Here - Computer Science

Wednesday, February 15, 2012
3B
CITY/REGION
LEADER-TELEGRAM
Ex-UW-River Falls leader stressed diversity
Field led campus for
17 years, aided move
to join UW System
By Pamela Powers
Menomonie News Bureau
As the Vietnam War raged
half a world away, then-UWRiver Falls President George
Field encouraged students,
faculty and the community to
discuss the volatile issue that
divided the U.S. in the late
1960s and early '70s with open
minds.
Field's approach to the war
helped avoid conflict during a
tumultuous time in U.S. history,
said Richard Swensen, a former UW-River Falls dean of the
Colleges of Arts and Sciences
who worked at the university
for more than 40 years.
Field, 82, died Friday at
United Hospital in
St. Paul. He was
president and then
chancellor of UWRiver Falls from
1968 to 1985.
"George was
a strong leader,"
Swensen said. "His Field
administration was
open and direct.
He welcomed
the exchange of
ideas and multiple
viewpoints."
During his tenure, Field encouraged international
education opportunities for students and faculty in
locations such as Europe, Taiwan and China. He understood
the importance of cultural
exchange and laid the foundation for international study at
the university, Swensen said.
While Field was chancel-
E
lor, UW-River Falls' enrollment grew from 4,000 to
nearly 5,500. He oversaw the
construction of numerous
buildings, including Rodli
Commons, Hunt Arena,
Kleinpell Fine Arts Building,
Centennial Science Hall and
other structures. The university's newest residence hall,
the George R. Field South Fork
Suites, built in 2005, is named
for him.
"Dr. George Field led the
university with great wisdom
during a time of growth, challenge and change, including
the transition of Wisconsin
State University-River Falls in
1971 to become part of the University of Wisconsin System,"
UW-River Falls Chancellor
Dean Van Galen said.
Former UW-River Falls
Chancellor Gary Thibodeau,
who succeeded Field, said his
predecessor loved the campus
and was proud of the university
being part of the UW System.
"He had a great sense of
humor," Thibodeau recalled.
"He enjoyed his job and interacting with students."
Field was born in La Crosse
in 1929 but had early ties to
River Falls. Both of his parents,
along with several aunts and
uncles, attended the school.
Field earned a bachelor's
degree in geography from Carleton College in Northfield,
Minn., prior to serving in the
U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953. He
then obtained a master's degree
in educational administration
from the University of Colorado
and a doctorate from UW-Madison. Field taught at a junior
high school and worked as a
school principal before entering higher education administration at UW-Madison and
being named UW-River Falls
president.
Field and his wife, Marcella,
raised five children. Their
Memorial
Services
A celebration of former UWRiver Falls Chancellor George
Field's life will begin with a
church service at 2 p.m. Thursday at Ezekiel Lutheran Church,
202 S. Second St., River Falls.
The event will continue with
an informal gathering at about
3:30 p.m. in the Riverview Ballroom in the University Center.
The public is invited.
son William preceded Field in
death, along with a grandson,
Shawn.
"Dr. George Field will always
be remembered as one of the
most effective and personable
leaders in the 137 year history of
UW-River Falls," Van Galen said.
Powers can be reached at 715556-9018 or pamela.powers@
ecpc.com.
In Brief
Faulty wiring likely cause of fire
An Eau Claire fire inspector on Tuesday said faulty
wiring most likely caused an apartment building fire
last week on the city's south side.
Michael Laska of the city's Fire Department said
he's not certain what caused the inferno Saturday
night at an apartment complex at 2417 Golf Road.
He's officially declared the cause as "undetermined,"
though he noted in a news release Tuesday that "a
failure in the structural wiring in the attic is the
likely cause of this fire."
In a phone interview Tuesday, Laska said he
had ruled out arson, noting the fire appeared
unintentional.
Nobody was hurt in the blaze, which was first
reported at about 5 p.m. Laska said the fire caused an
estimated $200,000 in damage. The building's value
most recently was assessed at about $247,000, he
added.
The second floor sustained major smoke, fire and
water damage. The first floor had "light smoke damage," Laska said Tuesday, and also had water damage.
City, firm reach sand plant deal
AUGUSTA
The Augusta City Council has
approved an agreement with Hi-Crush Proppants
that will allow the Houston-based company to move
forward with plans to build a silica sand processing
plant on the outskirts of the city.
The agreement, a memorandum of understanding
that was approved last week, dictates the company
won't truck sand on city roads, won't engage in blasting sand and will protect the integrity of the city's
water and gas supplies, according to a company news
release.
Hi-Crush also is proposing to build a mine about
a mile to the south in the town of Bridge Creek. The
company plans to transport sand along a covered
conveyor from the mine to the processing plant.
"That's a big deal for us," Mayor Delton Thorson
said of keeping sand trucks off city roads.
Eau Claire County currently has a moratorium on
sand mines that is set to last through May 31. County
supervisors will, however, consider an exception to
the moratorium for Hi-Crush during their March 6
meeting.
—
Contributed photo
UW-Eau Claire computer science students, from left, Jonathan Fretheim, Rebekah Sippert, James Felton and Corey Schulz
compete in the Windward International Collegiate Programming Championships. The UW-Eau Claire team won the Jan. 28
competition in Boulder, Colo., besting teams from Boston University, Cornell, Purdue, Stanford and UW-Madison.
Programmed for victor
James Felton and Corey Schulz —
wrote an artificial intelligence code
for a strategy game called "Roborally." The teams had eight hours
to strategize and write a code that
would dictate the moves of one of
the players in the game. UW-Eau
Claire's player scored more points
than all others.
"We were thrilled," said Fretheim,
32, a native of Eau Claire.
UW-Eau Claire team members
said they had modest expectations
going into the contest because they
faced stiff competition and didn't
have much experiences in those
types of challenges.
Sippert, 21, of Eau Claire, said
the team's strategy was to "keep
it simple." Fretheim said the team
spent most of its time working out
the strategy and only about an hour
writing the code.
Fretheim said one of the aspects
Computer students
from UW-Eau Claire
take first in contest
By Jon Swedien
Leader-Telegram staff
UW-Eau Claire's computer science department might not be well
known, but there's some recent evidence it should be.
A team of UW-Eau Claire cornputer science students took the
top prize Jan. 28 at the Windward
International Collegiate Programming Championships in Boulder,
Colo., besting teams from Boston University, Cornell, Purdue,
Stanford and UW-Madison among
others.
The team of four students — Jonathan Fretheim, Rebekah Sippert,
he likes most about UW-Eau Claire's
computer science department is the
focus on fundamentals and a bigpicture approach to computer science. He said that served the team
well.
Winning such a competition is a
boon for the department, said chairwoman Joline Morrison.
"It's huge. It really validates what
we do here in terms of the quality of the students we recruit, and
the quality and the expectations we
have for the students we have in our
department," Morrison said.
Morrison said Windward, a Boulder-based software company, sent
her information about the competition, but it was Felton, of Wauwatosa, who spearheaded the effort to
organize a team.
From staff reports
SPA PACKAGE
715.833-WANT
4I■
g Winter Furniture Sale gS2
9
THE WOOD SHED g
gare
The Amish in
their shops untilAll types of wood & upholstered furnitureWhere True Craftsmanship Starts
for every room in your home!
Home of the Amish -
Spring building furniture and we have
to move it out at great prices. 111
2
-2 u
g
OFF ALL LAMPS
-
§
0
d%
& PICTURES for the
month of February
„..:..sz.4 r,:v.,•,
S
‘401 iiiv:
--
Downtown Augusta,
] 2)
105 West Lincoln St.
715) 286_5404
(
www.woodshedheirlooms.com
661317 2-1-12
AV Wt....
GREAT
findows
Mike
Swedien can be reached at 715-8339214, 800-236-7077 or jon.swedien@
ecpc.com.
Made in Eau Claire
...AC4Wt...AL*
At* al..
months, AODA, $1,614 fine. CASLER, Grant R., 32, Rice
RODRIGUEZ, Anthony R,
22, Lake, disorderly conduct Sept.
Holcombe, disorderly conduct
11, $500 fine.
Dec. 3, 25 days jail, $243 fine.KOTLOV, Alexander, 35,
SCHULTZ, Cory J., 19, Rice Chetek, battery, disorderly
Lake, possession of drug para- conduct, both with domestic
phernalia Oct. 3, $267 fine. abuse enhancements, Oct. 8,
TATE, Tanner B., 19, Rice
18 months probation, AODA,
Lake, possession of drug para- domestic abuse program, $686
phernalia Sept. 27, $267 fine. fine.
.
11 a geil
SPECIAL PRICING:
Bernina 630 E (only 1 available on special pricing)
Open Mouse throughout February
Quantities limited on sale items.
"Fun with Sulky Thursday, February 23
1
I
I
I
I
1
1
1
1
1
:
I
I
I
I
i
Blendables- Su lky1-3:30 p.m. OR 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Wiersgalla Co. 141—
"Sew Exciting - Seminar" $20 per person
1
cSew Oimplete
Plumbing - Heating - All Drain
"43 Years of Reliable Service"
Licensed, Bonded and Insured to Serve the Entire Chippewa Valley Area
I
1
1
Embroidery Cards and CD's
Buy 1-2 50% OFF • 3-5 55% OFF • Over 5 60% OFF
And there's more!
Any equipment repairs will be billed with a 10% discount on parts.
www.wiersgalla.com
Savings:
Bernina 200E/730
Bernina 640 Pfaff 2144/2170
Bernina 430 Brother Quattro 6000 upgrualljed)Jarome MemoryCraft 11000
Brother NS 40
Pfaff 2124 Creative Check Fan & Limit Control - Check Safety Controls - Plus Much More!
662820 • 2-3-12
Closeout DemoPre-Owned Machines
Start Furnace - Check Burner - Check Thermostat
o
Eau Claire, WI • 715-835-3838
Fistbrzecrew
Qi45_...i.,_° .111 1,_
.- CP
LiLir_____-.A._.,
H 0 IA ----
Wake owte goat iwuutee la mut*
olio* & ecaltasticaftg!
715.839.0707 or 1.800.307.9000
2-15-12
BADGER Custom WINDOWS 1
BETA 7//L
Xcel Energy*
662727_2-2-12
L
662853
OX..0 g.yeGx.00.ye5x.00.3.05x05xog.y05.„00.3.05.„00.3.05x0
MyFriendsPlaceSpa.com
GREAT
People
Court Report
WALKER, Daniel W., 49,
months, 120 days jail, AODA,
$1,424 fine.
Cameron, fourth-offense AMODT, Arnold J., 29,
drunken driving within five
years July 8, three years pro- Bloomer, third-offense drunken
driving, bail jumping Sept.18,
bation, license revoked three
years, one year jail, AODA, 140 days jail, AODA, $3,949 fine.
RISLER, Gary R., 43,
$1,449 fine.
GEHRMAN, Dustin J., 18, Prairie Farm, third-offense
drunken driving May 23, 60
Chetek, party to felony theft
Sept. 3, three years probation, days jail, license revoked 27
360 hours community service, months, AODA, $1,424 fine.
MITCHELL, Edwin W., 26,
12 weekends in jail, restitu- Rice Lake, second-offense
tion, no contact with co-defendants, $528 fine. drunken driving, tampering
MILLER, Carrie M., 36, with interlock device Nov.19,
Barron, fourth-offense drunk- 10 days jail, license revoked 14
715552.2754 v
CLASSIFIED
MARKETPLACE
When you are into
quality, look into..
en driving Oct. 1, two years
Barron County
probation, license revoked 33
Found guilty
GOLD ' SILVER ' BRONZE
Authorized Pfaff, Brother and Bernina Dealer • "Has the Pattern for Quality & Service"
I
715 832-334.5
,a
1-800-924-4075
1408 S. Hastings Way • Eau Claire www.sewcompleteinc.com visA CD
I. IE--
1
1
PFAFF BERNINA°
662797_2-9-12
I
I
I
I
.1