Season 2

FEBRUARY 2004


BENJAMIN KADLEC
 Ben is a junior Computer Engineering Undergraduate working at the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute and Digital Technology Center. A native of Bismarck, ND and a team member of the UM Cycling team, Ben is interested in data-mining, parallel computing, numerical modeling, GRID
services, and visualization.

"Our research group works from various locations across the US and abroad and have explored web-cam technologies as a means of collaborating between geographically distant researchers. We have embraced this new media as an easy-to-use tool for enabling face-to-face communication across campus and across the world. Web-cams will find increased usage in distance learning carried out in schools and universities for interviewing, lectures, and seminars, while reaching out to many more people than would be possible otherwise. This audio/video media is being employed as a web-service for PC's and handheld computers and will enjoy a bright future as 3G cell phone networks become fast enough to support this technology."

Homepage: http://www.msi.umn.edu/~kadlec
Relevant Paper: http://www.msi.umn.edu/~kadlec/webcam

CHUCK YUST
CALA Computer Tech - non-degree seeking student

Chuck will be presenting a Web site in Flash that he is creating for a photography graduate student (at the U of MN), which will enable her to post her portfolio on-line. There are actionscript methods in Flash 6/MX that tell the Flash site to retrieve images and text from a specified folder, which a client is able to change the content of without altering the structure or code of the site or Flash file. The content does not have to be embedded in the Flash site when it loads initially, meaning the images are loaded in "real time" (when a user accesses that section of photos), so they don't contribute to the overall size of the Flash file/site, thereby keeping it's size small and load times faster. (work in progress) http://www.laurahoyt.com

Chuck will also be announcing the recent funding of a grant proposal he co-authored through the Council of Public Engagement (COPE) to develop an interdisciplinary, bilingual (Somali-English) Web site to be used as an immigrant resource tool, and provide an on-line presence for Somali businesses. http://www1.umn.edu/civic/news/awards04.html

 

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