Jumpstarting a Global Mobile Computing Lab at Pace University

Mobile applications are the future of computing. This project focuses on jumpstarting a mobile lab at Pace University. It reaches out to the university community and beyond by integrating different events including a competition on mobile application development and hosting external speakers. A high school event and a panel discussion with experts in the field are planned

Mobile Technology and Sustainability

65 million years ago, the dinosaurs were exterminated. Today more than 6 billion people depend primarily on non-renewable resources for survival. What many fail to recognize is that burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is reaching a dead end and also has debilitating immediate effects on our surroundings. The “environment” is no longer limited to species’ natural habitat, where one solely imagines the seven biomes. Instead it encompasses human interaction within the biotic, abiotic, cultural, and social worlds. Dirty energy sources are a major example of how humans drastically alter not only the physical environment, but the economy as well. While the increase of forest fires, heat waves, droughts, floods, heavy precipitation and disease is a reality for most, others still deem Global Warming as a myth. In order to make the Earth’s population more aware of these dramatic consequences and how to contribute to avoiding them, mobile technology can play an important role. Mobile technology comprises mobile applications, (iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Java ME), mobile web sites, SMS and voice solutions. Mobile phones are always at an arm distance of their owners and have the potential to reach masses of people and thus, make a difference. More specifically, they can be used to educate users about anything related to going green in an entertaining or serious way, on the fly or in a studious environment. In this research, we are studying how mobile technology can be used to create a more sustainable future

Integration Starts on Day One in Global Software Development Projects

partnering to offer students the opportunity to work on globally distributed software development projects. The innovative collaborative model has evolved towards an emphasis on technology mashups for development and communication, mentoring and auditing for assuring quality, and team and software integration for right-sourcing. This paper describes a project where students working in sub-teams were required to integrate their sub-components as a single system for a Cambodian environment. Furthermore, a well-defined design sub-component was subject to a competitive bidding process in an attempt to enhance quality though design diversity. The paper reports on our findings and summarizes the dos and don'ts associated with integration. Both team and software integration needs careful attention from day one on a project, a finding that has repercussions for educational and industrial practice

Incomplete and Inaccurate Vocal Imitation after Knockdown of FoxP2 in Songbird Basal Ganglia Nucleus Area X

The gene encoding the forkhead box transcription factor, FOXP2, is essential for developing the full articulatory power of human language. Mutations of FOXP2 cause developmental verbal dyspraxia (DVD), a speech and language disorder that compromises the fluent production of words and the correct use and comprehension of grammar. FOXP2 patients have structural and functional abnormalities in the striatum of the basal ganglia, which also express high levels of FOXP2. Since human speech and learned vocalizations in songbirds bear behavioral and neural parallels, songbirds provide a genuine model for investigating the basic principles of speech and its pathologies. In zebra finch Area X, a basal ganglia structure necessary for song learning, FoxP2 expression increases during the time when song learning occurs. Here, we used lentivirus-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) to reduce FoxP2 levels in Area X during song development. Knockdown of FoxP2 resulted in an incomplete and inaccurate imitation of tutor song. Inaccurate vocal imitation was already evident early during song ontogeny and persisted into adulthood. The acoustic structure and the duration of adult song syllables were abnormally variable, similar to word production in children with DVD. Our findings provide the first example of a functional gene analysis in songbirds and suggest that normal auditory-guided vocal motor learning requires FoxP2

Déduction avec contraintes et simplification dans les théories équationnelles

Non disponible / Not availabl

Teaching Mobile Solution Development in a Global Context: Comparing Solutions Proposed by Students in the Developed and Developing World

This paper presents and reflects on the different approaches of teaching mobile solution development at Pace University in the US and in different universities in Senegal in the last three years. The evolution of the objectives, contents, and targeted mobile technologies of the different courses are described based on our lessons learned and the state-of-the-art technologies and practices used in the industry. Students developed mobile solutions aimed at improving life on campus in the US and in Senegal, sometimes collaboratively. These initiatives permitted us to do a cross-cultural exploration of what students saw themselves as needing and how mobile technology can meet these needs given the nature of the specific and local constraints of their institutions, infrastructures, and cultures. This paper summarizes the findings of this exploration and presents recommendations for faculty interested in teaching mobile solution development in a global context