For Chapter Chair: Anushka Anand is a PhD student in Computer Science at
the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Her research interests are
data mining and information visualization. She develops algorithms that
analyze large data to discover patterns and anomalies and display them
in interactive environment facilitating visual exploration and
understanding by human data analysts. She has been the President of the
Computer Science Graduate Student Association at UIC for the last two
years initiating a weekly Short Research Talks Series inviting students
and faculty to give 20 minute talks on technical topics and issues like
entrepreneurship. Also, Anushka has served as the Secretary of the
Graduate Student Government for the last 2 years handling the logistics
of their monthly general body meeting of 60 representatives of all the
graduate departments at UIC and has served on various administrative
committees including the Search Committee for the President of the
University of Illinois in 2009-10. For more details on her
extra-curricular activities and research, visit: http://www.cs.uic.edu/~aanand/
The ACM
Chicago Chapter has the potential to be a truly vibrant community of
technology enthusiasts interested in learning, sharing ideas and growing
the tech-impact of Chicago. As Chair, I plan to invigorate the chapter
and raise its membership through programming that appeals to all. The
Chicago ACM chapter is surrounded by excellent academic institutions,
prominent technology companies, and a growing startup community. Through
active promotion and expanded networking, we can leverage this unique
positioning to bring together researchers and industry experts to
showcase cutting-edge research and technology.
For Chapter Vice-Chair: Andrew Klein
I have been working in software in Chicago since 1978. My training was in Astrophysics, but I had always been fascinated by the way a program - something written - could actually do something. The externals of computing have changed a lot since then but the essentials are still just as interesting as they've ever been. I hope to bring speakers, topics, and presentations to the Chicago ACM that reflect what we can do today, maybe remind us of how far we've come, and hint about where we might yet go.
For Chapter Secretary: Ilia Smirnov got strongly interested in computers in 8th
grade in the era of Russian clones of the PDP-11, and then continued a winding
path through such thrilling things as CP/M, Turbo Pascal, Sun Solaris and Perl
up to VB and Java. It all didn’t distract him from obtaining an MS in Engineering Geology and also an MS in
Mathematics from Moscow State University. These two degrees were absolutely
useless in a startup he joined to build small office LANs, but surprisingly
assisted in writing articles for a Russian computer magazine. His exposure to
Java and multiple certifications helped him to find a job in the US – first as
a consultant in New Jersey (writing software for clinical studies and ECG
analysis) and then at financial companies in Chicago including ABN AMRO and
Newedge (formerly Calyon Financial). Working on his third MS (now in
Computational Finance) at DePaul University, he developed interest in risk
management, which led him to the current position at Quantitative Risk
Management, where he struggles on reconciling C# and C++ code. Two children
leave him almost no time to update his travel photography site and peruse books
on European history and economics, but the quiet environment in the office is
very good for listening music spanning periods from Baroque to Deep Purple.
Ilia would like to help in further development of the Chapter's presence on the web and social networks and in organizing a program for the next season. His suggested theme is "Made in Chicago" in recognition of the role of local companies and individuals in providing innovative software products.
For Chapter Treasurer: Greg Neumarke has been involved with the Chicago Chapter of
the ACM for almost 20 years now, starting with a recommendation to attend the SIGART
meetings from his Computer Science professor at North Park University in
Chicago. Greg worked for many years for a non-profit as part of a small
do-everything IT team supporting an office staff of 100, and also helping
organize technology for a retail bookstore and annual events. He is now
exploring and volunteering in new career directions in open source/Linux, computer
refurbishing and education.
I have served the Chapter in the past as Chair, Secretary,
and Treasurer, and will provide continuity to the board as we bring in three
new officers.
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