MSU alumna Bohannon to speak at 20th NTASC

On April 16, computer science and engineering students from colleges and universities across Texas and Oklahoma will meet from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Midwestern State University's Bolin Science Hall to feature their research projects and presentations. High school students have been invited to observe the event.

The 20th Annual North Texas Area Student Conference (NTASC) is a one-day event sponsored by the Department of Computer Science and chaired by computer science professor Dr. Ranette Halverson. What sets the conference apart from traditional events is that the focus is placed on the presentation of papers and projects by the students themselves, graduate and undergraduate, relating to their experiences in computing and engineering. Presentations will include individual or team projects, research efforts, and major classroom assignments.

This year's keynote speaker is MSU alumna Kandyce Bohannon, a software engineer in the Infection Prevention Division at 3M in St. Paul, Minn. Bohannon recently began a research project investigating the reduction of mortalities associated with health care-acquired infections. She earned her Bachelor of Science with a double major in math and computer science and was Outstanding Computer Science student in 2008. She earned her Master of Science in computer science from MSU in 2010. All MSU students, faculty, and staff are invited to the keynote address at 9 a.m. in Bolin 100.

The conference is an opportunity for students and faculty to share ideas and experiences while participating in a professional conference at no fee. For high school students, the conference provides a firsthand look at college-level projects in computer science and engineering-related fields and a preview of what they can expect while pursuing a university degree.

For more information, call (940) 397-4702.