Thursday, April 01, 2004
Ann Patterson, computer information systems
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Ann M. Patterson likes being a member of a team whether for a senior project or a national collegiate conference competition. The computer information systems (CIS) major is one of 25 business students completing a senior project by designing a computer program for the USI School of Business to track faculty information. In preparation for accreditation, the school assembles an annual report of the work of the faculty including what courses each professor teaches, what research has been published, what presentations have been made, and similar data. The computer program the students are writing will streamline the process. Their work includes testing the program and training faculty to use the program. Ann said, “It is a huge project. It is easy to error when one wrong character or one symbol left out of code will cause a malfunction. Even if you screw up, as a team other members will help you.” An honor student, Ann also serves as one of two public relations officers for the USI student organization, Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). The USI chapter is one of 255 chapters at colleges and universities in United States and Canada. Ann, five other CIS students, and faculty advisor Ernie Nolan attended the AITP collegiate conference in Omaha, Nebraska, in early April representing USI. The conference offered industry speakers, hands-on programming contests, and opportunities for job interviews. Team members Jason Hopp and John Russell took third place in Web design and Ann Patterson and Lindsey Simpson received honorable mention in VB.net. The chapter placed second in the banner competition. Though interested in computers from a business vantage, Ann is not tied to technology for daily functions. “If you want to get in touch with me, call me on the phone, don’t e-mail me,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of gadgets with the latest features because most of them are time consuming.” “I know students who will compose a message at the computer, print it out, and leave it for a roommate. It would be easier to write out the message.” The daughter of Mike and Ruth Patterson, Ann grew up in a computer-literate home. Her father is a biomedical technician and her mother has a growing interest in computers. She has a brother who is an engineer and a sister who is a psychology graduate. She told a favorite story about her grandmother’s fascination with e-mail. Often when her grandmother visited, she’d announce that she would have to leave to check on her dogs. Ann was surprised the day her grandmother announced that she had to leave to go home to check her e-mail. Ann will graduate in May with magna cum laude honors. She’s open to a variety of career options, but thinks planning and managerial responsibilities in the computer field are what she will seek. Currently she is an intern at Atlas Van Lines where she works in programming. Ann said, “The technology field is constantly changing, so continual training will be part of whatever I do.” |
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