cis newsletter 9th issue

Newsletter

CIS

Computer & Information

Sciences Department

2011 - 2012 9th Issue

A Word from CIS Chairperson

Dr. Manal Farrag

Computer & Information Sciences,

Chairperson

I feel very honored to write the introductory word for the 9th issue of

the CIS Newsletter. As we are coming towards the end of a fruitful

academic year 2012, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all my

dear students, especially those who represented the CIS department and

Prince Sultan University in many events and showed outstanding

performance.

Then, I would like to thank my respected colleagues in the Computer

and Information Sciences Department for their hard work and

dedication. Their great contributions in improving the department will

help us in achieving a pioneering role in the area of education.

Last but not least, I would like to thank the PSCW management,

especially Dr. Noura Aba Al-Khail, Dean of College for Women, and Dr.

Mariam Al-Oraifi, Vice Dean, Academic Affairs and Scientific Research

for always supporting and encouraging me to add value to the CIS

department.

Inside

Overview of the CCIS & CIS

3

Announcements

5

11

8 Technology Enhancements

Visits

Achievers of CIS

CIS Clubs’ Activities

Reference Information

12

17

22

You Can Make a

Difference: Choose to Be

Positive

By: Dr. Manal Farrag

Computer & Information Sciences, Chairperson

You can choose to be either negative or positive in

your life. The CIS Department is targeting excellence

in education with high quality. Therefore, students

and faculty are encouraged to add value, share their

knowledge, and try to help wherever and whenever it

is possible. Competence, innovation, and success are

the three pillars of the CIS department. The rule that

the department is trying to follow is "if you can add

value, then be creative and start implementing your

ideas immediately".

Everyone is encouraged to be positive. A positive

attitude is contagious. Don't wait to catch it from

others, be a carrier and pass it on. When knowledge is

shared; it is not halved but doubled.

"A boat builder decided to retire to spend more time

with his family. His employer said that he would be

sad to see him go, and requested that he build one last

boat. The boat builder reluctantly agreed and rushed

to complete a six-birth cruiser to the luxury standard

specified. The workmanship was poor and the finish

was below standard. On the day the boat builder was

due to complete his work, his employer arrived. The

employer handed the key to the boat builder saying,

“This is my gift to you!” The boat builder was shocked.

He thought, "If I had known this was for me I would

have built the boat perfectly." Now he was not sure if

he even wanted this gift.”

We do the same in life. We sometimes do not give

ourselves, our families, and our work the best effort

and seem disappointed with our situation when we

realize we could have done it differently.

Life is so short. Let us help each other, students

and faculty, in spreading this atmosphere of acting

positively in life with Allah’s satisfaction as our

ultimate goal. We can achieve success if we change our

perspective by being the best that we can be while

bringing out the best in others.

CIS Newsletter 9th Issue: 2011 - 2012

2

Start with a smile and be optimistic and if you

think you don't make a difference in this world,

remember, one raindrop raises the ocean. There are

nine requisites for contented living:

HEALTH, enough to make work a pleasure;

WEALTH, enough to support your needs;

STRENGTH, enough to battle with difficulties and

forsake them; GRACE, enough to confess your sins

and overcome them; PATIENCE, enough to toil until

some good is accomplished; CHARITY, enough to see

the good in your neighbor; LOVE, enough to move you

to be useful and helpful to others; FAITH, enough to

make real the things of God; HOPE, enough to remove

anxious fears towards the future. - Johann Wolfgang

von Goethe

Last tip: “Put your heart, mind, and soul into even

your smallest acts. This is the secret of success”.

This has been a great year for the CIS

department and its newsletter. There have

been numerous projects and various

competitions, in which several of my

colleagues as well as myself participated. I

would like to take the chance to congratulate

all my colleagues who won. I also hope others

who didn’t win wouldn’t give up and try

harder next time. I am so proud to be part of

such community of positive thinking and

hardworking people. I would also like to

thank our faculty members who keep us

updated and informed as well as encourage

us to expand our knowledge and our expertise

by participating in distinguished events.

To my colleagues who didn’t get a

chance to participate in much this year, I

strongly encourage you to do so. The feeling

of being recognized for your hard work is

simply exquisite, let alone how it will benefit

you in the future.

A Word from Student Editor

Lamis AbuSaleh

Overview of the CCIS & CIS Programs

CS Program Mission

Provide high quality, up-to-date

computing education to prepare top

quality graduates for the job market.

Contribute positively to the discipline

through solid, constructive research

and development.

Serve community needs.

Provide an educational environment

that promotes innovative thinking,

ethical behavior, and prepare students

for continued life-long learning.

IS Program Mission

Provide highly qualified graduates who

are capable of fulfilling IT careers in

business, industry, and government,

and capable of pursuing further

graduate studies in well-recognized

academic institutions.

This comes through providing students

with integrated technical and

theoretical knowledge and skills in

information technology, systems

development, and IS environment.

Provide students with an academic

environment committed to excellence

and innovation that contributes to

improving their intellectual and

communication capabilities and skills

and contribute to developing leadership,

professionalism, and life-long learning.

3


CS Career Opportunities IS Career Opportunities

4

5

The new revised IS curriculum would be implemented from September 2012. It has been designed with

the aim to give the IS student the necessary experience through real application, development, and practical

training.

IS Core and Elective Program Requirements (62 credits): IS Core Courses (36 credits), Business Courses

(15 Credits) & Communication Skills (2 Credits)

The credits for the core courses offered in the program has been revised from 21 to 36 and the new courses

included are Internet Technologies and Services, Visual Programming, Web Design & Programming,

Web-Based Systems Development & Information Systems Security.

The elective courses provide students with an opportunity to select one of the three specialized options

specified below. However, a student who chooses not to go for a specialized option can take any three elective

courses of the following list with a minimum total of 9 credit hours (i.e., General Systems Track).

General Systems Track

Specialized Systems Track

Option 1: Data and Knowledge Management.

Option 2: Web Applications Development.

Option 3: Systems Design and Development.

Announcements

Announcing the New Revised IS Curriculum

Starting from September 2012 new attractive focused BS programs with a good potential in KSA

will be offered.

BS in Computer Science (Digital Media)

BS in Information Systems (E-Commerce)

Because the proposed programs are focused versions of our existing CS & IS program, they still

maintain the main core that enable graduates to pursue classical careers and work in areas where any

traditional graduate can work. In addition, the graduates of the new programs will be more market-

ready and accordingly more suitable for specialized jobs. The graduates of these programs are also

expected to be innovative problem solvers and opportunity creators.

New Tracks in CCIS and CIS

6

Announcements

MUST TO DO for CIS Students

1. Attend the classes in the first week of semester as you are marked absent in week 1 if you skip the classes.

2. Attend the students’ orientation session in the start of each semester.

3. Carefully read and understand the DN policy.

4. Try to conduct all quizzes and major exams, as there is no makeup exams according to the new policy

(except for the cases mentioned below).

5. Convey your concern or problems to the department chair as she has an open door policy for all students.

Are you facing any problem?

Do you have certain expectations from CIS Department?

The CIS Department is in the process of achieving quality in the area of

“Teaching & Learning”.

Help us improve the quality of our program. We need new

ideas and suggestions. You can contribute in improving your

department. Students are advised to submit their written suggestions, ideas, and

problems to Dr. Manal Farrag at

[email protected]

Moreover, you can put your letter in the suggestion Box near office #315

Note: You don’t have to mention your name and your data will be treated in a

confidential way.

We Hear You!


Ms. Buthayna Al-Wehaibi studied and

graduated from PSU. She finished her COOP in

Cisco Systems and then worked as a Research

Assistant at King Abdulaziz City for Science &

Technology (KACST). She went back to CISCO

to be a Network Consulting Engineer there. Her

journey took her from Riyadh to Jordan, India,

Dubai, and finally back to Riyadh.

CISCO has a widely spread IT certification

program that is well known around the world. There

are five levels of general certification Entry,

Associate, Professional, Expert and Architect. Ms.

Buthayna has managed to reach the “Expert” level

and to receive the final certificate offered by CISCO,

the CISCO Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE).

Our team in the CIS Newsletter has managed to

interview Ms. Buthayna, hoping our CIS students

would benefit from her experience.

Do you know how many CCIE certified

females engineers are there in Saudi Arabia?

“I was told that I’m the first CCIE Saudi female,

no other CCIE Saudi females as of yet. I encourage

females to pursue network engineering. Hopefully, we

will see more CCIE female engineers in the near

future.”

We know that CCIE is in more than

one field, which is your field?

“I’m CCIE in Routing and Switching (CCIE# 24392).”

CCIE is not an easy certificate, what

motivated you to go after such a

challenging certificate?

“Working in networking companies demands a

certain level of skill set. CCIE is viewed as the most

prestigious networking certification in the industry. It

was my motive to work in CISCO as a Network

Consulting Engineer, which requires an expert

knowledge. Thus, having CCIE was a necessity in my

career development.”

Where did you apply for the CCIE and how

long did it take you between the CCNA and the

CCIE?

“I studied part of CCNA in PSU, as an elective.

When I joined CISCO as a COOP, I studied and

passed CCNA and CCNP, in 2007. I then joined

CISCO Global Talent Acceleration Program (GTAP)

as a Professional Network Consulting Engineer, for 9

months. I spent 6 months in Jordan where I received

technical and soft skills training. I passed the CCIE

written exam there in March 2008. Then I spent 5

weeks in India working as a Customer Support

Engineer in CISCO TAC (Technical Assistance

Centre). Afterwards, I came back to Saudi Arabia and

worked as a Network Consulting Engineer in CISCO

Advanced Services. I passed the CCIE lab exam in

May 2009, in Dubai.”

What are your plans for the future? Are you

planning to go for another CCIE in a different

field?

“As of now, I’m working as a Routing and

Switching engineer. There are several interesting

CCIE fields. No individual should stop improving,

developing and going to the next level as suitable for

their career.”

Ms. Buthayna is truly a pioneer and a great role

model to all of us. We find in her the true spirit and

determination of an intellectual woman and a

groundbreaker. She sets an example to all Saudi

women to pursue the highest degrees and

certifications to flourish in their careers.

The Road to Success

By Lamis AbuSaleh

Interview with the first & only Cisco Certified

Internetwork Expert (CCIE) Saudi female

“No individual should stop improving…”

-Ms. Buthayna Al Wehaibi

Interview

7

Technology Enhancements

Activities of Curriculum Review

Committee in the Academic Year 2012

Equalization of CS151 with CS175

The students who have taken CS151 in

semester 102 with Ms. Fatima Khan will not be

asked to repeat CS175. This prerequisite to CS330

(Operating system) has been waived. The committee

along with the course counterpart on the men’s

section Dr. Fukhary M. Khellah assessed the course

contents especially the lab activities, assignments &

exams, and has come to a conclusion that the level of

the course was adequate in order to take this

decision. A part of the course with computer

organization, which was not covered by students,

would be taken by students in CS330. This was

possible with the cooperation of the course instructor

for CS 330, Ms. Jalila Zohair.

Introducing “My Programming Lab” in

CS101 & CS102

MyProgramming

Lab is introduced to

the students taking

introductory

programming

courses. Students

will gain first-hand

programming

experience in an

interactive online

environment. It

gives immediate personalized feedback. The error

messages include both the feedback from the

compiler and plain English interpretations of likely

causes for the incorrect answer. Students'

submissions are automatically graded, both saving

time, and offering students immediate learning

opportunities. A dynamic roster tracks their

performance and maintains a record of submissions.

The suggestion to introduce the programming

lab to improve the quality of introductory

programming courses was discussed by the

committee members who reviewed the significance

and possibility of adding this component to the

course. The report submitted by Ms. Layal Kazma

(programming course group coordinator) supported

the idea.

Proposals for Improved Digital Lab &

Robotics Lab

The committee is following up with proposals to

have improved labs for Digital Logic & Robotics. Ms.

Saba Jalal; a committee member, has taken the

initiative to study the present

infrastructure and propose

improvements so that the

course instructors could

implement a significant

practical component in their

respective courses.

Proposal for Security Lab

The committee is following up with proposals to

have a security lab for various CS and IS security

related courses. Ms. Salma Idris; instructor, has

given the proposal to establish a security lab to give

better opportunity to students to do Hands on

Tutorials, Assignments and Projects related to their

course.

8


By Ms. Fatima Khan

Implementing MyITLab in CMP Courses

By Ms. Fatima Khan

The department of Computer and Information

sciences has adopted a novel way (MY IT LAB:

virtual lab) of delivering the introductory (CMP)

courses to the students. The adoption of this new

technology in teaching would reduce a lot of effort,

which was invested by the CMP instructors as well

as the IT center in organizing the labs and exams for

students.

With the vision of structuring and organizing the

CMP courses in a better way in the department of

Computer and Information Science at Prince Sultan

University College for Women, The GO! Series was

suggested in semester 102 by Dr. Manal Farrag, CIS

Chairperson. Apart from the excellent contents the

book supports an excellent learning environment

called “MYIT Lab”.

Features of MY IT Lab

Open simulation of Microsoft Office 2010 allows

students to complete an activity exactly as it is

taught in the textbook or by using any method the

actual Office 2010 applications will accept.

The MYIT Lab has readymade exams, which can

also be customized. The system evaluates

(automatic correction) and the result is

displayed to the students the moment they

submit their exam. Students will have their

individual accounts and can save their work.

Apart from accessing the e-resources from GO!

About 4-5 e- text books from Pearson which are

called (exploring series) are available for students.

A full-functioning grade book will let you manage

all of your course grades in one place

You can test and train students on entire projects

just like in your textbook, “Go” series (which is

recommended for CMP011/012 courses).

The coordinator of the course could monitor the

status of all the sections by entering the course

itself. This helps to monitor the progress of each

instructor closely.

Progress with the Action Plan to

Implement MY IT LAB in CIS department

CMP instructors attended two workshops, which

were conducted by the PYP Coordinator Ms.

Fatima Khan. These trainings were conducted to

introduce and train the faculty with MY IT Lab.

The CMP instructors also attended training from

a representative from Pearson, Ms. Dalia

Leil, who enlightened us further with the benefits

of MY IT Lab.

The CMP instructors have trained the students in

order to use the new environment.

Class activities, quizzes, majors, final exams and

promotional exams were conducted using the

automated environment.

Feedback was taken from the CMP Instructors,

who have shown their strong willingness to use

the new environment.

Evaluating MYIT Lab Experience:

Challenges

There was an apprehension among the instructors

that the students would get used to using the

Virtual environment and would have less practice

with original Microsoft Office 2010.

Grader projects would be given as homework.

These projects allow the students to download

files from MY IT Lab and do their assignments

normally without any simulation. Following

which the student can submit files to the

simulation tool, which does automatic assessment

instantly.

The time taken to open the simulation is

approximately 5-10 minutes. The time depends on

the network load.

A proposal has been submitted to the higher

management to provide better Internet

connection to the faculty and students especially

those associated with the preparatory year

program.

9

System Development Unit (SDU)

A Real Life Experience

In projects, students can work on three types of projects, initiated

by faculty, initiated by students themselves, or they are an extension of

one of the CIS courses. The unit has accomplished many projects like

virtual computing lab: a cloud based solution for academia; a smart

card based application to mobilize patient data, and PSU CO-OP

System which is still an ongoing project. The unit also has three

different projects this semester and the students are invited to work on

them.

Training Program Information System

Mobile agent for a secure e-commerce application

Multi-touch Interface application

If you have an idea for a project, want to exceed one of your CIS

course projects, or interested in joining one of the projects, contact the

unit’s vice president: Athoug AlSoughayer on [email protected].

The other activity; workshops, is designed to give students the

knowledge they need to complete their projects, and give them a

practical training on what they have taken in their courses, or to

introduce them to new technologies. Workshops will be given by faculty

members or students from the CIS department. This semester, the unit

is planning five workshops. Two provided by students and three by

faculty members.

Student’s workshops

Game development by Ms. Salam Al-Khouja

Design Mobile Phone Applications by Ms. Athoug AlSoughayer

Faculty Workshop’s

How to write research papers by Dr. Ajantha Dahanayake

Power Designer (modeling tool) by Ms. Nermeen Hakim

Linux Administration by Ms. Salma Idris

Also, there will be an award in the workshops given to students for the

best game and mobile application designed through the workshop. If

you are interested in giving a workshop, contact the chief officer:

Ameerah Kharrat on [email protected].

System Development Unit

(SDU)

SDU was established in the

second semester of 2009 with the

vision of providing opportunities to

students where they can apply

skills and knowledge gained from

their various courses taken in

(CIS) department, so they can be

ready for the employment field

when they graduate. It

accomplishes its vision through

two activities: workshops and

projects.

To stay posted about the unit’s

activities you can visit our website:

www.sdu-psu.webs.com or check

our board in front of class W360 in

building #1.

If you have any questions or

concerns about the unit, feel free to

contact the president: Salam Al-

Khouja on

[email protected]

10


Supervised By: Ms. Fatima Khan

A trip to KAUST

Exploring Opportunities to Excel

On March 14th 2012 and under the King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST)

initiative of orienting Saudi Students towards higher education, the CIS graduating students were invited to

attend an orientation day and to visit the KAUST premises in Thowal, Rabegh. As many students have

described the trip “a fascinating most memorable trip”, I would add being in a great academic monument that is

rare to find.

- Mrs. Omarine Al Rafie, CIS Lecturer and COOP Coordinator

Students’ Comments

Ebtisam Bakhsh

King Abdullah University for Science and

Technology (KAUST) invited some of Prince Sultan

University's students for a day’s tour. I am very

fortunate to have had the chance to visit KAUST. In a

few words, I would like to share the agenda and the

highlights of our trip. Upon our arrival, with our CIS

teacher, Ms. Omarine Al Rafie, an introduction to

KAUST and their divisions was given. There are three

divisions in KAUST: Chemical Life Sciences and

Engineering (CLSE), Mathematical and Computer

Sciences and Engineering (MCSE), and Physical

Sciences and Engineering (PSE). After that, we were

taken on a tour of the University library. The library

building has quite a unique architecture. But, the

most interesting feature about the library is the group

meeting rooms that students can use to work and

discuss group projects. After the lunch and prayer

break, where we met some staff from the admissions

department, our tour continued. We visited their

museum and some of the core labs. The museum, in a

very creative way, provides an insight to the work of

Muslim scientists. As for the labs, they are equipped

with world-class machinery to aid the students in their

research. Towards the end of the tour we met the head

of the MCSE division – Dr. Hany Ramadan. Our day

concluded with a bus tour of the KAUST community.

The community is just as intriguing as the academics

and has many facilities such as gym, bank, super

market, clinic, school, and entertainment center. It

was actually a wonderful trip and I wish more

students get a chance to experience this.

Al-Hanouf Alyahya

"It was an amazing visit to KAUST. I enjoyed the

most, the museum of the Islamic innovations

throughout the years. The best thing was that we

visited the housing for students."

Mariam Alarfaj

"It was one of the best trips I've ever been on.

Everything was wonderful and perfect, buildings,

facilities, faculty, and students. In short I can say

it's a dream land in Saudi Arabia."

Enas Yaghi

“KAUST trip was very beneficial for CIS senior

and COOP students, who are planning to apply for

master degree and complete their educational

journey after graduation. KAUST staff showed

hospitality and excellent organization of the trip.

KAUST has great potentials and it is highly

equipped to provide the required environment for

postgraduate researchers and students to apply

their masters and Ph.D. The labs, library,

community and all the resources that are needed by

students are provided with the best recent

technology. The faculty has great experience in their

fields of study and the multi-cultural backgrounds of

the faculty and the students create a competitive

environment where the innovation is the main goal.

Finally, interdisciplinary research is an open option

that students can apply their study not only in one

field but in more than one related fields such as

biology and math or math and computer science.”

11

Visits

Virtual Computing laboratory: A

Cloud based solution for

Academia

Rana Rezk, Hadeel Al-Mansour, Maha Al-Azizy In this project the students developed small Virtual Computing laboratory

(VCL) pilot using “U Forge Appliance Factory” that would automate the

creation and maintenance of software image templates and usable software

appliances that can be instantly deployed on physical, virtual or cloud

environments. The images were published using “Google Mega Cloud”.

The Virtual Computer Laboratory pilot is a technology that provides

applications for the students/faculties and makes them on the go. This

technology provides scalable, high performance computing resources requested

through an Internet browser and accessed through either a remote desktop

connection or server/client machines.

Such deployment provides academic faculty and students with numerous

resources and flexibility as well as countless applications. In other words,

instead of having to limit the students and/or faculty to use only one software

in a particular classroom, they can access different applications depending on

their wants and needs from their comfort of their homes.

The students got

accepted to participate

in Computer &

Information Sciences

Research Council at the

Oxford University in

London in June 2012.

They have submitted

their research paper to

IEEE for which they

have been

acknowledged and the

paper would be released

on September 14th 2012.

This project demonstrates the use of a Smart Card Based Application to

Mobilize Patient Data in order to improve accessing patients‟ information for

quick retrieval and/or editing, in a convenient and secure way. The smart card

will hold information such as the patient's medical history, medications, test

results, personal information, medical insurance details and patients’ medical

records, which will allow prompt access of data. The students completed the

analysis and design part of the project in semester 102 in the course CS225

(Software Engineering) and are now implementing the same project under the

System Development Unit.

The students got

accepted for the poster

presentation at the Fourth

Annual Undergraduate

Research Conference on

Applied Computing at

Zayed University, and

presented during 17 – 20

April, 2012 in Dubai.

Project supervised by

Ms. Fatima Khan Nayer

under CS336 (Network

Operations &

Administration)

A Smart Card Based Application

to Mobilize Patient Data Project supervised

under The System

Development Unit by:

Ms. Fatima Khan Nayer&

Ms. Saba Jalal. Latifah AlMojil, Mshael Alameer, Alanoud Alabdulwahed

Batoul Burghleh , Rana Fakeeh , Dua'a Al-Hajjar

Achievers of CIS Students’ Projects

12


Students: Athoug Alsughayer(CIS), Adwa Alsoughayer, Lama Alsherif, Sara Tukaifi, Haneen

AlGhamdi One of the participants Athoug Alsughayer, student Information Systems Department, was declared the

overall winner. She spoke on “Development with destruction – is it possible?” She was given the task of visuals,

and coming up with a solution to the problem. She designed a website, she used an idea where we use our

everyday trash to make something usable out of it, and the money we make out of the purchases from the site

would be used to plant trees in the gulf countries. Ms. Fatin Mubarak a CIS faculty supervised the website. The

energetic young lady also designed a Mobile application which would calculate the energy consumption e.g. how

much water they consume, and how much paper they use etc. The Mobile application was supervised by Ms.

Fatima Khan, a CIS instructor. Adwa Alsoughayer, Lama Alsherif, Sara Tukaifi worked on the research part to

support the project.

One of the developing areas in information and communication technology is pervasive computing, which is

also known as ubiquitous computing or ambient intelligence. Pervasive computing can be applied in several fileds

including health & home care, environmental monitoring, and intelligent transport systems. However, pervasive

computing is one of the promising technologies that would make a considerable enhancement in higher

education. The students researched how pervasive computing can be applied in education and what are the

benefits that the educational community can get out of it. Students proposed a sample pervasive net-work for

schools and universities.

Pervasive Computing: Toward

More Connected Educational

Community

Project supervised under Ms. Salma Idris (Computer Networks CS 331)

Students: Mariam AlArfaj, Norah AlTuwaim, ArwaAlTuwaijri

Construction

without

distraction, is

that possible?

This Research

project got accepted for

the poster presentation

at the Fourth Annual

Undergraduate Research

Conference on Applied

Computing at Zayed

University. The students

presented their project

during 17 – 20 April in

Dubai.

Supervised by: Ms.

Jenifer Khoury, Yulia

Gusarova

13

Winners of Second

Research Day @ PSCW

18 March , 2012

First Place Winner

o Name: Huda Yasin

o Department: Finance

o Topic: NISSAN: Motivation and Attitude Second Place Winner

o Name: Arwa Abu Shmais& Rana Hani

o Department: Information System

o Topic: Data mining for Fraud detection Third Place Winner

o Name: Dua'a Al-Hajjar and Batoul Burghel

o Department: Computer Science

o Topic: Bionic Eyes Fourth Place Winner

o Name: Rana Fakeeh

o Department: Computer Science

o Topic: Evaluation of Approaches to Odor

Digitization

Bionic Eye Poster

Few months ago, I had the honor to

witness a great achievement of thirty students,

which was winning in the Most Competitive

Youth (MCY) Competition. This occurred in the

Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF) one of the

most distinguished events that is attended by

famous leaders and businessmen from all around

the world.

The feeling of being recognized and

honored is simply incredible. Microsoft

representatives Dr. Mamdouh AlNajjar, Deputy

GM of Corporate Social Responsibility, and Mr.

Adel AlMassarani, Developers and Platform

Group Director, were asked to the stage to join

HRH Prince Saud Bin Khalid AlFaisal, Dr. Naif

AlMutawa and Mrs. Christean Ozdon for the

honoring of the Technology winners. Our

university was lucky enough to have three from

its CIS students among the winners. The

students are Duaa AlHajja in the 3rd place, Lamis

AbuSaleh in the 5th, and Toqa Aiman in the 9th.

These few minutes while they were on stage

receiving the certificate and stepping in the world of fame

are priceless. They gave them the power to think and

dream about your future goals and your next steps, as

one of the winners said: “When I was back home, I started

thinking about what to do next”.

A Great Achievement By Salam Al Khouja

16

Students & Conferences

Undergraduate Research Conference

Zayed University, Dubai Campus

Earlier this year, Sheikh Zayed University has announced the launch of its Fourth Annual

Undergraduate Research Conference on Applied Computing (URC2012). Their objective

was to provide the students with a forum to present their work and thus promote re‐

search activity in the Gulf and Arab Area.

PSU’s finest students jumped at the chance of participating in such an beneficial confer‐

ence. Hoping to represent their school by presenting their premium work and research,

numerous students applied for both oral and poster categories, and over 14 students

from PSU got accepted.

In honors of these students, and as an acknowledgement of their achievement, the CIS

Newsletter decided to present their names and research titles in this issue. Hopefully,

PSU would show better support to its active and dedicated students in the future. We

also wish to see more students participating in valuable conferences.

Student Name Research Title Type of presenta‐

on

Lamis Abusaleh Greenova on Oral

Arwa Abu Shmais,

Ghazal El Ajou, Rawan Al

‐Furaih

Open Source Opera ng Systems and Their Importance

in Educa on Poster

Batoul Burghleh, Dua’a

Al‐Hajjar, Sara Al‐Saif Cluster Computer Systems Poster

Abeer Alharbi, Asma

Almosa, Lina Alfawzan

Above the Cloud: An Introduc on to Cloud Compu ng

and its Role in Higher Educa on And Research Oral

Dua'a Al‐Hajjar, Batoul

Burghleh, Sara Al‐Saif Networking Educa onal Tools Poster

Rana Fakeeh, Dua'a Al‐

Hajjar, Batoul Burghleh,

Mshael Alameer, La fah

Almojil, Alanoud Abdul‐

wahed

Electronic Heath Records on Virtual Smart Cards

Poster

Mariam AlArfaj, Norah

AlTuwaim, Arwa AlTu‐

waijri

Pervasive Compu ng: Toward more Connected Educa on

Community

Poster

UR

C 2

012

Undergraduate

Research

Conference for

Applied

Computing

Zayed University, Dubai

Campus

Earlier this year, Sheikh Zayed

University has announced the launch of

its Fourth Annual Undergraduate

Research Conference on Applied

Computing (URC2012). Their objective

was to provide the students with a

forum to present their work and thus

promote research activity in the Gulf

and Arab Area.

PSU’s finest students jumped at the

chance of participating in such a

beneficial conference. Hoping to

represent their school by presenting their

premium work and research, numerous

students applied for oral and poster

categories, and over 14 students from

PSU got accepted.

Participants are listed below.


14

One of the most annoying things that happen to

you when you are using your laptop or desktop is

that it does not respond to your request or sometime

it takes too long to open a program. The most

common case is that the program is doing something

else and cannot process your request until it finishes

the previous one. But, if this happens too frequently,

then you should consider doing the following:

1- Run a Defragmentation

Over time, data portions on your hard drive get

scattered making it harder to retrieve. By

defragmenting them, you can fix this problem. This

reduces the fragmentation in your hard drive.

2- Fix Registry Problems

Your registry is like a directory of all the

information about the programs, installed in your

system, so when you uninstall a program some of the

files remain in the registry. To solve this problem,

you can use registry fix software.

3- Have Enough Memory Space

Having larger memory can make a difference in

your laptop’s speed. So, be sure to have enough

memory according to your needs.

4-Check Your Ventilation

Not Responding PC

Sometime the system is overheated and causes

the CPU to slow down, in order to avoid damaging

itself. This is typically due to the bad ventilation.

Check computer’s fans, heat sinks and CPU

temperature. Clean out any dust in the case and

make sure that nothing is covering up the air

outputs.

5- Run a Disk Cleanup

Over time, unnecessary files are kept on your

laptop. For this, consider making a disk cleanup to

make your computer, run faster. Disk cleanup

removes temporary and unused files from your hard

drive.

6– Use good Quality Anti-virus Program

Anti viruses and anti-spyware run and use all

your CPU time. The best way to solve this problem is

to have a good anti-virus program and run a scan

once in a while.

At the end, you should keep your operating

system up to date. Some problems can be fixed

through an update and also avoid downloading

unsecured files that could harm your system. Just

take care of your system and start doing the steps

mentioned once in a while to make your computer

more responding to you.

By: Dina AlSharif

Care for a nice read? Have an iPad? Then here is a title that might be of

interest to you. It is called Biography, and just like its name suggests, it

takes you on a journey through the lives of the world's most influential

people.

The application gives in-depth information about some of the greatest

personalities who have left their mark on society with their talents,

inventions, and discoveries. It includes one of the greatest scientists,

freedom fighters, writers, poets, philosophers, mathematicians, and rulers

the world has ever seen before. Every biography covers their early lives,

major accomplishments, significant events, and includes a list of notable

quotes too. Also, to enrich the experience even further, each biography is

accompanied by high quality images and audio content.

Biography - A Journey With History’s Most Influential People

By: Mashael Al Ameer

15

Greenovation

By: Lamis AbuSaleh

Last semester, my colleagues; Madawi Al-

Rayes and Daliah Al-Mazroa, and I had a chance to

work on a project called “Green Computing” for

IS201; Introduction to Information Systems with Ms.

Jalila Zouhair. Our research included studying the

students’ awareness level about this topic. Therefore,

we prepared a survey to which over 80 female

students in PSCW responded. Shockingly enough,

only 11% of the participants in the survey knew what

the concept of Green IT was. Therefore, this article

aims to educate you and inform you about green

computing and how to apply it.

Green computing is based on the idea of

reducing the power consumption and the negative

impact that computing has on the environment. Most

people are not aware of it, but manufacturing and

deploying technical devices requires various

materials and huge power consumption. The

consequences of this industry include the disposal of

hazardous chemicals and materials such as lead and

mercury. Increased heat and electronic waste are

also some of the negative effects. Hence, green IT is

defined as the idea of applying the right practices,

which ensure saving resources while using

technology. This includes designing and

manufacturing eco-friendly devices, utilizing them

appropriately, and eventually, disposing and

recycling them efficiently.

It is known that businesses and organizations

impact the environment more than any other.

However, several of them have recently taken a

green approach. Google and Amazon are great

examples. They own huge databases and data

warehouses that are used to store and process

thousands of terabytes of information. However, they

are creating a web that is better for the environment

by using resources efficiently and supporting

renewable power.

How can I help?

Well, there are several green solutions that are easily

applied by any individual. These solutions revolve

around power management, saving on paper and ink,

choosing eco-friendly devices, as well as recycling old

devices.

1. Adjust your power management properties.

The computer must be set to hibernate or go to

sleep mode after a few minutes of non-use. This way

computers would be saving energy consumption and

decreasing heat emission. Interestingly enough,

“hibernate” mode consumes less energy than “sleep”

mode. On the contrary of common belief,

screensavers do not save energy unless the screen is

set to turn off. Moreover, power saving should not be

limited to computers, but extended to all other

technical devices, such as printers, faxes and even

television sets. When not in use, those devices must

be turned off.

2. Save energy, ink, and paper when printing.

Adjust your margins as much as possible in

order to save paper. The print preview must be

inspected, as well; before printing in order to ensure

that the document is in the proper form to avoid

reprinting it. Furthermore, it is a good practice to

save documents in a fitting format such as PDF

rather than DOCX and consequently avoid

reprinting.

3. Look for “Energy Star” labels

The Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA)

launched “Energy Star”

labels, which can be found

on technical devices. EPA’s

goal is to help the nation

save both energy and

money, as well as protect

the environment through

these efficient products.

Therefore, those labels

indicate that the device uses less toxic components

and saves power.

4. Recycle or donate.

Old devices must not be thrown away. By

doing so the amount of e-waste would increase and

thus harm the planet. Instead, those devices must be

recycled. Another way to dispose of them would be to

contact the solid waste authority to pick them up

and deal with them properly. Certainly, usable

devices could always be donated to charity.

16


Students Stars’ Competition

Student Starts is a local

competition presented by Microsoft

and sponsored by Saudi Hollandi

Bank. This competition is targeting

students of all ages and majors.

Student Stars has three main

categories: App Star, Idea Star,

and Video Star. Students have the

choice to participate in one or more

categories. App Star requires the

competitor to develop an

application using Microsoft

technologies such as Windows

Phone 7 and Game Development.

Idea Star asks the student to

propose an idea for technical,

functional, or business features to

technologies such as Office 2010,

Kinect, Skydrive and online

services.

In Video Star category, you

need to create an eLearning video

that teaches a specific technology,

or an illustration video that

explains a technology concept.

Student Star prizes include

Samsung Slates for first place

winners, Windows Phone Device

for second place winners, and Xbox

with Kinect for third place winners.

To participate in this competition

sign up at

http://imaginecupsaudi.com

Deadline:

May 16: Last day for registration.

May 16: Last day for entry

submission.

June 2012: presentation.

Microsoft @ PSU Club is one of the first clubs established in the CIS

department, and the first among other Microsoft Clubs in Saudi Arabia.

It was founded, in 2010, by the university’s Microsoft Student Partners in

order to increase knowledge of IT and Microsoft technology, and keep the

CIS students updated with the latest news.

Microsoft Club is supervised and has direct connections with

Microsoft office and other Microsoft club’s in Saudi Arabia. The club is

run and managed by four Microsoft Student Partners, which are the

president; Salam Al-Khouja, vice president; Lamis AbuSaleh, Public

Relations Officer; Aseel AlOmar, and treasurer; Toqa Aiman.

On April 6 2012, Microsoft @ PSU Club celebrated its second

birthday. So, happy birthday Microsoft Club!!! And, thanks to all of our

members that were committed and supported us so far.

Visit: www.microsoftatpsu.webs.com

Happy

Birthday

Microsoft

Club!

Celebrating Two Years of Hard Word & Success

3. Build Your Career by

Ms. Rajaa AlShareef and Ms. Laila

AlJindan, two Microsoft

representatives.

4. Explore Kinect by Ms. Najla

AlAriefy.

5. Windows Phone Development by

Ms. Nada Abu Himed, Imam

University Microsoft Student

Partner.

Many thanks to all the organizers of

this event including Nour Khouja, Aseel

AlOmar, Salam Khouja, Toqa Aiman,

Muna AlAmeel and Noura AlSheikh.

Certificates were presented to the

attendees from the Microsoft Innovation

Center.

On February 23rd, the

Microsoft club in Prince

Sultan University in

association with the Microsoft

club in Imam University held

the Microsoft Mega Event,

which took place in Prince

Sultan University. Nearly 500

people from various schools,

and organizations and of

various ages attended this

event. The agenda of this

event was as follows:

1. Opening Keynote by

Ms. Aseel Al Omran, a

Microsoft Student Partner

in Imam University.

2. Introduction to

Windows Azure by

Lamis Abu Saleh, a PSU

Microsoft Student

Partner.

Microsoft Mega Event: A Fruitful

Collaboration

17


Education and technology

combined together can increase

your performance and knowledge as

a student. Therefore, in our new

club “EdTech”, founded by Ms.

Jalila Zouhair, we will learn

together the new ways of combining

education with technology to

enhance our communication and

collaboration skills for the process

of delivering them in projects and

various class works. EdTech will

also offer other activities

throughout the semester such as

guest speakers, field trips, and free

tutoring.

Some of the topics that will be

discussed in the club include Prezi,

Blogger, and social networks. So if

you want to learn and practice

various educational tools then come

and join us every Tuesday at break

time in Lab C. you can follow the

club’s activities on twitter

@EdTechPSCW , or contact one of

the club supervisors Basma

AlFayez [email protected]

and Lamis Abu Saleh

[email protected].

Educational

Technology Club

By: Basma AlFayez

One of the most interesting and original events that was organized

and successfully done by IEEE team was the Inter quiz Competition.

The event was held on February 29th, 2012, and was attended by

PSU/CW Dean Dr. Nora Aba Alkhail, Vice Dean of Academic Affairs

and Scientific Research Dr. Mariam Al Oraifi, CIS department’s

faculties, and PSU students. The participants were 20 computer

science and information systems students from different levels

(seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen) who were grouped in five

teams: Smash, Alphas, Cyber Crew, Coldplay, and PSU Brilliants.

The competition consisted of three rounds. The questions in each

round were based on general knowledge alongside technology aspects.

At the end of the event, the first three teams -Smash, Alphas, Cyber

Crew- who answered most questions correctly and earned most points

got medals, which were distributed by Dr. Nora. The team who won the

first place –Smash- won also the inter quiz trophy shown here.

Certificates of participation were distributed to all participants to

appreciate their enthusiasm and excitement.

The event got very positive

feedbacks as it was very

informative, exciting, and the

first of its kind. As Dr. Mariam

Al Oraifi said: “It was a good

team work from CIS faculty and

students. Well organized.

Reflective of the CIS hard work

and innovative attempts to

involve PSCW in their interests

and CIS endeavors.” IEEE club

is thinking of repeating this

successful experience and also it

plans to do similar competition

on a higher level between

universities in Saudi Arabia.

Inter Quiz Competition

21

For the first time in the world, a girls‐only video gaming convention will take place in Prince Sultan University’s college for women campus on the 11th and 12th of April. An event that is long anticipated from the population of female gamers aimed at advocating the culture of video game development and professional gaming, GCON as‐pires to inspire as many potential female developers in the region, paving way towards having a subtle game de‐velopment industry and a proper academia resourcing.

The event will sponsor a bundle of activities, commencing with a workshop hosting a group of sessions with a vari‐ety of topics (from introducing development on a 3D engine, to an ADHD in gaming insightful session). The event will include numerous gaming tournaments with different games (including the aim‐and‐shoot genre, racing and others), alongside a high quality exhibition from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and In‐Motion‐Club (a gym that imple‐ments Exergaming – exercise via gaming), all of the four will put out their latest technologies and games to the public. Moreover a variety of other activities exist, from a cosplay competition (costume competition aimed at the enthusiastic actresses) to a corner for artists to express their impressions of the event.

The idea of the event was seeded at the IEEE Student Branch under the supervision of Mrs. Salma Idris and Mrs. Hajira Rizwana, from there on three students took over the mission of flourishing the idea into a tangible out‐come. As the event is not preceded by any alike, it has received nothing but celebration and enthusiasm from

females in the region, and its organizers plan to have it annually.

CI S I nter Qui z Compet i t i on

One of the most interesting and original events that was

organized and successfully done by IEEE team is the Inter

quiz Competition. The event was held on February 29th,

2012, and was attended by PSU/CW Dean Dr. Nora Aba

Alkhail, Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Scientific Re‐

search Dr. Mariam Al Oraifi, CIS department’s faculties,

and PSU students. The participants were 20 computer

science and information systems students from different

levels (seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen) who were grouped in

five teams: Smash, Alphas, Cyber Crew, Coldplay, and PSU Brilliants. The

competition consisted of three rounds. The questions in each round were

based on general knowledge alongside technology aspects. At the end of the

event, the first three teams ‐Smash, Alphas, Cyber Crew‐ who answered

most questions correctly and earned most points got medals which were

distributed by Dr. Nora. The team who won the first place –Smash‐ won also

the inter quiz trophy shown here. Certificates of participation were distrib‐

uted to all participants to appreciate their enthusiasm and excitement. The

event got very positive feedbacks as it was very informative, exiting, and

the first of its kind. As Dr. Mariam Al Oraifi said: “It was a good Team Work

from CIS Faculty and Students. Well organized. Reflective of the CIS Hard

Work and innovative attempts to involve PSCW in their interests and CIS

endeavors.” IEEE is thinking of repeating this successful experience and

also it plans to do similar competition on a higher level between universities

in Saudi Arabia.

First Prize Winners

Compe on Trophy

First Prize Winners

21

For the first time in the world, a girls‐only video gaming convention will take place in Prince Sultan University’s college for women campus on the 11th and 12th of April. An event that is long anticipated from the population of female gamers aimed at advocating the culture of video game development and professional gaming, GCON as‐pires to inspire as many potential female developers in the region, paving way towards having a subtle game de‐velopment industry and a proper academia resourcing.

The event will sponsor a bundle of activities, commencing with a workshop hosting a group of sessions with a vari‐ety of topics (from introducing development on a 3D engine, to an ADHD in gaming insightful session). The event will include numerous gaming tournaments with different games (including the aim‐and‐shoot genre, racing and others), alongside a high quality exhibition from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and In‐Motion‐Club (a gym that imple‐

ments Exergaming – exercise via gaming), all of the four will put out their latest technologies and games to the public. Moreover a variety of other activities exist, from a cosplay competition (costume competition aimed at the enthusiastic actresses) to a corner for artists to express their impressions of the event.

The idea of the event was seeded at the IEEE Student Branch under the supervision of Mrs. Salma Idris and Mrs. Hajira Rizwana, from there on three students took over the mission of flourishing the idea into a tangible out‐come. As the event is not preceded by any alike, it has received nothing but celebration and enthusiasm from

females in the region, and its organizers plan to have it annually.

CI S I nter Qui z Compet i t i on

One of the most interesting and original events that was

organized and successfully done by IEEE team is the Inter

quiz Competition. The event was held on February 29th,

2012, and was attended by PSU/CW Dean Dr. Nora Aba

Alkhail, Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Scientific Re‐

search Dr. Mariam Al Oraifi, CIS department’s faculties,

and PSU students. The participants were 20 computer

science and information systems students from different

levels (seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen) who were grouped in

five teams: Smash, Alphas, Cyber Crew, Coldplay, and PSU Brilliants. The

competition consisted of three rounds. The questions in each round were

based on general knowledge alongside technology aspects. At the end of the

event, the first three teams ‐Smash, Alphas, Cyber Crew‐ who answered

most questions correctly and earned most points got medals which were

distributed by Dr. Nora. The team who won the first place –Smash‐ won also

the inter quiz trophy shown here. Certificates of participation were distrib‐

uted to all participants to appreciate their enthusiasm and excitement. The

event got very positive feedbacks as it was very informative, exiting, and

the first of its kind. As Dr. Mariam Al Oraifi said: “It was a good Team Work

from CIS Faculty and Students. Well organized. Reflective of the CIS Hard

Work and innovative attempts to involve PSCW in their interests and CIS

endeavors.” IEEE is thinking of repeating this successful experience and

also it plans to do similar competition on a higher level between universities

in Saudi Arabia.

First Prize Winners

Compe on Trophy Competition Trophy

18


Student Branch @ PSCW

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

19


Picture By: Lama AlSharif

For the first time in k.S.A, a girls-only video

gaming convention has taken place in Prince Sultan

University’s college for women campus on the 11th and

12th of April. An event that is long anticipated from

the population of female gamers aimed at advocating

the culture of video game development and

professional gaming, GCON aspires to inspire as

many potential female developers in the region,

paving way towards having a stable game

development industry and a proper academia

resourcing.

The event has sponsored a bundle of activities,

commencing with a workshop hosting a group of

sessions with a variety of topics (from introducing

development on a 3D engine, to an ADHD in gaming

insightful session). The event will include numerous

gaming tournaments with different games (including

the aim-and-shoot genre, racing and others), alongside

a high quality exhibition from Sony, Microsoft,

Nintendo and In-Motion-Club (a gym that implements

Exergaming – exercise via gaming), all of the four will

put out their latest technologies and games to the

public. Moreover a variety of other activities exist,

from a cosplay competition (costume competition

aimed at the enthusiastic actresses) to a corner for

artists to express their impressions of the event.

The idea of the event was seeded at the IEEE

Student Branch under the supervision of Mrs. Salma

Idris and Mrs. Hajira Rizwana, from there on three

students took over the mission of flourishing the idea

into a tangible outcome. As the event is not preceded

by any alike, it has received nothing but celebration

and enthusiasm from females in the region, and its

organizers plan to have it annually.

The Light of Human Knowledge

By: Aseel Al-Omar

The project started out as a students’ proposition of the Project Management

course, as it is a requirement of their course. The projects’ goal is to provide basic

computer knowledge to female Saudi women, who have financial difficulties, such

as not being capable of gaining knowledge by themselves. The project is sponsored

by Bunyan Organization, Intel, MSI, the CSCEC department, and Golden Brown

Bakery. Bunyan Organization provided the trainees. Intel Company provided the

course curriculum (Intel learn series), laptops for the trainees along with USBs.

MSI Company has also contributed laptops for the trainees. As for Golden Brown

it provided snacks throughout the duration of the project.

Students of Prince Sultan University of different majors at different levels

volunteered to teach those women how to use some applications from Microsoft

Office. First, students were trained by an ICT instructor form. After that, they

delivered the training to the trainees at Prince Sultan University campus in the

evening, from the 25th of February till the 14th of March 2012. It has been

conducted for 4 days per week from 4:00 to 6:30 pm.

The project was a great success and in the closing ceremony the trainees have

received a certificate signed from Intel as well as Prince Sultan University.

Hopefully this certificate will provide an opportunity for them to find a job. After

all, by students of Prince Sultan University were given the opportunity to serve

the community, gain experience, and even pass out their knowledge. As Margret

Fuller have said, "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it."

A Word from Mishkat

Teacher: Shahd Al-Qunaibit,

IS Student

“Mishkat experience was one of a

kind as it was volunteer work for a

good cause to contribute to my society

and teach unfortunate people things

that most of us would take for granted.

Mishkat had taught me the meaning of

time as it was happening during

weekdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., so I

had to arrange my time and plan

ahead my studies and not let it affect

my courses. It had also taught me

patience. Most importantly, it had

given me a chance to know the hard

work that every instructor goes

through. I was in our teachers’ position

and it made me respect them more and

appreciate all the work they do. I have

never imagined I have such skills that

appeared in this amazing experience.

Seeing all these women very excited to

learn and improving themselves in a

very short time is the blossom of all our

hard work. In addition, I was very

proud of them when I saw their results

in their final exam. At last, they made

me realize that it is never too late to

learn something as long as you have

the will to do so. “Whenever there is a

will, there is a way””.

“The three weeks in Mishkat are

the life experience that I will never

forget. I was attending classes in the

morning, then taught in Mishkat in

the evening, and then I would spend

all night studying for the next exam. In

those three weeks, I was wonderfully

productive, and had splendid energy. I

was waiting all the day for the moment

that my class at Mishkat starts.

Mishkat was a positive and intimate

environment, where it lets everybody

shine, and be the best they can be. I

discovered my students’ hobbies,

strengths, and each one of them taught

me something. We shared stories,

laughed, and faced the challenge of

learning together. I will never forget

those days, I will never forget my

students”.

“Three weeks passed like hours. We

spent the most beautiful moments.

Trained and played and laughed.

Wonderful days always go speeding by,

leaving behind great memories of those

people, and the moments we have lived

with them. They were great friends and

greater trainers. Word of thanks and

gratitude to all those I saw and I did

not see where they were there watching

from a distance behind the scenes.

Thank you to my colleagues, trainers,

the creators of this project, those who

sponsored and supported it, and to

those who contributed to our presence

in this magnificent institute. I need a

lot to express my feelings about this

amazing experience, in spite of its few

days. I will miss you and I will always

remember you”.

A Word from Mishkat

Teacher: Rawan Al Furaih,

IS Student

A Word from Mishkat

Trainee: Hanadi

20



Let’s Google for Fun By: Duaa’ Hajjar

Google Lost its Gravity!!

Tired with Google being so weightless all the time? Try

to bring it down on earth.

Go to Google, and type 'Google Gravity' and

enter “I am feeling lucky”.

Wait for two seconds. Something cool will

happen! The search bar, logo, and buttons

collapse into a heap at the bottom of the page!

Play with it for a while by clicking, dragging,

and releasing them.

Then, write any word in the Google search bar

and press Enter.

Wait and see. Something even cooler will

happen.

Google’s Barrel roll!

Go to Google’s homepage. Type the command

“Do a barrel roll” without the quotes into

Google’s search bar and click Enter.

Did the Earth move for you? The image in your

browser should!! Google’s search interface performs a

360-degree horizontal spin before your eyes!

elgooG!

“elgooG‟ (Google spelled backwards) is the literal

mirror image of the engine searcher; not only is all of

its content a reversal of Google, the search terms must

also be written in reverse in order to yield the desired

results.

To try it, type the word “elgooG‟ in the search bar and

click “I am feeling lucky”.

ASCII Art Search!

ASCII art is imagery made of monospaced letters

named after the storied character-encoding scheme.

Search for ASCII art on Google and you get a fittingly

adapted Google logo.

21

Academic Advising: Important Notes & Terminologies

Reference Information

Guidelines for Students:

The student:

Should complete the process of filling ADVISING CLEARANCE FORM during early

registration phase (Before the end of the 10th week of every semester) only once.

Can identify her advisor from the e-Register system.

Is fully responsible to know the entire Curriculum, Rules & Regulations details, which are available

on the PSU website.

Must consult her advisor before the registration week to get ADVISING CLEARANCE FORM

reviewed and approved.

Will be able to register for courses using online registration system only after submitting the

ADVISING CLEARANCE FORM.

Will not be allowed to join the Co-op program without the written approval of the academic advisor.

Must meet with their advisors prior to dropping any course.

Guidelines for Academic Advisors:

Academic Advisor

Can obtain a list of his students (advisees) from the e-Register system.

Should be familiar with the Program, College and Department requirements for CS and IS

undergraduate program.

Must be aware of the student’s graduation plan and her academic progress.

Is responsible of reviewing the students’ information on the ADVISING CLEARANCE FORM and

comparing it with the e-Register before signing it.

Must submit the original signed ADVISING CLEARANCE FORM to the Admission &

Registration’s Office before the end of the 10th week of every semester.

Must keep a copy of the signed ADVISING CLEARANCE FORM in the advisor’s record.

Provide timely information about the PSU policies, procedures and programs available to students.

22

Notes

o In case your Academic Advisor is not available in the department, kindly contact

Ms. Roohi Jan, Academic Advisor in the CIS Department for any queries.

o In case you would like to discuss some issues other than academic, kindly contact

Ms. Nafla Al Kahtani, Social Advisor in the CIS Department.

Who’s Who in the CIS Department?

CIS Female Teaching Staff

1 Dr. Manal Farrag

CIS Chairperson Egyptian

Assistant

Professor W315 8735

Computer Science Program

Name of Faculty Nationality Academic Rank Office Location Office Tel. Ext.

2 Ms. Roohi Jan

CS Program Coordinator Indian Lecturer W 357 8612

3 Dr. Suad AlRamouni Jordanian Assistant

Professor W354 8789

4 Ms. Ishrat Khan Pakistani Lecturer W336 8715

5 Ms. Jalila Zuhair British Lecturer W325 8659

6 Ms. Amani Al Saleh Saudi Lecturer W356 8323

7 Ms. Layal Kazma Lebanese Lecturer W338 8316

8 Ms. Salma Idris Pakistani Lecturer W336 8715

9 Ms. Saba Jalal American Lecturer W338 8316

10 Dr. Afraz Zahra Syed Pakistani Lecturer W324 8658

Information Systems Program

Name of Faculty Nationality Academic Rank Office

Location Office Tel. Ext.

11 Ms. Fatima Khan

IS Program Coordinator Indian Lecturer W357 8612

12 Dr. Ajantha N. Dahanayake Dutch Professor W344 8319

13 Dr. Romana Aziz Pakistani Associate Professor W355 8611

14 Ms. Omarine Rafie Jordanian Lecturer W338 8316

15 Ms. Nermeen Hakim Lebanese Lecturer W337 8314

16 Ms. Fatin Al Kahtani Saudi Lecturer W356 8323

17 Ms. Fatin Al -Mobarak Saudi Lecturer W356 8323

18 Ms. Nafla Al Kahtani Saudi Lecturer W337 8314

19 Ms. Mashael Al Besher Saudi Instructor – Teaching

Assistant W319 no Ext

20 Ms. Sultana Abahussein Saudi Instructor - Teaching


21 Ms. Ghada Al. Mazroa Saudi Instructor - Teaching


Secretray Admin

W315

8737

23


24

CIS

Newsletter

2011 - 2012

CIS Newsletter Team

CIS Newsletter Coordinator: Ms. Salma Idris

CIS Newsletter Team: Ms. Ishrat Khan, Dr.

Afraz Z. Syed

Student Editor: Lamis AbuSaleh

Thank You…

Thanks to all those who participated and helped

finish the 9th issue of CIS newsletter. We hope

that you also participate in the next issue.

Have a nice summer holidays…

-The CIS Newsletter Team-

Competence

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CIS Newsletter 2011 - 2012 9th Issue

cis newsletter 9th issue

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