by Justin Solomon, Managing Editor

In this issue, we celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of ACM Crossroads by looking back at a selection of articles that have appeared throughout Crossroads history.

First we go back to the very beginning with an editorial by Craig Pfeifer published in the first issue of Crossroads in 1994. In this article, entitled “Information Superwhichway?”, Craig discusses how the Internet was popularized by the media during its inception and how the huge scale of the Internet makes it the “eighth wonder of the world.” We invite readers to consider the issues Craig raises related to the Internet, including how they might have changed or stayed the same since the time his article was written. Be sure to send us your thoughts in the form of a modern-day editorial on the state of the Internet, and we will print the best submissions in an upcoming issue of Crossroads.

Then, we present the second part of “How to Succeed in Graduate School: A Guide for Students and Advisors,” by Marie desJardins, first published in 1995. The first part of this series was republished in the Spring 2008 issue of Crossroads, and now in the current issue the second part discusses how to participate in the graduate school community. Additionally, it addresses specific issues for female students and how to achieve a reasonable workload. This part of the article also includes a short column entitled “How to be a Terrible Thesis Advisor,” contributed by Nigel Ward, a faculty member looking to share his own experiences.

We continue with another advice column, this time from 2001, entitled “Common Mistakes in Online and Real-time Contests.” This column, contributed by experienced contest programmer Shahriar Manzoor, provides valuable advice for teams seeking to participate in programming contests sponsored by the ACM. Also, it shows how teams can get started practicing online and examines other resources

Visit the NEW
www.acm.org/crossroads

The frequently updated Crossroads Web site is your one-stop resource for free access to all past issues, tutorials, and Day in the Life of… series. You will also be able to see our editorial calendar and information on getting published in future issues. Features also include:

• access to over 100 internships and co-ops

• applications for editorial positions and student liasons

• feedback on our issues and staff profiles

• educational and career resources

• countless columns

• book, video, Web site, software, and conference reviews

Site

for aspiring programming contest participants and teams.

“Ethical Lessons Learned from Computer Science,” contributed by Richard Bergmair in

2004, gives a multidisciplinary perspective to computer science. Richard approaches ethics using tools from mathematics and computer science, including formal logic and game theory. This viewpoint allows him to develop unique answers to the “critical distinctions” used to compare ethical philosophies.

The final article in our Crossroads history issue was contributed by Sid Stamm in 2004, entitled “Mixed Nuts: Atypical Classroom Techniques for Computer Science Courses.” Sid argues that computer science is best taught using teaching approaches that extend past the usual series of lectures and homework assignments. Instead, Sid shows a number of instances in which unorthodox teaching methods, from yelling in class to holding debates, have supported the usual computer science curriculum. Additionally, he describes his own experiments in creative computer science education, revealing how alternative teaching methods might affect learning and test scores.

Just as the authors above, you can contribute to Crossroads history by submitting articles for future issues. We are continuing to accept article submissions on a rolling basis, so feel free to send us your work as soon as it is complete. Crossroads seeks submissions in all subfields of computer science, whether they are technical, like computer graphics, theory, or AI, or interdisciplinary, like ethics, communications, or human-computer interaction. Check out our website, at http://www.acm. org/crossroads, for additional information about submitting to Crossroads. When you are ready to send us your final article or column, or if you have any specific questions, feel free to contact us at [e-mail].

We also are pleased to announce the new digital edition of ACM Crossroads. Starting with the Spring 2008 issue, which can be found at http://mags.acm.org/crossroads/2008spring/, Crossroads will be available both in print and in digital form for your reading convenience. Be sure to check our website for updates about this exciting new digital publication and for back issues, internship opportunity listings, and more.

In the meantime, best wishes for a great summer, whether you spend it completing research, programming, interning, studying, or simply hanging out.

 

Biography

Justin Solomon ( [e-mail]) is an undergraduate at Stanford University double majoring in computer science and mathematics. Along with his work as the managing editor for ACM Crossroads, he participates in computer graphics research in the Stanford Department of Computer Science, competes on a team for the ACM programming contests, and plays cello and piano. This summer he will be working in the research department of Pixar Animation Studios.