Rainer Kuhlen, Professor,
University of Konstanz, Germany
"Napsterization and Venterization of Knowledge -- A Challenge for Information Ethics."

Reception from 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.,
Pittsburgh Athletics Association, Bigelow Room,
to honor Professor Stephen Almagno, O.F.M., on his retirement.

Please contact Theresa Benedek at tbenedek@mail.sis.pitt.edu or 412/624-5137 for more information.

This event is sponsored by the School of Information Sciences.

Gloriana St. Clair
University Librarian, Carnegie Mellon University
Million Book Project: Dreams to Realities

Please contact jweaver@mail.sis.pitt.edu or 412-624-7666 for more information.

Open House

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Information Sciences Building 135 N. Bellefield Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Learn about undergraduate and graduate programs that lead to exciting careers in:
- Digital Librarianship
- Geoinformatics
- Knowledge Management
- Medical Informatics
- Network Management
- Systems Analysis
- Telecommunications
- Wireless Communications
- and more.

This event is for Minority Students, but all are welcome. Meet with Faculty and Students! Tour SIS Labs! Refreshments will be served.
Please contact Marian Grant at grant@sis.pitt.edu or 412-624-9400 for more information.

This event is sponsored by the School of Information Sciences.

SLA Chapter Meeting and Pizza Party for Students

6:00 pm
2M2P56 Posvar Hall

This annual Pizza Party is open to all students interested in networking with SLA Professionals. This year's topic will be: "Selling Yourself and Your Skills in a Hard-Sell Market."

This event is sponsored by the Special Library Association.

Michael Lesk
Division Director, Information and Intelligent Systems, National Science Foundation
National needs for digital library technology: images, languages, and data fusion.

Please contact jweaver@mail.sis.pitt.edu or 412-624-7666 for more information.

Support Group for International Students
Session will be held by Iru Brodie-Mends

3:00pm to 4:30pm
Room 334, William Pitt Union
more information at 412-648-7930

Sponsored by University Counseling Services.

event #1
Board of Visitors Meeting (day-long event; continues on Friday, October 12)

event #2
SIS REMEMBERS ~ SIS CARES ~ SIS IS A COMMUNITY

A coming together of SIS Students, Staff, Faculty, and Board of Visitors members to reaffirm our strong sense of community and to acknowledge the bonds of friendship among us, who hail from more than thirty nations around the world.

Candle Lighting & Program
5:30pm, SIS Patio
Followed by food and conversation in the student lounge, 2nd floor

Tele Brown Bag Seminar
from noon to 1pm
room 501

Title: Handoff Detection Algorithms
Presenter: Wiklom Teerapabkajorndet

Abstract: Handoff is the mechanism that transfers an ongoing connection from a base station of one cell to another as a user moves through the
boundary of cells. Because of statistical fluctuations in signal strength due to fading, a call may be repeatedly handed off back and forth between neighboring base stations (ping-pong effect.) Each such handoff involves a signaling cost that can increase because of an improperly designed handoff detection algorithm or it can result in a high probability of forced termination as the received signal strength falls below an acceptable level.

This talk provides a comprehensive view of handoff mechanisms and issues related to handoff that affect the performance of cellular systems.
First, basic concepts of handoff mechanism are provided. Then the literature review of the main topic in this talk, handoff detection algorithms, is presented. Next, handoff issues in future systems are discussed. Finally, a literature review of location-aware handoff algorithms, the latest emerging handoff detection algorithms is provided. Preliminary research results in location aware handoff algorithms are presented afterwards. Finally, the conclusions and possible research work are briefly discussed.

3:30pm-5:00pm
NSH 1305 Lecture Hall
(Carnegie Mellon University)

Abstract: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently called for proposals for a portal that would be a mechanism to support public librarians in the United States. Within two years, these librarians will be supporting over 40,000 networked computers provided by the Gates Foundation to every public library building in the United States. In all but a few cases, these librarians have no formal training in information technology, and their various responsibilities include tasks such as: troubleshooting, maintenance, instructing library users, router configuration, and policing pornography consumers. The challenge to the recipient(s) of this grant will be to create a resource that is more than a passive web site. This portal will need to, at minimum, provide users access to a number of resources, opportunities and facilities such as:

• The ability to communicate with one another
• The ability to retrieve information and transfer knowledge
• The ability to create information and share knowledge
• The ability to collaborate with one another on specific projects
• The ability to build communities
• The ability to customize the interface to suit individual needs
• Seamless use of multiple applications
• The ability to "push" information to users
• The ability to actively monitor users' systems, detect problems, and fix them
• The ability to be an indispensable resource to a user-i.e. the portal is the central base of operations any time users are sitting at their computers, using a cell phone, PDA, or pager
• The ability to provide synchronous help desk operations.

SCALA (Student Chapter of the American Library Association) Meeting
from noon to 1pm
in the 6th floor conference room (across from Dr. Kimmel's office)

Questions to scala@mail.sis.pitt.edu

4:00-4:45 pm
IS Building, room 403

Informal program and discussion for all SIS students. Video, panel of SIS students, & discussion.

From 5:00 to 6:15pm on the patio of the IS building.

This event is a good opportunity for SIS students to become aware of University services and SIS student organizations.

The School of Information's Dean's Forum on Information Ethics presents
John G. Craig, Jr., Editor, Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

"Ethics and the Dissemination of Information by the Mass Media"
Topics include: Access to public records; breakdown of communication through the violation of standards on taste and behavior; publication of information, access to which there is no right under the law; challenges that are facing reporters and editors filing their daily reports.

5pm to 6pm
William Pitt Union Ballroom

Also on Wednesday at the University of Pittsburgh:

Science2001 Festival: a comprehensive research festival designed to spotlight current research and promote the role of Pitt's community of science in everything from globally important discoveries to regional economic development. More information at http://www.science2001.pitt.edu/

An Open Discussion for All SIS Students: Understanding and Coping with Feelings of Shock, Fear and Anger

with Mary Jo Laughlan, Psychologist, University of Pittsburgh Counseling Center

5:00pm to 5:45 pm

SIS Student Lounge
2nd floor

The vigil will last from 8:45 am until 10:37 am, for these are the times confirmed when the first plane struck the World Trade Center and the time when the last plane went down in Somerset.

The vigil will be held in honor of all the victims and their families that have been tragically affected by this horrific act of violence. It is our hope to include all members of the Pitt family to join in this vigil, so that as a unified University we may honor and commemorate those who have suffered as a result of a terrorist act earlier this week.

It is during times such as this when we face our most difficult challenges and feelings of helplessness pervade, we can, as a group, provide strength to one another by standing united against this adversity. As Student Government, we invite you to participate in this University silent vigil so that we may be reassured that our strength is mnore powerful than the adversity we are currently facing.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact the Student Government Office at 648-7970.

2001 Lazerow Lecture and Symposium in Honor of Casimir Borkowski
given by: Dr. Eugene Garfield, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Institute for Scientific Information.

"From Computational Linguistics to Algorithmic Historiography"

1pm to 2pm
Main Dining Room - University Club
123 University Place

Panel on "Knowledge and Language: Building Large Scale Knowledge Bases for Intelligent Applications."

2:15pm to 5:30pm
Main Dining Room - University Club
123 University Place

An Open Forum on the search the next dean of SIS has been scheduled for

Friday, September 21
9:00 to 11:00 am
Room 405 IS Building

This forum is open to faculty, staff, and students.

A public announcement of the search for the next dean of SIS has been posted on the SIS website at http://www2.sis.pitt.edu/aboutSIS/archives/events/y2001/search_dean.html

Information for SIS Graduate Students:
The graduate student representative on the search committee for the next dean of SIS is Stephen Pilachowski. He is a graduate student
and Teaching Fellow at SIS. His primary responsibilities to the search committee are to collect student suggestions, opinions, and thoughts. Stephen has set up a web page to collect comments from students and, to the extent possible, keep students apprised of the state of search. This site is available at http://www2.sis.pitt.edu/~stephenp/dean/comments.html. Students may pose questions directly to Stephen at spilacho@bellatlantic.net.

5:00 pm in Room 501

First Meeting of the SIS student chapter of the American Library Association.

Elections for the following officer positions will be held:

• Chair
• Program Chair
• Membership Chair
• Secretary/Treasurer