing It All Together: Integrating Text, Audio, Metadata, GIS, and Scholarly Criticism in a Holocaust Oral History Archive."

Chicago Gets New Area Code and 11-Digit Dialing

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

Starting Saturday, November 7, a new area code (872) will overlay the 773 and 312 area codes, bringing 11-digit dialing to the Chicago region. The new 872 area code will be assigned only for new phone numbers within the City of Chicago.

Starting November 7, 11-digit dialing (1 + Area Code + 7-Digit Number) will be necessary for all calls made within the City of Chicago, including calls within the same area code. You will no longer be able to dial seven digits to a local Chicago number inside the same area code.

IIT phone numbers will not change, and IIT Telecommunication Services is prepared for the changes. Chicago residents should review stored phone numbers and speed dial numbers on any 312 or 773 area code phones they may have, to insure that they include the area code, and not just the 7-digit phone number.

More information on the change is available from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).

Intercultural Training for Faculty and Staff: Issues Facing International Students and Scholars (Date Corrected)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

The Intercultural Training workshop will take place on November 16, not November 11, as previously stated.

Do you work with international students and scholars or visitors on a regular basis? Do you find yourself in difficult situations and don't know how to address a particular dilemma? Consider attending the International Center's workshop on how best to deal with intercultural situations involving international students and scholars or visitors, at 12:45 pm on Monday, November 16 in the MTCC Auditorium. Sign up here.

For more information, please contact Louis Berends at 312.567.3680 or lberends@iit.edu. Visit here for more information on International Education Week (IEW).

QWL Holiday Craft Fair this Friday

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

Holiday shoppers, mark your calendars for the QWL Holiday Craft Fair, from Noon - 3 pm on Friday, November 6 on the MTCC Bridge. If you're looking for a gift for yourself or for a special someone, you're certain to ﬁnd it at the IIT Craft Fair. Vendors from among the IIT community will display their talents in jewelry design, textile arts, candle making, baked goods, and more with the IIT community. A prize rafﬂe will be held at the craft fair.

This event is sponsored by the Quality of Worklife Committee. Contact qwl@iit.edu with any questions.

Pass a Torch, Pass a Tie

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

The second annual Pass a Torch, Pass a Tie drive begins today and will run through the month of November. Please donate new or used, professional-looking, clean ties for IIT students. The ties will be given to students in need who are attending the spring Career Fair on February 25.

Ties may be dropped off at the following locations: CMC, MTCC Security Desk, IIT Tower Security Desk, Main Building (3rd Floor), and Downtown Campus. Contact cmc@iit.edu with any questions.

Call for Thanksgiving Dinner Hosts

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

Each year the International Center at IIT asks faculty, staff, and student families to host an international student(s) for Thanksgiving dinner. You may remember being a student and how it felt during the Thanksgiving Holiday without the company of family and friends. How great would it be to host an IIT international student at your Thanksgiving dinner? Here's your chance!

With more than 3,000 students and scholars from more than 100 countries, there is an incredible opportunity to extend your family's hospitality for one evening, giving students the opportunity for an to get to know an American family, eat a home cooked meal, and have a nice relaxing holiday.

To sign up for this cultural exchange program, please contact Louis Berends at 312.567.3680 or lberends@iit.edu, or visit the International Center website to sign up.

IIT Exchange: Past and Upcoming Sessions

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 CST

The purpose of IIT Exchange is to increase the knowledge and understanding among faculty, staff, and students of the services and processes provided by each IIT organization-academic and administrative. Each organization's presentation will focus on the services provided, a description of key processes, customer service points, metrics, and staff contact information. By attending the IIT Exchange presentations, each of us will be better prepared to help the university to achieve our vision through excellent customer service, committed team work, and innovative collaborative solutions.

The IIT Exchange presentations will be one hour sessions that can be attended in person or via webcast from your computer. The live presentations will take place on Fridays from 10 - 11 am in the Stuart Building auditorium (Main Campus, Room 104), with a simultaneous webcast (see instructions below). There will be time for questions from the live audience and webcast participants.

Upcoming IIT Exchange Presentations
Accounting - November 13
Community Relations - November 20
Corporate Relations - December 4
Crisis Management - December 11
Communications - December 18

Click here to view a presentation live. Please plan on attending or viewing each of these presentations to learn more about each IIT organization.

View Past IIT Exchange Videos Online
You can find all the past IIT Exchange sessions on the Human Resources website in the myIIT portal. Click the Human Resources banner in the HR - Announcements channel under the Work tab, or just click this link if you are already logged into myIIT on your browser, and find links to the IIT Exchange sessions in the lower right column.

Housing
Undergraduate Admission
Financial Aid
Bursar's Office
Graduate College
Student Affairs
Career Management Center/SEO
Registrar
Athletics
Undergraduate Affairs
Galvin Library

Webcast Instructions
You must have the version 10.5 of Real Player installed on your computer to participate in the webcast. Download version 10.5 of Real Player here.