Vol. XLIX No.
10
UPCOMING EVENTS
“Lifegraphs for Mobile Mirror Worlds:
Linking Supply, Value, and Customer Chains”
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
7:30 pm
Co-sponsored by DC-SIGGRAPH and
Baltimore-DC SIGAda
Location:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2nd Floor Conference Room
1200 New York Avenue NW
(entrance is on 12th Street)
Washington, D.C.
Nearest Metro Station: Metro Center,
Orange and Blue Lines
William Glascoe, Computer Science Corporation
With special guest Dr. Nicholas Polys, Virginia Tech ARC Visualization Group
Have you wondered why record and bookkeeping has
not been automated for all of us? From the moment a
legal or natural person is known to be on the way to
last data generating event of its corpse. This talk
examines lifegraphing (not life logging) in the context
of the proliferation of 3D Computer-Aided everything,
the payment card industry's infrastructure, the
electronic health records mandate, geographical
information systems, and electronic data interchange
standards. To fully understand the conceptualization
of lifegraphs, a 100-yr story of a person born in the
year 2000 will be used to explain what lifegraphs are
(aren't) and how they may change the chains between
government, corporations and citizens who come live
by them.
About the Speakers
William Glascoe is a Project Manager in the Logistics
& Supply Chain Management subpractice of CSC's
Federal Consulting Practice and an Air Force
Reserves' Lieutenant Colonel at the National Security
Space Office. He recently won a CSC Leading Edge
Forum Grant to investigate extensible 3D (X3D) for
1
June 2009
IN THIS ISSUE
¾ Upcoming DC ACM Events (Page 1)
¾ Quick Updates (Page 2)
¾ Farewell Message from the Chair
(Page 3-4)
¾ Candidates for the 2009 DC ACM
elections (Page 4-6)
¾ Photos from April and May events
(Page 6)
¾ DC ACM Calendar At A Glance
(Page 7)
Enterprise Applications, which yielded the idea of
lifegraphs as he defines them.
William is a certified Project Management
Professional and recently returned from a year long
assignment in Baghdad where he managed business
planning projects for the DoD Task Force to Improve
Business and Stability Operations in Iraq. He was a
Software Risk Manager at the Office of Naval
Research's Best Manufacturing Practices Center of
Excellence in College Park, MD during 2007.
Between 1996 and 1999, he was the Chief, Software
Integration and Test in a classified System Program
Office during his third Air Force active duty
assignment. He is a certificate holder of the Air Force
Institute of Technology's Software Professional
Development Program.
William holds a BS Physics, Applied from the USAF
Academy, MS Telecommunications, CU Boulder and
a Certificate of Completion, International Space
University (1999 Summer Session Program, Khorat,
Thailand).
continued on page 2
UPCOMING EVENTS Continued from page 1
Special Guest Dr. Nicholas Polys heads the VT-ARC
Visualization Group. He has developed interactive 3D
graphic content and systems for over 9 years. His
research interests lie at the heart of Human Computer
Interaction: the intersection of visualization, virtual
environments, and perception.
After his undergraduate research in Cognitive Science
at Vassar College (1996), he jumped into the
networked information space of the WWW developing
audio, visual, and 3D assets and software. His
doctoral work at Virginia Tech (2006) examined
perceptual cues and layout behaviors for Information-
Rich Virtual Environments for desktop to immersive
platforms.
As a co-author of the international standard
Extensible 3D (X3D) and Director of the Web3D
Consortium, he is the author of numerous peer-
reviewed papers, tutorials, and workshops. Currently,
Nicholas is a researcher for Virginia Tech Research
Computing building information architectures and user
interfaces for computational scientists.
Business Meeting June 22:
“The Year in Review”
The annual DC ACM general business meeting is open
to any interested DC ACM members or nonmembers
who would like to observe and participate in
discussion. Any attending DC ACM Member in good
standing counts towards quorum for this meeting and
may vote on any motions raised at this meeting.
The theme of this meeting is "The Year In Review."
Each officer and committee chair will summarize what
they accomplished in their own areas and offer
suggestions for future improvement, to be taken up
by the new Executive Council in July. This meeting is
a good opportunity for members to learn more about
the DC ACM activities of the past year and how we
will move forward.
We will also hold officer elections at this business
meeting. Please note that absentee ballots should be
cast between June 1-15. All eligible Members can
vote in person on June 22. If a Member casts an
absentee ballot but also votes at the meeting, the in-
person vote takes precedence. Quorum for the
elections will be determined from both absentee and
in-person ballots.
After the meeting, all are invited to the Black Rooster
Pub for drinks, camaraderie, and celebration of
another successful year of DC ACM.
Agenda:
• Approval of the 5/26/2009 EC Meeting
minutes
2
• Reports from the officers [chair, vice chair,
treasurer, secretary, member at large]
• Reports from the standing committees
[programs, awards, professional
development, communications, membership]
• Reports from the ad-hoc committees [gala,
historical, academic advisory board, web
team]
• Elections will be held at 8 p.m.; if some
reports are not finished, they will be
postponed until after the elections.
Location:
2025 M Street NW
Between 20th and 21st Streets
Ground Floor Conference Room near Dupont Circle
and Farragut North red line Metro stations
The meeting room has a street entrance located
immediately to the left of the main entry into the
building (a revolving door). A sign will be posted.
There is a parking garage next door for $5.00, open
until 10pm. Another parking garage on 19th street
between M and L is open until midnight for $6.00.
Free parking on M Street is available starting at
6:30pm.
QUICK UPDATES
Finances
Balance Sheet as of May 26, 2009
Checking Account $9,184.86
Money Market (Savings) $4,663.83
Certificates of Deposit $10,273.70
$10,332.90
$20,661.32
Other Assets $688.99
Total Liabilities $0
NET WORTH $55,805.60
Membership
As of June 1, 2009, the DC ACM had 135 registered
members. This total number includes 70 Members
and 65 Associate Members.
Website Team Meeting
The Website Team will meet on June 10th at 5:30pm,
before the lecture. For more details, please contact
Communications Chair Cora Dickson.
 FAREWELL MESSAGE
FROM THE DC ACM CHAIR
In February of 2007, the National ACM appointed me Chair of the DC
Chapter.

But it was a silent Chapter, kept alive by the combined efforts of

Charles Youman (annual reports and chapter bank accounts), Currie
Colket (mailing lists), Lee Ohringer (post office box), and Cynthia
O'Connell (website). Without them we would have lost our charter
and there would be no DC ACM. I can't thank them enough for
keeping the fires lit.

The upstart writing this column blundered along to be a science fair

judge and decided that perhaps the chapter could use a lecture or two
to get things started again. Since then we've hosted talks by some of
the giants of computer science, held two professional development
seminars, represented ACM at a over a dozen science fairs, and
celebrated our 50th anniversary.

Of course I couldn't have done this alone. It's through the hard work
of a team of dedicated volunteers that we've been able to accomplish
Baltimore ACM Chair Emil Volcheck (left) the goals of DC ACM.
DC ACM Chair William Fielder (right)

I've had the honor of working alongside some wonderful people -- our Chapter officers and members, the George
Washington University Student ACM, Baltimore ACM, the IEEE Computer Society, the Washington Academy of
Sciences. No matter how long I make the list I'm certain I'll miss someone. I thank all of you for helping to revive
this Chapter.

We shouldn't rest on our accomplishments, though. The Chapter needs more active, participating members as a first
priority. And surely there's more ways for the Chapter to reach out to and serve the DC Area computing community.
As I said in a previous column, we have nowhere to go but up and the time is ripe for new members to really make a
mark on the Chapter and lead it towards new directions.

I decided that, for the well-being of the chapter, it was time for me to step aside. I believe that we won't grow if
others aren't given a chance to step up to office. I also think that the chapter now needs a different kind of Chair. I
will do my best to help the new leadership and continue to serve DC ACM to the best of my ability.

I'd like to say some special Thank Yous, if I may:

• My father-in-law, Hank Dickson, for introducing me to DC ACM and unintentionally being a catalyst.
• My wife Cora Dickson, who worked unbelievably hard for the Chapter, served as my chief of staff, organized
our 50th anniversary Gala, and revived the newsletter, CompuTopics.
• The first treasurer of the chapter, Jeff Poretsky, for untangling and smoothing out the Chapter's accounts --
and Teresa Hone, our current treasurer, for putting us on track to make sure it stays smooth and untangled.
• Webmaster Ryan Michela for his tireless work. It was my pleasure to give him our first Outstanding
Volunteer award last year.
• Secretary Benjamin Schultz for his astounding (nay, disturbing) knowledge of Roberts Rules of Order. He
has really been the Chapter's neutral arbiter and one of its most level heads.
• Vice-chair Isaac Christoffersen for his work with the Chapter archives and his deep appreciation for our
history and its preservation.
• Eric Noriega for granting us a worthy space for the Professional Development Seminar Series, and for his
efforts towards its success.
• Dr. Emil Volcheck, Chair of Baltimore ACM, for his support and guidance as we both revive our chapters.
• ACM Local Activities Coordinator, Lauren Ryan, for her great patience and kindness.
Continued on page 4

3
Continued from page 3 – Thank Yous
• Dr. Rhys Price Jones and The George Washington Student ACM for their firm alliance and support. A big
round of applause for Trevor Ford, Mackenzie Morgan, Alex Florescu, and Dan Fego.
• Peg Kay of the Washington Academy of Science, and Harry Scott of Radio Free Asia for providing space for
our lectures and meetings.
• Our sponsors: White Oak Technologies and The Prometheus Group.
• And last but not least, a deep bow to Roger Fuji. He has been one of DC ACM's most active participants,
yet he refuses to become a member (something about not joining any club that would have him). What I'd
give to have more non-members like him.

It's been educational, enlightening, humbling, tiring, hair-greying, and even fun. I can only hope that I've managed
to do some good.
Regards,

William Fielder

2009 DC ACM OFFICER ELECTIONS

If you are a registered Member as of May 31, you were sent an email with instructions on how to vote online by
absentee ballot. You may also choose to vote in person at the June 22 meeting. Below and on the next page are
the bios of the candidates.

Candidate for Chair: Benjamin Schultz Candidate for Vice Chair: Kent Miller

Education: MS Information Science, Education: Ph.D. Physics, Carnegie-

Penn State (Malvern). Mellon University

BA cum laude Economics, University of Professional Experience: Since

Maryland. returning to the USA in 1995, I have
worked as a business consultant (mostly market
Professional Experience: Software engineer since research and IT), and have taught CompSci, Physics,
1996, primarily in applications development: and Math courses at American University.

Independent consultant, 1996. ACM Activities: DC ACM Membership Chair, 2008-

Northrop Grumman (ex Logicon Geodynamics) 1996 –
2000.
Omicron Consulting 2000 – 2005.
L-3 Communications 2006 – present.
present
Other Activities: Member AIAA, ASME, IEEE, and
DCLUG.
Position Statement: I intend to assist the Chairman
in fostering the revived DC ACM chapter.

ACM Activities: DC ACM Secretary, 2007 – present.
Bylaws committee, 2007 – 2008. DC ACM judge at
Fairfax County (VA) Science & Technology Fair, 2008
and 2009. PD Seminar Registrar, fall 2008 and spring
2009.
Candidate for Secretary: Sean Stickle
Education: BA, Philosophy/History of
Math & Science, St. John's College,
Annapolis, MD

Other Activities: Ruach Minyan, Davening Professional Experience: System administrator,

coordinator. Oakton (VA) Condominium Finance
Committee. Organizer, two Meeup.Com groups.
Position Statement: I seek to increase members'
involvement with our current activities, to set a good
foundation for the next wave of expansion.
software developer, and software project manager (in
various combinations) since 1997. Worked in non-
profit technology (think tanks and professional
engineering societies) for 9 years, and only recently
joined the for-profit world.
Continued on page 5

4
Sean Stickle Bio, continued from page 5
ACM Activities: Member since 2008. But I've had a
long-standing love of Edsger Dijkstra and Ken
Iverson, so that counts for something.
Other Activities: Learning how to write an APL
compiler, reacquainting myself with Attick Greek and
Latin, and trying to master both the Lambda and Pi
Calculi.
Position Statement: I take really good notes, and
can turn them into well-formatted minutes. Also, I'm
really keen on making the DC ACM more Web-
friendly. Technically, that's not a Secretarial duty, but
that doesn't matter. It's important.
Candidate for Treasurer: Teresa Hone
Education: B.A. Ohio State University
M.A. University of Wisconsin
All but thesis for Ph.D. University of
Wisconsin in Math
Professional Experience: 28 years as computer
consultant writing code in Cobol and using CASE
tools. Currently I am consulting part-time at Inter-
American Development Bank.
ACM Activities: Past chair of ACM Professional
Development Committee as well as other offices on
that committee. DC ACM Treasurer, 2008-present.
Other Activities: Participate in national Senior
Olympics and other national tournaments in senior
women’s softball. Avid knitter and crocheter.
Position Statement: My goal on the ACM board is
to foster the vitality of the newly revived local group
so that it continues to thrive while deploying inherited
resources wisely.
Candidates for Member At Large
Mackenzie Morgan
Education: Undergraduate student,
George Washington University
(Computer Science)
Professional Experience: I've spent the last few
years on internships in multiple areas of the software
development lifecycle and contributing to open source
software.
ACM Activities: Awards Chair for DC ACM (Dec.
2008--Present), currently the Vice President for
GWU's ACM chapter and was the secretary for two
years before.
5
Other Activities: Work on Ubuntu, participate in
multiple local LUGs, blogger.
Position Statement: I would like to help attract
those entering the world of computer science and
software engineering to the chapter by working with
the local universities.
Rebecca Prather
Education: B.S.- 2 full majors, math
and physics (honors program and Phi
Beta Kappa), M.S. math
Professional Experience: Entered computing 1958
Research/publications-Artificial Intelligence
Retired from Fed. Govt. career in supervision, analysis
and advanced planning. Obtained for the several-
years-old Federal Supply System the first
backup/disaster recovery site that it ever had!
ACM Activities: Joined 1964
Founded/chaired the local (Los Angeles) and national
SIGART
Active in the old DCACM since about 1970 –
Led major bylaws revision as Parliamentarian
Publicity Chairman for Annual Technical
Symposium.
Election committee
Current Member at Large in new DCACM
Major input to bylaws
Facilitating cooperative relations with SIG’s and
other ADP groups
Other Activities: Led multiple activities in Mensa;
Chair the Northern VA Chapter of the Elderhostel
Alumni Assoc.
Position Statement: I would like another year as
your Member at Large to continue my efforts to
1. As the first Council member (and still only 1 of
2) one who was active in the old DCACM, provide
experience and historical perspective to the new
DCACM
2. Vigorously promote frugality in the new
DCACM and urge careful handling of and preservation
of the very nice but shrinking nest egg that the new
DCACM inherited from the old DCACM . Try to
provide a conservative counterbalance to a powerful
influence that would spend $500 of chapter money
for a sheet cake.
3. Expand our visibility and continue a vigorous
outreach effort.
4. Help where help is needed.
I am retired, live locally, and have time to devote to
DCACM.
Candidates for Member At Large continued on page 6
 PAST EVENTS
Gary Zupan
April 6, 2009
Education: BA in Physics Donald Gotterbarn [left],
“Software Development:
More Than Just
Professional Experience: I have worked 38 years Programming”
as a Software Engineer mostly on real-time and ACM Distinguished Speaker
embedded software. I have experience with Presentation Material can
computers controlling for semiconductor, steel and be downloaded here
aluminum manufacturing. I worked on futures
classified projects for DoD contractors for 11 years
including software for radar, submarines, anti-missile
missiles, satellite communications, drones, hand-held
communications, airport controllers, and more. I
currently work at the FDA regulating software in
medical devices.

ACM Activities: Auditor for DC ACM, 2008.

Other Activities: Learning new computer

languages. Reading French and German technical May 6, 2009
articles. Riding bicycle. Playing Classical piano music. “The M-Lab: An Open
Visiting various museums. Driving all over the USA. Research Platform for
Testing Internet
Position Statement: I intend to help prepare and Performance”
build the DC ACM so the DC ACM in turn can help the Sascha Meinrath [right]
members and community. and Robb Topolski [below]
Presentation can be downloaded here

HISTORICAL COMMITTEE
Next Meeting

Saturday, June 20, 2009

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
City of Fairfax Regional Library
Meeting Room A
North Street
Fairfax, VA 22030
(703) 293-6227

Activity: Sorting the archived materials of the

DC ACM chapter.

The Historical Committee Chair welcomes Additional photos

additional meeting venue suggestions for DC or http://www.dcacm.org/archives/Event%20Photos/Forms/AllI
Maryland. Please contact Isaac Christoffersen, tems.aspx
Hhistorical@dcacm.org

Seeking Submissions to CompuTopics

Do you have something of

interest to our readers?
STAY TUNED…. Would you like to write an
event review?
DC ACM HAPPY HOUR
in JULY
Original material is always
welcome!
More details coming
soon!
Please contact the editor, Communications Chair
Cora Dickson (communications@dcacm.org).

6
 DC ACM CALENDAR AT A GLANCE
June 10 Web Team Meeting
June 10 Guest Speaker William Glascoe, “Lifegraphs for Mobile
Mirror Worlds: Linking Supply, Value, and Customer Chains”
June 20 Historical Committee Meeting
June 22 Business Meeting and Elections

About DC ACM DC ACM Executive Council

Click on the name to email.
The Washington, D.C. Chapter of the
Association for Computing Machinery (DC Chair William Fielder
ACM) was formally established on November Vice Chair Isaac Christoffersen
1, 1958. We are a local professional chapter Treasurer Teresa Hone
of the Association for Computing Machinery Secretary Ben Schultz
(ACM), which was founded in 1947. Currently Member at Large Rebecca Prather
there are more than 2,200 ACM members in Communications Cora Dickson
the Washington Metropolitan Area. Membership Kent Miller
PDC Eric Noriega
The DC ACM is a non-profit 501(c)(3) Programs (acting) William Fielder
association (EIN 526066536) that supports Awards (acting) Mackenzie Morgan
educational activities and career development
for the local IT professional community, as Executive Council Meetings are held once a month.
well as nurturing future generations of They are open to all interested parties, though only
computer scientists, network engineers, and EC Members have voting power on any motions
raised in the meeting.
tech policy specialists in the Washington, D.C.
area. Among other activities, we give awards Location:
to junior and senior high school students for
exceptional science fair projects in the Radio Free Asia
computer science field and we sponsor 2025 M Street NW
educational lectures for the general public. Between 20th and 21st Streets
Ground Floor Conference Room
Our website:
http://www.dcacm.org Closest Metro Stations: Dupont Circle and Farragut
North, Red Line

Parking: Free on the street after 6:30pm; garage

next door to the meeting room charges $5.00.
Our Sponsors

Become an
Active
Chapter
Member
• Join the Professional Development
Committee
• Join the Website Team
• Come to DC ACM meetings and
events! They are always metro
accessible.