Briefs

Virus symposium: Today, June 27, Cornell Information Technologies will present a mini-symposium on computer-virus management with Christine Oshesky, currently security consultant with Greenwich Technology Partners and previously virus response consultant for the Department of Defense, lead information security engineer for the Environmental Protection Agency, and computer scientist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. An afternoon session from 2 to 4:30 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall is open to the public. In that session, Oshesky will review the evolution of malware, with profiles of some recent incidents and will discuss prevention strategies, with an eye to future developments.

Playground volunteers needed: A community build of a playground at the Henry St. John building, located at the intersection of Clinton and Geneva streets in downtown Ithaca, will be held this Friday through Sunday, June 28-30. Volunteers, regardless of skills, are needed for the build and they will be provided with food and drink. To volunteer contact Ken Packman at Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS), 277-4500 or kpackman@ithacaNHS.org . The project is headed by Adam Levine, a Cornell senior and president of Cornell Habitat for Humanity; Packman; and Marc Leathers of Leathers Associates, the internationally known community playground company. This playground, which is being built with state-of-the-art environmentally safe construction materials, is a collaborative effort of INHS, Cornell Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland County and Leathers Associates. The playground also is supported by Washington Mutual Neighborhood Reinvestment Corp.; Salomon Smith Barney, through a Citigroup grant; and the Ithaca Rotary Club.

DLESE conference: Teachers and computer scientists with a special interest in earth science education will gather on campus Sunday through Tuesday, June 29-July 2, for the 2002 annual Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) conference. The group, supported by the National Science Foundation as part of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) project, works to develop online earth science materials and data collections that can be used by teachers from K-12 through college. Bill Arms, Cornell professor of computer science and leader of the team developing the core system of the NSDL, will address the group at a luncheon meeting at 12:45 p.m. Monday in the Willard Straight Hall Memorial Room. Attendance at the conference provides in-service credit for educators. For further information contact Dogan Seber at 255-1159, or e-mail dlese2002@geology.cornell.edu.