Diane Kelly will be giving a presentation titled “Students and Computing: No Sizzle or No Steak?” This talk was recently given at the IEEE Canadian Conference on Computer and Software Engineering Education, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, June 2006. Discussion is encouraged!

Abstract: The numbers of students signing up for computing-related university programs is steadily dropping. What’s happening? Has computing lost its mystique? Is there an image problem? Are there problems with the way it’s taught or the way it relates to other disciplines? Based on a quick survey of the last five years of CACM, this presentation explores a number of potential contributors to the low enrollment rate and suggests areas where we need to take a serious look at what we are doing.

Slides (pdf format): [4up]

Jeremy Bradbury will give an ISSTA 2006 Trip Report.

Abstract: I will provide an overview of the International Symposium on Software Testing and Analysis (ISSTA 2006) that was held July 17-20 in Portland, Maine. The overview will include the invited talks as well as the research program. Additionally, I will discuss some of the highlights of several workshops including the Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Systems: Testing and Debugging (PADTAD 2006) and the First International Workshop on Random Testing (RT 2006).

Slides (pdf format): [4up]