2008 Woodie Awards
CIS students record three national top tens
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: News
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SBU Computer and Information Sciences students junior Megan Burnett (Barnett, Vt.), junior Michael VanDevender (Nixa, Mo.), senior Scott McFall (Topeka, Kan.), and junior Nathan Sisk (Sikeston, Mo.) held off some stiff national competition in a field of 48 teams to finish in second place in the Application Development category of the 2007 Association for Information Technology (AITP) National Collegiate Conference held in Detroit, Michigan.
McFall and VanDevender also teamed up to finish in the top six out of a field of 52 teams in the Database Design competition. Senior Kurt Paulson finished in the top nine in the Undergraduate Research Paper competition.
"I had spoken with the judge of the Application Development competition after judging was completed," said Dr. Tim DeClue, Chair of the CIS Department. "He told me the top two teams were well above the others and had completed all three sections of the problem. When I spoke with our team, though, they said they'd not completed the third part. I assumed then we would not be in the top two. When the awards were handed out and we didn't get anything up through third place, I thought we were out of it. Then we heard 'SBU' and everyone started yelling. It was a pretty exciting moment for the team and I was extremely proud of their finish."
"This is an incredible accomplishment for our students," said DeClue, "When you look at the schools we were competing against, you begin to understand the special place that SBU has become. How many other schools our size with a purposefully Christian mission have students who can say what our kids can -- that the peer institutions are among the most well-known on a national level?"
Also attending th conference were junior Justin West (Blue Springs, Mo.), junior Meilani Williams (Leavenworth, Kan.), senior Peggy Walden (Indianapolis, Mo.) and senior Stefan Arndt (Vandalia, Ill.).
McFall and VanDevender also teamed up to finish in the top six out of a field of 52 teams in the Database Design competition. Senior Kurt Paulson finished in the top nine in the Undergraduate Research Paper competition.
"I had spoken with the judge of the Application Development competition after judging was completed," said Dr. Tim DeClue, Chair of the CIS Department. "He told me the top two teams were well above the others and had completed all three sections of the problem. When I spoke with our team, though, they said they'd not completed the third part. I assumed then we would not be in the top two. When the awards were handed out and we didn't get anything up through third place, I thought we were out of it. Then we heard 'SBU' and everyone started yelling. It was a pretty exciting moment for the team and I was extremely proud of their finish."
"This is an incredible accomplishment for our students," said DeClue, "When you look at the schools we were competing against, you begin to understand the special place that SBU has become. How many other schools our size with a purposefully Christian mission have students who can say what our kids can -- that the peer institutions are among the most well-known on a national level?"
Also attending th conference were junior Justin West (Blue Springs, Mo.), junior Meilani Williams (Leavenworth, Kan.), senior Peggy Walden (Indianapolis, Mo.) and senior Stefan Arndt (Vandalia, Ill.).
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