by Mike Duff

As far as the University is concerned, we've all just embarked on the Spring 1994 semester. The weather, however, is a fine indicator that the University should redefine its terms. What better way is there to get out of the bitter cold than to spend a few hours working on a dazzling project for the Engineering Open House?

The Association for Computing Machinery has upwards of twenty ongoing projects, all of which require the help and determination of students like yourself. Under each Special Interest Group update in this newsletter, you will see a brief summary of the projects each is working on. Very few of these projects require that you have a strong technical background. All that is required of you is some time and a little bit of gray matter between your ears, and you'll be an active part of one of the largest, most successful student organizations on campus. Don't just join the ACM to have some activities on your resumŽ; your resumŽ will look much more inviting if you can say, "I played an integral part in a project that advanced the field of computers and their applications."

I must admit that in my four years of school, I have learned a lot from the professors that spent so many years acquiring the knowledge necessary to teach. But the eight different projects I've worked on in the last few years have taught me much more about programming, much more about project development, and much more about working in teams than all of my classes combined. These are the skills that employers look for, and are the skills that make students at the number three engineering university in the country look much more appealing than their fellow Illini.

The amount of time most people spend on their projects is only about 5 to 10 hours per week (and this is for the people who work hard). There are some people who really like their projects, and spend much more time, but if your excuse has been that you haven't enough time, you're fooling yourself. Come to the meetings of the Special Interest Groups that interest you the most, and be a real part of this school's fine tradition of projects.