In which I report briefly on my first LACS meeting, discuss the hiring crisis in computer science, and plea for CS Ph.D.s to return to academia.
Continue reading
Cultivating our seed corn (after Eric Roberts)
10 Replies
Category Archives: Musings
I’ve got a POSSE
When Grinnell College announced that its relationship with the Posse Foundation would end, many folks at Whitman asked me what I thought or if I had any inside information. This post is not about that Posse.
Rather, it’s about my experiences with the Professor’s Open Source Software Experience (POSSE), an NSF-funded project that engages faculty from across the US in developing and deploying learning activities that engage computing students with humanitarian free and open source software (HFOSS).
Reflections on the first weeks of summer
Almost three weeks after Commencement, it finally feels like summer.
Reflections on starting my second semester
With the start of the spring semester, it’s been a a busy three weeks since my last post. This post will reflect on what’s been keeping me busy in teaching, scholarship, and service. Continue reading
Search status; Reflections on teaching
Happy new year! I have two topics for this post: an update on our faculty search and some reflections on my first semester teaching at Whitman.
On the life of the teacher-scholar-founder
Today is my last day of class. While that means students are filling out course evaluations and finals are coming up, it’s also a time to for me to look back at what I accomplished this semester and what my plans are for the upcoming break. It’s in the air, too: There’s been some discussion at Whitman the last few days about the teacher-scholar model. What does that mean for me, as the founder of a new program?
Building or gardening?
Over the Thanksgiving break, I bought one non-food item: a real book, printed on dead trees, and purchased from a brick-and-mortar store (albeit one in a brand new development with a “Main Street” that really isn’t a Main Street at all).
The book is Michael Pollan’s A Place of My Own, which I approach with both interest and trepidation as one who is partway through the process of designing and building a new home. I was surprised to find connections with software development and with my enterprise at Whitman. Continue reading