(Posted October 11, 2010)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- A group of computer science educators will convene at Juniata College to discuss how to better utilize computers in an academic environment. The Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Eastern Conference will take place from Friday, Oct. 15, through Saturday, Oct. 16 in Brumbaugh Academic Center on the Juniata campus.

The conference theme, "Getting There is Half the Fun," and many of the presentations, workshops and tutorials will focus on "how technology education is an amazing journey for both students and teachers."

For further information on the conference, please call Gerald Kruse, associate professor of information technology and mathematics, at (814) 641-3595 or kruse@juniata.edu; Bill Thomas, associate professor of information technology, at (814) 641-3621, or thomas@juniata.edu; or John Wright, assistant professor of information technology, at (814) 641-3592, or wrightj@juniata.edu.

The keynote address for the conference will be delivered by David Molchany, deputy county executive for Fairfax (Va.) County Government, on "Technology-enabled Public Engagement" at 1 p.m., Friday, Oct. 15 in Alumni Hall in Brumbaugh Academic Center. 1983

The conference will feature more than 15 educational sessions and 9 tutorials and workshops over the two-day meeting. Most of the classroom sessions and workshops will be held in various rooms in Brumbaugh Academic Center.

The first day session will end with a banquet for all attendees. The speaker for the banquet will be Ken Navarro, a contemporary jazz guitarist whose most recent albums are "Dreaming of Trains" and "The Grace of Summer Light." His talk, "Music and Computer Technology," will take place during the banquet, which starts at 6:30 p.m. in the ballroom of Ellis Hall.

The conference will continue through Saturday. A highlight for area college students will be a student programming competition. Some 60 students from 12 different colleges or universities will tackle computer programming problems from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.