For the third year in a row, the department is providing a location for BarCamp Grand Rapids. Everyone is invited to participate however they’d like. If you have something interesting to talk about, bring it! Otherwise, come for the different talks that others give, or just hang out and talk to other geeks. BarCamp will meet on August 15 and 16 in the second floor of North Hall. Registration is requested.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the top 5 fasted growing jobs through 2016 will be:

1. Network systems and data communications analysts
2. Personal and home care aides
3. Home health aides
4. Computer software engineers, applications
5. Veterinary technologists and technicians

So computing-related jobs are the #1 and #4 fastest-growing jobs in the US, for the foreseeable future. Please help us put an end to the myth that there are no jobs in computing!

Calvin CS Senior Ryan Holt spent this summer at IBM, applying what he has learned at Calvin about computing, God’s creation, and environmental stewardship. Read the whole story at ZDNet.com.

Reversing a six year decline, the Computing Research Association’s 2007 Taulbee Survey shows a nation-wide increase in the number of new CS majors. Students are apparently becoming aware that there are more computing-related jobs today than there were in 1999, at the height of the dot-com boom, creating high demand (and salaries) for CS graduates. Calvin College has an excellent CS department offering programs in computer science and informations, including an ABET-accredited CS program. Help us spread the word!