Press Releases

Catriona Cornett, recipient of a Lockheed Martin IST Scholarship, had a taste of what she wants to do when she graduates: Apply technology to solve problems.

As an intern in AccuWeather, Inc.’s new media program, the junior from Boxborough, Mass., worked on several Web-development and technology-integration projects. One of those involved adapting an open-source program to analyze and track some of the bugs, such as broken links and authentication difficulties, involving the company’s online forecasts.

“The program I put in utilizes a database which makes the tracking process more dynamic,” Cornett said. “This will make it easier and more efficient for programmers.”

Cornett was drawn to IST because of its emphasis on analyzing the needs of a business organization and determining how technology can improve productivity and efficiency. At this point, her career plans lean toward IT consulting.

“With the high cost of a college education, the money from this scholarship helps me and my family,” Cornett said. “Lockheed Martin’s support not only recognizes students but also demonstrates the company’s commitment to IST.”

University Park, Pa. — A class assignment has turned into a virtual gallery exhibition for three sophomores in the Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).

For the past academic year, the three — Catriona Cornett, Jason Scott and Robert Shedd — have been working on what they call a “framework for digital media sharing” or F.R.O.G. that will enable Internet photo sharing as well as advanced image searching and retrieval.

Developed with non-proprietary software tools, the site is similar to other Internet sites because it allows users to upload digital photographs. But fotofrog.com differs from other sites as it incorporates the content-based image-searching and retrieval technology developed by James Wang, assistant professor of information sciences and technology, and Jia Li, assistant professor of statistics. The University has a patent pending on their technology that can “learn” to annotate and retrieve digital images from text queries.

The connection with Wang was made when Cornett, Scott and Shedd were first-year students in IST. In spring semester 2004, they met in Wang’s database class, during which they created the predecessor of fotofrog.com. The actual assignment: To develop a dynamic database-driven Web site in PHP, a programming language, using the database-management software MySQL.

Students who have been awarded scholarships met many of their benefactors at the School of Information Sciences and Technology’s recent Scholarship Reception and Dinner.
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The night also showcased the achievements of several of the scholarship recipients, both alumni and current students, who described their backgrounds, interests and achievements. “I appreciate the recognition and monetary support of these scholarships given the high cost of a college education,” said Catriona Cornett, a sophomore and recipient of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin scholarships. “These scholarships also show that companies and individuals are committed to supporting the School of Information Sciences and Technology and its goals.”

Seven rising juniors in the School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) recently were awarded Lockheed Martin scholarships.Students selected for the Lockheed Martin IST Scholarship excel in the classroom and have demonstrated superior academic performance. Recipients are chosen after their sophomore years.

The students are: Justin M. Fisher, Reading; Marcia M. Douglas, Reading; Catriona R. Cornett, Boxborough, Mass; Daniel M. Pino, Ringoes, N.J.; Robert D. Shedd Jr., Yardley; James T. Scarola, Mount Joy; and Ronald M. Fresta, West Chester.

The Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) has announced scholarship recipients for the 2003-04 academic year.Peter Ricard, Bellefonte, and Matthew Shaw, DuBois, have received Edward M. Frymoyer Honors Scholarships. The $4,500 scholarship is given to full-time undergraduate students in IST who have achieved superior academic records or who show promise of outstanding academic success. Ricard is a sophomore; Shaw, a junior.

Raytheon Scholarships this year went to three freshmen: Catriona Cornett, Boxborough, Mass.; Ruchi Shah, E. Stroudsberg, Pa.; and Bethany Lee, Silver Spring, Md. Cornett and Shah received $5,000; Lee, $2,735. Raytheon Scholarships recognize academic achievement and help support women and underrepresented groups in the information sciences.