Vol. XLIX No.

4 December 2008

UPCOMING EVENTS strong tech sector despite the economic

downturn. This panel explores in
SPECIAL DC ACM PANEL: further detail the regional characteristics
(Northern Virginia, Maryland,
THE STATE OF THE downtown) and the types of
WASHINGTON DC JOB MARKET employment (government contractors,
R&D, civil service, start-ups, etc.)
Monday, December 8, 2008
peculiar to the DC metropolitan area.
7:00 p.m. - 9 p.m. This panel is geared towards IT
professionals who are considering a job
Location: change, pondering their career path, or
American Academy for the Advancement of just wondering what skills are attractive
Science (AAAS) in this region’s job market. Students of
2nd Floor Conference Room
computer science at the local colleges
1200 New York Avenue NW
and universities may also be interested
(entrance is on 12th Street)
Washington, D.C. in attending.

Nearest Metro Station: Metro Center

Note:
Featured Panelists: There is no public lecture planned for January 2009.

Robert Neelbauer
Principal, staffmagnet & Jobmatchbox.com
Dr. Martin Herman
Chief, Information Access Division, NIST
Dr. Annette Reilly
Senior Manager, HR/Finance Systems
Engineering, Lockheed Martin
John Thomas
Vice President, Large Scale Systems Engineering
Booz Allen Hamilton
Moderator: Dr. Kent Miller
DC ACM is a professional chapter of
ACM. The Washington, DC area has a
wide range of IT professionals, and a
Stay tuned for more info about our next guest
lecturer, Donald Gotterbarn, who will speak on the
topic "Software Development: More than Just
Programming" in February 2009.
Become an
Active
Chapter
Member
• Join the Executive Council - see
page 6
• Join the Professional Development
Committee
• Join the Website Team
• Come to DC ACM events! They
are always metro accessible.

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DC ACM 50th Anniversary Gala November 1, 2008

Photos

Keynote Speaker Dr. Stroustrup DC ACM Secretary Ben Schultz stands next
to part of the historical exhibit

DC ACM Vice Chair Isaac Christoffersen puts

the finishing touches on the other part of
the historical exhibit
DC ACM Memories video

DC ACM Treasurer Teresa Hone and

Anniversary cake member Barry Johnson at the check-in desk

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Gala Photos Cont'd

DC ACM Alumni and their guests The Silent Auction, which netted $725

Webmaster Ryan Michela receives

"Outstanding DC ACM Volunteer" Award

The ice sculpture added a touch of elegance

to the event

Head Table: Front - Tara Shinn, June Fox

Canning, Diane Finger, Steven Bellovin,
Leslie Daigle, Charles Snow, John Canning;
Back - Cora Dickson, William Fielder, Mike
Shinn, Dr. Stroustrup

See more photos (including all the tables) Much merriment ensued at the after-party
at http://www.dcacm.org/archives in the hotel bar

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QUICK UPDATES
Finances
Balance Sheet as of November
Checking Account
Money Market (Savings)
Certificates of Deposit
Other Assets (Equipment)
Total Liabilities
NET WORTH
Current DC ACM Membership
Did You Know...?
Any amendments to the DC ACM Bylaws
17, 2008 must be ratified by the membership.
$7,310.93
$11,656.00 Standing Rules are procedures created
$40,661.32 by the Executive Council to implement DC
$688.99 ACM activities and can be modified by a
$0.00 majority vote of the Executive Council.
$60,317.24
The Bylaws and the Standing Rules are
both available on the DC ACM website.

As of December 4, we had 174 registered

School of Engineering and Applied Science. DC
members.
ACM has a long history of providing expert
training in the technologies of the day, creating
opportunities for computing professionals to
Membership Dues further themselves and their careers.

The bylaw amendments that were passed last
month created a two-tier membership system,
whereby dues-paying members are counted
towards quorum and have the right to vote, and
non-paying members may choose to remain on
the roster as “Associate Members” who will
continue to receive members-only
communications. The goal of this system is to
establish a more reasonable quorum and
encourage active membership. The Executive
Council set DC ACM dues at $12/year, beginning
in January 2009. All current registered
members will receive a renewal notice by postal
mail by the end of December. The notice will
contain instructions on how to either pay the
annual dues or opt to become an Associate
Member. Credit card payments can be made
online.
The next Professional Development Committee
meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 9th
from 7-9pm. At this meeting we will continue
discussing the plans for the Spring 2009
Professional Development Series. Major topics
include facilities and instructors. It's never too
late to join the committee -- new volunteers are
always welcome. PDC meetings tend to be
more informal than EC meetings, and can serve
as an easier way to get involved in the chapter.
Location:
Radio Free Asia
Ground Floor Conference Room
2025 M Street NW (Between 20th and 21st
Streets)
Closest Metro: Dupont Circle/Farragut North

The meeting room has a street entrance located

Professional Development
The DC ACM is currently planning for the
Professional Development Series for Spring
2009. We hope to build on the success of the
Fall 2008 series with an expanded range of
courses covering more of the technology and
skills that IT professionals need in the current
job market. This will include a number of tracks
on languages, development, and business
practices and analysis.
The series will take place in Foggy Bottom at the
facilities of the George Washington University,
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. We will adjourn to the Black Rooster Pub
on L Street after the meeting.
Sharepoint Gurus Needed
If you have skills in Windows Sharepoint 2007,
ASP.net, and C#, please consider joining the DC
ACM Website Team. Contact Ryan Michela
(moderator@dcacm.org) if you are interested or
need more information.

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Academic Advisory Board
Established
As an effort to improve the chapter's
outreach to the Computer Science
Departments at area colleges and
universities, the Executive Council created
the Academic Advisory Board. The purpose
of this Board is to provide feedback on
current activities and make
recommendations for future chapter
activities. If you are interested in joining
the Academic Advisory Board, please contact
Michael Black (mblack@american.edu).
More 50th Anniversary Gala
Notes...
If you would like to download Dr.
Stroustrup's presentation, please visit the
DC ACM Archives.
If you would like to view "DC ACM
Memories," a 17-minute video featuring
interviews of DC ACM alumni Saul Gass,
Winston Riley III, Herb Maisel, Israel
Feldman, and Jim Pottmyer, you can either
watch it online or order a high-quality DVD
for $5.00 (please contact Teresa Hone).
Our Sponsors
Gold
Silver
5
Obituary
We are sorry to report the death of
one of most valuable association
members -- Someone Else.
Someone's passing creates a
vacancy that will be difficult to fill.
Someone's been with us for years
and for every one of those years
Someone did far more than a
normal person's share of the work.
Whenever leadership was
mentioned, we looked to this
wonderful person for inspiration, as
well as results -- "Someone Else
can do that job."
When there was a job to do, a need
to be filled, or a place of leadership
and responsibility vacant, one name
always mentioned was Someone
Else.
It is common knowledge that
Someone was among the largest
contributors of time and money in
this association. Whenever there
was a financial need, everybody
assumed Someone Else would
make up the difference.
Now that Someone Else is gone, we
wonder what we are going to do.
No longer can we say: "Let
Someone Else do it." If it is going
to be done, now one of us will have
to do it.
 DC ACM CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

December 8 DC Area Job Market Panel

December 9 Professional Development Committee Meeting
December 15 Executive Council Meeting (open to all members)

About DC ACM Join the Executive Council!

The Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Association
for Computing Machinery (DC ACM) was
formally established on November 1, 1958. We
are a local professional chapter of the
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM),
which was founded in 1947. Currently there are
more than 2,200 ACM members in the
Washington Metropolitan Area, of which
approximately 170 are also registered members
of DC ACM.
The DC ACM is a non-profit 501(c)(3)
association (EIN 526066536) that supports
educational activities and career development
for the local IT professional community, as well
as nurturing future generations of computer
scientists, network engineers, and tech policy
specialists in the Washington, D.C. area. Among
other activities, we give awards to junior and
senior high school students for exceptional
science fair projects in the computer science
field and we sponsor educational lectures for the
general public.
Our website:
http://www.dcacm.org
The Executive Council (EC) is a dynamic group
of technology professionals driving the future of
the local ACM chapter. The EC holds meetings
once a month and can be a great place to meet
your peers. We have one opening on the
Council for which we urgently need a volunteer:
Awards Chair: Currently responsible for
coordinating the volunteers who judge at the
various regional science fairs (junior and senior
high school students) every spring. Possible
future projects could include reestablishing the
DC ACM scholarship program.
Executive Council Meetings are generally held
once a month. They are open to all interested
parties, though only EC Members have voting
power on any motions raised in the meeting.
Location:
Radio Free Asia
Ground Floor Conference Room
2025 M Street NW (Between 20th and 21st
Streets)
Closest Metro Stations: Dupont Circle and
Farragut North

DC ACM Executive Council

Click on the name to email.

Chair William Fielder

Vice Chair Isaac Christoffersen
Treasurer Teresa Hone
Secretary Ben Schultz
Member at Large Rebecca Prather
Communications Cora Dickson
After the October 27 EC Meeting, we ran into this Membership Kent Miller
guy, who was celebrating his 150th birthday. PDC Eric Noriega
However, Teddy declined William's request to become Programs William Fielder
the DC ACM Awards Chair. So the position is still (acting)
open if you want it! Awards Open