By Margo McCall

Now that federal governments, banks, and financial services firms have all reworked their budgets to reflect global bailouts, stock market declines and economic turmoil, it’s now time for technology company executives to do the same. “With the credit crunch, bailouts, financial derivatives, and bankruptcies, what are you going to be called on to do in 2009?” asked Peter Sondergard, Gartner senior vice president of research, at the market-research firm’s annual itXpo symposium. For 2008, CIOs were advised to create two budget scenarios and be prepared to make changes along the way. For 2009, Gartner advises high-tech executives to do three things: assume a likely global IT spending growth rate of 0-2.3 percent, turn the management team into “a cost-optimization team,” and lastly, start thinking like a chief financial officer.

By Margo McCall

The computing field asks a lot of its practitioners. Its professionals must be diligent, naturally curious, good problem solvers, able to grapple with big concepts as well as minutiae and willing to think outside of conventional boundaries to develop new code, architectures and applications that will find value in business and society. Yet in today’s competitive and global business environment, computing professionals must add yet another fundamental skill to the mix: the ability to lead and manage people. In fact, developing leadership and managerial skills is no longer a career option, it is becoming a requirement.
 

By Margo McCall

 

North American universities last year turned out twice as many computer scientists with doctorates as they did five years ago, but despite the bumper crop, industry and academia had no trouble absorbing them. According to the Computing Research Association’s annual Taulbee Survey, US computer science and computer engineering programs awarded 1,775 PhDs between June 2006 and July 2007, up 26 percent from the previous year and double the number awarded in 2002.

 

 

Name: Susan K. (Kathy) Land

Title: Principal Software Systems Engineering for MITRE Corp.; 2009 President, IEEE Computer Society

Academic degree: B.S., University of Georgia

Career highlights: Susan K. (Kathy) Land has over 21 years of information technology-related work experience, including information management systems programming, database systems development, and enterprise application programming. She has extensive experience implementing software process improvement and is a recognized expert in this area. having published several books on the subject, including Practical ISO 9001 Software Process Documentation: Using IEEE Software Engineering Standards; Practical CMMI Software Process Documentation: Using IEEE Software Engineering Standards; Jumpstart CMM/CMMI Software Process Improvement: Using IEEE Software Engineering Standards, and Practical Support for Lean Six Sigma; and Software Process Documentation: Using IEEE Software Engineering Standards.

 

The United States House of Representatives has unanimously approved a resolution supporting computer science and the designation of a National Computer Science Education Week. To raise awareness about the challenges facing computer science education, the resolution designates the week of 7 December as National Computer Science Education Week to honor the birthday of Grace Murray Hopper, one of the first female computer scientists. “I am very pleased that today we are considering a resolution which turns our attention to the coming shortage of computer scientists,” said Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), vice ranking member of the Committee on Science and Technology, which introduced the resolution.

 

Ehlers said there is a need for improved research and education, particularly education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). “I believe these subjects hold special promise for the future of our nation and its workforce, and it is very critical that all of our nation’s students receive a foundation in STEM,” he said. “This prepares students to become the innovators of tomorrow.” According to a study by the Computer Science Teachers Association, even in US schools that employ computer science teachers, only a little more than half of the schools offer introductory courses in computer science, and the number of course offerings are declining.