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HAPPY LATE THANKSGIVING!!!
Hope everyone has recovered from the holiday! I left Tuesday for Lauren's house in southern VA. On Wednesday we went further south to Hickory, NC. There we spent Thanksgiving, with her family. I had a great meal and relaxing holiday.
On Friday, I shopped for Black Friday sales on gifts for my family for Christmas. My parents were able to get a great deal from Circuit City on a new mobile for me!! This was exciting because it saved us over $100 on the phone and Bluetooth headset.
Yesterday afternoon, I went shopping again for more gifts (almost emptying my bank account in the process), and spent the evening decorating my apartment with Christmas lights!!
Tonight is a JMU Men's Basketball Game v. Appalachian State University, (At 7) so if you are reading this help Cram the Convo! After the game, load-in begins for the UPB Convo show tomorrow night, which I will be taking tickets for.
Otherwise this week is going to be busy, I've got several papers due in the next week, a lab notebook, two software development labs and a project, as well as preparation for exams in the next two weeks. Good news, from all of that is that the semester is almost over, and break is almost here!
Also, if you are reading this blog, and are interested in knowing more about ISAT or JMU feel free to email me!! I'd be happy to answer any of your questions or help you find someone who can!
Next week, I think I'll be video taped for an admissions ISAT information video!
Posted by Matt on November 28, 2005 03:15 PM | Link | Email Matt
Senior Thesis
Thanksgiving is on the horizon, leaving about three weeks left in the semester. Currently, I'm sitting in Starbucks, at Top Dog Cafe (formerly the PC Ballroom) on campus enjoying a peppermint mocha (I know it's probably more than you wanted to know, but it's a really good cup of coffee, and if you ever get the chance try one). Classes are going well. I've been very busy with software development, and learning how to code Active Server Pages (ASP). These pages are often used in eCommerce websites, like www.dell.com or www.microsoft.com. Each allows the code to be processed by the web server that the browser is requesting the site from. The end result is a website that can be displayed by the browser in HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). To code the ASP we are using VBScript which is similar to Visual Basic that I've learned previously. The class continues to be very interesting.
In my Biotechnology Lab last week we ran Gels of the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) that we purified in previous labs, to check to see if we have been successful in isolating the protein.
Yesterday, I took my 3rd History of Rock exam, which covered Funk, Disco, Art Rock, Glitter Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Jazz Rock and Fusion. It was very straightforward, however I was disappointed that the exam didn't focus more on the material covered in lecture; instead a large portion was devoted to questions about Jazz Rock and Fusion, both of which were not lectured on, only notes were given. In any case I am anxiously awaiting the score results (which will be emailed to me when it is graded because it was a ScanTron test - one with the pencil and bubbles).
Telecom required more attention this past week, as I had a paper due today. I worked on the issues and stakeholders in the requirements for E911 in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP or telephone over the internet). Basically, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated that all VoIP providers (like Packet 8 or Vonage) have to meet certain requirements. These requirements include making sure 911 operators can get the location or address of the caller, and that the caller is aware that the service shouldn't be the user's only means to contact emergency services, as the service may be disrupted if the internet connection is down.
This afternoon I attended the 1st meeting this year of the Research Advisory Committee in which Dr. Doug Brown, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, attended to give feedback about a report we submitted last spring. The meeting was very interesting and I found out that the student enrollment of JMU has reached 17,000 and the number of faculty employed by the university has reached over 900. We are working as a committee to increase scholarship among those 900 faculty members.
At Fairfield Language Technologies (work) I have been continuing to work with Tech Services, fulfilling internal user requests, meaning working on computers around the building. I've done everything from complete system setup, to phone extension creation. I'm preparing to meet with the Director of Information Technology with the company after Thanksgiving to begin working on server diagrams using Microsoft® Visio.
I am beginning to contemplate my Senior Thesis, which every ISAT major must complete as the capstone to the curriculum. I am considering working on creating a program at JMU in ISAT for juniors and seniors in high school to attend to enhance their understanding and interest in Science and Technology. This is important because from what I've noticed, many people considering coming to JMU for ISAT turn away because it's not a traditional engineering program. What is not understood however is that the ISAT degree is just as valuable as the engineering degree. The program produces graduates who work in teams, understand technical communication, and are truly project oriented. This graduate fulfills the need of many companies in America, in all types of industry. Something I've learned in my time at JMU is that college isn't always about what you learn in the classroom; it's also about learning how to be a lifelong learner, an individual who can balance a schedule on their own, and succeed under any circumstance.
Posted by Matt on November 16, 2005 07:00 PM | Link | Email Matt
I Got All My Classes!
Wow, I can't believe how the semester has disappeared. It's November already! Last week was really busy. With the exams, and preparation for registration for classes for next semester, I was swamped.
The exams went relatively well. Software Development didn't go as well as I had hoped, and I messed up some math questions on the programming exam. I feel like the Biotech exam also went well, but I will get that back in the morning, and will find out for sure then.
I got all the classes I wanted for registration! I also have planned out all the classes I need to take before I graduate (in the next 3 semesters). I am trying to get an override into a Computer Science class I need to take for my Telecommunications Concentration, however, it seems that the Computer Science Department doesn't grant overrides easily.
This week, I have a paper to turn in for Biotech, some research to do for a paper in Telecommunications, and some reading on Active Server Pages for Software Development.
Work at Fairfield Language Technologies has gone very well. I am currently working with the Tech Services Team, completing computer repair/requests throughout the corporate headquarters of the company, in downtown Harrisonburg. The development team has been very busy over the past few months with a website redesign. This redesign project used much of the work from my previous project (the systems audit).
Congratulations are in order to the JMU Football team for their victory over the William & Mary Tribe last weekend. However, with my congratulation I send the requirement that they not get a big head on their shoulders, and work on getting ready for their final two games… Villanova and Towson.
Posted by Matt on November 7, 2005 03:28 PM | Link | Email Matt
