Vivísimo CEO to Give Keynote Address at Pitt School of Information Sciences' 'i-fest'

PITTSBURGH-Gaming tournaments, technology demonstrations, and a poetry slam will be among the events featured at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences' (SIS) annual three-day "i-fest" event, exploring SIS educational programs, research activities, and career opportunities.

A schedule of events follows. Asterisks denote events for which registration is required. For more details and to register, visit www.i-fest.pitt.edu.

Wednesday, Nov. 8

Information Sciences (IS) Showcase

Technology/Research Demonstrations

Assembly Room, William Pitt Union, 3959 Fifth Ave., Oakland

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

IS fair

Lobby, Edward H. Litchfield Towers, 3955 Forbes Ave., Oakland

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Poster Competition

Assembly Room, William Pitt Union

1:30-3:30 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 9

Keynote Speaker and Luncheon*

Featuring Raul Valdes-Perez, Chief Executive Officer, Vivísimo

Ballroom, William Pitt Union

Noon-2 p.m.

Valdes-Perez has led Vivísimo since cofounding it in June 2000. During his tenure there, he was recognized as a top-10 reader favorite for "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Inc. magazine, a "CEO of the Year" finalist by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, and three times as one of the 50 most important Hispanics in business and technology by Hispanic Engineer magazine. Before Vivísimo, Valdes-Perez was on the Carnegie Mellon University computer science department faculty since 1991; he is now an adjunct associate professor. His research on new methods and applications of knowledge discovery led to publishing nearly 50 journal articles in the natural, social, and computer sciences. He was a principal investigator on six grants from the National Science Foundation, served on its advisory committee for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, and was an action editor of the journal Machine Learning. Valdes-Perez received a Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in information engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

SIS Internship Event

Room 501, IS Building, 135 N. Bellefield Ave., Oakland

4-5 p.m.

Steps to Success/Job Opportunities*

Ballroom, William Pitt Union

5-8 p.m.

Discuss job opportunities and industry forecasts with Chief Information Officers and IT professionals from regional companies, including FedEx Ground, Alcoa Inc., Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, and Mellon Financial. Refreshments will be provided.

Gaming Tournament

Fourth Floor, IS Building

9:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 10

The Fantastic, Amazing, Great Race*

IS Building

10 a.m.

Incorporating the challenges and thrills of America's most-watched reality TV show, SIS has created "The Fantastic Amazing Great Race." Each team, comprising two intrepid explorers, will depart from the IS Building and head for adventures throughout the City of Pittsburgh. Contestants must win each leg of the race in order to get the clue to the next location, using technology as their "secret weapon." Prizes will be awarded to the winning team.

"Privacy: An Intercultural Perspective" Colloquium

Presented by Rafael Capurro

Assembly Room, William Pitt Union

10:30 a.m.-noon

Rafael Capurro is professor of information management and information ethics at the Stuttgart Media University, Germany. This colloquium is presented as part of the "Policy, Ethics, & Accountability" Lecture Series, cosponsored by SIS and the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership in Pitt's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

The Mother Goose Poetry Slam

Assembly Room, William Pitt Union

1:30-3:30 p.m.

The SIS is one of the nation's pioneering schools in the education of information professionals, with a history that reaches back more than 100 years. Throughout that century of service, the school has built and maintained a tradition of excellence and innovation in education, research, and professional activities pertaining to the information sciences. The SIS faculty, staff, students, and programs-uniquely interdisciplinary, multicultural, and international by design-are dedicated to the building of a global society and an informed citizenship based upon access to reliable and useful information.

The school offers degree programs in Information Science (B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.), Library and Information Science (M.S., Ph.D.), and Telecommunications (M.S. and Ph.D., with a concentration in Telecommunications).

I-fest is sponsored by Alcoa North America, Pittsburgh CyberConXion, and FedEx Ground. For more information, contact Kelly Shaffer at 412-624-2677 or kshaffer@mail.sis.pitt.edu or e-mail info@i-fest.pitt.edu.

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11/07/06/scl