Renowned computer scientist to speak at Kennesaw State

Kennesaw State University is launching the ENPLAS Science and Society Lecture Series on Sept. 13 at 3:30 p.m. in the Science Auditorium with a presentation by award-winning computer scientist and educator David Gries. The destruction caused earlier this year by the "love bug" virus is yet another example of how science and technology are connected in every aspect of our lives. These connections are the impetus behind the ENPLAS Science and Society Lecture Series sponsored by the College of Science and Mathematics at KSU. By bringing together faculty, students, representatives of business and industry, distinguished speakers and researchers, the college hopes to foster interdisciplinary learning and collaboration.

ENPLAS (U.S.A.), a global engineering plastics company, recently presented KSU with a $30,000 grant to help celebrate the company's 20 year presence in Cobb County. The grant is being used to help defray the costs of the lecture series and provide honorariums for speakers. Topics discussed in the past have included computer hacking, revolutions in medical science, women in science, and the cause and impact of Atlanta's ozone problem; all issues that affect everyone in some fashion. These one-hour talks address the latest on science and technology subjects that have a major impact on society and, in many cases, the economy.

As the first ENPLAS lecturer at KSU this year, Gries will address ways to lessen student fears of mathematics and mathematical notation by employing calculational logic. Gries joined the University of Georgia as Franklin Professor of Computer Science in 1999 after an outstanding career at Cornell University where he was the W. L. Lewis Professor of Engineering and Weiss Presidential Fellow as well as a leader in the computer science department. His specialty lies in the area of software engineering and he will play a major role in educating the future software engineers of Georgiaís Yamacraw workforce. Gries' research record in compilers, programming methodology and programming languages has had profound effects on how students are taught. He has published four textbooks and is working on another about Java.

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Editor's Note: The next two ENPLAS Science and Society Lectures are "Genes, Drug Addiction & Prospects for Treatment" by Michael J. Kuhar on Sept. 20 and Michael J. Hannafin, Wheatley-Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Technology-Enhanced Learning from UGA on Oct. 11.