Dean's door still open
Dr. Hesham Ali, new dean of UNO's College of
Information Science & Technology (IS&T), says he will continue to
welcome visitors to his office, as did his predecessor, retiring Dean David
Hinton.
"His door was always open to students, faculty, staff and alumni
who were either seeking his advice or offering their input," Ali says. "I plan
to follow in his footsteps in that regard."
Ali took over as
dean Aug. 1. Previously he served as associate dean for academic affairs and
professor of computer science. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, he received his
master's and bachelor's degrees from Alexandria University and his Ph.D. from
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
He is widely
recognized for his work in bioinformatics, mobile computing and wireless
networks, including a project called "Wireless Omaha" (see article in spring
2006 Alum). He is the recipient as principle or co-principle investigator of
more than $6 million in research funding and is the co-author of two books, two
dozen referred journal articles and more than 70 other articles.
The College of
IS&T includes the departments of computer science and information systems
and quantitative analysis, as well as programs in bioinformatics,
telecommunications, information assurance and a doctorate program in
information technology (IT).
The college also is
home to the Center for the Management of Information Technology, the
International Academy for Advanced Decision Support, the Nebraska University
Consortium on Information Assurance (NUCIA), and the newly formed Institute for
Collaboration Science (in partnership with the UNO College of Business Administration).
IS&T also is a partner with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of
Engineering in the Peter Kiewit Institute on UNO's Ak-Sar-Ben campus.
"What we have in the
college is a marvelous balance of education advancing our core of information technology
programs, and our ability to help other entities advance through the
incorporation of our IT components," Ali says. "This enables the college to
impact the community far beyond the campus boundaries.
"By working with
business, industry and non-profit agencies and organizations, we can play a
significant role in making Omaha one of the most technology-friendly
metropolitan areas in the nation."
Hinton became dean
of IS&T in 2001 after serving 15 years as dean of UNO's College of Public
Affairs and Community Service (CPACS). His retirement marks 34 years at
UNO.
In his five years at
IS&T, Hinton helped develop the doctoral program in information technology
and the undergraduate degree program in bioinformatics. He played a significant
role in NUCIA being designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in
Information Assurance by the National Security Agency. In 2001, NUCIA was one
of the first 20 centers to receive the designation.
Hinton calls his
time as IS&T dean a personally-rewarding honor. "I worked with an excellent
faculty and staff, and an especially outstanding group of students," he says.
"Watching more than 1,200 receive their degrees was more than ample reward to
me."
There are grand
things ahead for the college, Hinton says. "I believe the college is at a stage
of maturity where it can launch more educational offerings and programs and
engage in even more cutting-edge research," he says. "I know Hesham Ali is well
qualified to help the college continue to grow and contribute, and I look
forward to watching from the sidelines."
Photo by Tim Fitzgerald / University Affairs: Dean in,
dean out. Hesham Ali, left, and Dave Hinton.
Back to Top
Student profile: Tony
Valenti Imagining the possibilities
Tony Valenti is the founder and chief
architect of four technology companies, one of which employs 15 permanent
contractors stretching from Canada to Australia. His Bellevue-based high-speed
computer servers host the web sites of several corporations, government agencies
and even a celebrity. He leads the development of the "Emergency Stick," a
microchip-equipped medical bracelet that placed second in the worldwide
Software Design Invitational of Microsoft's Imagine Cup 2006.
Just imagine what Valenti might do once he graduates.
Currently, Valenti
is a senior computer science major at UNO's College of Information Science
& Technology. He says his interest in computers began when he was 5 years
old. "I was watching the TV show '20/20' interview a man who owned a small software
company. The man was Bill Gates. I said to my mom, 'That looks interesting. I'd
like to learn about that.'"
His mother,
Dwynette, began to smile. "Is that so?" she replied. "Well, I just so happen to
have my degree in computer science."
She sat him down in
front of a computer.
"It was an old DOS
computer," he recalls. "She opened a program called Q Basic and told me about
the F1 'Help' key, which could teach me anything I wanted to know. I pressed
it, started reading and from that point on, I was hooked. It was fun."
Home-schooled until
his junior year in high school, Valenti got his first technology job when he
was 17. "I went on-site for an automation project for a company in Canada."
Today, his companies
are Power DNN (www.powerdnn.com), Mobile Now (www.mobilenow.cc), Keep Alive
Forever (www.keepaliveforever.com), and Emergency Stick
(www.emergencystick.com). The services they provide include software
development, server virtualization and technology consulting.
"You can't tell
someone 'I do everything,' even if you do," he says. "I've set up different
entities that focus on one or two aspects of a problem or issue. For me, it
makes sense to have different companies that ultimately complement each other."
The Microsoft
Imagine Cup 2006 invitationals drew 65,000 students from more than 100
countries to compete in six categories, including software design.
Valenti, Jeremy
Capello, a student at Bellevue University, and Michael Knipp, a local high
school student, developed the Emergency Stick bracelet. An encrypted USB device
compatible with PDAs, cell phones and computers, it can hold critical medical
information and in an emergency provide the wearer and responders with
real-time feedback regarding recommended treatments.
In non-emergency
situations, it can be synched with a desktop application to provide the user
regular reminders, such as to take a medication. The device earned the team a
$4,000 cash prize.
"The students at
this year's Imagine Cup represent the next generation of technology and business
leaders," says Sanjay Parthasarathy, corporate vice president of developer and
platform evangelism at Microsoft. "Their creativity, innovation and commitment
to improving people's lives is inspiring."
Valenti says he
thrives on the technological challenges he faces at IS&T. After graduation,
he plans to stay in Omaha, expand his services, and continue having fun.
"Other people go to
work in the morning," he says, patting a rack of sleek Dell servers that are
home to his Web-based clients. "I go play with these."
Photo courtesy Microsoft Corp: Tony Valenti, Jeremy
Capello and Michael Knipp at the Microsoft Imagine Cup 2006.
Back to Top
Journey to Freedom
Farida Majid, academic advisor at UNO's
College of Information Science & Technology (IS&T), knows that higher
education can lead to more than a successful career.
In her case, it
helped lead to freedom.
A native of
Afghanistan, Majid was about 7 years old when the Soviet Union invaded her
homeland in 1979. Her father, a well-educated man with a doctorate in
education, had been working on various U.S.-supported projects, including Peace
Corps.
"The Russians wanted to recruit him for their purposes," Majid
recalls. "They wanted him to be a part of the Communist government. When he refused
and questioned their education policies, he was seen as a threat by them, so he
was placed in prison."
Friends helped gain
her father's release and in 1982, when she was 10, her parents took her and her
five siblings on a perilous journey to escape Afghanistan by traveling through
the mountains into Pakistan.
"For four days and
three nights we walked and rode donkeys and camels. We carried only a few
clothes and some food. We left everything else behind.
"It was very
frightening. We knew that if we were caught we would either be killed or placed
in prison. At times we were not allowed to cough or speak, as we might be heard
and shot."
Their journey led to
Omaha in 1983 when the family's immigration case was sponsored by Thomas
Goutierre, dean of International Studies and Programs and director of the
Center for Afghanistan Studies at UNO.
Majid's father, Dr.
Moqin Rahmanzai, worked for the Center for Afghanistan Studies for three years
before returning to Pakistan to take part in a UNO cross-border education
support project for Afghanistan. Today, Rahmanzai continues to work on projects
relating to the reforming and restructuring of the post-Russian occupation
education system in Afghanistan.
Majid obtained a
bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in counseling with a
concentration in student affairs practice in higher education, both from UNO.
She worked as a graduate assistant at the university before being hired as an
academic counselor at IS&T in May 1999.
Two of her three
older brothers, as well as her two sisters, also are UNO grads.
Majid serves as
advisor for undergraduate students at the college. She monitors progress and
development, conducts graduation audits and senior checks, and works with many
of the scholarship students.
"I love it," she
says. "It's personally rewarding to be able to work with such a highly
qualified group of students."
When she meets with
prospective students and their parents, she touts the strong programs IS&T
and the Peter Kiewit Institute offer, and the unique relationships the
institute has forged with the business community locally and nationally.
"People are quite
intrigued by the fact our programs compete well with those offered by other
universities," she says, "but when they see the facilities and meet the
faculty, they are even more impressed."
For anyone who
doubts the value of higher education, Majid has a very personal story to share.
"If my father would
not have been well educated, well-rounded in experience, we would not have had
the opportunity to come to the United States," she says. "His education and his
connection to other individuals helped save our lives."
Photo of Farida Majid and her father, Dr. Moqin
Rahmanzai, courtesy Farida Majid
Back to Top
Professor Peter Wolcott:
Demanding Excellence
Associate Professor Peter Wolcott teaches
classes that are a very real reflection of his own personality.
"Some of what shapes
my thinking also goes into my classes," says Wolcott, director of the master's
of science in Management Information Systems program at UNO's College of
Information Science & Technology. "I certainly enjoy the exercise of
figuring things out and then explaining it all to others."
Wolcott, who
received the 2001 UNO Excellence in Teaching award, says he is not an "easy"
instructor.
"My courses are demanding, time-consuming courses, but because it
is time well-spent, I think students appreciate the value they receive. I work
hard to make sure my assignments are relevant, are value-adding and are useful
to a student.
"The worst thing
they can say is that an assignment amounted to a bunch of 'busy work.' That
means the assignment failed miserably."
In his 11 years at
UNO, Wolcott has had a considerable impact on his students. He hears back from
former students and some comment on how they've applied his lessons to their
current work.
"It's a source of
great satisfaction for me when I see I have made a contribution to their lives,
either personally or professionally."
He infuses a strong
sense of values into the classroom and his private life with his wife, Ellie,
and daughters, Elisa, 14; Lena, 11; and Clara, 7. "I am the same person in
private as in public. I try to be open and honest with people."
He says honesty
makes teaching easier. "I don't have to work on my image. All I have to be is
me. There's a certain simplicity to life when you can just be who you are."
Wolcott serves as "a
bridge" for student exchanges with Norway, his mother's native country. He
lived a year in Norway before attending college and did graduate research in
the former Soviet Union, where he lived for nine months.
The year he recently
spent on sabbatical at Agder University College in Kristiansand in southern
Norway also was a learning experience for his family, which accompanied him.
"The kids attended school there and learned Norwegian, and we got to spend a
lot of time with each other and with my mother's family."
Wolcott is indeed
well-traveled. "I was born in New Jersey, grew up in New England, lived in
California, went to school in Arizona and worked in Alabama. By the time I came
to UNO, everyone I knew lived within 100 miles of either the oceans or Mexico.
I didn't know anyone in the Heartland."
His research builds
upon his interest in the world and the Internet. He has authored or co-authored
several articles relating to "The Global Diffusion of the Internet," a project
that examines the proliferation of the Internet in other countries "to capture
the history of the Internet as it unfolds."
Much can be learned
from the project, such as the Internet's role in promoting economic growth and
social and human development. But it has to be learned quickly, Wolcott says.
"Being electronic,
the information available on the Internet is extremely perishable," he says.
"We have books that are 200 years old. We have hieroglyphics that are thousands
of years old. Yet, a Word document we put together today, if it's even readable
in 20 years, that would be amazing."
Photo by Tim Fitzgerald / University Affairs
Back to Top
